1980 Ibanez Artist

[@davidkellymitchell4747]

I was a guitar salesman in music stores for 25 years starting in the 70's and those Ibanez guitars really put a huge dent in Gibson guitar sales. Those older Ibanez are as good as can be made.

[@adeyemibobbybenson4923]

Yes I have one of those guitar a guy came to Lagos Nigeria from Germany the year 1986 and I got it off him , and still kept it till date 😂😊 it's a lovely guitar 🎸

[@SFBGuitar]

Agreed! I love these old Ibanez guitars. People always ask me why I don't own a Les Paul and I direct them to this video. With this guitar, the "heavy mahogany with maple top" category is filled.

[@Constantine1431]

My brother! Sounds INSANE! what great tone, and looks like it’s fun to play.

[@shreddy412]

My buddy has four of these from that era. Unbelievable axes.

[@ThatGuyThanus]

Beautiful guitar

[@FutureKubrick]

That sounds absolutely brilliant :D

[@ShadowRifft]

😎😎😎😎👌way cool! playing, and the Guitar👍

[@unfetteredaxes1032]

Man! I love watching you play brother!

[@rockindavebyron3960]

Nice, I use to own a 1978, bought it used in 1979/80 for $350. Miss that guitar!!! It also has a sustain block underneath the bridge, great guitars!!!

[@aliensporebomb]

Heh, I love my AR300 thru heavy processing too. I love the Artist guitars, great sounding, great playing axes that look totally classy.

[@TangoCharlieAlpha]

I've got a 1980 AS-50 that was my grandfather's. Nice semi-acoustic hollow body guitar. These are very well made instruments.

[@JulesN580]

Lovely guitar. My ‘82 Ibanez Artist 305 is very similar, but with a beautifully figured mahogany burl Antique Violin finish. These are stunning guitars…

[@karmicselling4252]

Lovely guitars. The 12 string variants were incredible instruments too.

[@slopojam5458]

That guitar sound feels like it's going to bite my head off... beautiful instrument... :)

[@omfg51]

very lovely axe there

[@zeeLibertiner]

WOW!!! THAT AXE SOUNDS KILLER!!! great playing, too Pixx ;)

[@SFBGuitar]

Thanks for the kind words. You are definitely correct: I'm having lots of fun rediscovering that guitar. I brought it to a jam this past Saturday night and I got a lot of great compliments on it. I hear you on wishing you could get back a guitar that you sold. There's like a dozen guitars I wish I never sold. A 1973 Strat, a 1978 Ibanez Les Paul Custom, a 1981 The Strat, a 1987 green JEM 777 signed by Steve Vai with a limited release of 777 copies.....that one really hurts....

[@woodros]

amazing guitar great tone

[@mike5331155]

beautiful! I'm in the process of acquiring a 1985 artist myself! cheers!

[@leokimvideo]

it's interesting as you give every guitar a story connected to it, and thats what I really like to hear, so now I am working out you work in a music store, sorry if I seem a little slow off the blocks

[@ibanezps10ltd]

Nice , from the Golden era of Ibanez , 78 - 85 . Just my opinion :)

[@SFBGuitar]

That's two coils in one humbucker out of phase with each other, which is why it's so strong. The close the two coils are to each other, the greater the cancellation. So all you hear is the minute difference between the coils. All the overlapping frequencies are canceled. It's a very thin and biting sound, but I suppose it could be used properly in certain situations. When used together with a coil tapped or full humbucker, the out of phase p/u adds a little extra bite (but hum, too).

[@omb3210]

VERY NICE!!!!!

[@wiseguy9202]

I still have my '83 AR150 in black. Awesome still.

[@blessedheavyelements8544]

Oh man. Bought a used one in ‘88 and it felt like it had to have weighed 15 lbs. played like a dream though. Just did not enjoy it. Still regret having sold it. Best Regards and Best Wishes for 2022!

[@beegization]

Sweet, thanks for clueing me in. Sounds great!

[@menga111]

thats so awesome

[@Squazzoo68]

I used to have an Ibanez Artist, but it was a semi hollow body. the cutaways were the same. It was a quilted rootbeer brown top faded into black. All gold hardware, floating bridge. Was playing in a punk band at the time and didnt know 'nothin' bout guitars. Figured it wasnt practical for me ansd sold it. Wish i wouldn t have. Pretty sure it had an ebony fretboard and mother of pearl inlays, but I dont remember it too well. i just remember it played great. man, that was 20 years ago! Sheesh!

[@tripfall224]

the heck with the kids...keep playin!!!! Great sound man...thx 4 sharing!!!

[@LGuitarB]

Great quality guitars! I got the Musician.

[@KyleCarrington]

oh no! the kids are coming home!!! hahaha classic. nice guitar. that single coil in the bridge is fricken wailin, love it

[@TheDunateen77]

im going to have one of these they look great and i love the tonal options on this,cant wait to get it!!

[@GlennMichaelThompson]

I LOVE the old Ibanez Artists! I bought one new in the late 70's in polar white which was stolen from me :0( ...and a violin burst which I sold because the previous owner put a Kahler tremolo on it. You've got a real nice guitar there man!

[@CaribSurfKing1]

Had to get one of these Such raspy sounds!

[@Gingerlord01]

Awww...i wish i was born in time for this :(

[@richrhocks]

They are super 80s for sure.

[@garydevonport8058]

ive got a 1980 model. Has coil tap fitted by my dad. Lovely guitar

[@acemodean]

I will always regret selling mine. Great guitars

[@spudjd]

I have an '81 AR-100 - still pretty much stock. Has the V2 pickups. No coil split or fancy stuff - just 3 pos toggle, 2 PUPs each with vol and tone. I did replace the tuners with a good set of grovers about 2-3 years ago. The bridge was replaced in the early 90's but with a nickle one - the old one had a real bad case of "gold rot" - plus one of the screws was stripped and couldn't be properly adjusted. That guitar still sings - just a great instrument. I'll never sell it.

[@Misfitswitch]

Nice

[@sawabojo]

nice video and great guitar

[@LONELION17]

I love this instrument,and you play great!!

[@lockwpa]

I have this exact guitar...I bought it in 1988 for $125 out of the Recycler Newspaper in Granada Hills CA. Sold my 1979 Les Paul and kept this. It was fun when nothing was valuable...just us fans were flipping guitars, cars and motorcycles...never paid more than $850 for a Bonneville650. I miss the old days. Where did all the rest of you newbies come from?????

[@KISS1975]

I've decided that since I now have a smart TV I'm gonna watch all the videos I've missed from You!

[@SFBGuitar]

@PDXguitarfreak Thanks! My first "real" guitar was a white 1977 Ibanez Les Paul Custom that my dad bought for me in 1980. So I've always had a soft spot for Ibanez guitars. It's long gone, along with dozens of other guitars I'd love to get back.

[@Donegaldan]

Forgot my manners, Great playing skills and tone. I enjoyed your video.

[@pattychavez1144]

Beautiful guitar :)

[@jasonbeansguitars]

Yes nice guitars - like my avatar. I have an Artist '79 Model, owned it since around '88. Great guitar.

[@RantingGuy]

This is a fantastic instrument. I always wanted one but could never find one, let alone a decent one. I bought a Yam SG2000 instead which I suppose is in the same class as this (In other words, one level above a Gibson LP Standard! - Ouch, tin hat on!)

[@Squazzoo68]

I used to have an Ibanez Artist semi-hollow body guitar. It was beautiful, but I was playing in a punk band at the time and it just didn't seem practical so i sold it. Man, I wish i hadn't! One of several guitars that I owned over the years that I wish I still had. The other ones I wish i still had were a Japanese Squire Strat, a PRS ce24, and a Schecter C-1 classic. Oh, the regret!

[@ignacioito8606]

Sounds nice!

[@SFBGuitar]

Thanks! The "amp" is a software emulation called "Guitar Rig" by Native Instruments. I run the guitar into the computer and then out to a mixer, combine it with the mic audio and then run a line to the videocam. There's no live miking of the amp, just my voice; the amp sound is direct.

[@GetSomeExpress]

I had one of these back from '83-'85 and of all of the great guitars I've ever owned, it was that Ibanez Artist that played, and sounded best. Kinda like an old girlfriend you find yourself thinking about... Its funny, at the time, it was not that well thought of, and I got a great deal on mine. Unfortunately, the secret is out, and prices are up... "We we really that good together?" I'll have to find one and see. Thanks for the reminder. :)

[@SFBGuitar]

@1Doz I agree about the neck. It is slightly chubby compared to my Strats and RG560, but nothing, like you say, that you can't get used to. What amazes me about the guitar is the range of sounds. The 3-way switches really open up the sonic possibilities of that thing! And it's easy on the eyes.....that's for sure.

[@nickthenail]

Thanks for the demo. If you get a chance, can you do a version with less processing? I would love to hear the distinction between the various pup settings. Thanks!

[@FluffyMuffina]

I just got a 78 with Grover tuners, the electrics (preamp) taken out and the pickups replaced, and the Brass Bone nut replaced. Also been refretted but still, i love this guitar, just got it PLEK'd

[@Ple222]

I have the same guitar, it's a goddess !

[@marcoftheshaw]

Super80 pickups? I put one in a gretsch electromatic G2504 neck position...lovely sounding pickup that transformed the guitar...poor thing needs a rewire and a bridge pickup fitting...would love another super 80 for it...but they seem to go for big money these days...mine was given to me after fixing a broken tele for someone...ahh well...could put the original crapbucker back in bridge....might use 1 meg vol pot on it to brighten it up a bit

[@Chromatype]

Still got my 1983 Ibanez Artist AM-205...still a smoking axe!

[@JLGabaldon]

Man, I wanted to thank you for reviews, I actually bought my AR300 based in your demo. I made a little demo myself to show my AR300 to the youtube folks, I hope you enjoy it.

[@SFBGuitar]

Thanks! This is Guitar Rig 4, though I updated to Guitar Rig 5 about 18 months ago. I also like TH2 by Overloud. They are both software rigs that run on a Windows PC. I get the guitar audio in and out using a Tascam digital mixer. See the video "My Rig" for more details.

[@SFBGuitar]

@457z I had a Roadstar II as well. A black one from 1983. Strat-ish style with matte pickguard. I really have to compile a list of all the guitars that have floated through my life...at least a couple dozen, I'm sure.

[@rveurope]

Thanks Sfb, got a AR 720 last Thursday at thomans and they looked whether to get Floyd rose spares for my Roadstar II from 84 ( do you know the 720? I found the sound and looks are stunning!!!!

[@SFBGuitar]

@proxy69 I don't know of a way to post photos on KZbin, but the Ibanez site has three guitars that use the exact same nut. The two George Benson models and the Scofield model all use the same bone/brass nut. I'd post a link but YT doesn't allow URLs in the comments.

[@bengaltigerofficial9052]

AMAZING😍💞

[@lueysixty-six7300]

So. Much nicer than a Strat. Hell, it's nicer than my *Gibson* Les Paul!

[@janispetku4450]

If you find one original Ibanez Artist from 1970/1980 buy it. You wont regred it. These sound fantastic and are super easy to play.

[@PDXguitarfreak]

Yeah! Sweet guitar! I have a special place in my heart for early 80s Ibanez axes (much more than the late 80s/early 90s super strats). I owned two early 80s Ibanez Destroyers and they were solid workhorses... great playing too!

[@telefoon1978]

You are right I got one too! Only mistake I made was that I was a poor musician and wanted EMG as Hetfield and traded the original pickups in to save money..... Stupid MF I was!! If anybody has any spares, please let me know!!

[@guitarrelic]

Just a beautiful guitar. I'd love one of those just to hang on the wall and look at :-)

[@papaibanez]

Hi there,I've owned an ibanez super 80 single cabled and I'm wondering if it is possible to exchanged it with one of yours with four cables for coil spliting ! Thanks! You are a great player !!!!

[@sambenenge]

My wife is not pleased with you PixxyLixxx! I now have a 1981 Ibanez AR300 winging it's way to me and it is all the fault of your video... I just love your guitar so much that I had to have one! Damn GAS...

[@SFBGuitar]

@FatGuyWithAKatana I'm not sure if the new Artists offer the switching like these old ones, but I can't locate it on their website. It appears that the Artists like this one are no longer offered. They were using a Korean version for a while, but their '77-'82 was probably their best stuff. And I can't believe that guy didn't just scrape up the money to buy a Strat. He took a guitar that sold for $299..and probably cost the owners $175. I bought it from them for $350 a week later.

[@SFBGuitar]

Geez, they do, don't they? Another reason why I love this guitar.

[@FluffyMuffina]

@PixxyLixxx dude, its awesome. It had been refretted wtih dunlop 6100 frets, and they were really freaking high. and the PLEK totally straightened that out. It's really easy to get stuff PLEK'd here in California, cus I live in Sacramento, and the store I work for is the only store here from San Fran to something like Nashville. But this thing just plays like butter now.

[@rzaker]

I am thinking of picking one of these up. A local 2nd hand store has one it looks just like yours except for the 2 switches for the coil splitting/phase . Were they stock or were they added later?

[@guitar9874]

I HAVE A AR 300 I BOUGHT A FEW YEARS AGO CHANGED OUT THE TUNERS FOR SPERZEL LOCKING TUNERS, JB IN BRIDGE, 59 IN NECK, COIL SPILT FOR THE TONE FOR THE NECK AND BRIDGE, I LOVE IT. MABE GOT IT 2007 OR 2006.

[@KyleCarrington]

do a vid of it... let's hear it!

[@SFBGuitar]

@FluffyMuffina How's the PLEK? That process looks intriguing. Did you notice a big difference?

[@nickthenail]

Thanks so much. I really appreciate you taking the time :)

[@johnpublic976]

How does one go about finding these older 1960, 70, 80, model year guitars. Most advertisers do not blatantly advertise the year made, which are in itself, hard to determine by the owners if they bought them second hand. Is there a go to Price Guide the dealers are using that we don't know about? Thanks, Thumbs Up!

[@justingarcia7722]

JOHN PUBLIC the serial numbers are pretty good on the older Ibanez models to determine year, price is constantly in flux with these though

[@SFBGuitar]

@Donegaldan Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@ThomasACarlos]

@sfbguitar What model is this guitar? There are many "Artist" models. Thanks.

[@karmicselling4252]

Probably an AR3xx model from the early 1980s.

[@SFBGuitar]

@straylight99 Thanks! Actually, I'm fairly sure that is Guitar Rig 3 with the Hi-Watt amp simulator and the ProCo Rat simulator. It's hard to check the patch because I did a clean install of Windows 7 recently and just installed Guitar Rig 4 without installing 3 first. Apparently, they don't have that patch in this release, which is pretty dumb for a software company to not include prior patches in new versions. Oh well. But I remember Hi-Watt and Rat; that rings a bell.

[@Donegaldan]

Japanese made Ibanez, High quality.

[@DisneyDad2013]

Really love your solo sound...My effects need some tweaking...What is the best way to set my delay and reverb for a big solo sound ? I'm currently using a Mesa Boogie Quad into a Peavey Classic 120/120 into 2 Marshall 1960 4x12 cabs with an Alesis quadraverb gt for effects...

[@rareform6747]

You changed your Pixie ?

[@pedrozampatti7172]

Hi! Great review. What about the selector switch? Does it bother your right hand eventually? I love strats, but I hate it when I need to avoid hitting the switch. I was wondering how it feels when you´re playing rithim guitar. If you´re the kind of guitarist that likes to search for different timbers, does that limit you on this guitar?

[@hotwheel6663]

These bring crazy money today.

[@hafstrat]

Awesome.

[@SFBGuitar]

@Donegaldan Oh yeah, very high quality. This was their answer to the Les Paul Custom, so they really focused on quality to try and break out of the "budget brand" reputation they got during their earlier years. I'd say they succeeded.

[@SFBGuitar]

They look similar, but there are differences. This one has a maple cap, while the new ones have a maple veneer. Both have mahogany bodies and nearly identical electronics configurations and inlays, but different pickups. This one has an ebony fretboard, while the new one is rosewood. And this one was made in Japan, while the new one is made in China.

[@Bingo2501]

Awesome playing! What's the technique called when you slide with the picking hand and do the hammer-ons and pull-offs with the fretting hand?

[@mrjamesrbailey]

I am that guy that brought that guitar in for a trade (Hudson Massachusetts ) it was a beautiful guitar, it was just not the sound I wanted at the time, I traded a beatle bass for it. played it a few years. I brought it to the music store, you didn't give me any where close to it's value, saw it in the store window the next day for five times the amount of money you offered for it. I was pissed. glad that you are enjoying it and it has a good home. the gold on the pickups was wore away when I had it and there is major buckle rash on the back.

[@hachewie]

He seems like a douche bag. I sold my AR300 for $350 in about 1990. Still kicking myself.

[@YaoEspirito]

I know the feeling. I sold a perfect Yamaha SG1500 about that time, for $300. Probably worth ten times that now, not that I'd sell it. Great guitar.

[@tomdavidson9565]

The Japanese strats at that time were excellent. Still i wouldn't have let that guitar go for that trade but that's me. Instruments are personal. U want what u want. Btw i still own a 90 MIJ strat. Excellent guitar

[@triclops8]

oh, are these the super 80 flying finger pickups from ibanez?

[@snowman2kmill]

Could some one explain the mini toggle switches ( Tri-System ) to me, when the switch is down is it in normal humbucker mode or out of phase, and when its in the middle is that single coil?

[@69cookiez]

what a cool dad

[@101Volts]

Andy Partridge of XTC has one of these, he bought it in 76 or 77. It was played for their clip in "URGH! A Music War." Andy's not particular about guitars, though.

[@VoVikMakaR]

sounds absolutely gorgeous!!! are there any selling in Canada??

[@straylight99]

Have to say - great tone on this! I think you mention that this you are using a VOX modeller . . if so, what settings are you using? Worth knowing, but then again, would need to have your rather nice touch. Thnks for posting this.

[@DisneyDad2013]

quick question...I don't have any coil tapping on any of my guitars...But, what does the out of phase do ?

[@artcore1950]

The new AR420 series: Ibanez seems to have gone with series, parallel and coil splitting instead of an out-of-phase option. Is that your understanding of the mini-toggle arrangement on the new ones. Still a great example of Ibanez craftsmanship.

[@mjr2470]

I have an 81 I would part with for around 700... I put a diarzio sd 1 in the bridge but I do have the original Ibanez pickup for it. The originals resemble an emg or blackout. pretty hot for a stock passive.

[@mjr2470]

yes I do

[@mikeposton4809]

@@mjr2470 Do you still have that Ibanez?

[@mjr2470]

@@mikeposton4809 yes I do

[@mikeposton4809]

@@mjr2470 can you send me some pix? U still want to sell it? My friend has one he's letting me play. Not sure if he would se it. [e-mail].