thoughts on a newly acquired Ibanez EHB1505

[eban3]

Just got this bass for a great price ,its a wonderful instrument for those of us with back and neck issues ,though i have to say it dosen't play like an instrument in its price range,Ive done all my own set up work for years and ive got set up the way iI like it but it just dosen't have the feel of an instrument in its price range ..............Wonder if anyone is building aftermarket full on replacement carbon fiber necks for these? i think it would be a vast improvement ,though its still has some nice tones just feels a little cheap

 

[Zooberwerx]

Just got this bass for a great price ,its a wonderful instrument for those of us with back and neck issues ,though i have to say it dosen't play like an instrument in its price range,Ive done all my own set up work for years and ive got set up the way iI like it but it just dosen't have the feel of an instrument in its price range ..............Wonder if anyone is building aftermarket full on replacement carbon fiber necks for these? i think it would be a vast improvement ,though its still has some nice tones just feels a little cheap

What's lacking in your opinion? The 1505 was on my radar but I added a few bucks and bought something headless with a graphite composite neck...for the same reasons (lower back & neck).

Riis

 

[eban3]

What's lacking in your opinion? The 1505 was on my radar but I added a few bucks and bought something headless with a graphite composite neck...for the same reasons (lower back & neck).

Riis

What did you get ? I've owned Moduluses , Steinbergers and still own a Moses key 5 ,very rare all graphite beast of a bass,wished i'd never sold the Modulus q5 semi hollow but during covid it was that or the house have played a whole lot more ,I have to say while i think this bass would be a total winner with a full on carbon fiber neck , I just spent the last 4 hours tinkering with string height and a slight truss rod adjustment and I have to say i got the action down lower than i originally thought possible, its playing beautifully ,previously it was a bit unweildly to play ... so I must revoke my comments about it feeling cheap ,..totally digging it now and the sound is monstrous ,gonna take some time to dial it in want but its there ! ,got a very good deal on it !,its used but dosent look it , paid about what a used ehb 1005 would run , had 2 of those 1 was when it first came out the second one was with the bart upgrade and tunning machne upgraade ,didnt like the sound of either of them , I really think the tone woods and Nordstrands make all the difference ......gonna gig with it tommorow night

 

[Zooberwerx]

What did you get ? I've owned Moduluses , Steinbergers and still own a Moses key 5 ,very rare all graphite beast of a bass,wished i'd never sold the Modulus q5 semi hollow but during covid it was that or the house have played a whole lot more ,I have to say while i think this bass would be a total winner with a full on carbon fiber neck , I just spent the last 4 hours tinkering with string height and a slight truss rod adjustment and I have to say i got the action down lower than i originally thought possible, its playing beautifully ,previously it was a bit unweildly to play ... so I must revoke my comments about it feeling cheap ,..totally digging it now and the sound is monstrous ,gonna take some time to dial it in want but its there ! ,got a very good deal on it !,its used but dosent look it , paid about what a used ehb 1005 would run , had 2 of those 1 was when it first came out the second one was with the bart upgrade and tunning machne upgraade ,didnt like the sound of either of them , I really think the tone woods and Nordstrands make all the difference ......gonna gig with it tommorow night

Ok, appears you're feeling a little better about things. Doesn't the 1505 sport a panga-panga laminate neck? I heard it smacks of wenge but not quite there.

I passed on the EHB series as I found a handful of alternative headless 5's in the TB classifieds although they were all 2k+. I snagged Scott's Bogart 5 which sports a hybrid composite body and graphite neck...comes in just a hair over 7 lbs. It also came with the REALLY good hardware (ETS, Hipshot) which accepts the double ball-end strings if desired. Also equipped with the better (?) / discontinued Bart pickups mated with a Noll preamp. No upgrades necessary IMO...yet.

Riis

 

[sunbeast]

What did you get ? I've owned Moduluses , Steinbergers and still own a Moses key 5 ,very rare all graphite beast of a bass,wished i'd never sold the Modulus q5 semi hollow but during covid it was that or the house have played a whole lot more ,I have to say while i think this bass would be a total winner with a full on carbon fiber neck , I just spent the last 4 hours tinkering with string height and a slight truss rod adjustment and I have to say i got the action down lower than i originally thought possible, its playing beautifully ,previously it was a bit unweildly to play ... so I must revoke my comments about it feeling cheap ,..totally digging it now and the sound is monstrous ,gonna take some time to dial it in want but its there ! ,got a very good deal on it !,its used but dosent look it , paid about what a used ehb 1005 would run , had 2 of those 1 was when it first came out the second one was with the bart upgrade and tunning machne upgraade ,didnt like the sound of either of them , I really think the tone woods and Nordstrands make all the difference ......gonna gig with it tommorow night

I bought a lightly used EHB1506 a few years back and it needed quite a bit of spot leveling of frets to set up with low action and I understand this isn’t uncommon from these EHBs (and not uncommon in general from most import instruments these days from my experience playing many in stores). With a lower action the feel and sound are greatly improved in my opinion. I think they can be great instruments, apparently sometimes with a little extra work involved! All the other instruments you mention exist in a much different price bracket than the EHBs these days unless you find a very lucky used deal.

 

[eban3]

I bought a lightly used EHB1506 a few years back and it needed quite a bit of spot leveling of frets to set up with low action and I understand this isn’t uncommon from these EHBs (and not uncommon in general from most import instruments these days from my experience playing many in stores). With a lower action the feel and sound are greatly improved in my opinion. I think they can be great instruments, apparently sometimes with a little extra work involved! All the other instruments you mention exist in a much different price bracket than the EHBs these days unless you find a very lucky used

Yes i m gonna get mine pleked eventually but its real low and not buzzing thru the amp ,loving the multi scale ,its effortless to play ,wish someone would build a multi scale with a graphite neck , Modulus probably would for extra exorbitant fee ,I cant justify spending 8k for a new one , i think the price its nuts apparent Jeff Gould thinks so too,his current basses sell for about half of what Modulus sell for new ....also thinking down the road of gutting the electronics ,installing American bart humbuckers with a Bart pre amp on the ibanez

 

[robassable]

I bought a used one and after taking it to my luthier for a proper leveling and set up it plays and sounds great across the entire fretboard. I find the neck to be more stable than my other basses and appreciate the feel and flatter profile, and it hasn’t budged a smidge in over a year and still straight as an arrow and I just use a gig bag, so it’s been subjected to temperature and humidity extremes. Only complaint is the tiny fret markers which are barely visible on a dark stage.

 

[Phillip Jordan]

I own two and have owned pretty much all the major boutiques. I think it’s great and more than adequate other than the barts.