ShortScale.org

A friend is interested in buying this, and now I'm interested in what is is exactly.

Usefully, I don't have any photos, but it's a Blazer from January of 1980. The serial number is A800493.

A means January
80 means 1980
0493 is the production number for that month.

We're trying to work out where it was made. Different sources say different things, Wikipedia tells me that

Most Ibanez models with this serial number format were made by FujiGen Gakki. Exceptions are the Ibanez Blazer models which were made by Dyna Gakki

so it was made by Dyna Gakki, but http://www.guitardaterproject.org/ibanez.aspx says it was made by the Terada Musical Instruments Company.

Also, I'm sure I read somewhere that it was made at the Fujigen factory, but I can't find where I read that. This is looking less likely.

I believe it to be the BL-70MH, from this catalogue:

http://www.ibanez.co.jp/anniversary/exp ... d=55&now=1

Any ideas or does anybody know about these. Anything at all would be useful.

I cant help with the dating or technical data but i've played a few of these and they are decent guitars, quite common though. As far as i know they never reached collector status like the Artsists and lawsuit models.
I'm sure Nick or someone was trying to sell a Blazer on here not long back.

hmmm, yea there are a lot of weird situations with these guitars. My Greco was made by Fujigen but some of them from the same era were MIK by Cort.

This forum has a lot of people knowledgable about vintage japanese guitars:

http://www.tokaiforum.com/
also
http://forum.japanaxe.com/

Ah, cheers. I'll have a look about there then, see what I can find out.

when i saw the title of this i expected another "my love life's gone all shit, what do i do???" thread. thank god it was about a guitar!

Ha, my love life's ticking along nicely, thankyouverymuch.

ah, good. it could also have been some trouble with a dinner jacket of possible spanish origin, but that would probably be even more unlikely.