This guitar is worth a little story. I discovered it in an advertisement at a price that was half the price of a well-preserved 2617. Reason enough to drive around 150 km to take a look. Barely 5 minutes later I already knew I wouldn’t be driving home without this guitar. Until the seller showed me a 2650, which he wanted to sell at a price I couldn’t resist…… My dopamine levels went crazy and I drove home with both guitars.

But now to the facts, this 2617 is from 1977. It has an ash body and a three-piece maple neck with an ebony fingerboard. The body top with so-called German carved edges as well as the fingerboard are framed with a binding. The 2617 was manufactured between 1975 and 1980 and is a fine example of how Ibanez’s instrument development progressed during that time. Depending on the year of manufacture, you can find them with different hardware, pickups and neck-body transitions. This has a smooth heel.

Instead of the original Super 80 humbuckers, a pair of DiMarzio Doug Aldrich pickups were installed. It’s a shame about the Super 80 and the DiMarzio are, in my opinion, a very bad choice; these high-gain humbuckers were hardly able to do justice to the tonal possibilities of this guitar. I replaced them with a set of Tonerider Alnico IV, which I had at hand. Because of their low price I didn’t have high expectations but I was far from it, they sound great and that’s how they stayed.
The original Speed Dome Control Knobs are there, but I replaced them with Sure Grip I similar ones. The remaining hardware such as the Velve Tuners, Gibraltar I Bridge and Gibraltar Stoptail with cloud ornament are untouched and fully functional, although somewhat corroded. Even the frets are original and still in fairly good condition. In general, the condition of the guitar is remarkably good for its age; the clear varnish in particular shows no significant wear. There is only a slightly larger chip on the upper cutaway strap pin.

Describing sound and playability is always very subjective and is like describing taste. Which words are appropriate here? For me, this guitar sounds and plays really amazing, the response, tone development and sustain are simply flattering. It is very resonant and vibrating. The neck of this 2617 as well as that of my 2622 feels perfect for my hands and in combination with the body shape, this guitar allows the best possible playability up to the last fret. An absolutely harmonious instrument.

Specifications

Brand:
Ibanez

Instrument type:
Electric Guitar

Series:
Artist

Model:
2617

Original factory condition:
No

Year of manufacture:
1977

Neck type:
Set Neck

Neck material:
3 Piece Maple

Tuners:
Velve Tuner

Nut:
Half Bone/half brass

Fretboard:
Ebony

Number of frets:
22

Body material/wood:
Ash

Finish:
Natural

Pickups:
2 Tonerider Alnico IV pickups - Super 80 humbuckers were originally installed

Knobs:
similar to Sure Grip I

Wiring/Controls:
2 Volume Control
2 Tone Control
3 Way Toggle Pickup Selector

Hardware color:
Gold

Modifications:
Unfortunately, the original pickups were removed. Instead, a pair of Tonrider Alnico IV pickups are installed.