Which guitars have... "Carved Solid Spruce Tops?"

[Harold Wherry (Blues)]

Jeff,

Many of us have questions regarding Vintage Ibanez Hollowbody Archtop guitars dating mostly from about 1975 - 1985.

Which guitars have... "Carved Solid Spruce Tops?"

The 1978 catalog states:
_The FA800 has a "Carved Spruce Solid Top"
_The FA700 has a "Hand-Carved Solid Spruce Top"
_The FA500 has an "Arched Spruce Top" ... is this a PLY-TOP GUITAR or WHAT???

The IBANEZ  Catalog Titled -  "JAZZ & BLUES & ROCK" states:
_The "2471" has an "Arched Spruce Solid Top"
_The "2470" has a "Carved Solid Spruce Top"
.....Do both guitars have CARVED SOLID SPRUCE TOPS? or does one of the above have a "SOLID PRESSED SPRUCE" TOP???

HERE IS THE BIG QUESTION:  Did Ibanez ever produce Archtop Hollowbody guitars that have "Solid PRESSED Spruce Tops?" IF SO WHICH MODELS? ...... This has been a haunting question to all of us Archtop Player/Collectors!

ANY ASSISTANCE OR CLARIFICATION IN THIS MATTER IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!


Regards,
Harold

[JohnS]

 In an effort to keep the conversations easier for Jeff to read, I'm moving this question it's own message thread.

Thanks,
JohnS
ICW

[Jeff Hasselberger (Jhasse]

 Carved Solid Spruce Tops  

We did do a lot of experimentation with different tops and techniques. In our mind, a carved spruce top was the holy grail. We eventually made a number of instruments with carved spruce tops and I think that they were pretty excellent performers.

Since there’s a considerable amount of hand work in any carved top, using the term “hand-carved” is almost redundant, but it had a nice ring to it, so we used it on a number of occasions. Since consistency was not one of my strong suits, I didn’t always use the same terminology. Anyhow, carved spruce, carved solid spruce, hand-carved solid spruce -- they were all the same thing.

On the other hand, arched spruce and arched solid spruce aren’t the same. Arched spruce tops were laminated and pressed into the arched shape.  

I remember discussing the possibility of pressing a solid top into an arched shape and I think we might have done it on a couple of models, although I can’t say for sure.  

While our terminology might have been a bit sloppy, I don’t think we would’ve played fast and loose with the truth when it came to solid and laminate spruce. That would indicate that the 2471 had a solid top.

The big warning though, is that we were notoriously bad proofreaders and we could’ve made an error and not caught it before printing. So, it’s also possible that the 2471 had an arched laminated spruce top that we mistakenly identified as solid. If someone had a different catalog that also listed the 2471 with a solid top, I think that would clear up the question.

On most of these I would think that I could dredge up some memory that would clarify the issue, but I’ve been thinking about this one on and off for the last month and I can’t convince myself to be comfortable with a final answer.

Can I phone a friend?

Jeff

[orval engling (Orval)]

 jeff, i have an early strat copy with the hand carved top (eagle motif), i have also seen a
dragon carving.  in the literature of that era
there is a third design, but i can't make it out
in the photo. what is that design, and could you
tell us a little about that series?
thanks
orval

[Harold Wherry (Blues)]

 REPLY: WHICH GUITARS HAVE ... "CARVED SOLID SPRUCE TOPS?"

Jeff,

Thanks for taking the time to give us some valuable insight into the "IBANEZ WORLD OF HOLLOW BODY ARCHTOP GUITARS!"  

It is my opinion that the Archtop Guitars with Laminated Spruce Tops have awesome TONE right along with the Solid Carved Spruce Top guitars!

Jeff, please continue to post any more information you might recall regarding the wonderful world of "Ibanez Archtop Hollowbody" Guitars.


Harold

[Peter Grey (Pgrey)]

 Jeff,

Thanks for the info about the solid vs. ply conundrum.  I have an FA 700 which is really a neat guitar.  I bought it as an inexpensive alternative to an L5 but it sounds better than most L5s I've played.  I can't count how many other players have asked if I know where they could buy one...

Regards,

Peter

[Jeff Hasselberger (Jhasse]

 For Orval-
The third carved strat design was called either "Noveau" or "Art Noveau." It was an abstract design that was based on a still life of a cornucopia. The leaf shapes were predominant and gave it a flowing, art noveau character -- hence the name. There was one part of the carving that reminded me of a pineapple (I was probably tripping at the time), so I used to call it "The Pineapple Strat." I think we had these bodies carved in Taiwan, since we had a hard time finding a source in Japan. If memory serves me, we couldn't get reliable delivery on these, so we abandoned the project after a year or so. They are pretty rare.

Jeff

[betazoid]

Seeking info RE: 1970's? archtop with the word "artist" on the Truss rod cover.  No serial numbers or tags/labels on any kind on this beauty.  Blonde, dual humbuckes, flamed maple.

Thanks,  Ron in SLC

[gemberbier]

I don't see what your question has to do with the subject of this old thread.
Your 2616 Artist is all flamed laminated maple, including the top. Serial numbers can be on labels inside, but also on the back of the headstock. If there is no serial number present, BUT THE IBANEZ LOGO IS, then it could be an Ibanez guitar from before August 1975.
So, is there an Ibanez logo present?


Ginger

[ibanezfreak1960]

How about a warm welcome to ICW for Betazoid 1st!  

If you got any pics post them here or send them to me by clicking my user name and we can get you some help.

[gemberbier]

I had already answered Betazoid's question in another thread. How warm do you want it?
OK, sorry, welcome, I guess I was a bit annoyed. First CCS's answer, which put him on the wrong (2355m) track. And then the same question here, although there's no spruce involved in this guitar, just laminated maple.
How about a warm cup of coffee, Betazoid? You on that side of the wire and I over here...
Cheers!  
And hope to find some nice pics of your axe, when you figured out how it works. We'll be glad to help you.



Ginger

[aroee]

I just can't imagine why Ibanez would hand carve the 2470 and cut it for humbuckers but not hand carve a 2471 which is a full acoustic jazzer.  That doesn't make any sense to me.  If I was to hand carve a guitar, it would be the full acoustic jazz guitar (2471), not the one that I'd have to poke holes in to fit a couple of humbuckers.