Product: Ibanez BTB575FM
Price Paid: USD 675
Submitted
01/06/2009
at
10:24am
by
Curtis Gregory
Features
:
10
5 string
5-piece BTB5 maple/bubinga thru-neck
Mahogany body
Figured Maple top
Medium frets
Mono-Rail II bridge
Bartolini MK2-5 neck pickup
Bartolini MK2-5 bridge pickup
Bartolini MK2 3-band EQ
One thing to note is that these Bartolini parts were made overseas as opposed to American made Bartolini. Nonetheless, they're leagues better than any other stock pickups and EQ you could get, ESPECIALLY for the price.
Sound
:
10
I was comparing this to a Laguna bass that was quite similar in shape and playability. One thing's for sure, this bass is LOUD. It's got a huge sound when it comes to the low strings, yet a very sharp sound on the highs which is the perfect combo for stoner metal and metalcore (it cuts through the guitar and drums like nobody's business). As I said earlier, the Bartolini parts aren't American made, but they sure give you a ton of sound for what they are. The EQ allows for such a wide variety of shapes and tones. The bridge is modular, which allows for more contact with the body, which gives you a ton of sustain. Teamed up with the neck-through body, this thing will ring on for a LONG time. One small warning: I said it was LOUD and I meant it. Your amp may say it's clipping if you turn your bass up too much/don't have a super rig.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
When you play the low strings, you first notice it buzzes a bit. This worried me until I plugged it in and didn't hear it coming through the amp. The action is setup perfectly for a metal player (low notes don't buzz and high notes don't choke at all). The electronics don't make ANY extra noise when adjusting them. All together, everything was setup perfectly. Let's just see how long it lasts.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
Haven't had this bass longer than a month, but judging by the heftiness of it, it's ridiculously tough. I can't see much happening to this bass other than some nicks and dents. If you see fit, you can replace the Bartolini hardware with American made Bartolini hardware, but I doubt it will die anytime soon. I replaced the strap buttons with strap locking buttons, but the original buttons were probably the biggest buttons ever (a pain to put a strap on, but it's not comin' off after that). This gets a 10 for it's promise. Time will tell if it's kept.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
No trouble so far. Will update this if need be.
Overall Rating
:
10
One last thing to note is that this bass is HEAVY. Though the weight shows sign of durability, if you're not a big guy this'll put a cramp on your stage presence. I personally love that about the bass and cannot stand the "sweepable", paper-thin SoundGears out there, though some won't be able to have this hanging on their shoulders for an extended jam session. Other than that, I love this bass. It's the best I've ever played. Would definitely buy another if this got stolen or lost. I'd give it a 10, personally, but I would suggest you play this in-store before you decide on it (and use a strap to get the feel for it).
