NBD - 1995 Ibanez ATK300

[78abyrne]

Was recently in a local shop and saw this bad boy hanging on the wall. 1995 Ibanez ATK300 MIK, no it's not the MIJ version, but it still feels and sounds great! I had a hollow body electric guitar I never play laying around so I did a trade deal with them for it. Excited to put it to use in the home studio and potentially at some gigs. I've got some reservations about gigging with it due to the weight, but it's built like a tank so it would handle the wear and tear of gigging pretty well!

Anyone else have one of these? What's your favorite and least favorite thing about it? Thinking about getting a hipshot drop tuner for it or maybe even stringing it up in BEAD tuning, as I've heard these are fun for metal / hard rock.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

I didn't know they made these all the way back in '95! Learn something new every day

Only had experience with the 2000's era ones, but remember them being rather on the hefty side. I love Ibby stuff, but I usually like how light the SR bodies are and gravitate to them. Looks like this will be a pretty rad axe though, enjoy!!

 

[gregmon79]

Mine is around that same year as well. I LOVE these basses. For the price you cannot beat them. They are like a perfect mix of MM and J basses on steroids. I am waiting to bump into one like this the way did. I don't dislike anything about my ATK. It's heavy but idc. It's worth it IMO. Great find and congrats man!! Enjoy it ! I use it mostly in my original hard rock band. Love the aggressiveness and attack it can get. Plays great with effects too.

 

[78abyrne]

Mine is around that same year as well. I LOVE these basses. For the price you cannot beat them. They are like a perfect mix of MM and J basses on steroids. I am waiting to bump into one like this the way did. I don't dislike anything about my ATK. It's heavy but idc. It's worth it IMO. Great find and congrats man!! Enjoy it ! I use it mostly in my original hard rock band. Love the aggressiveness and attack it can get. Plays great with effects too.

I’ve been enjoying it so far. I gave it a proper setup when I got home and it’s got such low fast action, it’s insane. Really fun four banger to have in the collection!

 

[gregmon79]

I’ve been enjoying it so far. I gave it a proper setup when I got home and it’s got such low fast action, it’s insane. Really fun four banger to have in the collection!

Yes, I can and have mine set really low as well. The neck is wide yet very playable. If you go from a J style neck to this is quite different. But i adjust well going between a P, J to the ATK. Easy to play all the way up the neck too.

 

[Snert]

Anyone else have one of these?

I have the improved version, the ATK305 (1996).

 

[Nekomata]

I have a Japanese and an Indonesian ATK300. What I like about those is the sound (they are very similar) and the build quality (the Japanese feeling and looking slightly more luxurious). What works less well for me is the weight and the neck shape (a little bit too wide).

Congratulations on your ATK! She's a stunner!

 

[fretno]

For a minute there some Ibbys had Dave Bunker tension free necks.

 

[Element Zero]

I rocked my 305 I bought in ‘98 for many years and too many gigs to count. It’s retired now. Weird preamp noise issues. Still love the shape and narrow string spacing. Miss it dearly.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

I rocked my 305 I bought in ‘98 for many years and too many gigs to count. It’s retired now. Weird preamp noise issues. Still love the shape and narrow string spacing. Miss it dearly.
View attachment 7082401

Another purple beauty!!!

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Raúl approves

 

[78abyrne]

I rocked my 305 I bought in ‘98 for many years and too many gigs to count. It’s retired now. Weird preamp noise issues. Still love the shape and narrow string spacing. Miss it dearly.
View attachment 7082401

That purple finish is real nice!

 

[JRA]

neat score --- and the condition is fantastic! --- glad you like how it plays with the low action --- congratulations on your new instrument!

 

[poochiecheeks]

The mid 1990s korean ones are the best era for ATKs outside of the US made ones. I had a 4 and a 5 string at one point they are very nice

 

[j0616bass]

I've got one with the tension free neck.. purchased in 95 or 96. It was my only bass until 2001... essentially the time of my first serious gigging bands. I don't play it much anymore but I did just restring it the other day and it's still a lot of fun!

 

[dustinymichaels]

I had one of these and I deeply regret letting it go. I think they were/are pretty great. Don't know about the "newer" ones. For some people they'll frown upon the weight. That's the only negative I can think of.

 

[Isaac_James]

Beautiful bass! It looks almost new despite being old enough to go to a bar (in the US anyway). Get a good wide strap - 3" is ideal IMO - and the weight is a lot less noticeable, because you're distributing it over a larger area.

 

[Selios]

Congrats on the bass!
I have a 2007 ATK (and an 805, but it's very different). Mine is strung BEAD and I think it works really well on that bass. My favourite thing about it is probably the sound with the pickup switch flipped toward the neck, or in the middle. These sounds are more unique to the ATK and sit in a mix with a different personality than other basses. The switch flipped to the right is closer to MM Stingray territory. I'm not sure if I have a least favourite thing about it, other than preferring passive basses or wishing it had an active/passive option. Regardless, I've used my ATK for a lot of gigs and recordings, they rock.

 

[dustinymichaels]

I had one of these and I deeply regret letting it go. I think they were/are pretty great. Don't know about the "newer" ones. For some people they'll frown upon the weight. That's the only negative I can think of.

I would even buy one again if the price crosses me at the right time. There's one on here at a very reasonable price. I wonder why these never really caught on.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Was recently in a local shop and saw this bad boy hanging on the wall. 1995 Ibanez ATK300 MIK, no it's not the MIJ version, but it still feels and sounds great! I had a hollow body electric guitar I never play laying around so I did a trade deal with them for it. Excited to put it to use in the home studio and potentially at some gigs. I've got some reservations about gigging with it due to the weight, but it's built like a tank so it would handle the wear and tear of gigging pretty well!

Anyone else have one of these? What's your favorite and least favorite thing about it? Thinking about getting a hipshot drop tuner for it or maybe even stringing it up in BEAD tuning, as I've heard these are fun for metal / hard rock.

Yours even still has the thingy around the knobs! You scored BIG with this one.

@gregmon79 and I will always make our appearances shortly after any ATK makes an appearance around here. Hey, man


Fortunately for me, I acquired my first ATK (a 305 which I still play regularly) when they had just come out. I had convinced my teenage self that appearances didn’t matter at all, man, so I didn’t let my initial ambivalence toward the look bother me, and it certainly grew on me quickly. I can think of a number of subjective reasons a player wouldn’t take to an ATK, but objectively speaking:

•They’re frequently heavy, and never light.
•The single-pickup models don’t have any great place to anchor one’s thumb on the plucking hand. I make do with the side of the pickup and have gotten used to it over time, but still.
•They’re active-only. @Drzejzi added an active/passive switch to an ATK and can speak to that better than I can, but as I understand it, that pickup sounds fairly mellow without that preamp.

If a player can live with those three things and it suits their subjective requirements, they really should take an ATK for a spin. Once again, I will paraphrase @Dr. Cheese ‘s perfect assessment of the ATK: not a Stingray clone, but a Stingray alternative.