Gear     Review     6:

Specs: TMB4 maple neck, poplar body,  jatoba fretboard with acrylic block inlay, medium frets. DynaMix P    Neck pickup. DynaMix J2 bridge pickup, Ibanez custom "active" ( 9 V ) electronics with two-band EQ. Stand-  ard bridge. "Series-Tap" slide switch provides single-coil option in the bridge position. Street Price: $299.99. 

What kind of electric bass can you get for a measly three-hundred bucks? A pretty amazing one actually!    When I formed "Riff Jam Tribe" ( -my Spacerock recording "sideline" ), I knew I wanted my music to sound like an actual "rock band" playing and not  antiseptic-sounding all-synth "electronica". Therefore, I knew the sound of an electric guitar, electric bass and drums would be crucial to "Riff Jam Tribe's" sound palette.

The drums were easy as both my Korg Electribe Sample and  Zoom R8 ( -digital eight-track ) have good built in drums. But getting the sound of realistic electric guitars and basses?  Now that was going to be a problem. Luckily, I soon discovered Appied Acoustic System's "Strum 2" guitar emulation plug-in. It passed sonic muster in my estimation -so the "guitar sound" problem was solved.  But what about the electric bass sounds? 

Being a synthesist, I knew that programming a bass sound on one of my synths would be easy. But getting        a REALISTIC "bass-guitar" patch that would convince people they were hearing an actual bass? I wasn't sure      I could pull that off. That's when I started thinking about the possibility of buying a REAL bass guitar ( -and "sampling" it's plucked and slapped notes into my Electribe ). But could I find a bass that both sounded      great and fit my meager $300.00  budget?  That was going to be a real challenge!

So, I started perusing Youtube for any videos I could find on "reasonably-priced" basses. Since I'm not a bassist myself, I had no preconceived idea of which brands were good.  But it didn't really matter as all the prestigious well known brands ( i.e:  Fender, Rickenbacher, etc. ) were well out of my price-range anyway! None-the-less,  I persisted. Eventually, my persistence paid off. I came across some very enlightening ( -and entertaining! ) videos spotlighting Ibanez's "Talman" ( TMB-Series ). The YouTuber's auditioning these basses seemed genuinely jazzed about the line ( -and how much "value" they crammed into their budget price tags ).        Well, that's exactly the type of bass I was looking for! 

Here are are few of those videos:   

 * Johnny Lee Long and the TMB-100                                                                                                                            * Yev Zakharov  and the TMB-300                                                                                                                                     *Desy McDonald's "Extreme Bass Solo"  ( -with an unspecified TMB Model ) 

No doubt about it, Ibanez's "Talman" line has a unique sound signature. The TMB-310 ( -one of the "Talman" line's mid-level entries, along with the TMB-300 ) utilizes a series -tap slide switch to select between tap and series pickup configurations for the bridge pickup ( -which has two stacked single-coil pickups, similar to a humbucker ). The "series" position bypasses the hum and noise and gives you a "wider" bottom-end.

The "tap" position uses only one of the bridge's pickups for a "vintage" tone ( -that's a bit noisier ). 

If you bother to read the comments of the TMB-300/ 310 owner/ reviewers ( -on mail-order music sites like Sweetwater's or beneath the above-mentioned Youtube videos ), you'll find plenty of kudos regarding their wide range of musical "tone".  And it's true. The TMB-300 and TMB-310 are capable of a staggering variety of "tones". From smooth, warm jazz to bodacious "in your face" slap-funk to straight ahead rock n' roll  ( -not to mention a myriad of OTHER musical styles ). I don't think I've ever heard a line of basses capable of a wider palette of "tone".  And that will really mean something when we compare the TMB-310 to  I.K. Multimedia's "Modo Bass 1.5" ( below ). 

The TMB-310's tone can punch through a mix like a hot knife through warm butter. This isn't a timid, mild mannered axe! In fact, some have called the "Talman" line's custom active ( 9-volt powered ) two band EQ      "radical". And that's fine by me. I love it's punchy "in-your-face" tone and attitude. With the TMB-310's bridge pickups in-series and both pickups active, bass and treble at center detent ( -or a bit past ), the TMB-310 is an absolute monster. Youtube bassist Johnny Lee Long ( -whose highly entertaining review of the TMB-100    you can watch at the above link ) calls the "Talman" line's  EQ "off the chain". I couldn't agree more.

And that's precisely WHY I love it! 

If you're searching for an affordable, versatile bass guitar that's both a "tone chameleon" ( -serving up a vast array of tones covering nearly ANY musical style you can think of ) and a bass you can use to conjure up your OWN personal "sound signature" with ( -one that will really cut-through a mix and dominate ), Ibanez's    TMB-310 should suit your needs. In fact, based upon the reviews I've read on them, Ibanez's TMB-100 

and TMB-300 should also be rock-solid buys! 

If you read this review from the beginning, you're probably asking yourself WHY I didn't keep my TMB-310

( -if I'm so stoked about it )?  Fair question.  Being a bass novice, it never really occurred to me just how      large bass guitars are. Website and music gear catalog pictures ( -like those in Sweetwater's catalog )        fail to adequately convey the actual size and scale of the instruments you're looking at. 

Once the TMB-310 was delivered and it was finally strapped around my neck, I suddenly got a sick feeling      in  the pit of my stomach. It suddenly dawned upon me this instrument just wasn't going to "fit" the tight confines of my tiny bedroom project-studio ( -where it would be played mostly ). If I swung around fast        the bass' headstock might take out my equipment shelf or nearby laptop. Never mind "roaming" with it 

( -which every bass player is prone to doing when "getting into the groove" ). 

So, reluctantly, I knew both the TMB-310 and the sweet Peavey Vypyr "VIP-1" Combo Amp ( -I'd purchased along with the TMB-310 ) would be going back. Reality can really suck when it hits you square in the face   

at times like that!

That being said, if you're looking for one "sweet bass" ( -and don't have a stack of cash to spend on it ),

I'd recommend auditioning an Ibanez TMB-310. In fact, based upon the reviews I've read on them, the entire TMB line ( -including the TMB-100 and TMB-300 ) should be good bets as well. They all have tons of tone and value for the dollar.  Just make sure you have enough practice space to play your "Talman" in.  Bass guitars really DO  require plenty of room!

                                                               -END  OF  REVIEW

As mentioned above, Sweetwater "goes the extra mile" by setting up the guitars and basses they sell at no additional cost. They also e-mail you a series of high-resolution photos of the exact instrument you're buying.    That's pretty neat!  And kudos to my Sweetwater Sales Engineer Chris Lewis. Chris has assisted me with tons of purchases over the years. His competitive pricing, quick and responsive service ( -and overall helpfulness )    are much appreciated. If you're new to Sweetwater -ask for Chris Lewis, he'll take care of you!