Ibanez BTB510

Circa 2000, made in Japan, the BTB510 doesn't seem to be all that popular which is a shame as it has a solid mahogany body with nice detailing. It was only available in walnut color, too bad as the wood is very good quality and would look great with a lighter finish. The neck is five piece with rosewood fretboard. Pickups are passive. There is a BTB510E model with Bartolini pickups. The BTB510 uses the same pickups found on midrange SR basses. There are volume, balance, bass, mid, treble and midrange sweep. The strings are round wound and taught. They are available through Ibanez although the new model varies but removing the sweepable midrange control and putting a mid frequency switch. Another nice touch, a locking input. Body style is similar to EDC model although a bit less sculpted. Frets are large and the neck is a bit wider than traditonal Ibanez SR basses. The BTB series uses Ibanez's Monorail bridge, each string has an individual bridge, literally a rail. It works quite well. Still it's not as wide or thick as a Fender bass. Another real plus is how well balanced the bass is. The neck is slim while being more substantial than a SR series neck. Tonally you can get anything you want out of the BTB510

The BTB510 sounds great, it's not light but not too heavy either. You'd expect a dark sound with a solid mahogany body yet the basic tone is transparent. It's not until you start working with the sweepable midrange that you see what the BTB510 can do. It enables subtle to extreme timbers. The bass, mid and treble controls are modest but in conjunction with the sweepable midrange this is sensible. I go through a direct box but have played through a number of amps and can state with confidence that you can shake the building if you want to or get as thin a sound as you wish. Think progressive rock or Rush. There is nothing I do not like about this bass.

Setup was perfect off the shelf. The tuners work well, I almost never need to tune up. Action is fairly low but can be raised. Because the strings are taught you can get aggressive without buzzing or other weird noises prone to intense playing. The passive pickups sound very good, probably by being in conjunction with the tonal controls. The finish is very good, not shiny and not matte, it has a natural feel and stays fairly clean even durring sweating gigs. Fit and finish are beautiful, nothing wrong, and that locking input is great. The BTB510 was about $150 more than the BTB400 which are nice but with basswood bodies although some models have quilted maple tops. The difference is one of quality. You can tell you are playing a better instrument. Everything seems to be a bit better fitted.

I've had it about 2 years, it has slammed onto the stage when a guitar multi holder was knocked over. Everything worked fine, the finish didn't even get nicked. The hardware is like brand new, it is rock solid. I have used the BTB510 without backup. The neck has yet to need adjustment. This is a very reliable bass.

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I've been playing bass for well over 10 years. My main instrument is guitar. At first there was considerable adjustment and as my appreciation of bass playing skills increased I found that I needed something more substantial which is how the BTB510 was introduced to me. If stolen I'd replace although only if I played it before buying. If there's a tone you are looking for you will find it on the BTB. That midrange sweep is incredible. I looked at American Fender Jazz and Warwick basses. It is a personal decision as a good bass has good character. The sonic diversity was definately better but ultimately it was playability that helped make the purchase decision. This is the only instrument I've owned that has been so capable for what it is. If you like how it plays you will probably be very happy with sound, fit and finish