The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1
    Dutchbopper Guest
    I came across several vids of Alessio Menconi playing his Ibanez FG 100. I have the same guitar (in blonde too, 1983 model) and have been playing it a lot the last days. Even on the same tune as Alessio! Great player.

    And then there is George Benson on the hottest clip ever. Same guitar. And Bruce Forman. Same guitar. Ibanez' first original model was definitely a pro grade model in the 175 vein.

    Any other owners here?

    DB

    The FG100 is a hollow body electric guitar model introduced by Ibanez for 1982. It was made in Japan as part of the Full Acoustic line. Initial production was by FujiGen, but moved to Terada sometime around 1986. The FG100 features a full-sized, full-hollow, single Venetian cutaway body design with an arched, laminated maple top with ƒ holes and ivory multi-binding on maple sides and arched back mated to a set-in maple neck with a 20-fret rosewood fingerboard with ivory binding and pearl block position markers. Components include a pair of Ibanez Super 58 humbucking pickups with chrome covers and individual volume and tone controls, black plastic pickup rings, a rosewood bridge with rosewood saddle, a custom trapeze tailpiece, a bone nut, a tortoise shell pickguard, Sure Grip knobs, and Smooth Tuner machine heads. For 1983 the knobs were replaced with the new Sure Grip II. The FG100 was discontinued after 1987. The somewhat similar AF200 was released the following year.






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  3. #2

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    So far that is one of the ones that got away. I will get my hands on one some day and I look forward to the occasion.

    They should have made it an Artist designation.

  4. #3
    Dutchbopper Guest
    A vintage Ibanez. Mine is a blonde 83. A guitar in the vein of a 175. The tune is "Scrapple from the Apple." I played it through my Mambo 10 amp. It's the 4th tune in my "Bop Till You Drop" project.

    DB

    Last edited by Dutchbopper; 10-26-2021 at 09:49 AM.

  5. #4

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    Sounds great! Really great.

  6. #5
    Dutchbopper Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Lobomov
    That is actually a great sounding axe .. To my ears it's not quite as scooped as your Gibson's, a bit more in your face .. I like it! Play that a bit more
    Yes, it's a great guitar. Still, they are not that cheap on the used market. Pretty rare too. I do not know how the FG 100 compares to recent AF models though. The AF 2000 seems a more luxurious guitar.

    DB

  7. #6

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    Please don't ever drop. I"m loving this bop.

    Guitar sounds like a million dollars. You get the bop vibe from it.

  8. #7
    Dutchbopper Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by lawson-stone
    Please don't ever drop. I"m loving this bop. Guitar sounds like a million dollars. You get the bop vibe from it.
    Thanks. What helps is that these days I know how to record an archtop. That took me a number of years ... But the guitar has to sound good to begin with ...

    Next one will be "Au Privave." An easy one.

    DB

  9. #8
    Dutchbopper Guest
    Here some pics of the FG 100. Top and back feature nice bird's eye maple.

    DB

    Ibanez FG100 - Scrapple from the Apple-fg-100-full-shot-jpgIbanez FG100 - Scrapple from the Apple-fg-100-front-jpgIbanez FG100 - Scrapple from the Apple-fg-100-back-jpg

  10. #9

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    A 1982 FG100 has been for sale near me for several weeks now. Asking $2000 cdn (~1600 usd). It appears to be in very good condition. I must admit I'm very tempted to go check it out. Quality archtops in that price range don't pop up all that often near me, and your videos and review showcase it well.

  11. #10
    Dutchbopper Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by LifeOnJazz
    A 1982 FG100 has been for sale near me for several weeks now. Asking $2000 cdn (~1600 usd). It appears to be in very good condition. I must admit I'm very tempted to go check it out. Quality archtops in that price range don't pop up all that often near me, and your videos and review showcase it well.
    Prices for these models have been going up steadily over the years ... They are not cheap anymore. I don't know how they compare to the current top Ibanez models though. Some are in that price range. You would have to play them side by side.

    DB

  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dutchbopper
    Prices for these models have been going up steadily over the years ... They are not cheap anymore. I don't know how they compare to the current top Ibanez models though. Some are in that price range. You would have to play them side by side.

    DB
    Yup, a year ago when I was archtop shopping, I found one FG100 on Reverb for $1600 in rough condition and none anywhere else. My guess is that the closest thing to it in current models is the PM200 (at least on paper).

    In terms of sound, all I had to go on in terms of comparison is demo videos when I was looking, which I find very mostly uninformative. I've not heard a single demo of any current-issue Ibanezes that sounds quite like your FG100 (which in your videos sounds a whole lot like your 175), but it's hard to know what to make of that.
    Demos I've heard of the AF125 come a lot closer, but they don't make those anymore. The Ibbies I've actually played seem like a different flavor.

    The AF 2000 (or 2000), has a laminated spruce top, which is a somewhat different sound from lam maple. I haven't played one, but my 77 has one also, and I'd say it sort of splits the difference between an L4 and a 175, while retaining some "thunk", but is not truly the 175 sound of your FG100. There are a bunch of Chris Whteman videos here (especially in the chord melody sub-forum) with an AF200, which IMO confirm the contrast between it and your FG100. But nothing really replaces the experience of trying the guitar oneself.

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dutchbopper
    Yes, it's a great guitar. Still, they are not that cheap on the used market. Pretty rare too. I do not know how the FG 100 compares to recent AF models though. The AF 2000 seems a more luxurious guitar.

    DB
    The AF200 and 2000 I don't think really compare to the FG or FA models, which I think sound pretty close. The Fa and FG have that tight, solid maple sound and they have a weight to them. Where as the AF's have a more soggy spruce sound and are pretty light.
    The FG will sound more responsive with tight, round notes. The AF is on the other end but the difference is small.

    The appointments on the FG are very good, the only slight negative being the colour of the rosewood board and the inlays.
    It's not bad it's just not as luxurious as ebony etc The tops and backs they put on them are very nice.

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by ArchtopHeaven
    The AF200 and 2000 I don't think really compare to the FG or FA models, which I think sound pretty close. The Fa and FG have that tight, solid maple sound and they have a weight to them. Where as the AF's have a more soggy spruce sound and are pretty light.
    The FG will sound more responsive with tight, round notes. The AF is on the other end but the difference is small.
    Interesting observation, and I agree with it ( although not sure I'd call spruce tops "soggy" ). Generally, lam maple tops have a tighter and weightier sound, and can cut through more, although lam maple sounds a bit more 2-dimensional to me. But that might not matter, depending on context; it's a positive advantage when playing 8th note lines, although less so when comping for a sleazy ballad. I certainly agree about the AF sound, from recent experience, and I'd say the difference was substantial. Many players are after that top end tight, weighty sound, but from a spruce top with its prettier and more 3-D tone - but I don't know of many/ any production models that can combine both.

    It's interesting that some luthiers say that what they are striving for in "weight & fatness in the treble notes" ( I think that quote came from Byant Trenier, and I know that's what Daniel Slaman looks for). That's understandable; luthiers by definition would prefer to carve and tune tops from spruce. Borys is an exception, no doubt there are others.

    I really like the FG100 sound here; it's not especially delicate, but very solid and sounds exactly right for this tune. There are some Menconi clips that sound as good, with the same guitar.
    I have an early 70s Ibanez 1860 model that gets a similar sound; both it and the FG ( I think ) have maple necks, which are generally shunned by 175 lovers

  15. #14

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    Don't include the AF2000 with its anigre (mahogany) back and sides with the AF200 (itself a fine guitar) with its maple back and sides. Both have spruce tops, that's true, but the body does give a different character.

    Anyway, DB makes everything sound like it was made for bebop :-)

    I do love this tight, poppy sound, though, but the AF2000 suits me perfectly. Of course, once can have more than one guitar, so, maybe someday...

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
    Don't include the AF2000 with its anigre (mahogany) back and sides with the AF200 (itself a fine guitar) with its maple back and sides. Both have spruce tops, that's true, but the body does give a different character.

    Anyway, DB makes everything sound like it was made for bebop :-)
    I wasn't at all knocking the AF guitars; I recently had a s/h AF200 ( different, as you point out) and thought it was a superb instrument in every respect but one, rather outclassing the big G's offerings. It had a lush and complex tone, even approaching L5 territory, but noticeably stringier and less weighty on the top end than my other, much older workhorses. I sometimes wonder if it's to do with age; I have a 58/60 L4C conversion that has that dense, poppy sound, despite being made of carved spruce. Or, It could be the hard life it's had..

    Well yeah, Dick only plays maple laminated guitars as far as I know . It would be interesting to hear him do it on a tele..

  17. #16

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    Like Joe Pass did...Go on, Dick!

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Franz 1997
    Interesting observation, and I agree with it ( although not sure I'd call spruce tops "soggy" ). Generally, lam maple tops have a tighter and weightier sound, and can cut through more, although lam maple sounds a bit more 2-dimensional to me. But that might not matter, depending on context; it's a positive advantage when playing 8th note lines, although less so when comping for a sleazy ballad. I certainly agree about the AF sound, from recent experience, and I'd say the difference was substantial. Many players are after that top end tight, weighty sound, but from a spruce top with its prettier and more 3-D tone - but I don't know of many/ any production models that can combine both.

    It's interesting that some luthiers say that what they are striving for in "weight & fatness in the treble notes" ( I think that quote came from Byant Trenier, and I know that's what Daniel Slaman looks for). That's understandable; luthiers by definition would prefer to carve and tune tops from spruce. Borys is an exception, no doubt there are others.

    I really like the FG100 sound here; it's not especially delicate, but very solid and sounds exactly right for this tune. There are some Menconi clips that sound as good, with the same guitar.
    I have an early 70s Ibanez 1860 model that gets a similar sound; both it and the FG ( I think ) have maple necks, which are generally shunned by 175 lovers
    Very good.

    Low key recording and live playing, I like spruce. Band playing or anything at volume, I would be heading towards maple. I prefer laminated maple to solid maple, as solid seems too glassy but I'm going to do some solid carved, maple tops, with a thin lamination of spruce underneath, to try and balance that out. I'm sure it's already been done.

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Franz 1997
    Well yeah, Dick only plays maple laminated guitars as far as I know . It would be interesting to hear him do it on a tele..
    No he doesn’t...


  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by grahambop
    No he doesn’t...

    That's a maple and mahogany laminate

  21. #20
    Dutchbopper Guest
    Here's another clip of a fine player with an Ibanez FG 100. Mike Rud is a FB friend of mine who has played and recorded with Peter Bernstein and John Stowell a.o. The album with Pete Bernstein is available for free on Youtube. Here a live clip with Mike on his FG100 in a trio with Peter Bernstein. Very enjoyable clip on which Mike sounds great!

    Last edited by Dutchbopper; 11-19-2021 at 10:05 AM.

  22. #21

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    I absolutely love mine, it's an 84' all original model I bought a few years ago and had do a total refret job on it, but it came out great. I modded it with a Ibanez style ebony tailpiece and knobs, I also changed the bridge to an Ibanez TOM bridge, but kept all the parts. There's something about the old Ibanez super 58 pickups, they're not too bright nor dark, with great lower mids and sweet fatness. One thing about this model I found, is that it doesn't get as much feedback as other guitars.
    Another maple laminated guitar that sounds very similar is the Fender D'Aquisto (Elite) with the single Schaller pickup, those have skyrocket in price...



    Cheers,
    Arnie...

    Ibanez FG100 - Scrapple from the Apple-20220130_141054-jpgIbanez FG100 - Scrapple from the Apple-20220130_141118-jpg
    Last edited by arnie65; 02-01-2022 at 02:15 PM.

  23. #22

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    Hi Arnie, did you notice any real difference in tone and response when you swapped out the old metal tailpiece ?