1980 Ibanez Iceman IC-50 Electric Guitar

Vintage Japanese axe, with original hardware and custom paint job

This is another guitar that I've owned for over 20 years and I also found this one at Westminster Jewelry and Loan. When I bought it, it was black and had many rough patches on the body, where it had been scratched and/or dinged. My buddy decided to strip it and sand it down a little to smooth out some of those blemishes and used crackle paint from the local hardware store for the paint job. A thin layer of lacquer was applied to seal it and it has slightly faded into a bit of a sweet cream color today.

The hardware was also in very bad shape, the tail piece and saddle were dipped in some sort of black coating that used to make a better grip on tools. Maybe it wasn't the best idea, sonically, but it looked cool and lasted a fairly long time.Another distinguishing feature on this guitar is the nut at the end of the fretboard, someone scalloped it at some point and that's not something you see on what is considered a mid-level guitar, at best.

I took this in to Clay at Beach City Pawn and Guitar to replace the toggle switch and clean up the electronics. He also set it up and raised the pickups. This one always played and sounded so good, that it was actually my main guitar when I first got it and I played it at my first gig over the vintage Les Paul that I've had for nearly 25 years. The pickups aren't quite as hot as the Gibson and it's a great option for laying down rhythm tracks. I'll take it back to Clay at some point to restore it further, the tuning keys have a fair amount of tarnish and the frets could use a cleaning.

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1985 Aria Pro II RS Knight Warrior

Vintage Japanese super-strat, made by Matsumoku and equipped with a Kahler Flyer tremolo

 

The younger cousin of the strat copy that I scored a couple of years back, this one is its mirror image and 30 years has seen the white finish age into a killer vintage cream color. The pickups seem to be original, although most photos show the guitar with blade style pickups and the Kahler Flyer is definitely stock. I took this to Clay at Beach City Pawn and Guitar for the setup and it does play and sound super sweet.

Getting back to those pickups, I found a set of vintage blade pickups, including an MMK 45 humbucker, but the PUPs inside looked to be the same build, so we decided to leave it be. This guitar doesn't have the output of some of my other electrics, but it gets really nice clean sounds and the Flyer alone is probably worth what I paid for it.

These are high-quality mid-grade guitars, worst-case scenario, and you can find them for $200 or less most times. I'm currently in the market for a bass with a rosewood fretboard and it's either going to be an Aria or another Ibanez Roadstar, which I also brought in for Clay to look at. If you live in Southern California and you need repairs to your guitars, check out the Yelp page above. Clay will take care of your guitars and give you a great deal on the price.

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1960s Conqueror Short Scale Bass Guitar

Killer vintage 4-stringer, complete with all-original hardware, in great playing and cosmetic condition 

Another quality Japanese import, this one is likely closer to mid-60s than 1970s, but it's in great shape and even with a set of strings that probably at least 10 years old, it still plays and sounds good too. These were distributed through the C. Bruno and Son company out of Atlanta back in those days and the Bruno makes have developed a following in the collector's market.

There are a couple of minor cosmetic flaws on this one, but when you consider that it could be approaching 50 years old, it's about as good as you're going to find. It looks like all of the original hardware is intact, even though the chrome definitely shows some wear, but the original sunburst finish is absolutely gorgeous.

This bass sounds and plays great, the electronics are still nice and smooth and the short scale makes it easier to play than a normal bass. I'm glad I found this one and will be keeping my eye out for anything else from the Bruno line that gets put out there.

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1985 Ibanez Roadstar II RS440 Electric Guitar

Vintage Super Strat, Made in Japan, original hardware and custom finish, classic guitar

This is a real beauty, an old-style Ibanez super Strat, with a vintage locking tremolo system. Someone stripped off the original white finish and treated it to give it a natural relic'd look.

On top of looking great, it also plays like a dream and is rock-solid. No dents or cracks anywhere and the frets still have some life left in them.

The original Ibanez pickups are still well-regarded to this day and the Pro Rock'R Top Lok tremolo system is generally seen as superior to the Edge systems that succeeded it.

All in all, this is a pro guitar. The Roadstar series has a great following in the collectors market and for good reason. These are much better than today's MIM Fender guitars and you can expect to pay anywhere between $300-$400 to get one in great shape.

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1986 Takamine GX-100T Electric Guitar

Vintage lawsuit guitar, a rare solid-body electric made by one of the most-respected names in acoustic guitars

This is a very high-end copy of a Gibson Explorer, it was so nice that Gibson threatened Takamine with a lawsuit and they stopped making electric guitars altogether, from what I've been able to dig up.

The pickups look like Seymour Duncans and it's a possibility, they made the pups in the old Ibanez guitars. On top of that, this model also features neck-thru construction. Plays like butter too.

If you find one of these in even decent shape, you should pick it up, they generally go for between $500-$800 on most auction sites.

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1980s Aria Pro II RS Special V Electric Guitar

Made in Japan, by the famed Matsumoku guitar masters, with the classic black and white setup

Early-mid 80s Aria Pro II RS Special V Strat Style electric guitar, these are often said to rival Fender Strats of the same period and this one definitely plays like a dream.

Can't say for sure what year it is, the neckplate indicates 1982, but the Special V series supposedly only ran in 1983-84.
Either way, this is a killer vintage electric guitar and one that is offered at a price you'd pay for a new mid-level guitar, at best.

These seem to be more popular over in Europe, so you can sometimes find them here in the US for less than $200.

Thank you for looking. More high-resolution pictures here.