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Ibanez BTB Club, Part 2!

#1,782
Scarysharkface said:
Ack, my eggs-sizzling/howling-wind is back. Tweak the volume knob and it goes away. Touch it again and it's back. Sweetwater will fix it, but I don't really want to send it away at this time. Ugh. Otherwise, such as incredibly fine instrument.

John
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I replaced my Ibanez preamp with a three-band Audere with a three band mid switch and the z-mode switch. I am very happy with the upgrade. I was considering the FlexCore too, but I couldn't pass-up the Audere for half the price.
 
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#1,783
Symphony2040 said:
Picture of my beautiful BTB746 before I give it some upgrades. :) I'm going to change the hardware to gold. New strap button, Gotoh Tuners, and the MonoRail-IV bridges. Also, I'm going to add the plastic black knobs that are used on Ibanez's Premium line. Can't wait to see the result!
View attachment 3367533
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The gold is going to set off that burl perfectly. I would go gold with the knobs too. I did a similar remodel of a Godin 5th Ave archtop. The Cognac Burst really pops with gold hardware. I also added a side mount Kent Armstrong Smooth Joe, gold of course, to the pick guard.
 
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#1,785
Here's mine. BTB 675. Bought used a couple of weeks ago for about $300.

IMG_9288.jpg
 
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#1,786
Npunk42 said:
The gold is going to set off that burl perfectly. I would go gold with the knobs too. I did a similar remodel of a Godin 5th Ave archtop. The Cognac Burst really pops with gold hardware. I also added a side mount Kent Armstrong Smooth Joe, gold of course, to the pick guard.
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I agree! I thought about purchasing gold knobs but in all honestly I always liked the black knobs on Ibanez's premium models. I know people either love or hate them lol.
 
#1,789
Aidil said:
Exactly what I did when changing my BTB7 hardware from cosmo black to gold:

View attachment 3368601

I opted for Ibanez plastic black knobs instead of some golden dome knobs.
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Sweeeet! To be honest, I miss my BTB747! Such a beautiful and versatile instrument that has put on the journey of finding the perfect 7 string lol. Actually, my BTB746 is tuned D-G-C-F-Bb-Eb (So E-F, tuned down a whole step).

I WOULD have been modifying the 7 string instead if it had wider string spacing. :(
 
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#1,791
Symphony2040 said:
Sweeeet! To be honest, I miss my BTB747! Such a beautiful and versatile instrument that has put on the journey of finding the perfect 7 string lol. Actually, my BTB746 is tuned D-G-C-F-Bb-Eb (So E-F, tuned down a whole step).

I WOULD have been modifying the 7 string instead if it had wider string spacing. :(
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comparing the string spacing on my two Ibanez 7 string basses, the BTB7 string which has 15.5 mm spacing vs. the SRAS7 which has 16 mm spacing (which difference seems very tiny):

I have slight issue of fretting the higher notes of the SRAS7 fretless strings, especially the A string which located at the far left side of the neck (if we're facing the bass on standing position), due to the SRAS7 has a wider neck at the higher frets area than the BTB7, whereas the low-B string on the BTB7 is still quite reachable on its higher fret registers.
 
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#1,793
Aidil said:
comparing the string spacing on my two Ibanez 7 string basses, the BTB7 string which has 15.5 mm spacing vs. the SRAS7 which has 16 mm spacing (which difference seems very tiny):

I have slight issue of fretting the higher notes of the SRAS7 fretless strings, especially the A string which located at the far left side of the neck (if we're facing the bass on standing position), due to the SRAS7 has a wider neck at the higher frets area than the BTB7, whereas the low-B string on the BTB7 is still quite reachable on its higher fret registers.
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I found the 7 String BTB to be pretty comfortable anywhere after the 6th fret. My main problem is that, due to the spacing and scale length, certain chords suddenly became uncomfortable to play (too cramped), among other problems. Additionally, playing in the lower register was a pain (literally).

Shortly after I returned the BTB747, I purchased a Conklin GTBD-7. It is easily one of the most comfortable necks that I've played, especially for a 7 string. However, after doing some research, what really hit me is that I noticed many of the custom luthiers (Warwick especially) are making these instruments with a narrower nut width. Based on my experience with the Conklin, it makes it significantly easier to utilize the B and E string in the same way that you would on a 5 or 6 string. Granted, the Conklin having a 34" inch scale length makes a big difference, too. The experience was different from the BTB, and from the sound of it, the Fretless/Fretted hybrid that you mentioned; both of which pretty much maintain the same width all the way down. :(
View attachment 3388303
If I could compare, the guys at Fodera created this GORGEOUS 7 string bass that I've been obsessing over for the last couple of months. You can see what I mean about the nut and neck shape, and this instrument is a 35" inch scale bass with 16.5mm spacing (Still a bit too tight for me, but better than 15.5mm). The Conklin GTBD-7 is 17mm at the bridge.
View attachment 3388288

View attachment 3388314
Interestingly enough, the Fodera also adds more frets and has the neck extended (Or rather, shifted) to the neck pickup. I really wish that I could see how it would feel in the hands, and I assume that adding more frets would somehow move them a little closer together since it still maintains the same scale length? I don't know, I'm just assuming.

To be honest, the BTB747 sounds much...much better than the Conklin in my opinion, so I'm trying to get rid of it. I really want to purchase another BTB747 but, if I take the jump again, it has to look..."special". If I can find a top that looks as beautiful as my BTB 746 (or even somewhat close) then I would be super happy.
002 (Resized).png

I'm hoping that my mind will change and that, suddenly, the 7 string BTB will be ultra comfortable lol. Honestly, I just need to find a good day to go to Guitar Center and see if they have one that I could test before purchasing again.
 
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#1,796
Howdy from Steamboat Springs, CO!

20190420_191732.jpg 20190420_191748.jpg 20190420_191815.jpg

First off, my camera phone is broken so I apologize for the poor quality pics. Got this a couple weeks ago and pretty much have it set up like I want it, still dialing in a bit. Changed out NYXL for Elixirs, bone stock otherwise. I'm a complete amateur, but it sounds great...sustain is awesome, open notes with zero fret sound very clean, EQ bypass switch is where it's at. Preamp is powerful and tons of tone options but with EQ bypass it sounds money. (had an sr505 prior to this, so I was familiar with all tone pots, but EQ bypass was new to me.) Couple of minor cosmetic flaws, but it looks pretty impressive, too. Especially the grain of the wood on the neck. Only thing I've noticed....dead spot on the G string 6th/7th frets. Not too worried about it, but worth noting.

Thanks for indulging me!
 
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#1,797
BoatyMcBoatBass said:
Howdy from Steamboat Springs, CO!

View attachment 3393376 View attachment 3393379 View attachment 3393380

First off, my camera phone is broken so I apologize for the poor quality pics. Got this a couple weeks ago and pretty much have it set up like I want it, still dialing in a bit. Changed out NYXL for Elixirs, bone stock otherwise. I'm a complete amateur, but it sounds great...sustain is awesome, open notes with zero fret sound very clean, EQ bypass switch is where it's at. Preamp is powerful and tons of tone options but with EQ bypass it sounds money. (had an sr505 prior to this, so I was familiar with all tone pots, but EQ bypass was new to me.) Couple of minor cosmetic flaws, but it looks pretty impressive, too. Especially the grain of the wood on the neck. Only thing I've noticed....dead spot on the G string 6th/7th frets. Not too worried about it, but worth noting.

Thanks for indulging me!
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Nice!

Did you choose Elixir taperwound for the low-B?
 
#1,798
BoatyMcBoatBass said:
Howdy from Steamboat Springs, CO!

View attachment 3393376 View attachment 3393379 View attachment 3393380

First off, my camera phone is broken so I apologize for the poor quality pics. Got this a couple weeks ago and pretty much have it set up like I want it, still dialing in a bit. Changed out NYXL for Elixirs, bone stock otherwise. I'm a complete amateur, but it sounds great...sustain is awesome, open notes with zero fret sound very clean, EQ bypass switch is where it's at. Preamp is powerful and tons of tone options but with EQ bypass it sounds money. (had an sr505 prior to this, so I was familiar with all tone pots, but EQ bypass was new to me.) Couple of minor cosmetic flaws, but it looks pretty impressive, too. Especially the grain of the wood on the neck. Only thing I've noticed....dead spot on the G string 6th/7th frets. Not too worried about it, but worth noting.

Thanks for indulging me!
Click to expand...
Pretty grain on the fretboard. Panga panga...learn something new everyday.
 

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