A gnarly vintage Ibanez followed me home.

Blazer · November 02, 2008, 12:08:29 PM

This old Japanese girl became mine today when I encountered her in a shop just out of town, the last owner did quite a bit of work on her as you can tell.

The pickup selector is not connected and the three three way switches make for a very versatile guitar

The back shows that this non trem strat used to have a trem but the cavity is filled up with a large chunck of wood.

Vintage Ibanez logo, no serial number which according to my Ibanez registration book makes this a very early one, at least a 1972 made guitar.

So this guitar is pretty Gnarly and for some reason it kinda grows on me the way it is now, I was temped to restore her the way she used to be knowing that this is a possible sleeping collector's item but the mods performed on her give her her own little niche, she's not just a Strat copy any more.

Chris P. · November 03, 2008, 12:27:06 PM

Nice score. I always love the enlarged 70s headstocks.

chromium · November 03, 2008, 04:12:14 PM

I had an Ibanez jazz bass copy from that era that I quite liked. Mine didn't have the prettiest neck and body laminates in the world, but it certainly played and sounded fantastic. It was a tremendous value for the money.

Sold it to help fund two early 80s Fuji-Gen-made Roland guitars, which run circles around the lower-end Fender and Gibsons they replaced.

rahock · November 04, 2008, 07:09:46 AM

Ibanez gets a lot of negative comments on their guitars and basses and I don't understand why

I'm pretty much a Fender bass bigot and I really like every every Ibanez I've played. Although I'm pretty much a hack guitar player, I really like their guitars too. The Fender knock offs I've played have been great as are the Gibsonish hollow bodies. In particular their big jazz boxes are very sweet.

Rick

PhilT · November 04, 2008, 05:18:17 PM

I had an Ibanez Jazz copy too - the body looked great, but the neck and headstock hadn't aged well. Mine went when I got an MIJ Fender P and there didn't seem any point in keeping the Ibbie.

I haven't played a more recent Ibanez, the necks look a bit thin for my taste, but most of the negatives I've seen seemed to come from people who hadn't actually played one.

Blazer · November 08, 2008, 04:58:15 AM

Quote from: rahock on November 04, 2008, 07:09:46 AM
Ibanez gets a lot of negative comments on their guitars and basses and I don't understand why

Well if you're talking about their more recent instruments the negative comments are valid, believe me. At the Knooren workshop we've repaired countless snapped off headstocks of Ibanez guitars because Ibanez insist on putting toplocks by drilling two holes in the weakest part of the neck.

As for their basses, lower end Soundgear necks are a nightmare to adjust, the trussrod isn't up for the job and most of the time they end up with warped necks.

Take it from somebody with ten years of experience, Ibanez (and their low end models in particullar) could do with a better quality control at the factory.

rahock · November 08, 2008, 06:16:11 AM

I'm most familiar with their older stuff, but I do have a friend with about a two year old Ibanez Gibsonish 335 style guitar and it's really nice. That's about the newest one I'm familiar with. Yeah, snapped off headstocks and warped necks would certainly turn me off too

Rick

Dave W · November 08, 2008, 12:58:24 PM

Quote from: Blazer on November 08, 2008, 04:58:15 AM
Take it from somebody with ten years of experience, Ibanez (and their low end models in particullar) could do with a better quality control at the factory.

Sounds like bad design is part of the problem too.

I've heard stories of neck failures at the scarf joint on newer ones. No idea if it's common or rare.

Rhythm N. Bliss · November 09, 2008, 04:18:26 AM

Quote from: Blazer on November 02, 2008, 12:08:29 PM
This old Japanese girl became mine today when I encountered her in a shop just out of town, the last owner did quite a bit of work on her as you can tell.

The pickup selector is not connected and the three three way switches make for a very versatile guitar

The back shows that this non trem strat used to have a trem but the cavity is filled up with a large chunck of wood.

Vintage Ibanez logo, no serial number which according to my Ibanez registration book makes this a very early one, at least a 1972 made guitar.

So this guitar is pretty Gnarly and for some reason it kinda grows on me the way it is now, I was temped to restore her the way she used to be knowing that this is a possible sleeping collector's item but the mods performed on her give her her own little niche, she's not just a Strat copy any more.

Beautiful ax, man. Congratulations!

exiledarchangel · November 10, 2008, 01:45:21 AM

I agree on the remark for that dreadful design of Ibanez necks with the two holes. It's like the guitar saying to you "please please please, be VERY tender with me".

On the other hand, their ATK basses seem very nice, with fat necks. I always wanted to try one but haven't found one available! Damn!

http://www.ibanez.com/BASS/guitar.aspx?m=ATK300
http://www.ibanez.com/BASS/guitar.aspx?m=ATK305
http://www.ibanez.com/BASS/guitar.aspx?m=ATK750QM