Designed for working pros, Ibanez’s Premium line of guitars and basses has now expanded to include its BTB bass series. BTB fans sometimes refer to it as a “boutique-style” bass, and many of its design advantages are immediately evident to the veteran player: A longer 35-inch scale means slightly increased tension—particularly to the lower strings, negating any sense of “string flop.” The super-deep cutaway provides a musical invitation in the form of access to an entire higher octave. And, precision-crafted thru-neck is the most unified construction method possible. The six-string version boasts a particularly impressive neck: a seven-piece maple/bubinga/walnut neck. The U.S.A.-built Nordstrand “Big Single” pickups deliver fat single-coil tone.
“Players of any skill level can enjoy the BTB experience, but it’s really a joy to watch a player who’s developed his chops on a more standard instrument play a Premium BTB and really go to town on it,” remarked Hoshino USA Bass Manager Mao Nakamura. “It’s as if he or she has discovered a new world.”
Available in the five-string BTB1405E (List: $2,066.65) or the six-string BTB1406E (List: $2,204.43).