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I’ll jump in here. These are great basses. The design is very well thought out and executed. The bass is very lightweight and perfectly balanced sitting or standing. The electronics package provides a unique tone alongside a tone reminiscent of a P bass. My wife says it sounds like a bass! I prefer using the piezo at full volume with half to full tone, the magnetic pickup at 3/4 volume with some bass boost and treble adjusted for flavor.
Sid the Kid welcome on board with you beautiful bass. You're member number two of Official AFR Affirma Bass Club
If you are a pedal user the tracking on the piezo pickup of these Basses is exceptional. Using an octave pedal the magnetic pickup starts to sputter around C on the E string. The piezo tracks cleanly down to G. It is a big, mean sound. I am looking forward to trying out some synth pedals soon using just the piezo.
These are exceptional instruments. The wide spacing on the 5 string is a nice, not typical of Ibanez touch. The neck is slightly asymmetric, I don’t recall reading about that anywhere but it is very cozy for a wide neck.
These are exceptional instruments. The wide spacing on the 5 string is a nice, not typical of Ibanez touch. The neck is slightly asymmetric, I don’t recall reading about that anywhere but it is very cozy for a wide neck.
Before starting using It I regulate the trimmer and the Magnetic also. I've balanced a bit the two volumes and I use both so nasal tones are Jazzy but with a little bit of snappy and Funky.
This bass has an unique own sound, not a P copy, not a jazzy clone very light and good neck now reinforced with graphite barrels. The first series don't have and some neck default and called Bananez....
This bass has an unique own sound, not a P copy, not a jazzy clone very light and good neck now reinforced with graphite barrels. The first series don't have and some neck default and called Bananez....
I'm using AFR with a Pick nowadays. The Pick accentute the Huge attack of this bass using both PUPS piezo and Bartolini, original sound not similar to anithing else, some times remember me old Aria for the attack but not so similar in mellow sound, AFR is more brilliant.
Hello everybody,
here is a pict of mine, may I join the club?
here is a pict of mine, may I join the club?
Thanks to you I hope this club grow faster because this beautiful bass is a masterpiece not ever considered as good as it is.
I've changed my D'Addario's Nickel 105-45 (very good strings) with a set of LaBella 750n 105-50 Ultralight Nylon Tapewound on my AFR. My suspicious was about the piezo volume for Nylon wounding, but it is all right or better because i've rised up the action and have had a lot of relief in the neck for the low tension.
I expected very woody and vintage tones but...only the feeling is very different and I've had a complete new setup. Good for low tension and not new zing tones but they seems a mid worn roundwound, not bad at all but far away from Flatwound tones In my honest opinion. Good strings? We'll see the long lasting.Now these are my first impressions.
I suggest them on this bass? MMMMmmmm not bad at all if you like a medium worn roundwound and like extra low tension, to play easily chords between 7 to 15th or use the piezo bridge alone commonly. But In my honest opinion these are far away an upright sounding....
I expected very woody and vintage tones but...only the feeling is very different and I've had a complete new setup. Good for low tension and not new zing tones but they seems a mid worn roundwound, not bad at all but far away from Flatwound tones In my honest opinion. Good strings? We'll see the long lasting.Now these are my first impressions.
I suggest them on this bass? MMMMmmmm not bad at all if you like a medium worn roundwound and like extra low tension, to play easily chords between 7 to 15th or use the piezo bridge alone commonly. But In my honest opinion these are far away an upright sounding....
What I really miss about this bass is a fretless version.
I have had a few different sets of strings on the AFR. The bass has a very different sound with each set. I would like to attribute that to the piezo system. It really gives the sound of the string, mixing with the magnets more traditional midrange heavy tone.
The Stock XL strings were surprisingly good. I do not usually like XLs, or nickel. My skin killed these strings in 3 weeks.
Nickel Elixirs were next up and are extremely bright and sizzling. Much finger noise on every string. They came off quickly as they are more suited to darker sounding Basses like a Warwick.
Ernie Ball Group V flats followed up the Elixirs. Decent sounding string, but on the modern side of flats. They had a surprising amount of treble content and that is not what I wanted. They may have been a good string if they broke in but they began to rust in 2 weeks and that was enough for me to say goodbye.
I settled with my old favorite strings, stainless steel DR Low Riders, in the lightest gauge offered for a 5. Just perfect. Far less brightness than the Elixirs, smoother midrange than the Group V flats. These strings give the midrange a different growl. Overall the tone of these strings seems to smooth out the somewhat aggressive mids of the AFR.
It is by far my favorite bass in 23 years of playing.
The Stock XL strings were surprisingly good. I do not usually like XLs, or nickel. My skin killed these strings in 3 weeks.
Nickel Elixirs were next up and are extremely bright and sizzling. Much finger noise on every string. They came off quickly as they are more suited to darker sounding Basses like a Warwick.
Ernie Ball Group V flats followed up the Elixirs. Decent sounding string, but on the modern side of flats. They had a surprising amount of treble content and that is not what I wanted. They may have been a good string if they broke in but they began to rust in 2 weeks and that was enough for me to say goodbye.
I settled with my old favorite strings, stainless steel DR Low Riders, in the lightest gauge offered for a 5. Just perfect. Far less brightness than the Elixirs, smoother midrange than the Group V flats. These strings give the midrange a different growl. Overall the tone of these strings seems to smooth out the somewhat aggressive mids of the AFR.
It is by far my favorite bass in 23 years of playing.
Yes! This bass will be a phenomenal fretless. I am on the hunt for a used one to convert. Seems like they go for around 1k used which is a steal in my humble opinion.
Also I would not expect it to sound like an upright. I have played the Hollowbody sound gear Basses with the piezo like the AFR. I also own an Ibanez Upswing with the same piezo as both aforementioned Basses. Only the upright sounds like an upright, and you kind of have to squint your ears a bit to see it. But it is a great bass too.
In the first edition there were some fretless I don't Know if original or defretted. In this replica probably for covid that has not prosecuted well his diffusion Fretless was not a native version from Indonesia.
I suggest if not too rought for you Ernie Ball Slinky Cobalt Light .95-,40
I still have the original brochure, 1991. I kept it all these years, gazing at it often, hoping for a reissue. The fretless version was available in 4 and 5 strings.
About the first edition I heard that the piezo was fragile, and its sound was rather harsh, not usable on its own.