“We've reimagined the tuning experience”: Ibanez launches “revolutionary” new multi-scale bass guitars – and they’re fitted with a game-changing tuning technology
Ibanez and Graph Tech have combined their instrument innovation skills to create two new multi-scale bass guitars that promise to offer next-level tuning benefits.
The SRMS720 and SRMS725 are four- and five-string multi-scale basses, respectively, and both come loaded with Graph Tech’s cutting-edge Ratio machine heads.
These “game-changer” tuners offer a specially calibrated gear ratio for each string position, instead of the typical one-for-all set-up.
Every string reacts differently to tuning adjustments, which is why the lowest strings – especially in drop tunings – can be extremely sensitive to even the slightest of turns. Thanks to this method, each string gets a universal feel and response, allowing players to “experience unparalleled control over their instrument's tuning”.
This naturally results in a more “predictable, precise tuning experience”, with one full turn of each machine head equating to one tone change, regardless of the string.
“We found Ratio machine heads to be extraordinarily accurate, and we were particularly impressed with how easy drop tuning is with them,” says Ibanez. “These tuners are incredibly well suited for heavier sounds, so we thought they’d be a perfect match for our SRMS720 and SRMS725 basses.”
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(Image credit: Ibanez)
(Image credit: Ibanez)
“We've reimagined the tuning experience, providing musicians with a tool that enhances their creativity and expression,” adds Dave Dunwoodie, President at Graph Tech Guitar Labs. “Teaming up with Ibanez represents a milestone in our journey to redefine industry standards.”
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Graph Tech's Ratio tuners have been on the market for a while now, but it looks to be a first factory-fitting for the nifty machine heads, which are also available in electric guitar and acoustic guitar formats.
Both basses combine okoume bodies with five-piece maple/walnut necks and panga panga fretboards, with versatile Fishman Fluence pickups and a three-band EQ providing the tones.
They also benefit from a single-coil push/pull function, and Fishman's voice select switch to widen their tonal palette. Aesthetically, they share the same striking Chameleon Blue finish.
A freelance writer with a penchant for music that gets weird, Phil is a regular contributor to Prog, Guitar World, and Total Guitar magazines and is especially keen on shining a light on unknown artists. Outside of the journalism realm, you can find him writing angular riffs in progressive metal band, Prognosis, in which he slings an 8-string Strandberg Boden Original, churning that low string through a variety of tunings. He's also a published author and is currently penning his debut novel which chucks fantasy, mythology and humanity into a great big melting pot.
