NBD: Ibanez TMB100

dieggsy

dieggsy

Sep 5, 2022
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#1
So I've been pondering getting a cheap-ish bass as a modding platform. Found this at a nearby music store for 209.00. ...To be honest, I just think it looks cool. I've seen pictures of these online and thought they were kinda ugly, but something about seeing it in person changed my mind. The tone through the store's amp was "meh", but the guy working there was very kind and willing to do a little bit of work before my purchase (fixing loose knobs, bridge setup) to... gently nudge me in the "right" direction.

It actually sounds decent-ish through my Rumble 40. IMO it plays better than my SR300E out of the box.The action is actually already set way lower than my other basses without much buzz, which is nice. It's active, and I'm considering making it passive with, idk, DiMarzios? I have no experience with electronics, but I figure there's always a first time.

PXL_20230225_195112641.jpg
 
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#2
I bought one of these for the same reasons -
To be a cheap-ish beater.
I was going to get DiMarzio’s for it (DP123 I think is the PJ set?) but being that I bought it in Spring 2021 and the supply chains were almost non-existent, I couldn’t find any of those pickups anywhere.

I then did what any “normal gear junkie” with an itch would do….
I ordered a cheap Amazon Ceramic MM pickup and went to work.

E3DFD377-1294-4983-A4B4-08370D2FF5BB.jpeg
 
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#3
Sweet mod. Honestly, the more I play it, the more the stock sounds seem to be growing on me, which doesn't bode well for "modding platform". Though it can't hurt to try different things, I can always go back.
 
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#5
The bass is a really good foundation for modding. The neck is comfortable and the frets are even. The setup was close all around. I put a set of Epic Custom Shop PJ2 pups in mine with a Guitar Fuel Tone Monster SBK-2D (currently sold out). The bridge J pickup is neck length, but with the slightly wider bridge screw pattern. Which ever size pup you use, it will require minor wood work, which can easily be done with a Dremel. I opted for the shorter bridge length pickup, filled the stock screw holes with tooth picks, used the Dremel drum sander to slightly spread the screw ear route and drilled new screw pilot holes. I had to drill a third hole for the preamp in the pickguard. I lined it up with the extra routed area under the pickguard. The knob configuration is volume (under the P pickup), Blend (in the first stock hole) and stacked Treble and Bass. The stock concentric knobs work, but the two single knobs will require new knobs.
Talman With Tone Monster.JPG


I currently have it tuned to C# for some music I'm working on. Sounds awesome, if the strings are a bit loose, slapping the pickups. I have a set of DR DDTs to slap on to stiffen it up in the drop tune.
 
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#6
EmuBass said:
No need to start a new thread - there already exists one:
The Official Ibanez TMB Talman Bass Club

Going passive is quite an option. I did that to my TMB100 because the active electronics are much to sharp for my taste. And the double stack knobs are a real pain. Transition to passive is rather easy. Good luck to you!
Click to expand...

Oh, if it's preferable not to start a new thread, can this thread be merged to that one or something? I don't mind either way.

Did you go passive with the same pickups, or swap them for a different set?
 
#8
Curious to see what direction you go with this. It's not too difficult to find Talman basses for around $200 and I'm definitely considering using one as a mod platform before too long (should I actually follow through on my ambitions, that is...)
 
#11
I passivated my TMB105, replaced the Jazz pickup with a Bartolini stack I found used, and replaced the volume knob with an LP toggle and moved the volume to the control plate. I don't have a tone knob. I considered drilling the pickguard to move the toggle up to the hole in body at the lower horn, but decided against it because replacing the pickguard would be a full custom and about 1/3 what I paid for the bass.

Ironically, on bass, a tone knob might be more useful than a volume knob but the laws of the universe require a volume knob, so it stays.
 
#13
Definitely one of the best cheap basses out there. I used mine all over the preproduction recordings for our last album.

The preamp is incredibly loud, but sounds decent enough. If I still had mine, it would probably have been converted to passive.
 
#14
I really like the look of these and seriously considered one. Alas, I didn’t vibe with the neck angle on a strap (too close to parallel to the ground for my taste) and ended up with a Yamaha.

But… I love the beefy neck (and this coming from a “Jazz neck guy”) and thought the bass sounded fat and punchy, through the Rocket Bass and Katana I tested it on. I do like to tinker though, and would probably consider the passive mod.

Enjoy!
 
#15
I had one for awhile. They are a lot of bass for the $$, especially for what I paid for mine used. I didn’t like the active circuit though. I wish I had thought of rewiring it to passive. I probably would have liked it better. I’ll probably get another one someday. Or maybe buy it back from the guy I sold it to.
 
#16
swarfrat said:
I passivated my TMB105, replaced the Jazz pickup with a Bartolini stack I found used, and replaced the volume knob with an LP toggle and moved the volume to the control plate. I don't have a tone knob. I considered drilling the pickguard to move the toggle up to the hole in body at the lower horn, but decided against it because replacing the pickguard would be a full custom and about 1/3 what I paid for the bass.

Ironically, on bass, a tone knob might be more useful than a volume knob but the laws of the universe require a volume knob, so it stays.
Click to expand...
Have you considered a Stacked Dual Concentric pot for the volume and tone, like was done on the '62 Jazz bass?
 
#17
I love mine and was really bummed out when I took it out one day and found the neck with a slight back bow (with no tension on the truss rod) and a twist at the headstock. It was unplayable. I contacted Ibanez about buying a replacement neck, but that would have cost more that buying a new bass after the cost of the neck, the labor, and shipping both ways. They won't just sell you a neck, they require that you ship the instrument to them so that they can do the install. I thought about buying another bass, but decided against it. Was going to have a Warmoth (or some other) replacement neck put on it, but the fellow who works on my basses had another idea. The gamble was that the neck had settled for the final time. Joe Kruse (of MBJ Guitars and Carl Thompson) took the frets out, replaned the neck and put new frets in. He gave me a good deal on the work, but I still have the most expensive Ibanez Talman TMB100 on the planet.
 
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#19
CallMeAl said:
I really like the look of these and seriously considered one. Alas, I didn’t vibe with the neck angle on a strap (too close to parallel to the ground for my taste) and ended up with a Yamaha.

But… I love the beefy neck (and this coming from a “Jazz neck guy”) and thought the bass sounded fat and punchy, through the Rocket Bass and Katana I tested it on. I do like to tinker though, and would probably consider the passive mod.

Enjoy!
Click to expand...

Yeah, it is a bit neck divey. I'll probably get a 3.5" strap for it either way, so if that doesn't make it better maybe I'll consider swapping out the tuners for something lighter. I tell myself I'm a Jazz neck guy and I do think I prefer them, but I've tried a handful of different neck profiles and none so far has been a deal breaker.

TJH3113 said:
I love mine and was really bummed out when I took it out one day and found the neck with a slight back bow (with no tension on the truss rod) and a twist at the headstock. It was unplayable. I contacted Ibanez about buying a replacement neck, but that would have cost more that buying a new bass after the cost of the neck, the labor, and shipping both ways. They won't just sell you a neck, they require that you ship the instrument to them so that they can do the install. I thought about buying another bass, but decided against it. Was going to have a Warmoth (or some other) replacement neck put on it, but the fellow who works on my basses had another idea. The gamble was that the neck had settled for the final time. Joe Kruse (of MBJ Guitars and Carl Thompson) took the frets out, replaned the neck and put new frets in. He gave me a good deal on the work, but I still have the most expensive Ibanez Talman TMB100 on the planet.
Click to expand...


You have an awesome youtube channel! Maybe a dumb question... how do you hold up the basses? Is it one of those stands that hold it from the bottom?

Are there Warmoth necks that are compatible with the TMB100 neck pocket? Block inlays would be neat...
 
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#20
dieggsy said:
Yeah, it is a bit neck divey. I'll probably get a 3.5" strap for it either way, so if that doesn't make it better maybe I'll consider swapping out the tuners for something lighter. I tell myself I'm a Jazz neck guy and I do think I prefer them, but I've tried a handful of different neck profiles and none so far has been a deal breaker.



You have an awesome youtube channel! Maybe a dumb question... how do you hold up the basses? Is it one of those stands that hold it from the bottom?

Are there Warmoth necks that are compatible with the TMB100 neck pocket? Block inlays would be neat...
Click to expand...
Thanks! No stand or anything, the basses jut sit in my lap.

No, there was no “drop-in” replacement for the Talman. Joe said it would take a bit of painstaking work to shape the base of the neck to fit the pocket, so we decided on going the other route. It was still labor intensive but I’ve got a top shelf fret job now.
 
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