The Ibanez Club

[mjolnir]

I know I'm a little late with this...

Here's my pride and joy:

Link Removed

Link Removed

It may not be the prettiest belle at the ball, but it damn sure works for me! I love this thing!

 

[Walfy]

Since reading the article posted about Ibanez counterfeits and very recently receiving a used Ibanez BTB1000 that has some unusual aspects I am wondering if anybody knows enough about the differences between the Japanese BTB1000 and the Korean BTB1000 models to be able to help me. Here are my three questions:

1. Everything I have read and seen shows this bass as
having a five piece neck. This one has a three piece neck that appears to be maple. Were some Japanese BTB1000's made with all maple three piece bolt-on necks?

2. Other than a BTB (first "B" reversed) on the upper
left of the front of the headstock, with Ibanez in
small print above it, nowhere on the bass is there any
indication of the model number. The truss rod cover
looks to be a very nice piece of rosewood but no number is on it either. The dealer I bought it from said it was a BTB1000. Do the Japanese BTB1000's not have the model number on them or at least some known to not have the number?

3. The things I have read say these have Bartolini
pickups. The pickups on this say Ibanez. Perhaps the
Japanese ones used Ibanez pickups? Or perhaps they use Ibanez covers over the Bartolinis?

If this is a counterfeit they certainly went to a whole lot of trouble to make a very fine bass.

Walfy

 

[mjolnir]

Dunno if you can see it on my bass in the posting above you, but if they were barts, they'd say bartolini. Other than that, I'm not really any help to ya.

 

[Walfy]

Thank you. I suspected that but was thinking (hoping?) maybe the Made in Japan models handled it differently. BTW, I forgot to mention that I wrote to Ibanez too but so far haven't received a reply. If I do receive one I will post it so it can help others. Walfy

 

[Michael Jewels]

2. Other than a BTB (first "B" reversed) on the upper
left of the front of the headstock, with Ibanez in
small print above it, nowhere on the bass is there any
indication of the model number. The truss rod cover
looks to be a very nice piece of rosewood but no number is on it either. The dealer I bought it from said it was a BTB1000. Do the Japanese BTB1000's not have the model number on them or at least some known to not have the number?

3. The things I have read say these have Bartolini
pickups. The pickups on this say Ibanez. Perhaps the
Japanese ones used Ibanez pickups? Or perhaps they use Ibanez covers over the Bartolinis?

Walfy

Walfy, I bought a BTB1205E in January, and to address your points:

2.) My bass has the B of BTB backwards as well, and like your bass it doesn't indicate a model # anywhere on the instrument. On the back of the headstock it does have a serial#, and does say, "Made In Korea."

3.) The pickups on my bass simply have plain black covers on them. And compared to this picture, the maple top on my bass is yellowish, and the mahogany body is much darker. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Mike

 

[anonymous278347457]

I would really like a ibanez BTB, they look nice and modern


anyway, this is my ibanez guitar, its pretty cheap, i just bought it to mess around on aswell as helping me write songs.


also, pointy inlays+ neck binding, my only complaint about it is that ibanez decided to have black knobs, but they couldent be bothered to get a black bridge, machine heads and strap buttons

 

[Platypus_Of_420]

that SR900 is gawgeous...great pics all around fellers




ok, i really really really really REALLY wanted it, and i'm glad i bought it...mahogany+wingy bubingy+barts = WOW

my new (used) SR500 (cort/korea, 2004), almost like new except for a little oxidation/corrosion on the bridge (gonna see what i can do about that right now) and the one mismatched knob:

i'm done buying basses, I SWEAR IT

p.s. i got something else today too, but it's not an ibby, so we can't mention it...


edit: all fixed up...i swapped strings with the SRX400 (so now the SR500 has the d'addario SL chrome flats, remind me to buy some more of those), hit the bridge, knobs and tuner keys with a scotchbrite pad (now they have a nice sorta brushed finish, looks sweet), restrung it PROPERLY (the D and G were wound backwards, see above pic) and stole the truss rod cover off the SRX400 to boot (it was missing), lowered the action a tad and slapped in a fresh battery...now it is near perfect cosmetically, plays like butta and sounds like a beast...not too bad for a combination pawn shop/ebay bass (came with a case too)...

oh man i've been GASing for a SR405 now so bad! that'd be the only 5 banger i'd ever need. either that or a schecter. all that sexy for $500, damn!
(by the way, does the neck on your TBC get dirty really fast like mine too?)

 

[SBassman]

and last but not least, my SRX400 (indonesia, 2005)...i bought this one new from the american musical blowout...this is the heaviest one oddly enough, has some crazy tone also...it also has a new set of the SL chrome flats on it, and i painted the butt ugly pickguard using some spray-on duplicolor vinyl/fabric dye...good stuff...the humbucker is a bad motherf***SHUT YO MOUTH*** (i'm just talkin bout pups), has that kinda stingrayish sound without being quite so obnoxious...the slap tone on this one is just unreal, think grand piano with a coked up angry monkey trapped inside...

I'm late to all of this ...

But I had to say that's some Funny stuff.
[and some beautyfull looking axes]

 

[SBassman]

that SR900 is gawgeous...great pics all around fellers
ok, i really really really really REALLY wanted it, and i'm glad i bought it...mahogany+wingy bubingy+barts = WOW

my new (used) SR500 (cort/korea, 2004), almost like new except for a little oxidation/corrosion on the bridge (gonna see what i can do about that right now) and the one mismatched knob:

Just replace All knobs. Go to Grizzly.com and some
nice wood knobs. It will look great.

 

[SBassman]

I know I'm a little late with this...

Here's my pride and joy:

Link Removed

Link Removed

It may not be the prettiest belle at the ball, but it damn sure works for me! I love this thing!

She's looking pretty pretty to me.

Which Ibby is that?

 

[Marcus]

Ibanez SR506, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[steve21]

Yup, it's a 506.

Check mine out
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Tbirdbassist]

Since reading the article posted about Ibanez counterfeits and very recently receiving a used Ibanez BTB1000 that has some unusual aspects I am wondering if anybody knows enough about the differences between the Japanese BTB1000 and the Korean BTB1000 models to be able to help me. Here are my three questions:

1. Everything I have read and seen shows this bass as
having a five piece neck. This one has a three piece neck that appears to be maple. Were some Japanese BTB1000's made with all maple three piece bolt-on necks?

2. Other than a BTB (first "B" reversed) on the upper
left of the front of the headstock, with Ibanez in
small print above it, nowhere on the bass is there any
indication of the model number. The truss rod cover
looks to be a very nice piece of rosewood but no number is on it either. The dealer I bought it from said it was a BTB1000. Do the Japanese BTB1000's not have the model number on them or at least some known to not have the number?

3. The things I have read say these have Bartolini
pickups. The pickups on this say Ibanez. Perhaps the
Japanese ones used Ibanez pickups? Or perhaps they use Ibanez covers over the Bartolinis?

If this is a counterfeit they certainly went to a whole lot of trouble to make a very fine bass.

Walfy

One major difference between the Japanese and Korean BTB's is that the Japanese BTB's were sold a few years before the Korean ones. Could you post a pic of your bass or show a pic of what yours looks like? Here are two websites that could help you...

www.ibanezregister.com

www.ibanezrules.com

 

[Walfy]

Here are a couple of pictures I just now took of my new (used) BTB1000.

You can't see that it is a three ply neck but you can see it is all one type of wood which appears to be maple. Thank you all for your help. I will reply in a bit. Walfy

 

[BOOCAKE4U]

oh man i've been GASing for a SR405 now so bad! that'd be the only 5 banger i'd ever need. either that or a schecter. all that sexy for $500, damn!
(by the way, does the neck on your TBC get dirty really fast like mine too?)

i am totally in love with both my SR400 and SR500...my 400 is the most beautiful one i have ever seen (one solid piece of flamy maple whereas most all of the other natural finish ones i have seen look like they were made out of a butcher block table) and the 500 is no slouch either....really really nice workmanship on both (easily equal to or better than my japanese SR800)

i usually make sure my hands are at least semi-clean before i do any playing, so i haven't noticed any funkdification on the TBC...

But I had to say that's some Funny stuff.
[and some beautyfull looking axes]

Just replace All knobs. Go to Grizzly.com and some
nice wood knobs. It will look great.

thank you kind sir!

i redid the knobs (and other metal bits) with the aid of 3M scotchbrite power...now they have a really pretty satin finish, not too stealth and not too flash...i will try to get some better pics later

 

[Walfy]

Walfy, I bought a BTB1205E in January, and to address your points:

2.) My bass has the B of BTB backwards as well, and like your bass it doesn't indicate a model # anywhere on the instrument. On the back of the headstock it does have a serial#, and does say, "Made In Korea."

3.) The pickups on my bass simply have plain black covers on them. And compared to this picture, the maple top on my bass is yellowish, and the mahogany body is much darker. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Mike

Mike, Very nice bass you have. Yours looks to be a neck through body?

2.) If they don't put numbers on any of the BTB's how is a person supposed to know what is what 20 years down the road (or in my case, right now)? As for the serial number and so on, mine has a large "CE" and then the serial number in smaller font on the back of the headstock with "Japan" underneath in print so small it is almost unreadable.

Thank you for your help. I am beginning to feel better.

Walfy

 

[Walfy]

I would really like a ibanez BTB, they look nice and modern


anyway, this is my ibanez guitar, its pretty cheap, i just bought it to mess around on aswell as helping me write songs.


also, pointy inlays+ neck binding, my only complaint about it is that ibanez decided to have black knobs, but they couldent be bothered to get a black bridge, machine heads and strap buttons

I really like the BTB styling too. I have the BTB1000 and also a BTB405. The 405 is a very nice transparent purple.

That is one very sharp looking guitar you have. I also like neck binding. And I have several Ibanez guitars too. I guess the rarest one I have is the Artist 2663SL which is in the shape of an Iceman but before they started using the Iceman name. It has a sliding triple coil pickup and a treble cut and bass cut.

Walfy

 

[Walfy]

One major difference between the Japanese and Korean BTB's is that the Japanese BTB's were sold a few years before the Korean ones. Could you post a pic of your bass or show a pic of what yours looks like? Here are two websites that could help you...

www.ibanezregister.com

www.ibanezrules.com

I posted two pictures awhile ago. How do people post pictures without them being the attachments. I have just about filled the TB attachment limit.

Thank you soooo much. I looked at the second link you posted and found the 1999 catalog (my BTB's serial number starts with F99). They show one there that looks exactly like mine. And all the 1999 BTB's have necks of one type of wood and not the five piece/ply of the later models. So it is fitting more and more.

Once again, thank you.

Walfy

 

[SherpaKahn]

I posted two pictures awhile ago. How do people post pictures without them being the attachments. I have just about filled the TB attachment limit.
Walfy

You save the picture on another website such as Photobucket or any personal website, and then you find the URL of that photo (for example, http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/mentalelemental/BodyFront.jpg , and then you enclose it inside image tags

.

It will look like this, without the spaces:

Which ends up looking like this:

Or you could just take the URL, click on the little mountain icon in the TB posting page, and copy the URL of the picture there. That way it's not actually an attachment; it's a link to a picture on another site that automatically displays itself, and as it does not kill Talkbass' bandwidth, you can put up as many pictures as you please, though it may take other viewers longer to open the page. Hope this helps,

-Stephen

Now back to the topic of Ibanezes: I'm curious, what kind of strings do people use on their Ibanez Musicians? I just put on some Ken Smith Slicks today and they sound volumes better than any roundwounds I've used on it yet. For reference, it's an '85 Musician with Ibanez-made EMGs.

 

[Walfy]

You save the picture on another website such as Photobucket or any personal website, and then you find the URL of that photo (for example, http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/mentalelemental/BodyFront.jpg , and then you enclose it inside image tags

.

It will look like this, without the spaces:

Which ends up looking like this:

Or you could just take the URL, click on the little mountain icon in the TB posting page, and copy the URL of the picture there. That way it's not actually an attachment; it's a link to a picture on another site that automatically displays itself, and as it does not kill Talkbass' bandwidth, you can put up as many pictures as you please, though it may take other viewers longer to open the page. Hope this helps,

-Stephen

Now back to the topic of Ibanezes: I'm curious, what kind of strings do people use on their Ibanez Musicians? I just put on some Ken Smith Slicks today and they sound volumes better than any roundwounds I've used on it yet. For reference, it's an '85 Musician with Ibanez-made EMGs.

Thank you, Stephen. I couldn't have done it without your help.

Okay, here is a close-up of the front of my Ibanez BTB1000.

Walfy