Ibanez EHB1506MS-BIF

This multiscale bass is very slick and comfortable to play. The Nordstrand pickups sound fantastic in both passive and active modes - plenty of warmth and definition. Overall, especially using the active preamp, this is an extremely versatile bass and can cover pretty much any genre.

However, while the bass is functionally good, the quality of fit and finish is poor. Mine has lots of unsightly white pore filler on the neck, as well as some cosmetic blemishes and a small chip next to the fingerboard. The volume knob was not properly attached.

So I guess I have to review two basses here, the first bass I received had lots of problems with the neck, the binding was being distressed by the fret tangs in multiple places, the fret ends on the treble side were extremely sharp, the back of the neck had lots of white spots where the finish didnt go into the pores of the panga panga and the truss rod was maxed out, the body was dented, the knobs were not centred in their countersinks, the battery compartment did not close properly, the more i looked the more issues i found and unfortunately I had to return this one.

The second bass Thomann sent me however had nicely dressed frets, there was no distressing on the binding (although there was some fibres and glue drips on the treble side of the binding which will go away with time), the truss rod works and overall this bass was far better than the previous one I was sent, however there were still qc issues, the aforementioned glue drips and fibres on the binding, there is some sanding/scuff marks on the neck surrounding the binding which should dissapear over time (my left hand should polish them out while playing), some of the bridge saddle height screws are slightly bent, however overall this is a very nice instrument to play.

The neck is wide but thin, the 35" scale on the low B does not make fretting difficult even at 1st position as the bass is designed with ergonomics in mind, the abalone fret markers are pretty but almost unnoticeable when playing, the stainless steel frets are a nice addition as are the luminescant side dots, the instrument is very light and resonant (the body is chambered) and the active eq is very powerful, in fact it was able to overdrive my solid state amp, the eq is also very versatile and its possible to get traditional as well as modern tones thanks to the nordstrand pickups. The body contours make the bass very comfortable to wear and the schaller straplocks are a nice touch.

Overall this is a great bass for the money and due to the weight and ergonomics you almost forget its a 6 string bass with a 35" scale B string, but the qc issues unfortunately let Ibanez down in this case, Ibanez really need to ensure proper qc is being done before these basses are sent out.

I play many different styles and play guitars and basses of all types, scales and ranges. Being open to the idea of a headless bass, I bit the bullet. And I’m so glad I did.

The words “lightweight” and “6 string bass” rarely go into the same sentence. But they do here. It is lightweight, it has modern features, its fanfret fretboard is more comfortable than you think. I needed a bass that can handle weird, wonderful, and workhorse. This is that last bass I’ll need. Until I need to buy a spare.

Plus it looks like something from outer space too. It’s eye catching and visually stunning.