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1983 Lefty Ibanez Artist

ch willie

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Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Messages
1,114
In 81, I bought a tobacco sunburst Ibanez Artist. It was my first left handed six string electric, and it played and sounded great. I had to sell it a year and a half later, and I've always regretted it. Over the last 15 years, I've searched for one, and each time I found one, it was really expensive, and I couldn't swing it. Well, I saw one last week at a good price, so I snagged it. The top is much more dazzling than it looks in the pic--lots of flame and not a laminate as far as I know. Made in Japan, it seems like a pretty good quality instrument to me. It plays well. It's less smooth than my Gibby Les Paul Trad and. sounds more like Jimmy Page's guitars on the (somewhat) live album, The Song Remains the Same. In other words, it's a fucking rocker.

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Señor Verde

Active member
Joined
Jan 13, 2005
Messages
621
Very nice! I had, I think it was an '86 that I bought unused in about '91. It looked and sounded great, completely stock. The only reasons I sold it were, 1- it was heavy as hell and 2- it had a slim-taper type neck that I couldn't get along with. Even with those issues, I still miss that guitar. Congrats and enjoy that beauty!
 

ch willie

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Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Messages
1,114
Thanks, man. I'm very excited about it. I got lucky: it's weighty but not heavy, at least not compared to my 2012 Les Paul Traditional. I gave up on finding an artist and started to buy a PRS SE because I prefer double cutaways to the Les Paul style--but only when I play because I get guitargasms from looking at my Les Paul.

I searched to see who was playing them in 81--Steve Miller and Bob Weir. I must have begun playing mine because of Steve Miller. Not sure how I even knew they made lefties.

Anyway, finding this guitar is like finding a piece of my past. O, I wish I had the original. Perhaps I can find it!
 

Billy Porter

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Joined
Mar 16, 2005
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1,129
A worked in a music store in the 70s and early 80's and sold lots of Artists and other Ibanez guitars.
I really regret not buying a cream Artist when I had the chance back then. Great guitars
 

ch willie

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Joined
Jun 7, 2007
Messages
1,114
This one looks even cooler than I had remembered. I've got mine on the bench for a thorough setup. And I've got to clean sticker residue off of the headstock. After a necessary string change, it'll be ready to rock. The strings that came with it were probably put on in 5 years ago. There was a strange, powdery dust on top of the guitar that I wiped away. I have no idea what it was, but there are zero finish problems.
 

IMMUSICRULZ

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Joined
May 25, 2021
Messages
616
The Ibanez guitar is a very beautiful guitar. It was the source of all the Jazz and blues sounds of the seventies and eighties. George Benson plays his Ibanez signature model guitar, and I think Joni Mitchell played an Ibanez George Benson guitar during her jazz phase.
As stated above, Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead played his signature Ibanez electric guitars from 1975 (when Blues For Allah was released) to about 1990, when Brent overdosed.
Mike Porcaro and Steve Lukather of Toto both played Ibanez instruments during the eighties, during the Isolation era.

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Billy Porter

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 16, 2005
Messages
1,129
It was the source of all the Jazz and blues sounds of the seventies and eighties. George Benson plays his Ibanez signature model guitar, and I think Joni Mitchell played an Ibanez George Benson guitar during her jazz phase.
Mike Porcaro and Steve Lukather of Toto both played Ibanez instruments during the eighties, during the Isolation era.
All Jazz and Blues sounds of the 70s and 80s were Ibanez. Really? I must have missed the Larry Carlton and Joe pass models etc.
We had a Steve Lukather in our shop back then for well over a year. It was basically just a top of the line Roadstar in a different colour. Nothing on the guitar stated 'Steve Lukather' nor did the Gary Moore version state any endorsement. I eventually sold the Lukether to a guy that wanted a maple board on it swapping it with another Roadstar. They were nothing special even for an Ibanez of that period and way too expensive .
 

IMMUSICRULZ

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Joined
May 25, 2021
Messages
616
Bob Welch of Fleetwood Mac also played an Ibanez in the early eighties during his solo career with RCA. Search "Dick Clark interviews Bob Welch" on YouTube and you can find it.
James Young of Styx played a white Ibanez electric guitar during the Kilroy Was Here tour, you can see several pictures of it in the sleeves of "Caught In The Act Live."
The Ibanez Tube Screamer was also being introduced around this time.
My friend Katrina owns a white Ibanez bass, but it's SO HEAVY to carry around. Ibanez exploded in popularity throughout the Eighties. John Frusciante played an Ibanez during the recording of Mother's Milk, Adam Clayton of U2 has played an Ibanez bass, Bradley Nowell of Sublime, the guy from the Offspring, John Petrucci, Cat Stevens, Paul Stanley of Kiss, Lee Ritenour are just same of the names that play Ibanez. Ibanez guitars have good pickups.
Mike Inez of Alice In Chains uses both Ibanez basses and amps, and I wouldn't be surprised if the guy had an endorsement deal with Ibanez...
Gerry Beckley of America played an Ibanez double neck guitar in the Eighties, but so did this guy...

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Denny Laine, from The Moody Blues and Paul McCartney! My girlfriend's dad knows Denny Laine personally, and I'll have to ask him about the whereabouts of this guitar.

Denny Laine also played a white Gibson EDS 1275, he played it on the Wings Over America concert film.
 
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