Ibanez BTB1005E 5-String

I own this bass now for about 5 weeks and spent a lot of time trying many different basses, especially comparing the BTB1005EOL and the newer BTB1205EOL which is made in Korea.
The BTB1005EOL is the last of the BTB-series to come from Japan. I believe it is either 2003 of 2004. The 2005 model comes from Korea and is called the BTB1205EOL.

The BTB1005EOL has 5 strings.
The body is made of Mahony with a Maple top.
The neck is bolt-on, which provides a sharp and growly tone. The neck is 35 inch and has 24 frets on the D and G string. The others have 23 frets.
There are two Bartolini Custom pic-ups, both soapbars. They are passive.
The bass also has a Bartolini Custom 3band equalizer with a switch for the mid frequenty. The EQ is active, 18V.
Gotoh tuners on the top of the neck.
Monorail I bridge on the end. Every string has its own little brigde!
Neutrick jack with locking mechanism.

I got the bass with a case.

The bass has a good GROWL in the low tones, but is also very clear and sweet in the higher notes. The mahony body makes the sound nice and warm, the bolt on neck provides the growl and the pick ups provide the clear, bright highs I believe! What more do you want??
I mainly play rock music and it suits that music very well. Allthough the equalizer makes it also very good suitable for other types of music.

The bass makes a little hisss when you turn the high fully open. There is also a very little flick when I switch the switch. But this is almost not notable.

The factory settings where almost perfect for me. The B-string was only a little to low for me because it rattled if I played a C to hard.

The rest is just perfect for me! The finish is also very nice! I did not yet find any flaws so far.

Everything looks like it will last, allthoug I had my doubts about the switch at first. But when you feel the switch you know ik won't break or anything. It just feels very solid.
The strap buttens are quite large, which I like. The strap won't come of too easy.

I did not need to adjust anything with the neck or the truss rod.

I rate this an 8, because compared to an Music Man, it is less robust. Everything on a Music Man is just more solid. It's just I don't like the sound and the look of a MM. And it is the sound that counts right?

When I started looking for a new bass, I noticed that Ibanez replaced the BTB1005EOL for a newer model, the 1205EOL. I noticed that the 1205 was a lot cheaper then the 1005, allmost ?500,-!! So I sent an email to the Ibanez importer for Holland asking why the newer bass was so much cheaper.

It took almost an entire month for them to answer my question. They told me both basses should have the same quality, but because of cheaper production in Korea, the 1205 could be produced at a lower cost. But the email did not answer all my questions so I still had doubts.

Eventually I went to Germany for one day just to try the 1205 in the shop over there and went back the same day to a Dutch shop to try the 1005. I almost immediately noticed the difference between both instruments! (I played on my own amp both times). The 1005 sounded better!! The different couldn't be the strings, because the strings on the 1005 must have been more new.

So actually, they told me something I did certainly not agree with. Customer support wasn't very helpfull here.

As I mentioned in the beginning, I tried a lot of basses. Some friends of me said that an Ibanez could not match a real Warwick or a real Music Man. To my opinion, it can! It had the low growls of a Warwick, the mids of a Fender and the highs of a Music Man.

To everybody with the same dillema of choosing between the 1005 and the 1205: In my opinion, the 1005 sounds better than the 1205. The 1005 has more growl in the lower tones, the 1205 lacked a little there. Wether this is caused by the bolt on / through neck contruction or a difference in quality I cannot say unfortunately. Allthough the finish of the 1005 I bought was also better than the 1205 I tried.

If this bass was stolen, I would try to buy another one, allthough I spent all my money on this bass.. I'm only a student...

This bass is not in production anymore, buy it while you can!

2002, Japan, etc, etc.

Fantistic range, Bartolini PU's and preamp are the best, sounds like
a more expensive bass (because they use the same system). I spoke
with Bill Bartolini about it and he confirmed it.

Set-up was not great when I got it, but was easy to adjust and
intonate. Hardware, finish, etc are all great.

So far so good, play it out all the time with no problems.

Getting info from Ibanez is a challenge, other than that, I have not
delt with them.

I've played a 4 string Jazz Bass for a number of years and wanted more
tonal range, and 5 strings. I checked out other 5 sting basses with
Bartolini PU systems and found the BTB 1005E to be comparable to
more expensive basses. I also checked out the new BTB 1205, which
is neck-thru instead of bolt-on but the new Ibanez basses are all made
in places other than Japan and the Japan-made Ibanez basses are a cut
about the rest (check out the fit/finish and fret work).
My only complaint: too heavy
I would love to have the fretless version

Just an update now that I've had the bass for a couple of years. Bought it in 2002, and it's 2005 now so I've had it for about 2-1/2 years.

BTB5 Prestige Neck
- 35" Inch Scale
- 5 piece Maple/Bubinga
- Rosewood Fingerboard
- Abalone Dot Inlays
- 24 Jumbo Frets
- Matching Flame Maple Headstock with Pearl Inlay
- Standard 4-string-like string-spacing
- Flame Maple Top - Maple Back
- Mahogany Body
- Mono-Rail II Bridge
- Bartolini Custom Soapbar Pickups
- Bartolini 3-Band 18Volt Preamp.
- Neutrik Locking Jack for Instrument Cable

- I Added: Dunlop Straplok Strap Buttons

This bass has turned out to be extremely versatile - great tonal variety. Good for slapping and tapping, soloing, and for plain old grooving. The B string has a very full sound below the low E. No complaints here.

I have done some major adjustments to the action from when it came from the factory - mostly to adjust to having Fodera VW5N strings instead of the Elixirs. (truss rod and string saddles and intonation). I have not noticed any flaws in quality with regard to this bass. Fit, finish, and action are superb.

This sucker is heavy. That's my one complaint but apparently it hasn't been enough for me to get rid of it yet. But on the other hand, I think the weight contributes to a very substantial feel under your fingers.

I had to get a different bass repaired through Ibanez and they were extremely helpful but it probably helps that I have some connections.

Still the best bass I own. It's been my main bass for 3 years.

* What year was it made? Where was is made? (Japan, Mexico, USA, etc...)
This bass was made in Japan in 2002 by Ibanez's Prestige builders (very high quality).

* How many frets, or is it fretless? How many strings?
5-string. 23-1/2 frets: the last one is only on the D and G strings which I think they did for looks.

* Body Details
Laminate:
Flamed Maple Top
Maple back
Mahogany Center - the largest piece, which shows through on the edges.
The body and neck have an oil finish.

* Which controls are given (volume, tone, selectors, etc...)?
Volume, Pickup Balance/Pan, EQ-Low, EQ-Mid, EQ-High, Frequency Selector switch for Mid-level EQ

* Pickup configuration? (S/S/H, H/H, S/H, Piezo, etc...)
2 x Bartolini Soapbars

* Active or Passive electronics?
18-volt Bartolini Electronics

* Body and neck materials? (Maple, Mahogany, Alder, Ash, Koa, graphite, etc...)
Body is mostly Mahogany. Be warned, this is a heavy bass but very much worth it because it looks and sounds great. The neck is a 5-piece laminate of maple and some dark wood (possibly rosewood or bubinga).

* Body style (jazz, precision, headless,etc...)
Not a fender style. I would compare more with custom built basses with exotic woods such as Fodera, Warrior, or Jack Read (www.readcustom.com)

* Bridge style (String-thru body, etc...)
Ibanez Monorail Bridge - each string has it's own bridge.

* Tuners (Locking? Non-locking? Drop-tuner? brand of tuners - Sperzel, Gotoh, Grover, Schaller, etc...)
Ibanez Tuners? Non-locking. They do the job.

* Neck/Scale (Fat, Thin, Jumbo Frets, Rosewood, Maple, etc...)
35" scale, Jumbo Frets. Rosewood Neck

* String Spacing
Standard string spacing - important for people who like to pop/slap/thump/pluck/etc. It can be hard to move from 4-string if your strings are too close together but this is perfect.

* Neutrik Locking Jack
You will not pull your cord from your bass by accident.

* How does it suit your music style (and what is that style)?
Perfect for my style, which is Funk and Rock - very bright, lots of growl, and lots of booty.

* What amps and effects are you using it with?
SWR Workingmans 4004 Amp with Workingman's 1x15T cabinet.

* Is it noisy? On what settings?
The bass itself is noiseless. Has a tendency to pick up EM/RF radiation from other souces: flourescent lights, etc...

* Rich/Full sound? Dark sound? Warm sound? Bright sound?
Full bodied sound with very strong mids and very bright when used with the right strings. I use Fodera's VW5N Signature strings - doesn't get any funkier.

* What kind of sounds can the bass make? How much variety?
Can dial in many different tones by playing with the knobs. I can achieve damn near perfect Jaco tone by using only the bridge pickup.

* Likes and dislikes?
Dislikes: The weight of the bass - this would be the perfect bass for me if it were made of Swamp Ash.
Likes: EVERYTHING else.

Almost perfect. I had to change the strings because I decided that I don't like elixirs - they're too rubbery. After I changed the strings, I dropped the saddles a bit. So it gets a 9 because of the strings from the factory.

No other flaws.

* Will this bass withstand live playing?
It already has - quite admirably, I would add.

* Does the hardware seem like it will last?
Yup.

* Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing?
The body has an oil finish - no paint to chip/fade.

* Are the strap buttons solid?
They were but I replaced them with Dunlop Straploks. The Straploks are solid.

* Can you depend on it? How often does the neck/truss rod need to be adjusted?
Absolutely. Never adjusted the Truss Rod.

* Would you use it on a gig without a backup?
Only if I brought spare strings and batteries which are the only 2 things I think can go wrong with this bass.

Never used Ibanez support.

Warranty info at:
http://www.ibanez.com/support/warrantys.html

* How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
About 9 years - also own a Fender Jazz Bass (1996 American Std)

* Is there something you wish you had asked before buying this bass?
Not really. I pulled a muscle moving this bass around once but I think that was partly my own fault. The bass is heavy so take care moving it around but it will make your shoulder muscles stronger.

* If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
Man. I sure hope I don't lose it, but if I did, I would probably replace it with the same bass.

* What do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature?
Dislike: Weight - but I can live with this
Like: Everything else
Favorite Feature: toss up between wide string spacing and the pan pot which can give me very Jaco-esque tone.

* Did you compare it to other basses? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
Compared with Yamaha TRB-5PII. The Ibanez had better features (e.g. 35" scale, 18v preamp, etc) and was about $1000 less.

* Anything you wish it had?
Swamp Ash body