Ibanez ATK Questions

I am a guitar player of 20 years and I just ordered an Ibanez ATK 750qm from MF, sight unseen.

I needed a bass for recording and writing basslines although Im not a great bass player. I previsouly owned a mid 90s Japanese SR400 or 800. It was a fast "playable" bass. Almost like a cross between a guitar and a bass. I later has a cheap asian P-bass that had a more substantial feel that I liked but the electronics, fit/finish, and tone (*** is agathis?) were a nightmare.

So I went to GC to check out the new Soundgear basses, and they are now made in indonesia, and seem to be using a less dense wood than my mahogany Ibanez sabres. I would never pay $700 for an indonesia guitar with such light wood. Also, IMO, a bass guitar should feel at least twice as substantial/solid as a guitar.

There was a $500 scracth n' dent special on the 750qm antique sunburst which I should get in a few days. Everything Ive read says its a big heavy bass with lots of attitude and tonally versatile. And it looks great.

I'm going to need to decide if I should keep it. Obvisouly if there is a major problem it goes right back. I try to buy used/cheap so that if I need to sell I dont lose too much.


Questions:

I just found that they were closing these out for $350 a week ago! Was that only the KOA finish ones or an older model year? The new Antique Burst ones are retailing for $700. Are the resale value of these really bad? If this guitar is in good shape, how much is it worth resale?

Are the 750s going to hold more value than the 700s or 300s? Are they all made in Korea or did they change the manufacturing location somewhere along the way?

Is the neck pickup worth it? I read some reviews of the older AT 700 and they loved it but wished it had a neck pickup. Then I read reviews of guys with the 750 who say the neck pickup is kinda useless. If this thing needs to go back, I could get a used 700 or buy a new 300 from MF.

Are there any fit/finish/setup issues I should be aware of with this guitar? (Neck problems or other common to this line?)

Thanks. I am really excited about this, I havent bought a "new" guitar from a store since 1997.

vicvon said:

You said you are a guitar player not a bass player? I hope you have fairly large hands cause the neck is fat in comparison to the soundgear basses. I find it more difficult to play than my squier P or Schecter 004 because of it. The fit and finish on my ATK 700 was very good so at least give it a chance. Who knows, you may like the fatter neck.

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THe neck is fatter than a P-bass? I was thinking it would be the same, didn't expect ibanez to go even fatter than the benchmark traditional design.

i_got_a_mohawk said:

The neck isn't bigger than a P-bass, but it is bigger than most Ibanez bass necks. The bodies generally aren't too heavy in the grand scheme of basses either.

My main experience is with my ATK400. This is an older ATK, which also has the J style neck pickup.

It has a good mix of sounds and an excellent pre amp. My only peeve with the neck pickup is that it seems to have a bit of a higher output than the bridge pickup settings. You can get a good range of sounds from Jazz (ish, very "ish) sounds, to a pretty good P sound, and a pretty good Stingray sound (though lacking the finer details and high end of the sound).

The ATKs I've played have always been great basses and fun to play. I REALLY want one of those 750s with the Koa top, but you can't get them anywhere in the UK.

Though my experience is mostly with the 400, I'm pretty sure the 750 will be in the same ball park.

Hope that's some help

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Thanks! That helps alot. I wanted something with the thickness and heft of a P-bass, the fit/finish/playability of an Ibanez, and with lots of versatility for recording.

I think all the ATKs I've seen look great too, but what do I know about bass fashion. . Im a guitarist.

WoodyG3 said:

IMO the density of the wood isn't something to be concerned with in and of itself. There are plenty of very nice sounding basses out there with light weight bodies.

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I have been buying and playing Ibanez guitars from the past 15 years and I can tell you that for sure, with the Mahogony Sabres, they have gotten worse in tone as the wood gets lighter.

My best sounding ones are from the early 90s, the mid 90s ones are ok, the "prestige" ones from 2000+ I wont own. They have been cheaping out on wood quality over the years (at tleast the mahogony has been getting less dense) and I would have thought this is even more important for a bass. Thus I decided to skip the soundgear and get an ATK which should be ash.

This is all just my observation from the guitars and personal opinion. Some people say less dense wood has its own tonality not necessarily inferior. I can say for sure that some slabs of wood just sound better all around.

Orpheus55 said:

I love my ATK 700 natural, and it's neck is about on a par with my MIJ P-bass. However, I was disappointed at how quickly these were devalued by MF's blowout clearance prices. Say what you will about Fender, but it might be one of the few investments you can count on increasing in value in today's economy.

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The one I got was $500 shipped, SND from MF. On the bay, the lowest I saw for the newer ATK700s was around $500 with shipping.

Did they move production of the 300s to indonesia?

Orpheus55 said:

MF had them on clearance at $229 for the natural--formerly $699.

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Holy wow!

Can't look back, just gotta hope the SND comes to me clean. The antique burst is the best finish I have seen, IMO. Second would be the natural. Beyond that they are about the same to me. The only one I do not like is the KOA.

Even though they were that inexpensive. I havent seen them showing up on the bay for anything close to that. Hopefully in time the price cuts will be absorbed and the used market will return to normal.