Ibanez basses

[bartelby]

[quote name='Kongo' post='517598' date='Jun 18 2009, 05:17 PM']Ibanez BTB isn't string thru body so that ferule would get in the way.
They are mono-rail bridges, I have some in my Peavey 6-string.

The MR-2 has you hook the ball-end into the bridge and then a magnet pulls it and it hooks in place so it's in the body and under the brig=dge but not a string thru.[/quote]


[b]erisu[/b] was the previous owner of my BTB.

I was actually sat here wonder how the bridges worked. I'd never have thought of a magnet... :blush:
cheers.

[Kongo]

[quote name='bartelby' post='517604' date='Jun 18 2009, 05:20 PM'][b]erisu[/b] was the previous owner of my BTB.

I was actually sat here wonder how the bridges worked. I'd never have thought of a magnet... :blush:
cheers.
[/quote]

I could be wrong but the ball end don't half get pulled in when you hold it so it must be.
And as the ball ends are metal, magnet is must.
Unless...I dunno...some Jap voodoo is in there?

[chilisfan16]

imo, ibanez's have a really fat, grungy sound, very useful for punk and funk etc, though ive never heard of one used in metal. give us a soundbite if you get one!

[Kongo]

[quote name='chilisfan16' post='517612' date='Jun 18 2009, 05:26 PM']imo, ibanez's have a really fat, grungy sound, very useful for punk and funk etc, though ive never heard of one used in metal. give us a soundbite if you get one![/quote]

When we finish recording the EP I'll direct you.
Be some time yet but my 6-string will be on there.

By "Ibanez" as a whole though, they do not all sound that way.

SR sounds similar to the BTB but I can't explain in text. Obviously the bigger body on the BTB makes is sound more resonant but overall I felt they sounded similar.

The SRX has a REAL metal sound, if you beleive there is one that could be called metal.
Lots of low-mid growl with pronounced highs.

The ATK is called "The Stingray Killer"...need I say why?

The RD (2nd gen, after the ATK originally got discontinued) has an MM / J config so can sound like a Stingray, Jazz bass etc.
Again, very cutting!
I may soon get an RD.

These are just some of the main, nowerdays 'Nez's.
Only the SR and BTB sound pure natural...BTB even more so as the pickups are built to work with dynamics, not a specific tone.

Edited June 18, 2009 by Kongo

[erisu]

[quote name='bartelby' post='517604' date='Jun 18 2009, 05:20 PM'][b]erisu[/b] was the previous owner of my BTB.

I was actually sat here wonder how the bridges worked. I'd never have thought of a magnet... :blush:
cheers.
[/quote]

Yup I remember changing the strings on this bass and didn't feel any magnetic force pulling the strings I just thought the top end of the bridge holds the strings down when the string goes over the saddle to be strung... You just slide the ball end into the bridge and it holds... that's at least how i did it lol

[Kongo]

[quote name='erisu' post='517619' date='Jun 18 2009, 05:30 PM']Yup I remember changing the strings on this bass and didn't feel any magnetic force pulling the strings I just thought the top end of the bridge holds the strings down when the string goes over the saddle to be strung... You just slide the ball end into the bridge and it holds... that's at least how i did it lol[/quote]

Try holding one next time, my 6-string sucks them in!

[Kongo]

[quote name='bartelby' post='517512' date='Jun 18 2009, 04:13 PM'][b]Kongo[/b] I think I've tracked some black hardware down.

A dealer has got back to me saying the MR-2s in Cosmic Black are £15 each and there's a 10 week lead time. He's coming back to me for the price on tuners...[/quote]

Any nyooz on the bridge?
Where is this dealer anyways, I want some Cosmo black!

[markdavid]

[quote name='chilisfan16' post='517612' date='Jun 18 2009, 05:26 PM']imo, ibanez's have a really fat, grungy sound, very useful for punk and funk etc, though ive never heard of one used in metal. give us a soundbite if you get one![/quote]

Never heard of one used in metal? youre kidding me!!! Ibanez are very popular in metal

Theres Paul Gray from Slipknot, Fieldy from Korn, Peter Iwers from In Flames, Glen Benton from Deicide, Marco Coti Zelati from Lacuna Coil, Mike D'Antonio from Killswitch Engage , im sure theres others as well but these are just players I can remember off the top of my head

[Kongo]

[quote name='markdavid' post='521325' date='Jun 22 2009, 11:59 PM']Never heard of one used in metal? youre kidding me!!! Ibanez are very popular in metal

Theres Paul Gray from Slipknot, Fieldy from Korn, Peter Iwers from In Flames, Glen Benton from Deicide, Marco Coti Zelati from Lacuna Coil, Mike D'Antonio from Killswitch Engage , im sure theres others as well but these are just players I can remember off the top of my head[/quote]

He was refering to BTB's.

All of the above play ATK, SR, SRX and Iceman.
Downgraded ones too! Just one volume and you call THAT a signature?
Pah, it's a downgraded SRX with a new name put on it!

Don't forget, Paul Grey used a Warwick thumb for most of his career so far and only recently switched to Ibanez.

p.s.
Found an older pic of Ragnarok, when I used poly straps and...my old rig is there too haha!

Edited June 22, 2009 by Kongo

[erisu]

Shavo from System of a Down used Ibanez BTb's back in their early days and Sam Rivers from Limp Bizkit used BTB's too during their early years.

[Kongo]

[quote name='erisu' post='521471' date='Jun 23 2009, 09:50 AM']Shavo from System of a Down used Ibanez BTb's back in their early days and Sam Rivers from Limp Bizkit used BTB's too during their early years.[/quote]

Sam Rivers actually had a custom BTB made for him.
I've never found any pics but he's the only one to go BTB custom...If you look now you'll see EVERY model but BTB in the custom / signature section!
Yeah...that's til I get on there!

But I've decided to take my guitarists idea and get my best bass and make it my own, like he has his trusty Ibanez RG550.
I'm still looking at an Ibanez RD though...that may en up being customed with a nice Maple fingerboard conversion!

Edited June 23, 2009 by Kongo

[LeftyJ]

Aside from that hideous headstock shape, they're great basses and very versatile.

[Kongo]

[quote name='LeftyJ' post='523693' date='Jun 25 2009, 02:39 PM']Aside from that hideous headstock shape, they're great basses and very versatile.[/quote]

Headstock beaut! That's what I come to realise I like after playing Fender and Musicman designs...the HUGE headstock and 4/1 tuner config really floats my boat.

Just found out that the way it's wired you can get these pickup options:

[b]J & bridge coil of MM
J & both coils of MM (in phase)
Both coils of MM (in phase)

Pull up the volume knob and:

J
J & bridge coil of MM (in phase)
bridge coil of MM [/b]

Awesome!
So in the top, with the volume normal, you get:

[b]Jazz bass tone
Ibanez RD605 tone
Stringray tone

and with volume up:

Jazz bass neck solo tone
Jazz bass tone
Jazz bass bridge solo tone [/b]

So set normally the options are incredible and set volume up, it's basically mimicing a Jazz bass, as you get the single J, both single coils or just thr bridge single coil (J-bridge).

It's making me VERY exited!!!!!!!

Swiss army bass, the ATK took over it...Shame the RD is dead.

Edited June 25, 2009 by Kongo

[LeftyJ]

[quote name='Kongo' post='524047' date='Jun 25 2009, 08:29 PM']Swiss army bass, the ATK took over it...Shame the RD is dead. [/quote]

Ironically, the RD was introduced to fill the gap the first ATK's had left when they were discontinued in '99 or '00

And as an addition, in 2003 they introduced the RKB900 that looked like a ATK that had been on a diet, with the same asymmetric belly, but a PJ configuration (Seymour Duncan Basslines Quarterpounds) and a Badass II bridge. It was aimed at professional musicians but it failed to sell.

[Kongo]

[quote name='LeftyJ' post='524180' date='Jun 25 2009, 10:25 PM']Ironically, the RD was introduced to fill the gap the first ATK's had left when they were discontinued in '99 or '00

And as an addition, in 2003 they introduced the RKB900 that looked like a ATK that had been on a diet, with the same asymmetric belly, but a PJ configuration (Seymour Duncan Basslines Quarterpounds) and a Badass II bridge. It was aimed at professional musicians but it failed to sell.[/quote]

Yes sorry forgo to say, it took over the 24 fret, MM / J pickup ATK...Y'know, I like the ATK but I prefere the older ones.
24 frets, 2 pickups, lovely blue fiish with maple board...missing a scratchplate though...Now it's single pickup and 22 frets...Yeah ok...ROBBED!

I think these swiss army basses Ibanez made were always downtrodden. When Ibanez try to branch out of the metal stigma they have they don't meet wiht much success which is a shame as they build fine instruments, and were talking foreign NOT Japanese made ones here!
The BTB seems to be the only bass to survive out of the metal stigma...I have 2 but I'd say they are more natural sounding fitted better for Jazz and Fusion than metal.

Still...you NEVER see Ibanez RD's...until I was shown this one I thought of the older RD, the Bass version of the RG, same headstock shape, body shape and neck inlays as the RG series...But the 2nd gen RD is like a halfway house ATK, it held the batton...then passed it on to the next, albeit lesser, ATK's.

I never mess with pickup configs but that's cause a Jazz sounds best with both full...a Stringray with only one pickup at the bridge and a P-bass with one in the middle...But this bass actually has use in pickup switching as it can sound like itself, a Jazz bass, a Stingray etc etc...hell, pull up the volume pot and it IS a Jazz bass...maybe a bit punchier because of the duncans but still, a Jazz mimic.

With 24 frets and 18mm spacing I can take this anywhere, get any sound and enjoy it...Think I finally found the "one".
It's took Yamaha, Ibanez, Jazz basses and a Stingray to peice together what I like in a bass...and this is it!

All it needs is a maple fingerboard conversion (gotta be done)...and maybe see about the tuner keys, bore out the holes and put some Hipshots in there.
it's already got true Basslines in it, not the Ibanez designed ones.
I'm looking forward to my purchase!

Edited June 26, 2009 by Kongo

[LeftyJ]

[quote name='Kongo' post='524431' date='Jun 26 2009, 02:10 AM']Yes sorry forgo to say, it took over the 24 fret, MM / J pickup ATK...Y'know, I like the ATK but I prefere the older ones.
24 frets, 2 pickups, lovely blue fiish with maple board...missing a scratchplate though...Now it's single pickup and 22 frets...Yeah ok...ROBBED![/quote]

Yes, like the ATK400 (22 fret, HS), 700 and 1300. They were great basses, especially the Prestige ATK1300 and ATK1305. I've always had more of a thing for the ATK300 though, the original triplecoil model without additional singlecoil. On the HS-models, the bridge plate is slightly smaller and the humbucker is placed further from the neck to fit the 24 fret neck AND the singlecoil. I prefer the ATK300-humbucker placement.

There is currently an ATK750 that has the triplecoil and a singlecoil, but awkwardly it's not available outside Japan and the US. It's a 22-fret model with the large bridge, quilted maple top and headstock veneer and the double dot inlays of the old USATK4 and USATK5 (USA-made ATK's with an innovative steel H-beam instead of a trussrod). The ATK750 can be found here: [url="http://www.ibanez.com/BassGuitars/model-ATK750QM"]http://www.ibanez.com/BassGuitars/model-ATK750QM[/url]

[MuseMatt]

I have to say that I really love my RD and that it's definately worth buying one if you see any.

[geoffbyrne]

[quote name='LeftyJ' post='524510' date='Jun 26 2009, 07:39 AM'](USA-made ATK's with an innovative steel H-beam instead of a trussrod).[/quote]

Just a note to say that Hagstrom was doing 'H' beam necks back in the 60's.............



Geoff

[LeftyJ]

I know

Yet somehow the USATK won the 1996 Music and Sound Retailer Award for most innovative bass in the USA.

I looked it up, and it's not an H-beam, so it seems. It's a round steel rod, and apparently it is adjustable to some extent:
[url="http://www.bunker-guitars.com/tf_neck.html"]http://www.bunker-guitars.com/tf_neck.html[/url] (Dave Bunker built the the USATK and USRG for Ibanez).

The steel rod even connects to the nut, with a separate headstock mounted on the end of the neck - it's not part of the 5-piece laminated maple/walnut neck! Interesting but strange concept, and the headstock doesn't seem to fit well:

Edited June 26, 2009 by LeftyJ

[Kongo]

[quote name='LeftyJ' post='524983' date='Jun 26 2009, 04:33 PM']the headstock doesn't seem to fit well:

[/quote]

No it don't!!!

[Superbass]

i play an Sr700 and love the thing. thin neck, great pickups, great sound. Cant fault it.

[chilievans]

I have an SR500 for sale if anyone is interested

[monkeybass]

i play a sr705 now and i love it. Iceman basses arent great for dropped tunings if that is what your doing (im assuming your in at least D/C tuning).
im considering getting either an sr900dx or a btb700dx, both are great basses and the emg humbuckers are great for metal.

[markstuk]

This might tempt some of you then :-) [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300529247557&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...e=STRK:MEWAX:IT[/url]

Along with my Dingwall I've got a MIJ SR765...