Ibanez JPCS8

[furtom]

Sit down before you see this:

Ibanez 50th Anniversary Japan Custom Shop JPCS8 Hollowbody Electric Guitar - Totally Jazzed | Sweetwater

No words, really. The world must be coming to an end.

[Alder Statesman]

You need two.

[furtom]

They only made one, apparently.

When Gibson does shit like this, I'm used to it. After all they are a "lifestyle" company now.

But, etc tu Ibanez?

[Jim Soloway]

I really like that they're doing this. Japan has some remarkable builders, both solo luthiers and high end factory production and Ibanez has been involved in that market for years. This gives them the freedom t0 really max out on a guitar, experimenting with new designs and materials with no corners cut and no concerns about the cost. I'm betting that the guitar is truly outstanding and hopefully the features can migrate down to some production instruments.

[JazzWhiteBelt]

Minor quibble, but the lack of a truss rod cover really bothers me. It was either an aesthetic choice with which I totally disagree, or they were too lazy to build a custom cover to compensate for the slanted nut. Either way - pass.

[Half-trick pony]

I'm totally with Jim on this one? What's wrong with that guitar? I prefer this much over the n-th boring iteration of a "regular" guitar design.
Actually, apart from the fanned frets, there is nothing out of the ordinary as far as I can tell. Even the price isn't totally out of line for a one-off custom shop instrument.

[furtom]

Well, I'm sure the guitar is great and I have no doubt I'd love it. The fanned frets are intriguing.

But $17k, come on. Every Campellone is a one-off! For that price, you can have three.

They think because they put "50th Anniversary" on it they can get such a price. I don't think the market will support it. Collectors aren't dumb.

It's also interesting that they chose Sweetwater as the seller. I'm not sure why Sweetwater would want it. That's a professional outfit, so I guess they know something I don't. But I bet it's a consignment type deal, that's for sure.

[JSanta]

Well, I'm sure the guitar is great and I have no doubt I'd love it. The fanned frets are intriguing.

But $17k, come on. Every Campellone is a one-off! For that price, you can have three.

They think because they put "50th Anniversary" on it they can get such a price. I don't think the market will support it. Collectors aren't dumb.

It's also interesting that they chose Sweetwater as the seller. I'm not sure why Sweetwater would want it. That's a professional outfit, so I guess they know something I don't. But I bet it's a consignment type deal, that's for sure.

Many, if not most of these one-offs have been sold. I am sure that the only reason this one hasn't sold is that a fanned-fret archtop is an extremely niche product, and even some collectors may not want to get in there. I know of someone that bought several of the 50th anniversary guitars, something like a quarter of them he said. There is a market for these, and I think it's great that Ibanez did this for their diehard fans and customers.

In terms of how vendors got these guitars, Ibanez basically setup a raffle for dealers.

[jim777]

Ibanez JPCS 8 (1 of 1 built)

Just Announced Ibanez 5Oth Annv “Totally Jazzed”

[jads57]

Well certainly not for a musician! Unless you’re a major Rock Star!

[Jim Soloway]

Well certainly not for a musician! Unless you’re a major Rock Star!

It's less than a lot of custom archtops from small builders that I can think of.

[Half-trick pony]

Collectors aren't dumb.

You make it sound like spending 17 grand on a guitar is a reasonable decision in the first place...

[jads57]

Jim Soloway , even Bill Comins and John Buscarino will build a similar Archtop for way less $$. Not to mention other fine builders for way less!

I for one have never been a fan of Ibanez offerings, especially the Archtops. Way too flat and dull sounding at least to my ears. They use poly finishes and are mostly laminate affairs anyway.
In fact I read Pat Metheny liked they had little personality overall.

[Jim Soloway]

Jim Soloway , even Bill Comins and John Buscarino will build a similar Archtop for way less $$. Not to mention other fine builders for way less!

I for one have never been a fan of Ibanez offerings, especially the Archtops. Way too flat and dull sounding at least to my ears. They use poly finishes and are mostly laminate affairs anyway.
In fact I read Pat Metheny liked they had little personality overall.

Base price on Buscarino's archtops range from $10,500 to $28,000. He's definitely not appealing to anyone looking to save a few dollars.

[jads57]

Agreed! But his less ornate guitars are in a much more affordable range. This Ibanez isn’t all that ornate either, aside from the fanned frets.

[Christian Miller]

I like it

maybe I’ve been looking at archtop builders websites for too long but the price tag doesn’t seem shocking. It’s clearly a bit of a one off.

[Christian Miller]

Jim Soloway , even Bill Comins and John Buscarino will build a similar Archtop for way less $$. Not to mention other fine builders for way less!

I for one have never been a fan of Ibanez offerings, especially the Archtops. Way too flat and dull sounding at least to my ears. They use poly finishes and are mostly laminate affairs anyway.
In fact I read Pat Metheny liked they had little personality overall.

this has certainly been my experience with Ibanez

[Jim Soloway]

Agreed! But his less ornate guitars are in a much more affordable range. This Ibanez isn’t all that ornate either, aside from the fanned frets.

And they're only making one. This is clearly intended to be at the far right edge of the demand curve.

[mr. beaumont]

And they're only making one. This is clearly intended to be at the far right edge of the demand curve.

Saw a kid selling lemonade in my neighborhood, for $100 a cup.

I said, "One hundred dollars for a cup of lemonade!? I think that's a bit steep."

And the kid said "I only gotta sell ONE."

[jads57]

I saw recently how much reissue Gibson Les Paul Jr. in black double cut was going for $8k And they were distressed finishes Lol!

Maybe my worlds coming to an end?

[furtom]

I saw recently how much reissue Gibson Les Paul Jr. in black double cut was going for $8k And they were distressed finishes Lol!

Maybe my worlds coming to an end?

Precisely.

[Bluedawg]

Looks like a great guitar ...

But definitely made and priced for a collector

As for other guitar brands, $17K might get you on the waiting list for a Monteleone ...

[jim777]

One of the metalhead guys on sevenstring.org bought 6 of those 50 guitars (dropping well over $70K), so there are definitely people out there who go hard for that "it's the only one in the world, there will never be another, and it's MINE" vibe. If you are honestly looking at it from an "I could get x Campellone's for that!" angle you're missing the point. It's not so much about playing it as owning it, bottom line.

[JSanta]

One of the metalhead guys on sevenstring.org bought 6 of those 50 guitars (dropping well over $70K), so there are definitely people out there who go hard for that "it's the only one in the world, there will never be another, and it's MINE" vibe. If you are honestly looking at it from an "I could get x Campellone's for that!" angle you're missing the point. It's not so much about playing it as owning it, bottom line.

Same point I was trying to make. These were not guitars for people trying to justify a purchase, or make comparisons to what a different builder can do for the same or less money.

[jads57]

Like I sad, My World is Over! So sad we’ve become a society of things I own is the goal vs accomplishments of actual merit!
No wonder new music is so awful and devoid of actual soul!