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New Ibanez Mode series

#221
Regarding my comment from above ("they are labeled premium but made in the Indonesian factory"), I'm not sure if it makes any difference, but I just read that the nut on the MDM1605 is made out of plastic. I would assume a premium product would have a nut made out of bone, Tusq, etc. and not plastic. While it's true that the material of a nut is only heard with an open string, there are other considerations involved (longevity of the nut, tuning issues when the nut wears, string binding, etc.). I suppose they were focused on meeting a price point for the bass and thought it would be an upgrade item for the owner should he/she decide to do it.
 
#222
Testing123 said:
Regarding my comment from above ("they are labeled premium but made in the Indonesian factory"), I'm not sure if it makes any difference, but I just read that the nut on the MDM1605 is made out of plastic. I would assume a premium product would have a nut made out of bone, Tusq, etc. and not plastic. While it's true that the material of a nut is only heard with an open string, there are other considerations involved (longevity of the nut, tuning issues when the nut wears, string binding, etc.). I suppose they were focused on meeting a price point for the bass and thought it would be an upgrade item for the owner should he/she decide to do it.
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Couple points here. One, there is a separate factory in the Cort complex that makes the Premium basses. It has different woods, different builders, more refined processes than the basic plant. You can tour the factory via video on Youtube, search "Cort Indonesia Factory Tour." Two, Ibanez uses a nylon-based super hard plastic for their nuts. It is very durable and transmits vibration to the neck pretty much the same as bone, but might be more durable than bone. It does not need to be upgraded and it is not a "cost savings" item. The nuts are pre-cut, unlike many bone nuts that are cut at point of assembly. This keeps string spacing at the nut consistent between basses. Both my SRs, the Premium and the fretless, have these and they do the job very well.
 
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#223
BassicJazzy said:
Couple points here. One, there is a separate factory in the Cort complex that makes the Premium basses. It has different woods, different builders, more refined processes than the basic plant. You can tour the factory via video on Youtube, search "Cort Indonesia Factory Tour."
Click to expand...
I've seen the Phillip McKnight video on his visit to the Cort factory and was aware that there are separate areas for different 'grades' of instruments.
I'm not familiar with what area produces the mdm1605. Maybe that's what the Premium marking on the headstock means?


BassicJazzy said:
Two, Ibanez uses a nylon-based super hard plastic for their nuts. It is very durable and transmits vibration to the neck pretty much the same as bone, but might be more durable than bone. It does not need to be upgraded and it is not a "cost savings" item. The nuts are pre-cut, unlike many bone nuts that are cut at point of assembly. This keeps string spacing at the nut consistent between basses. Both my SRs, the Premium and the fretless, have these and they do the job very well.
Click to expand...
Here's the results of a perfunctory search on Google:

Ibanez uses several materials for their bass guitar nuts, primarily determined by the instrument's series and price point. Most standard and entry-level models use plastic or PPS (Polyphenylene sulfide), while premium models often feature branded synthetic materials like GraphTech TUSQ XL.

Common Nut Materials by Series

Standard Series (SR, BTB, Talman, GIO): Most mass-produced Ibanez basses, including many models in the SR and BTB lines, come stock with plastic nuts. Some technical specifications specifically label these as PPS (a high-performance thermoplastic) in colors like ivory or black.

Premium Series: Higher-end models, such as certain SR Premium 6-string basses, use GraphTech TUSQ XL. This material is designed to be self-lubricating to improve tuning stability and sustain.

Common Upgrades

Many players choose to replace stock Ibanez plastic nuts with aftermarket materials to improve tone or tuning stability. Popular options include:

Brass: Known for increased sustain and a brighter, "bell-like" tone.

Bone: Often preferred for a richer, more mellow tone compared to plastic.

GraphTech TUSQ XL: A common synthetic upgrade that reduces string "ping" and improves stability.

Finally, I'm not trying to badmouth or besmirch the good name of Ibanez; rather merely attempting to add info and encourage discussion.
Honestly, I am quite interested in this bass and may well end up purchasing one when they become more readily available.
 
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#224
Testing123 said:
I've seen the Phillip McKnight video on his visit to the Cort factory and was aware that there are separate areas for different 'grades' of instruments.
I'm not familiar with what area produces the mdm1605. Maybe that's what the Premium marking on the headstock means?



Here's the results of a perfunctory search on Google:

Ibanez uses several materials for their bass guitar nuts, primarily determined by the instrument's series and price point. Most standard and entry-level models use plastic or PPS (Polyphenylene sulfide), while premium models often feature branded synthetic materials like GraphTech TUSQ XL.

Common Nut Materials by Series

Standard Series (SR, BTB, Talman, GIO): Most mass-produced Ibanez basses, including many models in the SR and BTB lines, come stock with plastic nuts. Some technical specifications specifically label these as PPS (a high-performance thermoplastic) in colors like ivory or black.

Premium Series: Higher-end models, such as certain SR Premium 6-string basses, use GraphTech TUSQ XL. This material is designed to be self-lubricating to improve tuning stability and sustain.

Common Upgrades

Many players choose to replace stock Ibanez plastic nuts with aftermarket materials to improve tone or tuning stability. Popular options include:

Brass: Known for increased sustain and a brighter, "bell-like" tone.

Bone: Often preferred for a richer, more mellow tone compared to plastic.

GraphTech TUSQ XL: A common synthetic upgrade that reduces string "ping" and improves stability.

Finally, I'm not trying to badmouth or besmirch the good name of Ibanez; rather merely attempting to add info and encourage discussion.
Honestly, I am quite interested in this bass and may well end up purchasing one when they become more readily available.
Click to expand...
That info is all accurate. My 300 series has PPS and my Premium has GraphTech. The GraphTech may be slightly harder than the PPS, but both work very well.

Regarding upgrades, like brass or bone, I would say that SRs are not known for "mellow" tones and have never been accused of lacking brightness or sustain. Really, it's more a matter of the Preamps sometimes lacking in ability to produce some of the sounds that many other active basses are capable of. They have their sound, and if it suits you, and you like the neck, then you have all you need, as delivered.
 
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#225
BassicJazzy said:
They have their sound, and if it suits you, and you like the neck, then you have all you need, as delivered.
Click to expand...
I was contemplating purchasing from Sweetwater and having the bass plek'd. Along with that, I'd make a string choice and the Sweetwater info said that a nut could also be chosen. I'd not considered that before at all, which lead me down this merry path we've been on here. Not sure yet what I'm going to do at this point.
 
#226
Testing123 said:
I was contemplating purchasing from Sweetwater and having the bass plek'd. Along with that, I'd make a string choice and the Sweetwater info said that a nut could also be chosen. I'd not considered that before at all, which lead me down this merry path we've been on here. Not sure yet what I'm going to do at this point.
Click to expand...
SW is a good way to go, but I'd suggest foregoing the PLEK, for two reasons. First, most Ibanez basses come pretty well leveled. Second, if the wood shrinks over time, or the bass goes through some changes from environment in first few months, you will get more out of a PLEK at that point in time. If you live in a major metro area there is usually a PLEK available somewhere locally for about same price SW would charge you.

I'd also suggest not customizing the bass until you get some play time on it. Try it, you might find it fine "as is." As I said, other than the preamps, these are really well engineered basses, and if you spend the additional money for the Prestige or the Mode series, even the pre's are great too!

Here are mine.
 

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#227
BassicJazzy said:
SW is a good way to go, but I'd suggest foregoing the PLEK, for two reasons. First, most Ibanez basses come pretty well leveled. Second, if the wood shrinks over time, or the bass goes through some changes from environment in first few months, you will get more out of a PLEK at that point in time. If you live in a major metro area there is usually a PLEK available somewhere locally for about same price SW would charge you.

I'd also suggest not customizing the bass until you get some play time on it. Try it, you might find it fine "as is." As I said, other than the preamps, these are really well engineered basses, and if you spend the additional money for the Prestige or the Mode series, even the pre's are great too!

Here are mine.
Click to expand...

Nice basses, BassicJazzy! :thumbsup:
 
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#229
Testing123 said:
Anyone know why Ibanez would use a 1/4" stereo barrel jack instead of a mono jack on the MDM1605 basses?
Click to expand...
Battery powered electronics need a stereo Jack to turn the electronics on or off when the instrument is plugged in or unplugged. You can not achieve that with a mono jack. The battery negative goes to one lug that makes contact with ground when a plug is inserted.
 
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#232
jjk2007 said:
I just watched parts of this video last night. Very nice sounding bass! Never heard of Benjamin but he is quite the player and makes this bass sing.
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Yes, his name is Benjamin Shepherd and currently resides in New Zealand if I'm not mistaken. He does a live stream twice a week now. Of late, he's been playing the MDM1605 on the stream, but on the most recent stream he played his 6-string Ibanez (I don't know the model #) for the first 3/4 of the time and played the MDM605 for the final 1/4. He's quite talented and has played with a lot of people.
Of all of the MDM1605 reviews online now, I enjoy his the most. He is willing to talk about the bass (and anything else really) during his streaming sessions.
 
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