Ibanez 2372 Les Paul Recording Copy

A beauty made in Japan sometime between '70-74.
3-piece laminated mahogany body with a screw on neck. Transparent laquer finish. The body is bigger and has a rounder cutaway than a regular Les Paul.
21? frets. Adjustable truss-rod.
Rosewood fingerboard with mother-of-pearl inlays. The pickguard is missing.

2 low-impedence pickups w 3-way selector.
Master Volume, treble, bass, 3-way tone decade, 3-way tone selector.
Phase switch.

All kind of sounds - from very rich to thin and fragile - but it takes a lot of time to master the controls! The phase switch can produce some incredible sounds that I so far havn't heard from any other guitar!
The Recording works for most musical styles except for really hot rock and metal.
The controls are not very logical and some of them only work in certain combinations.
The output of the pick-ups varies a lot, which is quite disturbing.

I primarely bought the Recording as a back-up for my main guitar (Epi Les Paul w Seymour Duncan '59s).
Unfortunately the output differs too much between them and it takes too much time and effort to reset the effects and amps.
It is great for recording and rehersals though.

Great finish considering it is about 30 years old. The tuners need replacing. Small gaps around the inlays on the fretboard. Very smooth, low action.
Will last another 30 years if treaten properly.

Reliable.
The finish is definetly good - some scrathes coming from 30 years of use. Needs some minor adjustment.
If I would use it for playing live (which I don't) I would want a backup.

The warranty is long overdue...

A friend of mine bought the Recording some years ago. When visiting him I used to play it and I instantly fell in love with it.
Then he quit playing on a regular basis and talked loosely about selling it. I made him promise me not to sell it without telling first. About a year later it was mine!

I've been playing for 14 years - everything from blues to pop and rock. The Recording is by far the most versatile guitar I've ever played!

If stolen or broken I would miss it greatly, but I don't think I would replace it (even if I could - which I doubt since they are very rare).

Made on or about 1972/73 in Japan. Solid body Les Paul (but slightly larger) with contoured top, finished in mahogany. Detachable neck incorporating adjustable truss rod. Rosewood fingerboard with pearloide positions markers and white bound edges. Individual chrome plated machine heads. 2 covered black oval humbucker pickups. Black laminated pickguard.

Controls: All passive - Volume, Bass, Treble, 3 position tone decade, 3 position tone switch, phase in/out, 3 position pickup selector.

Deep and rich sound, probably more so than a standard LP with loadsa grunt from the pickups. Sustain is good. I used it a lot for rhythm, pop, reggae, dance and it's unobtrosive. The tone selector effectively muffles it - which is OK for the golden oldies and backing stuff but not my favorite feature. For solo work it's rich but not very bright. The phase switch is really cool and gives a nice unique sound.

The action is close and the rosewood fingerboard is sweet! My problem is positioning the fingers properly on fast chord changes and the action doesn't forgive that too much - but that's my fault as I've got the action set low, and the strings are light gauge. I reckon that if I had 'the knack' it'd be beautiful sounding animal.

I've had it for 30 years and it's still eminently usable. it's looks the business and it's a lot better than what's on the market today. I have a Fender Strat and they're VERY different animals. The metal pickup surrounds and string/bridgy bits are showing signs of corrosion but nothing too bad apart from peeling paint. The lacquer on the body is slightly scratched but is still in good nick for all that. The lacquering is/was very well done. Thanks Ibanez!

I've just found a problem with the guitar (the electrics on one of the pickups has gone quiet) and I rang the UK Ibanez distributor. He was REALLY helpful and pointed to the Ibanez web-site which showed pictures of the original guitar and some further details. I couldn't get the circuit schematics though, but I managed to get something from the Gibson site for the original LP Recording 1971 - which looks almost the same as the Ibanez copy. Now I've just got to find a way of getting it to work without spoiling the finish.

I went pro for a short time 1974/5 but got cold feet and became a (very bad) trainee accountant. This was the biggest mistake of my life and I've regretted it ever since. Fool! If my kids want to become accountants I'll shoot them! I've dabbled since but never been pro again. I wish I had a second chance...

The Ibanez is a brilliant guitar for someone like me who is OK but not a brilliant guitarist. The action is light and the sound very rich and 'thick' - completely unlike the Strat. When I was young I hated Strats - but I've grown up now and have one of them and I love 'em both. If the LP was ever stolen - I'd break down and cry for the rest of my life. I love the LP like I love my old teddy bear. I would definately try to get another one just like it, or a real Gibson LP Recording. Unfortunately they're rarer than very rare things that have been hidden, lost then destroyed, never to be found.