NBD: In which I acquire a Unicorn

[Danny O Danny]

Very cool. I remember jonesing for one of those back in the 80's. They are indeed hard to come by.

 

[SgtHulka]

I know and it upsets me too. Being a little anal or peculiar is not OCD.

Maybe it was the wrong choice of words. I'm sorry, I hope (and think) you know what I meant.

 

[gtlover]

Maybe it was the wrong choice of words. I'm sorry, I hope (and think) you know what I meant.

I forgive you, I only took offense to the "compulsive disorder" part.
I've got a "matched set" of 1992 Jazz Basses - both black with white pickguards - and while the second one was also a purchase that just sort of happened, it was the result of an obsessive search for just the right bass.

 

[SgtHulka]

I forgive you, I only took offense to the "compulsive disorder" part.
I've got a "matched set" of 1992 Jazz Basses - both black with white pickguards - and while the second one was also a purchase that just sort of happened, it was the result of an obsessive search for just the right bass.

It's not the weirdest thing Ive seen here...some guy has like 13 blue SX basses in multiples of almost every possible configuration.

 

[Mike Whitfield]

So now that you have a matched pair of unicorns, when can we expect some little short scale unicorns to show up for sale?

70s and 80s MIJ Ibanez instruments are indeed superb, along with a host of other Matsumoku and Fuji Gen Gakki brands.

 

[Tall Low End]

I, too, find wanting two of the same basses a bit redundant. Why not spend ones money on a different bass, or something else to play with? However, you’re spending your own money - one would hope - so more power to you. Enjoy both of them.

 

[Basstyro]

Upon my 16th birthday some 28 years ago, I was gifted a rare instrument: a 1977 Ibanez 2626B Artist Bass. Lacking both the truss rod cover and the internet, it was years before I knew its age and identity. But I knew I wanted another one.
Alas, scarcity and economics hindered my quest until now. While conducting my semi-regular sweep of eBay, I found another Artist for auction (though the BIN was a bit steep!) and knew it would be mine. And so it came to pass.View attachment 3612074
And here’s the pair:View attachment 3612079Now, granted, this is not a common instrument. But here’s the unicorn moment, and why I was determined to bring it home:

Consecutive.
Serial.
Numbers.
View attachment 3612085 That’s my baby on the left, and the new kid on the right.

I still can’t believe it myself. Yes, it plays great - it’s a MIJ Ibanez after all. But it sounds terrific, too - with much less of the zany tones that Artist basses are known for. Not sure if that’s from the nicely worn in roundwounds or just more unicorn magic, but this one’s a keeper.

That is a remarkable coincidence! I can understand both why you would want another like the first and the unicorn moment upon finding that the second was a consecutive serial number. What are the odds? I don’t always believe in Unicorn Moments, but when I see one I’ll always think of your Ibanez ;-)
James Fuller

 

[Megapiss]

Hello all. I see this thread is a few years old now but I wonder if anyone would be interested in this.
I'm trying to get an idea of it's value, though I doubt I'll be selling any time soon. It's a 1978 Ibanez Artist 2626b Fretless.
I've asked Ibanez for details of the production, as I'd like to know how many fretless versions they made, but they're unable to oblige as, unfortunately, they don't have comprehensive records from back then.

It's a shame the '78s weren't quite as ornate as the '77s, but nontheless this is quite a rarity.

 

[gtlover]

Wow, @Megapiss you’ve got one rare bass!

To the best of my knowledge, Ibanez didn’t offer this model as a fretless. They did make the Musician in fretless, but it doesn’t have the fret line markers on the edge like yours does. I’m inclined to suggest this was converted, but done professionally.

Value? Well, there’s a guy who has a ‘76 2626B listed on Reverb who thinks it’s worth $2800; I disagree.
Based on listings that have actually sold, the market value for these is roughly $1000-$1300. Though rare, they do not have the same popularity as other Ibanez basses of the time. Yours could get a slightly higher price, considering yours is only the second fretless Artist that I know of, and you have what looks like a nice hard case.

 

[Megapiss]

Wow, @Megapiss you’ve got one rare bass!

To the best of my knowledge, Ibanez didn’t offer this model as a fretless. They did make the Musician in fretless, but it doesn’t have the fret line markers on the edge like yours does. I’m inclined to suggest this was converted, but done professionally.

Value? Well, there’s a guy who has a ‘76 2626B listed on Reverb who thinks it’s worth $2800; I disagree.
Based on listings that have actually sold, the market value for these is roughly $1000-$1300. Though rare, they do not have the same popularity as other Ibanez basses of the time. Yours could get a slightly higher price, considering yours is only the second fretless Artist that I know of, and you have what looks like a nice hard case.

Ah the man himself, still enjoying your twin pair?

Thanks for your reply. Here's what Ibanez said about it,

"Not sure what the exact model would be, but it’s definitely a variety of the 1978 2626B (made in May). A lot of times, new models (or variations) are started and discontinued quickly, and in this case, it looks like this was first made in 1978 after the 1978 lineup was already introduced, but then discontinued before the 1979 lineup was introduced. That would explain its absence from any catalogs. It could also be a one-off or a custom-made fretless based on the 2626B for someone. Or, it could actually be a 2626B that someone modified.

Ibanez has been producing fretless basses since the early 1970s, although they were copies of Fender Jazz and Precision fretless basses. As for Ibanez original designed basses, this would probably be within the first year of that. There were also fretless versions of the Musician Bass, Studio Bass, and Roadster Bass back then.

Unfortunately, Ibanez didn’t keep very good records back then, so the exact story behind this bass and the number produced are lost to history, I’m afraid."

I don't think it's been converted to fretless because the finish that covers the entire body comes up to the top of the fretboard It's completely embedded in the finish. If it was converted then, as you say, it was a damn good professional job; they'd have had to refinish the whole thing just to get the sides of the fretboard embedded. I'd like that luthiers number.

When I acquired this it was obvious that it had sat in a garage for many years and was owned by somebody who had no idea what they were in possession of. Rusted to buggery and needed a bottle of contact spray just to get a sound out of it.
The case is the original as well.
I've seen the one on Reverb, it's been there well over a year so he's clearly overpriced it

Here's some photos of the fretboard.