Can anyone on here give me some opinions on this headless bass? It has the fishman pickups and preamp. It's priced right at $2000. I do know we are looking at a 35 inch scale. I tried one of Ibanez's headless basses back in July at a shop when I was considering buying a pedal and there wasn't a thing wrong with that bass. It wasn't bad at all. Light weight. It wasn't this same model though. Tell me the pro's and cons of these basses. Especially the higher end $2000 ones.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Ibanez EHBms5 5bhp artic blue
- Thread starter Cory rich40
- Start date
Pros are the excellent materials, particularly in the neck. And if it's your cup of tea, the (awesome) cosmetics of this model - they're even better in person. Like all EHBs, it'll be lightweight, comfortable, and easy to play.
Cons are maybe more subjective. To me, the primary con is the Fishman pickups. I play mainly metal for fun, and a lot of covers otherwise, and I hate the Fishman voice options almost across the board for my applications. I had one bass with stock Fishmans and gutted them out in less than 3 months of ownership. Given how expensive they are, I'd call it a con. Again, YMMV, this is subjective...Otherwise no real cons other than maybe price/value is you move up the Ibanez price ladder - resale is not great on EHBs so I'd recommend snagging a used one, and use the savings for a pickup upgrade
Cons are maybe more subjective. To me, the primary con is the Fishman pickups. I play mainly metal for fun, and a lot of covers otherwise, and I hate the Fishman voice options almost across the board for my applications. I had one bass with stock Fishmans and gutted them out in less than 3 months of ownership. Given how expensive they are, I'd call it a con. Again, YMMV, this is subjective...Otherwise no real cons other than maybe price/value is you move up the Ibanez price ladder - resale is not great on EHBs so I'd recommend snagging a used one, and use the savings for a pickup upgrade
You are getting into the used Dingwall price range, a much better value in my opinion.
Every Dingwall I owned was bought used. They were all excellent basses, absolutely top quality builds. And each one recouped my investment when I sold them on.
When the EHB first came out, I predicted that they would be selling used at a sizable discount in a few years. I thought they would be a flash in the pan. I was wrong .
Still, I'd be looking at used EHB's or if your budget can easily handle 2k, used Dingwall's.
Every Dingwall I owned was bought used. They were all excellent basses, absolutely top quality builds. And each one recouped my investment when I sold them on.
When the EHB first came out, I predicted that they would be selling used at a sizable discount in a few years. I thought they would be a flash in the pan. I was wrong .
Still, I'd be looking at used EHB's or if your budget can easily handle 2k, used Dingwall's.
I just got my EHB1506 and I like it a lot. The neck feels great. I have Fluences in my Cort A5 Ultra Ash and love them so I would likely buy this model if I didn't already have everything covered. If I had to sell all my 5s, the A5 and my first 5 would be all I'd keep.
I'd still keep the 6s though.
If you like the feel of the EHB and the tone of the Fishmans, is say go for it.
Also, look for a second hand 1505 with the Nordies for less coin. I got mine for a smashing my good deal as the market sucks right now.
I've only had a little time testing these at a store and I did like them quite a lot. The only real thing I didn't immediately like were the stiff tuners and the string clamps. That goes for most headless models I've seen though. Save up and wait for Dingwall Effigy? hehe. I'm actually in the process of building a headless heavily inspired by the EHB.
