I have this bass and the EHB1505 and I really prefer the nice round tone of the Bartolinis in this bass over the EHB. Tighter string spacing takes some getting used to but once I did it provided less finger fatigue on longer gigs. I think this bass is great!

Just as I've been looking into the 4 string version of this bass for the past week, you upload this video! Thanks man, great video as always!

I have this bass! Highly recommend to switch neck and bridge pickup places, it will balance the sound by a lot (for some reason they put a high output bassy pickup in the neck position and the trebly low output in the brigde) ! Also highly suggest to have an EMG vari-mid pot, it can growl.

I recently purchased this, thanks for the in depth demonstration of the electronics, super helpful

I've owned the brown walnut version of that bass for about five years. I totally agree about the lack of top end and harmonic clarity. I have to do some sound gymnastics to get what I hear as good rock and metal sounds. My go to on the preamp is roll the bass off a scosh, 400hz roll off to maybe 40% based on the requirements of the song and flat to slightly boosted on the high end. The string issue was tricky at first but there super long string sets at decent prices for the multiscale set up. Good review as always.

I have the 4 string version of this bass, and i absolutely love it. no special string needed. i would argue the fan is good for those wanting to dip their toe in the multi scale world. I go back and forth between this and a non multi bass, almost effortlessly. Then again, I wanted a thin body, that felt good in my hands, and had a finish i didn't hate. I didn't care about multi scale whatsoever... my one complaint is access to the truss rod. i didn't get the included wrenches, and i can't find one long enough, that doesn't interfere with the pickup.

wow thank you for a such comprehensive review!

I can't wait for the Ibanez BTB806MS's to come to stores. That 37" on the B is really going to give Dingwall a run for their money

Thank you for this man! As soon as you said can’t use a normal B string, that’s all I needed to know when considering this versus the headless 6 Ibanez bass. I’m glad you point things like this out, dude. Saved me a return 😂

Yesss I've been very excited for this

I tried so hard to love that bass. It's gorgeous and I love ibanez. Once I got the EHB I realized the tight spacing on the SRMS just wasn't going to cut it. Couple that with the barts and I just couldn't jive with it. I will say the toggle mid freqs aren't bad and sometimes I like it more than the vari-mid for simplicity

Glad to see this review. As an owner of several SR800 series basses this multiscale version has been on my radar, but those Bartolini pickups have always been the deal breaker and your review confirms that for me. I would probably go for EMG's in this one. I have the SRT805DX from about ten years ago or so and it came stock with EMG pickups and I think the B string sounds fine for a 34 inch scale. No mix and match string set needed. No slanted nut either! :) Not a multiscale but I think I will hang on to that one instead.

Excellent collection of basses on the wall 😮

Compared this and an EHB. Much preferred and bought the SRMS805. I like the tighter spacing compared to my 4 string, the BH2’s are nice and growly, and looks amazing. EHB didn’t play that well honestly. May have been a set up. YMMV.

It sounds surprisingly good.

If you can get your hands on the Schecter Studio fan fret bass, you could compare that one and the SRMS vs EHB

I own the previous swamp ash version in 6 string and love it. Had a Btb before that and had loads of issues with wrist pain because of the neck profile and string spacing, but once I got the sr with the more curved shoulders everything became perfect. I love these basses but it’s all preference. I think Ibanez is one of those companies that make great instruments but either cheap out or make bad decisions with the electronics and pickups. Never owned an Ibanez bass or guitar that I didn’t fit in the end

I love the aesthetics - I’ve yet to try a fan fret bass.

I hope you get to review the EHB1005SMS (32"-30" scale) bass soon!

Very informative 👍🏻 I agree that the EHB is the superior design, but they need to offer the BIF finish for the 5 string versions. The EHB1506MS looks sooo good. 😅

I got a SRMS806, it is only my second bass and after some minor setup changes its for me atleast, regardless of the history of the bass the best one ive ever played, and ive tried out rickenbackers, stingrays, jazz basses (in stores) . It was a massive upgrade over my dinky short scale grestch bass.

I’ve had a fair share of these Basses and really love them. They really shine with Nordstrands!! For those wanting clarity from these SRMS Basses, steel strings are your best bet if you’re not looking into swapping the pickups!

Standard daddario 5 string sets work with this bass perfectly. No issues with length at all.

I've been playing bass a long time, and I've always felt that 34" gave perfect tension on the E string, but made my G string too tight (slight pun intended). At 34", the fundamental of the G string is kind of strangled, making it over-bright and hard to bend. This is why I thought Ibanez nailed it with the EHB range of scale lengths. Shame they went back.

Narrower string spacing and muddy pickups aside, I could tell it wasn't a very comfortable or enjoyable bass for you to play from this video and that says a lot overall. I'm glad Ibanez figured it out with the EHB line. They're fantastic instruments.

I actually like the Bartolini BH2s. I don't like pickups that are too clear, they are sensitive and hard to EQ in the mix later as they pickup all the noises like bumping the frets or pole pieces. And as modern active basses rarely come with tone control. Not to mention that high frequencies can be really harsh for some people (like me) on some listening devices. But that's why we have plenty of replacement pickups in standardised sizes to choose from.

i think this was just their first attempt at a multiscale and they probably used customer reviews to figure out if they should make more multiscale basses and if yes what they should improve upon and that's probably what lead to the eventual ehb

im glad i came acrossed this video because im torn between an sr605e and this bass.

This confirmed my feelings about this bass. I do wonder how the Schecter Studio FF 5 compares?

Mr. Lobster... promise me to play the channel theme in your videos. Looks great on any bass! 😎

I'm sure it's a decent bass, sounds okay. I agree and prefer the EHB.

Aye! Lovely

With so many options around, should we buy Basses that we need to change the pick ups, strings etc ? Ibanez is really capable of making great Basses. They should without us needing to change things.

UUUUU this review got me in the feels :)))) As an srms805 user i have to agree with most of the things you said. I am a bit sad that you didn't do any mods, as i am really thinking of upgrading my bass... but you are right. It is pretty pricy for what it is. I Have actually been talking with the guys from Nordstrand to make a custom set for mine (the one that is in the EHB1505). But the extra 400+ dollars over this bass seems a little bit unreasonable (even though i absolutely love the thing). I am actually thinking of running the bass in passive and modding the sound with a Darkglass Harmonic Booster 2.0, as that preamp is pretty able to make your pups sound closer even to EMGs. As for the strings... Yeah its crappy for Non D'addario users. I am exclusively using them so no problem for me, but yeah... i had to find out about the extra long strings the hard way. I am really interested in your opinion about what i've considered with the Darkglass preamp earlier in my comment. Cheers dude and as always a great vid! \m/

Through your setup it actually didn’t sound bad. It sounded good. I owned an EHB1005MS and it did sound really muddy and that muddiness was also audible in your demo video of it. Not so much here. I guess people are right, these Barts sound better in a full solidbody bass than a chambered one like the EHB

The EHB also needs a longer B string if you use Elixir strings. Fortunately, they sell an extra-long single.

Sounds pretty good to me considering the price.

Lobster man you have a right to your opinion but I don’t agree with you. I own this particular bass and it’s awesome. The extra length of the B string really growls and I love it. The electronics are very good, no complaints here. You can’t beat the look, feel, and sound from this beautiful bass. She’s unique and stands alone but that’s what makes her so awesome.

Hey Lobster. I was just turned on to the +6db input on the circuit board of these Ibanez preamps. You should check it out. Currently the bass is in the +0db slot. Really gives the Bartolini pickups more oomph. It will work on your EHB and even the AFR if you feel like doing some tweaking. May or may not be better but certainly worth exploring and who’s better than you?

I have this bass, but want to replace the electronics. I bought the Darkglass tone capsule, but I think I’d like to replace the pickups as well. I know you used the Aguilar DCB-D4’s for the EHB, but I was wanting to know if I can install those into this bass. Thanks!

Thanks Lobster - another great review. Yeah, I'm with you on this bass. If I wanted a multi-scale bass, I'd go with the EHB, or better still - a Dingwall. The MK-1 Bartolini (Korean made) pickups are so-so. The USA built ones are much better, but I'd pick a Nordstrand Big Single or Big Blade over just about any of those. I wish the electronics on this bass matched the quality of that poplar burl top. Sigh.......... Cheers for now.

Has the EHB made the SRMS obsolete? Yes, imho. The SRMS stands out aesthetically (I actually like it more than the EHB), but there are too many things that need to be different. The electronics are just meh. It's one of the reasons I sold my SR 1305 for. You could swap them, sure, but I don't think it's fair for a bass that falls in such a price range. I agree with the 🦞🦞 rating. Great review!

I agree that they should extend the B string length and shorten the G a bit to balance more. They head stock nut area turned me off too.

MMSR5 HH still my favorite!

Hey, Lobster. I have very small hands.Would you suggest a 5 string bass for me? The Ibanez basses seem to have the tightest spacing I can see. Thank you.

Holy crap! I forgot I sent you that thing 😂

You think the schecter Guitar Research J-5 Rosewood Fingerboard 5-String Bass Gloss Black is better than miss? Thank you

I had 3 of these shipped... and all 3 went back. 1st one drained 9 volt batteries within a day or 2 even when it was stored in a case, second one was damaged in the undamaged box and thin packing foam sheet. They had to replace the neck on my third one. Not happy with this bass at all, but I'm stuck with it since covid hit during my struggles with these and guitar center being closed I was out of warranty on the 3rd one when they reopened and I had to contact ibanez directly and explain the situation with guitar center. They are awesome with their customer service and remedied my neck that kept diving out of adjustment constantly. Here's where they lost me on this model their quality control isn't what it was 10 years ago. I have many older cheaper soundgears that still hold up better than this model. This model feels very fragile for pretty much what you would expect from older sound gear quality basses. Save your money and buy a different fanned fret bass.

Fantastico complimenti

The triangular bit of fretboard sticking out past the nut is such a strange feature on Ibanez multiscale instruments. Could they really not think of a more appealing design?

“I don’t think the extra 1/2 inch makes that big of a difference” is not what she said 🤪 Thanks for the comprehensive & honest review Lobster. I’ve been wanting to try 1 of these out for a while but haven’t been able to get my hands on 1 anywhere. I wish the body shape of the EHB wasn’t so jarring to me.

I've never liked the sound of these Bartolini pick-ups...they both sound very muddy, especially the neck magnet! I want that shirt! :D LOL!

That's looks beautiful man. Love ibanez, yay first comment 🤟

After doing the research I'm bummed because of love the style and finish on this specific body. The twilight poplar burl is just 🔥 but like he points out the headstock and transition at the nut looks like dookie

Is this worth it used for like $850? I am looking to get a new bass within the 650-850 range looking at Yamaha TRBX605fm Brice Defiant 54347 This Shecter Riot 5 Open to suggestions, cheers~

Been going through dozens of videos on bothe the EHB and SRM for a while now. You are the only one I've come across to mention 2:25 the "issue" with the B String. Thanks.

Maybe could have waited for the Iron Label SRMS? Don't know if there are any tonal differences but the matte black is to kill for

I think the reason this isn’t super different from a sound gear is because they wanted to not o my be leaders in average priced but also be leaders in more budget to moderate prices with multi scale basses. Since they are so mass produced it would drive up costs to change the neck more than it is

I hope they'll update it according to what you sad (except the string spacing) and add a steel frets.

Hi Lobster, I have an SR900 and do not like the Bartolini soap bar pick ups. What can I swap them with that will fit? Thank you!

I own both Ibanez six string Multiscales SRFF806 and SRMS806 I prefer the older Bartolini’s In the SRFF BH-1’s they have more bite to them not as warm

If nothing else they make em' pretty.

Do you think the extra half an inch in scale length over the EHB would be a noticeable improvement or difference on lower tuning? (I.E. A and E0 ). I know a dingwall would be perfect at 38" but I don't have Dingwall budgets and considering these larger purchases are made possible by ZZounds 12 month payments I am pretty much looking at this and the EHB

In the video he says the fifth string is a B string, but I thought on the Ibanez website that string is tuned to G and the other strings are in D Standard. Is that not correct? I am a little confused.

I was looking at esp ltd ap-4 black metal bass. The one with reverse headstock. Looks like it would be a cool slap bass. But no tone control. Have you seen that bass?

It sounds just like my Dean edge flametop with emgs

Regarding the comment on the perpendicular head stock departure line next to the angled nut, I would like to share an engineer's perspective, that it may be difficult to have a headstock that bends at a slanted line that is not perpendicular to the axis of the neck. The whole headstock might end up looking wonky as it bends backwards but also toward the G string direction. I believe this dilemma could be what prompted Ibanez to develop the EHB headless series at first place, because they no longer have to worry about the funny headstock bend angle!

Here is the stringset for the SRMS805: D'Addario® EXL170-5SL, you also can find this info on the official Ibanez webside

I had one of these and sold it for what I paid (thank goodness people still pay for looks). I didn't like the string spacing and electronics, or the G string. I could get an SR500E with the same piclups and electronics, just what did I think when I spent that extra money?

I tried out the 6 string version years ago (red/orange finish). String spacing for a 6 strings was really nice. I sometimes forget how much I enjoy playing ibanez basses. There's "better" brands, but these just fit like a glove for me

G A S P S I N T E R N A L L Y I have been looking at this bass for a while now and I think it's one of the most prefered budget Multiscale Bass. However, a lot of people are arguing that this is better than the Cort A5 Beyond as it has a better preamp despite the Cort being able to give so much comfortability, quality, versatility and being able to offer boutique bass quality for a (reasonably) low price Have you ever thought of comparing the two Multiscale basses on how they differ from one another? 🤔

I want to buy ibanez bass, which one you recommened? Ehb or this soundgear? Soundgear is bit cheaper

Just need to put some Ernie Ball cobalt strings on it. Best strings! Less squeak, more clarity. Have some on my Fender ultra 5 (mochaburst) and my Ibanez sr1605 dw (autumn sunset sky) basses. I just bought a SRMS806 and it has adjustable string spacing like my 1605 dw.

I have this bass and I love it so much! I'm a noob tho so what do I know? 😏

Try DR strings. The standard ones fit even 36.25 scales

What strings would this take, just extra long scale?

Would the .5" matter if the B string was tuned to something like G0?

I think if I ever do get a multiscale it will be a Dingwall.

Have you ever reviewed or tested an ibanez btb675??

While I'm generally an ibanez fan boy, I can't really fault the view on this one. There were sloppy/short sighted design decisions on this one that don't really make much sense. It strikes me as "Hey, we want an SR line multi-scale, so let's see what we can through together." The nut placement alone would drive me absolutely nuts from an aesthetic viewpoint.

The stock pickups sound slightly better to me in this bass than the EHB. Not by much though lol

i remember when bartos where all the rage..

I have no personal experience, so are bartolini's just not a great pup or is ibanez just putting subpar bartolini's in these basses?

Notice the loud POP once switch from active to passive mode. Seem Ibanez dint solve this issue which been happen on my previous SRFF805. The BH2 pup on SRMS sound better balance than SRFF BH1. The difference voice DG Vs BEA on BH1 just screw me up.....

SRMS and EHB are different animals, but honestly I'd rather go for a used Dingwall, you get SO MUCH more for your money than with these two other basses.

So now we all move along, and turn our attention to the Ibanez SR1345B (Nordstrand) instead.

My dream multi is 37" B string & 19mm string spacing at the bridge, but no one makes one.

Entonces qué calibre de cuerdas me recomendarían usar si por lo regular toco música versátil? Estoy pensando en comprármelo pero me gustaría estar bien informado acerca de las cuerdas espero y si alguien tiene este bajo me pueda auxiliar plox 🫠

It's kind of a let down for me to see so many negative opinions on this bass, since I was very enthusiastic about being able to get one, but I do much appreciate you sharing your thoughts and everybody else's comments for making me realize this is not the way to go. Problem is EHB1000 has no 6 string model (to my knowledge), and going for the 1500 series is a big jump on the price. Great video non-theless, and thank you!

I can't stomach the EHB's looks. The shape of the upper body + horn especially just gives me the creeps. It just looks *wrong* to me, to the point that I don't want to play it. Otherwise it does sound better indeed and all other points are valid too.

Nothing sounds as good as that G&L CLF Research L-1000 (Wunkay).

Bartolini sound muffled? Are you serious?

I am thinking of getting the ibanez srm 200. Anyone here fot one?

Not to bad no more i had once ibanez fretless i suffered a lot from her looks good not inaf musscle if you know what i mean .

Not an Ibanez fan at all. That being said I’m still looking for a rs924. Besides that, I just don’t like the way the modern Ibanez basses look, feel or sound. Sorry to be so negative about them. The cool finishes on the same cookie cutter basses are silly. That being said..... Are you saying, you would prefer if these Ibanez basses controls were set up like the sire basses, that you don’t like? And, is the reason you don’t like the sires configuration “7 to be exact”, because “it’s to many controls (nobs)” for the jazz style basses? Or...Are you, now that modern basses have “tonal options” coming out the kazoo, a little more “on board” with the “on board” control center attached to our low end obsessions? Just wondering. Sorry....honestly, by the time I was done writing this, I couldn’t figure out, if this was a genuine question? or just an excuse to write “kazoo”? Cheers and thank you for sharing.

I had this exact bass but did not keep it because it had a typical SR sound which I do not like....

3:25 using an artificial nut slanted into the fingerboard like that is going to do all sorts of weird shit to the characteristics and behavior of the strings and play - leave the nut where it was and actually improve the design by using a ZERO FRET so that all the strings have the same timbre even when played open. IMO that's literally the reason for the zero fret - some have said it's a crutch against shitty nut cuts and other construction defects or shortcuts but once it was pointed out to me pretty clearly that an open string sounded differently than a fretted one my headache of figuring out what the hell improves fingertone got bigger and smaller at the same time lol conversely, what type of material should a FRETLESS nut be made of since you can't really do a zero fret bc no other frets...?

Pickup swap when?

I hate this new trend of putting humbuckers on every god damn bass, they just sound dull, boomy, undefined, especially from Ibanez

Still haven't found a cure for that hand condition?