Do Ibanez basses have bad reputations in general

[Deleted member 271037]

Ibanez make great instruments and generally have very good quality control.

Ibanez Prestige series (MIJ) are amazing instruments, easily as good as anything out there, but they have good instruments in ever price range.

I have never gotten the impression that Ibanez have a bad reputation. Where did that come from?

I mainly play passive basses so my only complaint about Ibanez is that except for their entry level models they only have active basses, which means they're not really my cup of tea. But objectively, they make some of the best instruments you can find in any given price range.

 

[J Wilson]

Ibanez busts the almost DNA-level instinct that bass guitars must be one more variation resulting in one more Fender-Shaped-Object, as if there could possibly be room in the market for another one.

The reality is that NO other manufacturer offers as many different products ranges of bass guitars, from mild to wild and inexpensive to probably more money than most of us could budget. No other builder is as quick to implement the current hot pickups or hardware or finishes or style of instrument, whether neck through, headless, fanned fret, traditional or wildly futuristic.

And we are far better off for these efforts. They are routinely well-built and playing axes, and I would have no reservations buying one at any price point, and in an often Hyde bound tradition of instruments that look so familiar, we need builders like them who push the envelope and advance the state of the art.

 

[Just Wrong]

This is hilarious how accurate this is.

Forums are always victim to group think.

Some aspects of their dominance absolutely have to do with the brands being decently represented and almost using TB as a customer support forum for them.

You should look at bass pedalboards on Instagram. The algorithm probably has a hand in it, but if I had just a single penny for every board that was: Doom, Octabvre, HX Stomp and Cali76 with the occasional Noble I could afford one myself.

 

[Obese Chess]

Your first mistake was going to Reddit.

 

[NitroBobby]

I’ve owned 2. The first was my first bass, a GSR90 or something. Came with the Jump Start kit. It was cheap but played pretty well. I ended up replacing the pups & pots and shielded/grounded the whole thing. It was probably the quietest bass I’ve ever heard. (Or didn’t hear?) Unfortunately, it met an untimely end after a fall caused the body to split.

This BTB 4 is my go to when I play a solid body. A beautiful instrument. The tonal possibilities from the onboard EQ is impressive. I love this bass. Highly recommend.

kgb

 

[Salem6127]

Personally never came across an Ibanez bass I've liked, at any price range. They seem to always have a sterile metallic built in tone I just can't EQ out completely. Then again, this could be attributed to the house preamp they use in basically all their instruments. Not my cup o tea, but it certainly is for many others.

 

[Cadillac_Mike]

 

[moles]

My main player (actually, sole bass right now) is a BTB1806 - pro gigs with it have included a classic rock tribute (Fleetwood Mac), R&B, country, pop, club bangers, some light coffee-house/ lounge jazz ... and some heavy modern rock. Strung with Labella gold flats.

Also - I'm on Reddit *far too often* and I don't think I've never read this hot-take. Sorry OP - I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that it was unintentional, but this post has troll vibes all over it. Or something.

 

[Deleted member 409896]

No.

 

[Cory rich40]

My main player (actually, sole bass right now) is a BTB1806 - pro gigs with it have included a classic rock tribute (Fleetwood Mac), R&B, country, pop, club bangers, some light coffee-house/ lounge jazz ... and some heavy modern rock. Strung with Labella gold flats.

Also - I'm on Reddit *far too often* and I don't think I've never read this hot-take. Sorry OP - I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that it was unintentional, but this post has troll vibes all over it. Or something.

There were 1 or 2 reddit posts about why does Ibanez get hate. I just purchased a BTB 806 and if there are potential issues I would like to know what they are. I’ve researched this bass since November and haven’t really found anything negative about it. You tube doesn’t seem to think Ibanez basses suck, so that’s good. Honestly, I did have a bad experience one time with the Ibanez Ashula bass. I ordered one and the battery had to be replaced once a week. It made me wary of Ibanez. But I had good experiences with the BTB line so I gave Ibanez another go and got a winner. I also realize the more basses you buy online the more you risk getting a lemon but my bass can’t really be found in any shops around here so I have no choice but to buy online if I want the bass

 

[Cory rich40]

My main player (actually, sole bass right now) is a BTB1806 - pro gigs with it have included a classic rock tribute (Fleetwood Mac), R&B, country, pop, club bangers, some light coffee-house/ lounge jazz ... and some heavy modern rock. Strung with Labella gold flats.

Also - I'm on Reddit *far too often* and I don't think I've never read this hot-take. Sorry OP - I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that it was unintentional, but this post has troll vibes all over it. Or something.

Also just read a Reddit post titled why do pro players not play Ibanez basses. Again, you do the research and you will see a lot of artists endorse Ibanez basses and this assumption obviously isn’t true. This may be true in the genre of country music, but honestly especially with modern country music I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of session bassist use Ibanez, or at least more modern voiced basses besides the traditional Fenders

 

[logdrum]

No

 

[Chrishi87]

My 2 cents noone is interested in.
I own Music Mans, Modulus, Fender, Sadowsky, but secretly my Japanese Ibanez Soundgear has one of the best tones.
Why? Because it´s so unbelievable boring / sterile. If I would play clean, I would say "meh". But As I use a Quad Cortex as a Tone Shaper, the Ibanez shines through the other basses because I can shape it in any way I want it to sound like.

I would play them (Soundgears) exclusivly (I think they are beautyful), but the string spacing is a pain in the A$$ . It´s too narrow for my big hands.

 

[KYbass]

I’ve owned four Ibanez basses. Affirma, SRMS720, SR2600, and SRX700.

The fit and finish were great on all. The Affirma was mellow, 720 was very clean and crisp, the 2600 was awesome all around, and the 700 punched well above its weight class. I had zero issues with any. I just couldn’t justify keeping them when I play Ps pretty much exclusively as that’s the sound I really like. I think they are better quality than most in their price ranges. I don’t see them as a step down like Gibson down to Epiphone, but more like a step sideways from Fender. They are just different.

 

[MrWolf14]

Gerald Veasely is a total pro-level player and has used Ibanez for decades. I'm sure he wouldn't attach his name to a poor product.

My first "serious" bass was an SB900 - at the time advertised by Gerald Veasley (and he was Zawinul's bass player).

I play regularly gigs on an Ibanez SR506 (where the only mod is a new preamp) ... but I am not a pro-level player

 

[Rojd]

Ibanez has a great reputation and makes fine instruments.

I have a BTB 746 and a BTB 747 and they're great basses.

 

[el murdoque]

You get what you pay for. In case of Ibanez, you get a lot.
However, I would say they are strongest in the lower and middle tiers of the market.
When you plan on spending 1000-1500 on a bass, Ibanez will already offer you nice preamps and pickups and solid wood choices.
They do have a vast catalog and are not afraid of trying new things. The EHB is testament to that - and it is well received.

The only issue I could think of would be that people who look to spend above $2500 for a bass will look towards other brands,
Ibanez has the Thundercat and Adam Nitty basses that are really expensive, but I doubt they sell many of those, and they do lack
"premium" options that make them desirable in the $3000 market - their shtik is to offer all that at a lower price point already.

 

[pgpete]

In the 80s - Sting used to play an Ibanez.

I had an ibanez Prestige bass in the noughties and it was as good as any boutique level bass.

in the past 20 years the Ibanez ATK basses are held in high regard as a Stingray alternative.

but because Ibanez now mostly caters to the "affordable" end of the market its seen as an inferior product - which it isnt.

 

[brianrost]

When it comes to 6s especially I see more Ibanez on stages than anything else, both BTBs and SRs.

I think of them like Yamaha, making really great instruments but not getting as much attention as Sire or Hartley Benton

 

[Paul New]

lol at people saying “consider your source,” as if TalkBass is any more reputable than Reddit.

Gary Willis and Thundercat are two non-metal bassists who play Ibanez. Gary Willis’s signature bass is amazing, and I would be first in line for a fretted model.

Also, I remember seeing a thread asking the age demographic of TBers and the majority was over 50. A lot of these guys love their boomer burst Fender Precisions with flats and think having to change the battery of their active basses is as much as an endeavour as fighting commies in Vietnam.

A lot of people in all age groups like a Fender Precision with flats because it’s a combination that works. Your comment about changing batteries, from someone who did serve a tour in vietnam, is as rude as it is ridiculous.