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.
New Ibanez Talman Basses!
- Thread starter BigBigGuy44
- Start date
-
- Tags
- ibanez
I honestly thought by candy you meant stickers and promo items.
But it's from Sweetwater, huh?
Nice touch, actually.Darnit, I like that red! Thinking maybe I shoulda gone that route. I'm hoping the Ivory will be like ReRanch's "Vanilla Gorilla." I did a Jazz that color a couple years ago and it was very nice. What do you think about the finish on the back of the neck? Similar to the SS Jag? That is my least favorite aspect of the Jag.
I know you just got it, but do you think she's a keeper?
EDIT: You need an STP sticker on that thing pronto.
Forensic details:I opened her up for a look see.Pots are standard import type mini's.You can see the rest.I took the neck off to get a look at the body wood.Doh! it's covered in a thick sealer.Looks like some kinda coarse grained soft " 'hog".Here's all the pics including the "candy".I did measure the neck thickness-, .860 @ 1st fret and .890 @ 12 th fret.One thing is the D string tuner sticks out and could easily get caught on something.
Attachments
So my Ivory Talman TMB30 came in. My very first impression is that it is pretty much exactly like the Squier SS Jag. So much so that to have both is VERY redundant. That's my first impression. This will change, for sure.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Pros:
Cons:
One last thing, the old Gretsch Jr Jet with the one pup is still a much better sounding bass than both of these, but these are both are easier to play and feel better built.
That's it for now. I only had a short run on it at lunchtime. Gotta get back to work and then I'm out most of the night so I won't be around till tomorrow.
Cheers!
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Pros:
- The finish is perfect. The ivory is very much like the ReRanch Vanilla Gorilla. Creamy. No flaws.
- The neck is juuuust a bit chunkier than the SS Jag, in a good way.
- The headstock is not as offensive in person as in pictures. I was really worried about that.
- The jazz pup sounds a bit better than SS Jag, but not by much. In fact I wouldn't' be surprised to learn they are the same pups and I'm just projecting a slightly nicer tone.
- The P and Jazz together full on has a nicer tone than the stock Jag.
- The fretwork is just as nice a my Jag. But being in Colorado, they will sprout soon enough.
Cons:
- The fit and finish is exactly on par with the SS Jag. I was hoping for something a bit more substantial with the mahogany body.
- The rosewood board and inlays are not as nice as my Squier SS Jag. I like the creamy dots and dark board of the Squier. The Ibby's board is lighter brown and the plastic dots look like cheap plastic dots. Can't get around this at this price range. The plastic MOP is way more popular, I guess. I like the attempt at vintage clay dots that Squier tried so much better. Small nit.
- The P-pup sounds pretty much the same as the SS Jag. I was hoping for something different here. Not sure why. Not really a con, just me having silly hopes.
- Finally, the biggest con: the knobs. I don't like them. All three are the size of a Jazz tone knob. Small. If I keep this bass I will redo the electronics and get a new pickguard made. Prolly put a stacked V/V on the plate and be done. Or a stacked V/T on plate and cut a space for a pup switch on the lower horn.
One last thing, the old Gretsch Jr Jet with the one pup is still a much better sounding bass than both of these, but these are both are easier to play and feel better built.
That's it for now. I only had a short run on it at lunchtime. Gotta get back to work and then I'm out most of the night so I won't be around till tomorrow.
Cheers!
Super useful review/comparison. Thanks!
Glad you asked. I can't say with authority yet since I only played sitting down for like 10 minutes. AND my Jag has a super light body so my Jag dives hard. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. Diagnosed three years ago, but only recently has it been sort of making things kind of hard on my back and shoulders. Hopefully the change in meds will smooth that out, but for now my precision is a bit much sometimes. So I purposefully grabbed the lightest Jag I could find. So in my case the Talman balances quite a bit better as far as initial impressions. Also the Talman has a bit more room between the strings, which I find more comfortable/natural, at least for me. It plays more like a p-neck.
Hope that helps!
I've got to chime in with one more item. The Squier is notorious for coming with the worst strings ever. Well, I gotta say the Talman comes with much better strings. They are nickle with silver washer and black silk. They are definitely short scale strings. Anyone have an idea of what these could be? You can check them out on this pic here at Sweetwater.
Playing around with it a lot more, out the box the tone is much better on the Talman than the Jag. Once I get Chromes on the Jag I will compare again. The stainless steels I put on the Jag were not an improvement at all over stock. So today, I'd have to give the stock Talman much higher marks in tone over the stock Jag. These strings sound good to me. Playing through an Ampeg BA108 II at about 4 and the tone stack at 5s. Both pups and tone wide open on both basses.
That said, I just got my DiMarzio jazz pup in from a fellow TB'r. A DP123 in the bridge fixes everything, every time. But I honestly would not change the pups on the Talman. Sounds good in every position and in stock strings! Notch one for the Talman. Open box, tune, play, enjoy. Meanwhile, the Jag makes me want to tinker. New strings, new pup, heavier bridge, smoother machine heads, etc....
Playing around with it a lot more, out the box the tone is much better on the Talman than the Jag. Once I get Chromes on the Jag I will compare again. The stainless steels I put on the Jag were not an improvement at all over stock. So today, I'd have to give the stock Talman much higher marks in tone over the stock Jag. These strings sound good to me. Playing through an Ampeg BA108 II at about 4 and the tone stack at 5s. Both pups and tone wide open on both basses.
That said, I just got my DiMarzio jazz pup in from a fellow TB'r. A DP123 in the bridge fixes everything, every time. But I honestly would not change the pups on the Talman. Sounds good in every position and in stock strings! Notch one for the Talman. Open box, tune, play, enjoy. Meanwhile, the Jag makes me want to tinker. New strings, new pup, heavier bridge, smoother machine heads, etc....
HERBIE,i forgot I had a ss jag neck.The talmans is slightly thicker a little diff,. shape.I only got the red because it was the lightest.That might not have been the correct move.
Yeah, I finally got a chance to A/B the two tonight. I'm walking back my initial assessment a little. They are not exactly the same. There are differences. The neck being one of them. The Talman is definitely chunkier and wider. The last fret on the Jag is 2 and a skosh inches wide. The last fret on the TMB is 2.5 and a skosh. The Talman's neck is much more comfy for me to play. I especially like the contours as you get closer to the joint. Much smoother and more substantial. That said, both necks feel like they've been carved out of the same low-grade wood. And even though the Talman is more comfy, there is something about the Jag neck that makes you feel like a speed demon, which is a huge plus for the jag.
I also measured from bridge screws to nut and they are both exactly the same, 31.5-ish. However, the Jag has the jazz pup positioned about a quarter inch closer to the bridge and the precision pup 3/4 of an inch closer to the nut than the TMB. In other words, the Talman's pups are closer together, sort of squished closer in towards the sweetspot while the Jag has spread the pups away from each other quit a bit more. I doubt this makes any difference in tone on these cheapie basses, however, imo the Talman has better tone than the Jag when they are both stock.
Pudge, what's your thought on that p solo'd and with chromes? Get the job done? I like the red in pictures. I take it that you don't? The ivory is very nice. Highly recommend.
The Talman is a neat bass. Amazing for how little it costs. But still, I wouldn't think a person would need both the Jag and the Talman unless you just like having a lot of cheap basses around. They cover pretty much the same sonic territory, the same vintage vibe looks, and the same price point. If I was looking to buy my kid a starter shorty I'd be more than comfortable showing them both basses in all the colors they offer and telling them to choose the one they think looks the coolest. Can't go wrong.
Just my 2 cents. I'm gonna shuddup about these now. ;-)
HERBIE,the P p.u. solo'd with the chromes is more to my liking.The J p.u. solo'd is'nt a great sound imo, but with a little J dialed in it works reall well.The round wounds gave it too much of a cheap 6 string guitar sound and feel for me.As far as the color,i chose the red because it was the lightest one of the 5 listed on sweetwater.The others were a pound more.That's one great thing about sweetwater they unpack it ,take photos of each guitar/bass inspect and weigh it. then and go over instrument with what they claim is a 55 point checklist that's signed and included in the box..Mine had no issues at all.I've gotten some real junk from other big online warehouse type retailers.Oblivious retuns,necks in crooked,bridges misaligned necks,bent tuners and all sorts of other issues.Never any problems with SW.This thing is light years ahead of entry lever basses when I started out, although I did get my 1st bass a Hondo j for a case of beer!
On the TMB30? It's a 180-dollar instrument, so the bridge seems consistent with price.
And those are the exact colours and models I shall be getting as soon as they allow them in my greedy little mitts!! Been waiting on a 5er version of the Talman, so bless and thank you yet again, Ibanez!!
Last edited:
