Ibanez 2019 (7): A firm return

This is a surprising return from the Ibanez camp this 2019; the Affirma bass (Seen above: AFR4WAP). I'm not really that taken aback by this since it was announced in 2018 that the Affirma would make a return but no further details were available. 

For those not in the know, the Affirma bass was in existence once in the Ibanez catalog & this was how it looked like. It was designed by the late Swiss luthier Rolf Spuler & hence the break away from Ibanez's SR-esque features. Note how the current headstock design is further trimmed for a slimmer outline & necessitated a different type of winding round the tuner shafts. The immediate benefit here is the narrower neck width Also, the top bevelling is now perpendicular to the pickup because Ibanez dedicates this revised channeling to be a deserving thumbs rest.

Over at the flip side, the bass now benefits from a set-neck design for unhindered access to the upper frets. People like yours truly here would love to experience the instrument's stealth design but the 34" scale length would mean a real struggle for individuals with a small body frame. Do note the bass now features piezo pickups as well. The AFR4 is currently a Premium tier instrument.

PICS: Ibanez/Amazonnews