What's with Ibby?

[Killed_by_Death]

I have 3 Ibanez 5 strings. An 1805, 1405, and a 375 BlackBerry burst.

Heck yeah, those BTB1405 are the bee's knees!

my ibby 2600 is better in build, tone , weight and feel

Wow, I will keep my eye open for a BTB2600, reads like they're quite good.

 

[Steadfast]

Heck yeah, those BTB1405 are the bee's knees!




Wow, I will keep my eye open for a BTB2600, reads like they're quite good.

mine is an sr2600.

 

[mtdkingstonheir]

Ibanez doesn't actually build any of their own instruments except those in the US custom shop (Tak Hosino) and Japan, which are very rare nowadays. Most are built by Cort. The same factory that makes Indonesian Squiers makes alot of those nice Ibanezes.

That being said, when I pick up any Ibanez in a store, from the cheapest to the most expensive, one thing I can always count on is that they all seem to play well, are set up well, have flawless finishes, and are built to a very high standard. From the bottom line to the top line. Although I prefer Rickenbackers, Spectors, Fenders, Squiers, and Peavey T-40s, I also own 5 Ibanez basses. They hold their own, quality and tone-wise. I'm frequently astonished at their finishes and woodwork.

Their tone and style isn't for everybody, and those of us who grew up in the 80's usually remember basses like the SR as the first bass the guy in the sucky hair metal band down the street bought when he learned how to play.

They were everywhere, and ubiquitous with Crate amps and Series 10 guitars. But, that doesn't make them bad. Quite the contrary.

They were (and are) very good instruments for beginners and pros alike. But, for better or for worse, they can have a stigma attached to them (in the same way Peavey is unfairly judged). If Charvels and Jacksons hadn't 90% disappeared from the collective mindset in decades past, they would also still have that "80's metal band stigma" attached to them as well. But, they produced fine instruments as well.

Ibanez always seems to try something new, and they succeed. But they are not, and never will be, a "classic" instrument, nor do they have one single identifiable tone all their own (ala Rickenbacker, Fender P, Spector, etc) that is easily identifiable and desirable to a flock of people. No one ever says, "Ooooh listen to that Ibanez growl on that track!" like they would one of the basses I just listed.

And, remember, groupthink is very, very strong. Besides the admittedly great tone, there is a very distinct reason why "Sunburst tort P with flats" is the current flavor of the decade. It's not all due to just the sound.

Rock your Ibanez. Or Peavey. Or Yamaha. Or anything that you like. Who gives a flying *&#$ what anyone else thinks.

For instance, I would frequently start a set with a nice Rick, Spector, or vintage Fender, then switch to either a puke green or hot pink Dean Zone (which is a great sounding well-made bass in it's own right when set up). People usually think it's a joke, but they think nothing less of me for it. However, if I had started the set with that Dean, they would think less of me for it.

People judge unfairly with their eyes and preconceptions rather than their ears.

Like I said, you do you and whatever makes you happy.

Well said - some great comparisons.

 

[mtdkingstonheir]

Honestly its not about the bass ; its about the techniques. No one can actually listen to a song they've never heard before and point out the bass used in the recordings. She is indeed a great player.

She is a stellar player. Thanks for the YT link - he sounds great.

 

[mtdkingstonheir]

View attachment 3928693 View attachment 3928689 View attachment 3928691
... or of course you can choose have your cake and eat it too when it comes to Ibanez.

That's a nice stable of Ibbys.

 

[Standalone]

That's a nice stable of Ibbys.

I’m thoroughly blessed.

 

[Gregys]

I use two Ibbys, SR2405W (jazz-rock band) and GSRM25 (rock band). Tune below was recorded using short scale.

 

[leftybass54]

My humble observation:
Ibanez is such a long-lived and all-encompassing brand, with a wide range of designs and price points over the years, that I personally find it hard to generalize about it? Last year I bought a vintage MIJ 1986 Ibanez Roadstar II with P/J pups that, to me, is the equal of any Fender in sound, heft and quality. On the other hand, I also have a new Ibby Mikro backup (short-scale travel bass) that's lightweight but sweet sounding and punchy, with hot passive pups and a ridiculously easy, guitar-like neck. Both nice in their own way, but you'd swear they were totally different brands. Two very different but good tools for the job....

 

[ElectricBass72]

Numetal was a horrible plague inflicted upon the world around 1999.

This is not accurate. Numetal started in 1994 upon the release of Korn's self-titled debut album. Grunge (Seattle) bands, Tool, Rage Against the Machine were popular bands at the time.... and Korn sounded nothing like them. They were quite unique using their 7-string guitars and 5-string bass dropped to Low A standard. Korn was the only Numetal band I ever liked. Korn inspired me to purchase a 7-string Ibanez Universe UV777BK in 1998. Awesome guitar.... wish I still had it.

 

[ElectricBass72]

I adore my 2 Ibanez basses. Both are entirely different basses tone-wise and neck-wise.... the ATK 305 (pictured in sig) and the Soundgear SR506.

 

[HearNoStevil]

This is not accurate. Numetal started in 1994 upon the release of Korn's self-titled debut album. Grunge (Seattle) bands, Tool, Rage Against the Machine were popular bands at the time.... and Korn sounded nothing like them. They were quite unique using their 7-string guitars and 5-string bass dropped to Low A standard. Korn was the only Numetal band I ever liked. Korn inspired me

 

[ElectricBass72]

View attachment 3967019

I do have odd tastes in music that would make some people puke. I hate most Country, but enjoy Bluegrass. Like 80's Metal/Thrash, most modern and classic sub-genres of Jazz, Downbeat Electronica (like Portishead and Massive Attack), lots of Classic Rock from 60's, 70's and 80's. Pink Floyd, Faith No More and Tool are my favorite bands of all time. Radiohead is pretty good, too.

 

[Jakeman]

 

[Manuel Bass]

I do have odd tastes in music that would make some people puke. I hate most Country, but enjoy Bluegrass. Like 80's Metal/Thrash, most modern and classic sub-genres of Jazz, Downbeat Electronica (like Portishead and Massive Attack), lots of Classic Rock from 60's, 70's and 80's. Pink Floyd, Faith No More and Tool are my favorite bands of all time. Radiohead is pretty good, too.

You don’t have to explain nothing about your musical tastes , you like what you like and that’s all

View attachment 3967041

 

[Manuel Bass]

You don’t have to explain nothing about your musical tastes , you like what you like and that’s all

Make a mistake including this Ibby in the post sorry

 

[4stringfarley]

Ibanez is just one of those brands that does nothing for me. When I play one I hate the neck, and just cant get a good to me sound out of them (note, I have not played any of the top end ones). I listen to quite a few bands that use Ibanez, but the ones that I hear and wind up looking up their gear for that awesome tone are very rarely using something other than a Fender.

 

[Manuel Bass]

Ibanez is just one of those brands that does nothing for me. When I play one I hate the neck, and just cant get a good to me sound out of them (note, I have not played any of the top end ones). I listen to quite a few bands that use Ibanez, but the ones that I hear and wind up looking up their gear for that awesome tone are very rarely using something other than a Fender.

There’s good sounding guys at almost any brand

 

[Bassdirty]

I love Ibanez basses. They're very well-made and punch well above their weight features-wise. The Gary Willis is absolutely insane as far as fretless basses go - definitely one of the best instruments out there.

Agree.

Im ALWAYS pimping Ibby basses when someone wants Good, economical, playability, light, close string spacing(My Fav), well balanced...etc.

Just darn good basses.

The lower models are better (and better looking) than ever (and I still have my OLD SR405), but I prefer to recommend the 500 series (505 for some of us) or higher.

Plenty of Ibby fans here too.

YMMV.

T$