Ibanez

Ibanez (アイバニーズ) is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as well as the first brand of guitars to mass-produce the seven-string guitar and eight-string guitar.

History
The Hoshino Gakki company began in 1908 as the musical instrument sales division of the Hoshino Shoten, a bookstore company. The Ibanez brand name dates back to 1929 when Hoshino Gakki began importing Salvador Ibáñez guitars from Spain. After Telésforo Julve bought the company in 1933, Hoshino Gakki decided to make Spanish acoustic guitars in 1935, at first using the "Ibanez Salvador" brand name, and then later using the "Ibanez" brand name.

The modern era of Ibanez guitars began in 1957, and the late 1950s and 1960s Ibanez catalogues show guitars with some wild looking designs, manufactured by Kiso Suzuki Violin, Guyatone, and their own Tama factory established in 1962. After Tama factory stopped guitar manufacturing in 1966, Hoshino Gakki used the Teisco and FujiGen Gakki guitar factories to manufacture Ibanez guitars, and after the Teisco guitar factory (Teisco String Instrument, Company) once closed down in 1969/1970, Hoshino Gakki used the FujiGen Gakki guitar factory to make most Ibanez guitars.

In the 1960s Japanese guitar makers started to mainly copy American guitar designs and Ibanez branded copies of Gibson, Fender and Rickenbacker models started to appear. This resulted in the so-called Ibanez lawsuit period. During this lawsuit period Ibanez started producing guitars under the Mann name to avoid authorities in the US and Canada. After the lawsuit period Hoshino Gakki introduced Ibanez models that were definitely not copies of the Gibson or Fender designs such as the Iceman and The Ibanez Roadstar. The company has produced its own guitar designs ever since. The late 1980s and early 1990s were an important period for the Ibanez brand. Hoshino Gakki's relationship with Frank Zappa's former guitarist Steve Vai resulted in the introduction of the Ibanez JEM and the Ibanez Universe models and after the earlier successes of the Roadstar and Iceman models in the late 1970s/early 1980s, Hoshino Gakki entered the superstrat market with the RG series which were a lower priced version of the Ibanez JEM model.

Hoshino Gakki also had semi acoustic, nylon and steel stringed acoustic guitars manufactured under the Ibanez name. Most Ibanez guitars were made for Hoshino Gakki by the FujiGen guitar factory in Japan up until the mid-to-late 1980s and from then on Ibanez guitars have also been made in other Asian countries such as Korea, China and Indonesia. During the early 1980s the FujiGen guitar factory also produced most of the Roland guitar synthesizers, including the Stratocaster-style Roland G-505, the twin-humbucker Roland G-202 (endorsed by Eric Clapton, Dean Brown, Jeff Baxter, Yannis Spathas, Christoforos Krokidis, Steve Howe, Mike Rutherford, Andy Summers and Steve Hackett) and the Ibanez X-ING IMG-2010.

Cimar and Starfield were guitar and bass brands owned by Hoshino Gakki. In the 1970s, Hoshino Gakki and Kanda Shokai shared some guitar designs and so some Ibanez and Greco guitars have the same features. The Kanda Shokai Greco guitars were sold in Japan and the Hoshino Gakki Ibanez guitars were sold outside Japan. From 1982, Ibanez guitars have also been sold in Japan as well as being sold outside Japan.

Guitar brands such as Antoria and Mann shared some Ibanez guitar designs. The Antoria guitar brand was managed by JT Coppock Leeds Ltd England. CSL was a brand name managed by Charles Summerfield Ltd England. Maurice Summerfield of the Charles Summerfield Ltd company contributed some design ideas to Hoshino Gakki and also imported Ibanez and CSL guitars into the UK with Hoshino Gakki cooperation from 1964–1987. The Maxxas brand name came about because Hoshino Gakki thought that the guitar did not fit in with the Ibanez model range and was therefore named Maxxas by Rich Lasner from Hoshino USA.

Lawsuit
Harry Rosenbloom, founder of the (now-closed) Medley Music of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, was manufacturing handmade guitars under the name "Elger." By 1965 Rosenbloom had decided to stop manufacturing guitars and chose to become the exclusive North American distributor for Ibanez guitars. In September 1972, Hoshino began a partnership with Elger Guitars to import guitars from Japan. In September 1981, Elger was renamed "Hoshino U.S.A.", retaining the company headquarters in Bensalem, Pennsylvania as a distribution and quality-control center.

On June 28, 1977, in the Philadelphia Federal District Court, a lawsuit was filed by the Norlin Corporation, the parent company of Gibson Guitars against Elger/Hoshino U.S.A.'s use of the Gibson headstock design and logo. Hoshino settled out of court in early 1978 and the case was officially closed on February 2, 1978.

After the lawsuit Hoshino Gakki abandoned the strategy of copying "classic" U.S.A. electric guitar designs&mdash;having already introduced a plethora of original designs. Hoshino was producing Artist models of their own design from 1974, introducing a set neck model in 1975. In 1977 they upgraded and extended their Artist range and introduced a number of other top quality original designs made to match or surpass famous American brands; the Performer and short-lived Concert ranges which competed with the Les Paul; through neck Musicians; Studios in fixed and through neck construction; the radically shaped Iceman and the Roadster which morphed into the Roadstar range, precursor to the popular superstrat era in the mid-1980s. The newer Ibanez models began incorporating more modern elements into their design such as radical body shapes, slimmer necks, 2-octave fingerboards, slim pointed headstocks, higher-output electronics, humbucker/single-coil/humbucker (H/S/H) pickup configurations, locking tremolo bridges and different finishes.

Sub-brands

 * Ibanez J. Custom
 * The J. Custom series are the most exclusive and high-end custom shop guitars Ibanez offers. They are "Envisioned to be the finest Japanese-made guitar in history". Built by some of the most skilled luthiers Ibanez has to offer, they "represent every advance in design and technology Ibanez has developed over the last 20 years". They feature aftermarket pickups (Seymour Duncan Jazz & Custom 5 in the 6 string model and DiMarzio PAF-7 pickups in the 7 string model,) 5 piece maple/wenge necks with Titanium reinforcement rods, a rosewood fingerboard with a tree of life fret board inlay, and Edge Zero tremolo systems.


 * Ibanez Prestige
 * The Prestige guitars are Ibanez's top of the line models that are built in Japan. They feature higher quality materials, high craftsmanship, and higher quality bridges compared to other models.


 * Ibanez Premium
 * The Premium guitars are similar to other models but are built in Ibanez's premium factory to premium quality standards.


 * Ibanez Gio
 * The Ibanez Gio are Ibanez' budget guitars, designed for high playability at low costs. Many high end Ibanez guitars are recreated in the more affordable Gio form, such as the RGA and ART models.


 * U.S.A. custom
 * USA custom range. Late 1980s to mid-1990s. Also known as Ibanez LACS (L.A. Custom Shop), services only their endorsed artists today.

Solid body electric guitars

 * Ibanez RG
 * A 2012 Ibanez RG3250MZ.jpg The main characteristics that are common among all Ibanez RG guitars (RG stands for Roadstar Guitar ) are that they feature 24 frets and use thin necks, known as "Wizard", which allows for faster playing. The RG features a line up of guitars with both floating tremolo systems and fixed bridge systems.
 * Ibanez RGA
 * The Ibanez RGA was introduced at a time when the Ibanez RG series only had tremolo bridges. Since then, the RG series has introduced fixed bridge models, but Ibanez still produces the RGA series with an arched top to differentiate from the RG series. The arched top allows for added comfort while playing the guitar.
 * Ibanez RGD
 * The Ibanez RGD guitar was developed for heavy metal guitar players. The RGD features a 26.5" scale which allows for lower than standard guitar tuning while retaining standard string tension without use of thicker gauge strings. It also features an extra deep scoop cut on the lower horn for easy high fret access. Ibanez currently makes two Ibanez RGD Prestige models.
 * Ibanez S
 * 05IbanezS470.JPG The Ibanez S (Saber ) guitar has an extremely thin body made out of mahogany, and is available in 6, 7 and 8-string models. They may come with either 22 or 24 frets, depending on year of manufacture. The standard line currently have Wizard III necks that are slightly wider and thicker than the original Wizard. All S models have bodies that are thicker in the middle where the pickups are, and taper off towards the outer edges. The guitars use ZR (Zero Resistance), Lo-TRS, and variants of the Edge bridge system as well as fixed bridges. Ibanez currently makes 8 Prestige S-Series guitars.
 * Ibanez DN
 * The Ibanez DN guitar (DN stands for Darkstone) was developed for heavy metal guitar players. The main features of the DN are that it has a set-in neck for speed and playing comfort, medium frets, and coil tapped pickups. This guitar is currently discontinued.


 * Ibanez X
 * The Ibanez X guitars are Ibanez guitars that feature unconventional and unique body designs. An example would be the Ibanez Xiphos, which is stylized to look like the letter X. For all X guitars currently available and for more information, check the Ibanez Electric Guitar page in 2013. (as of 2013, variations may be: Halberd XH300 and Glaive XG300, Mick Thomson Signature MTM100, MTM10)
 * Ibanez Artist (AR)
 * The Ibanez Artist guitars were designed for heavy playing such as for heavy metal or traditional rock. The Artist ARZ is a single cutaway, 24 fret, 25" scale guitar that features a wide variety of bridges and pickups depending on the specific models. The Artist ART is a single cutaway, 22 fret, 24.75" scale guitar that features a hard tail bridge. The Ibanez AR is a reissued series originating from the 70s. The AR series features a set-in neck, double cutaway, with 22 frets on a 24.75" scale.
 * Ibanez FR
 * The Ibanez FR is a simple body type guitar that is designed to be played in many genres.
 * Ibanez Mikro
 * The Ibanez Mikro series are small form factor guitars designed for children, beginners, or guitar players looking for a guitar that is easy to transport.

Hollow body electric guitars

 * Ibanez Artcore series
 * The first Ibanez Artcore models were released in mid-2002 whose goal was to offer an affordable range of full-hollow and semi-hollow body guitars that appealed to entry level guitarists who were unable or unwilling to pay big money on high-priced guitars.


 * Ibanez Artcore Custom
 * Ibanez Artcore headstock.jpg The Artcore Custom is Ibanez's flagship model for the Artcore series. The bodies of the guitars are made of maple, the neck has a set-in construction type, and features wood control knobs and hand rolled frets.
 * Ibanez AK
 * The Ibanez AK is a guitar designed for jazz and blues type playing. It features a slim set-in neck with a body designed to easily access the higher frets. The AK is easily distinguishable by its sharper lower body horn (Florentine cutaway ?) that other Artcore guitars do not have.

Production signature guitars

 * JS – Joe Satriani Signature
 * JEM and Universe – Steve Vai Signature
 * PGM – Paul Gilbert Signature
 * MTM – Mick Thomson Signature
 * APEX – Munky Signature
 * E-Gen – Herman Li Signature
 * NDM4 – Noodles Signature
 * STM2 – Sam Totman Signature
 * ORM – Omar Rodriguez Signature
 * MBM – Matt Bachand Signature
 * HRG – H. R. Giger Signature
 * GB – George Benson Signature
 * K7 – Head and Munky Signature
 * PM – Pat Metheny Signature
 * JSM – John Scofield Signature
 * AT – Andy Timmons Signature
 * TAM - Tosin Abasi Signature
 * JBM - Jake Bowen Signature
 * BBM - Ben Bruce Signature

Discontinued guitars
Discontinued guitars


 * Ibanez R series, also known as the Radius series, are famous for having lightweight aerofoil-profiled basswood bodies. The main endorser was Joe Satriani before he was given his own Signature JS series. The Radius series is now discontinued.
 * RT series – Superstrat design with 24 frets. Discontinued in 1994.
 * RX series – Superstrat design but with 22 frets instead. Discontinued in 1998, and currently only exists as GRX (budget model of RX series).
 * AX series – Extreme version of the artist model, aimed towards metal players – currently only exist as GAX model and Guitar Center exclusive model.
 * Axstar (a.k.a. Axstar by Ibanez) – discontinued
 * EDR/EXR – Ergodyne series – discontinued
 * MC – Musician series – Discontinued – Neck-through construction (except for MC-100, which has a bolt-on neck), with 24 frets (two octaves) – As with the Artist models of the late 1970s, some of these guitars were equipped with trisound switches, and some models (MC 400 and MC 500) were equipped with active electronics.
 * ST – Studio series 1977–82 offset double cutaway ranging from bolt on to fixed and through necks with pairs of V2 distortion humbuckers. 24 frets and 25.5" scale.
 * CN – Concert range 1977–79 like a bolt on neck Artist with slightly offset cutaways.
 * IC – Iceman a radical shape endorsed and used by Paul Stanley, Various pickup combinations.
 * BL – Blazer series 1980–82 – fixed bridge strat-like with maple necks and mahogany or ash bodies sporting 3 single coil pickups (Super 6 or BL) or 2 Super 70 humbuckers.
 * ARC-100/300 (Retro Series)
 * ARX-100/300 (Retro Series)
 * AR-100/200 (black vintage top)
 * V Series – Flying V's – discontinued
 * Ibanez Artcore Series – Ibanez's full and semi-hollow guitar line, with some models discontinued since their debut in 2002.
 * Ibanez Jet King 2 and Jet King 1 – A modern remake of the Ibanez Rhythm maker, vintage looking and sounding guitars.
 * Radius series – discontinued, a modified version is now taken over by the Joe Satriani signature series which features a multi-radius neck.
 * EX Series – Manufactured in Korea.
 * PL – Pro Line series
 * RR – Rocket Roll
 * DT – Destroyer
 * IC – Iceman
 * Talman Series – discontinued
 * CN Concert Series – This was a short lived series produced in 1978 then discontinued soon afterwards. It features an asymmetric double cutaway body with two humbuckers, a hard tail bridge and a bolt on neck. The top end model (the CN250) was one of the earliest guitars to feature "half vine" fingerboard inlays.
 * Power II series (540PII) - extended length lower cutaway, wide (1 3/4")nut,available in H-H or H-S with edge trem. Often erroneously assumed to be an Alex Skolnick signature model due to his picture in the 88-89 catalogue with a 540PII. Primarily released for the Japanese market, although it has the Bensalem Penn. neck plate.
 * AFD – Artfield
 * GR – Ghostrider series, arched-top double cutaway design. 24$3⁄4$" scale length. Most notably played by Shawn Lane.
 * Cimar by Ibanez

Discontinued signature guitars


 * ICJ100WZ – Jay Yuenger Signature
 * K7 – Korn Signature
 * Stanley Jordan Signature
 * AH10 – Allan Holdsworth Signature
 * PS10 – Paul Stanley Signature
 * LR10 – Lee Ritenour Signature
 * JP20 – Joe Pass Signature
 * MFM – Marty Friedman Signature
 * VM1 – Vinnie Moore Signature
 * FGM – Frank Gambale Signature
 * JPM – John Petrucci Signature
 * RBM2NT – Reb Beach Signature
 * DMM1 – Daron Malakian Signature
 * MMM – Mike Mushok Signature
 * RS1010SL – Steve Lukather Signature
 * STM1 – Sam Totman Signature
 * NDM1 and NDM2 – Noodles Signature

Bass guitar models

 * SR (Soundgear) Series
 * Middle-class model range in the new millennium, though it included expensive high-end and top-of-the-line Japanese models in the late 1980s and 1990s. Later top offerings were branded as Signature and SR Prestige models for clearer segmentation, and all non-Prestige model production moved outside Japan. Current models from the SR250 and up feature soapbar-style humbuckers with active EQ.
 * SR Prestige
 * High-end versions of the Ibanez Soundgear (SR-5004/5/6 & SR-4004/5/6) Bass Guitars made in Japan using exotic woods and high-quality custom Bartolini pickups & new "PWC-III" Power Curve III 3-band EQ with EQ bypass switch to bypass the electronics and take the bass signal directly from the pickups to the output jack. All Japanese-built current production models are in the Prestige series.
 * SR Premium
 * Nordstrand pickups. Indonesian-built.


 * ARTCORE Series- Archtop Basses
 * AFB200 – Hollow-body bass guitar
 * AGB200 – Semihollow-body bass guitar
 * ATK Series
 * ATK 300 4 string model
 * ATK 305 5 string model
 * ATK 1200, the Prestige version of the standard ATK, has extra neck pickup
 * ATK 800E, to be released in 2012, a Premium version of the standard ATK. Has extra neck pickup
 * ATK 805E, to be released in 2012, a Premium version of the standard ATK. Has extra neck pickup, 5-string model
 * Blazer
 * BTB (Boutique Bass) Series
 * BTB 400QM (discontinued)
 * BTB 406QM (Special Edition 6 String Model)
 * BTB Prestige – High-end range which are made in Japan.
 * Ergodyne Series - Ergodyne stands for polymer (non-wood) body.
 * EDA Series
 * EDB Series
 * EDC Series
 * EWB Series
 * GARTB 20
 * GATK 20 – More affordable version of the ATK.
 * GAXB Series (discontinued)
 * GSR Series- A lower-cost version of the Soundgear Series
 * GSR 100 – The original GSR bass guitar (Discontinued)
 * GSR 100 EX
 * GSR 105 EX
 * GSR 180
 * GSRM 20
 * GSR 250 M
 * GSR 200
 * GSR 200 FM – The GSR but with different color designs such as sunburst.
 * GSR 205 – Nominated for Ibanez's "Best of Model" award
 * GSR 205 FM
 * ICB (Iceman) Series
 * JTK (Jet King) Series
 * JUMPSTART Series- Similar to the GSR Series, named for the Jumpstart Pack which comes with amp and other accessories.
 * Musician Series
 * ROADGEAR Series
 * SRX (Soundgear) Series
 * EX series
 * Roadstar Series
 * Roadster Series
 * S series
 * TR Series

Signature basses

 * K5 Fieldy
 * A custom 5-string Soundgear design w/ "K5" Inlay centered on 12th fret. It was based around a late-1990s then-top-of-the-line Soundgear SR885 owned by the artist, retaining the shape and electronics, but with different colour options and a change of woods to suit his preferences. Early models were Japanese-built, but production later moved to other Asian countries, around the same time Japanese models were rebranded with the Prestige moniker and positioned as the absolute top of the line.


 * SDB – Sharlee D'angelo Signature bass
 * PRB – Paul Romanko Signature bass
 * GWB – Gary Willis Signature bass
 * MDB – Mike D'Antonio Signature bass
 * DTB – Dionald Tubang Signature bass
 * GVB - Gerald Veasley Signature bass
 * VWB1 – Verdine White Signature bass (discontinued)
 * PGB - Paul Gray Signature and Tribute bass (discontinued)
 * DWB - Doug Wimbish Series

Acoustic guitar models

 * AE Series
 * AE5LG
 * AES Series
 * AW Series
 * DT Series
 * EP9 Series
 * EW Series
 * GA Series
 * JAMPACK Series
 * MANDOLIN Series
 * MANN Series (Canadian distribution only)
 * MASA Series
 * PF Series
 * PC series
 * TALMAN Series
 * V Series
 * Concord
 * SAGE Series
 * A300AVV acoustic/electric single cutaway (Ambiance series)

Guitar Amplifiers

 * Tube Screamer
 * Iron Label
 * IBZ
 * IBZ15GR
 * IBZ10G

Bass Amplifiers

 * Promethean
 * IBZ
 * Sound Wave

Acoustic Amplifiers

 * Troubadour

Effect pedals
In the 1970s, the Nisshin Onpa company who owned the Maxon brand name, developed and began selling a series of effect pedals in Japan. Hoshino Gakki licensed these for sale using the name Ibanez outside Japan. These two companies eventually began doing less and less business together until Nisshin Onpa ceased manufacturing the TS-9 reissue for Hoshino Gakki in 2002.


 * Tube Screamer
 * Airplane Flanger
 * Echo Shifter
 * 9 series
 * SD9M Distortion
 * JD9
 * BB9 Booster
 * Wah Pedals
 * WD7
 * WH10V2