Chris Brown wrote:Beautiful! I have a 1981 Ibanes AS-50... it's the 339 copy... plays like a dream. At one point I had decided on buying a 339 or 335 but couldn't find a Gibson that played anywhere near as nice as this old Ibanez.
I'm going to see if I can find such a critter I've always wanted something like a 333, 335, 345, or 339. My cheap ass Epiphone isn't cutting it. or I'm just not good enough to make is play good.
Chris Brown wrote:Beautiful! I have a 1981 Ibanes AS-50... it's the 339 copy... plays like a dream. At one point I had decided on buying a 339 or 335 but couldn't find a Gibson that played anywhere near as nice as this old Ibanez.
I'm going to see if I can find such a critter I've always wanted something like a 333, 335, 345, or 339. My cheap ass Epiphone isn't cutting it. or I'm just not good enough to make is play good.
I'll encourage that. My 2nd favourite electric is an AS-50. I bought a 2nd one even, for my son so he'd have no reason to borrow mine. Note that there are variants within the model. Some had maple/birch necks while others were mahogany; and early production don't have super 58 PUs. I've seen prices creeping up. Until recently decent ones would sell for roughly $750. Now all I'm seeing +$1K asking, sometimes $1.5K.
I see 339 as copying the AS-50 rather than the reverse. Ibanez innovated a hybrid back in the 1980s and recently Gibson picked up.
Tom, that is right at the end of lawsuit period when they started making those subtle changes to pickguards and headstocks to comply. I had a double cutaway paul with a 335 headstock and my friend still owns it. As good as any LP from that period for sure. Still have my lawsuit explorer and Moderne, and an 81 Greco SG lawsuit all of which play as well as the "G" models.
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Be sure your tinfoil hat has a good low impedance ground.
Mark if those are the original super 70 or super 80 pups, you should see if you can fix the neck pup....they sound great in the neck position.
Edit: I think those are AlnicoV IIRC. Possibly Al2 but in either case I have kept them in all of mine cause they are all thick and creamy good for that position.
Last edited by donzoid on Fri Sep 05, 2014 5:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
https://www.facebook.com/trialbyfirerocks
Be sure your tinfoil hat has a good low impedance ground.
donzoid wrote:Mark if those are the original super 70 or super 80 pups, you should see if you can fix the neck pup....they sound great in the neck position.
Yes. Ibanez's high-end PUs from that era are really worth saving, if possible. I'd recommend finding somebody good who'll repair/rewind correctly.
Jealous, nice score. I so wanted one of those when I was 17. I wanted a Bob Weir Artist model maybe more, still want one. Scanned Craigslist for years in NYC hoping for a 70s Ibanez bargain, never happened.
Chris Brown wrote:Beautiful! I have a 1981 Ibanes AS-50... it's the 339 copy... plays like a dream. At one point I had decided on buying a 339 or 335 but couldn't find a Gibson that played anywhere near as nice as this old Ibanez.
I'm going to see if I can find such a critter I've always wanted something like a 333, 335, 345, or 339. My cheap ass Epiphone isn't cutting it. or I'm just not good enough to make is play good.
I've got an AS-73 in natural that almost makes me forget the ES345 I had to part with 20-some years ago. If it just had a trapeze tailpiece (and no holes for the stop TP), and stereo wiring, it'd be perfect.
