My Ibanez SR405QM is still the best 5 string bass I've ever played and one of the best basses I've ever played and I bought it for $450. The only bass I ever played and liked more was a $1200 P bass.
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Ibanez stigma... is it just me?
- Thread starter rojo412
- Start date
I think it's all about branding. A cheap Ibanez is an Ibanez and an expensive Ibanez is an Ibanez - good or bad, an Ibanez is an Ibanez. A Fender is not a Fender: you have the American Fender, Made in Mexico Fenders, and Squires. My Fender was made in Japan and I feel good about that while I admit I would be hesitant to buy a MIM Fender or Squire (even though they may sound just as good and play just as well). G&L has the Tribute, Warwick has the Rockbass, Gibson has the Epiphone. The Squire might be just as good as the American Fender and the Epiphone might be just as good as the Gibson; but, the companies deliberately isolated the instruments to protect their names - Ibanez didn't. If the majority of Ibanezes you see are inexpensive basic basses then you will probably associate Ibanez with cheap basses (which, in our minds leads to "not as good").
I have 4 Ibanez basses - GSR190, SR305 Fretless, BTB780PB, and BTB775PB. My GSR190 was my first bass and a gift from my brother which makes it just as valuable as any of my basses.
I have 4 Ibanez basses - GSR190, SR305 Fretless, BTB780PB, and BTB775PB. My GSR190 was my first bass and a gift from my brother which makes it just as valuable as any of my basses.
My first acoustic was an Ibanez I bought for $150 in San Diego back in 1976...I still have it (actually my son absconded it from me when he went to college). It still plays like the day I bought it...beautiful tone and I have not been gentle with it.
I also own one of the Artcore ASB140's semi hollowbody basses and love it...great bass, smoking tone, beautifully made...what's not to like about it?
I also own one of the Artcore ASB140's semi hollowbody basses and love it...great bass, smoking tone, beautifully made...what's not to like about it?
- Dec 21, 2007
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Funny, I have 4 basses - one's a pre-Gibson Tobias, one's a Zon. The other two are Ibanez (Gary Willis fretless and an ATK) and they both get plenty of recording and playing time. I think that says a lot about them.
Not saying all Ibbys are of that quality - but these are two very nice instruments.
Not saying all Ibbys are of that quality - but these are two very nice instruments.
I have to agree! I have a 1005EFM and am very impressed with it. I like the pick-ups also, although I'd like to try a different pre in it. Playability is top notch and the neck is about the same thickness as my Wals although two mm narrower so really comfortable for me.
I think Ibanez should take more care getting their pickups to sound better. I'd like to see their 'Sonic Arch' pickups that are currently on the Ashula bass available in the SR series for instance, because they sound significantly better than the harsh sounding pickups they have in at the moment.
I like their old stuff as well; here's a pic of my '77 Ibanez black eagle bass. A friend of mine has a 4001 lawsuit bass he's going to sell me as soon as I can cough up the dough...
Engine207
Losing faith in humanity...one call at a time.
I can't stand their new stuff.... here's another pic...
Man...I've never seen one of those before. Very nice looking bass. I'd be afraid to get up on the higher frets for fear my hand would get stuck in between the lower horn and the neck!
I ended up buying an Ibanez Roadstar II (84). Only because it came so highly recommended on here. Well... gotta say...
I like it
Here's the thing though: Its charm seems to lie in its not being anything like the newer incarnations of Ibanez basses...
Slim neck? Hell no. Chunky, baseball bat that feels AWESOME.
Need truss rod adjust every 5 seconds? NOPE!
Cheap active EQ? No, passive, with fat pickups. Very versatile, too!
I didn't post originally to say that the Ibanez name was my issue. I just found it odd that I never desired one.
And thanks to those who stuck up for their good work and pointed out that they have gems that existed (no, not the JEM!), a guy like me was persuaded to get one.
Just seems like a case of "They don't make 'em like they used to."
Do you approve, Bootsy?
(Jury's still out for him
)
So yeah, I have an Ibanez and I kinda like it.
I like it
Here's the thing though: Its charm seems to lie in its not being anything like the newer incarnations of Ibanez basses...
Slim neck? Hell no. Chunky, baseball bat that feels AWESOME.
Need truss rod adjust every 5 seconds? NOPE!
Cheap active EQ? No, passive, with fat pickups. Very versatile, too!
I didn't post originally to say that the Ibanez name was my issue. I just found it odd that I never desired one.
And thanks to those who stuck up for their good work and pointed out that they have gems that existed (no, not the JEM!), a guy like me was persuaded to get one.
Just seems like a case of "They don't make 'em like they used to."
Do you approve, Bootsy?
(Jury's still out for him
)So yeah, I have an Ibanez and I kinda like it.
I have both a 4 string SR400QM and a 5 string SR405QM, play & enjoy both of them, no problems with tone, etc. My go-to bass is my Dinger, but there are more than a few occasions when the Ibbys get used as well. I sometimes wonder how much of the anit-Ibby sentiment is due to 'they don't cost as much so they've got to be cheap in quality as well as price!' attitudes and how much to those who have had experiences with Ibby 'lemons' so to speak. If so, I just point out I"ve played a few Fenders that were definately lemons as well...
I got the exact same bass a few days ago (BTB776) and i totally agree. Great bass that sounds huge! Im not nearly as experienced with guitar as i am bass, but i am really enjoying the BTB.
In general ive had very good experiences with ibanez. I have a RG350DX that i bought in 2004. Despite being on the lower end of their line, it performed very well for years before i retired it (rusting and worn parts, plus I moved on to 7 and 8 strings). I also have an Ibanez Universe 7 string that i still love.
Im currently looking for a backup 6 string bass that is similar to the BTB i bought, but so far i havent really found anything that grabs my attention like the BTB776 did.
Check out the thread below ... "What Bass Was The Biggest Disappointment." Amazing the amount of high priced, big name, and botique basses getting bad press. Yet, not many complaints of Ibanez. That says alot.
Except for a Rickenbacker I once had, I've only played Ibanez and have always been completely satisfied.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=673480&highlight=
Except for a Rickenbacker I once had, I've only played Ibanez and have always been completely satisfied.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=673480&highlight=
i have only guitar store experience with some of the different ibanez's but the SR were common for bass players when i was in the end of high school and i really didnt like them for thier sound but the neck was nice. ive played a few other models and i didnt mind them. my band right now is almost all bass players (but i am the bassist for us) but the drummer, well one of the guitarist brought his 5string ibanez from the guy in 16volt and its really nice. i dont know the body style and i need to get a pic and model to show what im talking about. my only complaint is that its 5 string.
Try an SR500 with an open mind and a decent set of strings...it might change your mind about em =)
What a GREAT thread! So much cool insight!
I am also an Ibanez-doubter, mostly due to the hundreds of cheap models hanging in every GC and similar music store I've ever walked into.
It's definitely not Ibanez's fault that they have permeated the lower-end, consumer-accessible instrument market. On the contrary, they've filled a need in the marketplace with a reasonably-good product, and made a ton of cash by doing so.
There's no accounting for taste. I would never buy an Ibanez, either. I would also never buy a Fender or a Rickenbacher. I think they're great-looking instruments, and have great sound, but they just don't do it for me. We all have our flavors...
That being said, I also hesitate at several other brands (Washburn, Epiphone, etc.). I think it's good to be apprehensive; you'll do some homework before rushing out to buy a guitar.
I am also an Ibanez-doubter, mostly due to the hundreds of cheap models hanging in every GC and similar music store I've ever walked into.
It's definitely not Ibanez's fault that they have permeated the lower-end, consumer-accessible instrument market. On the contrary, they've filled a need in the marketplace with a reasonably-good product, and made a ton of cash by doing so.
There's no accounting for taste. I would never buy an Ibanez, either. I would also never buy a Fender or a Rickenbacher. I think they're great-looking instruments, and have great sound, but they just don't do it for me. We all have our flavors...
That being said, I also hesitate at several other brands (Washburn, Epiphone, etc.). I think it's good to be apprehensive; you'll do some homework before rushing out to buy a guitar.
I've actually given this some thought...
Ibanez is a company with a fairly puzzling marketing approach: They started as a cheap clone company, doing copies of Fenders & Gibsons... They evolved into a making very high quality guitars and basses (at a good price) for many years... now they have shifted their emphasis to marketing mass produced, cheap labor mediocre instruments. Full circle, I guess. Perhaps they found that their margins weren't very good selling nice MIJ instruments. Yamaha has done the same thing - and we all know why. It's all about the margin, baby.
So unless someone drops a real MIJ Gary Willis bass in my lap, I'll not be playing any Ibanez basses.
Ibanez is a company with a fairly puzzling marketing approach: They started as a cheap clone company, doing copies of Fenders & Gibsons... They evolved into a making very high quality guitars and basses (at a good price) for many years... now they have shifted their emphasis to marketing mass produced, cheap labor mediocre instruments. Full circle, I guess. Perhaps they found that their margins weren't very good selling nice MIJ instruments. Yamaha has done the same thing - and we all know why. It's all about the margin, baby.
So unless someone drops a real MIJ Gary Willis bass in my lap, I'll not be playing any Ibanez basses.
Hi, 
i have a question for roadstar II users (Ibanez)
I wonder if anyone has Roadstar II Ibanez bass series, the ones with the tuner all on the upper part (sorry for my english), and if they also have the same problem as I. When I connect to an amp it gives interference sound(noise), also to the pocket amp. I was never able to fix this. Also the cable plug never seemed to fit, it kind of slides out a bit, still connects and soudns, but maybe that bouncing/sliding back out a bit is what gives the noise. When I mute the strings, the noise goes away. I will post this same question in different threads to see if someone can help me. The electric system was checked and they said it was not it. The cable was changed many times, and no better. I'm new in the site. I have this bass since 20 years ago or more. Thanks.
i have a question for roadstar II users (Ibanez)I wonder if anyone has Roadstar II Ibanez bass series, the ones with the tuner all on the upper part (sorry for my english), and if they also have the same problem as I. When I connect to an amp it gives interference sound(noise), also to the pocket amp. I was never able to fix this. Also the cable plug never seemed to fit, it kind of slides out a bit, still connects and soudns, but maybe that bouncing/sliding back out a bit is what gives the noise. When I mute the strings, the noise goes away. I will post this same question in different threads to see if someone can help me. The electric system was checked and they said it was not it. The cable was changed many times, and no better. I'm new in the site. I have this bass since 20 years ago or more. Thanks.
