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Ibanez Bass Workshop UB805 5-string Electric Upright Bass - Mahogany Oil Burst

5-string Solidbody Electric Upright Bass with Maple Wing Body, Maple/Walnut Neck, Jatoba Fingerboard, and Active Piezo Electronics - Mahogany Oil Burst
Ibanez Bass Workshop UB805 5-string Electric Upright Bass - Mahogany Oil Burst
$1,299.99
36 months
Special Financing – Ends Jun 30, 2025
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Ibanez Bass Workshop UB805 5-string Electric Upright Bass - Mahogany Oil Burst
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Upright Bass for the Today’s Gigging Bassist

Whether you’re already a double bass player or a bass guitarist looking to get into upright, the Ibanez Bass Workshop U805 Upright Bass deserves your serious consideration. The U805 Upright offers professionals and students a sleek, affordable, and durable instrument that’s easy to transport and delivers true upright sound with plug-and-play convenience onstage, in the studio, and in the classroom. The U805’s 5-piece maple/walnut neck, jatoba fingerboard, maple “wing” body, and AeroSilk piezo electronics join forces to deliver rich, clear upright tone with just the right amount of airy brightness. And for upright bass, playability is as good as it gets.

Easy playability

The U805’s easy playability will be a breath of fresh air for bass players coming from a traditional acoustic upright. The U805’s compact wing body flares out only slightly from the neck join, which features a smooth, ergonomic heel. Together with a graceful lower-bout cutaway, this gives you unfettered upper-register access and thumb position will be needed only to reach the absolute highest notes. Moving to double bass can be a challenge for even the most accomplished bass guitarists; these players will experience a natural, seamless transition to the U805. The 5-string acoustic double bass is a rare beast that’s even more ungainly than its conventional 4-string counterpart. The Ibanez Bass Workshop U805 gives bassists the added range of a low B string, while remaining compact and easy to play.

AeroSilk piezo electronics

Ibanez custom designed the U805’s electronics package to deliver gorgeous, full-bodied tone. It sounds like an upright — only better. Indeed, it sits authentically in acoustic jazz arrangements; but unlike a traditional upright, it holds its own in a driving electric fusion track. That’s thanks to the instrument’s design, its tonewoods, and its specialized AeroSilk piezo electronics. The AeroSilk MR5 bridge’s unique saddles contain AeroSilk piezo pickup transducers that work in conjunction with the Piezo active tone control system. Customized for both plucking and arco playing, the system produces the airy quality that characterizes the upright sound. It outputs problem-free audio to an amp, PA system, audio interface, or recording console without the feedback issues of double basses fitted with mics or pickups.

Travel in style

With the Ibanez Bass Workshop U805, upright bass players can now travel in style — an advantage bass guitarists have enjoyed since the 1950s. Gone are the frustrations of trying to fit a double bass into a car or hauling it onto a subway at rush hour. The U805 is a svelte instrument that even comes with its own fitted gig bag, which is padded to protect your bass and contains storage for a bow and the included stand. When you get to the gig, the TAMA Roadpro stand, custom made for the U805, gives you authentic upright positioning. All thing considered, the Ibanez Bass Workshop U805 is a fantastic value. Offering outstanding sound, playability, portability, and a remarkably affordable price tag, it’s a no-brainer. Get yours from Sweetwater today!

Ibanez Bass Workshop UB805 Upright Bass Features:

  • 5-piece maple/walnut neck for tonal clarity and defined note attack
  • Jatoba fingerboard produces a rich midrange with crisp high end
  • The maple wing body offers a bright and clear sound
  • AeroSilk piezo pickup provides the airy quality that characterizes upright sound
  • Piezo active tone control, custom designed for the AeroSilk piezo
  • The AeroSilk MR5 bridge, with unique saddles that work in concert with the piezo pickups to enhance the acoustic upright quality of the tone. It is customized for both plucking and arco playing
  • Included UB padded gig bag with storage for bow and stand
  • TAMA Roadpro custom stand included

Warranty Info

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Tech Specs

  • Type: Electric Upright Bass
  • Number of Strings: 5
  • Body Shape: Upright Bass
  • Size: Full Size
  • Left-/Right-handed: Right-handed
  • Color: Mahogany Oil Burst
  • Body Material: Maple Wing
  • Neck Material: 5-piece Maple/Walnut
  • Fingerboard Material: Jatoba
  • Tuners: Ibanez Machine Heads
  • Electronics: AeroSilk Piezo system w/Active tone control
  • Outputs: 1/4" (main out)
  • Case/Bag: Gig Bag
  • Manufacturer Part Number: UB805MOB

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Reviews

Rated 4.5/5
Ibanez 5 string upright bass
I bought this instrument a while back but didn't have time to do anything with it. I finally did over this past Christmas vacation. It's super easy to play and sounds great. For me, the main selling point was that the scale length is the same as a regular electric bass. I can play a regular upright but choose not too because of all the hassles associated with them.

This instrument is easy to travel with, and sounds great plugged into my regular amps. Because of the scale length, it was easy to get used to. After using it on a couple of gigs, it was obvious that the guys I play with prefer this instrument over my fretless bass guitars. Highly recommended.
Music background: Pro teacher and player
Rated 5/5
This thing is Fantastic!
I have searched for an EUB that didn't just sound like a fretless or steroids- including custom built Clevingers decades ago. While it's not an 100% perfect upright substitute- its very close- particularly if you use upright technique instead of playing it like a tilted electric. I now have people requesting me to use the bass for their gigs because they like the sound so much- from soul jazz to Dead inspired explorations. Can't recommend it highly enough
Rated 3.5/5
A great way to get started!
I bought one of these 5 string upright Ibanez basses to transition into playing upright bass. It was a great way to get started! But there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. The workmanship is pretty decent - but mine had problems with buzzing on the G string close to the nut. Fixing that would have required more fussing than I wanted.
2. The tone is pretty good. I learned how to get good tone from my fingers or a bow pretty fast.
3. The Scale Length is more like you would find on a conventional electric bass. That seems like a good thing!
Right? But...
(a) Good lucking finding strings of that scale length that are suitable for bowing. Patrick Dennis, who is a total rockstar Sales Engineer at Sweetwater had to go far and wide to find the solution for me. Which, unfortunately, was not good. I would have had to have strings custom made or buy single sets and build a set myself. Any full size (well 3/4 size upright electric) will NOT have this problem. Custom string sets from multiple suppliers to get the right stuff? NO!
(b) The intonation you learn here will be hard to reconfigure later.

I would highly recommend paying a little bit more and jumping in head first into an NS Designs upright WAV - or something equivalent. Don't settle for the shorter scale length -- go full size or go home. Trust me on this. For a few hundred more $ you can get a vastly superior instrument that won't cause you major headaches later.
Music background: Composer - ShadowsUnderground