What's with Ibby?

[Steadfast]

Ibby prestige 2600 is badassed.

 

[Lackey]

Hmmm, I don't know about that. I could play someone three Rush songs from Exit Stage Left, Grace Under Pressure, and Power Windows respectively that they have never heard before and I am 99% sure most bassists here would be able to point out which was the Rickenbacker, which was the Wal, and which was the Steinberger.

The same goes for a similar sample of Yes songs. Some basses are very easily identifiable.

Really? I haven't played any of those three basses myself - I'd have a hard time telling which one is which.

 

[Lackey]

Fenders are notorious for being well made and easy to put in the mix, as well as the fact that they're considered classic aesthetic and all that.

Ibanez feel like toys, and maybe not to everybody, but dollar for dollar, Fender is way more road worthy and their sound has much more oomph. Ibas usually sound very mid-cutty and that can be something you want. But fender p and j are both really ballsy and provide a lot of bite and tone that midscooped, active basses like iba are hard pressed to provide. Try and play what you like, cause that's what matters in the end.

But like anything, brands divide people. Sometimes for good reason.

Well, this just isn't true.

 

[el murdoque]

My first contact with Ibanez was right when I started out. In my home town, before the internet, choices were limited and basically every guitar player with a limited budget played an Ibby.
They simply had the best guitars with humbuckers south of a thousand bucks available to us back then.
My current main axe is a BTB single cut 6 string.
I also own a Silver Series '78 P bass that easily can compete with anything Fender put out in that decade.
Currently, I am GAS free, but as soon as I can justify owning it and have spare cash lying around, I might consider that fan fret headless six string they put out.

 

[HearNoStevil]

Here are some of my favorite Talman basses. I didn't like the stock black pickguards, so I went with two different torts. The tort on the pink is a bit more reddish, but it miraculously brings out the reddish overtones in the fretboard wood (it doesn't show up too well in the pics). I didn't think I'd like the tort on pink, but I think it works.

The tort on the sparkle green I'm not 100% sold on, I may go with glitter gold as the green glitter has a bit of a goldish overtone in the light and I want it to be a bit over the top. But, it actually looks classy and vintage for a distinctly not classy or vintage bass haha. But, nonetheless, I love the Fender pickup covers and ashtrays I've added to those basses; it brings the styling together and pulls in the chrome input jack.

 

[retslock]

- I've just exchanged a very good lookin and sounding fender jazz mex (2008) with an Ibanez sr1300.

'Ibanez sounds poopie' is the most common thing I hear from people in general who probably are not used to different and more articulated sounds. - Have u ever played a high-end ibanez?

I can partly say the same thing for Yamaha,
Is it because they r Japanese and not American?
Has it something to do with tradition and visual customs? Powerful branding and marketing?

Ok, these questions are provocative but what are your thoughts about Ibanez' ostracising?

I believe this lack of appreciation of Ibanez is perception rather than real experience. As an SR655 owner I have to say that it is a misconception. My bass is quality. Nordstrand pickups NEVER sound “poopie”. Mine punch as well as any Fender I’ve ever played with a broad tonal range. To be honest though, I have to say my ‘82 Musician doesn’t sound as good as my Precision of the same vintage or as good as the SR655.
I like some Fender but not all. I like some Gibson but not all. With Ibanez it’s the same. I like some but not all. An open mind and real experience is called for.

 

[21DaHoagie12]

Nu-metal is solid stuff. I love me some Mudvayne, Slipknot, Sevendust... When my dad passed away, Slipknot's music is what kept my head right in the days following his passing. In particular their "Grey Chapters" album. Oh, and the first Korn album was pivotal in helping me survive high school. Metal elitists can scoff at Korn all they want, but they all effin' LOVED that first Korn album. Don't front!

As for Ibanez... I recall saying else where that Fender has little appeal to me. I find Fender and Fender-clone basses stodgy and old-fashioned in design and too ubiquitous. I'm a filthy hipster who prefers something different. However, I could easily say that Soundgears have been just as ubiquitous as Fenders in my own experience gigging, going to shows, etc. Yet, I would more likely check out a Soundgear over a Fender. I prefer the sleeker, racier, aesthetics of those basses. I'd be most curious to try out the Adam Nitti 5-string bass or the SR2405W, since they have the 45mm nut width I like, but with 18mm string spacing at the bridge.

As an owner of the Adam Nitti 5 string I can say it is absolutely fantastic; tonally its a modern take on a classic sounding jazz bass sound, and the playability is exactly what you'd exect from a sound gear, but without the classic cramped 16.5 mm spacing of the normal 5 and 6 strings soundgears.. plus the swamp ash body has it weighing in at about 8 pounds so its super light to gig and the single coils sound great live. The only downside I can think of would be that I'm personally used to a B string on a 35" scale bass as opposed to 34" so I increased my gauge size from what I usually use on my Spector and BTB 35" scale basses, as the B felt kinda wobbly to me.

 

[pellomoco14]

I've been using sound gears for jazz since I started playing.

Just bought another ibby on the verb!
GWB1
NBD post pending

 

[retslock]

Fenders are notorious for being well made and easy to put in the mix, as well as the fact that they're considered classic aesthetic and all that.

Ibanez feel like toys, and maybe not to everybody, but dollar for dollar, Fender is way more road worthy and their sound has much more oomph. Ibas usually sound very mid-cutty and that can be something you want. But fender p and j are both really ballsy and provide a lot of bite and tone that midscooped, active basses like iba are hard pressed to provide. Try and play what you like, cause that's what matters in the end.

But like anything, brands divide people. Sometimes for good reason.

A bit to disagree with here. I own two Ibanez and they are totally different beasts as you might expect of any manufacturer with a varied model range. The old MC924DS is as solid as a rock and still going strong. I would put it up against any Fender including my own for solid construction. It doesn’t sound as good as my Precision but neither do many other “name” basses in my opinion. It’s 38 years old and has seen a lot of touring and is still very solid.
My SR655 is very different. It has Nordstrand PJ style pickups and sounds and plays great. There is no suggestion that either of these basses are any kind of short cut in quality or playability. They are certainly not toys. They are high quality working instruments that I gig with.

 

[revd]

Clicked on the thread hoping it would be pro-Ibby, looking forward to a read about that brand whose bases I don't know much about.

Thread seemed to slide immediately into anti-Fender in the OP itself.

OP - like what you will, nobody else does or should care.

 

[Indiana Mike]

If this was about Fender or Ric the internet would be full and crashed.

 

[mcnach]

- This is a kinda generic topic (no trolls plz) - but
I am a beginner/intermediate player (4 years of bass studies, long time ago) and I have begun playing the bass again during quarantine.

I've just exchanged a very good lookin and sounding fender jazz mex (2008) with an Ibanez sr1300.

I don't want to disappoint all the Fender adherents here but these are instruments at different levels.
Even though the Jazz sounds great, it is just that, and that's it. Ok, long life to simplicity but once I came across this Ibanez (fine wooded, NS pickupped, multidimensionally equalised, agile and good looking). I thougth: 'how it is possible that people do not even take into consideration this bass, if not for live performance, at least for studio recs or experimentation?'.

'Ibanez sounds poopie' is the most common thing I hear from people in general who probably are not used to different and more articulated sounds. - Have u ever played a high-end ibanez?

I can partly say the same thing for Yamaha,
Is it because they r Japanese and not American?
Has it something to do with tradition and visual customs? Powerful branding and marketing?
Is it because most of bass playing and sounding has been very standard since the beginning of rock-blues and the bass is still forced within these limits?

Ok, these questions are provocative but what are your thoughts about Ibanez' ostracising?

Honestly, I don't know what you're talking about. I have never felt Ibanez gets any ostracising, in fact I would say it gets a lot of love around here (shrug)

 

[nilorius]

My nr.1 bass is the best bass i ever played and the best Ibanez i ever played - GWB1005

 

[pie_man_25]

Being a guy that owns two fenders and zero Ibanez, there's nothing wrong with Ibanez basses. Heck if I bought another electric guitar I'd buy an Ibanez, I've just got all my bass needs met with a couple Fenders that I bought used, it just clicked trying them both out and that's it. Definitely just good stuff from Ibanez, if they still made the ATK series I'd have one by now.

Also, referencing fancy wood and active preamps - I don't even use the preamp on my American deluxe Jazz V, and I don't care about fancy wood, in this regard Fender is alright, but I'd also get a Yamaha BB series if I've ever even seen one used.

As far as hating on Ibanez - I don't see it, people love them. I've seen a million soundgears and RGs that just aren't my thing, but the artcore stuff is cool, the ATK series just looks awesome, their acoustics can have some really cool models too.

 

[zubrycky]

I love my old Ibby. Its sound is magical.

 

[31HZ]

I play mostly 5-string basses (right now, I only own 5’s - four of them).
Most Ibanez 5’s have narrow 16.5mm string spacing, which I don’t like.

The only Ibanez 5 I would buy is the Cerro single cut with 18mm string spacing. I played that bass and loved it.
(Stole this photo from TB classifieds)
View attachment 3928254
the BTB’s have 19mm spacing, but I really don’t like the body shape and it’s straight-cut angles.

WHOA, that is a sweet-looking bass.

Thanks for posting that!

 

[Erik Asma]

I had one, SR 1820. With the nordy's. Loved it. Sold it because I didn't play it enough. It deserved to be played. Something I sometimes regret.

But, this is the point of this reply. Ibanez just got a serious enemy at the gates. Sire...
I picked up an M2. I also have an SR 300 as I needed that neck and also weight became an issue since we have 4-5 hour practice nowadays.
Hence the regret.

But I can safely say a sire Marcus Miller M7 will blow most Ibanez that cost way more, my 1820 costed nearly double, straight out of the water.
Sound is great, that neck is the smoothest ever, finish is flawless. You get to choose between ash or alder. Just the weight is a tad more.
The M2 has everything the M7 has, except different wood, mahogany, tuners are less, fine though and the series switch is missing.

 

[sxaxsx]

Ibanez and Fender are just different, both are good basses. I went through a phase where I sold my Fender Jazz bought two Ibanez basses, and thought Ibanez was "better" but eventually I sold both Ibanez basses and now I own two Fender basses. But not because I think Fender is better than Ibanez, just because the passive Fender sound with flats is now more what I am into than the active, modern Ibanez sound.

 

[mrjim123]

Every time I pick up and play an Ibanez it feels almost like a toy in my hands. To each his/her own.

 

[Eilif]

I think the op has found his community of Ibanez fans here on TB!

I've also always been impressed by Ibanez quality, innovation and QC. However, I've never liked the aesthetics or skinny necks on their flagship Soundgear instruments.

There are exceptions -I think the TMB100 is the best value in a classic styled bass today- but I just don't need or want anything Ibanez makes today.

At the same time, I do think it's interesting that Ibanez is considered modern, when the core Soundgear bass design is 33 years old. I think that says more about musicians conservative aesthetic preferences than it does about Ibanez though.