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Ibanez K5 (an informed opinion)

K

K5 lover

Mar 9, 2011
6
1
South Australia
#1
I own a 2010 K5, and I joined this site to defend it!

The K5 is a VERY misunderstood bass, to say the least. I browsed this site trying to find an honest review of the bass before I bought it, but only found members putting Fieldy down, and not mentioning anything substantial about the bass itself.

Firstly the K5 is extremely versatile with the Vari-Mid III, and requires more than 5 minutes to get your head around it. I spent a good couple of months experimenting with different EQ settings until I found the right sound for me. Despite the fact Fieldy endorses it for the ability to dial out the midrange (or so he claims), I use it for the exact opposite purpose, to boost the mids. The mid frequency range of the K5 is off the charts (5 kHz), which enables an extremely clear and lively tone I can't obtain on other basses, and is precisely the reason why I use it.

The ADX pickups cop alot of fire from practically everyone, and I don't understand why. I tend to use Delano pickups in all my basses and have tried most other brands on the market, yet I have no problem with the ADX pickups. I find they have a very unique and colourful tone, which compliments the K5. I'm aware they are just Mighty Mite split coil active soapbars, and it really does'nt bother me.

I've been playing bass for 11 years now, and can honestly say it's a very well made bass, which feels and sounds fantastic. Those who can see past the endorser and signature model designation of the K5, will find there's a very beautiful bass underneath it all. I cannot stress this enough!

No doubt I'll receive much criticism for my comments here, but I don't care. Hating is not reviewing, pure and simple.

Thanks
 
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#3
Surely, you haven't found all negative reviews on the bass. The TB community is quite diverse. Ibanez owners on TB quite frequently defend their instruments. They're relatively inexpensive and excellent quality. I've owned my SR885 for 19 years.

Post a pic. I cannot specifically recall what a K5 looks like.

Edit: Ok, I've looked up pics in Google. I believe Von Felgenhauer. It looks very much like an early Soundgear design.
 
#5
I played a friend's SR385 last night and was reminded just how good they play and balance. It is a fantastic bass and I am sure the K5 is better. I just don't like the way they sound. But I figure you could buy a SR385 and stick in some nordys and another preamp and have a fantastic bass for cheap.

lowsound
 
#11
Each time I buy a new Ibby bass I try most of the models available in the shop and pick up the one that I like the most - sadly not once a K5 stood any chance against other Ibbys of similar value. I'm not saying it's bad, just not my cup of tea because - sorry - to me the K5 does have a very limited tone. Most Ibby basses have EQs that allow a lot of tweaking, btw ;)
 
#13
joeyl said:
... I think the K5 is a decent instrument, and I like the looks, and the model is easily remembered as compared to some other Ibanez models :eek:...
Click to expand...

Yea, but does it have Fieldy's mug on it? :D
PGB2T.gif
 
#14
cheezewiz said:
Play what you like. Like what you play. No problem there. I still reserve the right to make fun of FiElDy....although I'm quite aware he has more money and has sold more albums than me.
Click to expand...

Doesn't mean much, as long as you look cool (or stupid) and get lucky to piggy back ride your way to fame.

I'd rather have an SRT or SRA 5 string than this bass, looks better, and doesn't have the CORNY inlay on it.
 
#17
I like the K5 it's a good bass, I like the prestiges a lil better tho.
I just couldn't seem to get enough "meat and potatoes" out of mine [SR505] so I sold it. They [Ibanez'] feel great {ergonomics wise} and have pretty versitile electronics in them, but I wanted a heavier bass with more lumber, and I've grown up liking the sound of a P bass so I went that route. Lots of guys use Ibby's there is nothing wrong with them if they give you what you want out of an instrument.
 
#19
Wow, I'm really surprised with the amount of replies my post has received!

At the time there were no real reviews of the K5 which would help a potential buyer make up their mind. In South Australia there were none in stock at my local stores, so I could not try one out before I bought it. However I'm glad I made the purchase, don't regret it at all. I understand there are alot of Ibanez players here, I just wanted a review specifically about the K5. I did not intend to claim the bass playing community lacks diversity!

I've since made some modifications to the bass. I've installed a Hipshot A Style bridge and some Hipshot Y Key Ultralite tuners (black hardware of course!). The genuine Hipshot tuners are lighter than the Lic. ones that came standard on the bass, and it really helps the neck to body balance alot. It used to neck dive a bit, but the Hipshots cured that! Also the bridge I used is Aluminium, which really smoothed out the tone and eliminated the previous 'harshness' of the stock bridge. Definitely a massive improvement.

Considering to install some Bartolini's, as they are the only direct replacement pickup for the Mighty Mites I can find.

Still my favourite bass of all time, but then again it just happens to be my cup of tea! However I'm not a metal head at all, I just like the bass (Korn had NO influence on the purchase!).

Suppose I can upload some photo's, just hard to get a decent shot when it's all black! Will see if the missus will lend me her camera!

Thanks
 
#20
First: congrats for the purchase! No matter what others might say, it's a cool bass! ;)

Back to topic:
1. the problem is not that there are no reviews - the problem is that most folks don't explain exactly what model of K5 they're reviewing and most videos available on YouTube are for the older models. I don't recall watching any video featuring an all black K5 (the current model). It would be interesting to see someone A/B-ing all the K5 models :)

2. the Hipshot bridge was a direct fit with no additional modding? The original K5 bridge is bolted on to the body with 6 screws, and I couldn't find another one to fit on the existing holes (I wouldn't like to drilladditional holes). I know it's possible to order a black bridge from Ibanez, but it would be cool to have more options besides stock parts.

3. I'd love to see some photos ;)

K5s are not popular, and not for everyone, but then again, it doesn't feel that much different from a regular SR model ;) For an Ibby player the K5 works just fine ;)
 

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