Took possession today (at a very nice price) of a 1986 Ibanez "Bean" or "Butter Bean" bass in really good condition. Or at least it is now...when I got it, it had been on a hangar for 20 years. It was unbelievably grubby and with the strings a half inch off the end of the fingerboard. Spent this evening watching the Blue Jays lose (again) to Baltimore while cleaning it up and getting it back in playing trim.
There were a very few minor dings and a bit of corrosion to the tuners and bridge: both made out of some interesting "Accu-Cast" base metal alloy. It cleaned up well and the damage is trivial and superficial. Fingerboard (very, very icky) is in great shape as are the frets—amazing for this 30-year-old beastie. Truss rod (with nice clearance at the base of the neck) works well and neck came back into excellent relief, although I'll track it over the next few days.
From what I've been able to find out, this particular bass was made in Japan in 1986 only, so it's 30 years old this year. The serial number confirms that, starting with A86, meaning January of '86.
It has a remarkably long but narrow shape, nicely carved from basswood, this one with a lovely deep green-grey finish ("Gun Metallic") with a bit of sparkle to it. It's very light but resonant when not plugged in. The pickups (soapbar P and J forms) are Ibanez "low impedance" pickups which appear to incorporate a pickup-based preamp per EMGs. The control cavity confirms this, showing no preamp in there, just a jumble of close-packed cables for the controls (blend first [notched], then volume, then tone) and the jack. Cavity's well-shielded with conductive paint and foil and the bass is effectively silent. The neck is chunky like a P-bass with that tiny headstock. The tuners have smaller, Schaller-sized keys but hefty shafts in enclosed cases. The bridge is really hefty and the individual saddles are an interesting design, the hex set screws pushing up a hinged flap under the saddle so they're always level.
The case is a nice, form-fitting original with excellent support and foam facing in great shape. The case looks really small from the outside—and on first glance it looks like it couldn't be for a bass at all. Then you open it and it's this odd little wonder. The case had the original pickup brochure in it, both hex keys for the truss rod and bridge saddles, and even the original price tag which looks to be $499 or $899 in 1986; can't tell which.
So...how does it sound? In a word, great! The sound reminds me *a lot* of a Guild Pilot bass which I had with EMG PJ pickups. It's very hifi, especially with the tone up. The blend is smooth and full range, from a punch P through a crisp, slightly scooped notched middle position to a slightly honky bridge pickup. The tone has a very wide range, like an EMG circuit. With the blend slightly toward the bridge and the tone rolled back to about 7, this is a very funky little machine. I'm really amazed at the depth and clarity of the sound—especially when wearing such an unusual, small-bodied instrument.
Getting this bass had been in the works for a while and it was only tonight when the previous owner and I managed to be in the same town at the same time. I had planned to have some fun with this and then move it along, but it's such a cute little funkster that I think it may have found a new home!
There were a very few minor dings and a bit of corrosion to the tuners and bridge: both made out of some interesting "Accu-Cast" base metal alloy. It cleaned up well and the damage is trivial and superficial. Fingerboard (very, very icky) is in great shape as are the frets—amazing for this 30-year-old beastie. Truss rod (with nice clearance at the base of the neck) works well and neck came back into excellent relief, although I'll track it over the next few days.
From what I've been able to find out, this particular bass was made in Japan in 1986 only, so it's 30 years old this year. The serial number confirms that, starting with A86, meaning January of '86.
It has a remarkably long but narrow shape, nicely carved from basswood, this one with a lovely deep green-grey finish ("Gun Metallic") with a bit of sparkle to it. It's very light but resonant when not plugged in. The pickups (soapbar P and J forms) are Ibanez "low impedance" pickups which appear to incorporate a pickup-based preamp per EMGs. The control cavity confirms this, showing no preamp in there, just a jumble of close-packed cables for the controls (blend first [notched], then volume, then tone) and the jack. Cavity's well-shielded with conductive paint and foil and the bass is effectively silent. The neck is chunky like a P-bass with that tiny headstock. The tuners have smaller, Schaller-sized keys but hefty shafts in enclosed cases. The bridge is really hefty and the individual saddles are an interesting design, the hex set screws pushing up a hinged flap under the saddle so they're always level.
The case is a nice, form-fitting original with excellent support and foam facing in great shape. The case looks really small from the outside—and on first glance it looks like it couldn't be for a bass at all. Then you open it and it's this odd little wonder. The case had the original pickup brochure in it, both hex keys for the truss rod and bridge saddles, and even the original price tag which looks to be $499 or $899 in 1986; can't tell which.
So...how does it sound? In a word, great! The sound reminds me *a lot* of a Guild Pilot bass which I had with EMG PJ pickups. It's very hifi, especially with the tone up. The blend is smooth and full range, from a punch P through a crisp, slightly scooped notched middle position to a slightly honky bridge pickup. The tone has a very wide range, like an EMG circuit. With the blend slightly toward the bridge and the tone rolled back to about 7, this is a very funky little machine. I'm really amazed at the depth and clarity of the sound—especially when wearing such an unusual, small-bodied instrument.
Getting this bass had been in the works for a while and it was only tonight when the previous owner and I managed to be in the same town at the same time. I had planned to have some fun with this and then move it along, but it's such a cute little funkster that I think it may have found a new home!
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