What's with Ibby?

[nilorius]

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.

If You don't consider Ibanez designs modern for today, sorry, but then Fender was played by Jesus christ.

 

[Leonid Nidis]

Once in a band I had I fired a guy cos he played an ibanez electric sorry but the palm muting just did sound right on it.
I am older and wiser now,Ibanez basses do have great value for money(you pay less for the brand itself).
Very comfortable...but I didnt care for the sound of any of them,I cant even define why,something boring about it.No obvious character unlike many other instruments we love.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I think it’s humorous that the Ibanez fan club makes fun of the Fender fan club. It’s all good, but the Fender fan club includes 70-80 percent of recorded bass lines.

 

[Relayer71]

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.

You are contradicting yourself. You were hoping it was pro-Ibby, in which case you cared. But since it was "anti-Fender", you said "nobody should care" what the OP likes.

 

[revd]

You are contradicting yourself. You were hoping it was pro-Ibby, in which case you cared. But since it was "anti-Fender", you said "nobody should care" what the OP likes.

Save your emoji.

I was interested to learn about Ibbby, not about anti-Fender.

Nobody cares equals nobody minds, in my sentence.

 

[Relayer71]

Save your emoji.

I was interested to learn about Ibbby, not about anti-Femder.

Geez, the OP wasn't exactly "anti-Fender". Just said he had a Fender and then found more value (his opinion, subjective, but HIS post) in an Ibanez.

The guy said more about Ibanez than Fender.

And there's more emojis where that came from!





(I edited this reply, misunderstood your "nobody cares" comment, I got it now. Apologies. Still, "nobody cares" and "nobody minds" mean different things)

 

[Standalone]

... or of course you can choose have your cake and eat it too when it comes to Ibanez.

 

[Standalone]

Ibanez kind of ate Fender for lunch in the late seventies and eighties. I think the competition made Fender find its way again — Ibanez found its own direction as the eighties developed the SR line — and both companies are better for it in 2020, imo.

 

[Eilif]

If You don't consider Ibanez designs modern for today, sorry, but then Fender was played by Jesus christ.

Ibanez does modern things to be sure, but at this point, the SR shape is almost "vintage". That's no dig on Ibanez but the fact that it still feels modern shows how slow most bass players (myself entirely included) are to adopt innovative instrument shapes and designs.

 

[TinIndian]

I can believe it with Peavey. But honestly brand has never made me stop to think about Ibanez's stuff.

Peaveys only good instrument I know of is the Cirrus USA, anything else is budget, at least for what I know.

Peavey actually had a number of really nice US made basses. US Millenniums are fantastic. They even made basses with graphite necks the G Bass and the GV. The Brian Bromberg came with a Modulus neck.
There are a number of others as well. Even the 80's models are really well built high quality basses. Just not a lot in the way of frills.

Too bad they shut down US production, they made some amazing basses.

Sorry for the hijack.

I've owned a number of Ibanez basses over the years, my 1st full scale bass was a 70's Ric copy, I also owned an 84 RB850RV and my 1st 5 String was an SRT805DX. That was neck through with a curved body like a Spector. Amazing build quality.

I am always on the look out for a 70's Silver Series PJ and I wouldn't mind giving an ATK805E a spin one of these days.

 

[revd]

^^@ Relayer: Don't bother replying to anything else I write on TB, won't get read.

 

[Relayer71]

Ibanez does modern things to be sure, but at this point, the SR shape is almost "vintage". That's no dig on Ibanez but the fact that it still feels modern shows how slow most bass players (myself entirely included) are to adopt innovative instrument shapes and designs.

I think anything Active Pickups + downsized or contoured body clearly not Fender (or Ric) inspired is seen as "modern". SR and others were likely inspired by the Spector NS which came out in 1977.

Is there a new modern (post-modern?) design that everyone is emulating? Can't think of a design or type of design that has taken off in the last 20 years or so. More like the vintage look has come back hard in the lat decade.

Steinberger's headless 80s stuff was definitely in this category except that it didn't exactly endure.

 

[Standalone]

my pair of 85 ibanez roadstar ii basses

View attachment 3928338

I've had the people rb850 since i was 13, my first bass
the black one i restored this year. immediately sold my fender (bridge humbucker and p pickup, preamp, etc) i had been playing for a decade because this thing was just plug and play (and like half the weight)
these 80s ibanez basses are probably the best value out there. $300-400 for amazing instruments

Wow your first Bass is my after-many-years-finally-found-my-gigging-bass

 

[lokikallas]

I think to a lot of people Ibanez = soundgear. Which is silly. I have a soundgear and a BTB. Vastly different. They make plenty of other styles as well, from traditional to hollowbody to the odd ergodynes.

 

[thetragichero]

yeah my dad got it from a friend at work. it was ~12 years old at the time so too old to be 'new' and not old enough to be desirable. completely rewired it a year or so ago. coil cuts weren't very useful but the wiring the neck pickup for series/parallel and building a preamp into it means it can now cop stingray tones

 

[JimmyM]

My IQ dropped 10 points reading through this whole thread, but I do love a trainwreck.

Who gives a crap? Play what you want and be happy you have it.

 

[Es-La-Una]

I have an Ibanez bass and I like it a lot. Some thoughts:

• I don’t think Ibanez is being ostracized.
  
  
  
• Hang around this forum often enough and you’ll see topics the same as this one reappearing for other bass manufacturers. Awhile back there was one for Yamaha and one for Schecter. Topics like this one basically ask the same question “Why isn’t this brand more popular?”.
  

• What we don’t know is how many brand new basses are sold each year for each manufacturer. Maybe Ibanez is number one? They have a large selection of basses that’s diverse as well with hollow body models, fanned fret models, and I think they have a headless model now.
  

• Ibanez is known for using soft finishes that ding and scratch more easily.
  

• I attend many outdoor summer concerts. Well, not this year because of you know what. If I can get close enough to the band stage, I like to take notice of what the bass player is playing: the model and the number of strings. Fender outnumbers Ibanez basses when up on the stage.
  

 

[Relayer71]

^^@ Relayer: Don't bother replying to anything else I write on TB, won't get read.

Wow, you sir, are incredibly sensitive. I don't recall saying anything so offensive or antagonistic that you had to write that. Life is short, why so serious?

 

[Killing Floor]

IMO part of it is tradition. No, not IMO (In My Opinion) but IMO (In Market Observation). I love my Fenders but I also have other basses that I love that aren't Fender. I love the classic style and you can't argue that even the most modern basses from Ibanez and others are stylized tributes to the originals. Nothing wrong with that.

There are so many options out there, find what you like and don't be timid about trying more expensive, less expensive, as many brands, shapes that you can. That's how you learn what fits you and your needs.

I said above I love my Fenders. That is true and I am even buying another Fender so this statement shouldn't be taken as brand bashing. But it is true that Fender doesn't really push any boundaries. They don't have to. They sound like Fenders. And there are plenty bassists who want the P bass or J bass sound and feel, myself included. But for times when I want something different I play something different. Fender doesn't make Stingrays, Fender doesn't make Rickenbackers. They don't have to. There is nothing wrong with playing something that you like that isn't a Fender.

But since this is TB I should be blugioned if I fail to point this out, Ibanez' guitar and bass origin is knockoff Fenders, Hofners, and Gibsons.
1971 Ibanez Guitar Catalog

 

[john_g]

The only ones around my area are the lower end basses. Ive played a few and they were really comfortable and felt great. But the tones were meh. This is just my opinion though.