Am I the only guy who hates Ibanez?

[Glenn Fricker]

I'm going off on a rant here, so bear with me....

Ok, I'll say it frankly: I fucking hate Ibanez guitars. Don't get me wrong, they're wonderful instruments for lead work. You can shred till the end of time on 'em & they play wonderfully.

However, I'm tired of clients bringing in thinbody Ibaenz guitars & demanding the rhythm sound be like "insert heavy as fuck band here." Ugh. Passive pickups, small string gauges, bad intonation, no tone!

I guess I should mention that one of the area's largest music retailers is an Ibanez dealer. Granted in 8 years, 2 guitar players have brought in Ibanez guitars loaded with EMG's, but for the most part, I'm stuck recording a "tin machine" for rhtyhm.

I got lucky last summer, when a band came in with a pair of LTD's loaded with 81's & 85's. What wonderful instruments. So what if they're built in Korea? They had a complex, rich tone I've yet to encounter elsewhere. Certainly not on an Ibanez. I think I'm going to buy an LTD just for the studio. Fixed bridge so no tuning change difficulties. "Oh, you brought an Ibanez with passives & you want to play heavy? HERE: TRY THIS!"

Am I the only one who's developed a loathing for Ibanez? Care to share some Ibanightmare stories?

-0z-

 

[::XeS::]

I hate ibanez too.
I liked them in the past but now I've a schecter C1 and it's anothel planet.
Schecter kicks Ibanez ass everytime: they are wonderful instruments and you pay for a very good guitar the half of what you pay for a "normal" ibanez.

 

[cobhc]

I've thought in the past of buying an Ibanez and not, i've got 2 jackson's and an epiphone, and i'm sure all 3 will sound a lot thicker than any ibanez, to be honest dream theater is the only band that used ibanez that i've liked the tone of, Petrucci's tone was always fucking thick imo, but again that's down to the pickups, the stock pickups are probably the worst stock pickups ever. So yeah, I too hate Ibanez.

 

[carl@laruso.com]

I prefer solid guitars with no trem (therefore no gaping hole in the middle & bulit in sprig verb!) and a piece of gaffer over the strings behind the nut...

unfortunatly IBZ doen't always fall into this bracket - that said i got a sweet tone out of a IBZ saber our other guitarist had (used to belong to the someone from carcass - had kinda black/green flip paint job!) anyway - it had bill lawrence (same as dime originally used) in the bridge and was FIRE...

Did have to tape up the springs in the back tho!

C

 

[wishtheend]

I got an SR905 bass that is amazing. Bartolini pickups that are some of the best I've played on. Also got an Ibanez Artwood acoustic that is my favorite. Nice and full, but with a tone clear as glass. BUT - I do hate their electric guitars haha.

 

[Glenn Fricker]

I guess I should mention that I have a 5 string Ibanez bass that has wound up on a LOT of records. It's been great. But Ibanez guitars for heavy rhythms...uke: uke: uke: uke: uke: uke: uke: uke: uke: uke: uke: uke: uke: uke: uke:

 

[J the TyranT]

Oz, Ill sell you my LTD if you want... I need the $$$ for a new Tama set =)

 

[-Gavin-]

Jackson to the bone here!

 

[Glenn Fricker]

Oz, Ill sell you my LTD if you want... I need the $$$ for a new Tama set =)

Check your Private Messages....

 

[Where She Wept]

I have an RG7620 that i've alwayss hated. I got it right befre the whole 7-string boom. the only ones you could get were the Jem, Universe, and 7620. damn thing cost me $1000usd and i always hated the tone. it was so muddy. i run lower gain than most and i would crank it just to cover up the muddiness with distortion.

I also have an S470 that kicks ass, Mahogany body, EMG 81+85. The stock pickups sucked royaly. The old RG550s were good too (the mahogany body of course). That's what Mike Amott used on Heartwork. You can see it on some videos on Youtube.

 

[Jackal_Strain]

My cousin has an old Rg470, but he changed the pickups to Emgs. It's not too bad.

 

[LSD-Studio]

I've played/posessed pretty much any kind of guitar, fender, gibson, esp, jackson, aria, ibanez, robin, epiphone, charvel, samick,.....name it.
mainly I'm using ESP, Jacksons and Robins (all custom-made), and every single one kicks the crap out of any ibanez!
that doesn't only go for highscale guitars like that, but also for every aria pro 2 etc.
ibanez are fun to play (not more than jackson/esp etc though), but sound like...
like what they are, like guitars lacking every single bit of charakter, guitars that have like 1000 twins made the same day and all sounding the same...
no soul, no character, no beef.
just plain sounding crap.
the cheapest LTD will sound better than the best ibanez! i guarantee!
i fucking hate ibanez guitars!!
can't even tell how much i hate them,....i tried it again and again, had like 6-7 upscale RG-models...they all sounded the same, thin and soulless!

If you want a good sounding guitar get a robin, IMO they use the highest quality woods and they sound better than any other customshop guitar, really amazing!!
I'm not only telling coz i'm an robin endorsee, but just because they build the best guitars!!

 

[Glenn Fricker]

If you want a good sounding guitar get a robin, IMO they use the highest quality woods and they sound better than any other customshop guitar, really amazing!!
I'm not only telling coz i'm an robin endorsee, but just because they build the best guitars!!

Well, thanks for your Ibanez rant. That was great. At least I know i'm not alone.

I checked out the Robins... man those are some butt-ugly guitars. That, & the custom headstock has to be the goofiest design I've ever seen. What's the deal with the custom shop? Can you get fixed bridge/EMG/non-gay headstock designs?

-0z-

 

[Ice_T's_Bobblehat]

Well, I think at this point I must be the bad guy donning my tin hat standing up to wave the flag for Ibanez....

But, just off the top of my head,...I'm pretty sure Korn would be sat scratching their heads ....who at one point took over the world with passive pickuped Ibanez's straight into a dual rec.

White Zombie? Astro Creep has HUGE sounding guitars....passive pickuped Ibanez 6 string into a freakin' Marshall Valvestate of all things

Morbid Angel? Passive pickuped Ibanezes. Domination album sounds killer.

Carcass?...users of thin necked passive pickuped Ibanez 6 strings.

Dream Theater (upto 2000ish) passive pickuped Ibanezes

Bar Carcass's Heartwork CD, not and EMG, tubescreamer or 5150 in sight and heavy tone a plenty, So I think there's plenty of proof that it's not what you've got.....

 

[Glenn Fricker]

Well, I think it's been established that the old RG550 could deliver the goods. I'm not questioning the 7 strings, either. Hell, I'd be thrilled if someone brought in a 7 string! I'm just sick of the modern crap clients keep bringing in. Thin & lifeless.

 

[Wolfeman]

I truely hate Ibanez guitars. I have never liked any I have owned or played- except my MMM1. It's an amazing guitar, not something you usually see from Ibanez. Very heavy and thick, and sounds great(well the stock PU's had to go, but with actives it's amazing). But like I said, it's the only one out of many I've played that I actually like.

 

[cobhc]

Well, I think at this point I must be the bad guy donning my tin hat standing up to wave the flag for Ibanez....

But, just off the top of my head,...I'm pretty sure Korn would be sat scratching their heads ....who at one point took over the world with passive pickuped Ibanez's straight into a dual rec.

White Zombie? Astro Creep has HUGE sounding guitars....passive pickuped Ibanez 6 string into a freakin' Marshall Valvestate of all things

Morbid Angel? Passive pickuped Ibanezes. Domination album sounds killer.

Carcass?...users of thin necked passive pickuped Ibanez 6 strings.

Dream Theater (upto 2000ish) passive pickuped Ibanezes

Bar Carcass's Heartwork CD, not and EMG, tubescreamer or 5150 in sight and heavy tone a plenty, So I think there's plenty of proof that it's not what you've got.....

How many of these bands used the stock ibanez p/up's though?

 

[Wolfeman]

I have an RG7620 that i've alwayss hated. I got it right befre the whole 7-string boom. the only ones you could get were the Jem, Universe, and 7620. damn thing cost me $1000usd and i always hated the tone. it was so muddy. i run lower gain than most and i would crank it just to cover up the muddiness with distortion.

I did the same thing. I had mine for 1 month and gladly sold it. Hated that POS. Hager(former Chimaira guitarist) talked me into buying it. That thing wasn't worth more than $300 if you ask me.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

My first gutar was a Ibanez sucked. Second guitar was an epiphone LP and it sucked also. Third guitar was a Ibanez s370 or something like that, I put new pickups in it and it too sucked. Fourth guitar was an epiphone SG and it sucked. I now own an Ibanez baritone and it does not suck, I am throwing some Gibsons in it soon (whatever they put into there baritone guitar when they were making them). My "contact" lol from gibson is getting them for me for free minus shipping.

 

[Ice_T's_Bobblehat]

How many of these bands used the stock ibanez p/up's though?

Well, by that I assume you mean "ibanez own brand pickups", but at the time, I'm confident in saying at least the 7 string Universe guys (Morbid Angel, Dream Theater Korn, Limp Bizkit et al) had to be using the same Ibanez stock fitted Dimarzio pickup, because they just didn't have the different models back when those records were done.

The 7620 muddy and thin??!!...I think mine must be a faulty one because mines neither. It was smart with the Dimarzio's in, and even better with EMG707's in. Haven't played any 7's that touch it in the 9 years I've had it. But, I hate Les Pauls, so it's all personal preference I guess.


But without wanting to veer the thread off course, I really am of the belief if you want a sound out of something (within reason) it's mostly dependent on who's got their hands round the neck of the guitar, not what guitar/pickups they're using. Look at Van Halen - whether he's used a dodgy pile of crap he's knocked together himself with a Gibson pickup in it, or shiny sparkly expensive Musicman or Peavey...same big sound has always appeared on the albums.

I mean, band soundchecks are a prime example of this. I went to see Motorhead the other week, and Phil Campbell just had 4 Marshall stacks running flat out. The roadie was playing on this rig with Phil's guitar, and Phil's picks. The roadie could play, but it still sounded like some old guy fumbling around trying any old amp out in a music shop certainly not 4 flat out stacks.
I watch the guitar get passed to Phil Campbell who's stood stage left and out of the very same gear comes this glourious, immense and clear, confident riffage and you sure could believe it was 4 Marshall stacks. Night and Day difference from the same gear.

My mini rant/Ibanez supporting is done...I'll let you get back to the Ibanez bashing

Hooray for Ibanez (especially the 7620!!)