# Opinions on Ibanez Ergodyne Basses



## 7 Strings of Hate (Mar 20, 2008)

Hey there guys. Ive been shopping for a "cheap" bass to pick up for my recordings. It doesnt have to be flashy or anything, but i would prefer an ibby. I always thought these Ergodynes looked hot, but i'm curious to your opinions. Play and sound are my number 1 concern for my bass purchase, but looks follow behind. And just incase you ask, as you guessed, i play metal


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Mar 20, 2008)

no one?
Damn it drew, didnt you have one for a while?


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## Krunch (Mar 20, 2008)

One of my friends has one. I think it's very comfortable to play, the shape works well and it sounds great. I love the piezo + magnets blended sound it has.


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## Ruins (Mar 20, 2008)

EDB550
very comfortable even if its 4 strings ( i play 5 stringer sr405 and i love narrower string spacing)
very accurate and rich tone i was impressed. one thing negative though
it has single coil pup i could hear the his or what ever the grounding problem was and it had nothing to do with fucked up pups its just single coils... :/

even though its single coils i would really love to have one day the 5 string version of it


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Mar 20, 2008)

yea, i havnt really heard too many draw backs to them


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## Drew (Mar 20, 2008)

Sorry dude, fucking crazy day in the office. :/ 

I owned an EDA-905 for a year or two. 5 string, luthite body, piezo pickups as well as magnetics. 

Super comfy, sustains freakishly well, and considering the stock pickups are crap in all abanez guitars it had pretty good tone, too. My problem was I never really got on with the electronics - you had a volume and single EQ each for the mags and for the piezos, and the EQ had a center detent for neutral. One way, it rolled off the bass and treble, the other, it boosted the bass and treble. I'd have rather had mag volume, peizo volume, master bass boost/cut, and master treble boost/cut - I was never really happy with the EQ options on the thing. 

Still, it's an awesome looking, great playing bass, and a great deal for what they go for on the used market these days.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Mar 20, 2008)

Drew said:


> Sorry dude, fucking crazy day in the office. :/
> 
> :



Its cool dude, i was just fucking with you
anyway, not that i dont apreicate everyones help, but i knew you owned one and when you give an answer, you give a good detailed answer that usually shows all perspectives, so thanks for your input man.

I'm guessing the peizo isnt a standard option for ALL of them, just some?


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## Shawn (Mar 21, 2008)

I've always liked the Ergodynes and there were a few I saw that i've wanted. I'm still working on getting a Soundgear again though. I've always been a fan of Ibanez basses.


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## Drew (Mar 25, 2008)

IT's standard on all the EDA's, I believe, but that's a SLIGHTLY different body shape than the ED's. There's an ED in this thead. I had one of these:


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## Mattmc74 (Mar 25, 2008)

My bass player has one, it looks a little silly to me ( body shape)but it sounds and plays great!


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## amonb (Mar 25, 2008)

I don't wanna sound like a queer or nothin, but I think those ergodyne basses are kick ass!


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## Drew (Mar 25, 2008)

They look less weird when you've got them strapped on than they do sitting on a couch, FWIW.

It was probably the most comfortable bass I've ever played, but while it played well and sounded pretty good, too, it just didn't inspire me when I picked it up like my Strat does or, I guess to a slightly lesser extent, my UV. Still, for the price they go for these days I'd totally recommend them - they retailed for around a grand back in the day and at that price they're a little much, but they totally play like a good $5-600 bass.  

My Sherman, meanwhile, isn't quite as comfortable a body, but the fit, finish, and (most importantly) tone absolutely shits all over it. Goddamn does that bass rule.


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## HighGain510 (Mar 25, 2008)

I had an Ergodyne bass (actually two of them, one with that bubinga finish too!) and really liked it. Played nice and sounded pretty good, like everyone has been saying at the used prices they are definitely a good deal.


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## Drew (Mar 25, 2008)

You had one of the real wood ones? Was it a 5?

Edit - oh, the EDR's, not the EDA? Never mind.


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## HighGain510 (Mar 25, 2008)

I think it was just luthite painted to look like Bubinga Burl.  This is what I had:






It was the EDB690BAG model shown above as well as the White Pearl one too. I have more pics of the EDB690BAG at home, I'll see if I can find them. Pretty nice basses.


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## Drew (Mar 25, 2008)

Oh.  

There are a small number of EDA's out there made from carved wood - I guess Ibanez introduced the line in conjunction with a german luthier, and the original basses were made of wood, not synthetic material. They look AWESOME, though I've never seen a pic of a 5-string which ruins it for me. 

An EDB (i guess) 4-string was the first Ergodyne I ever played, and was comfortable enough that when I decided I needed a bass that sucked less than my Squier, that was the first place I looked.


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## HighGain510 (Mar 25, 2008)

Oh yeah I know what you're talking about, those Ergodyne basses looked amazing!  Was the price tag as high as I would assume it was?  I bet they played and sounded awesome if they were anything like their luthite counterparts but I'm guessing they would probably put a huge dent in your wallet!


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## Drew (Mar 26, 2008)

I've only seen the wood ones used on eBay, and I don't remember what they were going for - maybe $800 for a pretty beat 4. 

The EDA-905 I used to have wasn't bad at all. I mean, at first it was - $1k territory - but they got blown out by Musician's Friend. I think I got it for $450-500-ish, plus another $100 for the case. A steal at that price.


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## Coryd (Mar 26, 2008)

I had an EDB600 but sold it after i got my EB Stingray.

It was a pretty good bass though.


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## Drew (Mar 27, 2008)

Drew said:


> My Sherman, meanwhile, isn't quite as comfortable a body, but the fit, finish, and (most importantly) tone absolutely shits all over it. Goddamn does that bass rule.



Just wanted to clarify - Mike just sent me a PM looking for design feedback and asking if there was anything in particular I found uncomfortable, so I wanted to say that 

1.) Mike rules, if that's the sort of customer support you can expect for a bass I didn't even custom-order  and
2.) I wasn't as clear as I should have been, I guess - my Sherman is actually a very comfortable bass, better than a lot I've played. It's just the Ergodyne sacrifices traditional bass aesthetics for comfort, whereas my Sherman still looks like a bass.


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## Igneous (Mar 27, 2008)

I have an EDA905 as well, and I agree with Drew, it's a great bass. And for the amount of money they go for now, I think it's a steal.

Drew's review pretty much covered everything I have to say. A master volume would have DEFINATELY been better, but the layout did the job well. I've surprised so many people with how light it is. Super comfortable, perfectly balanced. And personally, I think they look cool.

Mine is in 'Flare Orange Flat'. That means it's the most obnoxious, flourescent shade of orange. Ever.

Just google image 'eda905fof'.


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## Drew (Mar 27, 2008)

Google Image Result for http://www.mercadolibre.com.mx/jm/img?s=MLM&f=17341131_1494.jpg&v=P

That color? a google image search for that string turned up nothign, so I had to make it more general.


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## Igneous (Mar 27, 2008)

Drew said:


> Google Image Result for http://www.mercadolibre.com.mx/jm/img?s=MLM&f=17341131_1494.jpg&v=P
> 
> That color? a google image search for that string turned up nothign, so I had to make it more general.


 
The picture doesn't do much justice, but yeah, that's it.

I just wish the bass had some more THUMP to it.

I guess I'll leave that to Warwicks.


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## dpm (Apr 8, 2008)

FWIW I've never been impressed by the sound of luthite basses like the Ergodyne and Cort Curbow. I find it very lacking in 'real' low end, thin sounding. With basses how they sound acoustically is directly mirrored in their electric tone, and I haven't heard a luthite bass deliver what I want to hear.


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## darren (Apr 8, 2008)

Most luthite instruments seem to be equipped with active pickups to compensate.


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## Drew (Apr 8, 2008)

I'm kind of with you, Dan - my Ergodyne sounded awesome as a solo instrument, but it never quite sat in the mix the way I wanted it too, it just didn't seem to have much punch to it. I figured it was something I was doing wrong, until I got my Sherman. I'd been using it with the EQ engaged pretty much from day one, and it sounded great, but I got a seriously goood "metal"-y bass sound just going straight into my Rectoverb's clean channel with the EQ bypassed that had loads of punch and impact to it. Turns out it's just something about the low-mid "thump" of mahogany that just does it for me. Who knew, I don't even like it that much for guitars.


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## yevetz (Apr 10, 2008)

Eda 905 FTW!!! I want one


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