Topic: Ibanez - I'll be darned
I've been thinking about trading my electric for an acoustic/electric. I never play the electric, or rarely enough that trading it makes some sense.
So, I drove by a Guitar Center last night. "By" is an exaggeration in Metropolitan DC rush hour traffic. Permit me to rephrase, I saw a Guitar Center last night on my way home and stopped in to get out of traffic for a little while.
I tried a few inexpensive (sub-$500 American) guitars. Lazarus was an interesting guitar. I had never heard of the brand. It's American design, Chinese build. It was OK, not great. Played a Seagull - RAGING middle, but too muddy for me. Didn't care for the particular model (didn't write it down) though I like Seagull in general.
What surprised me was that there were three Ibanez models, two with solid top at least one that was all solid, that were under $400. The first was $399, the second was $349, and the final was $299. The bottom two were gorgeous - some kind of exotic wood that looks like Zebra wood. Playing the middle model stunk. It felt like pressing bridge cables through mud and sounded about the same. It was dead or dying so fast as to make no difference. The low end played easily and had a pleasing sound. The higher end one was unfinished, or no more than a very lightly applied matte finish. It rang like a bell, which surprised me for the small body. The body shape had a deep cut-away. The electronics were highly adjustable. I don't know the brand because it was labled with Ibanez' name, though I suspect they outsource them to Fishman guessing based upon their traditional supplier. Just a guess. I didn't plug it in, but unplugged it sounded nice and played easily. Low to moderate action, good highs, solid bass. Even got a decent F chord, which is unusual for me. The middle was soft, but at least it wasn't muddy.
Wish I had written down the model.
I've always liked Ibanez' A/E basses. Their Fishman electronics sound great plugged in and the tone stands up to the tone of A/E's costing three times as much and blow away anything that costs less. I had never played their A/E guitars, but was very pleased thinking they're a great value.
For full disclosure, my electric guitar is an Ibanez SG knockoff. It sounds amazing for the moderate price I paid to get it.
Just some food for thought. The Ibanez' stood up very well to the Takemine's that cost roughly 20% more. That's not meant to knock Takemine, which I think is a consistently good brand, just said to give some indication of the value I perceived with the Ibanez A/E's.
They have no resale value to speak of, but if you're looking for a guitar to keep, or an entree' A/E guitar that you don't mind losing value quickly, I'd recommend playing some Ibanez A/E boxes.
- Zurf
If it comes from the heart and you add a few beers... it'll be awesome! - Mekidsmom
When in doubt ... hats. - B.G. Dude