Ibanez and Bullying

randella

Funkfingers said:

Old proverb say, opinions are like arseholes. Everybody's got one.

...and everybody thinks everyone else’s stinks.

I have an Ibanez Artcore (ES-335 knockoff for those not familiar) and it’s a wonderful instrument. They sure know how to make a guitar.

As for the more ”traditional” Ibanez market, the Superstrats, they’re bloody brilliant.

Is the neck stable? Does it intonate? Do *you* like it? Any of the pointy Ibanez I’ve played tick all those boxes (I like the thin ‘Wizard’ necks).

And if your boxes are ticked, then balls to what anyone else thinks. The right guitar is the one you like.

thegummy

ICBM said:

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...

To be honest that tune stuck in my head and I liked it but the tone was horrible to me.

Whether I'd have thought the same if I didn't see the guitar I can only wonder - see the Billy Corgan thread for all the talk of expectations and biases etc.

DB1

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.

Like @Sar's bandmates, they're clearly suffering with tiny Koch syndrome. 

Philly_Q

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 would definitely say that the necks are too thin.  But I agree with you, that's personal preference.

There are always things in the Ibanez catalogue which appeal to me, and that's been true for the last 35 years or more.  If they made just a few with thicker necks I would be very happy to buy some!!

To get back to the OP, I don't understand why anyone would pick on you over your choice of guitar, be it Ibanez or anything else.  But as it happens you've picked a respected and very popular brand which puts you in company with a lot of great players.  There's nothing to criticise.

uksaint7

munckee said:

Google Dave Simpson on youtube and watch him play an encore or a squier, the guitar is a tool.

Or Francis Dunnery too, what a player, what a sound, same old 80s Squier Strat

ICBM

Philly_Q said:

There are always things in the Ibanez catalogue which appeal to me, and that's been true for the last 35 years or more.  If they made just a few with thicker necks I would be very happy to buy some!!

The Jems have noticeably thicker necks than the RGs, although they’re still not as thick as a typical Fender.

The thing that puts me off the Jems is the ‘monkey grip’, especially on the floral ones.

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

Philly_Q said:

There are always things in the Ibanez catalogue which appeal to me, and that's been true for the last 35 years or more.  If they made just a few with thicker necks I would be very happy to buy some!!

The Jems have noticeably thicker necks than the RGs, although they’re still not as thick as a typical Fender.

The thing that puts me off the Jems is the ‘monkey grip’, especially on the floral ones.

I've never been bothered by the monkey grip.  I've an old Ibanez catalogue in a drawer somewhere and the cover picture is a blue floral Jem with the blue pickups and knobs.  What a beautiful guitar.

But of the superstrats, the one which appealed most was the Radius, which was sort of the basis for the JS series.  I like that rounded, no sharp edges shape.  Stick a Nocaster neck on one of those and I'd be happy...

poopot

munckee said:

Google Dave Simpson on youtube and watch him play an encore or a squier, the guitar is a tool.

Sounds like the op’s bandmates are tools as well...

tell em to fuck off and find folk that appreciate your playing!!!!!

DrBob

I do remember a period around the late 80s/early 90s where you’d see the RG series guitars being played in so many differences kinds of bands, Jazz Fusion, through Pop/Rock and into Metal. It’s a shame that there seems to be this urge to compartmentalise everything so much.

And yes. A Radius model with a Nocaster neck sounds dreamy 

rico

Whilst the pointy-end of the guitar spectrum isn't necessarily for me, you choose and play what inspires you most. If your 'bandmates' don't like it then their priorities are doomed and it's time for you to move on to bigger and better things. Unfortunately with some genres in the current scene, if the face doesn't fit you've little chance. It's bloody stupid.

Without sounding like a judgemental prick, there are bands at the rehearsal studio we use that turn up looking the spitting image of 'cool' indie bands (that's an oxymoron, if ever there was one) and can't play for toffee. They'll swagger round with roll-ups and tins of Red Strip and tight jeans and Aviator sunglasses inside but can't seem to operate a tuner between them. 

I guess my point is that let your musicianship do the talking. 

darthed1981

rico said:

I guess my point is that let your musicianship do the talking. 

This, anyone who judges you on your gear and not your playing (or more importantly how you and your creativity come across through your playing) is not interested in making great music anyhow.

fendergibson

I’ve had an ‘80’s Artist, a 77FP Jem and a jap RG550 from new. All now sold on but I miss ‘em badly 

They were all quality guitars, so easy to play and sounded immense. I love the Ibanez brand and I’ll have more someday.

My advice would be to lose the band 

gearaddict

I have a JS1000 which has a much thicker neck than a RG. More fender-esque. My bandmates don't really say anything out loud but I can definitely tell they would much prefer it if I played a Tele. Fuck 'em.

gearaddict

I would say the JS1000 is the most comfortable guitar I have ever played.

StefB

What a strange thread this is.  Feels a little clickbaity to me with the use of emotive language in the title and the OP not contributing at all since starting it off.

thegummy

rico said:

Whilst the pointy-end of the guitar spectrum isn't necessarily for me, you choose and play what inspires you most. If your 'bandmates' don't like it then their priorities are doomed and it's time for you to move on to bigger and better things. Unfortunately with some genres in the current scene, if the face doesn't fit you've little chance. It's bloody stupid.

Without sounding like a judgemental prick, there are bands at the rehearsal studio we use that turn up looking the spitting image of 'cool' indie bands (that's an oxymoron, if ever there was one) and can't play for toffee. They'll swagger round with roll-ups and tins of Red Strip and tight jeans and Aviator sunglasses inside but can't seem to operate a tuner between them. 

I guess my point is that let your musicianship do the talking. 

I love to watch the KEXP YouTube channel on random (loads of live studio sessions of small time bands) and notice the trend that when they look super hipster and image obsessed, about a quarter of them turn out to actually be good but when a band comes up that look like normal guys you'd walk past in the street they generally tend to be good.

Makes me think they can actually get so far on image alone. Maybe there's an audience who are in to indie bands as a fashion statement rather than being music people.

Sar

Here I am, not clickbaiting, just had no time to reply.

To the people that asked, first of all that band doesn't exist anymore. Honestly I didn't even paid attention to what they were playing, but they were constantly saying it sounded bad.
I do believe that part of it is on my side, but usually people say "I like how you play but your guitar sounds crap". So really I don't know if I sound crap or the instrument.

As I mentioned, I wasn't living in UK before and in the country I am from (Italy) I came across loads of musicians with a genuine dislike for Ibanez.
Down there there's a common sentence saying "I don't talk about music with Ibanez players", and even an italian band used this line on one of their song lyrics (but in a "positive way", having fun of it).

Back in the days I already had some initials negative comments, before buying, which I ignored.

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.

thegummy

Sar said:

Here I am, not clickbaiting, just had no time to reply.

To the people that asked, first of all that band doesn't exist anymore. Honestly I didn't even paid attention to what they were playing, but they were constantly saying it sounded bad.
I do believe that part of it is on my side, but usually people say "I like how you play but your guitar sounds crap". So really I don't know if I sound crap or the instrument.

As I mentioned, I wasn't living in UK before and in the country I am from (Italy) I came across loads of musicians with a genuine dislike for Ibanez.
Down there there's a common sentence saying "I don't talk about music with Ibanez players", and even an italian band used this line on one of their song lyrics (but in a "positive way", having fun of it).

Back in the days I already had some initials negative comments, before buying, which I ignored.

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.

That studio owner is clueless. The reason the guitar sounds bad on the record is because he is completely incompetent as an engineer.

Sporky

Any time you get silly responses like that, just reply with the classic British standby:

"That's not what your mum said".

Bowks

Double Post