Ibanez 2609B Black Eagle

This is a Feb of '77 Black Eagle. I have Custom Lollar pickups and this thing screams. The cut-outs are awesome and the thing always gets comments. I bought it off a kid back in 1990 at my high school and in 2006 had the frets redone and the fresh wound pick-ups put in by Lollar guitars. The neck is perfect on it and with the Lollar pickups gets perfect play from bottom to top.

It sounds amazing now compare to how it used to, but with all new electronics on board it's one of the best sounding basses I have played.
I play with just the rear pickup because the tone and punch I get are awesome.

The finish is tough and looks decent for 30 years of play. The action is perfect and as low as one could believe without buzz. Of course the mother of pearl pick guard and fret designs coupled with the extreme cutaways and f-hole in the head stock make this a total conversation piece.

This bass is 30 years old and I have given it a rightful beating and it is built like a tank and about as heavy as one. I have to say that this is the only draw back of this guitar is that it literally as heavy as a '71 Buick. Times when I've put in 6 days straight of studio time and gigs I've had neck and back problems. I'm not joking. The only other thing is obviously the F hole cut in the head stock. Obviously all guitars, no matter who cares for them inevitably take an accidental slide off an amp or similar. This guitar did fall over once and snapped the this head piece off which has since been fixed but it was a bummer when it happened. Reliability however is also that of a Buick and has never given me anything other than pleasure (neck ache aside).

n/a

Overall I give this axe a 9 because of how I have it set up and the playability and tone. I had to take one off for weight as most will understand. The "cool" factor of this totally killer design makes it super rad to begin with however.

Made in Japan in the 70's, not sure of the year of this one. HEAVY body, made of mahogany, with a maple neck. A sort of distorted Jazz Bass copy, with the same style pickups, bridge, controls, and hardware. Black with a goofy/unique (depending on your taste) black pickguard with clear areas that have mother of pearl sheets glued to them in a bird motif (an eagle, get it?). Interesting black fretboard markers, that appear to be inlays but I suspect are decals under heavy clearcoat. Body has hooked horns, and headstock has a cutout area where the "fender" decal would be if this was a Fender. This bass looks different, but not so freakish a non-guitarist would notice.

Wow! I got this in pieces, intending to fix it and sell it. Instead, I sold some guitars I wasn't using anymore. This is absolutely my favorite blues or rock bass -- very full sound, REAL tonal difference from the Tone control, and no noise from the pickups at all. I'm a sloppy player, and with the neck pickup on even I sound smooth and rhythmic. Even if I use the bridge pickup exclusively and crank up the Tone control, it still picks up less fingernoise and sounds rich. Plus, it sustains absolutely forever (yes, just like Spinal Tap), even with the relatively light bridge it came from the factory with. My guess is that since it sounds dark (not flat - DARK! Like a bass!)a lot of slappy players would not like it as much, but for old geezers like me, it's perfect.

No idea of the factory setup at this point...I set it up myself from the disassembled pieces I received, and of course it's now how I like it. Action is VERY low, and I have a set of La Bella flatwounds on there. No fret buzzing, although I get a touch of a dead spot at fret 13 on the G string. The body has numerous dings and paint chips so that you can see the wood showing through, and the cutout area on the headstock is very fragile -- mine was broken off before I got this guitar, and I've seen 3 others on Ebay with the same issue. Luckily, that part is just for looks. All controls and parts are original, still looking good and working well. I can't fairly rate some aspects of this, but I'm giving good marks for having survived this long in playable shape.

Pretty darn reliable bass. Hardly even needs tuning! I don't play out often, but this is so basic and so solid I would have no problem playing without a backup (except that that is unprofessional - what if you break a string?). This thing is heavy, though, and it takes a toll over a couple hours. I heard all the stories of Nirvana's bass player tossing his Black Eagle in the air and having it clomp him on the head -- all I can say is he must have a prostetic noggin or something, because I'd be out for the night.

No reason to contact them, and have never tried.

I've been playing for more than 30 years (geez...). I've owned several US Fenders, a Mexican Fender, a Rick 4003, a couple of Gibsons, and various old models from the US and Europe. This easily matches the quality of 70's Fenders, and I'm not one of those folks that downs Fender quality - this is really a good guitar. When I was a kid we used to laugh at the Ibanez players, but now I have to admit the company knew what they were doing, at least with this model. I'd really miss this if something happened, and I'd replace it if I could afford to.

I (my wife) purchased this bass new in 1976. It plays very much like the Fender Precision I used as a partial trade. (only better) Very heavy bass with an extremely rich sound. Passive pick-ups. All maple neck with an unusual cut-out in the top and solid mahogany body. Large clover shaped tuning keys. Not very refined but did the job. All the chrome plating rusted though over time. The bridge and the tail piece lacked in design from an appearance standpoint. They're ugly! The bridge on the G-string wouldn't hold position and kept dropping. Eventually I had to replace everything from the pick-ups, bridge, tail and keys.
I really like the nylon flat wounds that came on it. Smooth playing.
Other than Fender tape wound, I haven't been able to locate the exact same string. The guitar can really take a beating as it has survived quite a few brawls in places I've played. Everyone who sees it wants to give it a try and ends up loving it. The action is extremely smooth and easy on the hands. I use a very light touch using only my finger-tips to produce a fine sound. Set the tones and bridge right and get a great slap-sound.
It came with no accessories.

I like a deep rich sound that really brings out the oldie in me.
Playing through a Peavy TNT 150 and sometimes a pre-CBS Fender Bassman. It's very quiet with the Carvin pick-ups and if I remember correctly, the stock one weren't too bad either.
The sound of the bass seems to more affected by the way it's played and set-up.
The best asset of this instrument is it's sound. The sustain is awesome.

Everything was almost perfect right out of the box. I pluged it in and played. Some of the painting was a little sloppy up on the cut-out in the head and the G wouldn't stay tuned but took care of that.
I never did like the looks of the bridge or the tail-piece. Looks cheap. There were burrs on the tail along with tooling marks that became the breeding ground for the first signs of rust. Cleaning was difficult because my cloth kept getting caught on the tiny jagged edges of that stupid looking tail.
I checked the height of the frets one time just to see how they measured up. I guess that made up for the tail.
The maple neck is really flawless and shoud be pushed as one of the high points. Very slick action.

Here where this bass just plain "Rocks-On"!
Never used a back-up. The hardware looks like it came off of a dump-truck. Not the prettiest but you won't have to worry about it.
I've been playing this guitar for 28 years. It's never let me down.
Need I say more?

I never let it out of my sight and never dealt with the factory

I've been playing for about 33 years. I also own a mint-condition Peavy T-40 bass. I picked it up at a garage sale for 50 bucks just for kicks. Really a nice bass though! My wife picked the Ibanez out as a wedding gift for me right after we got married. It stood out from all the rest in the case at the store. My favorite features are the unique look and rich sound. It always draws compliments wherever I play. It's still in very good shape even though it has a few bumps and bruises.
Losing this guitar would be like losing and old friend. My friends and family identify me with this guitar. The weight of it does seem to be a draw-back at times. As I get older, the heavier this thing gets!

This is a great Jazz style bass from Ibanez. Mine is from February 1976 which makes it 26 years old! What a great looking bass and I've wanted one ever since seeing the bass player Ronald LaPread of the Commodores using one. These are fairly rare basses and the one I have is only the second one I've actually seen in 10 years. Made in Japan, 20 frets on a maple board, Volume, volume, tone with 2 single coil SuperBass pickups with passive output. Body is Mahogany with a black finish and matching headstock. Frets are the vintage Fender style and neck is similar to a Fender Jazz in feel.

The bass is perfect for any form of music. I use it through a Trace Elliot rig and it sounds excellent. Lots of Jazz Bass growl and punch. It looks good and gets lots of compliments. The scrolls on the upper and lower horns are cool looking, however the lower scroll can get in the way of your fretting hand if making a quick jump up the fretboard.

I bought the bass used, but it set up very easily. Everything is stock on the bass and everything functions as it should. Not bad for a 26 year old instrument. This shows what quality guitars and basses Ibanez made back then.

This bass has survived the years and shows evidence of being played. The reliability/durability of this instrument is clearly known and if I can find another like it I'd purchase it quickly!

Ibanez is no longer featuring their classic guitars and basses of the past but you can go to the http://www.ibanezvintage.com site and get some cool info on the plethora of instruments that they made.

These basses are rare and I think will only increase in value as the years go by. I can't believe I lucked out and got this bass at a great price. Although it has a few battlescars, I was never one for a "mint" looking instrument in the first place. A gutiar/bass is meant to be and should be played. I've been playing bass for nearly 25 years and finally can say I own one of these great instruments. Some notable users of this bass are Ronald LaPread of The Commodores, and Chris Novoselic of Nirvana.

This is my contribution to a little known glimmer in ibanez's eye. IMHO, more attention should be payed to some of the older Ibanez products. Not only was it a springboard to where they are today, these "lawsuit models" were sometimes as high of quality as the items they copied, and then sometimes they were better. My Black Eagle is a 77' model, and it is really one of the most beautiful basses I have seen. I used to want a vintage Fender jazz, but this thing eclipses the jazz, and takes it a step further. OK, on to its features.... made in japan, 4 string "jazz" style, maple body, maple neck, maple fingerboard. Black body, black Fender style headstock that has Ibanez inlaid on it (script)in MOP, and an "f-hole" routed out of the lower part.(it follows the line of the bottom of the headstock.) The original tuners were replaced with gotoh tuners before it fell into my hands. it was probably an improvement, i don't know. 20 frets are on the black bound inlaid neck. the inlays on the neck are black, and they almost look like they would make good tribal tattoos. the neck is thin and fast like a jazz. the body is jazz like, but the two horns curve back in toward the neck more than a fender's do (the top one even hooks back) making it look rather sinister. otherwise the body is typical jazz bass. two passive jazz style single coil Ibanez p/u's, one volume per p/u with one tone knob. jazz style bridge. The pickguard on it is what makes it really stand out. There is a "black eagle" drawn and inlaid with mother of pearl into the pick guard. Also, there has been etched some vine work around the eagle and the front p/u. all I can say is it looks astonishing. and, it came with the original beat up, yellow lined, falling apart case. I give it an 8 because it does what it was made to do very well.

This thing sounds *exactly* like a 70's jazz. period. the front p/u sounds smooth and mellow, and if you use the rear, it gets all clear and sparkly. turn both p/u's on, and the tone up, and you get that evil jazz growl. Back off the tone a bit, and it is all huge rumbling lows. I play mostly rock stuff, and it really sounds beautiful through my SVT and 4-10/1-15. I would say that in the studio, it could fill a vintage jazz's shoes anyday, on stage, it will definitely outshine a jazz. IF you like your basses ornate. I give it a ten because it definitely accomplishes what it was built to do.

I have no idea how it was originally set-up. When I got it, It had recently recieved a fret dressing, and I have to give props to the man who set it up. It plays like butter. the back p/u was mounted a bit off of the line of the strings, but I don't think it is enough to affect the sound. The bridge is oxidising a bit , but I think that is typical for a 23 year old bass. Otherwise it still runs just fine. it almost plays as good as my RD Artist. I give it an eight.

I feel secure with playing this bass live without a backup, but I am wary of the headstock being damaged by an accident. Ah, the price of beauty. I'll take my chances. It stays in tune, needs little adjustment and is in better condition than most of the instruments I encounter of its age. I give it a nine.

I've never tried to contact Ibanez about it. I think that they probably would not know what I was talking about. Judging from their corporate website which makes you believe that Ibanez came about with heavy metal in the mid 80's, or that the Iceman is a new design... I feel that for some reason Ibanez doesn't really feel comfortable with their history. too bad.

I have been playing for about 7 years, and I would say that if it were stolen, I would TRY to find another. I have only seen one other. I believe that these are quite rare. I love that it is so ornate, and sounds soooo sweet. Definitely a cure for the jazz blues. I have compared it to other jazz basses, and I have to say, this is a fantastic value compared to a jazz. Sounds just as good, plays just as good, and looks cooler. ten.