NGD - Ibanez Goldtop

joetele

Received for Xmas and impending birthday so technically it's still 'new'....

And apologies, it's not one of the Ibanez Les Paul copy Goldtops....but one of their more reasonably-priced guitars which seemed to show up for a few years then disappear again. 

After trying a LP at a friend's house, I'd wanted something similar - a humbucker guitar - but without the weight, and with some contours. I'd always liked the Goldtop look, and had spotted this one online last year before seeing it appear in the local music shop. After a few demos of it for itself and for trying out other gear, I put down a deposit for it in the Autumn. It's been a long wait!  

It's taken me a while to get used to the feel of it, being very much a Telecaster man for the past decade or so - but it's really starting to click with me now. It'll be given the full trial at practice on Sunday. Cannot wait. It's already making me play in different ways.

The volume and tone knobs have rubber around them which helps me do volume swells. The pickups sound clear and powerful - I might change them further down the line but at the moment they're great for me. The contours really help but strangely it's the lightest guitar I own - including my Vintage V72 Semi Hollow. Kind of a blend of Gibson and PRS in terms of design I suppose. 

Batman strap was added at my son's request. 

Jalapeno

A beaut !

joetele

Jalapeno said:

A beaut !

It really is. No guitar costing this little has any right to look so pretty. 

Jetfire

Thats brillant! Whats the neck like? Is it thin and traditional Ibanez or big and bulky?

joetele

Jetfire said:

Thats brillant! Whats the neck like? Is it thin and traditional Ibanez or big and bulky?

Well, bear in mind I'm used to a very slim Mex Tele neck and have short fat fingers, but it feels like a mix of those two - it's a bit wider from fret to fret than I'm used to, with with a fairly chunky depth compared to your 'modern' Ibanez RGs etc - so sort of a blend of an LP and a typical Ibanez neck I guess. Weirdly falls between vintage and modern feels. But certainly not the modern, narrow Tele necks I'm used to. 

Jetfire

Hmm... I have a Mexican tele and Id say its miles from being thin compared to my Ibanez Prestige neck... 

What model number is it , do you know?

joetele

Jetfire said:

Hmm... I have a Mexican tele and Id say its miles from being thin compared to my Ibanez Prestige neck... 

What model number is it , do you know?

The Tele or the Ibanez? 

I guess I meant 'thin' as you look at the guitar from the front - but still fills the palm enough. It's a Mex Standard Tele from 2003 - and I've told this story hundreds of times on here, but this was a blind online order after trying several of the same run in shops around the same time. The one I received had a WAY smoother/nicer neck than any of the ones I'd tried in store. I'm assuming I was just very lucky with the one I eventually got. Plays like butter now. 

Funkfingers

Jetfire said:

I have a Mexican tele

The necks on the MIM Standard Telecasters are waffur theeen compared to a proper 1950/51 neck profile with a 7.25 inch fingerboard radius.

Anyhow, a deep neck cross section is no barrier to speedy playing. Witness all versions of the EVH Axis, Wolfgang theme.

joetele

Funkfingers said:

Jetfire said:

I have a Mexican tele

The necks on the MIM Standard Telecasters are waffur theeen compared to a proper 1950/51 neck profile with a 7.25 inch fingerboard radius.

Anyhow, a deep neck cross section is no barrier to speedy playing. Witness all versions of the EVH Axis, Wolfgang theme.

There's nothing speedy about my playing 

skullfunkerry

Very nice guitar, congrats! I'd take a single cut that doesn't look like a Les Paul over an exact copy any day

axisus

Looks good!

Funkfingers

Reminds me of the LTD EC-401.

MrBump

That's really great looking.

DrJazzTap

Nicely done congrats!

joetele

Funkfingers said:

Reminds me of the LTD EC-401.

Yeah, it's one of those "bit like a Les Paul but a bit pointier" guitars. 

Cheers all, very happy with it.