The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1
    I just purchased a new PM200 and had a question about the fretboard. I’ve seen pictures and videos of the guitar and on some there is space between the end of the fretboard and the pick up. On others the fretboard almost touches the pick up. Any idea what and when they changed? If you look at the Ibanez site, you can see the difference in the first two pictures.

    PM200 | PM | HOLLOW BODIES | PRODUCTS | Ibanez guitars

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  3. #2

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    I have no answer as such ... But after a quick search as far as I can see all pictures of an actual PM200 have the pup close to the fretboard .. as does my PM100 that was the predecessor to the PM200


    The only one I can find that has the space is Pat's own prototype




    This is a far out guess on my part .. but tbh I wouldn't be surprised if the shot a bunch of marketing photos early in the development of the guitar and then tweaked it before it went to production.

  4. #3

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    Not an expert but I believe Pat played the prototype for almost 30 years before Ibanez (fairly recently) released that exact configuration. The model that went into production did have a few changes but Pat was happy with the prototype, so most PM models out in circulation are not perfectly aligned with the guitar PM is most often seen playing.

    Edit: Kudos to Ibanez for posting such good specs on their page.

  5. #4

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    It looks like the one in the photo with Pat Metheny has 20 frets. Same with the first two photos.

    The main photo on the Ibanez page has 22 frets so does every other PM200 I can find on sale online.

    My guess is that Pat's is a prototype with 20 frets and they used that prototype for some photos, but the production version has 22 frets.

    If that is the case then the pickup is in the same position, but there are just 2 more frets on the production model which means that the pickup is closer to the end of the fretboard.

  6. #5
    Check out this video. Looks to have a little space between as well.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by dhiltonlittle
    Check out this video.
    Watched that twice in a row. Awesome tone. Incredible playing. I want to be like that when I grow up.

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by dhiltonlittle
    I just purchased a new PM200 and had a question about the fretboard. I’ve seen pictures and videos of the guitar and on some there is space between the end of the fretboard and the pick up. On others the fretboard almost touches the pick up. Any idea what and when they changed? If you look at the Ibanez site, you can see the difference in the first two pictures.

    PM200 | PM | HOLLOW BODIES | PRODUCTS | Ibanez guitars
    The positioning of the pickup relative to the nut is relevant. The position relative to the end of the fretboard is not, because the number of frets can be different while the pickup is in the same location.

    According to the Ibanez fan page for the PM200, the production guitar was introduced in 2013 with 22 frets and the pickup at the end of the fretboard. Metheny's guitar has 20 frets with the pickup in the same location as on the production instrument, and so has a space between the end of the fretboard and the pickup. The pickup appears to be in the same position on the production guitar and the prototype.

    The guitar shown in Jonathan Kreisberg's video looks like it has 20 frets, and therefore a space between the pickup and the end of the fretboard.

    On the Ibanez PM200 page, the main photo shows a 22 fret guitar, while two other photos on the page show a guitar with 20 frets.

    How many frets does the OP's guitar have?

  9. #8

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    Just as a matter of factoid trivia, for many years Ibanez made Pat Metheny models that weren't really the specs or guitar he actually played. Hoshino approached him for nearly a decade while he was playing his 175 and though he had those prototypes (made by Fujigen and modeled on the body template shape and neck countour of the Joe Pass JP20 of the 80's, the pickup placement also, his had a maple laminate top a la 175 and a mahogany neck) he didn't play them on the road. They went through a lot of tweaks and all the time their designs came closer to what he had in mind. When he eventually did change over to the Ibanez, they weren't making a production model yet; that would come to be the Korean made PM20.
    When they made the PM20, they moved the pickup location closer to the fingerboard edge, this imparting a less trebly, warmer bassier sampling area of the string favoured by many jazz players. That's why it looks closer than in photos of Pat's actual playing guitar photographed during those years.
    The PM20's also featured a metal tailpiece rather than the wood D'Aquisto type tailpiece that was also on the Joe Pass, so the differences were significant.
    The PM200 seems to be the closest to the original prototype Pat played when he settled on a design he would actually play on the road.

    In the following years, more models were offered by Ibanez and Pat began playing those instruments.
    All this is to say, you can find the model Pat has, but you're going to find differences in finding the model that he actually played; his was a prototype, but the PM200 is the closest.
    But that's fine cuz they're all fine instruments and if you practice, you can wind up playing even better than he does.
    Last edited by Jimmy blue note; 01-31-2022 at 06:03 AM.

  10. #9

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    Thx for the interesting PM trivia.

  11. #10
    Thanks for the replies. Weird that Ibanez would currently have photos of a 20 fret version up and call it a PM 200. I actually have a PM20 as well that I got in like 96 or 97. It's a great guitar. The pick up is close to the fretboard like the PM200 (little to no space). If I recall, when I got it, there was the PM 20 which was the Korean made one and there was a more expensive Japan made guitar that was released at the same time.

  12. #11

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    I've been practicing for a bit over 42 years. When do I get better than Pat Metheny?

    Actually, I'd be delighted beyond words if I could get to being even 10% as good as Metheny or Kreisberg. What monsters!