I really loved this bass tone in the store and tried it on a couple amps to check its consistency. I was really happy with it and purchased it soon after. As I've owned it, I come to feel that is a very average sounding bass. The humbuckers are decent and you can get a variety of tones from it, but I just wasn't blown away. Compared to some of the other basses I own, this one felt like it was lacking some personality and a certain bass tone I can't put my finger on. Still, I'm in a band that uses different tunings and the B string is great for that, as I never need to tune down. Also, the strings I've tried on it all make it sound very, very different. I know that happens with most stringed instruments, but it seems even more noticeable on this bass. I don't want to knock this bass because it is my primary gigging bass right now and have received no complaints, but I don't think this is the tone I am after.

There are active pickups which sound good when the battery is charged. And I played it quite alot with a dead battery inside, and it still sounded very decent. It has a treble, bass, volume, and balance knob for the two humbucker pickups. The balance knob has really come in handy. As I stated earlier, I have a hard time getting the tone I want, but the balance knob keeps this bass as my primary bass. I can quickly adjust from one tone to another as songs necesitate.

This was the first 5-string I ever played and it didn't take long to adjust from 4 to 5 with this one. The neck is wider than a 4-string but was surprisingly comfortable and fast. The knobs make it easy to adjust the tones as I stated in the features section (but they also allow for a lot of horrible tones too)

Knobs fall off...but I've had this problem with most of my basses, especially Ibanezs. Other than that, the bass is solid. A bit hefty, but feels well-made.

This would be a great value for a bassist in a heavier rock band, maybe metal where the tone was going to be adjusted by pedals, and where de-tunings or multiple tunings were needed. Unfortunately, I can't say it would be a tremendous value for a jazz, blues, rock bassist when there are much better basses suited for that tone for the same or a slightly higher price. Still I do not regret buying it and have enjoyed owning it.

Never had to get support on this bass. But from what I can tell Ibanez has a good service department, however, it also appears this bass is relatively rare so I don't know if that would be a problem in getting identical parts or comparable parts. Can't really say.

The gray, almost-attractive-kind-of-ugly finish would be suited for a metal band. A bit drab for my taste but I was shopping for a 5-string, comfort, and tone. (I'm a bubinga/wood/cherry guy myself) The overall look is good, but the color is less than desirable at times.

Gigging Locally

Classic and Modern Rock