Artist bodies with Performer head-stocks

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Author Message Chris Sandell (Dozin) Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2001 - 9:26 am:    What model number or names are these guitars??? Mark Munchenberg (Munch) Posted on Friday, August 24, 2001 - 12:56 am:    Chris, Do you have a photo of one?? It could be a Concert series guitar from '78. Not exactly an Artist body, but it certainly could be mistaken for one. I am unaware of any true Artist bodies mated to the Tulip style headstock. All Artists I know of feature the Castle headstock, or the more modern downsized version of the Castle. regards, Mark Chris Sandell (Dozin) Posted on Friday, August 24, 2001 - 8:31 am:    The Concert series, is there any other name for this guitar? I do have a photo and I do agree with you that it's not really an Artist body but looks very similar, a little more rounded around the edges. I'll post the pic when I can locate it. The only true Artist body with a Performer head stock that I know about is Bob Weir's guitars. The vintage sunburst guitars I was told were actually Artist bodies w/ Performer necks. JohnS Posted on Friday, August 24, 2001 - 10:12 am:    Chris: For a look at the Concert series go to the "Vintage & Custom Electrics" section and see the messages under: "Concert-series (CN), want pics." Here's a look at the Bob Weir and Artist, side-by-side. Although similar looking, the body shape and size is very different. I'm pretty sure the Artist is the basic size and shape of an LP...just make the cutaways symmetrical. The headstock on the Artist series has always been the castle style. The BWs have always shared the scrolled headstock seen also on the Scruggs (model 2671 and 2671S), the Artwood Twin doubleneck (model 2670) and the jet black model 2674. A bit of confusion is that the Ash Artist (model 2617) and the upscale variant with vine of life (model 2672) were both lumped into the "Professional" series. I guess because they were ash and had German carved tops.??? But the "Artist" (as a separate and distinct line of guitars with LP sized, symmetrical shaped bodies) co-existed with (were bolt-necks), and continued after the demise, of the "Professional" series. The Bob Weirs (models 2680 & 2681) were not LP inspired. I'm not sure where it's basic geometry came from. But it is absolutely related to the Artwood Twin doubleneck which Ibanez copied from an original design by Rex Bogue. There is another interesting hybrid that could be described as "an Artist with Performer headstock", the model 2683. Check out this page: http://www.comcat.com/~alnico5/professional.html and let us know if this is what you are referring to. I've never seen one. 24 fret, dot neck, all maple construction and no fancy inlays? Got me what they were thinking. But I can't say I'm not intrigued by it. Maybe JeffH can elaborate on how these models evolved. Jeff, how did the Professional series come about? Steve (Gitfiddle1) Posted on Friday, August 24, 2001 - 12:35 pm:    Hey, I can add a bit about the Artist/Les Paul body shape. The Artist is generally slightly larger at the hip than an LP. An Artist is a snug fit in a Paul case, where an LP is a tad loose in an Artist case. Haven't actually taken a tape to the two. And I'm sure the dimensions very slightly on both guitars over the years. Overall they're very close. Just to clarify, we have "Castle" headstocks (Artist), "Tulip" (Performer & others), and the "Artstar" (tapered Castle). Am I on the right track here? Steve JohnS Posted on Friday, August 24, 2001 - 1:19 pm:    Steve: Thanks for adding the fine points regarding the "hip" size. I've always been a "lower bout" man myself. There have been 2 headstock shapes used on the "Artstar" models. In the early 80s it was the very "tapered castle" and now it's back to the "tulip". Several notes: 1. I believe the "original" castle headstock flared out at the ends. 2. The "classic Castle" shape that followed in the mid to late 70s is definitely wider at the end than the next version of the castle that appeared in the early 80s. 3. After this, the Artstar castle got even more exaggerated in the taper. 4. The "new" JSM100 returns to the "classic Castle" headstock. Chris Sandell (Dozin) Posted on Friday, August 24, 2001 - 6:22 pm:    Nope, that's not it. I'm very aware of those guitars. What I'm talking about is this guitar http://www.dozin.com/bob/ibanez0.jpg This guitar is a Artist body with a Performer Head-stock I have another picture of my friends guitar, it's close to this but slightly different. I'll post by the end of the weekend. JohnS Posted on Saturday, August 25, 2001 - 8:03 am:    Chris: Oh, you mean this guitar: This picture comes from the '82 Artist/Musician catalog. It's the one I was referring to in this thread: Jeff's Black Hole: Customized Bob Weir Model. I thought that JeffH called it the "Cowboy" guitar. I took it to be a totaly custom guitar. Having never seen a better picture of it, I didn't associate it with the Artist. From the picture you have, I can see why you described it as such. Chris Sandell (Dozin) Posted on Sunday, August 26, 2001 - 1:17 pm:    I was told that the Cowboy guitar was constructed like I described from a reliable source. I was just checking if this was ever produced with a specific name or model. The configuration of the guitar seems basic to me. Obviously the electronics and the inlay in this particular Weir guitar makes it custom. I know Weir played this identical guitar with no Tree of Life inlay and that's what I want. If I could get Ibanez to create a Artist with a Tulip head-stock and with the Vintage burst the guiar would be mine : ) So if anyone knows if this is feasible please let me know. Peace Jeff Hasselberger (Jhasselberger) Posted on Thursday, September 06, 2001 - 3:54 pm:    Ah yes, the cowboy guitar. Well, this is neither an Artist nor a Performer. Bob liked the Artist shape, but also had fond remembrances of his old 335. So we made the body a little bigger and rounded the cutaways more than an Artist. It was a pleasing shape, if I do say so myself. This guitar was also designed before the Performer/Concert, so it was the first time that this particular headstock shape saw the light of day. Bob wanted to experiment with a larger headstock, since his other Ibanez guitars had the smaller Professional headstock. Bob had a Guild jumbo and we took some dimensions off that and I drew up the final to be in that size ballpark. The body was ash and the neck maple, making it pretty heavy. But Bob’s a fit guy and he had no problem playing the axe for four hours a night. The antique violin finish came out a little browner on the ash and it contrasted nicely with all the inlay. Overall, it was quite a handsome piece. When it came time to put a new 3-3 headstock on the regular Ibanez line, I just did a variation of this shape and it looked appropriate for what we were doing, so it stuck. Dozin (Dozin) Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - 7:21 pm:    The photo above is from a Ibanez ad. If you look at the very bottom of the ad it says Bob Weir/Grateful Dead ARTIST SERIES-CUSOM MODEL...Ibanez You may have to look at this photo to see the text http://www.dozin.com/bob/custom.asp I just want to know if it's possible to get a Artist body with a performer head stock on it? Or has anyone ever seen this done?? Peace Johns (Johns) Posted on Monday, December 01, 2003 - 9:05 pm:    They have been playing a program on the local PBS station (WNJN in New Jersey) about the last concert that the Dead did at the Winterland in San Fransico. I think it's called Goodbye to Winterland. Bob Weir is playing the "Cowboy guitar" during this concert. The parts that I saw, Weir didn't get the camera time that Garcia did, but you can definitely make out that Weir is playing this custom guitar. BTW, the concert was in 1978. Seems like a long time ago. Dozin (Dozin) Posted on Wednesday, December 10, 2003 - 8:17 pm:    Yes, at the Closing of Winterland 12/31/78 Bob is playing a Cowboy style guitar. This guitar is different from the above link. It has the adjustable middle pickup like Jeff describes. Johns (Johns) Posted on Thursday, December 11, 2003 - 5:57 pm:    Dozin: Do you know if Weir has commented on these guitars since his split with Ibanez? Does anybody know where they are now?

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