The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    Here's a quick recording of my 86' FG-100. Recorded with a Yamaha THR-10 on the Bass setting direct into computer.
    A bit silly I guess, but sometimes I find the guitar too bright because I practice at a real low volume and hear the guitar acoustically... The feel of the neck is incredible. Yes, a top quality guitar.

    Last edited by Ronstuff; 09-21-2015 at 08:31 PM.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

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    ibanez at early 80s changed neck profiles from a very soft V shape to a slimmer C, to a lot of guitars.I had an early as200 with beefy neck
    Gb 10s from 70s have clunkier necks, and also a little more body thickness.

    Bruce Foreman does not play an fg100.Its a custom made guitar from ibanez for him, and has ebony board and heavy maple neck and body

  4. #28

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    oops.. means flame maple...

  5. #29
    Dutchbopper Guest
    I just came home from trying out a 1986 GB 10. I had taken my 83 FG 100 to compare them. The GB 10 played great and felt a bit more luxurious but sound wise it wasn't much better. My FG 100 sounded woodier and even a bit fuller than the GB 10, especially in the higher register. I blame the floating pups for that.

    Surely the GB 10 is a fine guitar in its own right but price/quality wise the FG 100 - which was way cheaper - kicks its butt.

    I wish they had put routed in humbuckers on the GB 10. Preferably one only.

    The price of the GB 10 was attractive. Not sure if I will get it though. I'll sleep on it.

    DB

  6. #30

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    As i posted before, i have both guitars and play them regulary.
    They are very good guitars , but way different.
    Fg100 is better suited for bebop 60s era stuff, vintage tone
    For more modern, smooth jazz, gb10 has the edge.
    Gb10 is not a typical archtop, and it has its own sound.
    The weird thing is that fg100 does not feedback, gb10 feedbacks more easily...maybe because it has more low mids
    If i was in your place i will take the gb10. You can sell it always later.
    Its a VERY good guitar

  7. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by GoergeBenson
    Certainly nothing wrong with that considering I have an AF-120, which I love the sound of and it has the fastest Ibanez neck you will ever lay your hands on.

    Although it never stays in tune lol
    I have a narrow head AF120 that stays
    in tune solid ...
    are the tuners ok on yours ?

  8. #32

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    I have a query about my 1982 fg100. The label inside the body is signed seemingly in old-fashioned ink with metal nib pen.

    The signature is difficult to read but seems to be Kagawa Kubote. He is presumably the lutenist who made it. Is it normal for an fg100 to be hand-signed by the maker?

    It is a beautiful dark sunburst with a black (ebony?) fingerboard. The neck and body seem to maple but are dark coloured because of the sunburst. The finish is the best I have seen on any guitar.

    My use of the fg100 is probably unusual. I am an amateur and use a classical technique with real fingernails. I use flatwounds and an amp. This is much easier than playing a classical guitar with its very wide neck.

    The dealer who sold me it over 25 years ago said that a professional had traded it in. He bought direct from the importer allegedly.

  9. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by george41
    I have a query about my 1982 fg100. The label inside the body is signed seemingly in old-fashioned ink with metal nib pen. The signature is difficult to read but seems to be Kagawa Kubote. He is presumably the lutenist who made it. Is it normal for an fg100 to be hand-signed by the maker?
    Yeah, I checked mine out after reading your post. Mine is signed as well but not by the same guy. Mine's is signed by someone named 'Yuki', I can't make out his last name though, but it starts with 'Ki'. Anyone else notice their label is signed? Just wondering, does Ibanez have that done with all their hollow body guitars or are we the chosen few FG100 owners.
    Attached Images Attached Images Ibanez FG100 versus Ibanez GB 10-00d0d_fitnwg4hn2q_600x450-jpg Ibanez FG100 versus Ibanez GB 10-00t0t_f14vqotwq4p_600x450-jpg 

  10. #34

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    MY 86' FG100 is also signed by Yuki something. I had the chance to compare an 82' FG100 with my guitar a few months ago. The 82' had a thicker neck and seemed like the body was slightly deeper than mine. My guitar was brighter sounding.

  11. #35

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ronstuff
    MY 86' FG100 is also signed by Yuki something. I had the chance to compare an 82' FG100 with my guitar a few months ago. The 82' had a thicker neck and seemed like the body was slightly deeper than mine. My guitar was brighter sounding.
    Interesting, mine is actually a 1985. How about you other FG100 owners, does yours have a signature on the label? Just wondering cause I like feeling like I'm in the chosen few.
    Attached Images Attached Images Ibanez FG100 versus Ibanez GB 10-00o0o_fjhxjj6l8rl_600x450-jpg 

  12. #36

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    My fg100 from 82 had a signature inside.Very good guitar, but finally sold it

  13. #37

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    Sorry to resurrect a dead (or at least wheezing) thread, but the FG 100 fans in the audience might be interested in this: thanks to a strange series of events, I am currently the proud owner of two very similar guitars -- a blonde Ibanez FG 100 from 1982 and an Ibanez AF 120 in vintage sunburst from 2004. Aside from the 22-year age gap, the biggest difference is where the guitars were made: the FG 100 was "Crafted in Japan," most likely at the Terada workshop, while the AF 120 was made after Ibanez moved some of its production to Korea. Otherwise, the two guitars are nearly identical, except for color and some finish details. In fact, I've heard that Ibanez used the same body molds for the AF 120 series as they did for the FG 100's.

    In any case, both guitars measure 16" across the lower bout and have the same rim-to-rim depth of 2 3/4". Scale length (24 3/4"), nut width (1 11/16") and pickups (Super 58's) are also the same. Interestingly, the AF 120 has a generally higher level of materials and finish quality. The rosewood on the fretboard is really beautiful, for example, and the fret markers are pearloid blocks with diagonal abalone inlays. (The FG 100, by contrast, has plain pearloid markers.) The frets on the AF 120 are also noticeably smoother than the FG 100. Then again, the FG 100 has a better feeling neck (apart from the ragged fret ends) than the AF 120, although both guitars have very nice hand-friendly necks overall.

    And the sound? For the moment, I'm reserving judgement, since the FG 100 is new to me and needs a professional set up. But my initial impression is that the FG 100 is slightly brighter and more articulate, while the AF 120 is darker sounding, perhaps owing to its 3-piece mahogany-maple neck. In any case, I'll report back once the FG 100 is set up properly -- even if I'm just talking to myself!

    P.S. I'd like to thank all the commenters here, and especially Dutchbopper, for their thoughts and comments regarding the Ibanez FG 100. It inspired me to go looking for one when I recently decided to upgrade to a better archtop. Cheers!

  14. #38

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    the diferences are in the woods.
    FG100 top is 3 ply.One very thick layer of spruce and the 2 thin outer layers is maple.Ibanez specs says top is laminated maple, but you can see from the f holes the spruce grain.I think thats the reason for the acoustic properties of fg100

  15. #39

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    Finally got the ‘82 FG 100 back from the guitar tech, so without further ado here’s a quick comparison of that guitar with its younger sibling, a 2004 AF 120:

    Sound: Unplugged, the FG 100 has a clean, clear, bell-like tone that emerges effortlessly from the guitar body. Paired with a decent mic or piezo pickup, it could easily hold its own as an acoustic guitar, although like many laminates it’s noticeably more muted than a normal a acoustic. The AF120, on the other hand, produces a darker, less focused tone. It’s also much “boxier,” as though the sound has a harder time escaping from the guitar body. That’s not necessarily a bad thing -- in fact, a little boxiness and/or compression is often considered a good thing in an archtop -- but it’s still a noticeable difference.

    Not surprisingly, those same characteristics -- clear and bell-like for the FG 100 and darker and more compressed from the AF 120 -- carry over into the guitars’ amplified sound. Plugged in, the FG 100 just plain sings at any volume, with a great combination of warmth and clarity. No wonder the Japanese luthiers who built these guitars signed them! They had reason to be proud.

    The AF 120, meanwhile, is a well-made and very playable instrument, but it’s just not in the same class as the FG 100. Compared side by side, it’s noticeably duller and boxier, although with a few tweaks, such as a bone nut and/or new pickups, it could easily function as an everyday jam session guitar. It’s also quite a bit less expensive: I paid $500 for the FG 120 in like-new condition, and $1000 for the FG 100 in very good condition. (Interestingly, I think both guitars retailed for about the same price when they were released -- about $1200-$1300.) On the other hand, I think the AF 120 actually gets closer to the “dark” sound of old-school jazzboxes than the FG 100, which has more of a Benson/70’s thing going on.

    Finally, one thing I did notice about the FG 100 is how thin the wood-laminate is on the top and back of the guitar -- barely 3mm according to my admittedly less-than-scientific measurements. By contrast, the standard thickness on my other archtops is about 4mm-5mm. Could be one reason why the FG’s sound so wonderfully alive!

  16. #40

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    Oops! Meant to say I paid $500 for the AF 120 in like-new condition.

  17. #41

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    great love with my fg100: highly recomended

  18. #42

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    Just wanted to mention there's an FG100 on feebay right now in case anyone is interested. Natural looking style, kinda like the one posted by gianluca's above but with different pups, no covers. I'm thinking it's a 1982. Great playin' guitars! ~Cheers!



    Ibanez FG 100 Jazz Guitar Vintage Early Eighties Super 58's Great Shape | eBay


    301959705065

  19. #43
    I just come across this thread writting in google fg 100. I see here there are different opinion, some say fg100 is thin some say gb is thinner sounding and fg 100 is more woody etc...

    to me my fg 100 doesnt sound thin, but quite hollow, very acoustic and woody but still sweet and mellow. I tried twice to compare it with gb 10, one was from 77 and I preffered fg 100 both times. fg 100 just has that moggio

    here you can hear my fg 100 in live situations












  20. #44

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    I picked up this beauty with a birdseye maple top last month and had a Luthier make me a close copy of Bruce's (D'Aquisto style) tailpiece in ebony. I believe Pat Metheny's old Ibanez has the same tailpiece too. The tone is everything you want in a jazz box, fat, girthy, a bit punchy...


    Cheers,
    Arnie..

    Ibanez FG100 versus Ibanez GB 10-20210228_202245-jpg

  21. #45

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    Hey jazz guitar nerds!

    I have a question for you. I found a vintage Ibanez fg100, japanese made maple jazzbox, similar to the one Benson played at Montreux. You know, the famous Take Five recording. The seller is asking for 1600 euros. Don't you think it's a bit too much?

  22. #46

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    I agree. Price is a bit steep.
    I'd look elsewhere if I were you.

    In that price range you can find, for instance, a Yamaha SA2200 in mint conditions or even an Ibanez PM120.
    And George Benson would sound great playing a shoebox.
    I have a FG100 from 86. Nice guitar but I don't sound like Benson

  23. #47
    Dutchbopper Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by BenVir97
    Hey jazz guitar nerds!

    I have a question for you. I found a vintage Ibanez fg100, japanese made maple jazzbox, similar to the one Benson played at Montreux. You know, the famous Take Five recording. The seller is asking for 1600 euros. Don't you think it's a bit too much?
    I have a blonde 1983 one and yes, 1600 euros is a bit steep. 1200 would be more like it. They are good guitars though. I put a Gibson classic 57 pup in mine and it now sounds a lot like a 175.

    DB

  24. #48

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    When I went through my most recent guitar search, that's one of the models I was looking at. At the time, there was one on Reverb listed for $1600 (and not accepting offers), and IIRC, one other on eBay for more than that, and I couldn't find any others anywhere. I don't see any on Reverb or eBay right now. So €1600 may be a lot, but it may be the market price. I'd offer 20-25% less, and see if the seller will move, but I suspect it's not going to go for a lot less than the asking price. It's a strange market right now. There are a lot of great options at the lower end (e.g., Godin, Epiphones and a bazillion different Ibanez alphabet-soup models at around $1k USD, or substantially less), and there a lot of archtops north of about $2k. But in the middle, while we can all name models that in theory sit in that middle-tier, if you go looking there aren't many of them out there.

  25. #49

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    My friend bought this model of guitar for 800 euros...and he is happy