Not being on Talkbass sure seems to though!
With Talkbass down and my Province going into a total lockdown, combined with a year of a dried up used market and pent up demand now seemed to be the best time to move some gear. Originally this was to bolster my finances and if it went well enough I'd buy a Fender 75th Anniversary Jazz Bass to soften the blow.
It went well alright. Say hello to a very unique bass experience. The Ibanez BTB 705DX.
I traded my Sterling Ray5, a TC Spectradrive, and an EHX Bass Monosynth for this beast. To say I got a good deal would be an understatement. Just the Aguilar pickups and electronics alone cost more than what I paid for the above gear. This bass' modern cousin the BTB 765 costs nearly 3x what I paid for the above gear, though I know if Ibanez made both basses today there'd be a price gap. Still, woah. Also I'll forever love that Sterling for how much it's changed my bass world!
I've wanted a high end Ibanez since playing an SR1300, or maybe it was a 1600? It had Nordstrands and was amazing. The BTB for those who don't know is no SR. It's not my biggest bass, and it's an even 10lbs but it feels heavier and bigger. That said outside of having to sort of wrestle with it to find a comfortable playing position I'm in love. It's not the Ibanez I necessarily would have chosen but I'm glad I ended up with it. The low end these can pump out is insane. And despite feeling huge the neck is really comfy, the frets are nearly perfect, and so it sets up really well. I actually really like the double truss rod. It made dialing in the action so much quicker because each small movement of the truss rod resulted in a large adjustment.
On the other hand the pickups and electronics weren't installed by a luthier. I'm a little afraid to check the control cavity, I'll leave that for a tech when I get the stupid locking jack replaced. My screws also don't fit perfectly on the neck pickup and I just got it forced into a spot (this is why I figure it's a home job) where it would work well with how I like to balance my pickups.
So it doesn't feel in every way as premium as I'd hoped but it produces the sound of the Gods. And did I mention I love the finish? So pretty! I love how easily it's starting to come away and how it hugs the wood grain.
Anyway, I said it went well, yes. So you're probably expecting a fancy pants Jazz Bass in some sparkly silver finish.
Well it's not fancy, sparkly, or silver. A Long and McQuade across the Province got this in from a local guitarist. So it carried the used price tag but it's brand new, and came with a gig bag (for me to sell). The strings sound and feel new, there's no scratches or dents. Best of all it got shipped to my door within 24 hours. I ordered it Saturday 2 hours before closing after asking about it, Sunday morning I had a tracking number, Monday Purolator grabbed it, today it arrived.
It needed a setup but it took to it really well. The frets aren't perfectly level but I can live with a tiny bit of buzz on a couple notes beyond the 12th fret for the low action. It's light too. Like I should weigh this because I'm guessing it's below 9 lbs. It feels like my lightest bass, but still feels well made and good quality.
The colour is beautiful too. I'm so glad this one went up. I never, not once thought about buying an orange bass. An Orange amp sure but a bass? Nah. But dang this ones pretty. The pao ferro (a wood I often enjoy) is perfect with this shade of orange. I don't even mind the natural headstock. It just looks right straight out of the box.
The pickups sound really good too. Very smooth in the lows and low mids but if you dig in or use a pick it roars into life in the upper mids and treble. Turns out that I like dual pickup basses with the neck pickup output at maybe 10-20% higher. So I did that here and it just makes a very sweet and tame Jazz Bass that can very easily be coaxed into aggressive territory.
But boy is my wallet glad that I can go back to talking about basses and looking at basses instead of shopping for basses and buying basses.
*cough* I also ordered a new fretless neck for my Donner P Bass. *cough*
With Talkbass down and my Province going into a total lockdown, combined with a year of a dried up used market and pent up demand now seemed to be the best time to move some gear. Originally this was to bolster my finances and if it went well enough I'd buy a Fender 75th Anniversary Jazz Bass to soften the blow.
It went well alright. Say hello to a very unique bass experience. The Ibanez BTB 705DX.
I traded my Sterling Ray5, a TC Spectradrive, and an EHX Bass Monosynth for this beast. To say I got a good deal would be an understatement. Just the Aguilar pickups and electronics alone cost more than what I paid for the above gear. This bass' modern cousin the BTB 765 costs nearly 3x what I paid for the above gear, though I know if Ibanez made both basses today there'd be a price gap. Still, woah. Also I'll forever love that Sterling for how much it's changed my bass world!
I've wanted a high end Ibanez since playing an SR1300, or maybe it was a 1600? It had Nordstrands and was amazing. The BTB for those who don't know is no SR. It's not my biggest bass, and it's an even 10lbs but it feels heavier and bigger. That said outside of having to sort of wrestle with it to find a comfortable playing position I'm in love. It's not the Ibanez I necessarily would have chosen but I'm glad I ended up with it. The low end these can pump out is insane. And despite feeling huge the neck is really comfy, the frets are nearly perfect, and so it sets up really well. I actually really like the double truss rod. It made dialing in the action so much quicker because each small movement of the truss rod resulted in a large adjustment.
On the other hand the pickups and electronics weren't installed by a luthier. I'm a little afraid to check the control cavity, I'll leave that for a tech when I get the stupid locking jack replaced. My screws also don't fit perfectly on the neck pickup and I just got it forced into a spot (this is why I figure it's a home job) where it would work well with how I like to balance my pickups.
So it doesn't feel in every way as premium as I'd hoped but it produces the sound of the Gods. And did I mention I love the finish? So pretty! I love how easily it's starting to come away and how it hugs the wood grain.
Anyway, I said it went well, yes. So you're probably expecting a fancy pants Jazz Bass in some sparkly silver finish.
Well it's not fancy, sparkly, or silver. A Long and McQuade across the Province got this in from a local guitarist. So it carried the used price tag but it's brand new, and came with a gig bag (for me to sell). The strings sound and feel new, there's no scratches or dents. Best of all it got shipped to my door within 24 hours. I ordered it Saturday 2 hours before closing after asking about it, Sunday morning I had a tracking number, Monday Purolator grabbed it, today it arrived.
It needed a setup but it took to it really well. The frets aren't perfectly level but I can live with a tiny bit of buzz on a couple notes beyond the 12th fret for the low action. It's light too. Like I should weigh this because I'm guessing it's below 9 lbs. It feels like my lightest bass, but still feels well made and good quality.
The colour is beautiful too. I'm so glad this one went up. I never, not once thought about buying an orange bass. An Orange amp sure but a bass? Nah. But dang this ones pretty. The pao ferro (a wood I often enjoy) is perfect with this shade of orange. I don't even mind the natural headstock. It just looks right straight out of the box.
The pickups sound really good too. Very smooth in the lows and low mids but if you dig in or use a pick it roars into life in the upper mids and treble. Turns out that I like dual pickup basses with the neck pickup output at maybe 10-20% higher. So I did that here and it just makes a very sweet and tame Jazz Bass that can very easily be coaxed into aggressive territory.
But boy is my wallet glad that I can go back to talking about basses and looking at basses instead of shopping for basses and buying basses.
*cough* I also ordered a new fretless neck for my Donner P Bass. *cough*
.
