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Ibanez EDB 700 Bass

 

Review of the Ibanez EDB 700 by The Man in the Jar

Features of the Ibanez EDB700

Tuners - Unbranded sealed mini-tuners with large "wing-nut" knobs worked well. The way the bass hangs on its strap from the upper horn makes the tuners easier to reach, this is assisted by the slight backward slanting of the heads themselves.  

Headstock - Ibanez has chosen a very economical design for the headstock on this range of basses. Although the general body shape might suggest a four-on-one-side Fender variant is needed, I think this compact design works well.

Nut - The black plastic nut abuts the fretboard and is extremely cleanly manufactured.

Neck - The three-piece maple neck is a revelation. I normally play guitar so I normally find the switch to bass-playing a heavy duty chore. Not so with the Ibanez. Such is the slimness and playability of the EDB700 neck I felt right at home, right away. I was also astounded by the ease of access right up to the very top frets - the heel on this bolt-on neck is really well contoured and presents no obstacle at all. 

Fretboard - The medium-dark rosewood fretboard has a good tight grain. Traditional dot markers are inlaid in white pearloid.

Frets - The 24 frets are medium, round profile and well polished.

Action - Very good from the box. I was able to play runs on any part of that long, long neck without any difficulty.

Body - The shape of this maple body is what Salvidor Dali might do with a Fender Precision. Although not radically different from the Fender shape, the changes Ibanez have made do have a huge impact on the physical feel of the instrument. When sitting, the offset waist of the bass wedges wonderfully between thigh and man-breast to give the neck a perfect playing slant. When standing, the elongated upper horn "settles" the instrument a bit further back, bringing the headstock closer to you and making the job of playing a lot easier. There is a scooping contour on the front of the body that runs from the bottom of the neck pickup out to the end of the lower horn that is supposed to assist in slap bass. Can't really comment there as I'm not the world's greatest slapper (well, not in any musical sense of the word). But the biggest innovation is one I didn't pin down until I read the specs. I was trying to figure out why this great big instrument felt so comfortable to hold and play - lo and behold, a curved back!  How simple is that?  A concave back that cuddles snugly against your beer-belly. Wonderful!   

Bridge - This is a very solid and chunky affair with quick-change integrated top-loader tailpiece. Each string sits on its own very chunky saddle and each saddle is fully adjustable for intonation and string height.

Pickups - Two Ibanez humbuckers nestle in over-sized black housings. I found the top end of these housing to a useful anchor for my thumb when playing with my fingers.

Controls - Arrayed in a curve along the lower edge of the body are the EQ knobs controlling Bass Middle and Treble. These are driven by an active three-band EQ that requires a 9 volt battery housed behind a small panel in the back of the instrument. Each EQ has a centre indent for flat and a sweep of cut and boost either side of that. Two other larger knobs sit above the EQ. One is the Volume control and the other is the "Balancer". I had hoped that this knob stopped you from swaying when you're pissed, but in fact it replaces the traditional three-way pickup selector. The balancer has a centre indent at which both pickups are running. Turning it either way increases the blend of the pickup towards which you're turning (clockwise for bridge, anti-clockwise for neck) and at the end of the turn that pickup is engaged alone. 

Strap-buttons - Two medium-sized strap buttons, one on the base of the body, one on the upper horn.

Output Jack - Sits in a slanted chrome dish on the front of the body below the bridge.

Finish - The semi-sheen black paint allows a hint of grain to show through. 

 

Sound of the Ibanez EDB700

The all maple construction leads to a lovely clear-voiced and toneful bass. I really enjoyed the natural flavour of this instrument with the EQ set flat and my only tonal variation coming from the Balancer control. Once I started to mess with the EQ cut and boost a wider and more intricate tonal landscape opened up. I truly do not believe that a bass tone exists that you can't find here if you're prepared to sit and look for it.

 

Overall Impressions of the Ibanez EDB700

This instrument doesn't rely on a reputation or an image to ensnare you. It is a well designed musical instrument that will win you over by the way it plays, the way it  feels  to play it and the sound it will reward you with for your efforts. If you play bass or want to play bass you will fall in love with this instrument, its that simple.

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