Ibanez AC-100

My piano black AC 100 is a semiacoustic guitar with a very flat body (only 4,5 cm/1,78 inches thick), single cutaway, small headstock, 2 f-holes, 2 Ibanez-humbuckers (which sound way too thin) and a Gibson-type bridge and stop-tailpiece. Overall looks and construction are much like a Gibson Chet Atkins Country Gentleman. The tuners are very precise and still working "butter-soft". The guitar was made in Japan in 08/1980 and has excellent craftsmanship.
One of its biggest advantages is its weight: mine weighs only 2,7 kg (6 US pounds) - and that already includes that bigsby-type vibrato, manufactured by Duesenberg/Germany, called the "Les Trem" which I threw in. That one is very light (it simply replaces the bridge, no drilling etc. necessary) and stays in tune perfectly. It is the best vibrato I ever used on any guitar!
The original two passive humbuckers are trash. I exchanged them (see "Sound").
I have heard from "Guitar George", a former dealer in Essen/Germany, that Tony Sheridan, ex-co-player with the Beatles in the early '60s, living in Germany now, owns the same guitar that I have. George told me that less than 10 black AC-100s made it to Germany. According to internet sources, this model was built only 1800 times from 1979 - 82.

The main exchange I made were the pick-ups. I built in 2 Seymour Duncan SH-1s in bridge and neck position. Now the guitar delivers a blend of a hollow (Gretsch) and warm (Gibson ES 335) sound, which is perfect for our early '60s-oldie band (we play that melodic stuff of the Shadows, Ventures, Beatles, Kinks, Stones, Searchers etc.).
A friend of mine is a professional guitarist whose favorite guitar is his Gretsch Nashville. Mine sounds very similar but slightly warmer and louder (he says, there is a bit Telecaster in it), is much lighter and thinner - thus more comfortable to carry. He wanted to buy it right away. No way!
The guitar is top for clean sounds through a Fender tube amp or one of the new VOX hybrid amps - people usually say "it sounds really great". And it sounds warm when played distorted.

I bought this guitar used but "like new". It had no scratches, the frets had very little wear (and they still don't have after 1 year's extensive playing). That former dealer "Guitar George" from Essen/Germany told me that they used harder fret material 20 or 30 years ago than they do today.
I did some careful filing on the saddle to lower the strings towards the fretboard and achieved a very low action without any string ringing.
Everything else was still in perfect order.

I can play a five hour gig and check only once if the guitar is still in tune (which it usually is). I have played several Strats (of US and Japanese manufacture) and always had problems keeping them in tune for a whole evening.
The finish on body and neck looks like new. Most people don't believe that this guitar was built in 1980. It doesn't even have scratches.
A very nice thing about it is that the neck doesn't start "glueing" to my hands like my Les Paul did (my hands obviously don't like Gibson furnace).
I never take a back-up with me, it's simply not necessary.

I have no idea. My guitar simply doesn't need any support - it's like new, after 21 years!

I'm playing in oldie bands now since 6 years. I started playing guitar more than 20 years ago. I have owned at least 20 electric guitars (Fenders, Gibsons, Fernandez, Hagstroem, Ibanez, Framus, Hoefner -way back in the '70s) but this one is the best I ever had. I won't part with it. If it were stolen, I would try to find the same piece or an old, light Gretsch or Gibson ES 335.
But I would never buy any guitar weighing more than 2,7 kg (6 US pounds) - all my old guitars were this light. Only the newer ones are so heavy - why?
I would like to know more about the AC-100. Who has more information on it? Please let me know.

hollow , semi-acoustic , mah. neck , rosewood fretboard , laminated maple body , 2 humbuckers , Gibson-style hardware , nice neck , good condition

nice for jazz , old style blues and ....... feedback ! also very nice unplugged

ok , gotta installl some BIGGER strings ...

secondhand , prod.year 1989

no pickguard ..... ( nice ! )

I got some info from an "Ibanez-freak" .

nice ! think : Epiphone Sorrento or Gibson ES225 with humbuckers . Also kind of Gretschy sound !