New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

Uk Ant

Uk Ant

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So I went into a music shop to try a few more five string basses, and in their second hand department they had an Ibanez Ergodyne EDB555.
It's a bit battered, had a couple of control nobs missing, but plays really nicely and sounds great, despite a nasty old strings and lack of set up.
Two hundred uk pounds, plus a free gig bag and I was sold. Now to strip it down, sand the body and re-finish it with danish oil, new set of strings and we should be ready to rumble some serious low end.
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Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

NOT SO FAST!

Ibanez Ergodyne instrument bodies are formed from "Luthite" - some sort of wood fibre and adhesive gunge composite. Removing the finish may prove to be a big mistake.
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

Maybe just polish it up then. Still, as long as it sounds good, then good deal.

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Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

Now let's get some steel on that 5 String. :naughty:
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

Funkfingers said:
NOT SO FAST!

Ibanez Ergodyne instrument bodies are formed from "Luthite" - some sort of wood fibre and adhesive gunge composite. Removing the finish may prove to be a big mistake.
Click to expand...
Apparently the newer ones are made from ash, this must be one of those as it is definitely solid wood, not some composite, you can see the grain on the inside. It is, however, made from three bits of said wood.
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

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Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

I still say just polish it up, that looks nice!

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Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

The scratches and dings are actually quite deep, so a bit of sandpaper is required. Finished pictures tomorrow :)
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

Must say these Duncan designed pups have real character next to the Bartolini's in my SR700.
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

Remember, scratches and dings can add character. Witness what some pay for "distressed" finishes.

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Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

The wear around the end of the neck pickup and also alongside the neck are caused by anchoring the thumb at those locations. Chances are, you will wear through the finish in exactly the same places.

The linear mark in the scalloped away "slap" area is probably due to the fingernails of somebody attacking the top string across rather than almost in parallel with its length. This does look a little amateurish.
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

And now, after a little work with some sandpaper and a bit of danish oil
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I think it looks a little better
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

Yes. An improvement.

How deep were the worn patches through the stain finish?
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

They were mil or so deep, so you can still feel them, just not see them :)
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

All good to gig, then.

You mentioned that the pickups are Ibanez/Duncan co-designs. Who made the onboard active EQ?
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

Looks cool and a I agree your efforts are an improvement.
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

Funkfingers said:
All good to gig, then.

You mentioned that the pickups are Ibanez/Duncan co-designs. Who made the onboard active EQ?
Click to expand...

There's no obvious name, so I suspect it's Ibanez
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

Old catalogue scan says EBX-II - an Ibanez in-house design. (The pots are fairly small and a bit cheap.)

Try the bass as is for a decent period. If you like the EQ, stick with it. If not, consider upgrading to a Duncan/Basslines STC-3 system with the stacked treble and bass knobs.

One final question, are the stock pickups powered by the same onboard battery that supplies the active EQ?
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

As with most low end systems, there is but the one battery.
I like the tone as it is for the moment :)
 
Re: New Bass day. It has five strings, it is an Ibanez, it's not a Soundgear

Well I must say that it does look better than before. I like the natural look much more than the dark stain.

Great purchase!
 
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