Ibanez Bass Workshop EHB1005SMS Bass Guitar - Metallic Gray Matte Reviews

If you read my other reviews on this bass you'll see I really like it.

Recently I did this one switch mod that really kicked up it's flexibility. I was very slow and deliberate about doing it to avoid making any errors and the whole process took about 2 hours. All you need is an ON - OFF - ON DPDT Mini Toggle switch, the ability to solder and drill a 6.5mm hole. You'll also need 2 short lengths of wire (6" each is enough) to connect the switch to the pan pot.

NOTE: THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! FIRST DRILL A 2.5mm HOLE FOR THE SWITCH FROM THE INSIDE! THEN DRILL THE 6.5mm HOLE FROM THE OUTSIDE SO YOU DON'T SEVERELY CHIP THE FACE OF THE INSTRUMENT!!! PUTTING MASKING TAPE ON THE OUTSIDE HELPS, TOO.

Here's the diagram:
I used the very last diagram on the sheet - 'Inner Single Coils/ Series Hum Cancelling/ Outer Single Coils'. Also, you'll need to know that the color of the wires on your Bartolini BH-2 pickups DO NOT MATCH those on the diagram.

Specifically, here's a guide to the colors. Bartolini Diagram colors are Red, Green, Black, White and Bare Shield.
These correspond to BH-2 colors of GREEN, WHITE, Black, RED and Bare Shield.

A couple other notes: You will need to remove the knob and nut holding the Pan Pot to the face of the instrument to make it easier to work on. Be sure to note which pad has which wire from each pickup. You will need to desolder all four and solder on new ones that go to the switch. You'll need to desolder the red and green wires on your pickups from each other. You'll need to connect the ground wire from the switch to the Pan Pot. It's okay to run one ground wire from the switch to both ground pads on the Pan Pot.

My photos are a face view closeup, a photo of the wiring bay with the switch visible, the layout and wiring of the BH-2, and the Bartolini wiring diagram I used. Remember that your pickup's wires DO NOT MATCH.

I've made two changes since my initial review. First, when using a strap I've added a loop of nylon cable tie to the strap where the original strap screw is on my strap and I loop that around the screw I inserted in that position. This both pushes the bass to my left and allows the body to rotate the fingerboard into a more vertical position.

Secondly, I added some non-slip tape, like you use on stairs, to the edge of the bass in the knee space and that keeps the bass tight against me when sitting without a strap and keeps the fingerboard more vertical.

These modifications make the bass perfect but for the installation of the Aguilar pickups. I'll write more after that's done.

Just buy one: you'll be glad you did only "flaw" I can find is that the nut is very sharp on the treble side and can hurt of you play in first position. I think a light sanding could fix this.

Otherwise, the string tension is great and the tone is killer!

I purchased this bass recently and have had difficulty in putting it back down once I pick it up since it plays extremely well! When I was first shopping around I had looked for some options that were similar to Dingwall in quality and playability. I wanted to have multi-scale ability (fanned frets) for maintaining better intonation along with an active EQ for the pickups. I've noticed that my notes seem more audible and distinctly different from the next note (my last bass did not sound this audible and clear). I did some playing around with the EQ for the pickups and I feel like I can get the sound of every type of bass I've ever heard with just a few adjustments of the knobs. The amount of control the player has with their overall tone is massive! If you're like me and you wanted a Dingwall bass, look no further because this Ibanez can deliver the same quality results for a fraction of the price. The sustain is fantastic and I especially love how the bridge is designed to separate each string from the last so when you play a string, the others around it suffer less accidental vibration. This makes string control much easier from either hand.


Being headless only has 2 small problems:

- The player will need to relearn the new method for changing strings (YouTube has a good tutorial).

- I keep reaching to the non-existent head when trying to tune.

I feel like the bass is perfect for me and I look forward to playing gigs with it! I would 10/10 recommend to any player in any genre as they can all be achieved with this bass.

Back in November, after playing the bass stock since March, I switch to the Aguilar AG-5SD-D2 pickups. The installation was not difficult, but required removing the pan control for easier soldering access and the battery compartment to successfully route the wire for the neck pickup - both were then returned to their assigned positions. Also, the Aguilars are physically smaller than the Bartolinis and leave a gap around them in the cavities. Alignment is acceptable, but the magnet spacing is just a bit tighter than the string spacing and I've used my bridges' adjustments to minimize string spacing.

The Aguilar pickups are a bit clearer than the standard Bartolinis with a little more highs and upper mids but, considering the price and that that money can be used for a nice multi-effects pedal that will do that and much more, I'd say not to put your money into it. It's just not the much of a difference.

This is a great bass. For those of you who have never used multiscale, you don't even notice it after a couple days.

The action on this is the lowest I've ever had and free from buzzing. The pickups are good, not great. I also bought some Aguilar pickups I'll install later. The controls are great, have good range and are easy to learn. The switch from active to passive, unfortunately, has a significant volume change, so be ready for that. The shorter scale really works well for me due to my age and arthritis (limited mobility). Also, shorter scale means looser strings lessening the effort needed to fret a string.

I'm having difficulty getting the bass to sit on my leg in a position I find comfortable. It keeps sliding away from me turning the fretboard up and making fingering more difficult. Using a strap doesn't help because the deep carve out on the body promotes this as well. However, moving the strap location to just above the jack location has helped, but that moves the bass to my right making it more difficult to reach the higher frets. I've made additional changes to the strap location that have helped, but I'm going to try putting some non-slip tape on the edge to keep the bass from sliding on my leg.

What I did with the strap was, besides drilling a new hole and relocating the strap pin to just above the jack, I inserted a small, round head screw into the original strap pin hole, cut a slit in the inside of my strap where that screw is located, and that allows the strap to be fastened near the jack, but still be captured at the original strap pin location. I think I'll make one more modification to this before I'm done. Just want to keep that fretboard unturned a little bit more.

Overall, this is the best bass I've ever owned and I'm sure you will love it.