Ibanez AF207 (7 string archtop) in excellent condition from original owner

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

The ruptured disc sale continues. I bought this new in 1997 and have loved it every day since then. But it weighs a few ounces over 7 pounds (the same as a modern era 175D), and that's now a bit much for me on a 3 or 4 hour gig. So I use my El Rey and Bravo (both weighing 5 lbs + a few ounces). I'm no longer playing the AF207 at all and will never use it on a gig again. It's time for it to go to a deserving new owner.

This was the first production 7 string archtop ever (AFAIK), and Ibanez did it right. It was made by Fujigen from '97 until about '03, and it's every bit as fine as the best Bensons. MSRP was $2999 by the time they were discontinued. I ordered it from my dealer the day I read the announcement of its impending introduction in Guitar Player, and it arrived months later. I bought it because it was a lot cheaper than luthier built 7s (the only way to get an archtop 7 until these came along), and I wasn't yet certain that I'd be a 7 player for life. I've taken the best possible care of it, and it looks it. Marc Tappan (Guitars 'n Jazz) went through it and did a fresh setup with L/C/P about 2 years ago. I'm a very light picker and it's always had flats on it, so the frets have good life left. The stock tailpiece broke last year (as so many Ibanez TPs do), and I was lucky enough to have Steve Holst make a great one for me.

I put a Benedetto B7 pickup in it a few years ago, because it came with a Dimarzio Blaze that just wasn't quite right for jazz. It now sounds absolutely fantastic through the amp of your choice. I also added a push-pull volume pot, since the B7 is wired for a coil split. In SC mode, it has a great old school tone with some wood and sparkle. There are no dings or finish flaws other than a few faint swirlies, and the case is equally fine. The tuning machines, nut, knobs, and bridge are original and in perfect condition. One example of the incredible detail in this guitar is the 7th string tuner, which matches the other 6 exactly but has an oversized post. It's strung with heavy TI Bensons (14-55) and a 75 thou Chrome 7th with the low action that I like, and it plays like a dream. I took off the original white tuning buttons and used cheap WDs, because the stock ones were just too beautiful to risk breaking or wearing out. You can see them sitting on the interior case drape in one of the pics below, and I'll put them back on for the new owner. The original pickup and tailpiece will also come with it.

The scale is 24 3/4" and the nut is 49mm. It’s 16x2.6” and laminated. Here's the Wiki page with full specs. This guitar is a workhorse with class and elegance. It's tough as nails, plays great, sounds fantastic, and has become a cult item around the world. $3450 plus shipping (US only).































Here's an example of its versatility. Watch my hand and hear the responsiveness to picking position.

Here's how it sounds set on thunky:

A few other sound bites:

[jim777]

I can vouch for this guitar sounding fantastic in a band situation, and has no trouble cutting through to be heard.