Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I received a few requests for pics of my Ibanez faker. I started this new thread because the last one got enormous. First, here's the whole bass:

A little closer on the body:

The bridge:

The neck:

The headstock:

Other side of the headstock:

The back of the body (with a bolt-on neck):

The jackplate:


The obligatory disclaimers: this has never been passed off as a Ric, nor will it be, and it was given to me some 15 years ago.

It also might be useful to point out the ways you could spot this as a fake, from the obvious (bolt-on neck, single jack) to the less obvious (the binding continues under the bridge).

And also... the TRC says Ibanez...

That's a late version Ibanez 2388b. If you post the serial number, I can tell you when it was made.

These authentic(ish) looking Ibanezes are quite uncommon - the earlier models sported full width glitter inlays, and twin chrome humbuckers (in differing configurations depending whether it was neck-through or bolt on), as well as the very small checked binding, like yours.

These were built by Fuji Gen Gakki in Japan - the same factory produced Greco and some Electra fakers, as well as a multitude of importers' brands.

Fuji Gen is also the factory Fender used to produce the original JV Squiers and CIJ Fenders - after being impressed by the quality of the Ibanez knockoffs!

Anyway - Ibanez/Fuji Gen stopped exporting fakers around 1978/79 to concentrate on original designs - and 30-odd years on, these things are becoming ridiculously collectable - to the extent that you're more likely to see a fake Rick being passed off as an Ibanez (when it's not) than a Rickenbacker.

There was nothing particularly special about the Ibanez brand - their copies were really no better or worse than any of the others, however that's the brand that draws the Ebay hordes.

Jon.

Do you have any idea who made the Maya brand? I had one long ago with the dot neck and neck thru construction.

I own two Ibanez Gibson copies - actually two thirds of the Korina set. Mine are the Explorer copy (Destroyer?) and a Moderne copy (Futura?). They are both EXCELLENT guitars.

Some of the Ibanez Rick copies were really very nice. The better ones have thru-necks and dual folded truss rods. Except for the inlays and fingerboard wood, they were difficult to distinguish from the originals. Over the years, I have worked on a few "Ricks" that were actually Japanese copies fitted with real RIC hardware including jack plates. The owners did not know the difference.

Bob - Maya was one of the few Japanese brands that had its own factory. The parent company was called Rokkoman & the factory produced copies under the Maya name & original designs under the El Maya brand. Like all the other Japanese builders, they did off-brand exports too.

The factory was destroyed in the Kobe earthquake in 1995, but I think the Maya brand had long since vanished by then.

Did yours look like this one?



No, unfortunately it isn't mine!

Ted - I've never yet seen a twin truss rod faker. Makes me wonder how many more different Ibanez models there were other than the ones I know about!

J.

Looked like that one, only it was originally finished in transparent blue/green. It even had the plexi truss rod cover with "Maya" on it. I had one of their Strat copies back in the late 70's but it was plywood construction on the body. The guitar player in my band has 3 Ibanez Destroyer guitars from '76/'77. He loves them and they are more correct (headstock shape) than the current Gibson offering.

The ones I saw may not have been Ibanez. I misspoke there. I meant to say some Japanese Rick copies have dual rods. Sorry.

Contrary to what a lot of people think, Ibanez did not make junk. Their better guitars were well made even though they were copies of more popular guitars. They may be turning out a lot of low-end **** today - I don't know - but back in the 70's their guitars were often on a par with the instruments they were copying.

Here are some other pics of old basses I no longer have. All are neck thru with the exception of the Aria. I had an old Ibanez neck thru with the chrome treble pickup, EB0 front pickup and full witdth inlays, but no longer have any photo's of that bass.

Sorry about the double headstock shot of the Maya.

Thanks for the various pics!

I wish I had pictures of my Fernandes Paul McCartney copy - my 2nd bass, from sometime around 9th grade (1985?). I didn't really like it much, but I didn't know enough about instruments then to be able to say whether it was any good or not. Sold it back to the store where I bought it for a loss, then picked up a Fender Japan P-bass reissue. Fender Japans were pretty much all I used for the next 10 years or so, then took a 7-8 year hiatus, then got the bug again, but this time around it's been the real deal - Alembic/Rickenbacker/Gibson!

Bassassin, thanks -- I checked the serial number against the Ibanez system, and it dates to September 1977 (one month after me). I don't know what years these were in production.

I assume it has a single truss rod, but I've never looked.

I must say, it's very well constructed and sounds and plays great. It stays in tune, hasn't been set up in years, and has startlingly good sustain. Its tone is not quite the classic clank, but it can get pretty close.

Matters have changed a bit over the years... now Ibanez are trying to fight Chinese Ibanez fakers!