more... Gear • Gear Blog • Solidbody • Humbucker-equipped • LP-Style • Trash or Treasure • Solidbody • July 2010 • Ibanez
If it says 'Made in Japan', then that bass was made by the Matsumoku factory which burned down in 1987. That factory was responsible for some pretty nice guitars by the likes of Univox, Aria, Westbury, Westone, Epiphone, Memphis, Electra et al. They were quite prolific in their day.
Hey Zach,
I have owned this Ibanez “lawsuit” guitarfor over 25 years and I’d like to know a littlemore about it. The serial number on the neckplate is K7709XX and as far as I know, it is alloriginal except for the missing pickup cover.Can you tell me more about Ibanez’s lawsuitguitars and how much this is worth today?
Thanks,
Chris Natale
NYC
Many Japanese-copied “lawsuit era” guitarsunder names like Greco, Aria, Tokai, andIbanez have taken on an almost cult-like statustoday among many guitar collectors. Whilemost readers understand what a “lawsuit era”guitar refers to, others may not and I’ll try tosummarize the term.
In the early 1970s, American guitar manufacturers (particularly Gibson, Fender, andMartin) were experiencing a steady declinein production quality while more Japanese-built guitars were showing up in the Americanmarket. By the mid-‘70s, these Japaneseguitars consisted of mostly blatant copies ofpopular American designs and the quality wasmuch better than people wanted to admit. In1977, Gibson sued the Elger Company (thedistributor of Ibanez instruments in the U.S.at the time) and demanded they stop producing copies of their instruments, specificallytheir headstocks. Japanese-built guitars thatare copies of American designs before theGibson lawsuit are commonly referred to as“lawsuit era” guitars today.
Ibanez was certainly guilty of copying Gibson,Fender, and Martin models, among others, butthey were also one of the most proactive companies when it came to introducing originaldesigns. Between 1975 and 1977, Ibanez introduced several original designs including thepopular Iceman and the Artist Series. In fact,by 1977 when Elger signed an agreement tostop building copies, their entire line consistedof almost all original instruments anyway.
Your guitar appears to be a Les Paul Customcopy that Ibanez labeled Model 2391.According to the serial number, it was built inNovember 1977, which is considered a transitional period. The Gibson/Elger lawsuit wasfiled on June 28, 1977, and was resolved nottoo long after. By September 1977, Ibanez wasready with their entire new line of instrumentsand copies were essentially a thing of thepast. However, there was a transitional periodwhere models were still produced with bothcopied and original designs. Your guitar clearlyhas a Les Paul body shape, but it has Ibanez’soriginal headstock design, a large adjustablebridge, and an elaborate tailpiece, which areall original Ibanez designs.
The Model 2391 was loosely based on aLes Paul Custom and featured a mahoganybody, maple top, and clear “See-Thru” finish. Just like a Les Paul Custom, this guitarhas multiply body and headstock binding,fancy headstock pearl inlays (another Ibanezoriginal design), and a “Custom” truss rodcover. However, the most notable difference between this guitar and a real Gibsonis the bolt-on neck. The pickguard has beenremoved, as well as the bridge pickup cover.The volume and tone knobs have rubberinserts around them for a better grip, whichIbanez called Sure-Grip knobs. There is somebelt buckle wear on the back along with somehardware oxidation, but overall the guitarappears to be in excellent condition.
Based on the condition and missing originalparts, your Ibanez Model 2391 is worth between$475 and $550 today. If this guitar was in mintcondition with all original parts in place, it wouldbe worth between $600 and $700. In comparison, a mid-‘70s Les Paul Custom is currentlyworth between $2500 and $3000. The Model2391 probably retailed between $300 and $400originally while the Gibson Les Paul retailed forbetween $850 and $950 in 1978. Other IbanezLes Paul Custom-based guitars include theModel 2335, Model 2341, Model 2350, Model2386, Model 2393, and Model 2398.
The question many of you may be asking iswhy the disparity in value between a real LesPaul Custom and a copy if the quality is comparable? No question, there is a lot of value ina name and Gibson is the most valuable namein the guitar world. Bolt-on neck guitars areusually considered inferior to set necks, whichalso attributes to a lesser value on the copy.For most copy, budget, and value instrumentsfrom the 1960s and 1970s, I’ve noticed thatthey raise and lower in value proportionally tovintage and collectible instruments, which isthe case for this Ibanez.
Copies of American guitars propelled Ibanezas a guitar company in the 1970s, but Ibanezreally established their own trademark withunique designs, a commitment to quality, andtheir relationships with artists. While not veryexpensive, I challenge you to find an Ibanezthat isn’t a treasure!
Source: Ibanez, The Untold Story by PaulSpecht, Michael Wright, Jim Donahue, andPat Lefferts.
Zachary R. Fjestad is the author of the Blue Book of AcousticGuitars, Blue Book of Electric Guitars, and the BlueBook of Guitar Amplifiers.Questions can be submitted to:
Blue Book Publications
Attn: Guitar Trash or Treasure
8009 34th Ave. S. Ste #175
Minneapolis, MN 55425
bluebookinc.com
[email protected]
I have owned this Ibanez “lawsuit” guitarfor over 25 years and I’d like to know a littlemore about it. The serial number on the neckplate is K7709XX and as far as I know, it is alloriginal except for the missing pickup cover.Can you tell me more about Ibanez’s lawsuitguitars and how much this is worth today?
Thanks,
Chris Natale
NYC
Many Japanese-copied “lawsuit era” guitarsunder names like Greco, Aria, Tokai, andIbanez have taken on an almost cult-like statustoday among many guitar collectors. Whilemost readers understand what a “lawsuit era”guitar refers to, others may not and I’ll try tosummarize the term.
In the early 1970s, American guitar manufacturers (particularly Gibson, Fender, andMartin) were experiencing a steady declinein production quality while more Japanese-built guitars were showing up in the Americanmarket. By the mid-‘70s, these Japaneseguitars consisted of mostly blatant copies ofpopular American designs and the quality wasmuch better than people wanted to admit. In1977, Gibson sued the Elger Company (thedistributor of Ibanez instruments in the U.S.at the time) and demanded they stop producing copies of their instruments, specificallytheir headstocks. Japanese-built guitars thatare copies of American designs before theGibson lawsuit are commonly referred to as“lawsuit era” guitars today.
Ibanez was certainly guilty of copying Gibson,Fender, and Martin models, among others, butthey were also one of the most proactive companies when it came to introducing originaldesigns. Between 1975 and 1977, Ibanez introduced several original designs including thepopular Iceman and the Artist Series. In fact,by 1977 when Elger signed an agreement tostop building copies, their entire line consistedof almost all original instruments anyway.
Your guitar appears to be a Les Paul Customcopy that Ibanez labeled Model 2391.According to the serial number, it was built inNovember 1977, which is considered a transitional period. The Gibson/Elger lawsuit wasfiled on June 28, 1977, and was resolved nottoo long after. By September 1977, Ibanez wasready with their entire new line of instrumentsand copies were essentially a thing of thepast. However, there was a transitional periodwhere models were still produced with bothcopied and original designs. Your guitar clearlyhas a Les Paul body shape, but it has Ibanez’soriginal headstock design, a large adjustablebridge, and an elaborate tailpiece, which areall original Ibanez designs.
The Model 2391 was loosely based on aLes Paul Custom and featured a mahoganybody, maple top, and clear “See-Thru” finish. Just like a Les Paul Custom, this guitarhas multiply body and headstock binding,fancy headstock pearl inlays (another Ibanezoriginal design), and a “Custom” truss rodcover. However, the most notable difference between this guitar and a real Gibsonis the bolt-on neck. The pickguard has beenremoved, as well as the bridge pickup cover.The volume and tone knobs have rubberinserts around them for a better grip, whichIbanez called Sure-Grip knobs. There is somebelt buckle wear on the back along with somehardware oxidation, but overall the guitarappears to be in excellent condition.
Based on the condition and missing originalparts, your Ibanez Model 2391 is worth between$475 and $550 today. If this guitar was in mintcondition with all original parts in place, it wouldbe worth between $600 and $700. In comparison, a mid-‘70s Les Paul Custom is currentlyworth between $2500 and $3000. The Model2391 probably retailed between $300 and $400originally while the Gibson Les Paul retailed forbetween $850 and $950 in 1978. Other IbanezLes Paul Custom-based guitars include theModel 2335, Model 2341, Model 2350, Model2386, Model 2393, and Model 2398.
The question many of you may be asking iswhy the disparity in value between a real LesPaul Custom and a copy if the quality is comparable? No question, there is a lot of value ina name and Gibson is the most valuable namein the guitar world. Bolt-on neck guitars areusually considered inferior to set necks, whichalso attributes to a lesser value on the copy.For most copy, budget, and value instrumentsfrom the 1960s and 1970s, I’ve noticed thatthey raise and lower in value proportionally tovintage and collectible instruments, which isthe case for this Ibanez.
Copies of American guitars propelled Ibanezas a guitar company in the 1970s, but Ibanezreally established their own trademark withunique designs, a commitment to quality, andtheir relationships with artists. While not veryexpensive, I challenge you to find an Ibanezthat isn’t a treasure!
Source: Ibanez, The Untold Story by PaulSpecht, Michael Wright, Jim Donahue, andPat Lefferts.
Zachary R. Fjestad is the author of the Blue Book of AcousticGuitars, Blue Book of Electric Guitars, and the BlueBook of Guitar Amplifiers.Questions can be submitted to:
Blue Book Publications
Attn: Guitar Trash or Treasure
8009 34th Ave. S. Ste #175
Minneapolis, MN 55425
bluebookinc.com
[email protected]