Ibanez and Bullying

Brize

It's ridiculous that people would criticise you for a having a sub-£1,000 guitar, or whatever their threshold is.

I'd rather listen to a good player on a £100 guitar than an average player on a £10,000 guitar.

OilCityPickups

I've had and gigged many different Ibanez guitar models ... from Blazers to semi acoustics ... and including a Jem 7 ... they have all been outstanding in their own ways ... good quality control ... and generally just feel nice in the hands. As far as pickups are concerned, Ibanez made one of my favorite humbuckers of all time: the Super 70. 
Play what you want to and screw the gear snobs ... it sounds like they don't know what they are on about anyway. 

thegummy

I wonder if a possible motive for the idiocy is that they've spent 2 grand on their guitars, know on some level they would barely notice the difference if they had spent 500 quid and feel the need to put cheaper guitars down to feel secure about their own purchase

p90fool

I've never owned an Ibanez personally, but have never played a bad one. 

To me it's one of those brands I'd trust to get it right across all price points, a bit like Yamaha. 

darthed1981

p90fool said:

I've never owned an Ibanez personally, but have never played a bad one. 

To me it's one of those brands I'd trust to get it right across all price points, a bit like Yamaha. 

Wis.

ESBlonde

I wonder if they are listening with thier eyes.

Pointy guitars can be 'heard' as loud rock instruments for people that go widdly all the time. In a soul or country band that might look wrong, but there is absolutely no reason why that guitar can't sound sweet in any style.

So image might be an issue. Also the electric guitar is the sum of the system sound. If the amp doesn't give you what you want, it needs more exporing or simply change to another.

So tell us about the rest of your setup and the style of music you are playing. I have to say that getting a good clean basic sound before anything is a great foundation. Try doing that with your guitar/amp before adding distortion or other types of effect.

Remember that for most of the 1950s the 'serious' guitar makers thought the telecaster was just a plank of wood and not a proper guitar. If you had one of those 1950s telecasters now half the internet would be in awe.

fatherchewielewie

I used to turn up to gigs with my little Koch Studiotone 20w head and got all sorts of comments from the sort of people toting a Blackstar 200w S1 to a gig in a 100 capacity venue. 'That's TINY', 'what use is that going to be?', 'you're going to need a bigger amp', 'Who the hell are Koch?', yadayadayada...... it all usually stopped once I lit it up. Sound guys loved it, though.

Lots of people are just assholes.

jellybelly

Yeah OP you’ve had some bad luck with bandmates there - Ibanez are one of the best thought-of brands going and I had thought that was common opinion but am clearly wrong!

That said, I remember seeing a friends soft, acoustic-tinged indie band where the guitarist was using something pointy and completely didn’t get with the vibe - perhaps the look or particular tone of your guitar just doesn’t fit with thise guys’ preferences or a band’s particular sound??

They could have been less dickish about it though. 

terada

Sounds like you need to change up your friends.

Nowt wrong with Ibanez.

DeeTee

What really gets me is the people telling you that the neck's too thin. The other stuff is a bit ignorant, but that one just mystifies me. The neck profile is absolutely personal taste. Some people like one that feels like a baseball bat sawn in half, and find anything thinner gives them hand cramp. Others find that anything too chunky is difficult to play.

I don't like a lot of the Ibanez necks I've played, but that's personal preference. To say they're all "bad" is utter nonsense!

hotpickups

I'd just like to add whilst all the others are playing the same looking instrument you will be in the minority and if that is what they say is true then personally I think you'll stand out in a good way. My father used to tell me the man who knows where he is going, the rest will follow. Don't be pressured to follow them, be your own man / woman  and they will follow you eventually Hope it helps. My father would but e pleased that I forwarded that messege onto others

ICBM

I've often purposely use the 'wrong' guitars in various different bands - I find it makes you approach things in a more interesting way.

Last year I even very nearly bought an Ibanez Floral Jem, when the only band I'm likely to play electric guitar in the foreseeable future with is a sort of alt/folky duo with a female singer... partly because flowers, and partly because WRONG . I couldn't really justify it though, sadly.

thegummy

DeeTee said:

What really gets me is the people telling you that the neck's too thin. The other stuff is a bit ignorant, but that one just mystifies me. The neck profile is absolutely personal taste. Some people like one that feels like a baseball bat sawn in half, and find anything thinner gives them hand cramp. Others find that anything too chunky is difficult to play.

I don't like a lot of the Ibanez necks I've played, but that's personal preference. To say they're all "bad" is utter nonsense!

I've recently bought a guitar with one of the baseball bat ones that I read a lot of raving about online only to find I really don't like it and can't get used to it

As you say - completely down to personal preference.

blobb

Ibanez aren't real guitars? Eh? That's a bit like saying Toyota don't make decent cars, or Honda motorbikes are rubbish. 

AlexC

Sadly there are some who think electric guitars are made by either Fender or Gibson. And they’re the ‘best.’ And that’s it. 
Play what make you like how you like. If the other players around you don’t like it then that’s their problem and you find people to play with who aren’t idiots.

prowla

Is that bullying?

Schnozz

Seriously though, that's a poop guitar.

Nitefly

Bloody poor form, dissing a player's gear.  Take no notice.

maltingsaudio

Yes it’s bullying and yes it’s bullshit. Whilst a squirly jem  may not be the best guitar to take to a swing jazz gig if you have the luxury of a choice, you stand and fall by what notes and noise you bring to a song, not by what your gear looks like or who made it

ICBM

maltingsaudio said:

Yes it’s bullying and yes it’s bullshit. Whilst a squirly jem  may not be the best guitar to take to a swing jazz gig if you have the luxury of a choice, you stand and fall by what notes and noise you bring to a song, not by what your gear looks like or who made it

Shut your eyes and see what you think this sounds like it was played on...