The Stargazer is an awesome machine. The EMG pickups have very versatile sound. You can dial in any style you like. I own 2 Ibanez basses and, as much as I'm a fan of Ibanez, the Stargazer now is my weapon of choice on stage and in the studio. You can get a powerful thundering low sound, a Music Man style crack AND a soft soulful tone in the same machine.

The parallel/series push/pull knob for the pickups is a great feature. The 2 band EQ is useful to dial in different charcteristics, but I would have preferred a 3 band EQ. The ash body makes this bass light yet effective. The 2 part pickguard (mine is the pearl style on the Crimson Ghost colored Stargazer) gives this bass class and flash. The most handy feature is the bridge that allows for thru-body or standard stringing.

I have played Ibanez basses for over 10 years and I adapted to my Stargazer within 5 minutes enough to play it for my show the same day I bought it. The tuning machines are easy and hold the tuning well. The knobs are at just the right distance for live adjustments on the fly. The Stargazer is well balanced.

This bass is solid! The sound is outstanding and the finish is gorgeous. Straight from the warehouse, I tuned it up, took it to the show and played it hard. I couldn't ask for a more reliable bass.

Here's my only issue with this bass. It retails for around $1069.99 but you can find them for $699.99. You basically get what you pay for, but I was lucky to get mine from a warehouse sale for cheap.

The black one looks good but my Crimson Ghost colored one caught my eye right away. It looks like a Rickenbacker bass and I love that shape. Whle setting up at my show, the other bands couldn't help but to check it out.

Composer/musician/audio engineer for 11 years

Everything from death metal, to rap, to film music