Ibanez No 516 Mandolin

Hello everyone,

my name is Oliver and i am from Germany. I am an organ builder apprentice (almost done), but i play the electric and acoustic guitar and I am very interested in other musical instruments, too.
I registered in this forum, because i want to know more about mandolins at all and about my Instrument.

i recently purchased a Ibanez Model No 516 Mandolin for 40€. It came in a case and was laying around without strings for assumingly a few years.
It had a loose brace on the treble side, which i glued back on; now it plays and sounds fine.
I think it has a spruce top and mahogany sides and neck. I couldnt identify the back material.

But the problem is, i cant find anything about this model in the internet.
Do some of you guys know something about it? Year of Build, Quality, etc...?

Here are some Pictures:
Attachment 178967
Attachment 178966
Attachment 178968
Attachment 178969
Attachment 178970
Attachment 178971
Attachment 178972

I hope you guys can help me out.

Greetings,
Oliman

There’s not a ton of info out there, but looks like the 510 A/E they’re selling now. Most likely laminate spruce top and laminate maple back and sides. If the top is solid, it’s like pressed, not carved. I’ve never been terribly impressed with the acoustic tone of these, but Ibanez electronics are generally pretty decent. With the right EQ, it may be decent plugged in. Your price doesn’t look bad at all. Get it we’ll set up and enjoy it!

thank you very much for answering!
But you say Ibanez 510. Why does it say in the mandolin Model No 516?
Doesnt this mean, that it cant be an Ibanez 510?

Also, the Ibanez Logo is sort of like a classic 70s ibanez logo in my opinion. I think that its an older instrument.

Also, i searched a little bit and found nothing alike this small pickup with four pole pieces. Does anybody know somethinf about this pickup?

You’re correct, I’m not saying it’s a 510. The label clearly reads 516. But, the 516 was probably discontinued somewhere along the way and the 510 is what looks closest to taking its place, at least among more modern offerings. I agree that the label is more 70s/early 80s looking than the current look.

Kentucky mandolins change model numbers with some frequency as well, sometimes based on actual spec chances, but sometimes just because they want to...

Hopefully someone who owns/owned one of these will chime in!

I have a few ibanez mandolins with the same headstock. They are from the early 80's. I know the headstock shows up in the Ibanez 1982 catalog. Tomorrow i can go thru the catalogs i have , but i don't recall any 516 models in any of the ones i have. I have look for catalogs all the time, they seem to be hard to find.

There are two websites that have some online
http://s93105080.onlinehome.us/Ibanez-Catalogs/

https://www.ibanez.com/usa/support/catalogs/

Looked thru my catalogs and no 516. But i did find online that it was made 1978-1979

It *is* a 516. The 516 was available in the 1980 Ibanez mandolin catalog. It's a 511 with a single coil pickup. The 511/516 has a solid spruce top (pressed, not carved) and laminate maple sides. The Ibanez mandolins of this period are surprisingly nice. I have a 518 and it play it almost daily.

Here's the catalog: Attachment 179014

More info at the Ibanez archive: https://www.ibanez.com/usa/support/c...ndolins_01.jpg

-Matthew

Get Rob Meldrum's free e book on setup. Do the setup, and play it. It will certainly be good enough to get you hooked.

Thank you very much for your answers, guys!
Now I know something about my mandolin.
I have done a setup with fresh strings (the ones that came with it were rusty inside their packaging).

I enjoy playing it, since i have got it and repaired the loose brace, i play it daily.

I am looking forward to further discussion with you guys in this forum!


Greetings, Oliver

PS: I will make a new pickguard, because mine i missing.

Hello everyone,

i am once again logging in here to search for your advice.

I havent been playing this Ibanez Mandolin a lot, i played it a handful of times. I mostly looked at it because i find it so beautiful.
I found out that i like to play the Irish Bouzouki way more than Mandolin (maybe because i came from guitar playing?).

So i am thinking about selling this Instrument. My Question is if you have any advice for selling this, i want it to be in good hands!
Also, i am asking for the price. I do not find any mandolin like this for sale anywhere. Do you have any Idea what a good starting point is, regarding the price?

Greetings from Oliver!