xgsjx Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 I bought my SR1000 back in 1990 & it's been my main keeper. It was a metal player's bass at the time with folk like Matt Bisonette from DLR & once Yngwie Malmsteen bassist, Wally Voss playing them. Mine no longer looks like a metalhead's bass. Considering getting a fretless 5 string Ibby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Matt Bisonette on the Docklands Light Railway? Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 (edited) Had an SGR (200 IIRC) for many years as a working instrument. I wasn't playing much bass at the time but I don't recall having any issues with it at all. Did everything I needed it to do with no fuss. I think the point about perception as a beginner's make is well made though: I have an RG470L guitar that was a busy gigging instrument in a function band for a number of years: soundwise it wasn't what you'd call versatile but it was an extremely well made instrument with an excellent action. Cost me the thick end of £500 new, but when I put it up for sale a few years ago I had absolutely no responses on an asking price of £175 ono (I would have accepted £160). Edited December 21, 2016 by leftybassman392 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barking Spiders Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 I don't own any Ibanez basses but have a couple their guitars despite their association with dull plankspankers like Satriani. If there are good used basses out there under £300 I'm gonna get a couple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visog Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 (edited) [quote name='markstuk' timestamp='1482270384' post='3199177'] Dave Swift is a new endorsee [/quote] Right so... all good players, etc and good challenge to my point. But I was really referring to a romantic musical hero we aspire to be rather than the jobbing functional musicians you cite.. Which is what the Ibby's are in fact - jobbing and functional. Don't get me wrong - I'm an owner of multiple Ibbys and my first proper instrument was a Blazer sat behind me as I write this. Currently lusting after pretty-much all their bass workshop range which for a big manufacturer I think is a great bit of product R&D and should be applaud. Now if only they can distil mojo and pour a little into each truss rod cavity... Edited December 21, 2016 by visog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrumpymike Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 All goes to prove the importance of having an iconic body shape or two - although the SG shape is pretty iconic and Gibson don't shift many of those. Maybe it just proves the importance of being Fender... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 [quote name='visog' timestamp='1482315518' post='3199417'] ....Now if only they can distil mojo and pour a little into each truss rod cavity... [/quote] Nahh, they'd need a fatter neck for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaggyMan Posted December 21, 2016 Author Share Posted December 21, 2016 And again putting my money where my mouth is just bought another off of here, a single cut this time.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 I suspect the problem is having a wide range of instruments. I think that's already been alluded to. My Ibanez was £400 in 2002. It has an awesome sound possibly because it has PJ pickups and not the later ones. If you put two Ibanez' side by side they're fairly indistinguishable. Why pay 4x the one on the left for the one on the right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1482317946' post='3199457']If you put two Ibanez' side by side they're fairly indistinguishable. Why pay 4x the one on the left for the one on the right? [/quote] Thats what I meant about the fenders. Put a Squier P bass next to an American P - 4 times the price difference, looks pretty much the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 There's also an element of 'made in the Far East therefore of lower value'. Having met a lot of customers in the shop I've heard this sentiment many times. There are a lot of Brits who have a basic view that anything made in the east has been built to lower quality standards and with ultra-cheap labour. Doesn't really matter which country either although there is a vague hierarchy with Japan at the top and China at the bottom. I'd say most of our customers couldn't say where Ibanez are made so they don't benefit from any Japanese connection. A lot of European countries value far eastern manufacture a lot higher, especially Japan, and will pay higher relative prices. I don't know enough about Ibanez values in EU to say whether they sell for more there or not. Overall I think their value comes from this perception of generally lower quality combined with a lack of clear brand values and positioning. As a side point - Too many guitar manufacturers forget the importance of brand building. There are a lot of 'everyday' players out there who don't understand or value the benefits of a really well made instrument or stuff like expensive woods and electronics etc. They are just buying into the brand that has tangible values to them - Fender being the most obvious example of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaggyMan Posted December 21, 2016 Author Share Posted December 21, 2016 Agree with molan on the geo-snobbery angle. I have played some god-awful us basses and some very good indonesian ones (had a Ray 34 and it compared favorably to my US stingray considering it was something like half the list price). I find it weird that there was a fad for the roadstar basses a few years back because they were 'vintage' (a bit like the JV squier thing i guess) and yet the ATK and RDGR ranges are cult basses at best a overlooked completely at worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlatEric Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 I thing there are two sections of Ibanez and there are fans for earlier (sort of pre1985 ish) for later and in some cases they like both. I fall into the earlier - I only have one post 85, which is a beautiful SR 900. Here:[url="http://flatericbassandguitar.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/ibanez-old-and-new.html"]http://flatericbassandguitar.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/ibanez-old-and-new.html[/url] I just love the "Classic Ibanez", in my opinion, some of the best basses money can buy and the values of them aren't falling. Someone has already mentioned a confusion between models, which may be true, I can't say I know a newer one from the other. It has also been mentioned that Dave Swift is an endorsee, he also has a floor to ceiling collection of the "Classics" It is perhaps that the modern ones, just don't stand out? I love my 900 but have never been tempted to buy another later Ibby. Nothing sort of grabs me - but then to be fair, I only really do 4 String. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Fashion more than anything. My bro had a roadstar fretless back in the 80s and it was a blinder. Great tone, well built and easy to play. We both loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinny Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 It's actually very simple - they are worthless because I've got one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Didn't Ibanez make Ric copy? Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 [quote name='visog' timestamp='1482268668' post='3199161'] Name anyone who plays one...? Not accepting tier-3 obscure heavy metal. Fieldy does not count as he's silly. [/quote] I get the point bur personally I don't care who plays them or does not play them. I like what I like based own my own perceptions and not endorsers, trends, brand loyalty etc. I'm impressed by Ibanez and their willingness to support many original/innovative designs as opposed to producing yet more Fender clones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu_g Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 I like Ibanez,I still have a roadster rs900 lovely bass very heavy but I couldn't part with it. Also have a RDGR bass very versatile and sounds good. An SR1000e 1987 soundgear quality bass And an SR505 I'd have no qualms gigging any of them and I picked them all up for reasonable prices so I'm not complaining. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 [quote name='BaggyMan' timestamp='1482317885' post='3199456'] And again putting my money where my mouth is just bought another off of here, a single cut this time.. [/quote] I am glad you did - that was getting way too tempting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodinblack Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1482378468' post='3200041'] Didn't Ibanez make Ric copy? [/quote] They did, and it was fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40hz Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 For me, Ibanez have always bought to mind 'metal' and also for me are a bit vanilla (IMO, YMMV and all that). However the real top end SR's are tasty instruments and I've come close a few times to pulling the trigger on one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlfer Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Meh, some of us were gigging Ibbys before the OP had picked a bass up [URL=http://s1354.photobucket.com/user/Karl_Altdorfer/media/001_zpsrvzbg7ay.jpg.html][IMG]http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q693/Karl_Altdorfer/001_zpsrvzbg7ay.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowhand_mike Posted December 23, 2016 Share Posted December 23, 2016 (edited) i'm glad they are not seen as "The" bass to have, you get soo much bass for your money its mental. The premium i have is ridiculously good and should cost twice as much as it did (and thats new) so figures the second hand values will be lower than they really should, percived value and all that. But even their lower priced instruments are excellent value. Not bothered about indorsees tbh just if it feels great sounds great and looks great. Edited December 23, 2016 by lowhand_mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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