What is it with Ibanez second hand values??

[BaggyMan]

I have been fortunate enough to pursue the hobby not only 35 years of play but through the advent of ebay and places like here, buy/try trade or keep many many basses.
My bass ADHD has been fed by Yamaha, Washburn, fender, squier, lakland, musicman, olp, and ..slowly getting to the point ibanez.

I have had 4* 5 string BTB's, a 6 six string BTB, the ultra weird Ergodyne EDA905, an SR535, the massively underrated RDGR series basses (4 string and 5 strings...) and the ATK. All of them really really good instruments, and all of the for less than £300 second hand.

So what is it about Ibanez people don't like? The materials are excellent, the sound good, the build is always good. I have seem a couple of comment w/r to the neck being thin, but yes maybe on theSR's but certainly not the othere .Just dont get it ..

Thoughts??

Edited December 20, 2016 by BaggyMan

[Cato]

I'm seriously considering getting an SR750 in the new year, but I have to confess that it's taken me many years before I started feeling any Ibby love.

For me I think it's because I started playing in about 1989 and at that time Ibanez guitars were basically marketed as shred machines for metal virtuosos, I can't really remember any marketing for the basses at all, but I think in my mind I just lumped them in with the guitars as being associated with a genre I had absolutely no interest in.

[ivansc]

Nowhere to put your right thumb on an ATK and the pickup sounds weird to me. Had one for under a week before it returned to its wall hanger in the shop.
Fro all the Ibanez that I have owned every one seemed to have construction issues.
Bought and returned three of their electro-acoustics, every one of which had a massive drop in volume on the bottom E, for instance.
One bass I bought new had a machine head crack (the body part) in the first month!

Might have something to do with the low resale if my experiences have been shared by others.

[Woodinblack]

I don't think they are necessarily low, compared to a fender second hand price vs retail, they stack up pretty well.

The ATKs are a strange looking beast so that is probably why, although it is a fantastic thing - I got a cheap one to hack around but it is so good its a keeper. Sound is brilliant on that, basically like a budget stingray.

Ultimately the Ibanez are the only basses that I tend to stick with, so I don't really know why they are low.

[TheGreek]

There are many models that I like - some of the TOTR Ibanez models with exotic finishes in particular. I don't understand why some of the models struggle to sell for less than £100 on eBay.

[Mykesbass]

Branding possibly? The way they name their model lines is a little confusing with the SGR models hardly having Ibanez on them. I had previously thought, wrongly, that particular name was their budget/mid-price line. Perhaps they should have done as Gibson did with Epiphone, or Fender with Squier and kept the original name for the premium models.

[timhiggins]

I have only had good experiences with Ibby's but i would rather talk them down or the prices may hike

[scrumpymike]

My Ibanez ownership experiences have been limited - but all good: late '70s Musician; Mikro; TMB30. I think what shaped my positive feelings the brand was seeing The Spin Doctors (Mark White??) live - bloody AWESOME rhythm section! (Thanks for the tinnitus btw guys!)

[Roger2611]

Is it their prominent association with the metal genre, I have a catalogue somewhere which lists the endorsee's most play in bands with Hell and Death in the title, I am sure there was one guy called Beelzebub Death Bringer who played bass for the Hell Death Monkeys

Seriously though, I love the look of their basses but they never seem to wow me when I play them

Edited December 20, 2016 by Roger2611

[ZilchWoolham]

Whatever the reason, I'm not complaining!

[White Cloud]

...long may it continue, I don't want to pay more!

I put it down to trend and fashion as I have owned a few since the 80's and they have all benefited from clever/excellent design, played beautifully, sounded great and been flawlessly built.

They are as good if not better than anything else on the market that is mass produced. Great basses!

[blue]

In many cases Ibanez guitars and bass copies are nicer than the Fender or Gibsons.

Blue

[BaggyMan]

I agree I love 'em. I buy and ultimately sell them as much as the other brands..in fact buying another this week from here, the single. cut, to join the Rdgr5 i have.. Amazed there are so many so so basses out there and Ibanez seem to have the big name without the price tag...

[stingrayPete1977]

I think they have the same problem Yamaha do, other than possibly the Attitude the model numbers could be anything to anyone other than the initiated, BBNE2 could be a £179 with a practice amp even to other bass players, I only know what one is because someone else had one, I have used a 5 string Ibanez at practice for a couple of years, I am not sure what it is ! Gibson Thunderbird, Fender Jazz, Musicman Stingray, Warwick Thumb Bass, etc etc all have a known starting point before you look into the exact model be it chinese,japanese,korean,german,US,mexican etc.

An SR535 and other variations always sound more like something you'd need a motorcycle licence to use rather than a plectrum

[dannybuoy]

Like Yamaha, they have a bit of a brand problem due to the fact there is a common perception that they are primarily for beginners; they are some of the lowest price and best value options going for beginners, except they don't have the heritage / cool factor of Squier or Epiphone. When people progress they tend to steer away from the brands they or their friends started out on and aspire to owning more prestige brands.

Whilst there are some more fancy / expensive models available, they are mostly rather dull, or there isn't much obvious difference between the cheap and expensive models. e.g. the Yamaha BB424 for £250 or the BB2024 which looks the same for £2500!

[visog]

Name anyone who plays one...? Not accepting tier-3 obscure heavy metal. Fieldy does not count as he's silly.

Right so everyone has said Gary Willis... good call. Great bassist but entirely singular views on a bass.

So anyone else? Without tattoos on their face?

[Rikki1984]

[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.

Right so everyone has said Gary Willis... good call. Great bassist but entirely singular views on a bass.

So anyone else? Without tattoos on their face?
[/quote]

Carole Kay, Adam Nitti, Gerald Veasley. Verdine White has done as well, I think.

[markstuk]

[quote name='Rikki1984' timestamp='1482270192' post='3199174']


Carole Kay, Adam Nitti, Gerald Veasley. Verdine White has done as well, I think.
[/quote]

Dave Swift is a new endorsee

[timhiggins]

Devon Bradshaw among lots of other reggae players like em http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zmyplWLwIKA/maxresdefault.jpg

[Count Bassy]

I've certainly seen Dave Pegg playing an Ibanez SR505.

[LITTLEWING]

I must admit, for some reason I've never been attracted to them being a long time Precision chap but after acquiring the cheap end of the range GSR200B in walnut (just cos it was there in Bumflea for silly pound notes) and tweaking the set up etc, I've got the action down to 6/64 E to 5/64 D with NOT ONE buzzing fret and I'm really digging the incredible neck and the sound of the reverse split pickups. If I didn't know any better, if someone put a £300 plus label on it I'd be happy as pig in the proverbial. DAMN fine guitar.

And as Mr Swift is playing one these days, I'm proud to wear one.

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1482262120' post='3199077']
Whilst there are some more fancy / expensive models available, they are mostly rather dull, or there isn't much obvious difference between the cheap and expensive models. e.g. the Yamaha BB424 for £250 or the BB2024 which looks the same for £2500!
[/quote]

But to be fair, the fenders / gibsons are the same for that.

[Mickeyboro]

I owned an Ibanez Les Paul copy that was indistinguishable from the real thing. (1979).

[Romeo2]

I had an Ibanez SR700 I think, for years, and loved it, then got a G&L L2000, figured out I like chunkier necks, and moved it on. Had to sell it cheap but bought it 2nd hand cheap so no complaints. Looking at 2nd hand (tribute) G&L prices, same trend, hard to sell it when you slash the price in half it seems.

And so be it, there may be lots of reasons as you all have mentioned but at the end of the day some will pay over the odds for a mass-produced, say, Fender while same monies could buy them handmade superior lookalike or three 2nd hand far-east produced Ibbys or Yammys - and no amount of reasonable arguments will convince them that it's money not well spent, they want an overpriced Fender, that's it (using fender as an example here, no intention of a dig).

My guitarist friend wanted a bass to noodle on, guess what - he went for an MIM black/maple Fender P, new. He struggles to play it, neck is chunkier than the one on my L2k, output on the pups is fairly weak, and he is gassing for a skinny neck Ibby - but will never ever admit he shouldn't have bought that P in the first place. Go figure.

[BaggyMan]

Spooky I have a G&l SB-2 one of the all round finest basses i have ever owned (and i am tipping the scales at 150+ owned since 1980 that's adhd for you friends ooh look a squirrel!..) Completely destroys any p bass i have ever owned and played.
My guess that in the end i buy basses that play and feel great and THEN look at the label..

Edited December 21, 2016 by BaggyMan