RARE Vintage 1978 Ibanez Artist Professional Solidbody Electric Guitar MIJ
Item History & Price
JUST IN TIME FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE! ONE OF THOSELIMITED-EDITION ASH GUITARS LIKE IBANEZ MADE FOR BOB WEIR! FUJIGEN GAKKI GUITAR. PLEASE NOTE: THE MAIL HAS SLOWED DOWN. MAYBE IT WILL GET BETTERNOW THAT THE ELECTIONIS OVER?... I SHIP IN 1-2 DAYS BUT CAN’T CONTROL THEMAIL. PLEASE BE PATIENT. YOU HAVE THEOPTION TO UPGRADE YOUR SHIPPING METHOD, BUT IT WILL COST MORE For your holiday gift...ingpleasure, up for auction is a 1978 Ibanez Artist Professional No. 2617. This ispart of that family of limited-edition guitars like the Korinas and Bob Weirsand such that Ibanez released during the 1970s when they were still trying to establish a beachheadhere. Ibanez is the brand name used by Hoshino Gakki Ten, a“Trading Company” in Nagoya, Japan. Actually, Hoshino was oneof the earliest importers of guitars during the 1930s, importing SalvadorIbanez guitars from Spain (I think Valencia). The supply got cut off, perhaps due to theSpanish Civil War. In any case, Hoshinobegan making its own acoustics, calling them Ibanez. Then came WWII. Hoshino resumed making guitars following the War, andsoon had its eyes on the lucrative American market. Hoshino waspart of a minority of Japanese guitar companies that nursed its own brand anddidn’t become an OEM producingother distributors’ brands. Even though I helped write the book on Ibanez—literally!—I don’t recall all the details, but Hoshino stopped manufacturing (exceptfor a brief return to make Tama guitars in the 1970s) and sourced its electricguitars primarily from FujiGen Gakki, one of the top guitarmakers in theworld. I know they sourced a few guitarsfrom ChuShin, butthis is pure FujiGen.Most Japanesemanufacturers, including those that had their own brands, like Aria Pro II, used American distributors. Hoshino, instead, purchased a partnership in Elger Guitars, a small shop over inArdmore, Pennsylvania, and essentially turned them into a distributor of Ibanez products. In the early ‘80s, I think, Hoshino took full control of the company.Most people think thatIbanez made and sold millions of guitars, but according to the fellow whohandled the marketingof guitars in the U.S., they never sold enough guitars to be truly profitableuntil the Roadstars in 1984. The point is, Ibanez guitars from the 1970sare rarer than most people think.One of the early endorsersof Ibanez guitar was Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. He wasfeatured in their adsfor a number of years promoting the Ibanez Professional guitars, mainly ash-bodied guitarswith natural finishes. These were conceptually a continuation of theIbanez Artist line and related to the brief Korina series of classic Gibson copies. I’ll have one of those to put up when I locate it. This is confusing because there were a numberof limited edition, upscale models with “Artist” appended to theirnames. These usually had a “star” inlay and were related mainly bybeing super high quality guitars. What’s confusing is that they also introduced, at thesame time, an equal double-cutaway model that became known as The Artist modelafter Ibanez stopped calling the other guitars Artists. So this guitar features what would beknown as The Artist shape, but was the version of the Artist included in theProfessional Series. Thus we get an ashguitar with the Artist shape and additional goodies like the German carve on thetop, which the regular-issue Artist did not have. Phew! I said it was confusing! This guitar sports Ibanez Artist pickups that were advertised asbeing the hottest of its day, hotter than a Gibson humbucker and a DiMarzioPAF. Notice they didn’t compare it to a DiMarzio Super Distortion! These are often called “Flying Finger” pickups because the covers are engraved with what looks to be abutterfly, but is easily mistaken for a finger sprouting wings. (I didn’t make this up!) This is a remarkable guitar. And also pretty rare. According to that aforementioned manager (hi Jeff!), there were onlyabout 2 dozen of these made. Specifications Equal double cutaway ArtistshapeSolid ash body with naturalpoly finishCarved top with Germancarve relief around edgeAbalonoid binding aroundedge2 extra-hot Ibanez Artist “Flying Finger” humbucking pickups3-way pickup select2 volume and 2 tonecontrolsBound ebony (could beebonized rosewood) 22-fret fingerboardPearl and abalone blockinlaysGlued-in “heelless” 3-piece maple neck with adjustable truss rod3-and-3 “Castle” headstock withabalone logo and either pearl or pearloid decorationGold hardwareGotoh deluxe sealed tunerswith thumbwheel tension control and fancy pearloid buttons2-way adjustable bridge and easy-loadtailpiece24-1/2” scale1-9/16” nut widthOriginal hardshell case Condition This is in remarkably goodshape for a 43-year-old guitar with the lightest of belt buckle and a few drying finish spotson the back. Otherwise, it’s pretty clean. Will need new strings and oil the fingerboard (use fingerboard oil intended for guitars)Frets can use cleaningMinor fret and almost no fingerboard wear;no action necessaryMinor pitting and wear to hardware plating, especially to bridge, a little to tail andtunersWorn spots on lower edge of pickupcoversSomeone drilled a hole foranother strap button on the lower cutaway hornThere may be minor beltbuckle rash on back, but so slight I couldn’t photograph itThere’s a little area on the back where the finish was absorbed, so there areteeny spots where the wood shows through, very hard to seeCase is excellent with afew places where fabric is loose, especially on those edge strips; latches work(this is one of those annoying cases with a latch on the back which you will always forget toopen causing the lid to hitch because you left it closed) Please examine the picturesclosely. With 2 dozen made, you’re not goingto find a lot of these, especially this clean. If you do your research you’ll see that I’m starting this very low. This was not cheap when I got it years ago. Shipping AGAIN, WITH THE CURRENTSITUATION, SHIPPING HAS SLOWED. I USUALLY SHIP IN 1-2DAYS, BUT ONCE IT’S AT THE POST OFFICE, I HAVE NO CONTROL OVER SPEED. PLEASE BE PATIENT. I have had a guitar sent to Fresno actuallysent to Honolulu, taking a month to get to the right place. I recently sent 2 books also to CA that took well over amonth to arrive. So far nothing has beenlost, but these are not normal times. Combined Shipping I ordinarily am glad tocombine shipping, but because instruments are so heavy, I can’t combineshipping on guitars. International Shipping I’m pretty sure I haveInternational Shipping turned on. Youshould see the price based on your location. If not, contact me. However, for some countries neithereBay nor the USPS will give a price for that country and I just won’t be able to ship there. I have spoken to eBay about this and am told thatthis may be due to customs policy or a result of the healthcare environmentwe are in. I ONLY use the USPS and eBay postagelabelling. If you are NOT getting a price for shipping, you are likely in one of those forbidden countries and I won’t be able tocircumvent the prohibition. PROVENANCE is available forinstitutional buyers; please inquire. I’ve been conservative andaccurate in my detailed descriptions of the item’s exact condition, including pictures, so you shouldknow what you’re getting. If you findthat I’ve missed something, please contact me first rather than leaving nuclearfeedback. We can work out asolution. Please feel free to ask questions in advance. I have never been a musicalinstrument dealer, just a musician, collector and historian. I’ve collected guitars, banjos and otherinstruments for many years, researched their histories, and published them inmy monthly Vintage Guitar Magazine columns, in other musicperiodicals, in my Guitar Stories book series, and in manyother books over the years. I am not an antiques orcommercial dealer, just a person with many interests who collects and doesn’t like to get rid ofthings. Consider this mycontribution to “recycling!” Everything I’m selling is“stuff” I’ve accumulated, not something “picked” for resale on eBay. It’s just time to start letting go…and makemy wife happy. Please see my other auctionitems, which will include some other vintage instruments. Thank you and happy bidding! On Dec-01-20 at 08:06:28 PST, seller added the following information:Please Note: It has been brought to my attention that this may not be part of the Professional Series, despite the fact that it identifies itself as one on the headstock. It is shown as an Artist Series guitar in the brochures I have available to me. I was told by person who was the head of marketing at the time it was made that it was a Professional and made in limited quantities. If it is not a Professional, then there may have been larger quantities built than I suggest in the auction. This is the only example I have ever seen. As I state, all Ibanez guitars from the 1970s were produced in relatively small quantities, often in the low hundreds. In any case, whether or not it is actually a "Professional, " it is a superb guitar and you will be happy with it.
