Lawsuit era experts, Is this an Ibanez?

[Freuds_Cat]

Spotted this on ebay. oz

Love the binding on the neck   

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350069421538







The rear pup looks very much like a smaller version of the pups on a mates Lawsuit era Ibanez T-Bird.
*(Edit Jan 2009: Tis is not an Ibanez pickup from what I've learned since posting this originally. I have been told it is a Teisco)



This bass is just beautiful to play and sounds amazing. Pic is Dennis from the Streamliners playing. He plays with his thumb, index and middle fingers kind of like he is playing an acoustic guitar. The above pic is a good illustration of his technique.  Pretty unusual to my eyes.
http://www.myspace.com/thestreamliners
If you wanna hear what Dennis' Ibanez sounds like in a song or 2.

[chromium]

Looks like it might be the Ibanez 2354B:




Sometimes they were sold under different trade names, or possibly none at all.  I have one of their Jazz Bass copies that was branded as a "Crestwood".

[PhilT]

That catalog picture, the one with the solid headstock, is really quite upsetting for me. I had one of those, but there was no identification anywhere on it, and I didn't realise it was probably Ibanez (no logo on the catalog one either). I sold it when I bought an Epiphone Elitist EB3 and to be honest I should have kept the Ibanez and sold the Epi. The Ibanez was a joy to play, beautifully balanced, while the Epi was a neck diving horror.

The one on eBay doesn't look like the Ibanez for a couple of reasons. The bridge pickup would just have the single row of screw pole pieces, not the second row of oblong shapes. And the Ibanez body is slightly narrower and longer than a real EB3, which probably contributes to the better balance, whereas the eBay one looks like a conventional EB3 body.

If there is one bass I sold I would like to have back, it's that one.

[Freuds_Cat]

Yep I hear ya Phil. The neck binding is the thing that suggests it aint Ibanez to me but the second row of oblong shapes on the pickups is exactly the same as both pups on Dennis' T-Bird.

[godofthunder]

 Looks more like a Aria or Vantage to me

[Freuds_Cat]

Yep you're probably right GoT

It went for $202

[OldManC]

I don't know about that EB, but the Ibanez Thunderbird I have is one of my best sounding 'birds. Those pickups look cheap-o, but they sound GREAT.

[Pilgrim]

Those pickups look like they came out of the Matsumoku factory - so I'd agree, possibly an Aria or one of the other brands from that factory.  There was a LOT of cloning in that factory.

[Freuds_Cat]

Bottom right of this page is the pups in Denis' T-Bird.  Would love to get someof these today and have a play. They really dosound great in that bass.

[Saf]

those pick ups are used in lot's of old japanese basses. I just one in my homebuilt bass. And have I think another 4 or 5 lying around. I really love the sound of them.

[amimbari]

those pick ups are used in lot's of old japanese basses. I just one in my homebuilt bass. And have I think another 4 or 5 lying around. I really love the sound of them.

I also have an old 70's Matsumoku Jazzclone ( branded "Scott") that uses the same pup's, and yep, they sound really good for what they are.... I took the covers off so you can see...

[Saf]

almost every japanse brand has usedthose greatsounding Humbuckers. I have an Hondo EB-3 copy at home who has one of them Humbuckers i nthe bridge



Mine does have another bridge.

[amimbari]

I'm always surprised this no-namer got the 4 saddles bridge and not the 2 like so many others. either way I like it cause it is pretty, even if it NEVER makes it to a stage.