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Disappointed in Ibanez bass guitar.

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dylanrlarsen

Mar 13, 2012
34
0
#1
Hey guys!

So I've had an Ibanez BTB 400QM for about a year now and I'm really frustrated with its tone. I've spent countless hours adjusting the EQ on it as well as the EQ on my amp, but to no avail. I've adjusted the pickups, cleaned inside/out, changed strings twice, changed the batteries, done everything in the book... but to no avail! It just sounds dry, bland and cheap.

Then my friend brought over his Fender MIA Jazz Bass, plugged it into my amp and it was the sweetest tone ever. :crying: :crying::crying: I was like mega depressed. It had a clean punchy consistent beautiful sexy (every good word in the dictionary) tone that I have been trying to get on my Ibanez for months!!! >:O

I have $300 I can spend towards a new bass... but I have no clue what to get. There's a few MIM J-Basses on the used market but that's about it.

Does anybody know what I should do?
 
#8
Get a Musicman!
Naw I'm kiddin.
I have no presonal experience with the BTB. But Fender Jazzes arekind of the opposite of what I find most Ibanez to be. They are thick and midrangey where Ibanez tends to be flat and hifi. I would say that if you want to split the difference try and find an older Ibanez from the 80's with the "tombstone" headstock and 2+2 tuner format. I don't think headstocks make a huge difference in tone, but the old school Ibby's have way more character to me. Early Roadstar/Roadster basses are great and cheap.
 
#9
dylanrlarsen said:
Hey guys!

So I've had an Ibanez BTB 400QM for about a year now and I'm really frustrated with its tone. I've spent countless hours adjusting the EQ on it as well as the EQ on my amp, but to no avail. I've adjusted the pickups, cleaned inside/out, changed strings twice, changed the batteries, done everything in the book... but to no avail! It just sounds dry, bland and cheap.

Then my friend brought over his Fender MIA Jazz Bass, plugged it into my amp and it was the sweetest tone ever. :crying: :crying::crying: I was like mega depressed. It had a clean punchy consistent beautiful sexy (every good word in the dictionary) tone that I have been trying to get on my Ibanez for months!!! >:O

I have $300 I can spend towards a new bass... but I have no clue what to get. There's a few MIM J-Basses on the used market but that's about it.

Does anybody know what I should do?
Click to expand...

We have the same issue with my wife's Ibanez Soundgear Prestige (or Premium, I forget which). The Ibanez factory-installed preamps are notoriously "thin" sounding (using a 3v battery to power the preamp circuitry doesn't help at all with this, either!) I have heard several Ibanez basses that have had a 9v or 18v-powered preamp installed (Aguilar OBP-3 and Bartolini NTB Series preamps sound particularly nice in these basses .... why do you think Ibanez installs these preamps in their Gerald Veasley and Gary Willis Signature models?)

Before long, I will be getting an Aguilar preamp installed in my wife's otherwise-fantastic Ibanez SGR 5-string.

Just my $.02 contribution.

Doug
 
#11
CoarseBass said:
I ended up hating my BTB400QM - I had a red one. Looked cool, and I liked the feel of the neck, but it always sounded terrible.

If you don't like it, get rid of it.
Click to expand...

I have the same feeling now. I use D'Addario XL strings through a GK or Acoustic brand amp with the treble cranked, and it just sounds anemic more often than not. BTB405 from 2003 I believe
 
#13
I have a Ibanez SG300. Yes it is an inexpensive bass, but I love it.

When I purchased the bass, I was using a Fender Rumble 75 watt amp. It sounded ok, but like you, I constantly fiddled with controls on the bass and amp but was not satisfied with the tone/sound.

I then purchased and Ampeg BA115 amp. I know that professional players will say that the amp sucks. However, I have found that the amp complements the controls and sound of the Ibanez. I replaced the stock strings with flats. I love it.

I also purchased a MIA 2000 Jazz bass. Awsome! There is a distinct difference in quality and sound.

Ibanez products can be awsome basses, depending on what your budget can afford. The premium class is outstanding.

However, my Jazz is awsome. I use them both for different applications of sound I want to play.

Play a selection of basses through various amps at your local music stores. Find the ones that feel good and produce the sound you are looking for.

All are different, even if they are the same models. You only have to search and when you find the one that makes it for you, go for it.
 
#14
I have a BTB 400QM from 2002. It took a lot of messing around with the settings from the bass and amp to get that nice punchy sound that I like. I use blue steels on it and am happy. But...last week I found a great deal in a local music store on a new 2011 Fender American Standard Precision. I'm keeping the BTB because I think its a good bass, but the Fender is amazing.
 
#15
Was his Jazz passive and did it have a volume, volume, tone, array in the knobs? You may like a passive sounding bass. I'd suggest you find out what you want your bass to sound like before you sell your Ibanez for something else. Maybe your favorite tone could be a few hundred bucks less than what you paid for the Ibby. Do your homework FIRST so you could save a lot of money, like how I learned the hard way.
 
#16
Ibanez makes first rate guitars, but I just cannot seem to get into their basses at all. I'm sure there are people who make them work for them, and just love 'em, but I haven't yet found one I was more than "meh" over. Give the MIM Fenders a try and see if they have the tone you're looking for. Even better if you can find a CIJ (Japanese) one at that price.
 
#17
I had the BTB 406QM years ago. TO ME, the sound was poop. there are others that like it though. Spend the $300 on new electronics, or sell the thing and buy a used Am Std. Jazz for around $600. They are out there. I bought mine new in '97 and have been through probably 20 different basses since. The jazz is the only one i still own.

But, like others have said, if you like active electronics, get some new pickups and preamp. If active isn't necessary, and you like the the BTB body, neck, etc., look into a passive pickup that fits the same pickup cavity. That might be a solution too.


Or just sell the thing and buy a Jazz..... go on... you know you want to... :D
 

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