1976 Ibanez Precision Bass...Any good?

[Shakin-Slim]

Congrats on your wicked buy. I got a fretless '76 Ibanez Precision for $265NZD. About $216USD. Talk about a score! Maple fingerboard too. Yummy

 

[Lazarus.Bird]

You got a good deal friend! Those are excellent basses. $350 is a pretty normal price for those. The good deal part comes from the awesome bass you just acquired

 

[Standalone]

Good score! I tend to accumulate the post-lawsuit basses, which also deserve their good reputation.

 

[Aussie Player]

I'm thinking about buying a 1976 Ibanez Precision bass for a guy off craigslist and was wondering what people's opinion's of them are? Is it worth the $400 dollars they're asking for it? How does the tone compare to a Fender? Is it even worth my time?

When I started playing in 1971, there were 3 kinds of guitars in the market, Fender, Gibson and rubbish.

Everything that was not Gibson or Fender in those days was robbery if it was free. The pickups were trash and the word tone was exempt. Neck joins were 1st year apprentice grade, with unplayable frets past 12.

Run the other way.

Many of these companies progressed and offer reasonably good quality instruments these days and in recent years, but back in their infancy, in hte 70's, a B-B-Q was the only thing that would benefit from them.

 

[fingerbun]

When I started playing in 1971, there were 3 kinds of guitars in the market, Fender, Gibson and rubbish.

Everything that was not Gibson or Fender in those days was robbery if it was free. The pickups were trash and the word tone was exempt. Neck joins were 1st year apprentice grade, with unplayable frets past 12.

Run the other way.

Many of these companies progressed and offer reasonably good quality instruments these days and in recent years, but back in their infancy, in hte 70's, a B-B-Q was the only thing that would benefit from them.

Opinions vary. I know of at least two very serious guitarists playing Ibanez Les Pauls rather than Gibson.

I own an Ibanez jazz copy I bought in 1978 and converted to fretless in 1980. Think it was made in 1972 or 1973. Nice bass. Probably somewhere around the quality of a Highway One. Not as good as the Silver Series which were seriously good.

I have never felt the need to trade it for a Fender.

 

[itsnottruerufus]

When I started playing in 1971, there were 3 kinds of guitars in the market, Fender, Gibson and rubbish.

Everything that was not Gibson or Fender in those days was robbery if it was free. The pickups were trash and the word tone was exempt. Neck joins were 1st year apprentice grade, with unplayable frets past 12.

Run the other way.

Many of these companies progressed and offer reasonably good quality instruments these days and in recent years, but back in their infancy, in hte 70's, a B-B-Q was the only thing that would benefit from them.

Does that make Rics garbage?
Stingrays came out in the '70s too, I bet those things must just suck.

 

[snooker]

I've been playing mine for more than 30 years. I've also owned a couple Fenders and a Rickenbacker. Still like the Ibanez best. Nice thin neck almost like a jazz bass. The only thing is that the factory version was kind of dull sounding, so I added a pair of Dimarzio pickups down near the bridge to get more high end. I play it through a sixties vintage Traynor head and two 15s in a Peavey box. I have no intention of ever changing the setup.

 

[Laurence T]

I just picked up a 76' model PJ (2369B in white). OMG I love it! An local fella in retirement clearing out his stuff to downsize had it in original (fairly worn) hard case. I had a short scale Ibanez I was learning with, but I fancied something with more of a thud and I certainly got it now. Going to put flatwounds on it.