NEW GEAR (June 2020): Ibanez SRMD200 Mezzo Bass (medium scale)

Fast forward to June 2020. I had seen the Ibanez Mezzo bass every time I went to Guitar Center and noticed that it was a shorter scale bass too. Technically, it's a medium scale bass (32" inch scale length), something you don't see that often. 

I rarely buy instruments from the Guitar Center sales floor (for reasons I won't go into), so I found this one online on Reverb through Cream City Music. AND, I got it in a bundle deal for the same price I would pay for only the bass at Guitar Center. 

Ibanez basses are known for their quality (in every price range), so I didn't worry that the low price would mean a low-quality instrument. This bass plays and sounds great right out of the box. Plus, with the bundle deal, I got a nice Gator gig bag, a cable, and cleaning cloth. I chose the Sea Foam Pearl Green color, but it's more of a blue color in person. There are several color options, however, if greens and blues aren't your preferred colors. 

"A departure from the usual SR Bass design, the Mezzo features a Poplar body, 32" medium scale neck, and a B10 bridge for plenty of tuning stability and adjustable intonation. With its Dynamix pickups and Ibanez Custom Electronics 2-band EQ, you have full control over your amplified tone. This is an excellent bass all around for the beginner or experienced musicians." Cream City Music description on Reverb. Buy the bundle here for $299.

See the specs from Ibanez here. 

NEW GEAR (May 2020): VINTAGE 1976 Fender Musicmaster Bass

 

 

    After my disappointment with the Ibanez Artcore bass, I found an amazing little gem at the Shoals Guitar Boutique (Muscle Shoals, AL) when I took the Ibanez up there to place on consignment. 

I spotted the short scale Fender Musicmaster right away--mostly because there are only a few basses in the shop and because I can spot a short scale bass from a mile away at this point. It was my husband's turn to buy some gear, but he didn't find anything he was in love with (in his price range, anyway), so my 16-year-old son (who is an avid guitarist now) and I took home vintage gear instead. 

This 1976 American-made Fender Musicmaster short scale bass has an alder body and maple neck...and is ridiculously comfortable to play. The action was set low (how I like it) and it already had flat wound strings on it, so I was set. It also came with its original case, so that was a plus too. Oh, and I payed less than $1000 for it--so there's that. 

Over five months later, I'm still loving this bass. It plays a lot like my Fender Mustang bass, but is lighter in weight. Technically, this is my first vintage bass, so I plan on hanging on to it forever. 

NEW GEAR (March 2020): Ibanez AGB260 Semi-Hollow Body Bass (Short Scale)

 

Like everyone else on the planet, I've had a lot going on since March, so I'm just now updating my blog. I bought an Ibanez AGB260 Bass (30" short scale) in March, mostly because I didn't have a semi-hollow body bass in my collection, and this one happened to also be a short scale bass. 

After replacing the round wound strings with flat wounds, I could start getting an idea about this bass' potential. I played it off and on for a month or so before deciding I didn't like it-- at all. 

Out of all my short scale basses (12 total, to date), this is the ONLY one I haven't liked.

 Here are the reasons: 1) The large body hurts my right arm when I'm sitting (which is mostly how I play). 2) The neck is wider than I like and my fretting hand starts cramping quickly when I play complicated bass lines. 3) It really doesn't sound that great--even with D'Addario Chrome flat wound strings on it. 

Those are all deal breakers for me, so I'm attempting to sell it at the Shoals Guitar Boutique in Muscle Shoals, AL (as of May 2020), but no bites yet.

This bass is beautiful...and I really wish that I didn't hate everything else about it, but there it is. 

Specs from Ibanez can be found here.