Product: Ibanez BTB200
Price Paid: USD 330
Submitted
06/21/2008
at
11:25pm
by
Kabes
Features
:
8
Made in Indonesia, this bass features active pickups, a 35" scale,
agathis body, 3 piece maple neck with rosewood, a sleek body design,
a pretty substantial bridge, questionable tuners, and a decent price.
Sound
:
7
Soundwise, I would describe it as crisp in the highs. I guess from
the active pickups. I think it sounds better through headphones than
any amp I've played it through. Due to the extremely thin neck and
agathis body; the tone is mostly from the pickups. Due to the scale
length, I converted it to B-E-A-D which in my opinion, it should
have came from the factory that way. It plays the low notes tighter
than the typical 34" scale basses so thats a plus. A decent overall
sound for the price.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
7
It was decent from the factory. However, I wanted the 35" scale for
playing low tunings without the bulkiness of a 5-string bass. I had
to file the string nut, adjust the truss rod, and of course purchase
bigger strings. The string nut was slotted a little too far to the
left for each string so theres alot of space between the highest
string and the edge of the fretboard. I'll have to eventually
replace the nut and have a tech do it right. The tuners are
beginning to stick and will probably have to be replaced in the next
2-3 years. The bridge was well designed and is probably the best
hardware feature on this model.
Reliability/Durability
:
7
I would'nt recommend playing live without a backup bass because the
hardware seems a bit dubious. The finish is flat and seems to be
extremely durable. I check the action and relief regularly and it
does not need adjustment so long as you dont change string size when
replacing strings. The tuners arent built to last in my opinion.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never dealt with Ibanez.
Overall Rating
:
7
I've been playing for 12 years, bought this bass 2 years ago for
playing the low tunings because the bass I was using for that wasnt
cutting it. I had a $350 price limit and this was the only bass with
the 35" scale (4-string) in my range. There was a ESP that was about
$50 less but I didnt want to gamble on that. I had to buy it online
because no stores around me carry a 35" scale 4-stringer. I guess
most people just buy a 5-string for that. I guess I shouldve looked
around for something used because I couldve gotten more for my money
if of course I could've found something to meet my criteria. It's a
love/hate relationship with this bass because somedays I dont like it
sound and others I do. Probably would not purchase it again though.
