This week’s Bass of the Week takes us straight back to the golden age of Japanese guitar building with the Ibanez 2388B/DX, a seriously cool 1970s Rickenbacker-style bass.
Long before Ibanez became known for the original designs and modern basses we associate with the company today, they were producing some remarkably good interpretations of classic American instruments. The 2388B/DX comes from that fascinating period.
And there’s no hiding the inspiration here.
The Japanese Rickenbacker
The 2388B/DX takes its cues very heavily from the Rickenbacker 4001, right down to the distinctive body shape, bound body and neck, large triangle-style fingerboard inlays and twin-pickup layout.
Back in the 1970s, instruments like this were generally seen as affordable alternatives to the American originals. Fifty years later, the story is a little different.
These early Japanese Ibanez instruments have developed a following of their own, particularly among players and collectors interested in the period when Japanese factories were rapidly improving their manufacturing and producing some genuinely excellent instruments.
They aren't just "cheap copies" anymore. They're part of Japanese guitar history.
The 2388B/DX
The 2388B/DX sat at the more deluxe end of Ibanez's Rickenbacker-inspired basses, with the binding and large fingerboard inlays giving it that unmistakable 1970s look.
Pick it up and there's an immediate old-school feel to it. This isn't a modern lightweight bass designed to disappear in your hands. It feels like a proper vintage instrument, with plenty of personality before you've even plugged it in.
Plugged in, it delivers exactly the sort of sound the looks suggest: bright, punchy and aggressive, with plenty of definition and bite.
It's a bass that naturally feels at home with a pick and a slightly angry amplifier.
Prog? Absolutely.
Classic rock? Yep.
Punk? Definitely.
Turn the amp up and let it get a little nasty and you're pretty much in the right neighbourhood.
From Copies to Collectables
One of the interesting things about these basses is how much attitudes towards them have changed.
For years, 1970s Japanese instruments were overlooked while collectors concentrated on the big American brands. That's changed dramatically as players have discovered just how interesting—and sometimes how good—the Japanese instruments from this period can be.
Ibanez in particular went through an incredible transformation during the decade. The company moved from producing instruments heavily influenced by established American designs toward increasingly original models, eventually becoming one of the major Japanese guitar brands worldwide.
The 2388B/DX sits right in the middle of that story.
It's unmistakably a product of its era, and that's exactly what makes it cool.
Bass Workshop Verdict
The Ibanez 2388B/DX isn't trying to be subtle.
It's big, bound, gloriously 1970s and looks like it should be hanging somewhere between a wall of Marshall stacks and a keyboard player wearing a cape.
And we mean that entirely as a compliment.
If you want a vintage Japanese bass with genuine history, loads of character and one of the most recognisable bass silhouettes ever created, the 2388B/DX is a great example of just how interesting this period of Ibanez production was.
Made in Japan. Made in the 1970s. Very cool.
That'll do nicely for this week's Bass of the Week.