| Author |
Message |
Bassdemon
Username: Bassdemon
Registered: 01-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 5:47 am: | |
Hello Captain, you'll find my question in the bass section with foto. Johns told me to ask you
Bought this bass on 15.12.2006 in Cologne/Germany with its serial No I 050325004, so its Indonesia March 2005 but 25004 acoustic?!?!?!
And the colour named as TGF is more a lighter DGF like the BTB 200?!?!?!
Maybe a special series built for another country? Can you tell me something about it?
Greetz |
Captainibanez
Username: Captainibanez
Registered: 01-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, February 08, 2007 - 10:31 pm: | |
Bassdemon, I think in the previous Bass section Tim has identified your bass correctly as a BTB205TYF (Titanium Grey Flat).This was in the 2006 catalogue for the USA, Australia, New Zealand etc as a production model. The BTB205 was built at the Cort Indonesia factory = I, 05=2005, 03= March and it appears to be a cross match in serial numbers used like at the Sejung acoustic factory...it can happen...don't panic, enjoy your bass...BTB's are cool 
Captain Ibanez |
Binkysbeam
Username: Binkysbeam
Registered: 2-2007
| | Posted on Monday, February 26, 2007 - 7:56 am: | |
Hi, I'm new to the site and to Ibanez so apologies if this question is dumb. I have an Ibanez semi with the serial code J831397. It's natural finish burled (maple?) and I was told it was a one-off made for a trade show. Does this seem right. Also, can I identify the model from the serial number? I get confused between the model numbers 50, 100, 200 and 205. |
Captainibanez
Username: Captainibanez
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 27, 2007 - 5:50 pm: | |
Binky, please can you email me some pictures of your guitar, just scroll up this thread and click on Captain Ibanez, that will get you in direct contact with me.That way i can give you a answer.
Captain Ibanez |
Binkysbeam
Username: Binkysbeam
Registered: 2-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 9:55 am: | |
Captain
I tried emailing you direct but got an undelivered mail message. The images you asked for are:
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Johns
Username: Johns
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 01, 2007 - 1:19 pm: | |
Binky: "The images you asked for are:" Too large? Not in JPEG or GIF format? Not showing up?
Captain: You told me that your new email address wouldn't be effective until March 8th. Has that changed? |
Captainibanez
Username: Captainibanez
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, March 03, 2007 - 9:07 pm: | |
Your right John. This thursday coming (8th of March) is when I swap to my new email address.
At present I'm still on my same email addresss
Captain Ibanez |
Binkysbeam
Username: Binkysbeam
Registered: 2-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 8:06 am: | |
OK, Captain, so here we go again. I've zipped the images this time so they should be ok.
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Binkysbeam
Username: Binkysbeam
Registered: 2-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 8:10 am: | |
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Binkysbeam
Username: Binkysbeam
Registered: 2-2007
| | Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 8:31 am: | |
And again...!
Just one image of the front this time - the back is the same wood. The neck is mahogany with an ebony fretboard.
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Johns
Username: Johns
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 8:35 am: | |
Binkysbeam:
Wow! A blonde AS200! If this hasn't been refinished, it is the first ever I've seen in NT finish.
Please send all the pictures you are trying to upload, to my email and I'll make sure they get posted. |
Guitartim
Username: Guitartim
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 10:08 am: | |
Binkysbeam~ What a gorgeous guitar!! I've never seen a natural burl finish on any instrument before.
As Johns noted, it appears to be a custom AS200NT, but without the tri-switch, and with a burl mahogany body. The tuners are the proper early 80's version Velvetunes from AS200's. It's as if a natural AS200 and AM305 had a love-child.
Very sweet indeed!
Does it say 'Artist' or 'Artstar' on the headstock? Looks like an 'Artist' shaped headstock, but cannot tell from the angle of the photo. More please. |
Bobzilla
Username: Bobzilla
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 12:26 pm: | |
Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice! He did mention above "one-off, for a trade show" so... maybe. I want it. I want it. I want it. |
Guitartim
Username: Guitartim
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 8:26 pm: | |
Oops...I think I erred in my description of your gorgeous custom AS200NT. I called it 'mahogany' burl when it is most likely 'maple' burl, even more exotic and costly than the former wood species.
http://www.nwfinewoodworking.com/wood_types/mapleb url.htm
And if your instrument's neck is mahogany, then I bet the tone, matched with the ebony board is dark, complex and wonderful!! |
Johns
Username: Johns
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 8:41 pm: | |
Oops again. I should have written AM200...not AS200. I got so excited that I forgot how to type. |
Bluesmeister
Username: Bluesmeister
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, March 08, 2007 - 11:08 pm: | |
I'd just like to add my "WOW" to this, too. That is a really beautiful looking instrument. Is there a label visible through the f-hole that could identify the model? My own personal guess would be that it's an AM205NAT, and like you guys, I've never seen one of these before. What a find, Binkysbeam.
According to http://www.speakeasy.org/~sven/site/models.html the only natural finish on the AM-series was the AM60/AM66 but they have dot necks, not the block inlays. |
Johns
Username: Johns
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 1:08 am: | |
Bluesmeister:
I'll bet the finish abbreviation is NT. |
Bluesmeister
Username: Bluesmeister
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 2:07 am: | |
JohnS, that's the suffix I would have thought correct for natural finish. When I previewed my post and checked the link was working, I changed it to the NAT suffix that's shown on Sven's AM-site.
I'm more than happy to go along with AM205NT. I'd be even more happy if it was in my hands... |
Binkysbeam
Username: Binkysbeam
Registered: 2-2007
| | Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 5:15 am: | |
Hey, thanks to everyone for your comments and advice. This is such a helpful site. I'm posting other images now. Unfortunately there is no label inside the body - one of the reasons why I've found it so difficult to identify what it is.
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Johns
Username: Johns
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 8:26 am: | |
Binky:
Thanks for posting all the photos. This is a stunningly beautiful guitar. This guitar is a big deal to AM lovers.
Without the label on the inside, we can only guess that it would have been called an AM200NT. I'm guessing that it's quilted maple. I'm also guessing that it should sound very different than the standard burled mahogany AM205.
The only thing we can definitely say from the serial number is it was manufactured in Oct. 1983.
So many questions. Can you give us all the details you know about this guitars history? Where did you hear that it was a one-off? Has the guitar always been in the UK or could it have been originally imported into another country and found it's way to the UK? |
Guitartim
Username: Guitartim
Registered: 4-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 1:15 pm: | |
Wow...that's an 'AM' after all?! That is too sweet for words.
Binky, I think your guitar wins the 'ICW Beauty Pagent', hands down!
Johns, can you move these last posts out of the Bass threads to the semi-hollow area so others can oggle this AM? |
Gemberbier
Username: Gemberbier
Registered: 5-2006
| | Posted on Friday, March 09, 2007 - 7:50 pm: | |
In the 2355 era they just put an M behind it for (flame) Maple.
Just applying clear coat on an AM205 would have resulted in a much darker instrument. Pity there's no label inside. Knowledge of the official name would be welcome.
It's quite odd that they used the normal AM205 MAHOGANY neck on this maple body.
It would have been more beautiful if it had been all maple (quilted, tigerstripe or birds eye).
But it would influence the tone, I guess... make it more trebly like an AM50.
Ginger |