Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Are these any good ?


I have the opportunity to get a black 1972 (pre-law suit / as the add says) model with bolt on neck
(i think they are all bolt on's, if i am not mistaken)
I will not be able to test the guitar before i buy)

How was / is the build quality ? Neck - finishing touches, and, and, and.
Pick ups ? I might swap the pu's out, (yes, for some SD's) but if they are as good as my Tokai, they might stay !

ANY info regarding these Ibby's will be very welcome.


Thanks to all

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)




THIS is the guitar in question.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

Hmm, that's a 2350 BB clone - chambered mystery wood body. Most if not all were bolt-on in this period, yes; from about '74 onwards they started introducing set-neck options. I think the early ones had faux humbuckers (?), i.e. singles.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

I did not like those very early ones, especially not the Strat clones.

Quality shot up dramatically a bit later when Gibson and Fender made it clear that their decision makers stopped taking physics into account when making guitars, but 1972 did not have that yet.

To clarify, I don't care that the neck is bolted on, but there could be serious wood choice and construction oddities.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

IIRC the model number was PF220? I had one and it wasn't very good. The combination of bolt on neck, rosewood fretboard, soft bodywood and chambering wasn't that great. The only thing Les Paul about it was the scale length and shape. Overall the tone was dark, round and mellow.

 

[metalchurch79]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

The body wood can be and most times was suspect on those early years as mentioned above by just about everyone who posted so far. I also read that plywood was an optional tone wood on used those early years, as well as the 'other' woods offered. 1977-78 (iirc) are some of the more the desirable years to get, but you may want to check into that and perhaps focus your attention toward that era...Bolt-on neck or not, they were some nice players, and a nice addition to an Ibanez fan's arsenal.

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

IIRC the model number was PF220? I had one and it wasn't very good. The combination of bolt on neck, rosewood fretboard, soft bodywood and chambering wasn't that great. The only thing Les Paul about it was the scale length and shape. Overall the tone was dark, round and mellow.

The PF came later, when they had to change the design according to the lawsuit stipulations. The 300 and 400 were the top models with pretty nice specs.

 

[formula73]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

Pass.

 

[gottalovethe80s]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

bolted on les pauls just seem so wrong to me.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

Pass.

This.

No way in hell would I buy one of those without seeing it in-person. Most are plywood.

 

[daan]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

+1 on the plywood. I remember when these were new, really the only thing LP about them is the (general) shape. It's possible this one might be a good player, these were all over the map. There were thousands of bolt-neck LP copies in that era (early 70's) THey didn't get to be the "Gibson Beaters" until later, just before the "lawsuit". My first guitar was a bolt-neck LP copy, it was plywood w/maple neck, what looked like Strat singles inside a humbucker shaped "can", crummy zinc hardware that corroded in a couple years. It didn't sound like a LP at all... but it was shaped like one. I wouldn't buy something like this without playing it first, really the import copies from that era usually have really low-end hardware and electronics, and being 40 years old won't do them any favors. Unless you're paying the equivalent of, like, $100...

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

The problem is that you can't have hands on it before buying. Ibanez had some good guitars in this era, and by the mid-'70s they were getting really good.

I think it's price-dependent. If you get it cheap enough, sure, why not? You can spend a few bucks to make it play well, but it's not something I'd be using as a platform for expensive pickups and such.

It is what it is...just don't expect it to be a Gibson Historic, or even a modern Epiphone Les Paul.

Bill

 

[Wattage]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

I would pass on any of those real early ones, not that good IMO.

I just had one a friend asked me to look at restoring for him and it just isn't worth the effort even in the pretty decent shape it is in.

Money much better spent elsewhere.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

You don't buy them because they are good.

You buy them EXACTLY because the are cheap cheesy litchi Les Paul copies. Love them for what they are.


Back in that era - nothing like that could touch a real Les Paul or even come close.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

bolted on les pauls just seem so wrong to me.

+1. Too bizarre.

 

[teleblooz]

Re: Lawsuit-era Ibanez Les Paul (early 70's)

I picked this one up recently. No name, but Matsu made a ton of them for Electra, Hohner and 500 other's. Bolt on neck, maple fret board. It plays incredibly well and sounds killer. I'd follow Acemans advice. Enjoy it for what it is.