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Are Ibanez basses collectable?

#41
Ibanez quality control is pretty good, if you get a 200 Ibby or a 1000 Ibby the quality is pretty consistent, like everyone says, if you want a good reliable player get a Ibanez, if you want a collectible get a Fender and put it in the closet for 30 years...
 
#43
Flaked Beans said:
Yes, they are more collectible than my subway turkey sandwich (actually I prefer my turkey with pickles from that pakistan guy's grocery store just around the corner) but seriously, Ibanez basses are very good!

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yeah I prefer the seafood salad but more shops are opting out of carrying it ................Ibanez don't they build canoe paddles ?.....
 
#44
There are people who seek out mid- to hi-end Ibanez's from the late 70's - Mid 80's that are in excellent or better condition. These were fine, mass produced instruments that were at least the quality of the Fenders and Gibsons of that era and a good number were quite innovative (or at least borrowed innovations from the likes of Alembic, etc.). I owned an early 80's MC924 bass and it was killer. Wish I hadn't foolishly sold it.... Within the last couple of years I bought an early 80's, 32"-scale, P-bass-ish Roadstar bass (I forget the exact model) in very good condition just to get that vibe back in my hands. Got it on Ebay for like $450. Sure enough it is a terrific bass.
 
#45
TolerancEJ said:
I love the Musician series of Ibanez, both the guitar and bass versions.
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"Collectible" smacks of marketing these days. Of the millions of guitars made, how many are truly collectible as in having inherent value, design, style, quality of construction, playability, innovation, standard bearers, provenance and so on. When I read "vintage" in any ad or description it almost universally means the writer has an inflated notion of the value of his mass produced and often questionably-modified instrument.

I have a single-pickup (passive) Musician MC824DS that I bought new in 1984. It's a better instrument than most of the so-called collectibles but it's unlikely ever to bring me more than I paid for it should I sell it one day. Too bad, but WTH.

This Musician replaced a 1971 Fender Precision that'd been stolen. I loved the P-bass but the Musician is its match on all counts except "collectibility." What that means to me, along with its great playability, is that it's less likely, by far, to disappear at the hands of a thief than a replacement P-bass. The Musician is mighty nice to play and I'm really happy with the Tri-sound parallel/series/single switch because it makes the instrument really adaptable WRT the sound.
 
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#46
eban3 said:
yeah I prefer the seafood salad but more shops are opting out of carrying it ................Ibanez don't they build canoe paddles ?.....
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I don't know but they certainly make the best meatballs on the market. I love meatballs with some tomato sauce and pasta mmm. And don't underestimate the quality of the turkey meatballs! They are even better combined with beef and pork meatballs and fresh jalapenos! That being said, canoe paddles are overrated.
 
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#47
BeyondFiredUp said:
I think the original Iceman ICB500 and even the 300, which I had are still very coveted because they were beautiful and just awesome playing and sounding basses. The black ones with creme colored body binding are gorgeous. I sold mine a little over a year ago and still miss it sometimes. The custom cases that specifically are fitted for the Iceman's are perfect fits, snug and top-notch craftsmanship. The 500 was neck-thru and the 300 was bolt on. Both were full sounding and built solid, & hold value.
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The black ones with creme are to die for! You're right, Ibanez has made some gorgeous playing and looking basses. I'm glad you had the chance to own those beautiful basses.

I have a cherry sunburst Ibanez Roadstar II. It has outlasted a dozen jobs, three different states, and two marriages! LOL. The bass is beautiful and I'm so glad my guitarist forced me to buy that one instead of the more economy model back in 1981 or so. It's enjoying a nice life in a hardshell case and only comes out during special concerts and special events. My SR500 has taken over the day to day playing. I love that one too!
 
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#48
alaskaleftybass said:
Ibanez basses are pre-configured hot hot rods. They come already tricked and modified to kick arse. Hot pickups, clear, even tone. Slim fast necks. No dead spots! Sexy shaped bodies and cool finishes. Ibby's don't cost much and don't return much when selling. But they really earn their keep when the're working for you. Always reliable.

If you buy an Ibanez you won't have to buy a new neck, new pick guard (most don't have one) new pickups, or take them to a luthier for regular and frequent adjustments. They're pretty forgiving if you bump them around a bit, and you won't have to worry about damaging their finish to hurt their "collectible" value.

Like @Woofer said, if you want a collectible buy a Fender and put it in the closet for 30 years. If you want a working bass buy an Ibanez.

So, yeah, I collect Ibanez basses. They are very valuable to me because they work hard. They just work.
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+infinity.
 
#49
Ibanez collectibles? As most have said, not really. But, I like collecting them. Here are a few of mine. I have a dozen or so.

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#50
BBQisgood said:
To me, (and probably not too many others), those 90s maple-necked Soundgear basses are super nice. I used to think it was just because that's what I grew up on, but thinking objectively, they are high quality solid performers, especially the passive p/j examples. I'm guessing there may wind up being a small but significant group of devotees in the future and I may wind up being one of them.

I don't think I'd ever count on too many of them ever being high dollar though.
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Can you point out anything that would distinguish the 90's era ones you like better than the soundgear models they make today? Generally don't have to look too hard to find the G10/Gio soundgear in lefty but I assume you are referring to something with either a different model, different logo, something or do you just mean from the 90's to present?

Relatively low signal to noise ratio in the used lefty bass market. Having another solid performer as a mod platform gives me something to look out for.
 
#52
cheechi said:
Can you point out anything that would distinguish the 90's era ones you like better than the soundgear models they make today? Generally don't have to look too hard to find the G10/Gio soundgear in lefty but I assume you are referring to something with either a different model, different logo, something or do you just mean from the 90's to present?

Relatively low signal to noise ratio in the used lefty bass market. Having another solid performer as a mod platform gives me something to look out for.
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This is just my own preference, but I really like the structurally sound maple necks, quiet electronics and the punchiness of the passive pj configuration. In fact, I don't believe they are better (except for the neck, and on some Ibanez models you can still find maple necks) than the more modern ones.

I like those modern ones too, and I own a newer mid-range Soundgear with the active preamp. Moreover to me they are just different flavors of a really good platform.

A good mid 90s p/j, if that is your thing, can match much of what you'd want for jazz, blues, rock and funk. Mine has been complimented by a couple of pretty demanding musicians through the years for its tone, which can closely mimic an upright.

I also sold guitars for a short while in the late 90s and I find that the lower end to mid range 90s Ibanez basses were of higher or equal quality than pretty much everything available at that price range then and I still find that true today.

It will be a while before I get back home but I'll look at my old bass (still my favorite) and get you the model number and some specs.
 
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#53
the very moment that The Hive decides something is "vintage", it is collectible. I have seen guys here insist that their old Hondo bass (an instrument I saw used as firewood, on a regular basis, in the 1970s / 80s) is somehow "Vintage".

Bad + Old = vintage, it seems.

THAT SAID, those old Ibby guitars (not basses) which all the inlays might be worth something because they are so unusual... but at that time, ibby basses were just mediocre Fender knockoffs. Nothing more.
 
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#57
SanDiegoHarry said:
the very moment that The Hive decides something is "vintage", it is collectible. I have seen guys here insist that their old Hondo bass (an instrument I saw used as firewood, on a regular basis, in the 1970s / 80s) is somehow "Vintage".

Bad + Old = vintage, it seems.

THAT SAID, those old Ibby guitars (not basses) which all the inlays might be worth something because they are so unusual... but at that time, ibby basses were just mediocre Fender knockoffs. Nothing more.
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Hendrix used Fenders as firewood too. And those would be considered vintage now.
 
#60
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There is a forum and they have been around a long time. There also books on Ibanez, pre and post lawsuit era. That should answer the question

If the OPs question is if Ibanez will ever fetch Fender/Gibson vintage prices, the answer is no, but the sale price of anything is really what anyone would pay for it.

I have some 20+ pro level basses of all sorts (each generic type as a studio player), maybe half a dozen are Ibanez. Do I have a no 1 bass? No, whichever behaves. Even the Alembics sometimes don't sound right sometimes. The one that is behaving now is my Ibanez RB850 lefty.

I have maybe about 8 or 9 guitars, 3 are Ibanez. Do I have a no 1 guitar? Yes. I haven't really got guitar gas as my Ibanez AS200 lefty which I have had since 1981 smacks them all and does all kinds of music styles convincingly. Not selling that one ever. Bass Gas? Yes, it goes on.
 

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