Ibanez and Bullying

Bowks

Sar said:

Then he said that Ibanez "rips off" their customers by selling bad cheap pickups. He made the comparisons that when you buy a Stratocaster or Les Paul, you have in your hand the identical instrument that your favourite guitarist is playing on stage or records, while instead when you buy and Ibanez, you're buying a sort of "official counterfeit" version, and professional musicians that plays Ibanez use only models that have been built specifically for them, with good components.

When Ibanez released the Fireman FRM100, Paul Gilbert was recording and touring with a pre production sample of the guitar from the Chinese factory that manufactured the production models.

I played this particular guitar and a production model side by side and apart from the setup, they were exactly the same as far as I could tell (I wasn't going to remove the sctratchplate to check the pots were the same!)

ICBM

Sar said:

The worst experience was probably when we paid a studio for 3 days to record a couple of tracks (with another previous band). The owner of the studio was also the person recording and mixing, and he spent more time talking bad about my guitar than helping me to set it properly (in the record it sounds awful).
First of all he said Ibanez cannot achieve the same warmth, nice tone and power like a good guitar, because the neck it's too thin to be able to properly resonate the vibrations, comparing it to other "normal" guitars.
Then he said that Ibanez "rips off" their customers by selling bad cheap pickups. He made the comparisons that when you buy a Stratocaster or Les Paul, you have in your hand the identical instrument that your favourite guitarist is playing on stage or records, while instead when you buy and Ibanez, you're buying a sort of "official counterfeit" version, and professional musicians that plays Ibanez use only models that have been built specifically for them, with good components.

As I said, I have not intention to sell my Ibanez, but I do believe something has always been wrong (I can hear it). Problem is, everyone has always accused the guitar (and maybe I even started to believe this at some point).

And to clarify any doubt, the neck is the part I like the most about the guitar.

It's *possible* that there is an issue with the guitar - it could be a set-up problem, eg the intonation not being right, or the action too low so it's choking and lacking sustain and a 'full' tone, or the electrics could have a fault of some sort - but the idea that it can't resonate because the neck is too thin is pure nonsense.

Ibanez also use DiMarzio, or DiMarzio-designed pickups - these are generally highly regarded - and there's no more truth in the idea that Ibanez endorsees play 'special' versions of their models than there is with any other brands.

I have to admit that for many years I didn't really like Ibanez RG-type guitars because I mostly associated them with more technical playing styles which I'm not really a fan of - although I do quite like Vai - but I have *never* thought they were poor quality, and I did briefly own an RG750, which I acquired 'accidentally' ... it didn't suit me, but was faultlessly made and sounded great.

It may be worth getting someone who actually knows what they're talking about to have a look at it and see if there is some sort of issue. If you're in London I would suggest @FelineGuitars, but depending on exactly where you are there may be someone good nearer you.

bassbora

Just to jump in and share the love of Ibanez.  I remember all the ads in Guitar and Rock mags in the 80s and 90s.  I thought the pointy stuff looked ridiculous in the best way possible and the Jems were off the chart.  I have always been a bass player first but I have always loved shreddies.  So finally I got a Jem, its not any exotic one, 7DBK.  I thought that was just the ugliest Jem of them all (in totally the best way).  According to the Ibanez Wiki it has the thinnest neck of all the Jems and boy is that thing thin.  But I totally love it.  That guitar is so well made and the Dimarzio Breed pickups are fantastic.  The tone could really fit in any style of music.  To say that Ibanez are sub standard is from someone who has not tried one.

And to further add to the list of guitarists who play Ibanez is Pat Metheny and George Benson.  And their basses are fantastic as well.  The only bass that I would consider other than Warwick is the signature model of Gary Willis. 

Philly_Q

Sar said:

Then he said that Ibanez "rips off" their customers by selling bad cheap pickups. He made the comparisons that when you buy a Stratocaster or Les Paul, you have in your hand the identical instrument that your favourite guitarist is playing on stage or records, while instead when you buy and Ibanez, you're buying a sort of "official counterfeit" version, and professional musicians that plays Ibanez use only models that have been built specifically for them, with good components.

I'd say that most players with Ibanez endorsement deals actually do use their signature models.  More so than most other brands.  And they use them as their main guitars, not just for one or two songs in a set before swapping them for a vintage Strat, LP, Gretsch or whatever.

The likes of Vai, Satriani, Gilbert and Timmons spring to mind, it's Ibanez all the way.  OK, they may sometimes use prototypes, or production models which have been fine-tuned by their techs, but the pickups and specs are exactly the same as off-the-shelf models.

professorben

I wouldn’t worry. 
Some people think Telecasters, Fuzz pedals and Fender Twins are acceptable things to play in public. 

Takes all sorts. 

Reverend

For what its worth, Van Halen never ever managed to match the sound he got with an Ibanez destroyer. 

Reverend

I rather like seeing people playing death metal with a Tele. 

ICBM

Reverend said:

For what its worth, Van Halen never ever managed to match the sound he got with an Ibanez destroyer. 

Especially not after he chopped half the body out of it .

Dave Keuning in The Killers gets a great sound from his too.

blobb

Sar said:

Down there there's a common sentence saying "I don't talk about music with Ibanez players",

Next time someone says that to you, show them this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vg9aShS2vy4

rico

A guitarist I know in a heavy as fuck doom band plays a sunburst tele and sounds great!

carlos

The guitar in the last David Bowie album is an Ibanez. There's a million more examples for sure.

artiebear

So imagine Bryan May walking into a studio / rehearsal with his homemade hollowed out plank with a neck like a telegraph pole., " the wrong" scale length ,a trem balanced with half a power ball and a nut job switching system. Oh and horror of horrors .....no cool name on the headstock, No wonder he didn't get anywhere. Seriously, if you bond with your guitar play it with the arrogance that will seriously upset those rather silly detractors and enjoy it. The amount of used gear tells us how few of us actually find the one ( while wasting a load of money in the process ).

Maynehead

I think Ibenez get a bad rep because they are so prolific, and there's about a billion different models that saturates the market, especially the teenage metalhead market, who don't really help to give Ibanez a reputation for "good tone". 

However, as with all big brands, there are cheap versions and there are premium versions. A premium Ibanez is as good a guitar as any. You have a very high quality instrument, and as long as it's set up well, it will sound as good as any other super-strat out there. The difference in tone between a high end Ibanez and a USA Jackson or Japanese ESP will be minimal. At that level, it's less about the components and build quality, but more about what feels more comfortable for you to play.

From what you have said, it sounds like the right guitar for you. However, I have a feeling that something else might be making people (wrongly) blame your guitar. What amp/pedals are you using, and what kind of music do you play?

Bellycaster

I'm in a Britpop/Indie Rock Band and I mainly use a Peavey Wolfgang, Floyd Rose Trem and all

Nowt wrong with Ibanez Guitars either.

gearaddict

This thread has made me spend a bit of quality time with my JS1000 - I have re-discovered what a cool guitar it is. Super comfortable and great tones. I've discovered that it sounds really amazing into the 5150 model of my GSP1101 for some reason. I've been blasting out Van Halen riffs (badly) for 2 days )

The stock bridge pickup (DiMarzio Fred) was a little under-powered for me and I swapped it for a ToneZone some time ago. That seems to play particularly well with the 5150.

andyoz

Who's got one of the new AZ Series?

Shops here in NI don't stock both the AZ Premium and Prestige range so I can't compare but both look class and definitely don't have thin necks.  Anyone taken a punt on the new MM1?

DLM

fatherchewielewie said:

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.

In summary: Having a small Koch can be a very good thing.

skullfunkerry

I've been thinking about this thread for a while, before I posted anything. I don't think that's going to make this post any less nonensical than most of my others, but I just needed to get my head around it before I replied.

To be honest, I don't think I have got my head around it yet: I'm just in shock that you've been getting so much shit from your bandmates. I spent most of my late teens and 20s *desperate* to be in a band but too self-conscious and nervous to actually do it; if I'd had comments like yours I think that would have finished me off. I'm 45 now, been in a few bands, done all sorts of gigs, and I've had a couple of disparaging comments from people outside the band - mainly about the colour of my guitar (seafoam green = 'fucking turquoise', or purple = 'really shit colour' to some people, apparently), or the size of my amp - Orange Dark Terror and a couple of 1x12 cabs. I've never heard of anything like that from anyone I've known though and I'm really shocked. You're right, it is bullying - if it was an office rather than a band it just flat-out would not be put up with!

As everyone else has said on here, there's *nothing* wrong with your guitar... I've seen people gig with all sorts of cheap nasty stuff, and at the end of the day if it sounds good then that's all that matters (and to be honest, I've seen people play who didn't sound good, but they were happy with what they were doing and so were their bandmates, so who cares?). You say you've been playing for nearly 20 years: that's almost as long as me, and I'm no technical whizz but I'm pretty sure you don't need to go back and re-learn the basics. I haven't really got any advice or anything (other than tell those pricks to go fuck themselves, and find yourself a band that appreciates you).

I'm waffling a bit, apologies.

TL:DR - fuck everyone, make yourself happy and ignore the haters

mikem8634

There is something about the 70s/80s guitars, when Ibanez was transitioning into proper quality stuff, that makes me a bit gooey

MelodicLydian

Most of my guitars are Ibanez models even my thinline nylon string and a Ukulele. As has been mentioned there are lots of great players than use Ibanez and they have been innovators over the years. The original Edge double locking system is amazing and the JEM & RG series very popular for good reason. Different folks prefer different things in a guitar and you are certainly not alone in preferring Ibanez models.