Ibanez Talman TMB30 Bass Guitar - Ivory
Ibanez Talman TMB30 Bass Guitar - Ivory Reviews
Step up to a value-packed bass guitar in the Ibanez Talman Bass. Expect powerful, punchy tone from the poplar body and solid playability from the maple neck with jatoba fingerboard. Dynamix P/J style pickups give the Talman Bass impressive tonal versatility, with a single-coil bridge pickup for smooth and woody lead work and a split neck pickup for meaty picked tones. Whether you're searching for an easy-playing first bass or a reliable second instrument, Sweetwater bassists stand behind the Ibanez Talman Bass for its looks and playability at an affordable price.
Just wanted a short scale bass
Been wanting a short scale bass and thought for the price how could I go wrong . The bass beat all my expectations! Fun to play with great variety of sounds available. Very responsive to attack. Came set up almost perfect . Couldn't be happier
I really like it.
It sat around for a while with the stock strings and didn't get played much. Then I saw the YouTube channel for Ivanbassist. He put a set of Ernie Ball Super Slinky Cobalt flat wounds on his Tmb30 and I was sold. I made the switch and have barely put it down since. I bought this when they were about. What a steal! I have a 70s Era Gibson Eb3 that never gets played because it is all low end thump and mud. The midrange you can dial in or dial out on the Talman is just what I wanted. Have owned this for more than 3 years and have had zero problems with it. Got it in Ivory. Mostly I play it through headphones on my DAW or more often on my couch through my Sonicake Pocket Master.
High Quality Workmanship and Tremendous value
Small hands bass
This is not a bad instrument, I was pleasantly surprised. Ibanez make some really nice basses lately. The neck was not perfect, I had one high fret, but it is way up the neck (17th maybe) and I just left it, I rarely play up there.
You will need a preamp for the J pickup, it is thin. Many bass players use a preamp anyway, so that should not really be an issue.
Alot of bass for not alot of money
Horrible Fret Buzz
I had to almost max out the truss rod on this to get proper neck relief and then raise the action to about 3/16 inch (very high) to get rid of fret buzz throughout. I expected to have to do my own setup on a cheap bass like this but very disappointed the action has to be so high to eliminate fret buzz. It comes with a tag saying it was setup, inspected, etc. by Ibanez... must have been setup and inspected by children. You get what you pay for though I guess.
Ibanez TMB30 Bass
I wanted a short scale bass to relieve stress on my shoulders during practice and gigs and also have a .105-.045 string set to help maintain a nice bass sound. The Ibanez does the job really well and at a "don't break the bank price". When I received the bass and completed my setup, I didn't have to change anything; neck relief, string height, or intonation. The bass sounds great running through a Behringer Bass BDI 21 XLR output to a T8 Bose board or through a Fender Rumble 40 with the XLR out. I was really surprised at the quality of both the bridge and the input jack plate. The tuners also work well. I won't hesitate to gig with the bass in the future.
Ibanez Bass
Outstanding bass. Quality sound and maneuverability. Fun to play.
A Lack of Ibanez Quality Control
Ibanez Talman TMB30 Bass
Extreme Bargain. Near shocking,actually ..Pots could be better, better pick-ups out there, I suppose,.....but bottom line, THIS BASS IS NOT CHEAP JUNK...Excellent low action, buzz free neck, No headstock dive, lite weight, sounds good, plays very well, top notch fit and finish.....Short Scale, feels more like a guitar...As a Guitar player, I really like that..Kudo's to Ibanez.and Sweetwater...Good stuff, Good people...
Nice
Sounds great, feels great. Set-up was good out of the box. Slight neck dive, not problematic though. Colorwise, I'd say it looks not so much like Ivory as it does Pantene Replenish Honey Yogurt. Good value here; I heartily endorse this event or product.
This is a Game changer, Im stunned
Amazing bass with surprising tone
Nice, light, and surprisingly good tone. Wanted a short scale for fun. Right out of the box its a great fit. Setup, and intimated, but The neck pickup was doa. So, i opened up and found a loose pickup wire. The neck is narrower than a p-bass, and makes easy fingerings on the shorter scale..Tone is punchy like a full scale. the back of the neck is unfinished, but smooth. Prefer a satin finish..frets are perfect. For the price its a super bass. Like.a.high performance version of a Mustang bass, with vastly better available sounds.
Can't Beat It!
Love this guitar. We shopped around for an easy to play bass. I like it because it has 2 pickups to give you a variety of sounds. It's an Ibanez so the workmanship is fine. The short neck makes it good for a beginner or a guitar player that wants to learn bass. The tailpiece pickup has a slight hum, but that is to be expected. It's not a humbucker. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an inexpensive bass. You can't beat it.
Excellent Bass For A Great Price
I've been playing guitar for over a year and finally decided to cave in and buy a bass. I got this thing in the mail today and I am totally impressed by it, especially for the price. It came perfectly set up out of the box (props to Ibanez and Sweetwater for that) and I can't seem to find one con about it... no blemishes, good tuners, no sharp frets, no loose output pack, etc. The tone is spectacular, and I love the pickups.
Huge props also to Sweetwater for a great setup and excellent packaging. I ordered it on a Thursday night and it was here Saturday morning.
I'm stunned
Works for me
Great little bass. Easy to play, and sounds excellent with very little effort needed to dial in a range of pleasing tones. i found no need to change the stock pickups. i've got two TMB30's, both from Sweetwater. i put D'Addario tape wounds on one....sounds and feels super. The other one currently has round wounds on it but at various times has been strung with flat wounds. As with all basses, adjust the intonation when changing out strings. ...the TMB30 bass is a deal too. The folks at Sweetwater, Michael Eads, Wendy, and all have been first class. Always great customer service.
Surprisingly superb!
Excellent Short Scale
Amazing Bass. I had to get a short scale bass as I had injured my shoulder. I was so surprised at the feel, balance, and sound this bass has. Even after my shoulder heels, this bass is staying in my rotation.
Thank you Sweetwater for recommending it.
Fabulous bass regardless of price
Fabulous bass regardless of price
This Short Scale Bass Delivers
Our TMB30 was delivered in show-room condition, within two business days. This was the second Talman we have purchased from Sweetwater. Not a single blemish, ready to play straight out of the box. Promptly replaced the strings which added some tonal love. Nice,playable neck-no weird fret edges or other problems. The bridge saddles seem to be upgraded,a nice touch. Not the best tuning machines, not the best pickups, yet the bass stayed in tune and recorded some really nice bass tracks with the stock pups, so all good. Simply upgrading the pickups made this a recording workhorse. An inexpensive, fun to play bass from Ibanez, that's well worth the money.
Impressive Short-Scale With Balanced, Musical Tone
These TMB30 Talman's are great for playing-they are easy to jam on, plus Ibanez has loaded up a nice set of pickups that perform above their price-point. The electronics are above par,too...quality pots,input jack,wiring and soldering all top notch. Nice fret job on a neck that's easy to play. We recorded some really sweet bass tracks with our stock TMB30(purchased via Sweetwater), so we just ordered a second one to fully mod for studio use. Good material and quality craftsmanship all the way and one of the best deals out there in a short scale bass. Price is ridiculous considering the overall ability of this axe, a super bargain from Ibanez.
Don't let the price fool you!
I overlooked this bass a few times because of the low price. Once I went to Sweetwater and put my hands on it I knew it was going home with me. The p-bass pickup was making a slight clicking noise through my amp. I took it out and made an adjustment to the springs (stretched them a little). Put it back together and it's great. I like the fact that the pickups can be blended together to get more tones. The neck is a little chunky but I like the feel of it. I actually play this bass more often than the more expensive short scale basses that I own.
Great platform for modders!
jam on top a bass through a looper!
This is a solid bass,$179 gets you an instrument thats fun to play, pick ups sound great,finish is perfect, electronics great. I chose this one after a year of compairing the cheapest short scale basses. I am a guitar player that wanted some thing different to mess with,and throw in my sound when making a loop,its great to jam on top of a bass through a looper.
Great Little Bass!
I have always preferred a short scale bass but there aren't many options available. I ordered the TMB30 from Sweetwater based on my experience playing a TMB300 in a music store. I was completely blown away! The finish is perfect, the workmanship is superb. The hardware is good for the price. I may replace the bridge at some point but, then again, it sounds so good that I may just leave it alone. I have played basses costing five times what I payed for this little bass and they didn't come close. What a HUGE tone! I'll be keeping this one.
Disclaimer: Alert
Additional feedback: We replaced the stock tone capacitor with a traditional orange drop, and this bass became a 5 star investment. The stock pickups really shined, the tonal options available by backing off the volume of either one pickup or the other, and using that orange drop's legendary mojo on tone....amazing change. Didn't realize a cap could be so essential. The body cavity had a thorough shielding job,very good job on factory solder points,too.Tight,very good wiring by Ibanez.Excellent buy.
Sounds Even Better Than It Looks
I also have an SR700 series Ibanez bass, and while this economy model is nowhere near that Goddess, it is worth twice the $$ payed. This model arrived in perfect/pristine condition, set up and ready to go.I couldn't find a single blemish anywhere. NICE! Not one music store I know of sets up their instruments like Sweetwater does before shipping. It matters, man! This bass has tonal options not available in any other bass in this price-range....for reals. Plugged into an EDEN floor pedal/pre-amp, it became a real do-it-all instrument. Easy to play, fun to play, and cool to look at, too.
Do yourself a favor, buy one.
Very Nice Bass
Just wanted to start the love for these Talman short scale basses. Pretty amazing what you get for the money. Bass is light. The finish is flawless. The tone is great. Balances very well. Solid alternative to Squier SS Jag. In fact, if you find the Squier neck too thin, check out the Talman. Very comfortable neck. The chrome hardware is on par with the price point, but will get you by. The pup really do have nice tone. There is no need, imo, to swap the pups.
The ivory is very creamy. A buddy online bought the Coral Red and says it looks like prehistoric tomato soup. I take that as a good thing!
A lot of bass for short cash and plays VERY well stock out of the box. And as always, Sweetwater is the best place to buy gear. Mine arrived ready to play after minor tuning.
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