I have a US made Ibanez ATK bass that I'd like to sell, I think it was made in '94. I don't remember what year I bought it, but on every one I've seen it had the option to string through the bridge, or through the body, but on mine, it can only be strung through the body and the bridge is a big steel monster. I'm trying to get an idea of how much it would be worth today and how much of a demand there would be for it. I don't want to sell it for half what it's worth. I started searching the internet trying to find similar basses for sale to see how much they were asking, but I ended up looking for even a mention of my guitar and came up completely empty. Is that because they're rare? Any help you guys could give would be greatly appreciated. campygirl
e-Bay Ibanez ATK I'm interested in of these. How much you want? Please give me the details and e-mail me if you want, bigvert50@hotmail.com .
i bought a brand new one some days ago... it was $475 is exactly like the one on the ebay link from what i have read, ATKs 305 are around the 300/600 dls neighborhood depending where you buy it they are wonderful basses, im posting pics and details of mine this week
Mine is not a 305, also is a four string, from what I can tell, it is a USATK model, perhaps built by Dave Bunker, from what little info I've been able to find thus far. I think they were only made in the US for a few years. There isn't a model # associated with it, the headstock simply reads "Ibanez ATK series". Back of headstock reads serial # "US0695051, made in USA". It has a blue finish, pearlescent pick guard, fretted maple neck, brass nut, no truss rod adjustment, and the "strings through the body only bridge". Ibanez hasn't made an ATK in the US for several years, from what I've gathered. I'm definitely going to sell, but not until I know a little more about it and it's true worth. I'll note the email addresses of all parties interested and contact you all once I'm at that point. In the meantime, THANKS for your posts and in advance for any info you guys can find.
Do you think I could buy a Warmoth Rosewood neck? I hate maple, no offense. But I do only want 4 strings so that's a major plus. How flush is the neck with the body? And how's the action?
The neck to body joint is very tight, no gaps, and held with 5 screws. Action on it was high when I first bought it (seems like they always are ) I have since lowered it a bit but it has always felt and played really good (much better then the Fender Presicion it replaced) Matter of fact I was looking to buy a Music Man back when I found this, and liked the feel and sound of the ATK better,(same price back then) but I'd say the feel is real close to a Music Man. Also it seemed to have a bit better quality build then the Music Man or the over seas ATKs at the time (mid 90s's) IMO.
Well if it's USA made and plays well then I can probably buy it. Problem is I probably won't be able to buy it until October. I'll be able to pay in cash, if my parents permit. So it's up to you on how much you want for it and if you can wait that long. Sorry if you can't.
These are killer basses when set up right. Setting them up is sort of the strange (or tricky) part, because they have Dave Bunker's "tension free" neck in which the headstock is a seperate piece of wood from the rest of the neck and they have a totally different adjustment system then normal necks. With this system, in theory (I don't know if it is the case in reality or not) there is no tension on the wood of the neck, only on the internal steel structure. Therefore, any bend in the neck, is adjustable by adjusting (straightening or counterbending) the internal rod. Does this work? I don't know.... Check out bunker-guitars.com for more info on the system Steve
I have a blue 5 and love it. It's a better looking and sounding Stinray 5 than the MM-Stingray 5 is. Spoke many times on the phone to Dave Bunker and got help restoring mine. One of these was the 1st 5 I had ever bought. Then like a dope I traded it in on a new Stingray 4, which sucked balls. Regretted it to this day. So a few years ago I found one on Bassgear.com and made a project of it. It's totally restored now except for the faded factory finish. Got lot's of hardware and parts from Dave Bunker. The blue ones had a peculiar finish problem. Over time the royal blue hue would fade to almost an aqua color. My 2nd, the one I have now, has this factory "mood ring" finish. The necks are totally adjustable for tilt/relief via that small hole down by the neck bolts. Great Bass, the ONLY Ibanez model that was ever worth a **** IMO. Keep it, you'll miss it one day. I can help you with setup, if you'd like.
I have a Bunker/PBC bass, and the tension-free neck does indeed remove the tension from the wood. I bought mine at the factory in PA (when it was there) and they demonstrated a neck with the middle section completely removed, strung up to pitch. Pretty slick. That bass is worth a good price, put it on eBay and describe it well!