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New Gear for Valentines Day: Ibanez Talman TMB30 (short scale) Bass

For Valentines Day, I picked up an Ibanez Talman TMB30 short-scale bass in mint green (one of my favorite colors). Other than the Mikro bass that they make (which my daughter has), I didn't realize they made any other short-scale basses until I saw this one on a Youtube video.

My first bass was an Ibanez SDGR SR500 (with Bartolini pickups) and almost every Ibanez bass I've bought has been incredible right out of the box. In fact, for several years, I only played Ibanez basses because of how fast the necks were (in the SDGR series) and the quality of the instruments in general.

I bought multiple Fender basses that I was very displeased with--quality-wise--and all of them cost more than my Ibanez basses. (Until I bought my Fender Mustang bass a couple years ago, I had lost all faith in Fender.)

The Ibanez Talman Series basses start at the TMB30 model and end at the TMB2000--ranging in price from $189.99 to $1599.99

I bought mine during a sale for $179.99. I've mentioned this several times before, but up until a few ago, I wouldn't have considered buying an instrument this cheap--for the most obvious reason: you get what you pay for (usually) when it comes to instruments.

I've played basses this cheap before and 99% of the time, the quality (and sound) just didn't cut it. After starting my short-scale bass collection, however, I've started shifting my way of thinking. Does that mean that all cheap basses are quality? That's a big heck no, but some are worth taking a second glance at.

Ibanez is known for producing quality instruments--even in their lower line series, so I took a chance and put the Talman TMB30 in my Musician's Friend cart.

True to Ibanez standards, the bass arrived set up perfectly and was playable right out of the box. (I will be replacing the round wound strings with tape wounds, however).

My only complaint about this bass is the neck thickness and width.

A SDGR neck has a width of 38 mm (at the nut) and a 19.5mm thickness (at the 1st fret)--while the TMB30 has a neck width of 41mm (at the nut) and a 21.5 mm thickness (at the 1st fret). This may not seem like a big jump, but it beefs the neck up just enough to be uncomfortable for those of us with not-so-large hands (which is half the point of playing a short-scale bass). I'm not sure if this larger neck is to help balance the instrument or what...but I sure wish Ibanez would've had the neck comparable to the SDGR series.

(Spec-wise, Musician's Friend has the body of the TMB30 listed as mahogany, but when I check the Ibanez site for this bass, it says the wood is poplar, so that's what I'm going with.)

Body: Poplar
Neck: Maple
Fretboard: Jatoba
Passive Pickups: Dynamix P, Dynamix J
Scale length: 30"



(Bass demo starts at 2:31 on the video)

Hello, my name is Emily and I have a problem...

I've been a collector for as long as I can remember. My first collection consisted of all things pertaining to unicorns and lasted from the time I was 6 years old until I was at least 10 years old. 

Then, I matured a little and started collecting anything having to do with horses. When I was 12 years old, we moved to a new house in the country and I got my first "real" horse as part of the deal. 

After a little more maturing, I started collecting Native American art...then Irish/Scottish objects (including bagpipes, Irish flute, and Irish lap harp). 

When I started playing bass in 2003, I borrowed the first bass I played from a bassist friend before buying my own the following year. I never considered collecting basses--mostly because of the expense involved--but also because I was completely satisfied with my first bass (Ibanez SDGR SR500). 

After a few years of playing, however, things started to change. Brad and I would travel to Nashville music stores and I would start trying out other basses. I would occasionally buy another bass, play it for a while, and then decide that I didn't like it as much as my Ibanez. 

So, it would be sold and I would move on. I never kept more than two basses at a time. After all, Brad and I were starting a family and had two small children and a very limited income. 

Fast forward several more years...

The kids are older (and are becoming musicians) and Brad and I both have incomes now. After buying my first short-scale bass (Gibson SG bass), I got hooked on short-scale basses. These basses (while more available now), were harder to find several years ago. So, when I happened across one, I bought it (money-permitting). Occasionally, I would find a long scale bass that I couldn't pass up, but for the most part, I only bought short-scales. 

After my 6th bass, I started considering myself a collector. I still have one rule, however, when it comes to my collection: if I don't like the way it plays/sounds, I don't keep it. I've yet to send a short-scale bass back, but I have returned or sold several long scale basses that didn't do it for me. 

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I used to only buy nicer basses ($500 and up), but several of the short-scales that have come out in the last year or so have been super cheap (cheap as basses go), so I've modified my previous protocol for buying new basses. In fact, the last four short-scale basses I've purchased have cost less than $300 each...and they actually play good and sound decent. 

I still don't consider myself a collector of basses in general...more of a collector of short-scale basses. And I'm always on the lookout for more! ;)

Short-scales basses to date: 11 
Total basses: 13

New Gear: Luna Tattoo Electric Bass (short scale)

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In my last post, I mentioned how difficult December was for my family after my father’s major surgery and 25-day hospital stay. Music was one of the main things that helped us through that time. My dad received a Gold Tone travel-sized 5-string banjo from us and I ended up with two new basses: an Ibanez Parlor A/E bass and a Luna short scale Tattoo electric bass.

Luna is primarily known for their ukuleles (or that’s always the impression I’ve had), so when I saw that they offered a short scale electric bass, I was interested to see how a primarily acoustic instrument company would produce an electric bass guitar. The Luna Tattoo bass actually comes in two options: short scale and long scale—but since I collect short scale basses, I wasn’t interested in the long scale version, although I saw several reviews for this version on Youtube.

Musician’s Friend was having a sale on the short scale version of the Luna Tattoo electric bass, so I snagged one for $175 (regular price $199) and informed my husband that I had found my Christmas present from him.

The first thing I noticed about this bass when it arrived was its weight. For a short scale, it seemed really heavy. I knew it had a mahogany body, but dang, short scales are supposed to be lighter, right? Most of my other short scales (with exception to the Fender Rascal) are much lighter than the long scale basses I own or have owned in the past.

As far as pickups go, this bass has a vintage style p-bass split-coil configuration with a volume and tone knob—nice and simple. 

The pearloid inlays are cool—shaped like the phases of the moon—a surprising detail for a $199 bass. And, the laser-etched tribal tattoo design looks great—although it’s not a design I would normally be attracted to.

The neck is comfortable and fairly fast. The sides of the frets could use a little shaping, but they aren't so bad that it's painful to play. I've had higher-end Fender basses that needed fretwork, so I can't complain too much about that subject.

Sound-wise, this bass puts out warm, fat tones (thanks to that heavy mahogany body) with just enough brightness from the round wound strings that came on it. I may change the strings to flat wounds in the future, but for now, I'm content. 

Check out the FULL SPECS of this bass on Luna’s website.

I feel like I should make a point to note that up until a year or two ago, I was a firm believer in only buying instruments that were in the mid-higher price range (anything over $500)—mostly because of the reputation cheaper instruments tend to have (“you get what you pay for” and all that).

I only started going out on a limb with these short scale basses because they’re so much harder to find than your average long scale instruments… so, I probably won’t be buying cheaper long scale basses—but I’m totally open to buying cheaper short scales—if only to collect them.

My latest acoustic/electric bass: Ibanez Parlor Bass PNB14E

December was a rough month for my family as a whole. My father became sick with a mysterious illness on November 11th and it wasn't until December 6th that he was finally diagnosed with a seriously infected gallbladder. Surgery was performed the next day and after many setbacks and complications, he finally came home on December 30th. 

That being said, it was difficult to enjoy the holiday season. But luckily, getting new instruments cheered me up as much as possible--given the circumstances. 

Sometime in early December, my family made a trip to Guitar Center in Huntsville, AL (now that my son is a musician, we frequent GC several times a month). My daughter and I wondered into the acoustic room and I noticed an Ibanez parlor bass on the wall beside the other smaller acoustic/electric basses. I had played a Taylor GS Mini bass there before and liked it, but I didn't want to spend $700 on a bass that I probably wouldn't play much. So, when I spotted the Ibanez and its $250 price tag, I immediately pulled it off the wall and tried it out. 

Normally, I wouldn't expect much from a cheaper bass (anything less than $500)--mostly because you tend to get what you pay for when it comes to musical instruments (not always, but usually). This bass, however, felt and played really well, exceeding my expectations. I've played Ibanez basses for years, mostly electric), and I've loved them...but, I owned an Ibanez full size acoustic/electric bass years ago and it was a disappointment to me--mostly because of how large it was and because you pretty much had to play it with an amp to hear anything. This parlor bass, despite its small size, really projected on its own--not enough to play with electric instruments or drums--but definitely enough to practice with in an unplugged setting. The onboard tuner was a cool feature--even though it's common enough (all my acoustic/electrics have them). 

I checked the price on Reverb for this same bass--brand new-- and found one for $212 with free shipping--so I hung the one from GC back on the wall and ordered it from Reverb on the spot. Even after tax on Reverb, I spent less than the retail price at GC (before tax). Plus, the GC model looked as though it had been through the wringer hanging on the wall--with its beat up strings and a few blemishes on the body. I'm honestly surprised they hadn't reduced the price for that fact alone--another reason I rarely buy new instruments in store from GC. 

I waited until Christmas Day to play this bass--and it sounded great right out of the box (another thing Ibanez is known for). 

The mahogany back, top, and sides give this small bass a rich, dark tone and its weight is just heavy enough to feel comfortable in your hands (my other small acoustic/electric basses don't feel weighty enough--more like a ukulele). 

Feedback through the amp is obviously an issue if I'm too close--but that's just part of the A/E thing, I guess, so I'm not going to complain about something I always expect with this type of instrument.

Overall, I'm really pleased with this bass. And, even though the strings are round wound (and I'm normally a flat wound or tape wound player), they feel good and sound fine if I keep the treble and mids down. 

So far, I've used this bass as a solo practice instrument--something I can take into the bedroom or living room and not worry about carrying an amp along. It's great for coming up with new bass lines or just messing around with when I want an instrument in my hands. 

Well done, Ibanez! You've boosted my faith in less expensive instruments.

READ FULL SPECS FROM IBANEZ HERE