Do Ibanez basses have a bad reputation with bass players, especially pro’s? I know there are a few signature models out there. I just read an article on redditt and it mainly said that outside of metal they are not really popular. Every music store I have ever been in sells them. I have owned a couple of their BTB line basses over the years that were great basses. I have noticed that NBD’s on here don’t usually consist of Ibanez basses. As a matter of fact, a line that receives its share of criticism, sterling by musicman seems to be more popular than Ibanez. Educate me with Ibanez. Is it quality control? Are they largely beginner basses? Is it their designs? As I’ve said, with my limited experience with the BTB series, those seem to be pretty solid.
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Do Ibanez basses have bad reputations in general
- Thread starter Cory rich40
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As my old dad used to say, "don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see". YMMV.
Ibanez has a very good reputation, excellent quality control and builds models in all price points so…. no.
I would put my trust in Ibanez a lot sooner than I’d put my trust in redditt.
I would put my trust in Ibanez a lot sooner than I’d put my trust in redditt.
I only have a lefty Mikro made in Indonesia but I would say the QC for such a budget line instrument is quite good. I suppose my only real criticism of Ibanez is the dearth of lefty instruments (this applies to bass manufacturers in general), particularly the higher end lines. This is why I cannot comment on the BTB series.
I suspect there are at least as many folks playing Ibanez basses as most non-Fender companies combined. They are a HUGE company, and with a very wide spread of instruments across the quality/price spectrum. It does seem like much of their recent development highly favors the modern prog and metal world aesthetically (though some of that is just the visual social media reputation of extended range and multi-scale instruments, all of which are actually used in many different genres), but there are plenty of TBers and countless pro players in the trenches playing Soundgears, BTBs, ATKs, and most recently EHBs (not to mention all the other lines) for all sorts of genres outside of that world.
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Adam Nitti, Gerald Veasley, and Gary Willis are metal bassists?
Reddit bass sub nails another one.
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They're one of the few companies making basses that don't recognizably mimic traditional solid-body bass shapes -- you can't look at an Ibanez bass and say, "oh that's meant to look like a (Fender|Ric|Gibson|Musicman)".*
There are a lot of people who have very fixed ideas about how a bass guitar should look and sound, and they don't think much of this.
*(Yes, they were once in the business of making exact copies of Fender and Ric basses. That was 50 years ago. When they stopped, they stopped cold.)
There are a lot of people who have very fixed ideas about how a bass guitar should look and sound, and they don't think much of this.
*(Yes, they were once in the business of making exact copies of Fender and Ric basses. That was 50 years ago. When they stopped, they stopped cold.)
consider your source!
That would be a no. I’ve got two, an ‘84 and an ‘85 Roadstar Deluxe and they’re excellent instruments. Many players love their Ibanez basses.
Ibanez have a great reputation. Just check out their vintage gear from the late 1970s and 1980s - the Musician and Roadstar II lines are still in demand and command higher prices. I've owned several over the years and can attest to their quality - a Roadstar II RB924, Musician MC2924, Roadbass RD500 (underrated!), and several RB999 'Bean Basses'.
The only reason I don't have one right now is that they don't have a lot of non-beginner-level short scale instruments. The Mikros and Mezzos are OK (though I really wish they hadn't put that ugly pickguard on the Mezzo), but they've only recently added higher-end short scales to the EHB series - some of which are already out of production (the original EHB1000S and EHB1005SMS).
The only reason I don't have one right now is that they don't have a lot of non-beginner-level short scale instruments. The Mikros and Mezzos are OK (though I really wish they hadn't put that ugly pickguard on the Mezzo), but they've only recently added higher-end short scales to the EHB series - some of which are already out of production (the original EHB1000S and EHB1005SMS).
I will say this much. I have a sterling by music man darkray. I thought it sounded great in clean mode. My BTB 806 sounds better. It feels great to play too.
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Does Reddit have a bad reputation in general?
I’d agree with “no”, I will say that with some models in the 1K range that their product designs and hardware are good but their quality control on things like exterior finish or their notorious tube jack being finicky. I absolutely love my new SDR900 and I have both the 4 and 5 string versions along with an SR500e and anSR405.
Ibanez figured out long ago that the vintage styled markets weren't for them. So you don't get so much talk about them here because TalkBass is an older, more conservative styled demographic. Ibanez' niche over the past 40 years has been more focused on metal than anything else.
You can be pretty confident buying an Ibanez, so long as it's what you're looking for.
You can be pretty confident buying an Ibanez, so long as it's what you're looking for.
Nah man, Ibanez makes some awesome basses at every level, from kid to pro.
Everyone has opinions. I think the root of this particular problem is that people only see Ibanez for the entry level gear. Some of which are poorly maintained and poorly set up. I had this opinion until I was able to get some hands on experience with the Prestige line. Probably some of the best non-custom shop stuff you can get these days.
QC on my Sterling Ray35 is the worst of any bass I have ever owned. Terrible tuning machine quality (two have failed in less than 3 months). Unfinished electronics install causing intermittent preamp issues (exposed battery lead and preamp output wire due to poor install). Currently 2 Ibanez basses in the house, GSRM20 Mikro and GVB36 Gerald Veasley Signature. Both are excellent.
Nothing wrong with them. As someone stated above, their market is not Fender clones, so their styling and electronics are generally more modern than some "traditionalist" players would go for. I have a AGB-140 (hollow body) that has excellent workmanship.
I find Yamaha and Cort to be two other brands that are underrated. All three brands have popular low-priced instruments. Unfortunately that gives them a bit of a reputation as a manufacturer of low-priced stuff. However, their premium models are also excellent instruments.
I find Yamaha and Cort to be two other brands that are underrated. All three brands have popular low-priced instruments. Unfortunately that gives them a bit of a reputation as a manufacturer of low-priced stuff. However, their premium models are also excellent instruments.
Yamaha BBNE2 is easily one of the best basses I have ever played. Never bought one, but build quality and pickups/preamp were awesome on the few I have tried. If they ever make the headless 6 string Nathan East Custom Shop bass available, I may have to buy one.
Yep....couple of them knocked-over my corner 7-11 last night.
Riis
Riis
