Usually, I pick instruments from low-middle price range and modify them to suit my needs, but looking for a 37"+ scale fanfret bass, there is no such thing yet as middle priced.
I made my mind, and waited for this bass to arrive back into stock, patiently sitting back for 8 weeks. It was worth the wait and worth every euro. The bass manages to look even better in real life than in the pictures with the muted finish.
I've waited a couple of weeks before writing this review, to properly get a feel for the bass. Thanks to the T1 pickups that were definitely a step up from the Bartolinis used in most other Ibanez models, it can fit well into any genre with some tweaks to the EQ. I mainly use it for metal, and thanks to the long scale and fanfrets, the string tension is high enough to deliver a uniform sound across all strings, and the low B does not feel like a wet noodle. It absolutely growls when playing through DI into Parallax and delivers exactly the sound I need. High string tension also allows running low action without accidental fret buzz even when playing hard, mine has settled after shipping to be precisely 2mm at 12th fret on low B and I've left it so.
The fret fanning is pretty extreme on this one and took a few playing sessions to really get used to finger placement when playing fast at 1-3 frets. Afterwards, feels perfectly natural and I can play this for hours without getting finger or wrist pain. I don't have particularly long fingers.
It holds tune well against my hard playing, I've had to tune a few strings every few weeks or so, so basically never. A word of warning on the cable plug though, it definitely prevents any accidental disconnections, but initially can prevent intentional ones as well. I was a bit scared at how hard I had to pull to get the cable out, even when holding the release button.
Sadly I don't have and don't know anyone with a Dingwall, and they are virtually nonexistent where I live. Based purely on my ears, I feel I can bang out early Periphery tones by mimicking Nolly's signal chain without a sweat.
Strings are expensive though, at the time of writing this, 55 euros for a new pack and only D'addario seems to sell strings long enough. Just something to keep in mind.
I love it. The bass to end all other basses, and for the first time ever, I can think about selling my other 2 basses without any second doubts. Its that good!