Ibanez Les Paul Copy

no serial number , pre 75 made in japan
22 fret bolt on neck
solid top 2 vol 2 tone pots
3 humbuckers super 70s
tune o matic bridge
black finish with gold hardware although worn away
law suit headstock with pearl inlays

great rock guitar . playing thru a TSL602 combo (clean channel only) with boss overdrive/stereo chorus and marshall guvnor . sounds great clean and overdriven , loads of controlled feedback when you want it , no squealing , even at high volume . great for blues , some jazz stuff and your rock to heavy rock riffs

very lown action (fretless wonder?)
some pick up adjustment required but overall in excellent condition
set up was fine although i suspect this guitar had`nt been played much

i have been playing this guitar solid now for 4 months (my tele hasnt seen the light of day)2 gigs a week . seems very well made and reliable , no back up required.

overall playability of this guitar is outstanding . purchased from second owner with history , i cannot fault it except for one of the tuners which plays up occasionally . seems the solid bodys are the way to go as i experience no feed back probs as mentioned with the models with the resonance chambers . if you can find one grab it .

1978 made (PF400?), still completely as new, in spite of heavy use. It has 2 pickups (don't even know what type it is because i don't like taking of the shells), a 3-way switch and volume/tone control per element.
There's still a nice discussion on Ibanez Collector's world about this discontinued series that made the grade as the Ultimate Les Paul copy.
The neck is glued to the body.

What a beasty! It is directly comparable with the original LP. This makes it suitable for any kind of music with a bit of a bite. Wouldn't do my jazz-sessions, of course, and the sound is a bit "too present" for accompaniing groupwise singing.
No effects (quirk of me, only a Leslie-box or a good Flanger is welcome).
There's a nice sound in the complete range of tonal settings, no flaws whatsoever.

It's easy to, what i call, "make the wood sound". That is, you can hear the wood resonate through the tones. To give an idea: listen to BB King on e.g. `Won't you help poor me`. On my Marshall 30W it's very well possible to recreate this sound.

Though the guitar was in nice shae from the store, i had it tuned right after i bought it. Piet in Arnhem, Holland did a great job, i did't have to look after it in 20-some years...

This guitar makes you wanna play and it's not standing in the way of taking off on the notes you have in mind.

After 23 years the volume of the lower pickup got stuck (might be because i use my pink on this to get a nice violin-like effect on single notes while playing solo's). Replacement was easy.

I don't like the highest part of the neck though (up from high-G, on the B and E-strings), it's unwilling to make the notes sound ok, but this may be because of the strings i use (Mostly plain Erny Ball .009).

The craftsmansip of Ibanez was obviously let loose on this model. There is not a single spot that's not handled very well. Fingerboard, frets, bridge, inlays (though simple), Finish and of course the woods used.

If 25 years of action means anything...
Use it without a backup? If the speakers last and the cables are allright, this thing never let me down.
There's not even a scratch on the finish, and the metal parts are hardly oxyded at all.

Huh?

I used it on a Fender Bronco amp for small gigs and rehearsal, the real playing is done through a Marshall 30W used as feed-back monitor. The leads to the table go straight from this amp ito the board.
Next to my Samick SAB for the more jazzy stuff and accompaniing, i do use an Epiphone all-acoustic for the backup-parts. I'm not much of a collector and quite picky on the guitars i actually buy.
If it would be stolen, i fear i cannot get my hand on one again. No-one who owns one seems to be willing to sell :-)

1977 Les Paul Custom Copy, Lefty, set neck, cherry sunburst, super 70's pu's, 22 fret, 2 vol, 2 tone, 3 way, from what i've researched, body is mahogany ( definitely not 1 piece, lol)with a maple top?, mine has some subtle flame going on.nice. tune-o-matic bridge, star klusen? tuners.

My other guitar was a semi-hollow body, and i needed a solid body for more chunky rock stuff. Found this on the net from Zane out at Legend guitars in Nova Scotia. Definitely fits with the music i play more. Had to swap out bridge pu with a SD JB since the super 70's bridge was too microphonic with the gain i was using. I'm running it into a mesa boogie v-twin to a '96 Fender blues deville 2x12 combo.
Now that there's no microphonic squeal, the guitar sounds nice and full, plays nicely, even though the neck scale kind of screwed me up from my other guitar (shorter). Don't think the neck is as fat as a real les paul (a fact i like), at least doesn't seem to be when i try my friends '80 lp. the super 70's were alot more bright than i expected and not as muddy as real lp pu's seem to be. the neck seems a little weak on clean, but I'm probably switching it to a SD '59 anyway, since it is going the microphonic way as well. I love those 59 pu's for clean. It is a nice, full sounding guitar though. Definitely does NOT sound like the real les paul IMO. It weighs nowhere near the weight of a real les paul either.?.

Well, when i bought this off the net, Zane described it as very good condition, and it was. Except for a couple of lacquer cracks and just a little corrosion on one bridge saddle, this guitar is in excellent shape. Tuners look brand new, neck was straight and rosewood looked unbelievable, frets in great shape, this guitar looked hardly played. There was a little scratchiness on the volume pots, but a little contact cleaner made that go away in a hurry. Only a two owner guitar, I can't complain at all about this purchase, especially considering this guitar is 27 years old!

It's doing great. It is my #1 axe now. Sure, there's many guitars out there better made, better sounding, but I'm on a budget, and I think i got a great deal. I always carry a backup, but this one hasn't let me down yet. Solidly built, just threw on some strap locks just to be safe. All the band mates love this guitar, and they're playing real Les Pauls, Strats, SG's, and tele deluxes.

like i said, 27 years old. don't think i'm getting any customer support.

Been playing (strictly rythmn, fingers too slow for lead) about 10 years. Also have a Epi Sheraton II with SD custom and '59 installed. Nice guitar as well, once the hardware is changed to better quality.
I would definitely track down another one of these LP's if mine was stolen, at least at the price and condition i got this one at. I love the sound now. I'm not a big cherry sunburst fan, but i can live with it. Why do so many manufacturers make cherry sunburst only in left handed anyways? irritating...anyways a great guitar for the price. Thanks again Zane.

It's a 1977 Ibanez Les Paul copy, cherry sunburst. Original hardware is still on it, but badly scratched. Finish is still pretty good, A large chip on the back from what would logically be a belt buckle, and another small one on the back of the neck behind the 2nd fret. One of the pickups was changed by the guy i got it from it is a dimarzio (not sure of the model though). The seller was the original owner, and he included the original case (it also had the warranty registration card, and the manual from the manufacturer). I'm not sure on the wood.

I love this guitar. It is my favorite guitar by far, I own an Epiphone les paul copy, a strat, an epiphone dot (es-335 style), a BC Rich Warlock, a few different acoustics, and I love this. It sounds really smooth and clean. I wish i had both original pickups so I could see what it sounded like from the factory.

It plays really well, the person I bought it from might have adjusted the bridge and stuff, and I know he changed one pickup, but it has always played really well. I get offers to buy it all the time, but I don't have the heart to let it go. The hardware was gold finished, and is very badly scratched, but I think it adds to the overall character of the guitar.

The guitar will withstand live playing (i've used it a few times) but i haven't performed in a while so I haven't played it live in a while. The hardware is pretty old, but I dont think it is having any trouble. Strap buttons are solid, it is very dependable.

Got it used, and haven't had any trouble.

I picked this up pretty randomly, and I have never regretted it. I have played many guitars, and bought and sold many also. Once i got this baby home for $50 bucks I couldnt put it down, and selling it NEVER crossed my mind.

I bought this baby in 95, and let me say that i had tears in my eyes when i first saw it. To say that it was in bad shape wld be seriously understating the beating it had taken in the hands of its previous owner. It is a '77 Ibanex Les Paul Custom copy (originally wood tone with a hendrix burn - if the past owner is to be believed), sprayed black with a can of spray paint at the hands of the previous owner(i'm not kidding). I was aghast - but drawn to its beauty - even under all that grit. I had no idea what i ws getting into...

It has been lovingly restored, purely because it was a wonderful sounding guitar - even though the frets had been destroyed to nearly flat, the neck was slightly warped, the parts were corroded to hell, and the electronics were screwed.

I spent US$150 equivalent buying it from the monster, and spent every extra cent i could scrape together to restore it to its (what i think must have been) former glory. It is now a tobacco sunburst with a double hum config. The body and neck are both bound, and the binding is yellow with age.... its really quite a sight.

The pickups (to my surprise beneath all the oxidation) revealed to be Super 70s. The neck pickup is OUT OF THIS WORLD. the bridge pickup is warm, with lots of low end and with a killer bite on the high mid range. I think a little more adjustment to the bridge pickup will solve the slight muddyness (which i personally LOVE enough to not want to lose it totally).

Played clean it is a WINNER - no feedback, no hum. It has 2 vol and 2 tone knobs (which i've replaced with clear amber which really sits well with the tobacco sunburst). the wood grain just calls to you and i spend many minutes each day just enjoying its beauty before i play. Overdriven - it really comes to life - it doesn't sound like a Les Paul at all - in fact its got more BITE, sings like an angel, sustains really well. 3 way switch like the its gibson namesake. OVERALL - this is a wonderful sounding guitar. The bridge and other parts have been replaced to nickle, so it looks a hell of a lot better too... i even got a friend to replace the bone piece at the top of the neck. The neck has the double trap design with Ibanez in cursive. Really nice!

22 frets, C-profile bolt on neck with trapz inlay is thinner than the standard Gibson D neck. Still reasonably easy to play, even for a stubby fingered guy like me... The frets were terribly worn down (with a rock i think to accommodate the shredding owner previously...) i've replaced them with standard frets, so playability is remarkable. The only thing i need to get used to is that on the two E's, the string slips off the neck when you bend either up or down... takes a bit of getting used to...

The guitar came with a hard case with blue velvet interior, and a really beat up 15W Fender amp Model 15XKR with reverb. Replacing some transistors in the amp has improved its vocal range - but its still pretty limited. Time to shop for a new amp. A friend has offered a loan of his JCM900, which i think will serve the purpose for now - much to the disdain of my neighbours... haha!

I can't for much more in terms of features - this has been my one and only guitar, and i don't see myself getting another one ever.

I play a pretty wide range - from funk to blues and even some classical/folk. This guitar works really well for blues and funk. It has a pretty muted neck that i think is alder - so could account for why some of its vocalization not as ringy - especially on the bridge pickup.

I use a AE2FX "Goojtone Brahdrive" which has designed by some dude we know and given to me by a couple of friends as a X'mas present. I also use a TS5 for when i want the guitar to come through more. My set-up leaves much to be desired - but it serves my purposes for now...

The guitar is not noisy, has bright high ends with BITE(much like a tele...) My only complaint, and this is not really a big deal because i've grown to love it, is that it has a muddy undertone. Good for the kind of music i like - namely blues/funk. But playing rythm on it is great, although its better driven slightly than totally clean in a band format.

For a 25 year old guitar, i think its a real trooper. I've dropped it once, and nothing happened. The action is pretty low, but i've raised it slightly to suit my taste. The hardware WAS oxidized badly - BUT NO LONGER!! In general i would say that this guitar is going to be around for a long while more - and i hope to leave it to my nephew!

Finish - i really don't know what to say expect that it was in such bad shape (MISHANDLED!!) by its previous owner, it really looks SUPER now.

I've replaced everything that needed replacing - again a gift from my friends who paid for the who thing as a surprise. I have great friends - and they are even more special than this guitar is to me. If you're reading this guys - THANKS FOR MAKING THIS A REALLY SPECIAL HINDU CHRISTMAS ;)

This guitar has no problems in a live gig environment. Everything is now ROCK SOLID. I would not need a backup in a gig, except maybe a 12 string ...

I suppose this would be a moot question? I get all the support i need from the local techs who have been great - have taken the time to explain what needs to be done, and offer creative alternatives to get what i want.

They have also been a great influence in curbing my crazy urges with a modicum of sanity and rationality. So this rating goes to Mark, my friend who happens to be a real gem of a guy with a flair for guitar tech and ampwork.

I've been playing for abt 15 years - but mostly classical. I have been recently introduced to the electric guitar and given that so much time has been spent on it to finally make it the guitar it is today, i am proud to say that this guitar serves all my needs at this time, and probably will for the rest of my life. If it was lost or stolen - i'd be mortified. I'd hunt down the party involved and really make them PAY!!!

I can't ask for much more from this guitar. If i were to compare it to another Les paul Custom, it would be on par in my book, although a Les paul Custom does sound as sweet as hell. Its just that it does things (that BITE, that SWEET crying) that gives this guitar a character all its own. It can hold its head high in the company of most any other guitar -a nd i've heard many. Played thru my friends musicman amp - it was astounding. I can't wait to improve on the rest of my gear over the next year.

I love this guitar - if you have one or have heard one you will know what i mean!

Before I start this review I must acknowledge that I've played several Ibanez Les Paul copy's that were very good quality...However, this wasn't one of them...This guitar was a cream colored Les Paul Custom copy (a la Randy Rhoads), bought used in 1982 (when I was short on money and short on brains) with a bolt on neck. The body was basswood. I had a Carvin M22SD put in the bridge. The neck was thin, and I had the fret planed and dressed but the neck never felt quite right.

This was probably the worst sounding electric that I ever owned. It didn't sound warm, it didn't sound clear...it just sounded gross!! the tone was unique...I mean uniquely horrible!!! I used it during the '80's for punk, new wave, and heavy metal. Used it primarily with a Fender Bassman, Acoustic 160, and a Marshall Super Lead 100. Actually, with the Marshall and a Boss DS-1 it sounded great! But something tells me that had something to do with the amp more than the guitar. What kind of sounds did the guitar make?...It made bad ones!!

The action was below average. Like I said, with the frets planed and dressed, and the neck adjusted for super low action it just didn't feel right to me. Since the body was a whole lot lighter than a Gibson it was more comfortable in that sense. One positive thing I will say though is that I did like the cream color finish (at least I could pretend I was Randy Rhoads!!)

I had no problems with the guitars reliability

Never had to deal with them

I have been playing over 30 years. I've owned a Gibson SG,Les Paul Standard, Peavey Impact, Kramer Striker, Fender Strat, and an Epi Les Paul. As I've already said, my Ibanez Les Paul was the worst guitar I've ever owned. I gigged with it for 3 years in college and hated every minute of using it. I want to emphasize I think Ibanez makes great guitars, and I've played several of their very good quality Les Paul copies. So to those of you who've owned good Ibanez Les Pauls...Boy would I have envied you in the '80's!

I was told this was a 73 vintage, although my tech who offered to buy it thought it was older. It is a cream colored (originally white aged) LP Custom copy with black appointments and double binding. It has pearl block inlays and gold hardware. It is stunningly beautiful although not mint and has a few surface cracks in the finish. The headstock is identical to the Gibson Custom with the double diamond insignia but says Ibanez in cursive not print as the newer ones. Two volume two tone one toggle all work outstandingly well, bolt-on neck, tone chambers.

This thing sounds nothing like any Gibson I have ever played, but I would'nt trade it for one either. I don't buy guitars as an investment or a business, but rather as a music lover and this thing does the things I want better than the Gibson. How you might ask can you prefer a bolt-on copy to the original? For one thing the LP sound is too generic, almost every humbucker guitar made has had its sound modeled after the Gibson LP. For another, I'm from the old school that doesn't measure a guitar by weather it can drive a Marshall Stack. I play mine through a Peavey Delta Blues or a Line 6 Spyder and measure any guitar by how it sounds clean. By that standard you will not find a humbucker guitar that is more precise than this one. It's as clear as any of my single coil guitars including my fender Tele, but with an electro-accoustic ring. I've seen other reviews compare this to a thinline Tele, I say it's got its own distinct vibe (maybe a cross between an accoustic Tele and a LP), mine reminds me of a harpsichord. This thing sustains as well or at least almost as well as my 2 set-necks (Hamer archtop, Ibanez AF 120) and delivers that bolt-on bite to boot.

I bought it in a Pawn shop and the neck was straight as a string (just the way I like it) and not a buzz to be found. Nut width and Neck is slightly thinner than the Gibsons but not a problem for me or anyone with normal to thin digits.

30 years and counting.

N/A

It makes me laugh when I see a review like one I read here by someone who had sold his, thought these were over-rated and judged it a good guitar for a beginner. Mine was played professionally most of its life by the lead guitar player in the Inkspots who paid 350.00 for it new in 1973 (according to Craig at Bargainpawn). Granted there is alot of diversity in quality owing to the fact that Ibanez (like many other Japanese cos of the period) was a distributor not a manufacturer. I believe that the really good ones are not necessarily the set-necks but rather the early bolt-ons with chambered bodies. These are still a steal at going rates.

My Ibanez Les is about a 1972 model, with 22 frets and made in japan. It has a mmk45 pickup in the bridge (i think an old aria pro 2 pickup from the mid 80s), this pickup has a great sound and can really scream. It has a stock humbucker in the neck that is fairly thin sounding pickup, i plan on replacing it with a DiMarzio air norton.
It has badly been repainted black, but where there are chips you can see it was a gold top. It has the original Tune-O-Matic bridge, with after market schaller machine heads. It has a really nice thin neck, and since iv had her setup the action is really good and low.

I play all sorts of stuff from heavy metal to funk and this guitar holds its own, with a new neck pickup it will get even better though.
I usually play through a 50 watt epiphone regent bass amp, which gives a nice rich tone, and even breaks into a nice overdrive. On the stage i play through a 100 watt marshall combo, which works just aswell.

I purchased the guitar second hand, it was nearly 30 years old at the time so it needed some tlc, with a fret dress and setup it played really nicely. The finish is in pretty bad shape due to the bodgy backyard paint, but this doesnt worry me as i just love the way she plays.

This guitar is solid, and is my no 1 stage weapon. I have replaced the strap buttons with a DiMarzio locking strap, because i always have problems with strap buttons, and since have had no problems. I generally take a second guitar on the stage, my 82 Ibanez Blazer, with 3 single coils, but not as a back up only because they complemant each other on the stage both being bullet proof, and covering all the sounds i need.

Iv had no contact with ibanez

I have been playing guitar and bass for about 5 or 6 yeasrs. I own an 82 Ibanez Blazer, an 85 Ibanez Roadstar 2 Bass with humbuckers, a Danelectro longhorn bass, 50 watt epiphone regent bass amp and a bunch of boss effects (Flanger, distortion, metal zone, heavy metal). If it was lost or stolen i would try to replace it with another one, but generally there pretty expensive. I dont like the finnish, but it doesnt worry me because it plays so well, once i have a fuller pickup in the neck it will be perfect.

Mine's a 1976 Les Paul Standard copy made in Japan, which i bought off e-bay this year(2003). Someone, at some point in the past has taken all the laquer off the top(who spreads these rumours that guitars sound better with a natural finish? Sorry but you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference). It was also in need of a good clean up and electrics needed re-tinning, set of strings and a few of the fixings needed replacing.
Everything seems to be standard, although the knobs don't look like the originals... and at least with the natural finish i can say that it is unique!!

I've only been playin' for less than a year and i run it through a digitech GSP 21Pro and SW 100W Amp and it is very versatile, but i have to agree with others that it doesn't mimic a Gibson Les Paul in sound. It is pretty unique.
For the money and the fact they will never go any lower in value = BARGAIN.

Very, very low action and i just hope i can get to a standard where it sings without people putting their fingers in there ears.
The only thing i find hard about playing it are the ultra fine strings, any slight movement and it's bend-city, but thats me and not the guitars fault.

In desperate need of TLC and a caring owner when i got my baby, but now i think she's pretty indestructable.

Not used and i dont think they have a 27 year warranty.

Great guitar!!
Buy carefully and it will out last any of these modern day cheapo Les Pauls, plus it won't lose money.

Serial number indicates that my copy of a Black Beauty was made in '77. It was new when I bought it and I am playing it permanently since then. The 22 frets of the set-in neck are still in excellent shape, same as all other features. The gold plate of the bridge and the stoptail rubbed off during the years. Don't ask me what wood was used, maybe birch, it is dammed heavy. However, the black paint is of excellent quality, no severe damages up to now, still glossy appearance.

Blues and rock are my favorites, and with its Super 70 Pickups it sounded a little bit weak, and it suffered from severe feedback problems. I changed the pickups to Gibson Classic 57 and Classic 57 Plus, but still it sounded a little bit muddy, maybe because it has no maple top. Now I found the dream pickups for this guitar: Gibson P94!! With the single coils it became an awful and absolutely amazing guitar. The sound can be controlled by the volume pots from sparkling clean to screaming overdrive. With the genuine Super 70 I rate the sound only 3, with the P94 it is really a 10!

From factory it came with a very low action, and during all the 25 years of use I had no reason to modify the neck tension or the action at all. Perfect.

After 25 years of permanent use on stage, during rehearsals and at home I had no problems yet. Of course, I use a second guitar, a Gibson Les Paul Studio Plus in Lemon Burst with the Classic 57 Pickups. As someone said before: shit happens.

I had no reason to deal with the Customer Support of Ibanez, thus I don't know at all. If the support is as good as the quality and durability of the guitar, it should be ok.

I have some US-Strat, Epi 335, this Ibanez and the Gibson Les Paul. For amplification I use a Marshall JTM-30 combo for playing at home. For rehearsal and stage I use a rack with a Mesa Boogie Formula Pre Amp, a TC G-Major followed by a Peavey Classic 50/50, then into a Marshall 1960 4x12.
Amazing tones can be realized. I love the Ibanez, however when it was stolen I would look for an original Gibson as replacement (because I see more chances to get a Gibson than such a marvel of vintage guitar!). Anyway, it's a great guitar.