Vintage Parts?

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Author Message   Overdriver Username: Overdriver Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Monday, December 05, 2005 - 12:49 pm:    Hi everyone Proud owner of three Artists...'77 2618 '78 2619 '80 AR100CS I've just joined so please forgive me asking a question that has probably been answered a million times Are parts for vintage Artists available and, if so, from where? There's a guy who pops up on ebay from time to time who swears that the parts he's selling are the last ones available. I'm thinking particularly of Gibraltar1 bridges for my 2618 and 2619 (I don't necessarily need the brass blocks since they're in good shape). Thanks.   Skybone Username: Skybone Registered: 03-2001 Posted on Monday, December 05, 2005 - 1:29 pm:    I've bought a few bits from a bloke in Michigan (who carries a strange mix of stock!) for my IC200 (new bridge posts/nuts/sustain block). Cost may be a little questionable, but I guess it just depends on your budget, and how much you cherish your guitar. They actually have a gold Gibraltar I on sale: http://www.qksrv.net/click-1802666-10381315?loc=http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI .dll%3FViewItem%26item%3D7354236969 And a gold sustain block: http://www.qksrv.net/click-1802666-10381315?loc=http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI .dll%3FViewItem%26item%3D7338772706 Just don't get carried away by the other stock carried by this seller... ;)   Skybone Username: Skybone Registered: 03-2001 Posted on Monday, December 05, 2005 - 1:35 pm:    I bought some new posts from him for my '78 Iceman, but they didn't fit the existing sustain block, they must have been from a later guitar as they had a slightly larger thread from the older post's. If you get & use the post's, be aware that you might need to get a new block too! I changed them because the screwdriver slots had become worn and were barely adjustable, and I was missing one of the lock nuts. Thankfully, I don't need any parts for my '79 2619.   Overdriver Username: Overdriver Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Monday, December 05, 2005 - 3:11 pm:    Thanks for the info Skybone This is the same guy I was referring to......he always puts:- ''These parts or most of them will no longer be readily available. I am no longer going to be stocking these items. Special orders only!!!'' Funny how, for years, he's always had parts for sale! I wish I knew where he gets them. BTW. I got my first new Ibanez Artist (a 2618) on the Kilburn High Road in London in '78. My Les Paul had just been stolen and we were about to go on tour. I had a couple of original '57 PAFs lying around, so I popped them in. Fantastic sounding guitar, better than the Les Paul.   Skybone Username: Skybone Registered: 03-2001 Posted on Tuesday, December 06, 2005 - 11:19 am:    He told me he had a source in Japan that got these bits for him, he paid the shipping, which is why he charges what he does. Saying that, the bits I bought from him (bridge posts, sustain block & 4 speed knobs) were all in excellent nick and still shrink wrapped on the original card backing, which isn't too bad I guess. No jokes about buying speed knobs from that eBay shop! ;) I bet that 2618 sounds awesome! It's a shame you needed another guitar obviously, but I get the impression that your 2618 is a bit of a treasured possession! Hope the tour went well! ;)   Overdriver Username: Overdriver Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Tuesday, December 06, 2005 - 1:23 pm:    Thanks for the interesting info, Skybone. I wonder if his source in Japan is Ibanez themselves? I might try writing to them and see if they actually still have parts available. As for the 2618, I sold it because I found a '59 Les Paul burst and needed the money. I had the foresight to take the PAFs out of the 2618. The Les Paul was stolen about six months later! When I moved to the States in 1980 I never forgot how good the 2618 had been and got another one 1985. I have SD Seth Lovers in it and it does sound awesome. I've since added a '78 2619 (SD Seth Lovers) and an '80 AR 100CS (expecting some BareKnuckle Nailbombs any day now!). They're all fantastic guitars, but that first one did two tours and it's last gig was the Reading Festival in '78, and I wish I'd never sold it....   Skybone Username: Skybone Registered: 03-2001 Posted on Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 5:02 am:    You won't be disappointed with the Bare Knuckles! I've got 3 sets, Black Dog's in No.1 Tokai Love Rock, Emerald's in No.2 Love Rock, and Crawlers in the '78 Iceman. IMO (FWIW) they all sound fantastic, can't recommend them enough! I don't think the Japanese source is Ibanez, my guess is either a shop, or another collector. Ibanez should be reissuing these parts, as some of the new reissue guitars (IC400/AR300) use the same hardware, so there should be a load of new stock floating around somewhere.   Overdriver Username: Overdriver Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 11:20 am:    Thanks Skybone I hope you you're right about Ibanez reissuing parts. My original bridges are in bad shape. In fact, I've adapted Nashville tune-o-matics to fit the posts and have them on all three Artists. They work so well that I'm not in a hurry to replace them, but eventually, should I ever want to sell one of the guitars, I'd like to return it to specs. Yes, I've heard nothing but good things about Bare Knuckles pickups. Tim seems like a really nice chap. Guess what? I also have a Tokai Love Rock!! I have Seth Lovers in it and it sounds as good as any Les Paul I've ever had. Beautiful woody tone. I think their template was a '60 Les Paul judging by the headstock. The color was very late 1960 Les Paul 'tomato soup' so I had it refinished ala the Gibson Jimmy Page Les Paul reissue. Now it looks as good as it sounds.   Skybone Username: Skybone Registered: 03-2001 Posted on Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 12:54 pm:    Got to love the Love Rock! ;) The neck is somewhere between a '59 and a '60. It took Gibson 30 odd years from their initial reissue of the LP to the 2002 re-reissue to get the details right on the standard model, and they only did it then because the companies like Tokai/Greco/Burny/Fernandes/etc had been doing it for many years. Tim makes a mean pickup, and plays a mean guitar too (check out his Ozzy/Zakk tribute band Ozzmosis).   Overdriver Username: Overdriver Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Wednesday, December 07, 2005 - 2:57 pm:    Skybone I just got back from the Post Office and got my Bare Knuckles. So I'm about to put them in my AR100CS...can't wait! Yes, the Tokai is much more accurate than any of the the Gibsons until the recent Historics. And it sounds sooo good!   Skybone Username: Skybone Registered: 03-2001 Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 11:30 am:    Which BKP's did you get? You WILL NOT be disappointed with them! ;)   Overdriver Username: Overdriver Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 11:52 am:    Skybone I got the Bare Knuckle Nailbombs. And yes, they're amazing. I wanted to make the AR 100 my 'metal' guitar and they're perfect. It screams! I'd tried many other pickups but these are the ONES. And they have the black covers....very cool Since I have my Les Paul for that PAF sound I want to get something in between that and the Nailbombs for my 2619. Which Bare Knuckle do you recommend? I'm thinking Crawlers?   Skybone Username: Skybone Registered: 03-2001 Posted on Thursday, December 08, 2005 - 6:46 pm:    The Crawler's bridge is quite a meaty beast (15.3k A5), where the neck is more vintage-y voiced (7.3k A4), so they should deliver. They sound great in my IC200 anyway. ;) They're designed to go in anything from LP's to Strat's, so they should sound good in a 2619. Recommendations? It depends where you want you're sound to go really. I'm really impressed with all the sets of BKP's I have, but I mainly use my Black Dog loaded Tokai, even though the output's aren't hot (8.5k & 10k) they're a meaty, mid biased rock pickup which suits the heavier guitar. The other Tokai is currently in a drop tuning, and only comes out now and again, but the Emerald's are a bit warmer (around 10.5k & 12k can't remember exactly) and have a slightly brighter tonality, but still deliver and really suit this lighter guitar. Might swap them around soon, just for the hell of it! ;) IMO the Emerald is more of a half-way house between the PAF type 7-8k pickup and the higher output Nailbomb (around 16k), but it just depends on the "sound" that you have in mind for the guitar. I think if you read the descriptions of the pickups on the website, they are pretty accurate, as they are designed to capture a "vibe" rather than a sound. The question is: which "vibe" are you after? I had SD JB & 59's in my main Tokai, but was really unhappy with their tonality, especially the JB and it's lack of mid detail. My local music shop had started stocking BKP's, and actually had a Love Rock loaded with a pair of Black Dog's in store. I tried the LR out through a Cornford Harlequin, and the sounds coming from the amp from clean to high gain were simply superb, and they hit the nail on the head tone-wise for me.   Overdriver Username: Overdriver Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Friday, December 09, 2005 - 3:39 am:    Skybone I appreciate all the advice You're obviously very pleased with the Black Dogs. 'Muscular growl and bite. Full bodied and strong with classic mid range detail' is how it's described on BKPs website, and I think that's what I want out of my 2619. I've been using a SD '59 (neck) in the bridge position. It's an unusually good sounding '59 that reads 7.96k (quite high for a '59 neck. I have another one that reads 7.54k, which sounds nothing like as good as the other one). I think I'll move it back to the neck position and get a Black Dog for the bridge. Should be a well balanced set. Then I think I'm done for a while with pickups! BTW. I've heard very good things about the Cornfords. When I was touring in England in the late '70s, I used my first 2619 (with Gibson PAFs) through 2-4 AC30 heads into Marshall 4x12s, depending on venue, pushed by a Colorsound Overdriver and a WEM Copycat. Beautiful. I think they're still at my mother's house in the Cotswolds.....   Skybone Username: Skybone Registered: 03-2001 Posted on Friday, December 09, 2005 - 5:53 am:    The Harlequin is a 6w amp, point to point wiring etc, and it sounded awesome. I had it cranked in a sound booth, and I came out with my hearing intact! ;) Apparently Satriani used the Cornford 50w heads & cabs for a little while before the Peavey deal came off. I'd love to get my hands on one (that and a Matamp!), but I think I'll stick with my JCM800 for now, good job I really like it! Nice set up...Where about's in the Cotswolds (might have to pop over and...erm..."borrow" a few bits! ;)   Overdriver Username: Overdriver Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Friday, December 09, 2005 - 3:29 pm:    Skybone It's Tetbury. I know that one of my brother's bands has occasionally 'borrowed' some of my stuff, so how much of it is left who knows. I haven't been there for years. I believe Clapton used Cornford amps for tours prior to the Cream reunion, but for some inexplicable reason used reissue Fender Twins for Cream. Maybe Fender made him an offer he couldn't refuse Yes, if I were to play live again I would definitely go with either a JCM800/900 or a DSL 100. I've changed my mind about which guitar to put which pickups in. I'm putting the Nailbombs in the 2619 and am getting Black Dogs for the AR100. The AR100, being more like a double-cut Les Paul, I think needs a more 'muscular' PAF-type. It's quite heavy, and for live work the 2619 is better on the back, so it'll get the Nailbombs. It's odd how Ibanez started the Artist series with innovative ideas like the thinner-bodied full access 24-fret 2618 with a smooth heel and gradually morphed backwards to the more conventional Gibson-like layout of the AR series with a thicker body and less easy upper-fret access. BTW. I notice that on a couple of occasions I've talked about the 2619 when I've meant the 2618. My first Ibanez in '78 was the 24-fret 2618. I also have a 2619, hence my occasional confusion..   Skybone Username: Skybone Registered: 03-2001 Posted on Saturday, December 10, 2005 - 6:45 am:    It must be your age catching up with you! Easily confused... ;) The latest Artist reissues seem to be of the 80's models (even though the blurb says that they copied the late 70's ones). The 2619 light? Mine certainly isn't! Awesome tone though (stock Super80's!).   Overdriver Username: Overdriver Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Saturday, December 10, 2005 - 12:21 pm:    I have a couple of Super '80s lying around gathering dust. Of the reissues the Prestige looks nice but I'd swap out the black plastic for cream. I suppose they didn't put the cloud plate on the reissues so that us vintage owners can brag about something. My 2619 and 2618 are quite light. The AR100 is heavy....a lot heavier than my old Gibson Les Paul and heavier than the Love Rock. That's the only drawback about the AR100. Nice tomato soup flame sunburst though, but I wish it'd fade a bit.....   Skybone Username: Skybone Registered: 03-2001 Posted on Monday, December 12, 2005 - 3:09 am:    I'm sure there's a few people on here that'd love to get their hands on those Super80's! ;) The reissues haven't got the all important tri-sound switches either. I thought they had put the cloud plate on the 300 & the Prestige? Wierd, my 2619 is heavier than both my Love Rock's, but the grain on the back is really tight and it's a 1 piece body, which might have something to do with it. Good old Ibanez material inconsistencies... Saying that, everyone who's played a 70's Gibson says exactly the same about their materials, at least Ibanez had heard of quality control! ;)   Overdriver Username: Overdriver Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Monday, December 12, 2005 - 5:29 pm:    Yes, I've already been contacted about the Super 80s, but I'll probably keep them in case I sell the 2619 or 2618 at some future time. Still, any idea what the Super 80s are going for these days? My 2619 has had the two switches removed and came with after market pickups, which I've just upgraded to BKP Nailbombs. The 2618 had the Super 80s. The AR 100 had changed pickups also, so I don't know what it originally had. My 2618 has a 2-piece body and a 2-piece top. My 2619 has a 2-piece body and a 1-piece top! My AR100 has a 2-piece body and a 2-piece top. All the bodies are off-center seamed, but vary where the split is. The tops are, of course, center seamed. The fact that the AR is heavier is, I suppose, in part, because it has the thicker body. I don't think Ibanez probably gave much thought to the weight of the mahogany. Older Gibson Les Pauls were quite light because that's just the mahogany they were using and, again, I doubt if they gave much thought to weight either in the '50s. The old Les Pauls varied a lot, of course, in their tops as well and in their PAFs. Original Gold Tops often had three piece tops and there were a lot of those refinished to bursts available in the '70s in the West End music shops, particularly Orange. The pre-56 Gold Tops were also converted to humbuckers of course.   Oldguy Username: Oldguy Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Monday, December 12, 2005 - 5:56 pm:    Hello everyone, new guy looking for some help. Sometime in the late 70's I picked up a Ibanez Artist. Within a few months it developed a buzz so I brought it to my local guitar store for repair. When I picked it back up I was playing something differant and never looked at my Artist. About 6 months later when I opened the case to play it, it wouldn't stay in tune. I was pissed off to find two tuning peg covers gone. And even more pissed to find the Repair Shop closed. I put it in the case, in closet. Last week my kid asks me whats in the case. So here I am 20 plus years later and I'm looking for those tuning peg covers. Any help, or just info about ths guitar would be appreciated. Ash Body, gold plated hardware, Square peral inlay in neck, Peral inlay around edge of body, Pearl tuning pegs, four volume knobs, one toggle switch, seriual number L785450...Thanks in advance.   Overdriver Username: Overdriver Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Monday, December 12, 2005 - 6:46 pm:    Sounds like you have a '78 Artist 2617 with Super 80 pickups. Great guitar. I think it's unlikely that you'll be able to find tuning peg covers, but you might be able to find a set of Ibanez tuners for it. There are, of course, plenty of tuners made by Gotoh, Kluson and Grover etc. that could be fitted on the guitar. Most of these manufacturers produce tuners with pearl knobs. Not exactly the same but something that would look good. You may want to check out the Stewart-Macdonald website at http://www.stewmac.com. Others on the forum may have better ideas. Of course, check out Ibanez too.   Skybone Username: Skybone Registered: 03-2001 Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 12:38 pm:    My 2619 is missing a tuner back plate, the only time that it's an issue is when I change the strings and the peg falls out. A wisely placed finger stops this from happening. Only change your strings one at a time to stop this from happening. Personally, I like the fact that it's got it's original tuners, OK, there's a plate missing, but rather that than have additional holes and different tuners if I ever came to selling it.   Emckenrick Username: Emckenrick Registered: 10-2001 Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 1:26 pm:    Howdy Seems like a lot of 2619's are missing back tuner plates.....in my case my '79 is missing it's low E back tuner plate.....I don't seem to have the "peg falling out problem maybe 'cause I never change my strings   Overdriver Username: Overdriver Registered: 12-2005 Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 4:29 pm:    The tuners on my 2618 and 2619 were basically shot (not just the back plates falling off but not keeping tune also) so I got some Sperzels for the 2619 and then discovered these Planet Waves tuners and put them on my 2618. They look beautiful, are locking AND when you tighten the strings it trims them! I'm tempted to get them for all three Artists. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Guitar,_solid_peghead/Planet_Waves_Auto-Trim_ Locking_Guitar_Machines.html

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