Ibanez Ergodyne: the ONLY definitive guide EVER on Earth!!

{I wrote the following in 2015, to replace a somewhat better version that evaporated with yet another forum site. Still, it appears that I remain The Authority on these things.}


ibanez.wikia.com/wiki/Ibanez_EDR_470_ex

GUITARS
There's surprisingly little information out there on the six-string plastic-body Ibanez models. What I've been able to pull together is that there were three models made, two with variants.

Introduced in 1997 was the EDR260, an otherwise typical Superstrat, with Powersound pickups, Wizard II neck, and generic-looking trem.

The next year gave us the fancier EDR470, with Axis pickups and double-lock trem.

In 2002, the EDR170 appears, with basic trem, Powersound h-s-h, & two knobs (v/t). Known finishes: Moonshadow, Iron Pewter.

A little further on saw the release of the "-EX" versions of the 170/470, with "Designed By EMG" pickups.

Much like the EDB sub-series (see below), the line was briefly resurrected with wooden body as the EXR170 & GXR370.

BASSES
EDB -- the very first; letters stand for "ErgoDyne Bass". Being the oldest, this sub-series also has the most models. Aside from carved/scooped body and active guts, they were a fairly traditional offset double-cut shape, with two soapbar pickups, 24 frets, 3-pc maple neck.

The first cataloguing, dated 1997, shows us the EDB300 (passive guts, 3-knob), EDB400 (active 3-band EQ, 5 knobs, passive pickups, Vol/Vol knobs, no switch), and EDB405 (same, 5-string).

All three: "DX" pickups, DHX-1 neck, DHX-2 bridge; SR neck; 40x with Accu-Cast bridge, 300 with generic bent-plate. All available in only BK (black) or JB (Jewel Blue, dark). The 405 was featured with Christian Olde Wolbers of Fear Factory. (Wikipedia says he moved to the 605 "sometime in 1997".)

The EDB300 was quickly discontinued (1997), along with the even shorter-lived EDB350 (one DX pickup, Accu-Cast B20 bridge, black hardware, Phat bass-boost circuitry).

The 40x ended in 1998. Next we saw the EDB500 (1998-2001), EDB600 and EDB605 (1998-2005), and EDB690 (1999-2000).

The 500 (one-piece maple neck) directly replaced the 350, adding a pickup & a milled-down "slap contour area" beneath the strings; it appeared in Grey Pewter matte (1998-2001).

The 600 was somewhat like a 300 upgraded to a 400: B20 bridge, 5-knob system. Gray Pewter, White Pearl or Mystique Purple mattes. (605: only GP or MM) (1998-2005)

Though not long-lived (1999-2000), the EDB690 might be a White Rhino (i.e. legendary, but never actually seen): five-piece maple/bubinga neck, "Burled Art Grain" paint, and the established B20/DXH format. MIK, likely Cort. {update 02/17/2024: you KNOW it's rare when THIS ARTICLE holds the #6 DuckDuckGo search slot for the model, following only three paid generic ads and two dead Reverb listings And here's what "rare" will get you: they sold for $299 and $399.}



Too good to kill off but not enough to resurrect, Ibanez put out EDBs in 2006-2008, albeit wood-bodied, which tends to defeat the apparent intent of the Ergodyne lines. If you're after PLASTIC, beware of reissue 400/405, as well as the 550/555 and 700 -- probably great basses, but NOT truly Ergodynes.

Before the end, continued success encouraged Ibanez to expand the ED family further, and 1998 saw the introduction of the EDC700 and EDC705. Experimenting with the potential of the Luthite body material, designers made the horns long and slim, and (learning from the EDB500) sculpted the face to three distinct levels for the benefit of slap/pluck players. Black hardware, one-piece maple neck. In the catalogue, the 70x had "Vari-Mid Hi Fi EQ" and two soapbar SFR pickups. Known colors of the 700: Black Pearl, Gray Pewter, Night Navy, Vampire Kiss; the 705: BP, GP, Dark Violin Flat.

The 70x only lasted into 2002, replaced briefly in 2003 by the EDC710/EDC715, with triple-coil pickup. The 710 appeared in Copper Brush Flat, the 715 in GP.

Then there's the "weird little brother," where the engineers ran wild: the EDA900 & EDA905. The body is minimalist, the tuners turn backwards on a tiny headstock, the neck is extra-wide and super-shallow, there's only a fret 12 inlay, the super-low-profile "bridge" is individual Fishman "Mono-Rail II" piezos with the EQ circuitry neatly mixing the two sounds. One DFR soapbar, chrome hardware, 3-piece maple neck. The 900 showed up in Silver Flat, the 905 in SVF or Red Rock Flat (though Blue Book says Flare Orange Flat). What with all the oddness, this was a love-or-hate bass that frightened traditionalists & quickly developed a loyal small following -- if you buy one, though, get the fitted case!! Offered 2001-2004, only the EDB600 lasted longer. And late in 2020, I verified the existence of the EDB900F fretless (see below).

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As to potential value of the Ergodynes...

Most recent Blue Book order, high-to-low (with last SRP):


Firstly, let's get this out of the way: The EDx are generally very good instruments. Therefore, in 90%+ condition (9/10, 4/5, whatever) I'd put current book value at 50% final retail.

But AS ALWAYS, keep in mind that "value" is slippery. That 50% is accurate if you're insuring one. If you're SELLING one, you should expect 40%-60% of book value. (If you're buying one, it depends on how charmed/desperate you are and how much you've got in the bank.)

The low-numbered EDBs, except for the 40x, simply don't have much demand, and generally have fewer cool appointments. If you'd just like to add a plastic-body bass to your collection, they can be had for $150 or less.

In contrast, the EDC705 trades for $300-$400.

My impression is that the EDA90x are presently worth slightly more than the EDC70x, because the former have such a unique pickup grouping. If not for the body design (off-putting to some), the former would be commanding clearly higher prices.

Being such an odd shape, the EDA90x fitted case adds significantly to the bass's value, say ~$100 DOC.

As to condition, these instruments have some very specific quirks, as I noted in initial comments on my EDA905.

• The EDAs have little tiny wires running out of the piezo saddles. Therefore, buying one by mail from an amateur seller (as I did) is VERY risky. If any of these wires is busted, some surgery could be required, & parts aren't exactly off-the-shelf... but see below.
• the EDAs also have adjustment ports in back: one for each string, one for overall piezo output (to balance against the soapbar), one to trim the piezo bass response. If a former owner has twiddled these, output may be VERY strange... which is cool because you can probably insist it's "defective" & bargain the price down.
• more generally, there's the loose-knob problem. With a typical guitar, the potentiometers run either through wood or thin sheet plastic, & cinching down the nuts makes the controls relatively secure. With the EDs, the Luthite plastic has some "give"; to secure the pots, Ibanez used toothed lock washers inside. These SUCK: all on my EDA were smashed down, & weren't particularly sharp OR solid to begin with. As easy fix... but there's a good chance one knob (or more) on a used ED has been wrenched around in the past, causing faulty solder points.
• the plastic DOES smell a little, with later years supposedly less. It's not terrible, a little like Elmer's white glue or half-dried latex paint, but keeping it cased up will concentrate the aroma, so you might want to leave it on a stand when possible.
• being plastic, there's no guarantee it'll last as long as wood. And if you break the body, repair may not be possible.

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Like Roland, Ibanez has a wealth of information, that however is scattered all around & requires some digging -- a little ability to navigate in Japanese helps too.

Here's the official archive of past Ibanez catalogues:
www.ibanez.co.jp/anniversary_j/

This is an early (1997) one-sheet of the EDB500/600/605.
www.ibanez.co.jp/anniversary_j/page.php?cat_id=18&year=1997

And the original one-sheet manual for the EDA 900/905.
www.ibanez.co.jp/world/manual/guitars/EDA.pdf

There's a directory of Ibanez replacement parts. Be warned, though, that the older lists are for reference only, & the parts may be a dusty memory.
www.ibanez.com/default.aspx?p=parts/

The current listing is a bit of a mess, with questionable programming, & appears to be frame-based so I can't just give you a link. However, it does show that some parts remain for: EDA900, EDA905, EDB400, EDB405, EDB550, EDB555, EDB600, EDB605, EDB700 -- yeah, mixing plastic with wood, but what can ya do?

The 2005 listing also offers info of interest to hardcores, such as the official color code & the production dates, which could increase collectibility. For instance, the EDB550 (wood) was apparently produced in a light natural (NTF) finish only 11/2007 & 11/2008.

FWIW, I found the part number for the individual Mono-Rail bridgepiece -- small parts have their own photos!
ibanez.com/parts/2001_PARTS/El-Bass/Pix-Bridge.htm#2BB1MRP2K

No photos, but there are lists of replacement necks with color-matched headstocks.
ibanez.com/parts/2001_PARTS/El-Bass/List-Neck.htm#EDA