Up for sale, a 1978 Ibanez Artist 2619 in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case. The precursor to the AR300, this Ibanez Artist was built at the Fujigen factory in Japan, featuring a pair of Super 80 “Flying Fingers” humbuckers, a Gibraltar bridge with brass sustain block, and a gloss Cherry Wine finish.

Tonewoods include a mahogany body, carved two-piece maple top, three-piece rock maple neck, and bound ebony fingerboard. Coupled with the Gibraltar bridge's sustain block, and combination brass/bone nut, this instrument is hyper articulate and bold acoustically, with treble detail and (unsurprisingly) ample sustain. The pair of Super 80 “Flying Fingers” are among the most celebrated Japanese humbuckers ever created, designed in the vein of a classic PAF, perfect for glassy cleans and singing overdriven leads. They’re notably dynamic, with plenty of treble cut and clarity, wax potted for feedback rejection. The Tri-Sound three-way mini toggles further broaden the tonal scope, offering series, parallel, or tapped options for each humbucker’s coils. This Ibanez weighs 9lbs 3oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Rock maple
-Shape: Medium C, measuring .840” 1st fret, .930” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Ebony, pearl/abalone block inlays, fret-edge binding
-Frets: Medium jumbo, leveled and crowned, no wear
-Scale Length: 24 3/4”
-Nut: 1 11/16”, bone/brass
-Tuners: VelveTune, pearloid buttons
-Serialization: E78-prefix (May, 1978 build date)

Body Specs:

-Wood: Maple, Mahogany
-Pickups: Super 80 “Flying Fingers” x2
-Controls: Volume x2, Tone x2, Tri-sound toggle x2, Three-way pickup selector switch
-Hardware: Gibraltar bridge with brass sustain block insert, Gibraltar tailpiece with “cloud” ornament
-Plastics: Gold speed knobs (replacement)

The gloss Cherry Wine finish is rich and dark, with one small area of binding chipping on the lower bout and a few additional isolated areas of wear through the binding clear coat. Overall, the binding is very stable and very presentable. There are various dings and finish scrachesacross the back, while wear is much more restrained on top. A previous owner (very proud of their ownership) added their name and/or initials to the switch cover, control cavity cover, and back of the body at the waist. The gloss on the neck profile is very smooth, with prominent checking across the heelless joint.

The original black tolex hardshell case is included, also bearing the original owner’s signature and a sticker.