New Ibanez Mode series

[Naviiin]

Didn't have Ibanez doing their take on a Jazz Bass on my list for 2026, but here we are. Some specs seem nice, like the stainless steel frets, use of duralumin in the tuners for weight relief and the option to go 6 string. I even like the pickguard on the cheaper models too.

I think they're supposed to come out tomorrow, only AMS has them up for now.

 

[LowEndLobster]

Oooooh

 

[Ricky Rioli]

From the blurb for the MDM1000:

Ibanez Delta pickups deliver an aggressive yet balanced single-coil tone .... while eliminating noise, thanks to their hum-canceling design

Master volume and balancer
Master Tone
3-band EQ
EQ bypass switch
3-way mid-frequency switch

The master tone control operates in both active and passive mode

Additionally, the 2-way Hexa mid system is located on the back of the bass, allowing you to choose between two different mid-frequency banks for a total of six selectable mid-frequency points. The higher bank frequencies are 350Hz, 600Hz and 1KHz, and the lower bank frequencies are 250Hz, 450Hz and 850Hz

 

[crazycloud]

The MDM1006 looks interesting.

 

[ardgedee]

Huh. Ibanez had been staying far far away from anything Fender-shaped for decades, so it's interesting they're doing this now.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

How small are the bodies compared to a Fender Jazz i wonder. If you like lots of control right on the Bass, looks like your covered. They look great!

 

[brianrost]

Didn't have Ibanez doing their take on a Jazz Bass on my list for 2026, but here we are.

Why not? Everybody else copies the J and Ibanez wants to tap that market.

 

[Naviiin]

Why not? Everybody else copies the J and Ibanez wants to tap that market.

Over the last few years the only slightly traditional bass lineup Ibby did was the Talman series, and even that was PJ in a Jag type shape and a budget thing for a while now. Seemed like they fully went for more 80s/modern shapes and concepts when it came to their other basses.

Although you do have a point. Over on the 6 string side they have had succes with the AZ lineup, pretty much their direct Fender Strat competitor. So it makes sense that they'd think of doing the same for the Jazz Bass. This Mode thing feels like something big too, it reminds me of how the EHB basses were released for the first time, nothing lower than the '1000' line.

 

[ardgedee]

Why not? Everybody else copies the J and Ibanez wants to tap that market.

After the lawsuit era Ibanez apparently decided to entirely change things up and haven't made a Jazz or Precision-shaped bass since the late '70s. Even the Talmans are more "in the spirit of" rather than resembling any specific Fender design.

Nobody's going to mistake these for Fender product but it's still worth remarking that it took them 45 years to make something this recognizable.

 

[Gosho]

Damn good head and logo, like a good old days... but too many knobs, like the vintage and the modern world have become one.

 

[FatOwlBass]

Finally, an 18mm spaced 6 from Ibanez! The BTB 17mm spacing is fine but I love 18mm to 19mm. These look great.

 

[Iristone]

Not exactly bad looking, although I'm not generally a fan of table top Jazz Basses with Japanese design twists and no scratchplate.

Even the Talmans are more "in the spirit of" rather than resembling any specific Fender design.

The Talmen look like legit Jaguar or NR-Bird style basses. They seem to have redesigned it so that it looks (not physically) more balanced with the long-necked bass shape compared with Fender Jaguar Bass.

 

[Klangfarbe]

Seems to me more targeted towards people who would buy a Sire rather than Fender. I like 'em.

 

[Element Zero]

Interesting. Not my cup of tea, but glad Ibanez is trying new things.

 

[UNICORN BASS]

I think post #13 is right, this is geared towards Sire. Nicely specced basses though, can't help feeling there may be some simpler and cheaper versions coming if these take off.

 

[Trouztrouz]

These are not even up on the Ibanez website yet. They look very Mayones. Very cool!

 

[NeonVomit]

That last one has some definite Sire vibes. Good stuff.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Nice bass...I'm more interested in the details re: Hexa mid system.

Riis

 

[ardgedee]

The Talmen look like legit Jaguar or NR-Bird style basses. They seem to have redesigned it so that it looks (not physically) more balanced with the long-necked bass shape compared with Fender Jaguar Bass.

The Talman bass (launched 1999) predates the Jaguar Bass (launched 2005)... something I didn't know until I tried fact-checking myself on the Ibanez wiki.

While I was there I was reminded of the TR series from the early 90s, which is straight-up a Precision Bass clone aside from them mainly having PJ or JJ pickups. So my "haven't made a Jazz or Precision-shaped bass since the late '70s" is extremely wrong

edit: It's interesting that Ibanez's modern models like Soundgear and BTB keep on chugging decade-after-decade while their throwback models like TR and SRX tend to launch with fanfare and then get discontinued after five to ten years.

 

[Why Nautilus‽]

Love it! It’s a bad time of year to get GAS