We took a trip to Australia in August 2007. Aside from the main purpose of the trip to catch up with family and friends, I had a chance to reconnect with some of my old guitars, and shake a couple of guit-hands for the first time.
I've had an Ibanez acoustic since I bought it from a guy I worked with in Tasmania in about 1990. To this day I've never seen another like it. It has lovely mother of pearl all over it, the headstock, fretboard markers, sound hole, pick guard... even the bridge. I took note of the model number stamped inside when I was back and started some research.
It's an Ibanez Artist model 2604.
There's a couple of mentions of the model here.
They suggest that Ibanez didn't make any acoustics until 1973. A forum poster seems to know that his model 2604 is a 1975 model. Then a picture of a 2604 from 1977 has some subtle differences. I figure this puts mine somewhere between 1973-1976. Although the catalog here doesn't have a year printed in it, the file name itself mentions 1976, so maybe it's first release was 1976. (Ibanez Catalogue - 914kb .pdf file)
My first Harmony guitar is also in Australia, a 1961 H47 Stratotone. This was a treat!
This was so hard to photograph to capture its natural colour. The image above is the most realistic, where all the others have so much red coming through in the photo's. It's just gorgeous. It is a hollow chambered body with a killer gold foil pickup on it made by Dearmond. We took this one along to our friend George's place to plug it in for the first time. Here I also test drove my THD Univalve amp for the first time.
I've had an Ibanez acoustic since I bought it from a guy I worked with in Tasmania in about 1990. To this day I've never seen another like it. It has lovely mother of pearl all over it, the headstock, fretboard markers, sound hole, pick guard... even the bridge. I took note of the model number stamped inside when I was back and started some research.
It's an Ibanez Artist model 2604.
There's a couple of mentions of the model here.
They suggest that Ibanez didn't make any acoustics until 1973. A forum poster seems to know that his model 2604 is a 1975 model. Then a picture of a 2604 from 1977 has some subtle differences. I figure this puts mine somewhere between 1973-1976. Although the catalog here doesn't have a year printed in it, the file name itself mentions 1976, so maybe it's first release was 1976. (Ibanez Catalogue - 914kb .pdf file)
My first Harmony guitar is also in Australia, a 1961 H47 Stratotone. This was a treat!
This was so hard to photograph to capture its natural colour. The image above is the most realistic, where all the others have so much red coming through in the photo's. It's just gorgeous. It is a hollow chambered body with a killer gold foil pickup on it made by Dearmond. We took this one along to our friend George's place to plug it in for the first time. Here I also test drove my THD Univalve amp for the first time.
That old, distinctly vintage Marshall quad box was once owned and toured with by Ian Moss, of Cold Chisel fame.
Plenty of toys here now that we're back home in USA, but I have some treats waiting for me back 'home'.
5 comments:
Althought this is way late, perhaps you are still interested.
The first two digets of the Ibanez Artist Model 2604 is the year it was manufactured.
I own a 1975 Ibanez Artist, model 2604, serial number 750213.
The serial number is stamped on the base of the neck toward the back side of th ebody on the inside of the body of the guitar.
Go to:
http://www.noahjames.com/vintagepage/acoustic.html
Mike, I'm glad you found my blog, and thank you! Aren't these Artists beautiful? It's hard to believe I've owned this guitar for about 18 years. The Pacific Ocean separates us again, so I look forward to checking for the serial number next time I'm back in Australia.
Interesting to know.
Thanks for sharing the link, but unfortunately it seems to be offline... Does anybody have a mirror or another source? Please answer to my post if you do!
I would appreciate if a staff member here at thedeanfiles.blogspot.com could post it.
Thanks,
Peter
Hi Peter, each of the links in the 'Guitars in Australia 2007' posting appear to be working for me. Which one is giving you trouble?
Dean
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