Ibanez Talman Bass

[walldaja]

Finally got my hands on a TMB-100. Short answer--wow!

The fit and finish was amazing, especially for the price. I plugged into a Fender Rumble 500 and the variations of sound were amazing. Fretwork was uniformly smooth and set up out of box was right on. I don't like black basses but this one would change my mind, glad an ivory is inbound.

Liked the stacked knobs with mid detention. Controls were vol/blend one one stack and bass/treble boost/cut on the other. Output Jack was solid and well protected.

Only complaint was the battery box. Not sure if the screws were for retro or to save the mfg a couple pennies.

These are amazing!

 

[Need2KnowBasses]

I've checked out both Talman bass models at a nearby shop and I'm impressed. I don't know if I got lucky, the shop did a really good set up, or if these come out of the factory extremely playable but the two I put hands on were amazing, especially considering the price. I've only played the $199 model plugged in for just a few minutes and it sounded great. They definitely stand up against anything else in their price range and could probably hold their own against a bass that costs two to three times as much.

 

[Maxdusty]

It is a great bass for the money. Super powerful (reminds me a little of the Sub Ray 4 in terms of the hot pickup and volume boost). In fact, I just lowered the P and J pickups earlier today as the sound was great but perhaps a little too hot especially if I was more aggressive on my finger plucking - now it sounds fantastic!
Great tonal variation- easily my favorite bass I bought recently. I have the Ivory TMB100 scratch and dent custom I bought for $127. A better bass in my opinion than a comparable Squier VM Jaguar Special that goes for the same price. I really liked the Jag too, but this really blows it out of the water if I'm to be honest and encourage those that do have the Jag to compare for themselves if they're in the least bit interested in these Talman basses. I'm pretty confident it'll surprise you as it did me. My Squier Jag was my beater all purpose bass, the Talman replacement is certainly priced like a beater but sounds like a bass worth much more than that.
The QC issues the early batches of the Talman basses seem to be rectified as recent ones I've tried have all been perfect. In another thread, we speculated that the qc issues were likely due to the rush to get these out in time. Not all were affected and pretty sure most were fine, but there were indeed some lemons in there.

However, I would still recommend trying it first before you buy just in case the bass you get is one of the remnants from the early batches..

 

[.BumeStik.]

I took the Neck Pickups down in height a bit on my TMB100, too. I am starting to get a little scared of the Power output of this thing.

 

[walldaja]

I'm hoping to see an ivory one soon.

 

[abarson]

I tried one yesterday at the local shop, and for $199 it's pretty good. It had a dead 9v battery, and the setup was a bit high for my tastes, but it felt and looked solid, with a wide variety of usable tones. The neck is more in the P-bass realm than the usual skinny Ibanez.

 

[MobileHolmes]

I'm glad to see they are making these out of actual wood. I had one of the original "Luthite" bodied talman guitars, and it was a really dull sounding axe

 

[Maxdusty]

I tried one yesterday at the local shop, and for $199 it's pretty good. It had a dead 9v battery, and the setup was a bit high for my tastes, but it felt and looked solid, with a wide variety of usable tones. The neck is more in the P-bass realm than the usual skinny Ibanez.

The string height on mine was on max when I got it. I don't know too many people that would have liked it that high (except James Jamerson perhaps). I lowered it immediately as it was almost unplayable. Now perfect. Yes on the neck, it's thicker but very comfortable.

 

[bholder]

I've bought way too many new basses in the last 6 months, but I am severely tempted by these.

 

[mizzou541]

Decided to go to the local music store over lunch and ask about it. They're not a huge store so I really didn't expect to get to play one...just figured I'd end up chatting with them about it and hopefully convince them to order one for the store that I could try. But to my surprise, they had one. Long story short: Played it, loved it, ordered one in Ivory. Let's hope the actual color is better than the stock photos.

I bought a MP Jaguar a couple of years back and just couldn't like it no matter how much I tried. The tone just seemed really thin even after a proper setup. I was a little worried this might be the same situation but the thing was a tone monster (active pre might have a little something to do with it). At $199, they could be selling this for double the price and it would still be worth the $$$. For my money, I'd rather have this than a MIM Fender. Hopefully the one heading my way is of the same quality as the one I played in the store.

 

[Maxdusty]

Decided to go to the local music store over lunch and ask about it. They're not a huge store so I really didn't expect to get to play one...just figured I'd end up chatting with them about it and hopefully convince them to order one for the store that I could try. But to my surprise, they had one. Long story short: Played it, loved it, ordered one in Ivory. Let's hope the actual color is better than the stock photos.

I bought a MP Jaguar a couple of years back and just couldn't like it no matter how much I tried. The tone just seemed really thin even after a proper setup. I was a little worried this might be the same situation but the thing was a tone monster (active pre might have a little something to do with it). At $199, they could be selling this for double the price and it would still be worth the $$$. For my money, I'd rather have this than a MIM Fender. Hopefully the one heading my way is of the same quality as the one I played in the store.

Hope you get a good one. Make sure you check it out thoroughly when you get it. There were a few issues on the older ones. I had a Squier VM Jag and was also thinking the Talman would sound something like it. It really surprised me, the bass not only had power but a wide range of tones you could dial in. Really surprised me especially given the price. I've had the bass for a few months now and I have to say it's my current favorite (I bought an SR700 and the Schecter Elite in my user pic at around the same time), I haven't really played any of my other 11 basses to be honest with you, the Talman fits the bill 99% of the time.
I did have to lower the pickups on mine as they were a tad too hot - but now it sounds perfect so you may have to adjust yours a bit according to your playing style.
Easily the best $200 bass I've yet seen and played! Congrats and let us know how yours is when you get it.

 

[KJL]

It is a great bass for the money. Super powerful (reminds me a little of the Sub Ray 4 in terms of the hot pickup and volume boost). In fact, I just lowered the P and J pickups earlier today as the sound was great but perhaps a little too hot especially if I was more aggressive on my finger plucking - now it sounds fantast

Maybe a stupid questions, but how did you lower the pups? Just crank the tiny screws holding the pickups? I don't think I could crank them down any more than they already seem to be, though I have not tried yet...HELP! --thx in advance

 

[Maxdusty]

Maybe a stupid questions, but how did you lower the pups? Just crank the tiny screws holding the pickups? I don't think I could crank them down any more than they already seem to be, though I have not tried yet...HELP! --thx in advance

Yes. Out of the factory, my pickups were too responsive and would "fart", lowering them eliminated the problem completely. It may not seem like it at first, but they can go lower. To answer your question, yes, you lower them via the screws on the side- do one side side then the other. You can adjust them to your preference, the point where it eliminates the over-responsiveness was all I really wanted, so I didn't have to lower it too much. Lower still and it "mellows" the sound.