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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.

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Verified Purchaser zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.

Just bought this little monster after debating in between various models. I was really happy with this purchase. First of all, the sound projection of this little parlor format soundbox it's unexpectedly loud compared to many other options in the market. Of you're looking to have enough volume to jam with your acoustic guitar playing friends, this is it. The preamp is really versatile, I found I could get a really good variety of sound when connected to an amp or to a DI when recording. The EQ is responsive and really versatile. The neck is really playable, not what you would expect of a shorter scale bass, you can freely slap if you're into that. Great and versatile sound overall either on the acoustic or electric side. Then there's the size. This bass is really compact. I have various 34" scale basses. This is nowhere as long which saves a lot of space. I can even carry this on an acoustic guitar case! I loved that I can use that and carry my bass to my gigs in there. It's not heavy and really comfortable to play because of the size. I have not tried changing the strings yet, which I'm expecting is going to be a challenge to find. The finish is not for everyone, but the open pore finish is something I like a lot as it makes the neck really playable. I had some Fenders and other Ibanez and a Martin on the race when choosing this one, all of them twice the price at least and this won hands down. Again I'm really satisfied with this purchase. I hope you found my review helpful and helped you make a decision.

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