Ibanez TMB105 5-String Electric Bass Guitar Black

good bass

A couple of days after making original action and intonation adjustments on the bass I took it back out of the case. The action was really high again. The neck was separating from the body - I found that 2 of the neck bolts were stripped out. The people at my local GC were great - took it back and got me a replacement in 3 days. The second one was set up pretty well, nut slots cut properly, action and intonation spot on. There was a little bit of fret buzz/rattle. There was no relief in the neck. I turned the truss rod a little over 1/4 turn to get a little more bow/clearance. Now it's great. I still think it's a great value for the price, just had a quality issue with the first one. GC had my back on it.

The materials are good. Fit and finish are good. Sound is good - I can get the P bass sound I was after in a 5 string. The fretwork is ok - for the price. Probably could use a good polishing. No hig frets or fret ends sticking out. The action on mine was high and the intonation was off. I lowered the strings a bit and adjusted the intonation. If you can't do this yourself, you will most likely need to have the tech at the store do it. Most Maple neck guitars in this price range shrink a tiny bit in their first Minnesota winter from the dry air. This causes the "fret bloom". I most likely will heed to file and reshape the fret ends when this happens. For the price, it seems to be a solid value.

Best feeling and sounding bass in this price range. Not a high end American made instrument, but I would put it up against any Mexican made Fender and it is only half the price.

This bass has good looks and performance to match. The action was spot-on and the electronics allow for precise adjustment and dialing in of the sound I wanted. I like the retro looks: the black and chrome are nicely offset by the red pickup cover. Hardware seems solid and well thought out. I'm looking forward to getting this beauty out onto the stage.

Overall this is a very nice bass for the money. Mine was made in Indonesia. Quality and finish were very good. Setup was fine right out of the box. Hardware and electronics seem to be of good quality. You can get a lot of tonal variation as well. One minor complaint is the body is lightweight and the neck is heavy so be sure and buy a comfortable strap that won't slip.