Is this a re-finished AS50 ?

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Author Message   Loko13 Username: Loko13 Registered: 9-2007 Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 3:05 pm:    Hey all, I pulled the trigger on this website buy but now have second thoughts. It was advertised as a 1980 AM50 but I m sure it's an AS50, serial # F805228. Here are some pics: Catalogs from this era don't show this color available for any semi-hollow guitars. Also, in the third photo of the side the side of the guitar looks like the dark brown from the "antique violin" finish and does not match the redish color on the front, back and the back of the neck, though the serial number on the back of the headstock looks original (not re-finished): Has anyone seen an AS50 this color or has it been re-painted ?   Jerryneves Username: Jerryneves Registered: 3-2001 Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 5:24 pm:    I would say they refinnished everything but side of body. The color is just so different. Sides look like what the rest should be. What does the area where the sides meet the neck look like? I have refinnished several and have left the sides original, cuz it saves a ton of work. Works if the sides are relatively clean. Most of the time it seems that repair needs are most often on the top, back and headstock.   Jazzzbo Username: Jazzzbo Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 6:21 pm:    I had a color similar to this on my IBANEZ 2335 es175 type ,some people called it "ice tea" , but i cant tell for sure if this is what you have, jazzz   Sabeking Username: Sabeking Registered: 6-2006 Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 8:01 pm:    I had an 81 AS50 that looked to be the same color. I don't think yours has been refinished. BTW, I wish I had never sold mine. I love the V2 pickups. They can play any type of style you want... Good Luck! Stacey   Artfield Username: Artfield Registered: 4-2001 Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 8:02 pm:    strange its an AS50 100% , but this color i never saw,could be a refinish, maybe Gember knows. I kwow the AV and the Red version. maybe you have something really unique.   Jazzzbo Username: Jazzzbo Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 8:48 pm:    I seem to recall that the Antique sunburst on one of my semi hollows, had a deeper brwn,almost a maroon, not reddish as this one seems to be, jazzz   Loko13 Username: Loko13 Registered: 9-2007 Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 2:01 pm:    Thanks guys, I cancelled the purchase; right guitar, right price, but I prefer the stock colors. If anyone is interested it's listed here: http://www.bernunzio.com as an AM50 (it currently says ON HOLD but they told me they already refunded my credit card...) So I'm still in the market for an AM50/60/66/70 or an AS50/80/100 if anyone has one to spare ...   Sabeking Username: Sabeking Registered: 6-2006 Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 6:42 pm:    Loko13, How about the AS100 in this picture? I am selling it for $900, plus shipping... Stacey   Ducati Username: Ducati Registered: 9-2006 Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 7:37 pm:    I wouldn't doubt the finish based just on those pics. You really need to hold it in your hands. An Ibanez finish(or other MIJ finish from that era) is pretty distinctive. My guess is that the digi photo makes it look more red than it is.   Talajuha Username: Talajuha Registered: 11-2006 Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 8:00 pm:    Hm, my basic/cheap digicam gives my guitars a shade of red in pics Juha   Ducati Username: Ducati Registered: 9-2006 Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 8:07 pm:    ps - the appearance of the serial number and "Made In Japan" is very normal to my eyes, I think it's original.   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 8:16 pm:    I bought a les paul copy that looked like a cherry sunburst in the pictures, but when I got it it was more of a tobacco sunburst. When I took pictures of it myself to list it on eBay, it looked cherry in those pictures too. So maybe Ducati is correct. I also agree that the serial number area looks clean and untouched. -Chuck   Jazzzbo Username: Jazzzbo Registered: 9-2005 Posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - 10:35 pm:    well the " ICED TEA" sunburst, really does have a nice dark red finish, some of the Antiques, looked very brwn to me in person, and some of the rare es175 copies had more of a Gibson dark , black to brwn ive only seen a handful of those... ps, i think SLICK, has a page with one of the iced tea versions, jazzz   Gemberbier Username: Gemberbier Registered: 5-2006 Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 4:01 am:    The fact that some of us never saw a certain colour on a certain guitar, does NOT mean that the colour can't be original. For instance: the Artstar AS120 was only available in sunburst according to the Dutch catalogues, but in the USA they had white ones, translucent red, amber natural. So, the catalogue for one country does NOT show all possibilities. And even if you had all catalogues, there are always situations in the production process that could make it necessary to apply a different paint in order to hide flaws in the wood grain for instance. An example: You won't find a white Artist AM-50 in the catalogues either. But we know it exists. Another fact that speaks against the refin theory: Doing an Ice Tea Burst refin on a BOUND guitar is very difficult. And another thing: I read somewhere in an article about '59 Les Pauls, that Ice Tea Burst is one of the discolouring stages in the ageing process of old cherry sunbursts. I don't know exactly under what conditions and from which starting point(s) you can get this colour and how long it takes, but don't underestimate factors like UV-radiation from the sun etc. So, I don't think a refin is very likely. It just doesn't look that way. Cancelling was perhaps a little premature. Okay, you can play safe with stock colours, but this way you will never catch a rare colour, of course. Ginger   Gemberbier Username: Gemberbier Registered: 5-2006 Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 4:07 am:    Correction, that example should have been a white AM-205 (possibly hiding flaws in the burl mahogany, but original finish). (Which doesn't mean that there can't be a white AM-50 too, BTW) Ginger   Talajuha Username: Talajuha Registered: 11-2006 Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 5:20 am:    Colour variation, none like in catalog(scan)s Ebay Item #250166777231 Juha   Jerryneves Username: Jerryneves Registered: 3-2001 Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 12:47 pm:    The color looks so obviously different on the sides compared to the top. The sides of the body are definately a different color than the top. And saving the serial number takes time but I do it all the time on refinnishes. I just dont think the picture could be taken in a way that the sides look "factory correct" in color yet the top looks cherry burst. I again say refin on all but the sides.....which as stated above saves a bunch of refin work.   Loko13 Username: Loko13 Registered: 9-2007 Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 2:43 pm:    Hey again Thanks for all the replies. I called the dealer today and asked if the guitar had been refinished and he said no; I asked if it was "tobacco burst" as the web site described or "cherry burst", he said definitely tobacco not cherry burst; I asked him if the guitar looked like the internet photos (the photos above were off the website), he looked to the website photos and said no, the guitar does not look red like that in person, the photos don't represent the color of the guitar. Long story short, the guitar is on it's way to me, I have a 24 hour approval period so if it's a refinish I can send it back. On a related note, I just had a dealer send me some digital photos of a '94 natural AS80, pickups replaced w/ a PAF and a duncan; I'm sure the photos were taken today with the same camera, most of the photos look like the stock natural color but each photo had slight variations in color; one or two made the guitar look orange. Thanks again, guys, I would have blown this guitar off without your input. I'll try to post some "actual" photos when it arrives.   Wildfield Username: Wildfield Registered: 5-2005 Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 3:13 pm:    Cool!!! Congratulations. Yeah, photography, color, light, etc. can be pretty tricky. I'll bet she is a beauty. Looking forward to reading your comments once you receive your new axe. Darryl   Ducati Username: Ducati Registered: 9-2006 Posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - 5:30 pm:    The pictures are very saturated - look how white the pickup bobbins are... they are blindingly white. So the colors are distorted. As for the notion of a refin sparing only the sides, hmmmm, that's creative. Even the headstock wear mark says Ibanez finish. I would buy without hesitation.

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