Hi all,
I have decided that I want to move into the world of six-string basses. The creative bass player in me is feeling restrained by four strings. The one bass that I keep coming back to no matter how many other basses I look at is the Ibanez Terra Firma.
I love everything I've read about it. I like the wide variety of sounds that I've heard come from it on youtube videos. I love the way it looks. There's just one thing that's making me hesitate about it...
A review on Musician's Friend:
"I love the BTB series 6 string basses for their playability. I have found the necks and string spacing on these basses to be wonderful for all styles of play from chords to finger style to slap. That being said I hate the electronics these basses come with. The neutrik locking jacks on both my BTB776 and my BTB686SC shorted out within a month and continued to break until replaced with a regular quarter inch jack. The stock bartolinis sound mediocre and I replaced them with Delano Dual Coils. The preamp is stock and is also mediocre at best. I replaced the preamp in both my BTBs with an Aguilar 3 band EQ. with these adjustments made these basses sound fantastic and are incredibly versatile with respect to their tone. That being said I noticed a few issues with the terra firma within the first 6 months that I have not noticed with my other BTB. While the BTB 776 and higher series come with a clear gloss finish, the Terra firma comes with a satin finish. This doesn't protect the wood as well as the gloss finish and so issues such as belt scarring or travel wear are much more noticeable and do more damage on the terra firma. In addition the top laminate on this bass has begun to come unglued, an issue I have never had with my other BTB. I am going to take it to the luthier and have him repair it and throw a gloss finish on that thing so I don't have any more issues. All told I will have spent $1500-$1800 on this bass to get it where I want it. If you are ok with after market modifications then by all means buy a BTB for that neck and soup it up with some high end electronics like I did. You will not be disappointed. If you want your dream bass right out of the box, I would recommend going with brands such as MTD, Warwick, or a custom built bass for a bit more money. That being said, the sheer playability of these instruments outweighs the aftermarket work I have to put into them in my opinion."
Pickups and preamps can be replaced, and I haven't heard them in person to judge with my ears. However, the main thing I am concerned about after reading that review is the top laminate coming off of the bass. It doesn't bother me that it's satin instead of gloss, but I don't know if I want to invest in an instrument that's going to need to be reassembled every so often.
In order to try one of these, I would need to special order it from my GC or one of the local shops or traverse state lines. I've never seen one in person.
The only other 6 strings that've caught my interest are the ESP LTD B-206sm and a used Peavey Grind 6 as someone is selling one for $300 close to me on Craigslist. Both are more budget options. For the Peavey, it would mostly be an inexpensive way to try and become intimate with a six-string and get all my money back if I decide it's not for me.
So, do you like the Terra Firma 6? Why? Why not? Is there a six-string bass you like better for $1200 or less? Why do you like it better? Has yours had de-lamination issues?
If you're a "fanboy" of another six-string, that is totally cool by me, but it would be most beneficial to hear from you only if you have tried the Terra Firma.
Thanks
I have decided that I want to move into the world of six-string basses. The creative bass player in me is feeling restrained by four strings. The one bass that I keep coming back to no matter how many other basses I look at is the Ibanez Terra Firma.
I love everything I've read about it. I like the wide variety of sounds that I've heard come from it on youtube videos. I love the way it looks. There's just one thing that's making me hesitate about it...
A review on Musician's Friend:
"I love the BTB series 6 string basses for their playability. I have found the necks and string spacing on these basses to be wonderful for all styles of play from chords to finger style to slap. That being said I hate the electronics these basses come with. The neutrik locking jacks on both my BTB776 and my BTB686SC shorted out within a month and continued to break until replaced with a regular quarter inch jack. The stock bartolinis sound mediocre and I replaced them with Delano Dual Coils. The preamp is stock and is also mediocre at best. I replaced the preamp in both my BTBs with an Aguilar 3 band EQ. with these adjustments made these basses sound fantastic and are incredibly versatile with respect to their tone. That being said I noticed a few issues with the terra firma within the first 6 months that I have not noticed with my other BTB. While the BTB 776 and higher series come with a clear gloss finish, the Terra firma comes with a satin finish. This doesn't protect the wood as well as the gloss finish and so issues such as belt scarring or travel wear are much more noticeable and do more damage on the terra firma. In addition the top laminate on this bass has begun to come unglued, an issue I have never had with my other BTB. I am going to take it to the luthier and have him repair it and throw a gloss finish on that thing so I don't have any more issues. All told I will have spent $1500-$1800 on this bass to get it where I want it. If you are ok with after market modifications then by all means buy a BTB for that neck and soup it up with some high end electronics like I did. You will not be disappointed. If you want your dream bass right out of the box, I would recommend going with brands such as MTD, Warwick, or a custom built bass for a bit more money. That being said, the sheer playability of these instruments outweighs the aftermarket work I have to put into them in my opinion."
Pickups and preamps can be replaced, and I haven't heard them in person to judge with my ears. However, the main thing I am concerned about after reading that review is the top laminate coming off of the bass. It doesn't bother me that it's satin instead of gloss, but I don't know if I want to invest in an instrument that's going to need to be reassembled every so often.
In order to try one of these, I would need to special order it from my GC or one of the local shops or traverse state lines. I've never seen one in person.
The only other 6 strings that've caught my interest are the ESP LTD B-206sm and a used Peavey Grind 6 as someone is selling one for $300 close to me on Craigslist. Both are more budget options. For the Peavey, it would mostly be an inexpensive way to try and become intimate with a six-string and get all my money back if I decide it's not for me.
So, do you like the Terra Firma 6? Why? Why not? Is there a six-string bass you like better for $1200 or less? Why do you like it better? Has yours had de-lamination issues?
If you're a "fanboy" of another six-string, that is totally cool by me, but it would be most beneficial to hear from you only if you have tried the Terra Firma.
Thanks
. Also, I've never had a single problem with either the electronics or the neutrik locking jack. It sounds like that reviewer you quoted in your OP may have gotten a lemon. I bought mine here on TB from another player and picked it up for $750, which is about the going rate for it used, and had Andrew Drake of Drake Basses set it up and look over it. He smoothed out the frets, dropped the action, and fixed the toggle switch, which was loose, and it has been a workhorse ever since. 
