Ibanez Silver Series Black 1978

The Ibanez Silver Series Stratocaster-style electric guitars from the late 1970s are highly regarded among collectors and players for their build quality, tone, and historical significance. By the mid-1970s, Japanese guitar makers, particularly Ibanez (under Hoshino Gakki), had developed a reputation for producing high-quality instruments that rivaled—and in some cases, surpassed—their American counterparts, who were not producing great output at the time. The Silver Series was Ibanez’s response to Fender’s classic Stratocaster design, offering exceptional build quality at a competitive price.

This 1978 example features a black finish and a maple fingerboard, with the signature large 70s-style headstock. Weight is 3700g. Frets are in good shape, and the guitar has standard playwear from nearly 50 years of use.

These guitars are often referred to as “lawsuit guitars” because they are obviously very close reproductions of American models. These Silver Series Strats avoided legal trouble by omitting Fender-style headstock decals (as opposed to Tokai, for example) but still remained essentially exact copies. A cool guitar from a great era!

SPECIFICATIONS

Body: Solid ash or alder (depending on production batch)
Finish: Black polyester
Neck: 1-piece maple bolt-on
Fingerboard: Maple with black dot inlays
Scale Length: 25.5″ (648mm)
Frets: 21 medium-jumbo frets
Nut Width: 42mm
Headstock: Large 70s-style with Ibanez logo
Pickups: Three Ibanez Super 70s single-coils
Electronics: 5-way selector switch, 1 volume, 2 tone knobs
Bridge: Traditional 6-saddle synchronized tremolo
Tuners: 70s style die-cast tuners
Weight: 3700g (8.16 lbs)
Condition: Good, with normal playwear
Accessories: No case or bag included