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BTB 785 CM


Phf
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I asked about some Ibanez SR500 and SR700 alternatives the other day and I've now branched off into looking at some 5 strings and come across a BTB785 CM for a little over £400. There isn't much info about them anywhere though, not even on the ibanez website so does anyone know roughly how much one of these is worth new and also how they compare to other options in a similar price range?

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Much wider spacing on the BTB (19mm compared to 16.5mm), longer 35" scale length and heavier with it, try both as they have been designed to be completely different to each other. The BTB785 is the 775 with a piezo bridge I think. If so (not 100% on that) it will have the licensed Bartolini Mk pickups and pre which aren't great.

 

Honestly I would look for an Ibanez with Nordstrand, Fishman or licensed CND pickups and their in house preamp, if the SR6xx you're looking at is the one with Big Breaks in it and you can deal with the tight string spacing then get that. Even better shop used and try to snag one of the higher end SR basses for sub £700, the depreciation on them is heartbreaking for sellers but amazing for buyers. For any Ibanez with Bart Mk or BH electrics I wouldn't be paying over £400 really, a bit more money gets you a much better sounding pickup and preamp.

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From what I'm seeing both the SR600 and BTB785 have 19mm string spacing and that's what I have on mine atm so I don't think that should be an issue. Can confirm the BTB has Bartolini pickups so I might look around some more. What do you mean by the Big Breaks for the SR6xx? Also £400 is more or less my budget so unfortunately I'm going to have to hold off on the higher end SRs. Thanks for the reply 👍

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17 minutes ago, Phf said:

From what I'm seeing both the SR600 and BTB785 have 19mm string spacing and that's what I have on mine atm so I don't think that should be an issue. Can confirm the BTB has Bartolini pickups so I might look around some more. What do you mean by the Big Breaks for the SR6xx? Also £400 is more or less my budget so unfortunately I'm going to have to hold off on the higher end SRs. Thanks for the reply 👍

 

The 5 string SR is usually 16.5mm, looks like this is adjustable by 1.5mm on the current models, still quite a thin neck though so YMMV. Ibanez did some broad neck 5 string SR basses but you don't see these come up for sale often.

 

Big Breaks are Nordstrand pickups which the current SR600 series use.

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Oh right the SR600 I've found is 4 string which would be why the string spacing is still 19mm and it also has bartolini mk1 pickups but after listening to some audio tests with the bartolinis I think they sound find, at least to me so I might just go for the BTB in the end. I guess it's either that or wait to see if anything else comes up but who knows how long that could take.

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18 minutes ago, Phf said:

Oh right the SR600 I've found is 4 string which would be why the string spacing is still 19mm and it also has bartolini mk1 pickups but after listening to some audio tests with the bartolinis I think they sound find, at least to me so I might just go for the BTB in the end. I guess it's either that or wait to see if anything else comes up but who knows how long that could take.

 

The Mk pickups are ok, they're reverse split coils and nothing special but sound decent passive IMO. The issue for me is with the Mk preamp, just seems to have boomy bass and harsh treble like a pre from a 90s budget bass. Sounds ok (if a little dark) in isolation but tends to get buried in a mix, if you like how it sounds centred then it might work for you but don't expect to be able to dial in more clean bass. Ibanez also used to use a suspiciously similar sounding pre in some of their older basses, my EDB555 had the same issues despite having a completely different set of pickups and an in house preamp.

 

Frequency chart looks like this, I don't think they changed anything for the Mk2 version:

bartolinimk1-jpg.1523015

 

Some people like them but they didn't really work for me in both Corts (who build Ibanez) I had with them as stock. For a cheap budget preamp I slways liked the Artec SE3 series, bass centre frequency is around 80hz so much more musical to my ears.

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Ok I'm not an expert on EQ but I think I get what you're saying. Either way isn't it possible to change the preamp without spending a huge amount (obviously to upgrade)? And as a more general thing are BTB's considered good value if you're buying them new in comparison to other 5 strings?

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44 minutes ago, Phf said:

Ok I'm not an expert on EQ but I think I get what you're saying. Either way isn't it possible to change the preamp without spending a huge amount (obviously to upgrade)? And as a more general thing are BTB's considered good value if you're buying them new in comparison to other 5 strings?

 

 

You don't need an expensive big name brand preamp, just one that boosts and cuts at frequencies you like. Those Artecs are about £20 and I've always liked them. See how you get on with the stock pre first, you might like it.

 

All Ibanez basses are a good bet, built to a high standard with nice materials. Like I said there's a fair bit of depreciation so if that BTB is £400ish then grab it, the current closest spec model will set you back £800-£900. Wouldn't be my first choice at the new price but definitely a good buy at half that.

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I typically don't like Bartolinis, but ironically I had a Lakland 55-01 with the MK1 pickups in, and that sounded brilliant in a band context. It did have an upgraded (Bartolini) NTMB preamp though, so perhaps it was that? 

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Thanks for all the advice, the only thing I'm hesitant about now are the pickups and preamp. I've come across yet another option which is a Harley Benton 5 string, specifically the BZ 5000 II NT which has some Tesla TV-SBL1 pickups and is pretty much exactly the same price new as the BTB is second hand so now I'm thinking it might be a better option especially since a lot of people seem to think the Benton basses are very good quality for the price they're marketed at.

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If the woods are fine, and I mean ergonomics and feel, it is pretty simple to change electronics.

 

There aren't too many basses I would buy only because of electronics. Well, Vigier Nautilus, Alembic series I and II, Peavey Cyberbass...

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15 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

 

The Mk pickups are ok, they're reverse split coils and nothing special but sound decent passive IMO. The issue for me is with the Mk preamp, just seems to have boomy bass and harsh treble like a pre from a 90s budget bass. Sounds ok (if a little dark) in isolation but tends to get buried in a mix, if you like how it sounds centred then it might work for you but don't expect to be able to dial in more clean bass. Ibanez also used to use a suspiciously similar sounding pre in some of their older basses, my EDB555 had the same issues despite having a completely different set of pickups and an in house preamp.

 

Frequency chart looks like this, I don't think they changed anything for the Mk2 version:

bartolinimk1-jpg.1523015

 

Some people like them but they didn't really work for me in both Corts (who build Ibanez) I had with them as stock. For a cheap budget preamp I slways liked the Artec SE3 series, bass centre frequency is around 80hz so much more musical to my ears.

 

I can echo what Lemmywinks says here - I've got a Cort that came with Mk1 pickups and a proper Bartolini preamp [HR-5.4AP/918], and the combined output is totally usable. In fact, the sound has even drawn compliments from my guitar tech.

 

The MK1s get a bit of a bad rap because they're usually paired with a cut-price preamp, as Lemmywinks points out.

 

Unless you really need the hi-fi sheen of top-end humbuckers, I wouldn't worry about them - It's the preamp to which you need to pay more attention. :)

 

 

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14 minutes ago, simisker said:

 

I can echo what Lemmywinks says here - I've got a Cort that came with Mk1 pickups and a proper Bartolini preamp [HR-5.4AP/918], and the combined output is totally usable. In fact, the sound has even drawn compliments from my guitar tech.

 

The MK1s get a bit of a bad rap because they're usually paired with a cut-price preamp, as Lemmywinks points out.

 

Unless you really need the hi-fi sheen of top-end humbuckers, I wouldn't worry about them - It's the preamp to which you need to pay more attention. :)

 

 

Ok thanks that's really helpful, I think I'll go for it assuming it hasn't already sold and it's all in good condition - just waiting for the seller to respond. Thanks everyone 👍

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8 hours ago, Phf said:

the only thing I'm hesitant about now are the pickups and preamp.

I think there's an enormous amount of cork sniffing that goes on with PUs and pres on basses. I've owned a huge variety from Status to Alembic Series II and Bart Mk1s and the latter are nowhere near as bad as many make out.

 

You may have different preferences, especially when listened to isolated, but there is nothing 'bad' sounding about this bass. Note, I own one.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EThymuEtxw

 

I also own an Ibanez SR706, with Mks that's getting EMG45DCs, because I'm looking for that EMG tone and am prepared to (slightly) rout the bass to fit them in, especially as it cost me so little and isn't collectable in any real way. This, or the A6, could play just about anything I could consider ever playing and with some slight EQ tweaking, both could be used in a long, wide ranging cover or wedding gig, with just about zero chance of a negative comment on tone.

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I don't think people pointing out that a certain cheap preamp sounds markedly worse than other cheap preamps is "cork sniffing" but there we go. Ibanez' in house preamps are much better than the Mk pre, probably why they use those now in the basses equipped with the licensed Bart pickups. The Artec I mentioned is £20 and also much better than the Mk pre IMO.

 

To the OP I would see how you get on with it as standard, if you find that a bit lacking then try the pickups wired passive. If you prefer that then think about swapping the Mk preamp out for a better (not necessarily expensive) one.

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1 hour ago, lemmywinks said:

I don't think people pointing out that a certain cheap preamp sounds markedly worse than other cheap preamps is "cork sniffing" but there we go. Ibanez' in house preamps are much better than the Mk pre, probably why they use those now in the basses equipped with the licensed Bart pickups. The Artec I mentioned is £20 and also much better than the Mk pre IMO.

 

To the OP I would see how you get on with it as standard, if you find that a bit lacking then try the pickups wired passive. If you prefer that then think about swapping the Mk preamp out for a better (not necessarily expensive) one.

Ok, I'll see how it goes - hopefully should be fine if I even end up getting the bass I was talking about but honestly still not sure about the 5 string idea - might go for a good 4 string and then a budget 5 string on top just to see how it feels first

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