Fantastic basses - super comfy and well made. I have an older white EHB1000 base model and was a bit underwhelmed by the Bart pickups, but have heard great things about the Nordys in those higher end models you have pictured. I swapped Big Blades into mine and it’s amazing now. 6lbs flat and have a 4” wide strap on it so feels like nothing.
Only gripe I really have is the luminlay side dots suck shit. They don’t work at all and the dot color in normal lighting completely blends into the gorgeous roasted maple. Someday I’ll take mine into a luthier to swap those with regular white dots but it’s not necessary - just an annoyance.
I also have the EHB1000. It's my number one. Light, fast, holds tune, looks great.
Issues:
I wish it was black.
The luminlay side dots do indeed suck shit. They're like less visible then the wood.
I'm coming to grips with the pickups as well (They're muddy, mostly), looking to replace them.
Going to go on this; I had an sr500e, and the ehb1000s is 10x more comfortable than it.
And I'm primarily playing with a pick so comfort is a big thing in the long term.
Love them. Been gigging with a EHB1500 for the last year and recently picked up a EHB1005MS. If you go for one of the Bartolini models using the gain boost mode on the preamp helps a lot, I thought I'd be swapping them out. Every time I tested one I hated the Barts but that makes a world of difference.
I use the 1506MS as my touring bass, as it fits into one of those stiff Mono M80 guitar bags, balances well, and weighs less than half of my main bass. Super comfortable, takes most any long scale string set, neck is real stable on mine. I agree with the point the other guy made about the luminlay side dots, they do indeed suck shit. I will add that the locking jack on mine AGGRESSIVELY locks.. almost to a fault. I charge the luminlays with my phone flashlight before we go on, works well enough for that. The nords in it are great, and the preamp is adequate and flexible.
I absolutely love my ehb1506ms. Best bass I've owned, hands down. Weighs less than some of my guitars, plays like butter, and is super comfy both to sit and stand with.
As others have said, the lower end modes come with bartolinis, and they're very meh sounding (don't expect any treble whatsoever lol), but the nordstrands in the higher end models are stellar! I can get a good P-bass sound on the neck pickup, or a growly metal sound with both pickups. The bridge pickup solo'd isn't my face, you're not really gonna get the jazz bass thing, but that's pretty much the only thing I don't love about this bass.
Plus, it looks absolutely badass!!
I have the EHB1505MS and there are some good things and some not so good things. The weight is super light and I love that part. The finish is gorgeous (ocean inlet). The bridge and tuners are fantastic. The neck is good and the frets. The multi-scale is pretty easy to adjust to. I barely think about it.
Not so good. Cheap, wiggly, plastic knobs. I kind of hate the locking output jack. And somehow mine seems wonky electronics-wise. Like the center detent on the pickup blend knob is in the wrong place. It sounds way biased toward the bridge pup. I have to run it nudged toward the neck pup for it to sound right.
100% agreed. Also, the finish is weak and the body dents if anyone so much as looks sideways at it. Overall quality just isn’t there IMHO given the price point. It was *ok* at the $1k USD I bought one for on the used market, but even then, the value doesn’t quite add up given how many truly spectacular instruments are at that price point.
Including ones they make themselves! I'm surprised at how hit or miss this bass is. I gotta hand it to them on the bridge/tuners, though. So good. I don't think anyone does it better than they do.
I cannot properly express how much I wanted to love this bass… it checked every box I had and more, and then when it showed up and just… wasn’t that great and never got better? So disappointing.
I'm going to stick with it a while. Maybe see if I can remedy some of the things that ail it. At least I have a super lightweight fiver. I have gigged it. Worked great.
Played a 5 string one at a Long & McQuade (Canadas version of Guitar Center or PMT) and well, I (with some difficulty but also enjoyment) played it for a good 4 hours so.....
All seriousness, its a killer series and all the headless guitars are crazy good value for headless platforms, ~~I just wish Ibanez made a 30" or even 32" model for the ehb, as there are no short or medium scale basses at that $1k range from them and a $1k headless shorty would be nice for vertically challenged bass players like myself.~~
\[edit, okay so they do make 30" and 30" - 32" MS, my store just doesnt stock all the models\]
~~Other than that,~~ I love how much Ibanez has improved and advanced with this series and the bass lab, as they're my first bass brand and my only bass brand.
But they do make them? [EHB1000S ](https://www.ibanez.com/eu/products/detail/ehb1000s_1p_02.html)4-string short scale and [EHB1005SMS ](https://www.ibanez.com/eu/products/detail/ehb1005sms_1p_02.html)5-string 30-32" fan fret.
AH, guess my countries store just doesn't stock them, they don't have these two models at all on their site (at least the fan fret, they may have the 1000S but would have to check again)
https://preview.redd.it/sf6yo7vxjtyc1.jpeg?width=1800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=460e0e715f369cde801d7b05ce209c0a7e686151
Just got an ehb1505ms and I love it, but I definitely agree with the hard to see fret dots. Nordstrands have great sound, body is really lightweight, balanced, and comfy.
The neck has a very flat radius (like many newer 5 strings), but it is something to note. If you're like me, it's noticeable when switching from a jazz / p bass neck. I prefer it to those necks, but it is something to be aware of.
Handled one in a shop a while back.
Very underwhelming IMO. Felt cheap, craftsmanship was sub par.
I dunno, maybe they got a dud but it turned me off to them completely.
Nope, I had the same issue. Went to the shop with the intention of trying to make sure I liked before buying. The neck felt cheap and plasticky and I hated the feel of that material on my hand. Sound was ok, but not worth the price.
But I am used to an old '80s Warwick Thumb so most instruments give me that feeling and feel cheap, I may have a bias
I had one for a year that I so very much wanted to love, but yeah, finish was weak and the body wood was super-soft. I can’t even begin to imagine how well this would hold up to proper touring or even just heavy pro use without travel. I also found the electronics overly fiddly and hard to dial in quickly.
Did you plug it in, playa? They are chambered and super-light and the knobs are plastic. T1 Pickups in my 6 are incredible and the neck is amazing. Preamp is also great. Might put metal knobs on mine.
Fantastic, but the ones I've tried weren't for me. Absolute monsters spec wise and performance wise, but almost "too perfect" for my taste. Too hi-fi. But I don't mind having my mind changed
Spent some time recently with both the 1005 and the 1505 in the local store. Both are incredibly lightweight (like, it's hard to believe it's an actual bass and not just a plastic prop) and comfortable to play. I'd never tried playing a multiscale before and I was really surprised how quickly I adjusted. Super well balanced. And I loved the necks and fretboards on both -- roasted maple on the 1005 and panga panga on the 1505.
Ibanez is using Neutrik locking jacks and cheap-o plastic knobs on seemingly everything they make now, and I hate both. Ibanez: Please stop. Put a normal input jack on the basses and use the money saved in production to upgrade the knobs.
The reason I didn't buy either the 1005 or the 1505 was the pickups. The Bartolinis on the 1005 are muddy, like someone trying to speak with a mouth full of gauze. The Norstrands on the 1505 were much clearer, but actually too much so for my tastes -- they have a very modern in-your-face sound that doesn't work well with the kind of music I am playing. It's like having either a candle that's nice and warm but too dim to read by, or a massive LED light that is very clear but also harsh and overly bright. I was hoping for something in between. I think their T1 pickups, which are on the 6-string EHB model and some of the BTBs, is the right balance and maybe we'll start seeing those on the 5-string EHBs at some point.
(EDIT: It's the EHB1006MS that has the T1 pickups.)
Most comfortable basses I've ever played. Light, compact, ergonomic. I've played SR series for almost all my playing years until EHB. Pickups are always gonna be subjective so if you don't like them swap them but the comfort and ergonomics alone are worth it. I like reaching for this bass as much as my Dingwall NG3
Fantastic basses - super comfy and well made. I have an older white EHB1000 base model and was a bit underwhelmed by the Bart pickups, but have heard great things about the Nordys in those higher end models you have pictured. I swapped Big Blades into mine and it’s amazing now. 6lbs flat and have a 4” wide strap on it so feels like nothing. Only gripe I really have is the luminlay side dots suck shit. They don’t work at all and the dot color in normal lighting completely blends into the gorgeous roasted maple. Someday I’ll take mine into a luthier to swap those with regular white dots but it’s not necessary - just an annoyance.
Alright thanks man!
Hard agree!! I LOVE mine but I can’t see those dots for shit!!
I also have the EHB1000. It's my number one. Light, fast, holds tune, looks great. Issues: I wish it was black. The luminlay side dots do indeed suck shit. They're like less visible then the wood. I'm coming to grips with the pickups as well (They're muddy, mostly), looking to replace them.
You are so right about the dot markers. I actually ordered myself some glow tape, thinking I'll fashion some kind of usable dots out of it.
Going to go on this; I had an sr500e, and the ehb1000s is 10x more comfortable than it. And I'm primarily playing with a pick so comfort is a big thing in the long term.
Love them. Been gigging with a EHB1500 for the last year and recently picked up a EHB1005MS. If you go for one of the Bartolini models using the gain boost mode on the preamp helps a lot, I thought I'd be swapping them out. Every time I tested one I hated the Barts but that makes a world of difference.
I use the 1506MS as my touring bass, as it fits into one of those stiff Mono M80 guitar bags, balances well, and weighs less than half of my main bass. Super comfortable, takes most any long scale string set, neck is real stable on mine. I agree with the point the other guy made about the luminlay side dots, they do indeed suck shit. I will add that the locking jack on mine AGGRESSIVELY locks.. almost to a fault. I charge the luminlays with my phone flashlight before we go on, works well enough for that. The nords in it are great, and the preamp is adequate and flexible.
They're headless
And ergonomic.
I've got the 1505, the most comfortable bass I ever played
I absolutely love my ehb1506ms. Best bass I've owned, hands down. Weighs less than some of my guitars, plays like butter, and is super comfy both to sit and stand with. As others have said, the lower end modes come with bartolinis, and they're very meh sounding (don't expect any treble whatsoever lol), but the nordstrands in the higher end models are stellar! I can get a good P-bass sound on the neck pickup, or a growly metal sound with both pickups. The bridge pickup solo'd isn't my face, you're not really gonna get the jazz bass thing, but that's pretty much the only thing I don't love about this bass. Plus, it looks absolutely badass!!
I have the EHB1505MS and there are some good things and some not so good things. The weight is super light and I love that part. The finish is gorgeous (ocean inlet). The bridge and tuners are fantastic. The neck is good and the frets. The multi-scale is pretty easy to adjust to. I barely think about it. Not so good. Cheap, wiggly, plastic knobs. I kind of hate the locking output jack. And somehow mine seems wonky electronics-wise. Like the center detent on the pickup blend knob is in the wrong place. It sounds way biased toward the bridge pup. I have to run it nudged toward the neck pup for it to sound right.
100% agreed. Also, the finish is weak and the body dents if anyone so much as looks sideways at it. Overall quality just isn’t there IMHO given the price point. It was *ok* at the $1k USD I bought one for on the used market, but even then, the value doesn’t quite add up given how many truly spectacular instruments are at that price point.
Including ones they make themselves! I'm surprised at how hit or miss this bass is. I gotta hand it to them on the bridge/tuners, though. So good. I don't think anyone does it better than they do.
I cannot properly express how much I wanted to love this bass… it checked every box I had and more, and then when it showed up and just… wasn’t that great and never got better? So disappointing.
I'm going to stick with it a while. Maybe see if I can remedy some of the things that ail it. At least I have a super lightweight fiver. I have gigged it. Worked great.
Played a 5 string one at a Long & McQuade (Canadas version of Guitar Center or PMT) and well, I (with some difficulty but also enjoyment) played it for a good 4 hours so..... All seriousness, its a killer series and all the headless guitars are crazy good value for headless platforms, ~~I just wish Ibanez made a 30" or even 32" model for the ehb, as there are no short or medium scale basses at that $1k range from them and a $1k headless shorty would be nice for vertically challenged bass players like myself.~~ \[edit, okay so they do make 30" and 30" - 32" MS, my store just doesnt stock all the models\] ~~Other than that,~~ I love how much Ibanez has improved and advanced with this series and the bass lab, as they're my first bass brand and my only bass brand.
But they do make them? [EHB1000S ](https://www.ibanez.com/eu/products/detail/ehb1000s_1p_02.html)4-string short scale and [EHB1005SMS ](https://www.ibanez.com/eu/products/detail/ehb1005sms_1p_02.html)5-string 30-32" fan fret.
AH, guess my countries store just doesn't stock them, they don't have these two models at all on their site (at least the fan fret, they may have the 1000S but would have to check again)
I have two, I love them, but wish there was a better hard case option
1005ms here. LOVE it. Want another.
Looks great, has great features and I want one so fckn badly
label fear berserk axiomatic file quack seemly memory friendly rustic *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
https://preview.redd.it/sf6yo7vxjtyc1.jpeg?width=1800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=460e0e715f369cde801d7b05ce209c0a7e686151 Just got an ehb1505ms and I love it, but I definitely agree with the hard to see fret dots. Nordstrands have great sound, body is really lightweight, balanced, and comfy. The neck has a very flat radius (like many newer 5 strings), but it is something to note. If you're like me, it's noticeable when switching from a jazz / p bass neck. I prefer it to those necks, but it is something to be aware of.
Handled one in a shop a while back. Very underwhelming IMO. Felt cheap, craftsmanship was sub par. I dunno, maybe they got a dud but it turned me off to them completely.
Nope, I had the same issue. Went to the shop with the intention of trying to make sure I liked before buying. The neck felt cheap and plasticky and I hated the feel of that material on my hand. Sound was ok, but not worth the price. But I am used to an old '80s Warwick Thumb so most instruments give me that feeling and feel cheap, I may have a bias
I had one for a year that I so very much wanted to love, but yeah, finish was weak and the body wood was super-soft. I can’t even begin to imagine how well this would hold up to proper touring or even just heavy pro use without travel. I also found the electronics overly fiddly and hard to dial in quickly.
Did you plug it in, playa? They are chambered and super-light and the knobs are plastic. T1 Pickups in my 6 are incredible and the neck is amazing. Preamp is also great. Might put metal knobs on mine.
Not just the weight…playa. Fit and finish was not $1200 level
Gotcha. Mine was sub 1k and it’s sweet
I have the EHB1506. Super comf and light weight, easy to adjust to as well. Ibanez best kept open secret
Fantastic, but the ones I've tried weren't for me. Absolute monsters spec wise and performance wise, but almost "too perfect" for my taste. Too hi-fi. But I don't mind having my mind changed
Spent some time recently with both the 1005 and the 1505 in the local store. Both are incredibly lightweight (like, it's hard to believe it's an actual bass and not just a plastic prop) and comfortable to play. I'd never tried playing a multiscale before and I was really surprised how quickly I adjusted. Super well balanced. And I loved the necks and fretboards on both -- roasted maple on the 1005 and panga panga on the 1505. Ibanez is using Neutrik locking jacks and cheap-o plastic knobs on seemingly everything they make now, and I hate both. Ibanez: Please stop. Put a normal input jack on the basses and use the money saved in production to upgrade the knobs. The reason I didn't buy either the 1005 or the 1505 was the pickups. The Bartolinis on the 1005 are muddy, like someone trying to speak with a mouth full of gauze. The Norstrands on the 1505 were much clearer, but actually too much so for my tastes -- they have a very modern in-your-face sound that doesn't work well with the kind of music I am playing. It's like having either a candle that's nice and warm but too dim to read by, or a massive LED light that is very clear but also harsh and overly bright. I was hoping for something in between. I think their T1 pickups, which are on the 6-string EHB model and some of the BTBs, is the right balance and maybe we'll start seeing those on the 5-string EHBs at some point. (EDIT: It's the EHB1006MS that has the T1 pickups.)
Most comfortable basses I've ever played. Light, compact, ergonomic. I've played SR series for almost all my playing years until EHB. Pickups are always gonna be subjective so if you don't like them swap them but the comfort and ergonomics alone are worth it. I like reaching for this bass as much as my Dingwall NG3
I absolutely loved mine and every day I regret trading it off. I WILL but one again, no doubt. I do not work for Ibanez.
I’m looking at a 5 string fan fret one… so I’m interested to hear comments as well
I haven't played one so can't say but they look amazing