Koneda Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I've only recently started playing bass again and am now part of a 5 piece with gigs comming up. I bought a cheapy lil Ibanez gio several months ago and I am very pleased with it seeing as it only cost me £160. Ive come across another Ibanez I like: [url="http://www.ibanez.co.jp/world/country/frame_uk.html"]http://www.ibanez.co.jp/world/country/frame_uk.html[/url] I just thought what you guys thought of Ibanez basses in general seeing as my experiance of bass guitars in general is very minimal. I'm looking for something in the range of £600 thats good enough to gig with. I could stick with the gio seein as it plays just fine but really want something a lil more flash. Any nuggets of wisdom would be much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 link dinnae take you to any particular bass. go in the shop and play lots of brands till you find what you want. £600 will net you quite a tidy bass secondhand too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Modern Ibanez are like Honda cars, they dont have the "name" or (some would say) a certain Mojo - However What they do have is a massive amount of ability whivh is WAY above their cost, and they generally play VERY well without the need for pimping. They are well made enough to be able to be set up very easily and will cope with most of what you wil throw at them. If your group doesnt have any prejudice and the Ibby will fit in with what you play and how you look - GET ONE ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjb Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 (edited) As the guy above said, Ibanez and Yamaha are the Honda of the guitar world - totally reliable and very well priced. I've owned both in the past. For me the best of the Ibanez range for overall value is the [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/ibanez-sr-505/11055"]SR505[/url] which has Bartolini pickups and is made of wenge/bubinga/mahogany (they also do four string version). I'm constantly plugging this in new player threads. I should get comission..... Edited February 23, 2009 by rjb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cytania Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Ibanez make a huge range of basses, all of which have a great finish and build quality for the price. IMHO Ibanez's all have a particular sound - clean, bright, ringing, piano-like - whether it's from their rock range or their jazzy funk types. I went for something a bit dirtier for my second bass but I notice my Ibanez has a singing 'cut-through the mix' quality my growly Spear doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leonshelley01 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Ibanez basses and guitars are probably pound for pound the best value manufacturer out there. They are well made using decent materials and their quality control is excellent (far better than many other far east factories). I have had a couple of their basses in the past and use a couple of RG guitars regularly at gigs. However, like most things, you must try them first. Not everyone gets on with the very slim (but very stable) necks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayfan Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 (edited) Great guitars - never been sure about the basses. But don't ask us, if you like em, that's good enough! Edited February 23, 2009 by stingrayfan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bottle Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 [quote name='cytania' post='417164' date='Feb 23 2009, 09:19 AM']Ibanez make a huge range of basses, all of which have a great finish and build quality for the price. IMHO Ibanez's all have a particular sound - clean, bright, ringing, piano-like - whether it's from their rock range or their jazzy funk types. I went for something a bit dirtier for my second bass but I notice my Ibanez has a singing 'cut-through the mix' quality my growly Spear doesn't.[/quote] +1 I've got a couple of Ibanez basses - a GSR180 4-string, which I bought new about 9 months ago, and immediately liked the tone, especially for an 'entry-level' bass. Been playing it lots, especially now I have a regular playing slot in church on a Sunday. But I've just bought a second-hand ATK305 (my first 5-string), and I'm getting into the richer tone I can get out of it, plus some of the extra features on the bass - seriously have a look at the ATK range. Best piece of advice (and I am a novice when it comes to playing, so don't take it as gospel) is to try out several basses in your price range, and find the one that fits [i]you[/i] Best of luck Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithless Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 600? Maybe you could get SR Prestige series... Great, universal basses with active pre-amp, thin neck and stuff like that.. I've got one, so, any questions are welcome about it BTW, there's a huge thread about Ibanezes, here.. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=25421&hl=ibaneeezes"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...p;hl=ibaneeezes[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben604 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 GAS ---> [url="http://www.dv247.com/invt/60890/"]http://www.dv247.com/invt/60890/[/url] what a lovely looking bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geilerbass Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 +1 to Faithless's post - there's loads of opinion on Ibanez basses in that thread. I use Ibanez and have found there playability to be unparalleled for the price. The sound varies, depending on the model - if you want a mellow tone, go with an SR. An SRX will give you a gruffer, growly tone etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 You can get a lot for £600. And as people have said, Ibanez and Yamaha will offer you a lot both in quality and reliability for that money. Unless it's the slim necks that attract you to Japanese marques, I'd be tempted to look at the G&L Tribute Series for that money. Rock solid construction and massive variety of tones - you'll get P'bass, Jazz and StingRay sounds, plus a few more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stubarura Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 [quote name='noelk27' post='417930' date='Feb 23 2009, 10:10 PM']You can get a lot for £600. And as people have said, Ibanez and Yamaha will offer you a lot both in quality and reliability for that money. Unless it's the slim necks that attract you to Japanese marques, I'd be tempted to look at the G&L Tribute Series for that money. Rock solid construction and massive variety of tones - you'll get P'bass, Jazz and StingRay sounds, plus a few more.[/quote] +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XB26354 Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Don't ignore the BTB series - lots of people here seem to love the SR's but I have always liked 5- and 6-string BTB, and the new thru neck ones in walnut are very, very nice for the money (even with the price hike due to the collapsed Yen-Sterling exchange rate). Massive piano like sustain and a richer, less stringly tone than (for example) the SR5065. Balances better too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 [quote name='XB26354' post='417983' date='Feb 23 2009, 11:47 PM']Don't ignore the BTB series - lots of people here seem to love the SR's but I have always liked 5- and 6-string BTB, and the new thru neck ones in walnut are very, very nice for the money (even with the price hike due to the collapsed Yen-Sterling exchange rate). Massive piano like sustain and a richer, less stringly tone than (for example) the SR5065. Balances better too...[/quote] Gotta concur here. For the money, I don't think you can get better tone, fit and finish, and general solidity than a BTB. They're physically a lot more substantial than the SR basses, but better for it, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flychris Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 (edited) I just traded my BTB 5 custom shop cause I'm going back on 4 strings... but if there was exactly the same in 4, I just swap for it... doesn't matter the name for me, Just play and enjoy ! (And I have few high end basses at home, and the ibanez wasn't ridiculous ....) Edited February 24, 2009 by flychris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy_Marsh Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 saw this in the basses for sale a while ago, thought it might be just right [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=40463"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=40463[/url] and at £250 its a good price new (correct if wrong) they were about £450-500 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 Good basses. Good value. There are other options for sale on here for £600 and thats getting to Lakland Skyline money and lots of other quality basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 (edited) [quote name='rjb' post='417162' date='Feb 23 2009, 09:18 AM']I should get comission..... [/quote] Me too! The Ibanez SR500 range is an astonishing spec for the money, and they sound fantastic. You do need to like a skinny neck though. The Ibanez ATK is also great value if you like a chunkier neck, and a Stingray vibe. Edited February 24, 2009 by simon1964 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 I’ve only liked a few Ibanez’s that I’ve played in shops and generally they’ve cost over a grand, but I’ve not tried anything new for about 5 years. A few of their basses have felt like nasty cheap pieces of plastic sh*t to me, but others have felt pretty decent and have sounded great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted February 24, 2009 Share Posted February 24, 2009 As a die-hard Fender man, and former guitar shop tech and salesman, I'd have to say they were great value for money basses at the low end, and, simply, good basses, period. As they probably built my 51RI Precision, how can I say nay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photographymatt Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 [quote name='rjb' post='417162' date='Feb 23 2009, 09:18 AM']As the guy above said, Ibanez and Yamaha are the Honda of the guitar world - totally reliable and very well priced. I've owned both in the past. For me the best of the Ibanez range for overall value is the [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/ibanez-sr-505/11055"]SR505[/url] which has Bartolini pickups and is made of wenge/bubinga/mahogany (they also do four string version). I'm constantly plugging this in new player threads. I should get comission..... [/quote] I love the sr505, Im tempted so much by this:-) in a few months, she will be mine oh yes.hehe. Iv used ibanez for years, with the rg470 guitar. Great guitar, great brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted February 25, 2009 Share Posted February 25, 2009 [quote name='Telebass' post='418858' date='Feb 24 2009, 10:46 PM']As they probably built my 51RI Precision, how can I say nay?[/quote] [b][pedant][/b] They didn't. They couldn't have, it's only ever been a brand name. [b][/pedant][/b] However if your P's an MIJ it will be from Fujigen Gakki - the same factory that built 70s and a lot of 80s Ibbys. These days Ibbys come from all over the place - but the quality control's generally excellent regardless of factory & price range. The only downside in my experience is that the "out of the box" setup is often rotten. Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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