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Ibanez - Opinions & Experinces

#21
I got a SR300DX from my parents as a starter bass, which it was good for, but the tone left something to be desired after I began to hear some higher-end basses. I managed to get a Ibanez RKB900 for $350, which along with an Yammy RBX775 have fulfiflled my most basic tone desires for a while. My GAS pains are still dreadful, yet college funds force me to endure. :bassist: The RKB900 is a GREAT bass for the price, and the SR series is also decent although I dislike the thin necks and electronics in mine.
 
#22
Well, I like my Ibanez, but since it's just about the only one I've ever really played, I don't have a good frame of reference. It's labeled GTR 50. Don't know much about it.
A question: I do like the sound of it a lot. It has a p-bass type pickup. How representative would my bass's sound be of the typical p-bass?(Think also towards modern sounding stuff, not only Fenders)
 
#23
I really liked the SR300DX when I tried it out, but I didn't know all too much about basses...

I've got an Ibanez RB800...and while its neck is awesome to play, its developed an annoying buzz (probably a screw in the gotoh 206 bridge loose, but yeah) and the tone is a little mediocre.

I'm gonna try going passive with it, but its a pretty good bass for the 150 I paid for it (shipped from Texas and with a case!)
 
#24
I like Ibanez bass guitars. I posted this earlier, but have (for student use) in my band room two Samicks, one Fender, and two Ibanez GSR190s. Over time, the Ibanez basses have held up so much better than the Samicks (definitely) and the Fender (not as bad as Samick). I also like Ibanez's ease of playing as compared to the others, which make for a better beginner experience. The instruments have held up very well, and holds intonation remarkably well. I also recently took delivery of a new SR505 for the program, and it is quite nice. MY
 
#25
I haven't had much to do with the newer models, but I'm a fan of the older ones. I've got a Musician, Roadster and Roadstar, all early 80's and think they're great instruments.
 
#26
I have an SRX400 and an RD505. Both have totally different feels, tones, and styles to them. Both are a lot of fun to play and have held up to my abuse. (I don't baby my gear that much. In fact, I don't consider a piece of gear "mine" until I put the first mark on it through gigging.) The RoadGear bass has become my weapon of choice in my band and I have a lot of great basses to choose from. I recommend trying an Ibanez or three out since they are readily available at local music shops and they just might shock you with their quality and value.
 
#27
chaddukes said:
The thing that upsets me about Ibanez is that they have modelled themselves to teen rockers and thats pretty much it.
Click to expand...
They always have targetted that demographic. Back in the early 80s my High School band guitar player had an Ibanez Roadstar. A ho-hum strat copy with two humbuckers. Good enough guitar, but he graduated to a G&L and a Gibson SG and the Ibanez wasn't missed.
 
#28
The Ibanez ATK bass I had for most of the 90s was one of the best I've ever played. It was a 1995 model, made in Japan and sounded like a Musicman on steroids. Weirdly, I bought a later release ATK (1998) as a backup and wondered what was wrong with my ears afterwards. It was a dud. Being a fool, I sold them both to travel. I'd buy the 95 back in a heartbeat.
I now use an Ibanez SR900 as my active bass and love it. It has a beautiful, sleek, neck-thru design. It runs active Bartolinis and just oozes class. I often use it to replicate my budget attempt at a boutique bass sound.
My general experience of Ibanez is very good. Like any brand, if the wood is right and it sounds good unplugged, theres a chance it is worthy of consideration.
 
#29
I play a SR Prestige and I loce the thing, great tone, great neck, awesome looks, just a killer bass. However, Ibanez does have some lower quality basses that I don't like as much, but they're for beginners, and seeing that it's alot better than Squier in quality, I'd go for an Ibanez.

Looking for a lecompte next time though.

Greg
 
#30
IMO Ibanez make great stuff for the price they ask for it, except cheap models like Soundgear. The only Ibanez bass I've ever played was an acoustic one, which had a rather rich tone for that price. Their guitars just kick ass! My friend owns Ibanez Artcore (hollow-body jazz guitar), and it has better unplugged sound than his 9-year old Yamaha classic guitar, and in addition to it it has a killer distortion sound (not Jackson, but still...). In short, it costs 2.5 times less than Fender Strat MIM and sounds much better.
Basses like Warwick are definately better for advanced pro players, but Ibanez are one of the best choices when talking about starter and mid-end basses IMO
 
#31
i've owned a few ibanez basses over the past decade:

SR400
SR505
SR1205 neck thru

all weren't bad instruments, but like others have mentioned, i just felt that they were lacking something. i think for the money, it is a good deal. great for beginners and intermediate players that aren't ready or can't afford to drop serious cash. i just recently got rid of the SR1205 when i picked up my warwick thumb and don't have any of the others anymore. i think i agree with whoever said they would choose a fender over an ibanez.
 
#32
I love my 3005E Prestige, too.

Great look and tone - love those Bartolini's! It's very comfortable to hold all night, also - nicely balanced.

I think (my perception is, that is) Ibanez has made a shift towards making "instruments" vs "teen axes." But, then again, what the hell do I know :hmm:
 
#33
theGROOVEjunkie said:
I think (my perception is, that is) Ibanez has made a shift towards making "instruments" vs "teen axes." But, then again, what the hell do I know :hmm:
Click to expand...

I think they always went that way. Yes, many instruments they make are oriented for young players, but they also release some more serious products, and I'm not only talking about basses. Their acoustic guitars, for instance, are MAINLY for professionals.
Also: how do you exactly destinguish beteen a "teen axe" and an "instrument"? :eyebrow:
 
#34
I've played a few Ibanez basses and they all had different charmes. I currently play a switchable active/passive TR 500 Expressionist (P bass clone with 2 P90 like pups) which I absolutely love. It's big, chunky and heavy like a good bass is supposed to be. It takes some tinkering with the pre-amp and your amp to really get a good sound but once you've got it you've got it. I've also played two SR's, a 400 and an 800 which I didn't like so much, it kinda reminded me of my early days when I played on a broomstick in front of the television. The pups and bridge construction on the 800 where simply good, no more no less. On the 400 it was kind of sucky, didn't feel comfortable on it at all.
I totally agree on the whole "teen axe" thing, the majority of their instruments are designed for younger players or atleast with younger players in mind. Somehow for that reason I kind of lost interest in them
 
#35
I stopped by a local Sam Ash during lunch this afternoon and sampled a new RD505. It is a suprisingly good bass, especially for the money! This bass didn't strike me as one for the "teen" market either. It had a great neck, no dead spots, many versatile tones. It was a little heavier than I normally like, but not so heavy as to reject it. I may need to play this one again.
 
#38
I have a GSR200...

When I first had it I was going to try and sell it for eighty dollars. It was just this ugly bass that had no attraction at all to it. Tone was bad. Then one night back in my dorm I just decided to defret it. I had never even played a fretless before, but I got out my hammer and ripped them out. By four in the morning I had a fretless!

I chipped out the dots on the fingerboard and filled them with black acrylic. Replaced the pickups with barts. Ripped out the pots and cheap chrome knobs, running the signal direct to the jack, filling the holes with black acrylic. Replaced cheap chrome bridge with ABM black bridge. Black straplocks.

Too bad I had to do all that but now it's badass. Budget is still under a grand and I have a custom.
 
#39
My second bass was a black Link Removed that I picked up from a pawn shop for $150. It had a great sound and played effortlessly. It's the axe I learned to slap on. I sold it to a guy who was learning how to play, so at least it went to a good home, but it would be perfect for at least one of my paying gigs these days, a roots blues band. :rolleyes:

As far as the SR Prestige series, I was shocked by the sound and playability of a 1006 that I played recently. It seemed to offer comparable woods, pickups and better electronics and a more playable neck than my '92 Warwick Streamer Bass 6 for a third of the MSRP. I posted about it here. I'm not looking to trade, but I am comparing them head to head on Saturday just to be sure I wasn't hallucinating. :eyebrow:
 
#40
I have the EDB605 and the SR500 ...

I play each for diffent reasons. The EDB605 has a great sound for the prog/synthisizer originals music I play. The SR500 is what I use for classic rock covers, and for a warmer sounding tone.

Everything about both basses fit my needs perfectly. At 45 yrs. old, I'm not a teen consumer. I bought them for the value I recognized.
Someday I might spend 1K+ on a bass, and I will check out Ibanez first ... as well as other brands.

For now ... I really like what I have.
:D
 

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