Ibanez 2402WH Twin Neck

I have a 1978 Jimmypage-a-like model. Even the "I" in Ibanez on the headstocks is styled to look a bit like a "G" if you're not looking too closely. I'm impressed with the finish, though: very similar to the "real" thing with a nice wood grain showing through the red. This is a bolt-on model.

2 PAF stlye humbuckers on the 12, 2 naked zebra style humbuckers on the 6. Individual pickup selectors for each neck, 3-way. I'm glad for that as I'm freqeuntly on the neck pickup with the 12 and want the bridge pickup for the 6.

The 3-way switch to select the necks is dead center between the two bridges and stop pieces. Easy to switch and easy enough to avoid hitting accidentally- at least the way I play. I can see others having trouble with it, though, so you'll probably want to try one out before buying if you can.

Tone and volume for each neck- not each pickup. These seem to be the original pickups and they are passive.

So... its a double neck. It has lots of features. But its also not a stellar instrument- good, but not stellar.

Again, I'm impressed. For a copy this is a very good sounding instrument. With the host of cheap double necks out there today this is what sold this model for me: its sounds great. Ibanez didn't skimp on the pickups- they are articulate and pretty hot. I would rather have crome covers on all of them, but I'll live.

I play a bit of everything- jazz, blues, rock, metal, punk, folk, bluegrass, pop. I can see getting most any sound that I need out of this. The 12 side is *gorgeous* as you would expect, but also takes the distortion well. The 6 side is significantly hotter and sounds pretty fat. Kinda like an SG.... strange, no?

I kinda wish the tone and volume setup was the same my Les Paul (mapped to each pickup instead of to each neck) because I frequently balance one pickup against the other with my volume knobs, but it is nice to have volume controls for each neck. I understand why people install push/pulls on these things but its very useable the way it is.

I think a lot of how a guitar sounds is how its played. How its played also depends a lot on how it feels. Its effortless for me to make this guitar sound good, though its obviously not as refined as my LP Custom.

This guy has been around for a while and shows some wear for it. Ibanez seems to have made a fairly solid machine, though, as it seems to have held up well. Some things to note:

The top peg straps have both stripped out. The neck peg was replaced and seems solid but the back peg was not replaced. I've read about this being a common problem, so watch for it.

Both volume pots were scratchy when I got it-so much so that tapping them caused noises and drop outs! They cleaned up like new with a minute or so of rolling back and forth. Self-cleaning pots. Good job, Ibanez.

Its obviously not in the factory setup state, but it came to me well set up. Even after not being played for quite some time the necks weren't warped. A quick change of strings (OK, not so quick... theres 18 of them...) and it played surprisingly well. All the adjustments are there, too, to set it up however you like- except individual string height.

So, yeah, its heavy. But I was surprised when I got it that it wasn't heavier. Then again, my other main instruments are a Gibson Les Paul Custom and a bubinga (i.e. very heavy) Toby Pro 5 string bass. Get a comfy strap and try to keep your back straight and its very useable. I may revise my opinion as the years wear on, but for now its not so heavy that I think about it much. Did I mention the comfy strap? *Very* important... its a little neck heavy so a strap with a rouge edge will saw away at your neck as you periodically pull the necks back up...

So... the tuners. You win some, you lose some. These are NOT sensative tuners. On the one hand it makes changing out those 18 strings quicker as they wind up pretty quickly. On the other, you have to be *really* careful when tuning as its difficult to get it just right. Not ideal with the fussy tuning of a 12 string. Once you get used to it, though, it works.

Well, its made it this far. It was *grimey* when I got it so I figured it had been played a lot and poorly cared for. I was worried the frets would be in bad shape, but to my delight they cleaned up easily with some cleaner and elbow grease and they aren't that worn at all! Not bad for a guitar made almost 30 years ago.

The finish is cracked and scratched in places. I'm just a little older than the guitar and my finish is, too, so I won't hold that against it. The finish must be fairly resilient, though, as the entire face of the guitar polishes up almost as good as new. Impressive.

There *are* distrubing stress cracks in the finish around the joints on both necks. The necks are solid and play wellk, though, so I'm hoping this is just signs of age and not signs of the wood splitting underneath. (!) They don't change when I push and pull the necks a little so I think its OK, but it is worth mentioning.

I do depend on this guitar. Its my only 12 string and a backup 6 string. And I certainly can't afford to buy/ haul around/ maintain a backup double neck! But its a *brilliant* backup guitar with a 12-string thrown in for spice. I'm very wary of the strap buttons and double check them when putting the guitar on and taking it off. Good habit with any instrument, but this one worries me more than most because of its weight.

I'm impressed. Copy guitars generally aren't worthy of the models they look like even if they are playable instruments of themselves. This one is both a good looking, well made copy AND a great sounding instrument.

Nothing against the many inexpensive copies around these days, but I chose this one because it doesn't *feel* or sound inexpensive. And because its likely to retain its value if cared for. A good buy, good value, and a wonderful instrument.

Mods I'm considering are more sensative tuners and push-pull pots to give me more control over the individual pickups. I'm in no hurry- its a very playable machine the way it is. Not bad for 30 years old.

If it were lost or stolen... I'd look for another one, but they are pretty hard to come by. I don't think people who own them want to sell them. I'd also look for used Epi's and Gibson's, though, and at the better made new one's by other companies. I really llike having the double neck, especially for writing: sometimes switching necks is just the ticket to get un-stuck on something.

I you're like me an always kinda wanted a double neck... do it. And if one of these crosses your path for a good price its a very good buy.

SG-style twin neck - very similar to Gibson SG twin. 6/12 string, white body and necks with black scratchplates and headstock faces. Made in Japan 1977. Twin humbuckers on 12-string neck, twin 'Super70' humbuckers on 6-string. One volume pot, one tone pot and one 3-way switch per neck. One 3-way neck-switch (12, both, 6). Stop tailpieces.
I can't find any information on which woods are used in this guitar but the 20-fret fingerboards (with double slanted block inlays) look like rosewood. The necks are bolt-on and there are four strap buttons, one behind each neck and two on the end of the body roughly as far apart as the neck buttons.
I bought this guitar in 1978 from a music shop in London for #400 (sterling) and it came with a fitted rectangular hardcase (#50) lined with blue velour.
The only real down-side of this axe is its weight! It is heavy! After a couple of hours with this baby over your shoulder, you know all about it! You certainly can't leap around the stage with it without risking the lives of your fellow band members or at least dislocating your shoulder!

The sound from this monster is very rich and has a sonorous, ringing quality caused by sympathetic vibration of strings on the neck not being played. When using the 12 string neck, the already rich sound is further enhanced by this vibration resulting in a 'huge' tone.
The 'Super 70' humbuckers on the 6-string side push out a full-bodied tone which, although not as thick and bluesy as a Les Paul, do an admirable job through a decent valve amp.
When playing lead on the 6-string through a distortion channel, it pays to mute the 12-string with your wrist; otherwise the sympathetic vibration of the 12 muddies up your single note tones.

1978 was such a long time ago, I can't remember whether the guitar was set up well or not, but I don't recall having any major problems with playability. Also, at that time I was a tennage wannabe guitar hero (you know the type) and was probably as interested in the look of the beast as I was in its musical credentials.
However, having revisited this guitar many times in the intervening years, I have to say that the quality of this instrument is excellent. There were no manufacturing faults with this guitar and it is still an immensely playable instrument. The action on the 6-string is smooth and easy and the 12-string, though obviously requiring more muscle from your fingers, handles barres without buzzing.

I used this guitar without backup for many years, mainly because I'd blown all my cash on buying it in the first place! I had no worries (but then how many teenage rockers worry about anything?)
After 24 years, there are a couple of chips in the laquer and some of the gold plating has worn but that's to be expected I guess. The pots and switches have had to be sprayed with switch-cleaner occasionally but they are the originals and they all still work!
As for the action, it is still silky smooth to play, though it doesn't venture out of its case very often these days.
These days I use sensible, single-necked guitars (with a backup)

Never had to contact them

As mentioned above, I was a teenage rocker in the late 70's through the 80's, gigging locally with an originals band. Then I grew up (or so it's rumoured) got married, had a daughter, bought a house etc. etc. and just played for fun along with songwriting and composing.
Started playing seriously again about five years ago and formed a band a year or so later playing rock/pop covers.
I use a Patrick Eggle Berlin through a Korg AX1G into a Marshall VS 102R and I take a Washburn Mercury series MG40 along as a backup.
The Ibanez comes out with me once in a while (when I'm feeling strong enough) but is really a home and rehearsal guitar these days.
I love this guitar. It epitomises everything about it's era and what I was doing at that time. It is a quality instrument and would be difficult to replace.
If it were stolen, I would track down the culprit, encase their head between a pair of Celestion 12"s, bind them all together with gaffa tape, wire the speakers to a 100W Marshall head and subject them to the Ibanez's 12-string neck playing an open E-major through maximum overdrive. Enough said.