NBD? NGD? What is it? AN ABOMINATION!

[Riff Ranger]

Sounds great! I can definitely see why this is often marketed toward metal and heavy rock players - your tone is perfect for that! I can’t wait to find a straight fretted version so I can make some cool sounds too

how’s the string tension balance feeling now that you’ve put some time and work into it?

Thanks for listening, and for your kind words. I’m glad it can do earthier sounds as well as the slick ones as heard in the official demos. It can do more typical bass sounds as well, but I don’t generally get sounds I love out of the widely-spaced, dual-humbucker setup so commonly favored in (and marketed toward) metal players; I really prefer Precision- and Stingray-type setups for that.

I hope the stars align so that you can score the parallel fret version soon.

The Hooky strings tuned B0–B2 average out to about 20 pounds of tension per string, pretty close to what you’d get on a guitar in standard tuning, and indeed it plays a lot like a guitar when strung and tuned this way. Chugging on the low B0 doesn’t sound or feel quite as good as I’d hoped, but as stated, my other instruments have that covered, and I will probably use this one more for leads and textures than riffing anyway. I do look forward to trying the heavier set I’ve cobbled together from GHS bass and guitar singles, but I’m in no rush; the Hooky set suits the current role quite nicely (and would probably be perfect for players looking for something closer to typical bass string tension tuned E1–E3).

 

[Les Fret]

Sounds more like a guitar than a bass to me. Also because of the metal sound and the guitaristic way you play. Do you have any clean examples? Thanks.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Sounds more like a guitar than a bass to me. Also because of the metal sound and the guitaristic way you play. Do you have any clean examples? Thanks.

I don’t have anything clean ready to share as of yet, but I imagine I’ll get around to it eventually.

The official videos linked at the bottom of the product page on the Ibanez website demonstrate a dazzling variety of tones and techniques, presumably with the instruments strung, set up, and tuned to factory specifications.

 

[skycruiser]

I don’t have anything clean ready to share as of yet, but I imagine I’ll get around to it eventually.

The official videos linked at the bottom of the product page on the Ibanez website demonstrate a dazzling variety of tones and techniques, presumably with the instruments strung, set up, and tuned to factory specifications.

Hey @Riff Ranger - after a few more months what do you think of this bass? I'm looking to move up from 4 string but want to only go up, not down (no B string). And I think the shorter scale instruments will be the best route, and I like the idea of MS because I have issues with upper string timbre not matching lower ones. I think multiscale helps with that.

Can you play this thing finger style? Or is it way too tight?

Did you end up enlarging the ferrules so you can put bass strings on it?

The other bass I'm looking at is the 32-30" EHB1005SMSM. Much more expensive but it is very much a bass. The short one is only available in 5 string though.

 

[Snert]

Can you play this thing finger style? Or is it way too tight?

Can't answer for RR, but I could as it's 18mm spacing (most 4s are 19mm), and most of my other 5 and 6 strings are 16.5mm. The SRC6 is 10.8mm which I also predominantly play fingerstyle; same with guitar and they're fractionally narrower than the SRC6..

When you get it, put the 4 away for a couple of months and do nothing but play the 5 and get used to the neck, FF and the spacing. Some here will tell you it's difficult, but it's not if you practice and you don't have enormously fat. stubby fingers.

 

[dabbler]

Hey @Riff Ranger - after a few more months what do you think of this bass? I'm looking to move up from 4 string but want to only go up, not down (no B string). And I think the shorter scale instruments will be the best route, and I like the idea of MS because I have issues with upper string timbre not matching lower ones. I think multiscale helps with that.

Can you play this thing finger style? Or is it way too tight?

Did you end up enlarging the ferrules so you can put bass strings on it?

The other bass I'm looking at is the 32-30" EHB1005SMSM. Much more expensive but it is very much a bass. The short one is only available in 5 string though.

View attachment 7025806

I will be curious if you find that this helps with the timbre imbalance. My experience, on my Brice defiant 34-37, is that to get balanced timbre I have to basically play angled across the string somewhat parallel to the angle of the pups because playing straight across (perpendicular to the strings) puts me so close to the bridges for the higher pitched strings as to make them significantly brighter (using Dingwall multi-scale strings).

 

[skycruiser]

I will be curious if you find that this helps with the timbre imbalance. My experience, on my Brice defiant 34-37, is that to get balanced timbre I have to basically play angled across the string somewhat parallel to the angle of the pups because playing straight across (perpendicular to the strings) puts me so close to the bridges for the higher pitched strings as to make them significantly brighter (using Dingwall multi-scale strings).

Thanks dabbler. I was just thinking the exact same thing about multiscales. It helps by adjusting the scale lengths, but works against you when you play straight across the strings in the exactly wrong direction to balance timbre.

 

[dabbler]

Thanks dabbler. I was just thinking the exact same thing about multiscales. It helps by adjusting the scale lengths, but works against you when you play straight across the strings in the exactly wrong direction to balance timbre.

Now, having said that, I find that little adjustment in playing style WELL worth it to have the wonderfully FULL bottom end you get from a 37 inch B!

 

[skycruiser]

Can't answer for RR, but I could as it's 18mm spacing (most 4s are 19mm), and most of my other 5 and 6 strings are 16.5mm. The SRC6 is 10.8mm which I also predominantly play fingerstyle; same with guitar and they're fractionally narrower than the SRC6..

When you get it, put the 4 away for a couple of months and do nothing but play the 5 and get used to the neck, FF and the spacing. Some here will tell you it's difficult, but it's not if you practice and you don't have enormously fat. stubby fingers.

I was asking about playing fingerstyle with the SRC6, not the EHB which should be no problem since it has string spacing in the normal bass range. I'm thinking 10.8mm will present a problem for me.

 

[Snert]

I was asking about playing fingerstyle with the SRC6, not the EHB which should be no problem since it has string spacing in the normal bass range. I'm thinking 10.8mm will present a problem for me.

Sorry, I completely forget the SRC6 is now available in MS as mine are both from the first non-MS series, and I also didn't check the link.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Hey @Riff Ranger - after a few more months what do you think of this bass? I'm looking to move up from 4 string but want to only go up, not down (no B string). And I think the shorter scale instruments will be the best route, and I like the idea of MS because I have issues with upper string timbre not matching lower ones. I think multiscale helps with that.

Can you play this thing finger style? Or is it way too tight?

Did you end up enlarging the ferrules so you can put bass strings on it?

The other bass I'm looking at is the 32-30" EHB1005SMSM. Much more expensive but it is very much a bass. The short one is only available in 5 string though.

View attachment 7025806

I haven’t played mine fingerstyle much, but the demo videos on the product page of the Ibanez website demonstrate a range of techniques. As you seem to suspect, the guitar-like string spacing makes the typical fingerstyle approach one would take with a typical bass tricky at best; but a more guitar-istic approach to fingerstyle definitely works for those who possess the skill (which I do not as yet).

I regret that I can’t speak very knowledgeably to the timbre issue either at this time since I currently have incredibly light strings for the tuning I use (B0–B2, close to that of a more typical six-string bass), producing an unusual timbre overall. Right now, I have only about 20 pounds of tension on each string, much closer to typical tension on guitars than the 35–50 seen more often on basses. I will install a set I’ve cobbled together from single guitar and short scale bass strings (which will work with the existing ferrules) from Curt Mangan once my trusted technician slightly widens the slot in the B0 string saddle, which seems to accommodate only up to .105. I had planned to report on how the heavier strings treated me once got them on there, so I’m glad to know there’s some interest.

I can already tell you that I still love this thing and play it every day At least two new songs have leapt out of it, and as our material seems to arrange itself into conceptually cohesive groupings we’ve taken to calling (for lack of a better term) “suites,” it looks like I will perform at least one such suite entirely on this instrument. I’ve yet to really incorporate it successfully into my own material, but I learned to play the opening guitar riff from “Unchained” by Van Halen on this thing, and that approach of interspersing double- and triple-stops on the high strings with chugs on the low strings seems promising.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Behold! .120/.090/.072/.054/.042/.030 GHS Boomers tuned BEADF#B on the Abomination!

I had ordered these GHS singles shortly after getting the Hooky set on there, but I liked the Hooky set enough that I kept it on long enough to misplace the singles; of course they turned up after I ordered the Curt Mangan singles I had my guy enlarge the hole in the B0 bridge saddle to accommodate the .120 and make sure the nut slots could accommodate both the .120 and .100 from the Mangans. When I attempted to install the Mangans, it looked like I would get at least one whole wrap of the full diameter of the .120 on the tuning post (which I had probably looked into before and forgotten) so I ended up going with the Boomers after all. Those tapered in the right places, but the silk on the .120 B0 extended past the nut, and the .072 A1 didn’t quite fit. It tuned up, intonated, played, and sounded just fine with both these issues; but I didn’t like the look of the excess silk on the B0, or the A1 riding higher than the other strings, so I summoned some courage and filed that slot myself, even managing not to botch the job , and a few passes with the point of a utility knife took care of the silk.

While I had gotten accustomed to the guitar-like string tension of the Hooky set in this tuning, I think I will like this arrangement better. I’ve gone from about 17–23 pounds of tension per string to more like 23–26 pounds per string. This nudged the sound and especially the feel further into bass territory. Chugs sound tighter, and arpeggios sound smoother.

Hopefully I will get to play a couple of original songs on this one when my band finally makes its live debut in November! Stay tuned for live videos and home recordings this autumn.

 

[skycruiser]

Do you think 30" scale Bass VI strings will generally work on the multi-scale? What about the different ferrule sizes?

I'm working a project that requires an extended upper range but I want it to have a distinctive bass sound, not like a guitar. The timbre difference between a regular guitar and the bass part should be clear. So I'm thinking the light gauge stock strings won't get you there. I saw above that there are Bass VI sets out there with heavier gauge (.100 from Fender for example) but if they don't fit multi scale and the weird thru-body holes then it may not work.

I noticed the Fender Mustang uses a .105 stock for the E. Seems a bit crazy that the SRC uses such a small gauge (0.084). Makes me think this thing is not meant to sounds like a bass tuned E to e.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Do you think 30" scale Bass VI strings will generally work on the multi-scale? What about the different ferrule sizes?

I'm working a project that requires an extended upper range but I want it to have a distinctive bass sound, not like a guitar. The timbre difference between a regular guitar and the bass part should be clear. So I'm thinking the light gauge stock strings won't get you there. I saw above that there are Bass VI sets out there with heavier gauge (.100 from Fender for example) but if they don't fit multi scale and the weird thru-body holes then it may not work.

I noticed the Fender Mustang uses a .105 stock for the E. Seems a bit crazy that the SRC uses such a small gauge (0.084). Makes me think this thing is not meant to sounds like a bass tuned E to e.

D’Addario (who seems to make the factory strings for Ibanez and most other manufacturers) has a bass vi set with a .084 for E1, and I suspect that’s the only reason this instrument has them. I wouldn’t say that .084 at E1 necessarily lacks for low end if using the neck pickup, but I do find it lacking in pretty much all other respects

Most other packaged sets I’ve found have something between a .090 and a .100 for the bottom string, which I like on this instrument but even a .100 will have 10–15 fewer pounds of tension on it than the E1 on a typical 34” scale bass. Even if you intend to stick with EADGBE tuning, I think most players of typical basses would want at least a .100 for the big string and that would probably necessitate widening the nut slot in this case; the hole in the bridge saddle took a .105 without modification but needed enlarging to take the .120. All that said, I think going any bigger than the .120 I just put on would nearly close the gap between my B0 and E1 strings I suggest thinking of this as a different instrument that will require some adjustments in approach.

Most packaged bass vi sets (NOT the Hooky set) have guitar-sized ball ends, so you don’t have to worry about that part as long as the strings taper between the nut and tuning posts, and if they fit in the nut slots. I’m not sure the Curt Mangan short scale strings that don’t fit this instrument would fit many other short scale basses, either, but maybe a thicker body and tuning posts would prevent the un-tapered section of the string from wrapping all the way around the tuning post.

La Bella (at least) makes flatwound bass vi sets. Flats would go a long way toward differentiating the bass vi sound from the guitar sound, and would probably feel much stiffer than a roundwound set of the same gauges. I use flats on my 34” scale fretless four-string, .110/.090/.075/.055 tuned BEAD, and they seem plenty stiff and bassy. I can’t imagine tuning that set up to EADG! I haven’t used flats on a string-through-body instrument myself and I’ve heard concerns expressed about the ~90° break angle at the bridge saddle with flats, so you might want to consider that.

 

[skycruiser]

D’Addario (who seems to make the factory strings for Ibanez and most other manufacturers) has a bass vi set with a .084 for E1, and I suspect that’s the only reason this instrument has them. I wouldn’t say that .084 at E1 necessarily lacks for low end if using the neck pickup, but I do find it lacking in pretty much all other respects

Most other packaged sets I’ve found have something between a .090 and a .100 for the bottom string, which I like on this instrument but even a .100 will have 10–15 fewer pounds of tension on it than the E1 on a typical 34” scale bass. Even if you intend to stick with EADGBE tuning, I think most players of typical basses would want at least a .100 for the big string and that would probably necessitate widening the nut slot in this case; the hole in the bridge saddle took a .105 without modification but needed enlarging to take the .120. All that said, I think going any bigger than the .120 I just put on would nearly close the gap between my B0 and E1 strings I suggest thinking of this as a different instrument that will require some adjustments in approach.

Most packaged bass vi sets (NOT the Hooky set) have guitar-sized ball ends, so you don’t have to worry about that part as long as the strings taper between the nut and tuning posts, and if they fit in the nut slots. I’m not sure the Curt Mangan short scale strings that don’t fit this instrument would fit many other short scale basses, either, but maybe a thicker body and tuning posts would prevent the un-tapered section of the string from wrapping all the way around the tuning post.

La Bella (at least) makes flatwound bass vi sets. Flats would go a long way toward differentiating the bass vi sound from the guitar sound, and would probably feel much stiffer than a roundwound set of the same gauges. I use flats on my 34” scale fretless four-string, .110/.090/.075/.055 tuned BEAD, and they seem plenty stiff and bassy. I can’t imagine tuning that set up to EADG! I haven’t used flats on a string-through-body instrument myself and I’ve heard concerns expressed about the ~90° break angle at the bridge saddle with flats, so you might want to consider that.

Thanks, this is great info! I've got to think about all this...

 

[Riff Ranger]

I should mention I’ve got a .107/.085/.062/.048/.038/.028 set of GHS bass and guitar boomers that would do E1–E3 quite well on one of these that I won’t be using (and two heavier Curt Mangan sets that won’t fit ). If someone has an interest let me know and we can figure out a TalkBass-kosher way to get them to you. I’ve maintained a supporting membership for years but haven’t done many sales on here.

 

[Steve Cullen]

Nice guitar; lots of creative possibilities...bon voyage