does ibanez have a bad rep?

[Warmuth]

The premium line is equal or better than anything in the 1k range. For my personal taste it's the best bass available at that price point. There is no other 1,000.00 bass I'd pick over it. So quality wise I think it equals other basses at their price point but the ergonomics are polarizing. They suit me perfectly , others not so much.

[Red_Merkin]

Ibanez makes good stuff, it's just not for me. The neck profiles are too thin for my liking, and active pickups have never really done it for me. The closest I ever came to wanting an Ibanez was the ATK, because the neck was so chunky and it copped a good Stingray tone for like half the price.

[Bongolation]

It's virtually all just contract stuff, like nearly everything else. [shrug]

How much cork-sniffing can you do on just another Cor-Tek, or build from a Chinese mill whatever name is on the headstock? I mean, get real.

Ibanez just has an image "problem" as a cheap kid-stuff axe for teh metulz, and they'll never shake it -- but that's totally OK because selling cheap kid stuff for teh metulz is where the bucks are anyway.

It's ALL about image.

[Peepaleep]

Originally Posted by kraigo

I absolutely love my Artcore AGB-140.
KO

I love my Artcore also. I've got chromes on it and with the MM pickup in the sweet spot the tone is absolutely killer.

[Bongolation]

Originally Posted by Red_Merkin

The closest I ever came to wanting an Ibanez was the ATK, because the neck was so chunky and it copped a good Stingray tone for like half the price.

The ATKs were the only Ibanez basses that struck me as even faintly attractive, but though I thought the styling was original, interesting and for once not a failure, I never warmed up to them in practice. I got an ATK700 and an ATK750, and they were beautiful if you like Cor-Tek furniture basses (I don't). The electronics were sloppy, excessive and vulnerable (and with no bypass), which would make me avoid them for live use, even if I was inclined to gig with an Ibanez, which I wasn't. Like most people who take recording seriously, I don't think active basses belong in the studio, so they had no place with me there, either.

Unfortunately, they just filled no need for me.

[fieroturbo]

The only bad Ibanez is anything below the SR400's. I had an SR300, and it was by far the worst bridge design EVER! Getting the bridge saddle adjustments to stay put for 5 minutes is impossible, even with threadlocker!

Aside from that travesty, everything else I've had from them is good.

[LikeRaphael]

I'm a 4 string player (fooled around with a 6 for a while) and wanted to get a proper (but not expensive ) 5 string and wound up with the Ibanez 305 . I was shocked how good it sounds. Plays great. Looks great. Records great. Nothing else in its price range came close.

[Tactician]

I took an Ibanez RD600 (same as the later RD900) along to a one week workshop. When I was playing jam sessions everyone want to know what t was - mistaking it for a Lakland. By the end of the week it felt like everyone was going home looking for one on eBay.

You need to play one before judging - they are very different across the ranges.

[Splods]

I have an EWB 5 string acoustic, and it is one of the best basses that I have ever played.

I just wish Ibanez did a custom shop, so I could get the perfect acoustic bass from them.

[Arnie]

I don't know if I consider it crap, but..... back in high school days 81 ish, we loving called Ibanez' "Ibeenhad's"

[Trayster2]

I wanted Fender products so badly, but my hands just fell in love with Ibanez.

[stingray69]

Originally Posted by Trayster2

I wanted Fender products so badly, but my hands just fell in love with Ibanez.

+1

And my ears as well.

Bad rep? Ibanez builds some fantastic sounding & playing instruments that range from entry level to mid-level, to hi-end professional lines like most any other big manufacturer.

But for every instrument & brand in the world, there are a million haters with a million different reasons to hate it. Play what you like & like what you play. I don't have time to worry about if the next fellow thinks my bass is cool or not. I suggest others try it too - it's a wonderful feeling.

[hgiles]

Ibanez is kinda like "AcMe" of the guitar world. Nothing really to complain about, other than one's own personal preferences.

Good quality, good value, and exceed expectations in all cases. People just tend to want something more exclusive.

[Orpheus55]

I bought one of the last ARTB100 Les Paul style basses; short scale, mahogany body. and flawless workmanship throughout. It's my current favorite and a widely overlooked gem.

[Tactician]

Stingray 69 - I agree, every manufacturer has a range of beginners instruments through to pro level. Since some of the Worlds best pros are seen playing just about every major manufacturer's instruments, we can deduce there are good ones amoungst all sorts of makers, and made in all sorts of factories across the World.

[monti2889]

Originally Posted by ROFLMFAO

after looking over a few threads, i'm getting the idea that ibanez basses are considered to be crap by a lot of bass players. my current favorite bass is my ibanez SR506, i don't have any problems with it whatsoever. am I missing something?

they make fine instruments, just not for me. Nothing to do with the quality of their instruments. In fact quality ways, they're probably better than a lot of other options in their range.

[Toejam]

I dunno, maybe it's my being a bass noob but i borrowed a friends Memphis (like putting strings on the side of my car and trying to play it) and I loved playing it. I decided I liked the bass, so I bought an old yamaha rbx200 with rusty pickups and bridge. Loved playing it. refinished the yamaha, new bridge, Seymour Duncan pups, and loved playing it for over a year. wife just bought me an Ibanez SR1200e Premium. Love playing it. Actually I really REALLY love playing it. that slim neck is fantastic for my short stubby hands. Guess the point I'm trying to make is as long as you enjoy playing it, who cares if it's Ibanez, Fender or Fisher-Price.(but my Ibanez is awesome).

[seang15]

Originally Posted by Epitaph04

Ibanez is a great company that produces great basses and guitars.

+1 for sure!

[Peepaleep]

I guess to a certain extent Ibanez has that stigma of being "the best bass for metal" and that image is something that can be hard to shake, despite endorsements by Gary Willis and Gerald Veasley.

Even though their basses play well and are made well, they tend to be inexpensive and very available, giving some people the impression that they are somehow not as good as a bass that costs more or is less widely available.

Here's a loose analogy. Years ago I had a buddy who was a Rolls Royce mechanic. He once told me that the dealer he worked for charged $300 for an oil change. When I asked him about that he said they could charge much less and still make a nice profit, but they would have no customers because the price would be too low for anyone to think that they were getting a decent product and decent service. They charged $300 and customers paid it with a smile.

Look at how many people frown upon Squiers because they are inexpensive. Being $200 less they can't possibly be as good as the crappiest MIM Fender, right?

I absolutely love my Ibanez Artcore with flats and I think it is a better sounding bass than my P (which cost $500 more when new).

[Sartori]

I like the really high end copies they made a few decades ago.

The stuff they make these days just isn't my thing, as all their high-end solid body basses are active. But then, not every product is made for me.