I saw a picture of it this evening in the latest Bass Player. It's an Artcore Six with wide spacing like those MTDs Thundercat plays too. I wonder if there would be a decent market for this bass?
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Thundercat: Six String Artcore
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I'd be interested if they don't put the neck pickup right at the end of the fingerboard. But overall sixes aren't really in much demand.
This has been discusses in an earlier topic. But to answer your question : Ibanez custom build it for Thundercat and they said they will NOT make it for the public 
They said the same about Percy Jones' fretless years ago. They had a hot bassist playing their bass AND not making it available to anyone else. Duh
Maybe they thought they'd sell other basses that way. I don't get it.
BTW I've only seen Thundercat with a four.
Maybe they thought they'd sell other basses that way. I don't get it.
BTW I've only seen Thundercat with a four.
They said the same about Percy Jones' fretless years ago. They had a hot bassist playing their bass AND not making it available to anyone else. Duh
Maybe they thought they'd sell other basses that way. I don't get it.
BTW I've only seen Thundercat with a four.
I don't understand why Ibanez makes such cool basses fir name players only to never sell them on the general market. Adam Nitti's wide spaced six with Barts comes to mind too. I saw a pic of Thundercat with a wide spaced Artcore six in the latest Bass Player that I got in the mail yesterday with Verdine White on the cover.
They probably make more money by selling their entry level stuff. They don't need to sell these special models, they just use them to create an aspirational need for the brand.
Ibanez does produce a fair number if high end models, some if which sell as for as much as $4,000 like the Gary Willis and Gerald Veasley models.
The Grooveline and high end Soundgear basses are $2,000+ too.
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No doubt... but it would be like Chevrolet only selling Corvettes to celebrities. I know I'm not the only one who was interested in a bass like Percy's back in the day. Even offering them at a custom shop price would be better than simply not making them available.
I wonder what kind of numbers the ultra tight spaced Veasley's have sold?
A really good sounding 6 string bass that looks good as well is the MusicMan Bongo 6. I've been really happy with the sound.
D
Ibanez is like the Walmart of guitar manufacturers; they are only interested in manufacturing instruments that have a low overhead/high profitability, aka the numbers game. But who knows? If Thundercat gains enough positive pub a signature model could manifest. Heck, Courtney Love once had a signature guitar...
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I played an Ibanez Thundercat model 6-string semi-acoustic bass at NAMM this year. It weighs a lot. The heaviest bass I've ever picked up. I wasn't able to plug it in so not sure how it really sounds.
The reason is because Ibanez is all about giving artists free gear to sell their name on the headstock. They know their sweet spot is that entry to mid market and know their best (and most expensive) basses actually don't sell very well.
A few years ago, once you got signed Ibanez would call and offer your entire band free gear. Not artist discount, but totally free. I personally still passed, but many bands on smaller budgets took the deals to have touring gear for no cost.
