|
|
BGRA: Ibanez ATK 305
| Manufacturer |
Ibanez |
Model |
ATK 305 |
| Reviewer |
Andrés |
|
|
| Experience |
23 |
Item owned |
Less than 1 month |
| Review Date |
2010-06-14 |
Price paid |
410 EUR |
|
|
|
Bass type | 5 string fretted |
|
Neck join | Bolt-On |
|
Neck construction | 3-piece maple |
|
Fingerboard | Maple, 22 medium frets |
|
Body | 2-piece ash |
|
Finish | Natural |
|
Pickups | 3 coil Ibanez hambucker (MM type) |
|
Hardware | Massive bridge, big tuners (all Ibanez I guess) |
|
Electronics | Active 3-band EQ + 3-way 'character' switch |
|
|
|
First of all, my intention in buying this bass was to have a decent enough backup for my StingRay5 (other than another StingRay, with I can't afford right now). And it is. Made in Indonesia in 2009. It recently went out of catalog for Europe (just the 5-string version, don't really know why) so I seized the chance. Been wanting one of these for years. All around a well built bass, solid (and heavy) and nicely finished. I love its looks. Comfortable enough to play. Neck isn't of course that of an SR5 (fastest 5-string neck I know) but rather playable. I stringed it from the bridge (I find the thru-body option useless as it just makes this instrument much less playable with no noticeable advantage in sustain nor low-end -much the contrary, as thru-body stringing reduces contact with the bass' massive bridge-). The B string is surprisingly strong, something you can't expect in instruments in the 500€ price range. It can do the MusicMan sound in the "attack" (according to Ibanez) position, although it has clearly less attack than my Musicman. The other two positions don't resemble other MusicMan sounds that closely, but are pretty usable too. Seems to have some nice lo-mid bump. I need to tame some mids (-3dB around 1.5KHz) when I use a pick (something I also do with the MM but 1KHz higher, around 2.5KHz). I adjusted the bass to my needs as soon as I got it. Didn't need to mess with the neck much but I had to lower strings a bit. The factory strings (in theory Elixirs) were hard as hell, a real pain to play (I use .040 gauge, check out the strings I endorse www.magmastrings.com, yet have to find better strings -and I'd been an Ernie Ball endorser for a year previously-). Fretwork doesn't seem too polite but I'm not so touchy about fret noise, a bit of which I even find desirable (with my distorted sound). I use it with my two main rigs, a standard Hartke rig (Zoom 708II for overdrive+HA3500 head+410XL+115XL) or a heavily modified Hartke rig (SansAmp RBI+EQ+CMP+power stage, 4.5XL+215XL, both with Eminence speakers) and it sounds amazing on both, rich, crunchy, full and cutting. Have yet to try it thru any of my old Peavey combos (TKO80, TKO75 & TNT150). I'll probably spend some 50€ in putting decent tuners on this (plus a Hypshot D Tuner for the B string).
| |
|
| construction |
 | (90%) |
| |
|
| playability |
| (85%) |
| |
|
| appearance |
| (90%) |
| |
|
| sound |
| (85%) |
| |
|
| value |
| (85%) |
| |
|
| overall |
| (85%) |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
