Ibanez EHB Headless Basses for the Stage

Strap on an Ibanez EHB and the first thing you notice is the balance. With no headstock and a chambered, lightweight body, the bass stays level and doesn't pull on your shoulder through a long set. That matters when you're on a stage for hours, loading in and out of venues, or squeezing onto a small riser.

The multi-scale EHB1005MS and EHB1505MS use fanned frets, so the low strings get extra tension and the upper strings sit comfortably under the hand. Parallel-fret versions suit players who prefer a traditional layout. You can choose 4, 5 or 6 strings, and fretless models are there for singing, gliding lines. Bartolini BH2 pickups with a Vari-mid 3-band EQ let you shape your tone from the bass itself, and Mono-rail bridges keep setup straightforward.

Gigging bassists and collectors of modern designs will find a good spread here, from about $1,400 to $2,000. At LV Guitars, the current selection includes fretless and multi-scale basses in matte finishes.