# Ibanez BTB Terra Firma?



## Dabo Fett (Mar 16, 2014)

quick question, has anyone gotten their hands on one yet?

im really a guitarist looking for a bass since i track the bass in my two bands. preferably id like a 6 string, because of reasons, and this one has caught my attention. although if this isnt an amazing out of this world bass id probably go with a sr for the tighter string spacing


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## davisjom (Mar 16, 2014)

Dabo Fett said:


> quick question, has anyone gotten their hands on one yet?
> 
> im really a guitarist looking for a bass since i track the bass in my two bands. preferably id like a 6 string, because of reasons, and this one has caught my attention. although if this isnt an amazing out of this world bass id probably go with a sr for the tighter string spacing



I personally haven't played that model. But from what I know of BTB's and SR's since you are a guitarist I say go for the SR. They tend to be easier for guitarists to switch too.

Best option would be to play as many BTB's and SR's as you can, that way you get a really good feel for which model will best suit your playing style and musical needs.


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## LordCashew (Mar 17, 2014)

Dabo Fett said:


> ...if this isnt an amazing out of this world bass id probably go with a sr for the tighter string spacing



IIRC the string spacing on the SR and BTB lines only differs on the 5 string models. The spacing on the 6 strings is "narrow" for both.


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## davisjom (Mar 20, 2014)

LordIronSpatula said:


> IIRC the string spacing on the SR and BTB lines only differs on the 5 string models. The spacing on the 6 strings is "narrow" for both.



I believe you're correct. Only issue I've found is the thickness of the neck. The BTB's tend to have a bit more beef to them.

Since he's a guitarist, I still recommend the SR's.


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## Grand Moff Tim (Mar 21, 2014)

LordIronSpatula said:


> IIRC the string spacing on the SR and BTB lines only differs on the 5 string models. The spacing on the 6 strings is "narrow" for both.



Nope. They're the same at the nut (54mm), but the BTBs are wider at the last fret (88mm vs 83mm on the SRs). That can make for a pretty noticeable difference as you move up the neck, and especially at the bridge for picking/fingerstyle playing. 

I personally think that's a plus for the BTB, because I like a little more room between strings at the bridge for when I get a slapping itch, but I could see wanting the narrower spacing if I took the route of many guitarists-turned-bassists and opted to play with a pick.


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## Grand Moff Tim (Mar 21, 2014)

davisjom said:


> I believe you're correct. Only issue I've found is the thickness of the neck. The BTB's tend to have a bit more beef to them.
> 
> Since he's a guitarist, I still recommend the SR's.



The SR is a hair thinner at the first fret than the Terra Firma (19.5mm vs 20mm), but the Terra Firma is actually thinner at the 12th fret than the SRs (22mm vs 23mm). The Terra Firma also has a flatter radius, if that's a concern.


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## LordCashew (Mar 21, 2014)

Grand Moff Tim said:


> Nope. They're the same at the nut (54mm), but the BTBs are wider at the last fret (88mm vs 83mm on the SRs). That can make for a pretty noticeable difference as you move up the neck, and especially at the bridge for picking/fingerstyle playing.



The spacing at the bridge for the Terra Firma is listed as 17mm on the Ibanez website. So is any other BTB 6 I've looked up. That would generally be considered narrow. 

I couldn't find the string spacing for the SR 6's on Ibanez's site but some merchants have it listed as 16.5 mm. It seems that you're right, and the SR is a tiny bit narrower. But they're both "narrow" by most standards. I find the neck carves on the BTBs to be noticeably different from the SRs but I've never noticed the half-millimeter difference in string spacing at the bridge.


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## Skygoneblue (Mar 21, 2014)

SR 6-strings neck dive like a bitch. Stick with the BTB for the extra body mass so you can actually play with your left hand instead of holding the bass up.


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## Dabo Fett (Mar 22, 2014)

Thanks guys. I also should have specified when I said I'm a guitarist,while I am primarily a guitarist, I also spent a few years playing bass in a jazz standards band and playing concert/stand up bass in an orchestra. So it's not like I'm trying to get the most guitar esqe bass, I just didnt want something completely huge, since I never got into slapping. That's why I also never got a bass vi/crossover type instrument, no room for my stupid fingers.


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## rikomaru (Mar 24, 2014)

I'm primarily a guitarist and while I haven't beaten a btb6 yet, I think the 5s are pretty comfy. Tge only other 5 i've really dug was a corvette. The SRs make for great 6ers and I haven't really noticed the dive mentioned before. Then again, I wear basses like bras lol


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## Konfyouzd (Mar 24, 2014)

Oh THAT'S what they're called... Want... But its not fretless...


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