Gravitational pull of GAS: 30 year old Ibanez M340

[Tig***]

I've been jonesin' for an acoustic for a while now. Nothing expensive, but it has to sing. The Seagull acoustics offer a nice selection of well priced quality, but then I ran into this today at a local retired pro who loves to deal in Fenders... This could put some serious stress on the marriage, so I'll have to proceed with extreme caution!

1980 Ibanez M340 for around $500

Played very little and in excellent condition
with minor blemishes on face that are not even noticed.
Sides neck and back are flawless.
Made of Flamed Maple side, back and neck with a sprue top.
Mother of Pearl/Abalone inlay on fret board and head.
Absolutely beautiful finish and shine.
Gold plated tuning keys, bone and rosewood bridge/tailpiece.
Deep bass, incredible mids and highs!
Strumming sounds so good, and fingerpicking, even better!
Sound is ROOM FILLING.
The aged maple...you cannot get sound like this...unless the maple is aged so long!

[sumitomo]

That is a sweet lookin guitar Tig!I'll bet it has a nice bright tone from all that maple. I don't know that much about acoustics and just dropped the hammer on a Larrivee which is all Mahogany,Im hoping I like the neck and the tone and paid 650.Sumi

[Tig***]

That is a sweet lookin guitar Tig!I'll bet it has a nice bright tone from all that maple.
I don't know that much about acoustics and just dropped the hammer on a Larrivee which is all Mahogany,Im hoping I like the neck and the tone and paid 650.Sumi

Yep, that concerns me. I like a bright acoustic, and tone woods actually make a big difference on them, but this might be too bright.
Maybe I should stick to a rosewood or mahogany back and sides. Still, this guitar is a stunner!

The Larrivee should be very warm and sweet. Be sure to post pic's when she arrives.

[sumitomo]

Say a prayer she's comming UPS!,but she's in a case,packed good and marked Fragile!! Sumi

[Eric***]

Yup, bright would be the name of the game. I tend to like warmer sounds when it comes to acoustics, though they (unsurprisingly) don't stand out much. Any idea whether the bracing would lend itself to good projection or not?

I have a plain ol' Seagull S6 AE -- it's very warm and round due to the cedar top (I think), and I very much enjoy it. It actually has pretty nicely articulated bass considering that it's not rosewood. I regularly get comments on the nice bass from it. If I have one complaint about it, it's that it doesn't project incredibly well, but I guess I can always plug in.

Any idea what sort of neighborhood you're looking for tone-wise? That is a nice looking guitar.

[Spudman***]

Cool guitar Tig. I had one of those around 1980 for a couple of years. I traded it in while I was on the road due to having one of my electrics stolen and I needed a backup.

Now I have an M340TV. It doesn't have the maple fretboard and is a more tradional dark burst color. $500? I think I paid just a bit less than $400 for mine(similar to yours)new in 1980. It's good to know they are holding their value.

I hope yours turns out to be a good one. It has some nice flame on it.

[Kazz]

The parkwood I got rid of was very simliar in structure and it was not overly bright. That is one of the best looking acoustics I have ever seen.