I've owned 2 of these, loved them both. I used piccolo strings on the fretted side. The contrast between the crisp fretted notes and the soft bloom of the fretless was lovely.
I had them tuned in fourths. B-F. It was a struggle to get the fretless side right, but the piccolos took the downtuning well. The truss rod didn't need altering.
$1500 isn't bad at all for something as unique as that. It would be interesting to see what a high level bass player could come up with after having a few months to woodshed with it. (Yes, I know they mentioned he didn't have much time to practice with it. No knock on them at all.) I would think that working out some alternate tunings on it could yield some really innovative licks.
I think this would have made more sense as a 3+3 with the fretless fingerboard being on the high strings (1st to 3rd) and the fretted portion for the low strings (4th to 6th) because when it comes to that fretless bass MWAH sound that has more presence in the high strings while that deep thump and growl from the fretted bass is more prominent on the lower strings, so that would have made it more versatile for lovers of progressive and technical metal.
You missed the part of the video that explains that the fretless section is tuned identically to the ADG strings of the fretted section. There is one low E string and nothing lower than that.
I own this Bass. It's beautiful. The neck is extremely large. I have trouble playing it accurately. I will be keeping it. Passing it on to my children and Grandchildren. Incredible insturment. God bless
I have been a bass player for over 30 years. I have always loved Ibanez basses. The construction, the playability, the electronics and pickup systems. For the money they can’t be beat. Except of course there are some things that require a P or jazz bass. But other than that Ibanez is awesome! Currently own a newer Iron Label and have a 90s soundgear.
The first version of the Ashula had the fretted and fretless sections reversed. But only with 2 Strings for the fretless side. I think they changed it due to too many people complaining. 😉
I personally think this is quite an innovative bass. Much like the Ibanez src6(which Ibanez’s answer to the fender bass IV) of course not a lot of people would be playing this bass live, but for experimental purposes, it’s totally worth checking out.
Normally prefer Ibanez's BTB line but the SR profile and string spacing would definitely help make the 7 string more comfortable. Really cool to see a hybrid like this in the non-custom price range.
My Random thoughts... - It is a very beautiful instrument and both the fretted and fretless sides sound amazing! - I personally have no interest in this bass whatsoever but I would love to hear what Charles Berthoud would do with it. - Seems weird to me that they put the fretless part on the top instead of under the fretted side. I wonder what the logic for that is?
I considered this when I realized I needed a 5(or more) string with frets. I have a great fretless 5 so I wondered if this would be the best of both worlds. I realized that this is simply not. I see no point in more than four strings without a low B. If I ever get a seven string it will have a low B and an even lower F# so I can make it sound like a freight train approaching at high speed. Excellent job with the review of this unique instrument. For my fretted 5 I acquired the Emerald Green Ibanez with Nordstrand single coils by Ibanez and I have no regrets. 😊🎉 loving your channel!
I tryied this one some years ago and it was really freaky awesome! So much fun, so much boost for my creativity…wonderful bass 🥰 Sadly i‘ve never seen it again
I love Ibanez..I own a BTB and a 6 string Soundgear, and I had a CTBN back in the 90s that I had converted to a fretless. Though this is a stunningly beautiful bass, I just don't see the point of it. I think that referring to the Ashula as a "novelty bass" is dead on accurate. I am not 100% on board with it nor am I 100% against it. Just seems like a very niche tool. That being said, I would like to spend a few hours with one to either confirm my initial feelings about it or completely change my mind.
I love Ibanez products. But it is a love/hate relationship. I love their consistency of build quality. I love their customer service and scale of products. I love how they are experimenting and giving artists more opportunity than other companies. The only problem I have always had with Ibanez is their sound quality and timbre. I would say the tamber of the times coming from their instruments are shallower than what I want. Tightness is good for modern music and over produced products, but their feel (for me) misses the warmth I desire sometimes. Please note, this is just my opinion. I love Ibanez and have owned many the past thirty+ years... I just wish they had a different timbre
Ibanez have always been a brand I respect. They are not afraid to take chances and typically provide excellent value in their instruments. Now bring back the ATK.
I love the idea of this bass, but I somewhat prefer the original with the 2 fretless strings on the lower half rather than the 3 on the upper, would be very happy to nab one of those. Both are still very cool regardless 👍
As is always the case with a bass with more than 4 strings, I wonder about muting the strings. That didn't seem to be an issue in the playing examples in the video. Was that because the pickup selector was switched all the way to one or the other?
"Floating thumb" muting technique, aka playing without a fixed anchor for your plucking hand thumb. Basically you rest your thumb across the strings that are lower than the one(s) you are currently playing on, moving your thumb to follow when you switch to a different string. It's also better for your wrist than the standard fixed anchor on the E string/pickup/thumb rest
@@BenMBass Yes I am aware of that technique… just not seeing it used much here, and you need a pretty long thumb or half of your hand to mute 6 strings,
@@room34 ah my bad. Looking more closely at the video (particularily around 1:10) it looks like he's using a combo of floating thumb and left-hand muting, moving the tip of his thumb to the D-string on the fretless side and muting the fretless A with the side of his thumb, whilst muting the fretless G with his left middle finger when playing the lower fretted strings. Using the thumb to mute the fretless strings whilst using the right hand little and ring fingers to mute the fretted E and A and the left hand middle finger to mute the fretted D would allow playing on the fretted G without the other strings ringing out, and is similar to the technique I use when playing my 6-string bass (allthough i don't usually mute strings lower than the one I'm playing on with my left hand)
I think if Jaco was alive today, he would have adapted to the times and he would be playing all kinds of crazy bases and making youtube videos of his absolute ridiculous chops
Wow...I do have a love for Ibanez basses, but this one looks like a production version of Trey Gunn custom Warr Guitar. Reverse the order of the fretless strings and it'd be my ultimate dream bass.
Moin, liebens Bass the World-Team! Wie immer, ein sehr informatives, toll gemachtes Video! Gratulation dafür 👍👌 Aber die wichtigste Frage bleibt unbeantwortet: how schwer issen der? Ich habe da schon sehr unterschiedliche Aussagen zum Vorgängermodell gehört. Von 4,5 kg bis 7 kg. Wie sieht es mit dem Neuen aus? Danke und liebe Grüße vom Fritz 🖖
I went off Ibanez basses due to the lack of sonic personality in general. This bass is a step back in the right direction, especially the fretted tone.
@@willb1157 Probably the sum of all its parts but yes, the J style pick ups here are different from most typical Ibanez offerings. I think I'm just not a fan of the soap bar tone in general.
I just love that ibanez makes one. It’s cool. That said, even though I own a fretless I just don’t like the sound much. I want to like it. But I don’t.
just a shame its an SR model, with the narrow spacing and hideous shape. its an awesome idea, id love to have one... but my issues above. :) i really don't do SR basses
This bass is a hot mess. First of all, the FL strings should be reversed with the fretted ones. Secondly, it looks like they glued a scrabble rack onto the bass for a thumb rest. What a disaster
I love your review but I still hate the bass. Maybe it's because I have puny donald trump hands, but if I ever even considered such a thing, a double-neck bass seems much more practical. That way, at least you get 4 or more strings on your fretless neck. That's just me though, I'm sure there are plenty of people who could play the hell out of this thing.
I've owned 2 of these, loved them both. I used piccolo strings on the fretted side. The contrast between the crisp fretted notes and the soft bloom of the fretless was lovely.
Did you do a DGC, DGCF kind of thing? Or maybe BEA, DGCF. Did you need to mess the the truss rod much to compensate for the piccolo string switch?
I had them tuned in fourths. B-F. It was a struggle to get the fretless side right, but the piccolos took the downtuning well. The truss rod didn't need altering.
@@seanneary7852 youve been very helpful 🙏 Just ordered a blue one on reverb
$1500 isn't bad at all for something as unique as that. It would be interesting to see what a high level bass player could come up with after having a few months to woodshed with it. (Yes, I know they mentioned he didn't have much time to practice with it. No knock on them at all.) I would think that working out some alternate tunings on it could yield some really innovative licks.
Listen to "A Last Farewell" by Obscura, it's a solo bass piece done completely on the Ashula.
I think this would have made more sense as a 3+3 with the fretless fingerboard being on the high strings (1st to 3rd) and the fretted portion for the low strings (4th to 6th) because when it comes to that fretless bass MWAH sound that has more presence in the high strings while that deep thump and growl from the fretted bass is more prominent on the lower strings, so that would have made it more versatile for lovers of progressive and technical metal.
You missed the part of the video that explains that the fretless section is tuned identically to the ADG strings of the fretted section. There is one low E string and nothing lower than that.
@@facemash no. they are saying that this current tuning is weird
I played one of these, several years ago. Totally crazy and super cool basses! So nice they brought it back!
How is that possible if it's a new one? They never made a dual fretted-fretless before did they?
@@dominiccrimmings6925 They did. They just tr-introduced it.
@@dominiccrimmings6925 Ya, they made this way before. I remember seeing one back in the early 2000s.
I own this Bass. It's beautiful. The neck is extremely large. I have trouble playing it accurately. I will be keeping it. Passing it on to my children and Grandchildren. Incredible insturment.
God bless
Have mine for about 5 years and love it. IT allows me to come up with creative ideas.
I have been a bass player for over 30 years. I have always loved Ibanez basses. The construction, the playability, the electronics and pickup systems. For the money they can’t be beat. Except of course there are some things that require a P or jazz bass. But other than that Ibanez is awesome! Currently own a newer Iron Label and have a 90s soundgear.
Wow, what an innovative incredible bass, Ibanez always seems to be stretching the boundaries. Thanks, Gregor ! 😊
The first demo on this video is blowing my mind. Just ordered the SR1605DWASK and can’t wait to get it. But I already want this one too!!
Always thought they were cool but should have the fretted and fretless sections reversed.
Exactly!!! That would have made so much more sense...IMO.
The first version of the Ashula had the fretted and fretless sections reversed. But only with 2 Strings for the fretless side. I think they changed it due to too many people complaining. 😉
Then you would have a raised fretless fingerboard where your hand rests. Doesn’t make sense to me to have it reversed.
@Tommy Light then don't raise the fingerboard. It's still a better idea.
Absolutely
I personally think this is quite an innovative bass. Much like the Ibanez src6(which Ibanez’s answer to the fender bass IV) of course not a lot of people would be playing this bass live, but for experimental purposes, it’s totally worth checking out.
That bass is cool. Lars makes it sound good and look easy. Keep up the great work!
Cheers
Bought this bass and has been a joy to play and have. Makes you play in creative ways you least expect. Highly recommended
Very cool bass, would definitely fit in my collection (various 4 thru 12 string basses)
Normally prefer Ibanez's BTB line but the SR profile and string spacing would definitely help make the 7 string more comfortable. Really cool to see a hybrid like this in the non-custom price range.
My Random thoughts...
- It is a very beautiful instrument and both the fretted and fretless sides sound amazing!
- I personally have no interest in this bass whatsoever but I would love to hear what Charles Berthoud would do with it.
- Seems weird to me that they put the fretless part on the top instead of under the fretted side. I wonder what the logic for that is?
Great movie! I’m using Ashula too. My Tuning is octave higher EADG as piccolo fretted bass and, EAD as fretless.
Crazy and pretty bass. Nice job Gregor
I considered this when I realized I needed a 5(or more) string with frets. I have a great fretless 5 so I wondered if this would be the best of both worlds. I realized that this is simply not. I see no point in more than four strings without a low B. If I ever get a seven string it will have a low B and an even lower F# so I can make it sound like a freight train approaching at high speed. Excellent job with the review of this unique instrument. For my fretted 5 I acquired the Emerald Green Ibanez with Nordstrand single coils by Ibanez and I have no regrets. 😊🎉 loving your channel!
So I just heard about this and now I NEED it!!!
I absolutely love that V bass in the background great video
It's good choice to slap on fretted and the fretless is as a melody part
Ok but what really matters is how does this handle mad amounts of effects, especially some greasy distortions. Basically I'm asking does it djent?
I tryied this one some years ago and it was really freaky awesome! So much fun, so much boost for my creativity…wonderful bass 🥰
Sadly i‘ve never seen it again
I would definetly try it out. Also so a 4 String with frets up to the 12 th bar and after that it changes to fretless.
Its amazing !!Imagine flea slapping that thing or that guy from korn or any funk bassist
Very interesting bass, but i prefer the same wood and color for fret and fretless parts of the neck.
I love Ibanez..I own a BTB and a 6 string Soundgear, and I had a CTBN back in the 90s that I had converted to a fretless. Though this is a stunningly beautiful bass, I just don't see the point of it. I think that referring to the Ashula as a "novelty bass" is dead on accurate. I am not 100% on board with it nor am I 100% against it. Just seems like a very niche tool. That being said, I would like to spend a few hours with one to either confirm my initial feelings about it or completely change my mind.
I love Ibanez products. But it is a love/hate relationship.
I love their consistency of build quality. I love their customer service and scale of products.
I love how they are experimenting and giving artists more opportunity than other companies.
The only problem I have always had with Ibanez is their sound quality and timbre. I would say the tamber of the times coming from their instruments are shallower than what I want. Tightness is good for modern music and over produced products, but their feel (for me) misses the warmth I desire sometimes.
Please note, this is just my opinion.
I love Ibanez and have owned many the past thirty+ years... I just wish they had a different timbre
Thank you for showcasing this crazy, novel 7 string from Ibanez! Would love to try one just to experience it...
Yeah, the Ashula is really interesting. I'd love to get my hands on one.
😮 Que sacada parabéns pelo projeto ficou ótimo
Ibanez have always been a brand I respect. They are not afraid to take chances and typically provide excellent value in their instruments. Now bring back the ATK.
If I ever see a lefty version of this in a guitar shop, I'm definitely trying it out.
I love the idea of this bass, but I somewhat prefer the original with the 2 fretless strings on the lower half rather than the 3 on the upper, would be very happy to nab one of those. Both are still very cool regardless 👍
that is one wicked machine. I would play it.
Not sure if it should be played or hung on the wall as art...so beautiful. Why not just have 4 strings for the fretless part?
This time Ibanez nailed it!!it's amazing
It’s sad that the fretless section does not use the magnetic Pickups, I prefer their sound over the piezo-system
As is always the case with a bass with more than 4 strings, I wonder about muting the strings. That didn't seem to be an issue in the playing examples in the video. Was that because the pickup selector was switched all the way to one or the other?
"Floating thumb" muting technique, aka playing without a fixed anchor for your plucking hand thumb. Basically you rest your thumb across the strings that are lower than the one(s) you are currently playing on, moving your thumb to follow when you switch to a different string. It's also better for your wrist than the standard fixed anchor on the E string/pickup/thumb rest
@@BenMBass Yes I am aware of that technique… just not seeing it used much here, and you need a pretty long thumb or half of your hand to mute 6 strings,
@@room34 ah my bad. Looking more closely at the video (particularily around 1:10) it looks like he's using a combo of floating thumb and left-hand muting, moving the tip of his thumb to the D-string on the fretless side and muting the fretless A with the side of his thumb, whilst muting the fretless G with his left middle finger when playing the lower fretted strings. Using the thumb to mute the fretless strings whilst using the right hand little and ring fingers to mute the fretted E and A and the left hand middle finger to mute the fretted D would allow playing on the fretted G without the other strings ringing out, and is similar to the technique I use when playing my 6-string bass (allthough i don't usually mute strings lower than the one I'm playing on with my left hand)
i cant wait to have it
I think if Jaco was alive today, he would have adapted to the times and he would be playing all kinds of crazy bases and making youtube videos of his absolute ridiculous chops
Not sure about that thumb rest, takes away something from the lovely finish for me. Lovely tone.
I was really hoping for a review on this one🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
綺麗なデザインだなぁ…
Wow...I do have a love for Ibanez basses, but this one looks like a production version of Trey Gunn custom Warr Guitar. Reverse the order of the fretless strings and it'd be my ultimate dream bass.
Wow that is an incredible bass for sur but I'll have to stay at four strings for the good of mankind.
That's one AWESOME BASS!!! 😮 And that price is OUTRAGEOUSLY LOW!!! WOOOOOOOOO!!! GO IBANEZ!!! 👍
Interesting. Very interesting. Love the finish
Id do it for a 5 string tuned EA fretless EAD fretted
i’m amazed they’re still making these. I’m struggling to see what the market is, it’s seems very expensive for a novelty bass
I got one and I love it
I knew they were re-doing this, back since Ichikia's video on this thing
One I definitely wish I owned XD
Finally played one. I thought it would be weird, obviously. It was way MORE weird 😂
Would love to try it out with a looper and with the fretless section strung d to g
Sounds great, and would be fun to play around on but it's doubtful I'd buy one.
Bass sounds really woofy as ibanez electronics tend to always be lacking. Really cool concept though
I would love the see John Davis from Nerve use it along side Jojo Mayer.
Warwick build something similar but much more expensive.
really cool
shiza ! das is crazy !
ZOOM B2 FOUR REVIEW, PLZ?!
I would like to see what Charlie Hunter would do with this bass.
I'd love this if it were just 4 or 5 strings, B/E/A or just E fretless, rest fretted
Crazy bass, I tried the old Ashula once, too complex for me.
Moin, liebens Bass the World-Team! Wie immer, ein sehr informatives, toll gemachtes Video! Gratulation dafür 👍👌 Aber die wichtigste Frage bleibt unbeantwortet: how schwer issen der? Ich habe da schon sehr unterschiedliche Aussagen zum Vorgängermodell gehört. Von 4,5 kg bis 7 kg. Wie sieht es mit dem Neuen aus? Danke und liebe Grüße vom Fritz 🖖
Nicht sonderlich schwer. Sollte unter 5kg gewesen sein
Just needs scalloped fretboard on the octave...
I went off Ibanez basses due to the lack of sonic personality in general. This bass is a step back in the right direction, especially the fretted tone.
Do you think that is the Pick-ups and pre's?
@@willb1157
Probably the sum of all its parts but yes, the J style pick ups here are different from most typical Ibanez offerings. I think I'm just not a fan of the soap bar tone in general.
Bagus sekali impianku
I just love that ibanez makes one. It’s cool. That said, even though I own a fretless I just don’t like the sound much. I want to like it. But I don’t.
Cool bass but I think fretless should be on the bottom
Menuda caña de bajo
Quel est le poids? Svp merci
Jaco only needed 4 strings. F
It would be smarter from the manufacter to put the fretless side on the right of the fretboard
Love the idea but so wish they made the pick ups longer instead of piezo as they sound shit!
Why not build 6 string with fretted B E A and fretless D G C..
Ha, this bass is crazy awsome etc.
Show have been 4 fretless strings as well
making it an 8 string bass.
One bass to rule them all?
Thought so often about buying this, but a normal fretless just makes much more sense.. Id take the blue ehb in the Background instead ^^
I saw this many years ago...always thought it was weird
Tried these a few times and…nope nope nope. The neck is like playing bass on a cricketbat and the height difference just kills me. Not for me 🤷♂️
I wish this thing existed with another finish, i really dont like the way the body looks
😍
Agrhhhhhh! Why aren't high notes made fretless !?
Definetly no beginner bass🙃
Is he saying Jaco wasnt in the waiter? h he my bad ears
🎼❣️🎸❣️🎸❣️
So I am an Ibanez fan boy but as a fretless player this makes me uncomfortable. I can't be the only one.
👍👍👍👌
looks fun, I would NOT gig with it
just a shame its an SR model, with the narrow spacing and hideous shape.
its an awesome idea, id love to have one... but my issues above. :) i really don't do SR basses
Am I the only one that gets uncomfortable because a fretless part is on top instead of the bottom?? 😅
Looks nice and sounds nice but would confuse the f out of me.
This bass is a hot mess. First of all, the FL strings should be reversed with the fretted ones. Secondly, it looks like they glued a scrabble rack onto the bass for a thumb rest. What a disaster
I love your review but I still hate the bass. Maybe it's because I have puny donald trump hands, but if I ever even considered such a thing, a double-neck bass seems much more practical. That way, at least you get 4 or more strings on your fretless neck. That's just me though, I'm sure there are plenty of people who could play the hell out of this thing.
Нахер он нужен, этот монстр?