It always hurts when reviewers say a really affordable instrument. Base model starting at $1200.

Thanks for the comment, like and sub! More content headed your way soon :)

Also cute kitty :)

@@mladyavery9138 Thank you very much my friend! That means a lot :). I always love to hear that people are enjoying my content. More great stuff headed your way!

@@mladyavery9138 And the kitty says thanks :)

Thanks for watching! I really enjoy mine. She's a keeper.

Thanks for the comment, Kevin. You're absolutely right, the amount of stuff they pack into the EHBs for the price is insane. It's really great to see a big manufacturer like Ibanez push the envelope both in terms of innovation/stepping outside of the box and value/bang for the buck. Hopefully you won't have to wait too long for that "I dun goofed" sale, though my gut is telling me that folks will be hanging onto these. My EHB1005 is one of my favorite basses, and I'm hoping to snag 1505MS as well in a week or so.

@@LowEndLobster i just snagged an 805MS with hard case for 800. I like the used market 😉

Thanks Ivan :). Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks Adam! I love that bass. I purchased it unknowingly off an old friend on Reverb. I messaged him after and was like "Did I just buy a bass off of you?". Check out my video of the Status to hear how she sounds!- kzfaq.info/get/bejne/p6lordCXltLPdWg.html

Thank you! They're really cool basses and are a nice breath of fresh air in a sea of P and J bass clones. I'm a big fan of Ibanez (not sponsored or endorsed) because they seem to always be willing to take some risks with weird and wacky designs.

@@LowEndLobster I'm normally a Carvin guy. Yeah, I'm not into P & J clones at all!! Although I love authentic Fenders for sure. HOWEVER, These new Ibanez EHB models jumped out of the Sweetwater catalog at me....far above even other Ibanez styles, but aesthetics aside, I can tell there is more under the hood.

:D They're great instruments. My buddy just snagged the 4 string EHB1000 and loves it.

I just got that exact model. I cannot put it down. I have never been this excited for a new instrument since like my first quality guitar. I have a Spector neck thru 4 string but I haven’t been able to put the Ibanez down in order to compare (plus to be fair I’d have put new strings on the Spector).

You're very welcome! This is an old vid but still relevant :)

Wow, thanks man! That really means a lot! I just started out, but really wanted to produce solid content off the bat. I really appreciate the compliment, and stay tuned for more great content. New video should be out today or tomorrow and it's going to be great!

@@LowEndLobster are you also gonna make guitar content? I saw a tele behind u :)

@@lapinus Maybe, but not me personally. I'm a terrible guitar player, I bought that for recording purposes and for friends to play when they come over. I may have a friend of mine look at certain guitars for a guest spot, we'll see :).

Maybe it's because he can't pronounce piezo (pee-ay-dso).

37k subs now. Deserved

Nice! Congrats! Hope yours arrives soon if it hasn't already, always nice to have a new toy during quarantine :).

@@LowEndLobster Amen!!!

Great reviews. Been watching the EBH alot. But first, my "Qtine toy" is a 2nd Gen, Sire Fretless V7, Green/maple. Bought online today. Hoping it plays well. Already have Gen 1, P7-5, white alder/rosewood. A new EBH will have to wait. Lost so many gigs to Covid-19, just home woodshedding now. peace, e.

@@ernieD Congrats on the sire and thanks for the compliment and views :). Sorry to hear about your lost gigs, keep shedding brotha!

Thanks John!

I really wasn't a fan on the EMG that they used for the magnetic pickup in the NS. The piezo wasn't a bad touch, but the control setup was all wrong to get the most out of this bass. The Ibanez AFR5 (check out my review vid on that if you haven't), has a very similar configuration but very different controls which definitely take advantage of what's on the bass. The EHB was much more well rounded as well.

Thanks Martin! The other 'advantage' from a practicality perspective is that the EHB can take standard sized strings, where the Dingwall needs special ones due to the 37" scale B string.

Thanks for the comment and sub! Congrats on the new bass! Those 1506ers are beautiful. Hope it arrives as quickly as possible :). I'm going to be snagging a 1505 soon and will do another head to head, so stay tuned. Not enough time in the day for all these basses.

Thank you!

It can accept normal strings. They go in backwards.

Thank you Sixelepe! That's a great suggestion. I know a Kiesel artist who may be able to let me borrow his

Agreed. That Keisel Zeus headless multiscale is one sexy looking bass. I’m very on the fence about the tone of the keisel pickups tho, so it would be an interesting shootout with the ehb1005, since those barts are a little meh on the treble.

Thanks Richard!

I really want to try the next model up with the two pickups. Those look neat.

:), TBH I haven't watched or revisited this video in a LONG time. Gonna rewatch thanks to you!

:)

Thanks Rev! I do like the design of the NS as well. The fanned frets are easier to play IMO at the lower registers, above the 12th fret requires some mental and physical adjustment. You also get longer scales on the B and E strings, which improves the sound of those strings relative to a 34" scale bass of the same design. Tighter and more definition. I'd recommend trying out any multiscale if you ever have the opportunity, they might impress you!

I really want to revisit this bass. This was so early in the channel and I think a fresh look would be nice

w00t!

We've got em coming :)

Hey Skiroy! That's a really really good question. It's hard to pick one, but I'd go with one of these three in my stable: Lakland 55-64 5 string P-bass, EBMM Old Smoothie, or my Epiphone Jack Casady (maybe Schecter Corsair too)

I would love that too!

Yeah, it gives my thumb a bit more weight. Honestly, I've been wearing this thing for half my life. I got it before I started playing bass... because the high school band that I looked up to had a bass player who had the same ring ahahaha. I don't think he wears his anymore (we're still good friends). I've just gotten used to it and my thumb feels light and naked without it. I also can hit the string with the ring in weird places and get some cool little clicks and clacks.

Hey Jim! I wish I could answer your questions. This was such an early video on the channel, I don't think I even used a 'standard' set of strings like I do now. I should revisit this model as I remember almost nothing about it. Thank you for your comment!

@@LowEndLobster Do you remember if they were roundwounds, flatwounds, half-rounds? If they were the factory strings, they were D'Addario EXLs, but the folks on the NS Design Club at TB report that those make a lot of noise through the piezo. I didn't find in your video that the bass was unreasonably noisy as long as the EMG was dialled in. Thanks for helping all of us with your honest reviews.

They were rounds. I think they were the D'ads

@@LowEndLobster Excellent to know. The one I bought used (BTW, the WAV4 bass guitar is no longer in production) has tapewounds on it. I have no experience with them but hesitate to switch to my usual rounds because of all the reports about how noisy that piezo makes them. In your video, I didn't find the WAV4 played with both pickups to be excessively noisy when picked with your fingers. Thanks again.

It does. Honestly, I'd gut it but keep the piezo if I still had it. The EMG with the passive control setup was kind of bland, but not lacking in clarity. The Ibanez with the barts wasn't as "open" sounding, but had way more tonal versatility. The Aguilar upgrade for the EHB definitely opened it up quite a bit.

Thanks Jules!

Hey Tri! There's loads of preamps out there, tough to choose. I'd probably do a John East or something personally

@@LowEndLobster Thanks.

@@LowEndLobster Will you think the Uni Pre 4 knob works for EHB1005ms? or Which model you prefer.

Thank you for sharing your long term experience with the WAV! Hoping to check out the new multiscale BTB soon

@@LowEndLobster Nice, will be here to see it. Any idea why the NS basses have gone up so much in price? Was going to suggest one to a friend then saw they are almost twice as expensive these days. The cr4s and 5s are over 3 grand now so any thought to an upgrade is gone at that level. Your review is top notch but I just think the ibanez tries to get back too much of what you naturally lose in a headless. Fanned frets doesnt totally fix the lack of depth on the first frets and the eq makes it versitile but I do prefer the piezo though you are correct there is not a world of tonal range. Cheers

Oh man, that's a bummer. Sorry to hear that. Have you changed out the strings? Mine came with fresh D'addarios, but when I reviewed the EHB1505, they sounded a bit dead in comparison. I'm going to be doing a video soon where I swap both sets of strings and compare the sounds again. After that I'm also swapping out the pickups on my 1005 with Aguilar DCB-D4 pickups (same size as stock, no modification needed). I hope that those vids can help.

@@LowEndLobster Thank you for your answer, no not yet but I ordered stainless steel strings and I will change them for sure. I like bright sound, I also own an AFR which is close to perfection from what I like, and the EHB sound dead and small compared to it. Thank you for your advice, I was already looking for a pickup swap, will look a those Aguilar for sure :)

Yeaaaah, I wasn't very good at articulating things back in this early video hahaha. Definitely trebly but lacked body and sounded a bit sterile IMO. I still have the EHB but sold the NS a while ago, I should snag another for a revisit now that my content and level of analysis is way better (IMO at least ;P)

Piezos are cool. I'd love to snag one of those Stingrays with a Piezo haha

I agree. The limited finishes are a bummer, but I bet they will be offering additional finishes given the demand for these things.

Hahahah yeah man this is so early on in the channel. Was still finding my stride ;P. Remember to tell "THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE" before you behead a bass ;P

@@LowEndLobster cheers

Very true, Kirt! I got mine from a great German dealer ProMusicTools (the only way I could get one before they officially released in the US) who inspected and setup the bass beforehand. Was very surprised to see the bass so well setup out of the box. The majority of my basses go to my tech before I review them, but the Ibanez was perfect out of the box.

@@LowEndLobster Oh, I know all about your bass... I'm the one who wanted to switch it out for some seafoam styrofoam (now you know who I am on TB!)

@@kirtfulcher6288 Ah ha! So we meet again!

I got mine direct from Ibanez. They made me a busted btb last year and replaced it with a ehb1505ms. So far seems solid

Thanks for the comment! I really like the look of the 1505 with that beautiful top and the Nordys. Hoping to get my hands on one soon :). How do you like yours?

Hey! They look nice, but I have never played one and couldn't give much of an opinion. I do hear they are much better than the Spirits.

Thanks for watching and commenting. I don't have any others in my current inventory, but I'll be happy to take suggestions for the next round. I'll have a look at the Brice, I've always enjoyed instruments from Rondo Music. In regards to other headless basses, the next one on the horizon will be a Kubicki X Factor. Not sure when, but hopefully within the next month or two.

@@LowEndLobster thanks! The reason I ask is that I play Washburn Status 1000, and looking for something lighter :) I wonder how the 2 inch fan works...seems too much for me. Ibanez fan is 1 inch I think.

@@Ganelin The fan is very comfortable on the Ibanez and not drastic. I haven't played a Dingwall (yet), but I'm curious how the 37" b string will feel.

@@LowEndLobster yes, that's def a good question. Thanks again! Amazing work!

@Ganelin Guess what? I just scored the Brice HBX2 headless multiscale 5 stringer! It'll probably be here within a week or so. Expect another head to head ;)

Nice! Would love to hear how that sounds.

@@LowEndLobster just a self practice cover yesterday m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=953806768356039&id=100011801741310

Beautiful bass and great playing! Looks like you're really enjoying yourself :)

Blend

:D :D

:)

Thanks for the comment! Honestly, I'm not sure if it is this individual instrument or all these Radius basses, but I feel like with both tone controls completely off there was WAY too much treble, and with the tone controls fully engaged there was still too much treble. And by treble, I mean shrill terrible treble. I really wish there was more high end tonally, but I guess I'm talking about upper mids and some increased clarity vs straight up treble. Perhaps different tone caps would help? Either way, I found the piezos in my other basses (especially the Status I reviewed previously) and the associated controls to be dialed in a lot better vs the NS. I really liked the Status's approach of the active treble boost/cut for the magnetic and piezo, gives you a lot more control.

LowEndLobster Yep, I get that too when I had the NS Wav Basses. That’s why I’ve upgraded to the NXT4a and it’s much better in the tone department.

That's good to know. I've been eyeing those for a while. Perhaps my next round of basses for "season 2" will include one of those. Don't worry, "season 1" is still getting started. We're doing long, drawn out, 90's style seasons, not the 12 episode bs you get today :P

Yep, the electronics were a let down to me but the construction was top notch. The EHB is much fuller and rounder IMO

True, but the bass market moves a bit slowly. There are basses that are still in production and unchanged since I was in highschool in the mid 2000's.

@@LowEndLobster the classic basses are not moving at all. But the innovation on modern basses is huge and quite fast, 5 years ago no one knew about headless bass, multiscale was unheard of, you would be laughed on if you sell chinese made bass for 2500USD, 1 pickup was enough for a stingray bass. Sound wise the piezo pickup was very interesting compared to all other pickups.

They're both built well, but the EHB has some more appealing features (gorgeous roasted maple neck, yes please!) and the electronics are much more dialed in vs the config of the NS.

Haha thanks! I only started in March, but I hope to keep growing!

@@LowEndLobster you make great content so I can see you growing really fast

That means a lot! Thank you :) I appreciate the support!

Yeah, I think a less treble-heavy pickup would help a lot here. A bart would be solid.

Tis. Honestly, the build and feel of the NS wasn't bad. The control setup and EMG pickup really killed it for me.

Yup, but the premium lines are built in Indonesia.

@@LowEndLobster oh shiii. u right

Thanks!

AGREED

Interesting comment

😮

Yep! Honestly, the electronics were such a bummer on this thing. The construction and feel were really nice, but the tone wasn't really there for me.

Surprisingly yes! Not always... or even often... but check out my video on my Status Electro II Fretless (the revisit)... heck, here's the link! - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jtujosSm0L2YlJc.html

Great observation, they both have the headless design in common and nothing else! That's the point :). Looking at two compact mid-priced basses that offer different sounds and features. Unfortunately there won't be a next time as the NS is long gone, but I still have my trusty Ibanez EHB1005 now modded with Aguilar DCBs! Thanks for watching :D

I disagree. He wasn't doing a shootout with these two basses. He played both and naturally commented on the sound of each.

I'm with you Liam. I don't think the Piezo was the right approach on the NS. A second EMG pickup would have been better IMO

They're part of the EHB series. Folks shopping for the EHB would probably want to see and hear the difference between them. Comparing two of the same instrument would be much more pointless....

Thanks! The beard and slapping have only progressed since this video hahaha