Product: Ibanez ATK700
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
03/07/2008
at
12:13am
by
Jens Zastrow
Features
:
10
Read my previous review.
Sound
:
No Opinion
Read my previous review.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
No Opinion
Read my previous review.
Reliability/Durability
:
No Opinion
Read my previous review.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Read my previous review.
Overall Rating
:
10
It's been several months now since getting this bass and I've really grown to love it even more. I've been through several jam/recording sessions and auditions and the first question asked after pulling this bass out of it's case is "What kind of bass is that? I've never seen anything like it... it's gorgeous". Then after a few minutes of playing I get nothing but compliments on it's sound. I'm so glad that the general collective of bass-heads is unaware of this Ibanez offering... it'll keep prices of the 100, 300, 400, 500 and 700 series ATK basses low, allowing me to amass a collection of this incredible instrument. Whatever you bassists do, don't buy one. Let me collect them all. It's The Ampeg A*B-1 or Danelectro Longhorn with regards to "exclusivity" of this generation... but
J-Bass like in it's versatility. ;-)
Product: Ibanez ATK700
Price Paid: USD 700
Submitted
12/26/2007
at
12:53pm
by
Jens Zastrow
Features
:
10
The features rating is a little goofy if you ask me. For instance I'm not going to give a p-bass a rating of 2 because I was expecting j-bass features. Therefore I am giving the ATK a 10 because it has the features I bought it for... duh.
Neck: 5pc ATK4 Maple/Walnut neck
NeckType: ATK4
Body: Light Ash body/ Quilted Maple top
Frets: Medium frets
Fingerboard: Birdseye Maple
Inlay: Black Dot
Bridge: ATK 4 bridge
NeckPU: ATK triple coil pu
EQ: ATK 3-band eq w/Tone character sw
HWcolor: Chrome
Sound
:
10
I find the ATK to be an extremely versatile bass with a wide range of voices suitable to many different music styles. I play pizzicato, with plectrum and also slap and the ATK suits all three methods of playing. I can't say that the ATK can sound like a j-bass, p-bass, Ric, StingRay, T40 or whatever since they all have their very own distinct voices but I will say that the ATK is certainly not a copy of any of these other fine basses... the ATK is in a class all it's own.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
10
Setup from the dealer was almost perfect. Granted, action is purely subjective and is easily adjusted to suit the owner's preference but intonation was spot on. The fingerboards rolled edges were a very nice touch and fretwork is of the highest workmanship. The neck pocket is tight and all hardware is properly positioned and absolutely flush with their mounting surfaces. The quilted maple top and birdseye maple neck are absolutely gorgeous and the clearcoat adds clear glassy depth to the wood's grain. This is a boutique level bass at a relatively modest price.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
I haven't owned my ATK for very long but the build quality, hardware and wood selection indicate that it's not just a bass but an heirloom. I've owned my Ibanez SR400 for 10 years and it has never let me down so I don't foresee myself ever bringing a backup to the ATK.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Never had to deal with Ibanez's CSR so i can't give a rating.
Overall Rating
:
10
I've been playing, building and hot-rodding basses for 25 years and have a slight bias towards Leo Fender's designs. During the two and a half decades I have become a huge fan of Ibanez basses for their innovation, build quality and value. I was looking for a professional quality bass that offered versatility, a certain level of simplicity (one pickup), on-board EQ, a thick solid neck and good looks. The ATK suits me to a "T". Not only is it well built, versatile and beautiful but it's also a very unique entry in the bass market... something I felt worth mentioning due to the many ludicrous claims of the ATK being a StingRay copy even though the ATK has as much in common with it as it does with a Big Block Precision. The ATK is a highly overlooked Ibanez offering with the same qualities that made the Precision, Jazz, StingRay and T40 such revered icons as all around solid workhorses.
