Bass Rig Rundown

Ibanez BTB675ZW

The BTB675ZW is a five string BTB series solid body electric bass model introduced by Ibanez for 2013. It was made in Indonesia as a spot model in the Standard line.

The BTB675ZW features neck through body construction with a zebra wood top on ash wings attached to a maple and bubinga neck with a 24-fret rosewood fingerboard with abalone dot position markers. The body has a double cutaway design with very distinctive, narrow, curving horns. Components include a pair of Bartolini BH1 passive pickups with an Ibanez EQB-IIIS preamp with a three-band EQ and a mid-frequency selector, individually mounted Mono-rail II bridges, a locking Neutrik stereo output jack, a GraphTech Black TUSQ nut and Ibanez tuning machines.

The BTB675 is a similar model with a walnut top. The BTB775PB is a related model with a poplar burl top on mahogany body wings.

The BTB675ZW was offered only in 2013.

Content from ibanez.fandom.com via CC-BY-SA

Hamer Cruisebass (1st Gen)

The Hamer Cruisebass (1st gen 1982-1985) was part of Hamer’s premium bass lineup, featuring distinctive characteristics that made it popular among serious bassists of that era.

The Hamer Cruisebass features premium construction with a glued-in (set) mahogany neck, distinguishing it from the more common bolt-on designs of the era. Its tonal versatility comes from the combination of P-style (split) and J-style (single-coil) pickups, allowing players to access a wide range of sounds from punchy to articulate. The combination of P and J pickups allows players to achieve both the thick, punchy sound associated with Precision basses and the more articulate, mid-range focused tone of Jazz basses. The instrument’s body is crafted from either mahogany or ash, sometimes topped with maple for enhanced aesthetics and tonal properties. The glued-in neck construction provides better sustain and resonance compared to bolt-on designs. The maple neck supports a 21-fret rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays, maintaining the standard 34″ scale length preferred by most bassists. The hardware package includes high-quality Grover tuners and a solid bridge, ensuring reliable tuning stability and substantial sustain that helped establish the Cruisebass as a premium instrument in Hamer’s lineup.

These instruments were manufactured during Hamer’s golden era of production in the early 1980s when they were still a smaller, boutique manufacturer focused on high-quality instruments before their later acquisition by larger companies.

Fun fact: Sting played a Cruisebass with The Police in the early 80’s.

Hamer Cruisebass Ad (circa 1982) from Police Equipment Wiki via CC-BY-SA

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