This c. 1980 Ibanez Artist Banjo is a fine example of a professional-grade maple banjo. As part of Ibanez’s top-tier Artist Series, it was built as the company’s answer to the Gibson Mastertone.
Features include a fiddle-cut peghead with ebony veneer, pearl wreath inlays, original bone nut, and a 13-ply maple rim. The three-piece maple neck is paired with a Gabon ebony fingerboard featuring mother-of-pearl inlays and an engraved “Artist” block at the 22nd fret. Antique-style cream binding with ebony-maple marquetry accents decorates both the neck and resonator. The resonator back displays attractive birdseye maple figure and concentric cream-black-cream purfling.
The banjo is equipped with a pre-war style 20-hole flathead tone ring, tube-and-plate flange, original chrome-plated hardware, and the original Ibanez 4-hump tailpiece. A high-quality, well-appointed banjo offering excellent value.
