Ibanez TMB100 Review

An Awesome Recording Tool

I have a 2016 American Fender Elite Jazz bass that is awesome, but in addition I wanted the fat sound of a Pbass for recording purposes, without having to buy another expensive guitar. So I bought a vintage mint green Ibanez TMB100 from Sweetwater and gutted it. I converted it from active to passive, replaced the pickups with a Fender 1962 Custom Pbass pickup and a Dimarzio Jazz… read more pickup. I removed the stacked volume and tone pots that came on the guitar, put in new separate volume pots (one for each pickup), and added a separate tone pot equipped with an orange cap (capacitor). So, this TMB100 has three separate knobs instead of two stacked knobs. The tone is amazing!!! Absolutely the best. The Ibanez is made very well for the price and is a great foundation to work from. It has the iconic Jaguar style body and smooth fat neck that works really well with my long fingers. I put some new flat wound strings on it and it plays as smooth as my Jazz. No regrets!

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Im not a Bass Player but.......

Im a lifetime guitar player and decided it was time to learn bass (like a bass player not a guitar player plying bass). Didn't think I needed to spend a lot on my first bass ( I have 50+ Vintage and modern guitars so Im not adverse to spending money). Didnt do a lot of research but thought I could stay under $ so I went catalogue shopping. Bought this bass sight unseen and fingers… read more unplayed. Couldn't be happier. Good looking and playing. Setup nicely. Frets better than expected for $. I'm really impressed. Can't imagine a better starter instrument for the price.

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Never Ceases to Amaze

For the price the TMB100 is phenomenal. The first thing that struck me about it was its looks. Long story short, I wound up buying it on the spot off the wall at a big guitar shop after sitting & playing with it a couple of minutes - without even plugging it in. It still amazes me how Ibanez can make such a fine instrument so affordable. Back at my studio with a set of Rotosounds,… read more the real surprise turned out to be the active pickups and electronics. I'm not a technical guy - I'll just say that with this bass I can sculpt any sound I want, from a Johnathan Bree-esque plucky lounge sound to a bold, singing Cocteau Twins sound, and really anything. There are dozens of Youtube videos about how great it is for gigging. For me, it's a dream in my studio. Ibanez was pretty clever designing it between a Precision and a Jazz bass, with everything active. I thought a Fender bridge cover might pretty it up, and it fit perfectly. I think this the perfect bass guitar for any musician on a budget looking for a studio or live bass.

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Hard to top, even for twice the price.

I've had 3. All mine were earlier when Ibanez used mahogany rather than poplar for the body. The neck is great, a bit thicker than a Jazz and I had to hit the back of it with 0000 steel wool but that's all I ever had to do to them. The pickups are hot, the EQ is versatile. Stable tuning and smooth frets. Need a wide strap because they are a little neck heavy. But they're fantastic… read more instruments.

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My favorite BASS to play!!!

I've bought two of these over the past six years or so and I'm continually pleased with the sound and playability of these basses. For the money spent, you can't find a better bass. As a side note, both of my Ibanez' play and look great after much abuse. The only reason I have more than one is because one is kept at my practice space and then one more for home use. I adore this… read more instrument. Beginner or not, this is a quality guitar that will neither disappoint nor break the bank. A third one is probably on the horizon for me. I'm afraid they're going to disappear or that they'll change the style and I'm just so dang pleased with it as is. I find this model is extremely well suited to Funk/R&B/JAZZ sounds, but can thump pretty hard for someone wanting to play more in the rocknroll vein. Highly, highly, highly recommended!!! 5 out of 5 stars!

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Better than

Sounds and plays great. Using in studio and wanted to have bass on hand.Hard to believe such a nice instrument for $...

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Ibanez Bass

I am not a regular bass player. But needed a bass for some songs in a new group I am playing in. Checked around and read some reviews and decided to go with this Ibanez Bass. I am not disappointed at all. Didn't want to spend a lot on money but still get something that deliver quality sound and made well. I hit the jackpot with this one

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Too Good To Be True Price! Excellent Bass!

When I was 16, I bought this bass and I'm happy to say this is my favorite bass of all time. I have 9 Basses, all of them more expensive, but this one has always been by my side and is great. I love the body shape and neck is really comfortable. Beginner or Pro, this Ibanez should be on your wish list.

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Great Bass, Great Service

My Talman came setup great and playing wonderfully. The bass has an excellent preamp that gives a wide variety of tones from subtle to extreme, but is very easy to dial in, even for a beginner, unlike instruments with more complex control layouts I had an issue with the volume/balance control and Sweetwater shipped the part right to me. First purchase from Sweetwater and won't… read more be my last.

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Great Beginner Bass

Bought this as my first bass about six months ago, and have played it nearly every day since then! It hasn't been too long yet, but I've had no complaints so far. It shipped decently set up, the only change I made was to slightly lower the pickups. It sounds great and the active EQ works well.

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It's a good solid performing bass.

I have had mine for several years now, purchased from Sweetwater. Joe Secu is my Sales Engineer and he's always on my side on any issues and I have been his client since 2015. Joe has always helped me, not once has he not come through for me when there is a problem. I recommend Joe very very highly. Back to my Ibanez Talman Bass, it looks very nice with an attractive two tone… read more finish and the fit and finish is as good as anything I have ever seen or played or owned -not bad for the Two Hundred Dollar price, in fact it's an incredible bargain! The hardware is very good quality as well.The fretwork is flawless too. I love the way it looks and I am a fan of the "offset" body style. I currently have 3 electric bases and also a Double Bass and I enjoy this bass as much as my much more expensive instruments that I have owned in my life. It has a broad pallet of tones and I can find something to fit my mood so I recommend this bass to anyone who plays e-bass.

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Awesome bass

I bought this bass several years ago due to good reviews and price. I thought I'd buy it just for practice purposes at home and use my higher end basses for rehearsals and gigs. I've only replaced tuners with Grovers. I practiced with it at home day pryor to rehearsal and enjoyed it after I stored it for several weeks. Yesterday I took it to practice and band members complemented… read more bass sound and that they really liked tone. Reviews are great for good reason. This bass goes against the grain of " You get what you pay for " mentality. I never thought that this bass would be my " go to " bass. It's light weight, sounds great and is a keeper.

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Worth every penny !

What a sleeper of a bass for the money ! Picked this bass up for my recording studio. Really surprised at the playability, features and sound of it for something at this price point.

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Ibanez tmb100

The Ibanez tmb100 is a awesome bass for the price..I"ve been playing bass for 36 years in every thing from punk, heavy metal,to blues.. this bass has what it takes to get the job done.. I play through a ampeg 100 watt head with a two 15 speakers .. and the preamps are amazing..it"s one of the few basses that you can really tell the difference.. I bought a Mitchell mb300 and was… read more disappointed..but this Ibanez tmb100 is the best bass in this price range hands down..

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Awesome Bass!

I can't believe the quality of this bass for the price! It sounds amazing, it's nice to play, and it looks great! Very happy with my purchase.

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Best Bass Guitar in Price Range

I play guitar but wanted a bass in case I need to fill in and just for fun so I didn't want to spend a lot. I took a chance on the Ibanez TMB100 in mint green without trying one out first and was not at all disappointed. Matter of fact, I was extremely impressed with its fantastic action and playability right out of the box. Mine has no fret buzz or dead spots whatsoever and the… read more action is very comfortable. I love the retro-modern appearance and mine doesn't have one single flaw. As importantly as playability is tone and this bass guitar does not disappoint. What a huge thump! The stacked bass/treble boost/cut feature combined with the balance provides a variety of tonal options through a decent amplifier and the sustain is fantastic. I didn't know that cheap pickups could sound this good. Then, mahogany body, bolted maple neck and rosewood fretboard perfectly balanced for playing comfort ... c'mon, what more could I ask? Oh, I can always find one thing to gripe about, I only wish that it had come with a gig bag but I found a good quality cheap one that fits it perfectly. Great work, Ibanez!

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Ibanez TMB 100 M

This is an amazing bass for the price its definitely a strong performer and very punchy.......Amazing sound quality. Anyone who buys this bass will be impressed. Also has a nice feel well balanced

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Beginner and beyond

This bass is impressive. The sound is fat, and the feel is surprisingly good. This is the backup bass that squeezes its way between you and your high-end go-to bass. The only thing cheap about it is the price. When someone hears it, they like it, then you tell them the price and it shocks them.

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