Ibanez BTB Club, Part 2!

[Aidil]

How do you like your Portamento, btw? Kinda been obsessing about one lately. (GAS?) Lovely Ibanez collection!

Thanks.

I like the Portamento a lot. But only after I got the Aerium SRH505 (fretted, which has piezo only pickup) now I've learned to appreciate and use more of the Portamento piezo pickup. And even though I have swapped the Portamento stock Bartolini MK1 magnetic pickups with USA Bartolini MK5CBC pickups, still I find myself preferring the piezo than the magnetics lately.

Thus, the GAS is building on me for the fretless Aerium SRH505F.

I suggest you try both the Portamento and the Aerium before finally deciding which one to get.

 

[fourstringbliss]

Just got a 405qm and the preamp is a bit funky. When I sweep the mids I get volume changes and a noticeable phase effect about half-way. I also have issues when I wiggle the mid knobs.

Deoxit? Replace the pre?

 

[Chatdawg]

Howdy from Steamboat Springs, CO!

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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!

How do you like the tone? For some reason, Ibanez insists on using their preamp with the Aguilar pickups instead of using a full Aguilar setup. I've heard stories of the Ibanez pre "choking" the output of pickups. Your opinion?

 

[lowfreqman]

How do you like the tone? For some reason, Ibanez insists on using their preamp with the Aguilar pickups instead of using a full Aguilar setup. I've heard stories of the Ibanez pre "choking" the output of pickups. Your opinion?

I would agree with this. The active Ibanez circuit that came with my bass imparted a harshness to the high end that was difficult to dial-out. Additionally, it was difficult to get a fat, girthy tone that would not be muddy in the mix. After swapping the Ibanez preamp out for an Audere Pro-Z, I can easily find all the tones I desire paired with the stock Aguilar DCBs.

 

[irbass]

I got the BTB 20TH6, I’ll do a small review, of the bass quality

I’m 40 years old, I had around 12 BTBs 5 and 6s all made in Korea. Sold the last one 7 years ago.
Because of finances issues I sold all my great basses this years but to keep on track I decided to get The BTB.

By the time i was playing Ibanez BTB all of them use to be really good basses.

The BTB 20TH6 looks really good, the feel of the Neck is the same as Before, Frets work is good but not great as the old ones.
Black hardwares looks great. Good pups, preamp bad as always.
The Body is bad. Looks like they didn’t sand it. You can feel bumps with your finger in between all of the wood Joints. The top wood looks good, but edge around is bad the way they did it. The paint is ok.
The worse thing of all is The edge of the body is so sharp, ( Bad Design ) it marked my arm so badly with 15 minutes just trying the bass. Not a comfortable bass to play.

I used to say good things about BTBs, But for the price they are charging for it now, It’s ridiculous, for what they are delivering.

Preamp is a must to replace but
I don’t think I’ll mod it, because I’ll let go soo. Soon. Or maybe I can waste my time and sand the edge of the bass, stain it again, polish and loose price when i decide to sell it, But save the arm.
Ibanez BTB lost the quality they use to have. This one will be the first and last of the made in Indonesia for me.

I hope it helps if you decide to get one, so you already know what to expect.

 

[lowfreqman]

I got the BTB 20TH6, I’ll do a small review, of the bass quality

I’m 40 years old, I had around 12 BTBs 5 and 6s all made in Korea. Sold the last one 7 years ago.
Because of finances issues I sold all my great basses this years but to keep on track I decided to get The BTB.

By the time i was playing Ibanez BTB all of them use to be really good basses.

The BTB 20TH6 looks really good, the feel of the Neck is the same as Before, Frets work is good but not great as the old ones.
Black hardwares looks great. Good pups, preamp bad as always.
The Body is horrible. Looks like they didn’t sand it. You can feel bumps with your finger in between all of the wood Joints. The top wood is bad the way they did it. The paint is ok.
The worse thing of all is The edge of the body is so sharp, it marked my arm so badly with 15 minutes just trying the bass. Not a comfortable bass to play.

I used to say good things about BTBs, But for the price they are charging for it now, It’s ridiculous, for what they are delivering.

Preamp is a must to replace but
I don’t think I’ll mod it, because I’ll let go soon, or I can waste my time and sand the edge of the bass, stain it again, polish and loose price when i decide to sell it.

Ibanez BTB lost the quality they use to have. This one will be the first and last of the made in Indonesia for me.

I hope it helps if you decide to get one, so you already know what to expect.

View attachment 3420203

Man, that is too bad. My 1826 (a little under a year old) is pretty top notch (except the preamp was not to my taste). The front edge on the top of the BTB is quite angular, but that has not bothered me. I would return the BTB you purchased and ask for one with better fretwork and attention to detail at the seams between the different pieces of wood. Or, if the preamp and edge of the bass issues are too severe, ask for a refund.

 

[irbass]

Update:
I couldn't handle the BTB. It was looking good bass. Bad body design, usually engineers/Designers from big factory's are not bass players.

I did ask for refund or trade for a DJ5. I had DJ5 once and It’s was a cool bass.

After a few conversations, they did offer me Ibanez Adam nitti. ( never heard about it before )It was a B stock.
I took the chance, Nice sounding bass.
I’m kind of surprise with the bark of this bass.

A few factory issues, 1 knob was loose, the soldering in one of the pots is almost getting loose.Small things, I can fix it myself.

I’m adjusting to the 34 scale after many years playing 35.

Great bass if you can avoid to pay the brand new price.

 

[Aidil]

Update:
I couldn't handle the BTB. It was looking good bass. Bad body design, usually engineers/Designers from big factory's are not bass players.

I did ask for refund or trade for a DJ5. I had DJ5 once and It’s was a cool bass.

After a few conversations, they did offer me Ibanez Adam nitti. ( never heard about it before )It was a B stock.
I took the chance, Nice sounding bass.
I’m kind of surprise with the bark of this bass.

A few factory issues, 1 knob was loose, the soldering in one of the pots is almost getting loose.Small things, I can fix it myself.

I’m adjusting to the 34 scale after many years playing 35.

Great bass if you can avoid to pay the brand new price.

View attachment 3425386 View attachment 3425387 View attachment 3425388

Is it the ANB1006 or the ANB306?

 

[irbass]

Is it the ANB1006 or the ANB306?

It is ANB306 the cheaper one.

 

[lowfreqman]

Update:
I couldn't handle the BTB. It was looking good bass. Bad body design, usually engineers/Designers from big factory's are not bass players.

I did ask for refund or trade for a DJ5. I had DJ5 once and It’s was a cool bass.

After a few conversations, they did offer me Ibanez Adam nitti. ( never heard about it before )It was a B stock.
I took the chance, Nice sounding bass.
I’m kind of surprise with the bark of this bass.

A few factory issues, 1 knob was loose, the soldering in one of the pots is almost getting loose.Small things, I can fix it myself.

I’m adjusting to the 34 scale after many years playing 35.

Great bass if you can avoid to pay the brand new price.

View attachment 3425386 View attachment 3425387 View attachment 3425388

This is a great bass. It has the US Bartolini Pickups and preamp along with authentic Hipshot hardware. What dealer did you purchase from?

 

[irbass]

This is a great bass. It has the US Bartolini Pickups and preamp along with authentic Hipshot hardware. What dealer did you purchase from?

I got it from sweetwater.
Yes. It is a great bass, I wasn’t expecting it from ibanez. Usually Ibanez is a good bass, but this one is really nice.

 

[dax21]

That looks pretty rad for a soundgear, deep blue finish with black hardware is a nice combination.

 

[armybass]

I am new to the BTB club and am curious as to whether or not anyone has tried successfully running a Preamp pedal as opposed to changing the onboard preamp?

 

[armybass]

Love your avatar @Aidil

 

[Michael Jewels]

I am new to the BTB club and am curious as to whether or not anyone has tried successfully running a Preamp pedal as opposed to changing the onboard preamp?

I use an Empress Para EQ with all my instruments, passive or active.
It has a long learning curve, but it gives you control over your
sound like you can't believe.
I highly reccommend it.

Mike

 

[armybass]

I use an Empress Para EQ with all my instruments, passive or active.
It has a long learning curve, but it gives you control over your
sound like you can't believe.
I highly reccommend it.

Mike
View attachment 3426884

Mike that’s awesome. I have a few nice preamp pedals that I use live and am going to give all of them a good try before I bail on the preamps in my new BTB’s.

Oh yeah I don’t think I have posted them here yet. Just got these two on Thursday and Friday.

 

[lowfreqman]

Mike that’s awesome. I have a few nice preamp pedals that I use live and am going to give all of them a good try before I bail on the preamps in my new BTB’s.

Oh yeah I don’t think I have posted them here yet. Just got these two on Thursday and Friday.

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Great looking basses, armybass! Both look awesome.

 

[armybass]

Great looking basses, armybass! Both look awesome.

Thanks brother! I’m a new Ibanez convert. Bought my very first new Ibanez bass last week and I am hooked lol.

 

[lowfreqman]

Thanks brother! I’m a new Ibanez convert. Bought my very first new Ibanez bass last week and I am hooked lol.

I just started playing Ibanez last summer. I had been spoiled with Roscoe basses in my Army Band for years. The feel and playability of the BTBs are a step down from the Roscoe basses for sure, but not by a huge margin. For the price, I am very happy. With a preamp upgrade, the BTBs sound amazing!

 

[armybass]

I just started playing Ibanez last summer. I had been spoiled with Roscoe basses in my Army Band for years. The feel and playability of the BTBs are a step down from the Roscoe basses for sure, but not by a huge margin. For the price, I am very happy. With a preamp upgrade, the BTBs sound amazing!

LOL I fell in love with a Roscoes after I was out of the Army Band. I was a Modulus freq back then. I have a few Roscoes now but after not being able to find a fretless Roscoe I got the Ibanez SRF706. I was so blown away I traded for a BTB 6 and BTBSC 5. I agree that the BTBs are a step down but not enough to justify the price difference.