| Author |
Message |
Pekka Huuskonen
| | Posted on Monday, August 27, 2001 - 7:13 am: | |
I would like to have some info on Ibanez LP copy.
Features:
-No brandname on headstock
-No serial number
-No inlays in headstock
-Block inlays in neck
-Bolt-on neck
-Neckplate says Made in Japan
-Two humbuckers with covers
-Plastic saddles
-Colour black with white bindings
-Two vol and two tone knobs
-Switch near scratchplate and knobs
-Hollow space between body and top
What model is this guitar?
How old is it?
What is the extra switch near vol knobs?
Thanks in advance
-Pekka |
Aki Rintamäki
| | Posted on Friday, August 31, 2001 - 10:54 am: | |
Pekka,
I might as well tell this in finnish, but since others might be interested too... :o)
You might want to visit the ultimate old-Ibanez info-page at:
http://www.comcat.com/~alnico5/
Even though, those pages knew nothing about a LP model with the tri-sound switch. The "miniswitch" in Your guitar is most probably a "tri-sound" switch, that Ibanez has put in many models. It will make one of the pickups go series, parallel or tapped. Series is the loudest, normal humbucking position, tapped is the weakest. Parallel and tapped can mage great bright sounds either combined with the other pickup or just by itself. Also, many people out there like to put their own switches in guitars, so I can't be sure if Your sw does what it is supposed to.
The serial# might be inside the neck joint. Don't unscrew the neck unless You really want to and if You know what You are doing. The neck can easily be attached in a different position afterwards. And besides, the serial# might also have been in the neckplate, but replaced with another plate.
The pickups are probably Super70. A very good and versatile pickup from Ibanez, atleast I like it..
But "hollow space between body and top"? Did You notice that by knocking, or how? I had no idea of Ibanez making chambered bodies in any solidbody electrics.
I hope John or others can help in these questions.
Pay a visit to my guitars at:
http://www.hut.fi/~arintama/guitars/
-Aki. |
JohnS
| | Posted on Friday, August 31, 2001 - 11:26 am: | |
Aki:
It is quite common to get an Ibanez LP with a hollow top. All the Custom Agents (that I'm aware of) were constructed this way.
I'm not so sure that they "chambered out the body" as much as they formed the arch/dish on the tops by shaping a laminated material.
You can see it clearly, by taking off the control panel or taking out a pickup. |
Aki Rintamäki
| | Posted on Friday, August 31, 2001 - 3:44 pm: | |
Wow, we learn something each day. Is it a cheaper way to do the top, or are there some tonal reasons?
By the way, John, check my message at the "CN, want pics" thread.. Suppose You haven't seen a CN this old:
http://www.fatdawg.com/cn100.jpg
:o/
-Aki. |
Pekka Huuskonen
| | Posted on Saturday, September 01, 2001 - 4:59 pm: | |
Well, thanks for info so far Aki and John.
I examined this LP further and found out that the top of the body actually is laminated, or should I say plywood.
I also looked inside one of the "humbuckers" and they were really single-coils. Only fitted in humbucker covers. And this extra switch connected one capacitor to ground from bridge pickup.
I think this guitar is one of the lower budget models. It is really pretty though, and I got it cheap.
What I really like to know is how old is this guitar? |
Aaron Hancock
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 05, 2001 - 9:23 pm: | |
does the guitar have a gibson "open book" style headstock or other? |
Pekka Huuskonen
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2001 - 3:04 am: | |
Yes, it has a "open book" headstock. |
harry
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2001 - 5:37 am: | |
Hi Pekka!
Just read this thread and I think that the discovery of the humbucker-casings with only a one-coil pickup in it tells us that this guitar is NOT an Ibanez. As far as I know Ibanez never did this "how can we keep it as cheap as possible"-trick with the pickups. Even the oldest Ibanezses had somewhat of a humbucker, even if they were only the cheap "MAXXON" thingies. I once owned a "Morris" SG copy that had the same kind of cheating-pups your guitar has. It had plastic saddles too. At this moment I still own a Morris Explorer copy that has Maxxon pups (humbuckers) and also plastic saddles. Morris was a Japanese company in the mid-70's that build optically good copies (Ibanez-style) with (in my opinion) great necks, but they were even cheaper and of lesser quality (saddles, pickups, machineheads etc). On some models the brandname could easily be removed from the headstock because it was nothing more than a transparant sticker. But this was the case with more cheap Japanese brands; DIAMOND also was one. This could be the reason why your guitar has no brand name; many guitarists removed the "Cheapo" name so at least from a distance it wasn't too obvious that it was just a copy... Most of these cheap brands didn't have serial numbers either but did have "Japan" or "Made in Japan" on the metal plate that covers the neck/body joint. So I would say: your guitar is not an Ibanez, but of another brand. My guess: Morris.
Harry |
Aaron Hancock
| | Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2001 - 8:19 am: | |
I tend to agree with Harry, more than likely not Ibanez with the "false" humbuckers... the open book headstock and plastic string saddles would probabbly date the guitar to early 70's.
- goat |
Mr Camouflage
| | Posted on Thursday, October 11, 2001 - 2:38 pm: | |
Hi Pekka
I tend to agree with harry also. My Ibanez LP has plastic string saddles, but they were originally gold plated (or painted). It has a bolt on neck and the arch to is made of ply, but the body is made of three slices of wood two thich and one thin in the middle (with the arch top bonded to that). I've also got a cheap LP copy (brand unknown) with single coil pickups hidden under humbucker cover plates and the body of that is made of ply (lots of thin slices - cheaper to make). Take the switch cover off and you can usually see how the body's constructed.
Mr C. |
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