
With its block inlays, neck binding, adjustable bridge, and basic control set, this Ibanez 2662 looks ready to rock.
This Ibanez 2662 is an appealing, two-humbucker copycat design of a Ronnie Wood signature Greco rarity.
If you were to thumb through an Ibanez catalog from 1975, you’d see exactly why this period for the company and other guitar builders in Japan is known as the “lawsuit era.”
The guitars that dot the catalog’s pages look an awful lot like Gibsons, Fenders, and Rickenbackers. And these lookalikes are not mere homages inspired by classic shapes. Ibanez’s offerings represent very specific models within other brands’ then-current lineups. For example, its Les Paul-style guitars represent sunburst Standards, Customs with split-diamond headstock inlays, and even a ’70s oddity—the Les Paul Recording model.
But in Ibanez’s Custom Series, you’d see some designs you can't place so easily, including the 2662. An example of this rarity is now listed for sale on Reverb by the Austria-based Gregor Svend, and serves as the focus of this month’s column.
The 2662’s tulip-shaped body has some similarities to other Ibanez 26XX-series guitars, like the Artist Series 2680s and 2681s built for the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, yet the horns are nearly flattened. (At first, it appeared to us to be an original design, but thanks to a hawk-eyed reader, we now know the 2662 is based on the Greco RW-700, a Ron Wood Signature released the year prior.)
“By the 1976 catalog, the 2662 had disappeared completely. What a short, strange trip it must’ve been.”
In Ibanez’ 1975 Custom Series leaflet, where the 2662 made its first appearance, only its bare specs are shared: 41.5" total length, 17" x 13.75" body, Super-Humbucking pickups, a rosewood fretboard on a set neck, pearloid inlays, a brown sunburst finish, and gold hardware, including Smooth Tuners tuning pegs, a chunky bridge, and that wonderfully unique tailpiece. The control layout features two volume knobs, two tones, and a 3-way pickup selector switch.
But unlike those aforementioned Weir models, the 2662 did not catch on—perhaps because Ibanez didn’t really give it a chance. In the 1975 catalog, there is no price listed for the 2662. (Other 26XX guitars then available ranged between $391 and $631, with the 2662 likely landing on the higher end.) And by the 1976 catalog, the 2662 had disappeared completely. What a short, strange trip it must’ve been.
The pickup selector location could be easy to access or in the way, depending on a player’s right-hand approach, but the trapeze-type tailpiece invites some extended techniques on such a trimmed-down solidbody.
Exactly how many 2662s were ordered and built is not known, though they don’t pop up for sale very often. We’ve only seen two hit our site, and the other was not branded as Ibanez but as Mann, a brand name for a Canadian importer of Ibanez guitars in the ’70s. Fans of the guitar speculate that only a handful of 2662s exist, though that rarity has not led to astronomical asking prices when they do show up on the vintage market. We've seen exactly one Greco RW-700 change hands on Reverb, for the equivalent of roughly £1,300 (or a little more than $1,500).
This particular 2662 was originally listed for €3,800, but at the time of this writing had been price-dropped to €2,600 (or about $2,800). That new asking price is in line with the fancier of the two Weir-associated models (1970s 2681s average around $2,700) and a little less than the roughly $3,200 buyers spend, on average, for the Ibanez 2837CT, a korina V-style unveiled alongside the 2662 in Ibanez’s 1975 Custom Series.
Lawsuit-era guitars of all kinds seem to be getting more and more attractive to buyers, since they offer a relatively affordable entrypoint into the world of vintage guitar collecting. Can this column spark a revival for the obscure and cool 2662 (or, for that matter, the Greco RW-700)?
If a lawsuit-era guitar can command such interest, we wonder: Can this column help spark a revival for this obscure and cool Japanese original?
Sources: Ibanez catalogs from 1975 and 1976, Reverb listings, and Price Guide sales data.
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After more than two decades, Mark Sampson has rejoined Bad Cat to unveil his first amplifier with the company in over 20 years.
Sampson, renowned for his pioneering work in boutique amplifier design, was instrumental in shaping the golden age of hand-wired tube amps. His original designs set a benchmark for tone, craftsmanship, and reliability. Now, with the Era 30, Sampson has distilled over 35 years of amplifier design evolution into a product that embodies the best of his creative vision.
With four EL84 power tubes, the Era 30 delivers 30 watts of output power and offers two fully independent channels, each designed to bring out the best in your playing, no matter your style.
- Channel One: Powered by the iconic EF86 tube, this channel delivers harmonically rich, three-dimensional tones that tube enthusiasts dream of. The stepped six-position depth control sculpts low-end frequencies with precision, while the Treble control acts as a masterful tone-shaping tool.
- Channel Two: Featuring a 12AX7-based preamp, this channel offers a tighter, punchier tone. Its linear bass and treble controls provide intuitive shaping for everything from vintage chime to earthy, woody textures.
- Complete Control: Both channels feature independent gain and pre-phase inverter volume controls, giving players complete authority over their sound. Want the best of both worlds? The included two-button footswitch makes it effortless to switch between channels or combine them together.
Era 30 product features include:
- True Point to Point Hand-wired Construction made in Costa Mesa California, USA
- Custom Bad Cat Transformer Set by Pacific Transformers
- DC Filament Heaters in Preamp
- 30 Watts of Power from 4 x EL84 Power Tubes
- 1 x EF86 Preamp Tube
- 3 x 12AX7 Preamp Tubes
- 1 x 5AR4 Rectifier Tube
- 2 Switchable or Mixable Channels
- Independent Gain and Pre-Phase Inverter Volume Control per Channel
- 6-way Deep Control and Treble Control on EF86 Channel
- Linear Bass and Treble Control on 12AX7 Channel
- Global Post-PI Master Volume
- Buffered Effects Loop
- 4, 8, 16 Ohm Switch for Speaker Outputs
- Ultra-Durable Heather Tolex with Premium Leather Corners
- 2 Button Footswitch and Amp Cover Included
- 5 Year Limited Warranty
Bad Cat’s Era 30 amp is available as a head with matching 112 ort 212 cabs. Pricing is:
Head: $3899.99 US
112: $699.99 US
212: $999.99 US
For more information visit badcatamps.com.
Adding to the line of vintage fuzzboxes, Ananashead unleashes a new stompbox, the Spirit Fuzz, their take on the '60s plug-in fuzz.
The Spirit Fuzz is a mix of the two first California versions of the plug-in fuzz used by Randy California from Spirit, Big Brother & The Holding Company or ZZ TOP among others, also maybe was used in the "Spirit in the Sky" song.
A handmade pedal-shaped version with less hiss and more low-end with modern fatures like filtered and protected 9V DC input and true bypass. Only two controls for Volume and Attack that goes from clean to buzzy fuzz with some fuzzy overdrive in-between, also it cleans well with the guitar's volume.
The pedal offers the following features:
- Two knobs to control Volume and Attack
- Shielded inputs/outputs to avoid RF
- Filtered and protected 9VDC input
- Daisy-chain friendly
- Popless True Bypass switching
- Low current draw, 1mA
Each of the Hornet 15 Li amplifiers is designed to leverage Mooer's digital modeling technology to provide 9 preamp tones based on world-renowned amplifiers.
This modeling amplifier comes in two colors (White, Black), each of which is paired with its own carefully curated selection of preamp models.
The modulation dial can be adjusted to choose between chorus, phaser, and vibrato effects, whereas the delay dial facilitates analog, tape echo, and digital delay. Also, the reverb unit includes room, hall, and church emulations, making sure that there is an atmosphere and effect chain that works for any practice scenario.
A unique feature of this amplifier is how it can be used in two modes: “Live” and “Preset” mode. When using Live mode, guitarists will be able to browse the device's built-in preamp tones, which they can then enhance if they wish to throw the effect units. In contrast, the "Preset" mode allows users to save these effects and dynamic parameter changes into each preset, enabling them to customize them without overwriting the originals.
As any good amplifier should, the Hornet 15 Li is complete with industry-standard features, such as three-band EQ adjustment dials, volume and gain dials, a 1/4" guitar input, and both an auxiliary input and headphone output. However, MOOER has gone above and beyond to pack the amplifier with several special features; for example, this modeling amp boasts separate tap-tempo buttons for both the modulation and delay units, in addition to a dedicated tuner button and function, allowing guitarists to use the device's screen to ensure their guitar tuning is precise. What's more, the Hornet 15 Li also supports Bluetooth input, meaning that any guitarist can stream their favorite songs and backing tracks directly to the amplifier, making practice sessions and rehearsals easier than ever.
Arguably, the most impressive feature of the Hornet 15 Li is the fact that, in addition to being powered by a mains supply, it can also operate on battery. The device is built with an integrated 4000mA.h lithium battery, empowering guitarists to practice guitar on the go for hours–even when there’s no power source nearby. Combining this with how the amp weighs just 2.9kg and comes with a built-in handle, it’s clear that MOOER had portability and convenience in mind when designing this product.
Features:
- Available in 2 colors (White, Black), each with its own selection of classic preamps
- 9 high-quality preamp models, each captured through MOOER’s MNRS technology (controllable through the 9-way tone rotary switch)
- Modulation effects unit (chorus, phaser, vibrato) and dial
- Delay effects unit (analog, tape echo, digital) and dial
- Reverb effects unit (room, hall, church) and dial
- Three dials for three-band EQ adjustment (treble, mid, bass)
- Gain and master volume dials
- Live/Preset mode toggle switch
- Tap tempo buttons and features for modulation and delay effects
- 15 watts of rated power, ideal for practicing
- Digital screen for displaying functional and tuning information
- Built-in digital tuner
- ¼” guitar input
- 3.5mm auxiliary input
- 3.5mm headphone output
- Bluetooth support for high-quality audio input playback, perfect for backing tracks
- Convenient handle for easy transportation
- Rechargeable 4000mA.h lithium battery for portable play
- Power switch for easy on/off control
The Hornet 15 Li is available from distributors and retailers worldwide now.
Did Holdsworth's fretboard wizardry make him the Coltrane of the guitar? And more questions that emerged as we did our deep dives.
Here at 100 Guitarists, we thought we knew a lot about Allan Holdsworth. But after we did our deepest of dives, we only emerged with more questions: Was Holdsworth the John Coltrane of the guitar? Was he the quintessential fusion guitarist? Why isn’t there a Holdsworth signature Synthaxe? And how do you read his weird chord charts?
We might not have all the answers—and when it comes to his chord charts, we definitely do not—but we’re taking some big swings. We also share our top picks, which includes Tony Williams rippers, slick Ted Templeman-production, and a Beatles cover.
In our current listening segment, we’re talking about a Wayne Horvitz/Bill Frisell archival release and Jersey Boys.