So the Ibanez Steve DiGiorgio signature bass made it here before the new year (List: $2,299). Besides the delight of its availability, we know it's gonna be a slow mover due to: 1) Fretless nature. The biggest deal breaker; even if you are into what the endorser is doing, highly likely, you won't commit to a fretless bass due to its niche tone 2) 5 strings. Not many 5-string fans across the board. Period 3) Price. Self-explanatory.
Your death metal allegiance will come to nought if you don't know Steve DiGiorgio. Many of us would know him though the band, Death (defunct). I know him through Sadus. In fact, I find Sadus interesting because of Steve's bass works in there; he's one of the more technical players in this genre who cleverly mixed his parts without getting in the way of the guitars. If you listen to Death's Human, you'd hear his fretless bass in action.
That's right - fretless. That's how his signature Ibanez is; a fretless 5-string (SDGB1), modelled after the BTB Series. This is downright deserving; Steve DiGiorgio should have been given one much earlier but we know how it is with endorsements & bass players; they are second fiddle to the guitar guys. Do note the fingerboard material in use - Ebonol. This is a synthetic material, very much in the likes of Richlite. Ebonol is a composite of resin & fibre (paper), a surprisingly popular material of choice in the bass circle.
After watching this promo video (yes, he's playing stuff from Death's Human), you'd agree this guy's precision is scary. Anyway, this bass was initially left out of the November release list only to appear like a week into the month. Better late than never.
I first heard Steve Digiorgio play in Sadus. He was (still is) one of those bass dweebs who won't let the guitar/ drum bury the low end in a band context. He holds his own in terms of bass technicalities as well, in fact, one of the very few metal bassists out there to strap on a fretless unit.
I was trawling Ibanez's web pages & was surprised to see him there now playing the BTB bass. No idea if this is an exclusive deal but he switched camps for sure.
