Artist AM70?

Log Out | Topics | Search Moderators | Edit Profile

Author Message Mike Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:07 am:    I own an Artist AM 70. I bought in it 1987, but it might be an '86. I looking to sell it now, but can't find any info. on the model in the past discission threads. Is this guitar rare or just not a hot item. It's pretty classic (no inlays or anything). Rosewood FIngerboard, I believe. Any info on the model? JohnS Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:07 am:    Mike: I can't help you much, but it would be nice to find out what made the model 70 different from the 50 and 100. Mike Bowie Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:07 am:    John, Any idea where I can get any more info on pick-up, body construction, etc...? JohnS Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:07 am:    Well, somebody here MUST have a catalog...but, who knows if they'll respond. The only other resource I know of is the Ibanez Vintage page which only tells the years and models produced. For instance: 1984 - AM50,AM60,AM70,AM75,AM100,AM205,AM255 1985 - AM50,AM60,AM66,AM70,AM75,AM205 (I wonder if the 66 is a typo? should it be 65?) 1986 - AM70,AM75,AM205 The models that end in 5 are usually trem equipped. Tell us more about your's, What's the serial number? Dot markers, bound neck, bound body, front & back? Chrome hardware? Any inlay on the headstock? What's it say on the back of the tuners? Does it have a pickguard? Every little bit helps. Mike Bowie Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:07 am:    OK. THe # on the back of the head is 1860236 (crafted in Japan), there is no inlay. The markers are dots, 22 frets. The pickups have black covers and simply say Ibanez on them. There is no pick guard. THe dials have rubber going around them. The neck is bound, and so is the body, front and back. THe back of the tuners say "smooth tuner II" There is an oval sticker inside the body with the model # AM70, and the serial # is not on the sticker. It was signed by "Yuki Kieb---" I couldn't read the rest of the name. I want to thank you for your interest in helping me wth this. Mike Bowie JohnS Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:07 am:    The serial number probably starts with an "I" rather than a "1". That would make the manufacture date Sept. 1986. That's consistent with buying it new in '87. The only all black pickups I've seen are EMGs. I know Ibanez have used them on some newer guitars (the '93 RBM2 Voyager, for one). But I don't know if Ibanez used them on the AM70 and put their own name on them, tho. Until someone with a catalog or hands-on experience pipes up, that's about it as far as my knowledge on this guitar. If you have a jpeg of the guitar that you want to share with us, let me know. orval Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:07 am:    from a 1/15/86 price list, the am70 is arched top and back of birch,maple center block, 3-ply maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, 2 ibz humbucking pickups,2-volume,2-tone,3way toggle switch, short stop bridge/tailpiece. chrome hardware AV,CS $549 list. also listed in a 6/15/87 price list with identical specs at $749 list. does not show up in the 1988 lineup. i have an 86 artist ar120bk and an 86 gb30bk with black covered pickups. Harold Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:07 am:    John, Mike, Ibanez issued the AM70 and AM75 with 2x "IBZ" pickups. The "IBZ" is a triple magnet pickup with separate designs for bridge and neck positions to create a hot, fat sound. Harold JohnS Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:07 am:    Short of a picture, it looks like we have most every piece of info on the AM70. How's that Mike? Thanks, Orval and Harold. orval Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:07 am:    i have a picture but i've never tried to upload to this site! Mike Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:07 am:    Thanks everybody. I'll try and get a jpeg up this week. JohnS Posted on Friday, October 08, 2004 - 11:07 am:    Orval: Go to the ICW Home Page and pick the link for Help Getting Around ICW. There's a whole page on how to get pictures included in messages. Or, you could email me the picture as an attachment and I'll upload. Aki.Rintamäki Posted on Sunday, December 02, 2001 - 7:26 pm:    Guys. What IS this? Not a good picture, but I first looked it was bigger than an AM, guess I was wrong. Look at the bridge! This must be of a later model, maybe from the 90's? AM100? AM70? Some other that I don't yet know of? Atleast this is not a top-of-the-line model, but concerning the price asked, I think I should grab on this. Any thoughts? -Aki. JohnS Posted on Monday, December 03, 2001 - 11:09 am:    Aki: My '85 catalog shows the AM70 with that short stop bridge. The catalog only lists it as coming in black. I've never seen a natural top like this one. Is that flame Maple? Do you own this guitar or just have the picture? I'd love to see more. JohnS Aki.Rintamäki Posted on Monday, December 03, 2001 - 1:05 pm:    JohnS, This is the only pic I have and I don't own the guitar. There was a pic of the peghead, but it showed nothing I couldn't tell from this pic. The colour seems to be something like Quilted Orange (mahogany?). The price asked used to be no more than 300$, so I got very interested. The price has gone up a lot, so I'm not sure about bidding any more. This is said to be in a very good condition, and original case included. -Aki. Funkle (Funkle) Posted on Monday, December 17, 2001 - 11:10 am:    Here's some photos of one (not mine). The stock pickups were replaced with Seymour Duncans. Jerryneves (Jerryneves) Posted on Monday, December 17, 2001 - 5:40 pm:    The guitar shown above with Duncan pickups is an AM70. The other guitar shown in Aki's post is an AM66. I bought the AM66 and am waiting its arrival from Germany. I have been looking for an AM66 for a year now since first seeing that other blonde beauty that was on this site close to a year ago. I will post pictures when it arrive. Thanks again Aki for the heads-up!!! Funkle (Funkle) Posted on Monday, December 17, 2001 - 7:25 pm:    Jerry, isn't this thread about AM70s? how much did it run you? I agree that blonde guitars look the best (although I prefer brunette women). I would prefer a stop tail piece on the guitar though (but not on a woman). Let me know how it sounds; I'm thinking it will be a little brighter than a 200+ model because it is maple rather than mahogany. Maybe it will sound more like as AS? While we're throwing all caution to the wind, and discussing all sorts of other AM series guitars in this thread, I will say that I will be the proud new owner of an AM300 - which I got from Steve(Gitfiddle1) which he got from MikeG which he got from god knows who else on this BB! I'm pretty excited about it. Jerryneves (Jerryneves) Posted on Monday, December 17, 2001 - 10:55 pm:    The AM66 cost me (Ouch!) $900! A little high, but I really regret passing on the first one I saw. This one is described as perfect. The seller was in Germany and actually called me twice. Once to give detailed description prior to sale and once to give shipping and pickup info. I have come to prefer the smaller bodied AM series. I love my AM205. Johns (Johns) Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2001 - 9:21 am:    Is it me, or does the burst AM70, shown above, look thin in the body? Jerry: Keep us informed and post pictures of that blonde bombshell, when you get it. Funkle: Looks like the AM300 has spawned a feeding frenzy. Let us know what you think of it when you get it. Funkle (Funkle) Posted on Friday, April 05, 2002 - 2:22 pm:    Just in case anyone is interested, there is an AM70 available on eBay now (no it's not mine) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=855417631 I thought I'd point it out because it is not very well worded in the description - it just says "Ibanez Artist Sunburst Hollow Body (1987)" - so it might go unnoticed. Funkle (Funkle) Posted on Tuesday, June 04, 2002 - 2:22 am:    Here's an update on the AM300. When I first got it, I didn't really like it, then I started liking it alot, then I didn't really like it... But now, I'm really liking it a lot again! First of all, this guitar has the nicest neck I've ever played. That aside, I've started using the guitar for strictly jazz, instead of fusion, blues, rock etc. and it really shines for this. I think it was never quite assertive enough sounding for more rock oriented sounds, but if you use it for jazz, in addition to having a phenomenal neck, it has the potential to have a really nice mellow tone, if you are willing to give up the notion that jazz must be played on hollow-bodied guitars. I was kind of inspired to use it this way by people like John Abercrombie, Ed Bickert, Pino Marrone, Jay Carlson and Pat Martino; all guitarists who have gotten great jazz tone out of their solid-bodied, or semi-hollow routered guitars. I'm in the process of doing a little string experiment: I chucked the slinky .009s or whatever was on there and put on a set of .012 nickel round-wound D'addarios with a wound G. I also have .012 D'addario Half-rounds and Chromes, Thomastik-Infeld flat-wound Swings and round-wound Be-bops to try out. The larger gauge was a great improvement in tone (and I didn't even have to adjust the trus-rod) - the B and high-E sound brilliant, but the four wound strings have a zingy twang that I'm not liking too much. I think the tone will really shine with the flats (Chromes or Swings) or maybe the Be-Bops, which are round-wound, but they are very fine windings, with more of a flat-wound feel. I'll keep you posted on the results. -Sven Gitfiddle1 (Gitfiddle1) Posted on Tuesday, June 04, 2002 - 3:11 pm:    Sven, Hey, them was .010's! Nines are for wussies... LOL Just yesterday I was wishing I still had that guitar. Then I remembered why I let it go... BTW, my brother absolutely LOVES the S470! You might try sinking the adjustable poles a turn or two to reduce the "zingy twang". Cheers Steve Regis (Regis) Posted on Friday, July 19, 2002 - 10:07 am:    I have recently rediscovered my AM70 (you can see it on Funkle’s encyclopaedic site). I usually play on my AM205 and I am a little upset with the sound of the AM70. Of course I know that they are different guitars with different sounds but I have noticed that the IBZ triple magnet pickups are fat, too loud and not very precise when I play chords, block-chords, using clear sound. They are completely lacking precision when I use a little disto for “crunch-Sco” sound. I was afraid when I read on this site that they were perfect for heavy metal or hard rock! What is your opinion about these pickups on our favourite hollow-body guitars? Apparently several owners of IBZ triple magnet changed for Seymour Duncan 59s… Mr_Roadstar (Mr_Roadstar) Posted on Friday, July 19, 2002 - 2:12 pm:    Regis, You're not the only player to comment on the IBZ's being a bit "Hot" for your taste. I personally love them. But then, I don't play much Jazz! You might try adjusting the pickups away from the strings a bit. And/or, (if you haven't already) try tweaking your amp settings to adjust for the hotter output. As for possible replacements, anything in the PAF family should give you what you want. A pair of Ibanez Super 58's (like your AM205) are a direct replacement. You'll not find an aftermarket pickup that uses the triple screw mounting, so you'll need to replace the mounting rings, or (gawd forbid) drill extra holes in the original rings. Cheers Steve Funkle (Funkle) Posted on Friday, July 19, 2002 - 2:43 pm:    Hi Regis, That would be my first reaction too. Anything in the PAF family. Seymour 59 or Seth Lover, Kent Armstrong PAFs are supposed to be quite good at about half the price of the SDs. Ibanez pro 58s would be a good choice too if you can find a pair (or are willing to wait for a special order) and you'd be closer to original spec. Then there's the SD Antiquity humbucker or Bennedetto PAF for about $200 a pop, both supposed to be quite good. Just keep all the original parts! But didn't you mention that you are not too enamoured of the shortstop bridge either? And I believe that this bridge may affect the tone as well. Sounds to me like you want to make this AM70 into an AM50! Do you like the AM70 better than your AM205? I think I may have already said this in an email to you, but I'd say you should strongly consider seeking out an AM50 or AS50 and see you like it. This might be just what the doctor ordered. Just a word of warning, I've seen a bunch of Korean made AM50s for sale in Europe lately. Good luck -Sven Munch (Munch) Posted on Friday, July 19, 2002 - 8:25 pm:    Sven, If your pickups are too hot, try plugging into the low input on your amp (if it has one). This will reduce the amount of signal fed to the preamp section. You should find a more defined sound, and that you can turn the amp up more to get better tone at a lower overall volume level. Cheers, Mark Regis (Regis) Posted on Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 4:15 am:    Well, thanks for your answers. I tried to lower the pickups, to adjust the amp but I am still unsatisfied… I can’t help comparing the AM205 with the AM70. Since I have the 205, I hardly play the AM70 because it suffers comparison, only according the sound. Sven, I LOVE my AM70, my first “real” guitar. I wouldn’t sell it to buy an AM50, but I don’t want this guitar to stay in a corner of my room, you certainly know what I mean. The neck is marvellous, the woods are beautiful. I think I will make some changes on it: there is an old AR for sale (around 300 dollars) with super 58’s and a two part IBZ bridge. To keep the guitar original, Sven suggested to put a trapeze tail piece on it. Digging two extra holes in my guitar is certainly an heresy… Regis Funkle (Funkle) Posted on Tuesday, July 23, 2002 - 11:52 am:    Regis, You can get an ES335 style Trapeze tailpiece from stewmac.com for about $20. You might be able to get away with just attaching it with the strap button, and not drilling the three extra holes. Or you could get a custom carved one that has a cord that wraps around the strap button, maybe Munches dad could make one.It would be nice if you could get something that works with the minimalist look of the AM70 You can get a tunomatic bridge from stewmac as well. Let me know what you decide on for pickups. I like the way the Super 58 sounds, but better string separation for chords would be nice, and I could stand a little darker sound in the neck for jazz. I'm thinking of trying the B6 or A6 from http://www.benedettopickups.com/ in one of my guitars. The PAF might be a good choice for the bridge. -Sven Guitaki (Guitaki) Posted on Wednesday, July 24, 2002 - 3:46 pm:    Guys. I need help. I am thinking to swap my AM255 with an AM70. Reason: I know that the bridge of my AM255 kills the attitude of a semi-hollow with it's heavy metal construction. I have not yet seen an AM205 for sale in Finland, but I know I would bite into it. The AM70 is '87 (serial# H70....) sunburst, in very good condition and original case. Pickups are said to be Super70's with flat plastic cover (the EMG-look). I thought these were not Super70's but way different style of pickups. My AM255 is '83 sunburst in quite ok condition, frets are changed and comes thru the binding, bridge has a NOS Super70, and the bridge is blocked tight. The bridge can be opened, though. Goes with a Takamine case for a nylon string. The guy suggests that we make an even exchange deal on the guitars. I thought that AM255's would go for a pretty noticeable price, and the AM70 to be more regular model. Still, I know I would like the sound of a solid bridge more. What do this guitars go for? And what in earth should I do?! -Aki. Funkle (Funkle) Posted on Wednesday, July 24, 2002 - 4:44 pm:    Hi Aki, You knew I'd respond to this one. I know that you face different issues regarding availability and purchases from abroad which I don't entirely understand....but here's my $0.02: If you like the Super70/58 pickups, and the more traditional 335 sound/styling, I'd hold out far an AM with a 2 piece bridge and Super 58s (AM50,100,200 or 205), even if you have to go outside Finland to do it. The AM70 has hotter more rock oriented pickups. and the bridge may have sound and string gauge implications - the bridge on the AM70 is more massive than a 2 piece QCII/GII combo. I think the QCII/GII may give you that more open semi-hollow sound that I think you're looking for. (See recent discussion: Regis is having issues with his AM70 because he doesn't really like the sound of the PUs and the bridge, and he is having a hard time using heavier gauge strings with the bridge) Regarding pricing, here's what I've tracked on ebay over the last several months. All in USD$ AM70 Date sold Condition Selling price Prod date Apr-18-02 GOOD $430.00 Jun-28-02 EXC $700.00 ‘86 Jul-07-02 POOR $355.57 AM255 Feb-06-02 VG $1,126.00 ‘83 Apr-13-02 Good $649.00 ‘83 May-26-02 Ex $840.00 ‘83 Jul-22-02 Good $599.99 ‘83 These prices are kind of all over the board, but my reaction is that the AM70 should be in the $400-600 range, and the AM255 should be in the $600-800 range. Your guitar, with the highly figured woods, ebony fingerboard and block inlays is in a higher league than the AM70. I'd say your "friend" would be getting the better deal BTW, I enjoyed the tune, sorry I didn't respond. -Sven Mr_Roadstar (Mr_Roadstar) Posted on Wednesday, July 24, 2002 - 5:34 pm:    Aki, Those "EMG looking" pickups are Ibanez IBZ's. Quote from Harold earlier in this thread: "Ibanez issued the AM70 and AM75 with 2x "IBZ" pickups. The "IBZ" is a triple magnet pickup with separate designs for bridge and neck positions to create a hot, fat sound." I think the market value for the AM70 is less because of the ShortStop bridge and the IBZ pickups, NOT because the guitar is of lesser quality. Guitar people (in general) are afraid of anything that's not "standard" or "traditional". I'll vouch for the ShortStop bridge being a fine piece of hardware. I've had a couple Roadstars and an Artist with them. The ShortStop is fully adjustable for intonation and has locking saddles similar to the Gibralter II. It imparts no tone difference from a standard 2 piece arrangement (not that I could hear anyway). As for the pickups... You might find you like the IBZ's. If not, you can always swap in something else. Cheers Steve Regis (Regis) Posted on Thursday, July 25, 2002 - 4:30 am:    Aki It's hard to compare the AM 205 or AM 255 with an AM 70. But I agree with Sven. I think you are looking for a more jazz oriented guitar, and you won't find it in the AM 70. Even if it's a marvellous guitar, it's a rock or blues-oriented guitar. I personnaly would'nt make this exchange. I found my AM 205 in Italy at a shop specialized in vintage guitars. It took me a couple of month (6-8) but it was worth waiting, even if the shop was not very serious. In addition, the main problem with Ebay is that it's not often possible to be delivered outside the USA. Regis Johns (Johns) Posted on Thursday, July 25, 2002 - 10:43 am:    Aki: I wouldn't swap. Your guitar is worth more than his, by a long shot. Sell your's for the most $$ you can and then shop wisely for what you want. My experience is that the AM205, with it's all mahogany body, sounds very dark compared to other maple (AS200, AM100s, etc) and spruce (AF200, GB10) topped guitars. If you're after a more traditional jazz sound, you may find that the tremolo isn't the cause of your discontent with the AM255. Quite frankly, if they made an AM in flame maple with the appointments of the 205, I'd buy it in a hot minute. Maybe they did and I've just missed it. Funkle (Funkle) Posted on Thursday, July 25, 2002 - 11:37 am:    JohnS, They did make one, the only thing is that it says "Jay Turser" on the headstock Seriously, I think a mini AS200 would have been sweet. I think the closest thing was probably the AM66. It had nice figured maple woods and Super58s. But it had dot inlays, rosewood and a Shortstop tailpiece. This is my most sought after AM model. Guitaki (Guitaki) Posted on Thursday, July 25, 2002 - 7:29 pm:    Johns I also decided pretty soon that I will not swap. I got my AR300 sold today, so actually I don't think I have any hurry, I could buy another semi and compare it thoroughly with my AM255. But the fact that I once quickly tried out a leftie AM205, I felt a great difference. It felt like wood while my AM255 has a bit metallic feel to it. The changed frets on mine could have an affection, but still. I am no pro jazz player, my skills are more in the blues/rock side, but I do like a good jazz sound. Also, my idea of a Jazz sound might be a bit different from real Jazzers, but I am searching and learning.. :o) http://www.hut.fi/~arintama/mp3/Deep_Feather.mp3 This is the Jazz sound I get from my AM255. I bought the Yamaha DG Stomp to replace the Pod I sold last week, and all tracks (except for the shaker ;o) are made with the AM255 thru the DG directly to Akai DPS12i. I think the solo sound is very jazzy. What do You think? -Aki. Musash (Musash) Posted on Saturday, September 14, 2002 - 9:01 am:    Yes! Look what I bought today: my first semi-hollow Ibanez: an AM70 in very good condition! :-) Munch (Munch) Posted on Saturday, September 14, 2002 - 7:06 pm:    Musash, Congratulations! That is a fantastic looking specimen. Very nice sunburst highlighting the figure in the wood. What do those pickups sound like? They loook a little out of place to me - I guess I am just very traditional in my tastes. Looking forward to a full report. Cheers, Mark Musash (Musash) Posted on Saturday, September 14, 2002 - 7:44 pm:    Mark, I just got it so I have to play more to tell specific about the pickups. They are the original IBZ pickups. They are rather high in output, thats what I notice right now. See mesages above also about the pickups. I am wondering how Super 58's would alter the guitar to another tone. Johnm (Johnm) Posted on Sunday, September 15, 2002 - 12:35 pm:    Hi Musash, Great catch! Where did you find this beauty? Musash (Musash) Posted on Sunday, September 15, 2002 - 5:28 pm:    Guess.... Same place where you found your Artfield AFD40 John :-). Musash (Musash) Posted on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 1:54 pm:    Okay, Mark and Sven wanted to hear some more about my experiences with my new AM70. Her it goes. The size-- The smaller size of the body suits me perfect. Plays a lot easier then a full size semi-hollow, standing and sitting with it. The neck-- Feels great, great, great! The guitar has .12 strings now, which makes the action very low and the sound very full. The pickups-- The IBZ are 'hot', I must say. I do like it, but they are not perfect for the clean, smooth tones. I keep wondering how Super 58's would do on this guitar, would make it a AM100 I guess. The IBZ are good for rock/blues, and don't give much feedback: I read that they are filled with wax to achieve that. The neck pick-up gives a nicer tone in my opinion. The looks-- I love it, but hey I love all old Artists: it shines next to my AR200 and AR112! The shortstop bridge-- Some people have thoughts about this bridge, but I agree with Steve that this is a solid bridge. No problems. I personally don't think it changes the sound too much. That's it. If you are looking for a semi-hollow next to your solid-body guitar, and you can lay your hands on an AM-guitar from the eighties: go for it, you won't be disappointed. :-) Munch (Munch) Posted on Wednesday, September 18, 2002 - 6:41 pm:    Musash, It sounds as though you love your new guitar. I have always been curious about AM guitars as you don't see too many in Australia - especially the high end AM200 and above. Enjoy - and thanks for the overview. Regards, Mark Regis (Regis) Posted on Monday, September 23, 2002 - 8:40 am:    Musach, Congratulations, you made a good choice, the AM70 is a really good guitar. Yours seems magnificent. Don't you have problems with the .12 strings? Did you put them recently or is your guitar used to "tolerating" such an heavy gauge? I wanted to replace the pickups on my AM70 with SD 59, but I think it would alter the guitar's personnality (wouldn't it, Sven ;-). In fact, I bought Aki's AM255. I received it this morning and played it only an hour. Another very interesting experience... Regis Paddy_F (Paddy_F) Posted on Thursday, November 06, 2003 - 12:11 pm:    found this AM66 on uk ebay,http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2569561905&category=2384 there was a really clean AM50 on uk ebay a couple of weeks ago with a starting price of £150. and nobody bid on it, which p*ssed me off slightly as I paid almost double that for a 7/10 Am50. (But I still love that little guitar). Im feeling slightly happier now this AM66 is making better money. Would I be right in thinking the AM series were not really marketed in the uk, as these are the only ones Ive ever seen on uk ebay. regards Paddy. Jerryneves (Jerryneves) Posted on Thursday, November 06, 2003 - 8:50 pm:    Its funny, I have only seen 4 AM66's on Ebay in the past 4 years and 3 of 4 were in Europe. I bought one from a guy in Germany about 2 years ago. They seem to sell for as much as the AM205's because they are the rarest of the AM series. Also, the materials used for the body are more expensive since they usually have nice flame maple tops and back. Love mine. Plays and sounds great. Funny how much different the rosewood board feels from my Ebony board on my AM205. It feels so much different that I sometimes think the radius and shape of veck is different. The flame maple is unbelievable on mine. The one on Ebay now has decent flame. Acetan (Acetan) Posted on Saturday, January 03, 2004 - 10:58 pm:    Seems like there is kind of a consensus that the IBZ pickup is the weak point of the AM70. What would switching to Ibanez cream bobbin V-2's do? Any thoughts?

Add Your Message Here Post: -Color- Black Red Green Blue Yellow Purple Orange Cyan Gray White -Font- Arial Courier Symbol Times Verdana -Size- Smallest (-2) Small (-1) Normal Large (+1) Largest (+2) Enter Item number: Username: Posting Information: This is a private posting area. Only registered users and moderators may post messages here. Password: Options: Enable HTML code in message Automatically activate URLs in message Action: