(see rating details)

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

There aren't many reviews online for these little basses yet, so I thought I'd offer my 2 cents. This little guy is awesome! I have a full size acoustic-electric bass and reaching for the F on that one is a bit of a stretch and I'm 6'1". This "parlor bass" is smaller in body and length than a regular dreadnought guitar. Actually, it fits in a standard hard shell acoustic guitar case or gig bag with room to spare. The sound is fantastic! These new strings were D'Addario developed for the Taylor GS Mini Bass and now Ibanez has capitalized on them too. The sustain is REALLY good. Acoustic volume is decent, loud enough to jam along with a tenor ukulele, gets a bit lost with an acoustic guitar. Plug this little guy in to a decent acoustic amp and it really shines. I've run it through a TC Electronic BodyRez into my Marshal AS50D, Roland Street Cube EX and my QSC K8.2 (best "acoustic amp" available IMHO) and had satisfying results with all. I was worried the electronics on this model might not be as good as the Fishman pup on the higher end models. There was no need to worry. I haven't played the other Ibanez parlor basses, so I can't compare directly, but the sound reproduction of this Ibanez pickup GOOD. I have several acoustic guitars/basses/ukuleles/mandolins, which have pups from various makers: Fishman, Taylor ES and ES2, LR Bagg's, K&K and Seymour Duncan and this under saddle pickup compares favorably to them. The preamp is serviceable, but I would've liked a phase switch and a mid EQ knob. I leave the on-board bass/treble EQ knobs at noon and do any sound shaping at the amp, but not much is needed, just a slight treble boost for "boom-chick" style bass lines. As I've often found, Ibanez build quality is good. Well put together, no excess glue or sharp frets, nice wood grain, has an understated classy vibe. I gave the truss rod a little relief, to get rid of a buzz it had out of the box and now the action is where I like it and the intonation is spot on. When I started playing out 20+ years ago, I bought an Ibanez A/E and although now, it hangs on the wall with Taylors and Martins, I'd still never part with it.

Musical Background:

Musical Style: