1975 Ibanez Destroyer

Remember that one guitar that you wish you had bought but didn't? The Guitarattack Crew does, and it was an Ibanez Destroyer. We finally met the challenge, and we really found a nice one. Remember -- Mr. Van Halen used a Destroyer on the first three VH albums. It also appears that he used one back in the early days. Click here to see photo evidence from 1976!

By the way...ever hear something about a lawsuit? Click here to find out more.

What about Mr. Frehley? We saw one of his Destroyers on display in the Singapore Hard Rock Cafe. Ace's Destroyers had Dimarzio pickups, and at least one had black plastic installed (this one may be a real Gibson). We've also seen photo evidence of a Gibson "harmonica" bridge common to the S-1 and Marauder on at least one Destroyer. Based on the costumes, we know he used one during the Alive! era, as well as into the Destroyer tour. The first time we saw KISS, Ace used one of these on "Black Diamond." We know there is one Les Paul photo here...it is our favorite Ace photo!

We invite you to check out the photos below...click them for full-sized versions.

These guitars are not made of korina like an Explorer. Korina, or African Limba, is actually a trade name. The Ibanez version's body is made of ash, and the neck is maple. I might add that there are multiple pieces of wood in both the neck and the body.

This guitar has a great finish, with only a few dings. Since it has no serial number, it probably was built in late 1975. Based on my research, these guitars did not show up in Ibanez catalogs until 1976 which was also the year they started using serial numbers. Not bad for a guitar that is almost 30 years old!

Here are some close-ups of the headstock and the body. All of the hardware and the electronics are original except for the jackplate (replaced with a metal one) and the strap buttons (replaced with Straplocks).

A great playing, great sounding guitar.