Ibanez AGB140TBR

Put aside your pre-conceptions. I needed a bass for a fill in job as bassist and was looking for a cheapish Precision. When I told the guy in the shop I was really a guitarist he said "you'll need a bass with a good action then" and pulled me away from the rack of Fender cheapos/clones and showed me this. A semi-acoustic with a humbucker? I didn't want one of them, I wanted a plain vanilla Precision so I didn't look stupid on stage. He was right I was wrong. Everything about it said well-made guitar and it didn't weigh a ton.

Big, nice bite and a sustain you wouldn't believe. It just doesn't sound like a semi-acoustic. The tone control is unlike anything I've ever experienced. It doesn't go to muddy at 0. I think they wired a resistor in series to the pot which means it only goes down to 4 in normal terms. Wound right down it sounds like my idea of a semi-acoustic and I don't use any setting in between. So it only has two tones but they are both great.

The action is very good. I looked up the Fender USA settings for their basses and this is the same. 2mm on the treble side 2.6mm on the bass side at the 17th fret. The finish is great and all the bindings are perfectly flush. The nut is well cut and it doesn't go out of tune. It's a bit brown and vintage looking but hey, some people like that

No problems at all. It' a keeper.

Haven't needed them.

Like I said, don't write this off because it is a semi-acoustic. This is as good as you will get for the price and will handle rock duties no problems. They appear to be discontinued but I see them going for very good prices second-hand and you won't regret buying one. It deserves to wear the Ibanez logo even if it isn't made in Japan.

Not sure of the year the bass was made, I bought it used. This bass is a passive bass no batterys here to worry about. Been there done that-no more. This bass is a semi-hollow not quite the sustain as my fender p-bass. The fit and finish of this bass is fantastick. This model was made in china. I hate to say this but this bass is a breeze to play and beautiful to look at. If you are looking for a semi-acoustic grab one of these, you won't regret it. I have played Ibanez before and they all have been quality.

I am a 30 plus years bass player, I play country gosple with this AGB. Nice sound. The one pickup does a good job-I personally don't need a lot of different sounds.

Bought it used set up great. Quality manufacturing. Stays in tune. Nice playing three piece neck.

I do take this to play with no back-up without no worries. Totaly dependable.

I have owned several ibanez and never needed to use customer support. They put out quality insturments.

I have been playing over 30 years. I hope to never get the bass stolen. I didn't pay much but I would miss it. If you find one of these cheap with the hard case grab it up.

Just to clear up a few things and add some others. This NOT a hollow body it is a semi-acoustic. The neck is glued into a a very sturdy piece of hardwood which runs the length of the body. In effect it is a solid body with sound chambers like all semis.

There is nothing wrong with the pots. If you buy second-hand you inherit a guitar which may have been stored in dusty conditions. Mine is used and the pots are fine. Modern manufacturing means the size of pots bears no relation to how they perform. They work fine.

The neck profile is average for a bass. It's not a half baseball bat but it's not slim either.

The humbucker makes this as noiseless as you are going to get and everything is earthed properly. The volume control is progressive and very usable and the tone does a decent job. It's not an on-off from bright to mush like some cheap basses but goes subtly down to a warm woody sound especially on the G and D strings.

The sound isn't vague like a Gibson EBO or aggressive like a P-bass but will cut through. It is what it is. My rating may seem harsh but it is realistic. It is good for the price but there are a lot of more expensive basses which sound better.

The finish is immaculate. I can't believe they can build a decent bass for this money. The bindings are perfect as is the rest of the construction. I can't comment on the factory setup as I got mine used but a bit of tinkering got it right. The frets needed a slight polish but it hadn't been looked after well by its previous owner. The action is good for this price range but nothing special.

You could use this to play baseball with and it looks like the previous owner did. Mine had obviously been dropped hard more than once and is structurally no worse the wear for it.The finish has chipped off where it has been dropped but there is no play wear on it including the frets. The tuners work well after 4 years. It's built like a brick sh*t-house.

N/A

I've played bass on and (mostly) off for 30 years. I can tell what is as bad bass and what is good enough to play with but I have never owned a seriously good bass. I've played a fair few outstanding basses and all I can say is that you need to spend at least twice what the AGB costs to be 100% satisfied. I haven't seen any other basses in this price range which match the AGB overall but I haven't played them all. It looks great, it's a bit different and is extremely well priced.

Pretty hollow-body design w/ full binding and dot inlays. Full Fender-length 34" scale and a very solid feeling TOM-style bridge. Simple single humbucker pickup and one tone/one volume setup is fine w/ me. The pickup seems pretty good but the pots are obviously of poor quality. They are little teeny things that look like they came out of some sort of child's toy. Very ugly headstock logo.

It's a warm sound and big but still punchy. I like it but am not sure that those looking for the classic semi-hollow bass tone would be satisfied as the longer scale length affects the sound greatly. I threw some flatwounds on there and get a pretty decent facsimile of that wonderful John Paul Jones bass sound which is what I'm going for. (I just play through whatever vintage tube guitar head I have out into a 2x15 bass cab.) It's not dead on but close enough. My biggest complaint tone wise is that the tone pot doesn't do anything. I mean, nothing at all. Generally, I like to set my amp up just a little too bright and roll back the tone but I can't do that w/ this and it bugs me.

Everything about the construction of this is beautiful from the finish to the fretwork. That the electronics (and only the pots really) are crappy but I already took off points for that under features.

The pots crackled as soon as I got it. If you plan to get w/ this, you'll want to replace those before you even go out. It is a cheap guitar so the the finish is some sort of poly and while it might crack or chip if you ding it on something it's not going to wear hardly at all from normal playing. As far as the build quality, it feels solid and I see nothing to worry about. Short of taking an x-ray of the neck joint that's all I can give you.

Bought it used.

As I've mentioned eight times, the pots suck and they are really a pain to change on a semi-hollow. Other than that, this is a great value. I tend to think of it more as a solid body w/ semi-hollow looks than a bass w/ a true semi-hollow sound but it's a fine instrument w/ unique looks that I think a lot of people would like if they tried.

This Ibanez features:
a 3 piece bound neck with rosewood fretboard(dot inlays), & 22 medium frets;
a semi-hollow body(a center block for sustain) with bound f-holes;
4 ply body binding(from inside to out - black, white, black white);
a traditional headstock(2+2) with 4 ply binding with an abalone logo;
1 humbucking pickup with 1 volume and tone (both 500k pots);
chrome hardware.

This bass has passive electronics. It has a tune-o-matic styled bridge and top loading stop bar. It is finished in walnut with a high gloss top coat.

I enjoy the sound of this bass. It can be used in a wide variety of music which is great, but I wouldn't play slap or metal with it. I tried this bass out at Guitar Center with an Ampeg with 8-10's and it kicks butt. I rather like a deep bass and this thing delivers. It's a smooth sounding bass that lacks the punch typically found in Extra-Long scale basses. But the big payoff if the variety of tone available. You can go from early James Brown to a Chris Squire-esque tone on this bass.

The bass' setup was a bit high for me, and the neck needed a straightening. The pickup was a tad high. Other than that, its great. The craftsmanship on this bass is extraordinary for the price. I really can't find a flaw on this bass.

As with any intrument, excercise care when handling. That being said, it's not like you can bash it around like a solid bodied bass; It requires more care than your standard bass because its semi-hollow. I would gig with this bass without a backup but excercise a bit more care.

It has a one year warranty from the factory. One thing in my case; The bass was incorrectly soldered when I got mine, so I corrected the problem. When I tried out the bass a GC, it sounded good, but I tried a floor model. I didn't take that one 'cause it had a scratch so I asked if they had one in storage. They did so I got that one instead. I took it home and something wasn't right. I opened it up and sure enough, 2 wire were soldered incorrecly so I just performed a switch and it worked great. That being said, my warranty is now void.

I've been playing bass for 9 years and I can say that this is a great sounding bass. My main bass is a Peavey Foundation from the late 80's. Why use such a bass with no active electronics? Simple. It sounds great and I hate active electronics. Why? Because I don't need it. I know it's not needed. McCartney didn't need it. Jamerson didn't need it. And you can hear the great sound. And besides, I hate changing the battery on the damned thing. I own active basses(only 2: Both Ibanez Soundgears models SR400 and SR405) but hardly use them; If anytihng, I'll use the 5 string when needed but I haven't in about 5 months(and before then 1 1/2 yrs). If it was stolen, I would by another and you should too because I fear that they won't last for long. This bass is my favorite next to My Peavey Foundation(2 of them) and an old 1960's Kay Bass(EB-0 Knockoff; read up on it. My review is available on this website). When plugged into my Acoustic Amp, ahhh.....Let's just say, it doesn't get any better.

2004 Artcore series made in China. Artcore Bass neck 3pc. Maple/ Mahogany Neck Hollowbody Material Maple top/ sides/back Body/ Neck & Body binding 22/Medium frets Rosewood Finger Board Gibraltar III Bass bridge ACHB 1 Neck PU (passive) Pearl Dot Inlay/ 1 Volume 1 Tone control.

I compared this bass to a Fender Jazz/P-bass (both USA) & my ErnieBall MusicMan. Overall sound was thick, punchy, yet very clear, airy sort of tone very nice warm sounding a bit on the acoustic side hence the hollowbody not as loud as my MuiscMan but much louder than the Fender bass. If your looking for a nice Hollowbody to add to your collection this would be a good buy or could be your main bass as well it's that good. Superb craftmanship & Tone. Price wise can't be beat. Don't let the "Made in China" scare you. I usually stay away from those makes myself but this one is an exception.

The set-up from factory was pretty good though, action may be a bit to high for some. There were no buzzing frets or any other unwanted noises. The finish is very beautiful and the binding looks great on it. No major flaws overall.

Only had for a few days but looks like it will hold up well. Remember this bass is a Hollowbody so, it is a little more fragile than a solid one (sure you all know that). Giving it a 9 because I haven't had it for long.

Haven't dealt with them. Not sure but I think the warranty is for a year. Have to look into that.

I've been playing for at least 15 yrs started real young. I own plenty of other gear mostly guitar equipment from Gibson, Fender, Fernandes, Marshall, Mesa Boogie to a ton of Pedals as well as some Synths. As far as Bass I've been playing for a few years now. My main Bass has been my trusty Ernie Ball MusicMan through Ampeg (Head/Cab) Amps. Before buying the Ibanez I wanted to get either an old Gibson EB2 or an old Epiphone Rivoli. Unfortunately, both of those are short-scale necks & hard to find so, I opted for the AGB 140TBR. If lost/stolen I would definitely buy again. The price is reasonable not to mention it sounds AMAZING plus, it looks GREAT! I like everything about this bass (just may have to lower the action a tad bit) no flaws what so ever. I just laid down some new bass tracks with it and it Records phenomenally. If you like that Simon Gallup type acoustic/electric sound this is the one. Now, I just need to find the right size case for it. Ibanez does sell them on-line shame they don't include it at the time of purchase.