What guitar is this?

[driesdk]

Hi,
I have bought a guitar 9 years ago (second hand, it was standing in the shop for years) , and today I started thinking of what the guitar actually was.
I can remember the shop owner from who I bought the guitar telling me something about the Saber and Maxxas. I really cant remember exactly what he said, but I thought it was some kind of promotional prototype...
You can find some pictures of the guitar here
http://picasaweb.google.com/driesdk/Ibanez?pli=1#

I'll give you a brief description about the guitar.
it has the body of a saber, the colour is purple but it has the head and I think the neck too of a Maxxas.
The strange thing about the guitar is that there is no brand on it. The head is just pure the same colour as the back of the neck and the rest of the guitar (flamed purple).
The pickups are V1 & V2 from Ibanez.
I could nowhere find a serialnumber for this guitar, I screwed the backplate of the guitar to watch inside, but there is no serial number as well.

Does anyone know what this guitar is? If something like this is actually build?
The S-series never came in this colour, just as the saber never did. And I never saw an other guitar like this. I payed something like 900-1000$ second hand for it, 9 years ago.

[metalgod72]

interesting, a mutt for sure, but was it a mutt from Ibanez or was it assembled?

[AleTheNervo]

it seems something in between a maxxas and a saber, maybe a prototype...
ibanez pickups, s body shape, maxxas tremolo, headstock and neck joint...very interesting!

[Jacob K]

Looks like a purple S540FM body (that's a sabre)- they were made in that colour.
It's a Maxxas bridge and a maxxas neck. The nut is missing though... does it actually play like that?

One thing is for sure, it is a very very unique instrument you got your hands on there. One would think that it is a parts guitar mixed from a Maxxas and Sabre, but the bridge cavaty on the body wouldn't look like that on a flamed maple top. Cool stuff

Curious, how much did you pay for it?

[driesdk]

Thanks for the reactions.

@ Jakob K: the nut isnt actually missing, I posted an additional picture to show it. You can watch it here: http://picasaweb.google.com/driesdk/...42527348465810

I payed 30.000 belgian Franks for it, that would be 900/1000 dollars at this moment or 750 Euro. (used)
It used to play very well, and very smooth, but now, its needs to be cleaned and checked because I played it very intensive for 9 years. It allmost never got out of tune.

I was thinking it was a mixed parts guitar too, but the neck and the body seem to be perfectly the same, as they came of the same factory at the same moment. they have both identicly the same colour and finish.

[Jacob K]

Are you sure you didn't allready know the answer and just posted here to show off?

I know I'm a little jealous . So, you bought it in Belgium? Live there?

[Crazy_Guitar]

I'd love to see closeups of the neck joint!

[driesdk]

Here is one.
http://picasaweb.google.com/driesdk/...26230677194690
Tell me if you need more.

Yes, I live in Belgium, and bought the guitar here (Hasselt)

[DJR]

very cool and very strange. The necksocket baffles me. It's true to Maxxass but a Sabre body. One explanation could be that it was a regional market custom order proto or a Ibanez-distributer employee kitbash job. The lack of manufacturer's logo leads me to believe that it was possibly refinished at a later date. The purple stain on the neck is very un-Ibanez-like. I wonder if the body is chambered...

Whatever it's origins, it's definitely an interesting piece!

[Pursuit]

Strange headstock for an Ibby.

[driesdk]

Originally Posted by Pursuit

Strange headstock for an Ibby.

It is the headstock of the Ibanez Maxxas.

[cosmitron]

Originally Posted by Pursuit

Strange headstock for an Ibby.

That's the Maxxas/Ibanez head.

[Pursuit]

Cool... Still prefer the normal Ibanez headstock but just for interest sake I'm gonna look this one up.

[driesdk]

To keep you guys updated. When I removed the neck some pencil signs in japanese came out inside the neck socket. (see pictures)
This is what it was saying.

Sample - Kawahara (person's name)
See-through, purple, sides of similar colour, flattened, thin, blurry.
(Free for interpretation of course)

So I guess, the name Kawahara was the person who assebled it.
Sample means it was a sample (yeah)
And below are the specifications of the body.

Seems that according to the neckjoint it is an original Maxxas neck and it is fitted perfectly on a sabers body. I can nowhere find traces of an other colour being on the body or the neck before this colour has put on.
Under the neck was also the modelnumber of the body which is: S540-CT5 but I cant find this model in purple like mine is, but they came with the HQ bridge.

Could get very interesting if I found the guy 'Kawahara' who made this guitar.
I am getting closer now

[sniperfrommars1]

Originally Posted by driesdk

To keep you guys updated. When I removed the neck some pencil signs in japanese came out inside the neck socket. (see pictures)
This is what it was saying.

Sample - Kawahara (person's name)
See-through, purple, sides of similar colour, flattened, thin, blurry.
(Free for interpretation of course)

So I guess, the name Kawahara was the person who assebled it.
Sample means it was a sample (yeah)
And below are the specifications of the body.

Seems that according to the neckjoint it is an original Maxxas neck and it is fitted perfectly on a sabers body. I can nowhere find traces of an other colour being on the body or the neck before this colour has put on.
Under the neck was also the modelnumber of the body which is: S540-CT5 but I cant find this model in purple like mine is, but they came with the HQ bridge.

Could get very interesting if I found the guy 'Kawahara' who made this guitar.
I am getting closer now

Looks like a prototype to me. I think thats what it is. I mean the body shape points int hat direction imo.