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WHat model of Vintage Ibanez is mine?

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  chrose1201 
#1 ·
Hello all, didn't know this forum existed until last night. So I've had this Ibanez 335 style guitar since the late 70's, am original owner. When I went to buy a Gibson 335, the Ibanez quality at the time was just better. I think Gibson perhaps was not making some great guitars in that time period. Anyway the Ibanez was beautiful and played better so I bought it new. I just can't remember exactly when because those were the beginning of the wild and crazy years of just getting out of high school and all that. I'm going to guess it was between '75 and '80. If you put a gun to my head and said your life depends on the right answer I'm going to say '77 but could be wrong.... but definitely not before '75 and definitely no later than maybe '81. SER# G788311. There's no marking or paper sticker inside anywhere I can see and I looked hard.



I went to Reverb to try and see if I could find anything like it. I couldn't. I didn't see another with the gold bottom ornamental piece below where the string ends go. Furthermore, it has the rounded tops on each side of the neck pickup, while all others seem to have the sharper ones. I replaced one pickup at least, and I think it was the bottom one with a DiMarzio dual back in the day. So I believe that the bottom black was is not stock and the top one still is, maybe I dunno. I think back in the day they were called Super 80 pickups? That's just something I remembered. It had a pickguard too, but for some reason I took it off and lost it.



Unfortunately in my young and STUPID days I put a Bigsby whammy bar on it. Didn't look right and I hated it but now there holes on the guitar that just make me kick myself everytime I see them. You can see 4 black little screws on the face.... ugh.


Anyone know the year and model of this fine guitar?
 

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#3 ·
Dude! I think you nailed it! I think it was a 2630, that rings a bell. And I remember that pickguard having the 2630 white edge like that. I don’t remember the gold pickup covers so I’m guessing that I did replace both super 80’s with DiMarzios. What the heck did I ever do with the old ones....

Does anyone know if those late 70’s vintage ones make them any more desirable? That being said, not having the pick guard and some unwanted holes and non stock pickups probably wouldn’t do the value any good....:crying:
 
#6 ·
Nice guitar. Based on the serial number it is a 1978.

https://www.guitardaterproject.org/ibanez.aspx

Here's the catalog

1978 Ibanez Electric Guitars Catalog

I have a 1981 Ibanez AS50 that I loved but I got it autographed by a bunch of people and it got to the point where I couldn't play it any more for fear of rubbing more off. It took a long time but last year I found it's sister. Made just a couple of months later!
 

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