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I've really enjoyed reading everyone's comments!

One thing that stood out to me is how many people outside Japan have been playing Ibanez basses since the 1970s.
I knew they were more popular overseas than they were in Japan, but I never expected to see so many passionate fans here.

I was also very happy to find that many of you share the same opinion I've had for years—that Japanese basses from the late '70s through the '80s offered outstanding build quality and incredible value for the money.
I currently own and play several Japanese Jazz Basses from the 1970s through the early 1990s, and every one of them is a cherished companion.

Reading the real experiences of people who have actually owned and played these instruments has been both fascinating and educational.

I'm sure there are still plenty of hidden gems out there that I've never even heard of!

Pocket Dave said:

Interesting phrase. Speaking from experience?

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I had a friend who was a firefighter.

Coming from a BH mini and BH .5K, looking forward to the extra headroom and integrated signal filter. These amps are so inspiring to play.

Ok so I've frozen the Bass Better-er Beta

And I have put out a version 1 of the free plugin, now Box Of Bass



I have (amongst other things):

• Improved the UI
• Added Sidechain/external signals
• Added multi-instance linking (for multiple bus uses)
• Selectable channels on reverb
• Parametric EQ (which customisable bands)
• Improved the fuzz/dist engines, and added option to run them in sequence

I have also added a simple mode to emulate the ethos of Bass Better-er:



And even added a guitar mode that pitches it down an octave:



All still for free - if you want info about the upcoming pro version, you can sign up to newsletter here - and if anyone is willing to give me a 10/15 min interview on how they've used this as data for my masters, please send me an email at [email protected]

Akami said:

I've never minded help with the mains and stands, but I'm moving my amps and instruments myself.

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If help is offered, they get a cable bag or my axe. I don’t let anybody touch my amp or cabs. They’re just too fragile.

Another update...

I sent the bass back to Arizona for inspection two weeks ago. I also asked the builder for a refund because the bass has been out of my possession and in the shop longer that it has been with me. By this point, I was also unhappy with the lack of QC regarding the electronics.

He was able to fix the electronics issues in 2 days. Because of that, he declined my refund request because he said that I bought the bass in person at the trade show back in June and that I was able to test everything out before buying. The one good thing he did was pay for the shipping in both directions and the labor to fix his own mistakes.

On top of that, he also undid the professional setup that I had paid for and reset it up to his personal preferences. I asked him not to alter the setup, but he did anyway! When I got the bass home, it was virtually unplayable because of the new setup. At least the electronics are working properly. I inspected it myself and I found that the truss rod was WAY too loose. I tightened it and most of the buzzing was gone.

The one problem this bass still has is a rattling D string. I didn't hear any rattling on the D string until the bass arrived back at my house last week, so this is another new issue. The builder did not install a string retainer (as on a Fender 5 string) for the D and G strings. This would have solved the problem from the factory. What's more is that the best location on the head stock for the string retainer is where the builder branded his logo! So something has to give: functionality or design. Regardless, this is a stupid QC issue that could have been avoided.

Last week, I called my credit card company and filed a dispute against the builder for the cash portion of what I paid for this bass. The QC issues that I'm solving are comparable to those of a modern Fender. I expected A LOT MORE from a smaller, custom builder. I'm not sure how this is going to go, but I'm hopeful.

This bass is currently for sale on the Sweetwater Gear Exchange. I can't return it, so I would rather move on from it in another way. This whole experience has been very frustrating for me!

4sight said:

Looks like a Sonic to me. They originally came out of two factories in China and Indonesia, but I believe they're Indonesia only now. The "ears" on the MIC model's pickups are slightly larger so a standard pickguard won't fit, I guess that could be a way of checking.

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Thanks!

RIP.

I have been using the whites on my Fretless Am Prof jazz. Tried others. Nothing as smooth , flexible or upright bass sounding. Not a lot of bite. That's part of the deal. EQ. I just epox'd my fingerboard(rosewood) even better sustain and growl.

LadyLoveStingRay5 said:

Sharay has become my favorite player.

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Dr. Cheese said:

That is great taste on your part.

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Sharay is the embodiment of make a joyful noise.

The B Keeper said:

It's too bad there aren't more comparisons of these to stainless Lo-Riders because there's a pack here waiting to be strung up but I don't know what bass to put them on yet. So far a passive Stingray is the top contender once the Slinkies on it start to lose some shine

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I think there are some videos with someone sound testing power steels somewhere on YouTube

Rockin John said:

This request might also apply to the DB forum but I’ll just post here…

The thread title says it all, I suppose. I’d like to find the dots for the bass line on the recording above. Various tries have revealed little or nothing.

Can anyone please point me in the right direction?

Tks.

John

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Not to leave well enough alone, here is Ray Brown’s bass line (mostly), transcribed from Summertime, a somewhat similar tune.
Maybe this helps someone.

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iiipopes said:

Any more about the pickup? If the pickup is truly dead, I would send it to Tom Brantley. He used to work with Lindy Fralin before going out on his own. He has rewired or redone covers on several pickups for me, including rewinding a dead Squier Tele pickup that I had custom made as a split-coil humbucker that was DOA. He explained to me how the guy who made it did not put a proper base on the pickup, and it flexed and failed. He truly understands these pickups, having worked with Lindy, including understanding the value of fixing a vintage pickup if possible, rewind only if all else fails.

Fender and Gibson Pickups — Purchase New Guitar Pickups

testing

tombrantleyrewinds.com

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I actually managed to fix it myself! The connection between the coil and the hook up wire had broken and there was just enough left to scrape back the coating and re solder a new hook up wire to. I dropped some molten wax on the repair to try and keep it in place and it seems to have worked so far so all good and it sounds amazing, really snarly and gritty (in a good way)! Did people originally change these pickups out because they didn't work well at volume I wonder because I'm only playing at non stage level and I suspect they may feedback at higher volumes hence the need to swap to a P-bass humbucker pickup for less noise etc? Anyone had experience of this?

Ahhh, the grandfather of Rob Trujillo's crab walk.

Just a thought. I did 20years+ in the Infantry. HHC Mortars so LOTs of equipment, LOTs of loading/unloading; rough handling would be an understatement now add on field time, all weather conditions, bumpy roads/trucks you get the idea.

Something comparable to Bass / Amp: The equipment goes inside a soft case when equipment is in hand cary. If it goes in a truck or even short term storage or bad weather situation; the soft case goes inside a hard case (Usually Pelican). Most are not pretty at all. 50/50 there is a medium/thin layer of closed cell foam on most interior surfaces, then glued in harder closed cell foam blocks to keep the soft case in the middle.

Point is, the Army system works, no question. If you have a decent soft case, just need to find a comparable hard case that fits it. Pelican is the standard, they have dozens of sizes and .gov surplus with only minor cosmetic wear and can be found on eBay at lest 50% off. There is also Hardgig , SKB and Seahorse; all just about as good as Pelican. Don't forget about checking weights. (FWIW: Harbor Freight is just OK IMO. They are heavy and smell. 100% I would spend a fraction more and get surplus Pelican every time)

Jeff Scott said:

They have their own headstock shape and logos; the way I see it all is good to go.

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They look to me copies of EBMM, but that’s just my opinion. The bodies look like Fender bodies.

Last night I had a 90 minute set and my feet and calves cramped through the whole thing. That was manageable by keeping moving. I'm the band front, so I had to do that anyway. Then, last song, my two picking fingers on my right hand seized. Every time I tried to use them the cramp went all the way up my wrist. I finished the tune picking with my ring finger. I've been playing 40 years. I get cramping in my feet a lot but never in my hands. Freaked me out. I haven't been eating much. I wasn't dehydrated, though. I drank a lake of Gatorade. Bumping this thread to see what I can learn.

Ridiculous!

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ProbablyTooLoud said:

I think you gotta post this in classifieds.
There's a "want to buy" option (or similar) or you can put your current neck up "for trade" and specify what you wanna trade for.

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Thanks I’ll try that

Ended up keeping the Storm Trooper bass and doing a passive conversion. Used Bartolini XXM45M pickups, but installed them upside down to get a more open voicing on the A-string. Pretty satisfied with the results, although it took quite a bit of trial and error (and money) to get it right. At their price point, these basses are really well made. And while I'd still categorize it as a "modern" instrument, it now has a much more traditional-sounding voice, similar to a PJ but not quite.

Hey everyone,

I recently came across a Sadowsky SBP-1 preamp/DI that appears to be an early V1 version. The thing that caught my attention is that it does not have the On/Off LED that the later versions seem to have.

Does anyone know:

Whether there are any circuit/build differences compared to the later SBP-1 versions?

If the early USA/V1 versions are considered more desirable?

What a realistic value would be today for a sealed example, and at differing qualities?

Any information or personal experience would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hello again.
After my SIRE U5 saga, here is a remaining task to make my Ibby perfect: yet another ... ramp !

Started with the same remaining wood piece i've used for all the others


.

Then big sanding operation

In first get the good width


Then the good thickness


more sanding


And then painting operation.
The first step has been to go see my local paint specialist with the bass as he could analyse color and realise a good mix to be the closer possible of Ibanez Sea foam green. And i had chance cause he reached a really close one !
Not really obvious with the first layer


but then




And finally..






And now, let's go back to music !

I didn’t check the first link before but it’s fixed now

T. Brookins said:

Here is my Japanese-American queen, the deep blue 1988 ESP Barrington TMS-5 delight. 8.3lbs, upgraded with Hipshot Ultralight tuners (no neck dive) and a two band preamp with the treble portion snipped and passive tone installed instead. Treble boost on the original preamp was harsh and redundant, especially with how crisp, direct, and bright this bass is. It’s basically a great sounding 24 fret Jazz Bass with a modern zing of needed. The custom Gotoh pickups are fairly quiet while soloed for being single coils. The striped ebony board and carved alder body impart a very immediate and defined tone unlike anything I’ve heard— and I’ve heard a lot! The neck is almost dead straight, and is capable of extremely low action. The Gotoh 206 bridge is very solid and rattle free, although quite fiddly to setup. I found it on marketplace for a steal, and it appeared to have been sitting outside a case without strings for quite a long time. So much dust and grime. If I could ever find another, I’d very highly recommend it for anyone looking for a Sadowsky Jazz 24 or a rare vintage-yet-modern take on the Ibanez Mode bass. This bass is at a very high level in terms of solidity, definition, build, and mojo. The Japanese way. I can’t say enough good about it! If you are ever fortunate enough see one for sale, get it and keep it healthy!

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Love the Look of those TM Stevens, Never seen one pop up this side of the Pond (UK) but given that it's almost 40 years old it puts some of the "modern" J Shape to shame, thank's for the post very cool...Plz Go join my Barrington Owner club thread

My 4 String Newport is still in a box traveling across the world from JP to the UK......SURFACE SHIPPING...I had to back it down to Surface because ZenMarkets Air quote was WAY WAY off the mark, Before i bought the bass and had it shipped to their warehouse their Shipping Caculator gave be a Ballpark of $71/£50 for 6 Day AIR.....Great...After the bass arived and was package (99% the same Size/weight id estimated for) shipping at Check out jump to £180/$242! Air.....***

Surface was the only option i was will to pay for $85/£63 upto 3 Months.wait...that or lose the Bass, I had a bit of a go with Zenmarket's CS Via messages and the "team" have made some changes to the Estimation Caculator...It's still off by a good $30/£20 based on what i paided vs their estimates are so be warry of what looks like to good to be true shipping costs from these Japanese reshippers because once your order they have you over a barrel.

Cheers

Thanks.
I found a few threads about the original Band, back from 2013, and went through them.