Ibanez
Encyclopedia
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
.
guitars from Spain
. When the "Salvador Ibáñez" workshop was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War
, the "Ibanez Salvador" guitars were no longer available, so Hoshino Gakki bought the "Ibanez Salvador" brand name rights and started making Spanish acoustic guitar
s 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 http://www.sixties-ibanez.com/ show guitars with some wild looking designs http://vintageibanez.tripod.com/sixties.html. Japanese guitar makers in the 1960s were mostly copying European guitar designs and some of the late 1960s Ibanez designs were similar to Hagström
and EKO
guitar designs. Hoshino Gakki used the Teisco
and FujiGen
Gakki guitar factories to manufacture Ibanez guitars after they stopped manufacturing their own guitars in 1966 and after the Teisco guitar factory 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. After the lawsuit period Hoshino Gakki introduced Ibanez models that were not copies of the Gibson or Fender designs such as the Iceman
and 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
, Steve Howe
, Mike Rutherford
, Andy Summers
and Steve Hackett
) and the Ibanez X-ING IMG-2010.
Cimar
and Starfield were guitar 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 of Japan. From 1982, Ibanez guitars have also been sold in Japan as well as being sold outside of Japan http://www.daeschler.com/articles/fujigen/.
Guitar brands such as Antoria
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.
The lawsuit was brought by the Norlin Corporation, the parent company of Gibson
guitars against Elger/Hoshino U.S.A. on June 28, 1977 in the Philadelphia Federal District Court, and was based on the Gibson headstock design. 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" USA electric guitar designs and moved 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.
See: list of Ibanez products
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 of Japan. These two companies eventually began doing less and less business together until Nisshin Onpa ceased manufacting the TS-9 reissue for Hoshino Gakki in 2002.
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
brand owned by Hoshino Gakki
Hoshino Gakki
is the owner of the Ibanez guitar and Tama drums brand names.-History:The Hoshino company was founded in 1908 by Matsujiro Hoshino originally as the Hoshino Shoten bookstore which mostly sold books and sheet music and then gradually over the years also began to import musical instruments into...
. Based in Nagoya, Aichi
Nagoya, Aichi
is the third-largest incorporated city and the fourth most populous urban area in Japan.Located on the Pacific coast in the Chūbu region on central Honshu, it is the capital of Aichi Prefecture and is one of Japan's major ports along with those of Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, Yokohama, Chiba, and Moji...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, 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
Seven-string guitar
A seven-string guitar is a guitar with seven strings instead of the usual six. Some types of seven-string guitars are specific to certain cultures . The standard 7-string guitar tuning is BEADGbe...
.
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 IbáñezSalvador Ibáñez
Salvador Ibáñez was a Spanish luthier. He made guitars, ukuleles, mandolins and other stringed instruments. These instruments were considered the finest of their age and are prized for their excellent quality and impeccable workmanship....
guitars from Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. When the "Salvador Ibáñez" workshop was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, the "Ibanez Salvador" guitars were no longer available, so Hoshino Gakki bought the "Ibanez Salvador" brand name rights and started making Spanish acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
s 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 http://www.sixties-ibanez.com/ show guitars with some wild looking designs http://vintageibanez.tripod.com/sixties.html. Japanese guitar makers in the 1960s were mostly copying European guitar designs and some of the late 1960s Ibanez designs were similar to Hagström
Hagström
Hagström is a musical instrument manufacturer in Älvdalen, Dalecarlia, Sweden. Their original products were accordions that they initially imported from Germany and then Italy before opening their own facility in 1932. During the sixties, the company started making electric guitars and later...
and EKO
Eko guitars
Eko is an Italian manufacturer of electric guitars, acoustic guitars and similar instruments, catering to professional level and manufacturing largely for export...
guitar designs. Hoshino Gakki used the Teisco
Teisco
Teisco was a Japanese manufacturer of affordable musical instruments from 1948 until 1969, and now its brand is owned by Kawai Musical Instruments Manufacturing Co. Ltd. . The company produced guitars as well as keyboard instruments, microphones, amplifiers and even drums...
and FujiGen
FujiGen
FujiGen Gakki フジゲン 楽器 is a musical instrument manufacturer based at Matsumoto in Japan and is named after the famous Mount Fuji. Gen means stringed instruments and Gakki means musical instrument - the name being literally translated as "Fuji Stringed Musical Instruments"...
Gakki guitar factories to manufacture Ibanez guitars after they stopped manufacturing their own guitars in 1966 and after the Teisco guitar factory 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
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
, Fender and Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
models started to appear. This resulted in the so called Ibanez lawsuit period. After the lawsuit period Hoshino Gakki introduced Ibanez models that were not copies of the Gibson or Fender designs such as the Iceman
Ibanez Iceman
The Iceman is an electric guitar model produced by Ibanez. -History:The Iceman is an Ibanez guitar produced by Hoshino Gakki. Hoshino Gakki exported copies of American electric and acoustic guitars in the 1950s, and by the mid 1970s the Ibanez guitars had reached a level of quality comparable to...
and 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
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
's former guitarist Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
resulted in the introduction of the Ibanez JEM
Ibanez JEM
Ibanez JEM is an electric guitar manufactured by Ibanez and first produced in 1987. The guitar's most notable user is its co-designer, Steve Vai. As of 2010, there have been five sub-models of the JEM: the JEM7, JEM77, JEM777, JEM555 and the JEM333...
and the Ibanez Universe
Ibanez Universe
The Ibanez Universe is the world's first modern, commercial seven-string electric guitar, developed by Steve Vai and manufactured by Ibanez. The Universe is a seven-string version of the Ibanez JEM series, Vai's signature model...
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
Ibanez RG
The Ibanez RG series has the maximum subtypes of guitars under the Ibanez Electric Guitar catalog and a popular series of Ibanez electric guitars produced by Hoshino Gakki. The Ibanez RG was originally designed as a derivative of Steve Vai's JEM\Universe series and released in 1987. Manufacture of...
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
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
guitar synthesizers, including the Stratocaster-style Roland G-505, the twin-humbucker Roland G-202 (endorsed by Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Dean Brown
Dean Brown (guitarist)
Dean Brown is an American jazz fusion guitarist and session musician.-Career:Dean Brown graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1977...
, Jeff Baxter
Jeff Baxter
Jeff "Skunk" Baxter is an American guitarist, known for his stints in the rock bands Steely Dan and The Doobie Brothers during the 1970s...
, Yannis Spathas
Yannis Spathas
Yannis Spathas is a Greek rock, blues and folk guitarist and composer who was best known for his lead guitar work with the Greek rock band Socrates Drank The Conium in the early 1970s....
, Steve Howe
Steve Howe
Steve Howe is the name of:*Steve Howe , progressive rock guitarist*Steve Howe , former major league pitcher...
, Mike Rutherford
Mike Rutherford
Michael John Cleote Crawford Rutherford is an English musician. He is a founding member of Genesis, initially as a bassist and backup vocalist. In later incarnations of Genesis, he assumed the role of lead guitarist. He is one of only two constant members in Genesis . He also fronts Mike + The...
, Andy Summers
Andy Summers
Andy Summers is an English guitarist born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. Best known as the guitarist for rock band The Police, he has also recorded twelve solo albums, collaborated with many other artists, toured extensively under his own name, published several books, and composed...
and Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett
Stephen Richard Hackett is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. He gained prominence as a member of the British progressive rock group Genesis, which he joined in 1970 and left in 1977 to pursue a solo career...
) and the Ibanez X-ING IMG-2010.
Cimar
Cimar
Cimar was a Hoshino Gakki guitar brand. Designs of Cimar guitars are sometimes very similar to Hoshino Gakki's Ibanez guitar brand. Cimar guitars appear in Hoshino Gakki catalogues.-References:***...
and Starfield were guitar 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
Greco guitars
Greco are a brand of electric guitars produced by Kanda Shokai 神田商会. Kanda Shokai is a musical instrument wholesaler mostly known for being part of Fender Japan.-History:...
were sold in Japan and the Hoshino Gakki Ibanez guitars were sold outside of Japan. From 1982, Ibanez guitars have also been sold in Japan as well as being sold outside of Japan http://www.daeschler.com/articles/fujigen/.
Guitar brands such as Antoria
Antoria
Antoria was a UK guitar brand that was owned by JT Coppock Leeds Ltd. The Antoria brand goes back to the 1950s and stars such as Hank Marvin and Marty Wilde played them. Antoria guitars from the 1970s and early 1980s were imported from Japan and have some similarities to Ibanez guitars from the...
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
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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-bankrupt) 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.The lawsuit was brought by the Norlin Corporation, the parent company of Gibson
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
guitars against Elger/Hoshino U.S.A. on June 28, 1977 in the Philadelphia Federal District Court, and was based on the Gibson headstock design. 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" USA electric guitar designs and moved 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.
Guitars
| Electric Guitar Models |
|---|
| Production Signature Models |
|---|
 |
| Discontinued Signature Models |
|---|
|
| New Guitar & Bass Models for 2008 |
|---|
|
| Bass Guitar Models |
|---|
|
| Acoustic Guitar Models |
|---|
|
Effect pedals
In the 1970s, the Nisshin Onpa company, who owned the Maxon
Maxon
Maxon may denote:* An electronic musical device Maxon Effects Pedals.A surname:* Bonnie Maxon American professional wrestler* William Ralph Maxon American botanist...
brand name, developed and began selling a series of effect pedals in Japan. Hoshino Gakki licensed these for sale using the name Ibanez outside of Japan. These two companies eventually began doing less and less business together until Nisshin Onpa ceased manufacting the TS-9 reissue for Hoshino Gakki in 2002.
Serial numbers
| Serial numbers |
|---|
Ibanez Serial Numbers (non Acoustic) Japanese Ibanez Serial Numbers 1997 and after (CE logo designation)
1987-1997
1975-1986
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 and the Axstar by Ibanez models AX40, AX45, AX48, AXB50, AXB60, AXB65, AX70, AX75 which were made by Chushin Gakki. The Ibanez Axstar AXB1000 model was made by FujiGen Gakki. Korean Ibanez Serial Numbers C = Cor-Tek (Cort) Cort Guitars Cort Guitars is a guitar manufacturer centered in South Korea. The company is one of the largest guitar makers in the world, and produces instruments for many other companies.- History :... , S = Samick Samick Samick is the name of a Korea-based musical instrument manufacturer, one of the largest in the world.The name refers to the entire Samick Musical Instruments, which owns several manufacturers of pianos, guitars, and other instruments. The company started as 'Samick Pianos' in 1958, manufacturing... (1990–1995), S/SQ = Saehan(Sunghan) Vester Guitars Vester was a music instrument manufacturer specializing in guitars and guitar amplifiers. Formed as a part of the Samuel Music Company based in Effingham, Illinois, Vester is perhaps best known for their good quality Japanese and Korean import electric and acoustic guitars.The Samuel Music Company,... , P = Peerless (Iida), Y = Yoojin, A = Sae-In.
E = Sung-Eum Crafter Crafter is the international division of Sung-Eum music Co Ltd. It is a manufacturer of acoustic and electric guitars.-History:Founded by Hyun Kwon Park in April 1972, the first "factory" of Sung-Eum music Co Ltd. was in Hyun's own basement. During this so called "early period," they produced...
W = World
Indonesian Ibanez Serial Numbers I = Cor-Tek (Cort) Indonesia, K = KWO
Chinese Ibanez Serial Numbers Z = Yeou Chern, J=Sejung
Odd Ibanez Serial Numbers
Older Acoustic
Silver Cadet model
Pickup Serial Numbers Maxon Effects Pedals Maxon is the name used by the Nisshin Onpa company of Japan for its line of effects pedals designed for guitar and bass. The unrelated Maxon Corporation is a major global supplier of industrial heating equipment.- History :... |
External links
- Ibanez Register - Information and pictures of all the Ibanez guitars
- History of Hoshino Gakki Co., Ltd.
- Ibanez History
- Ibanez Museum - Ibanez instruments database, resources, user reviews, and pictures.
- Origins of Ibanez and the Lawsuit Models
- Ibanez Serial Number Decoder
- Complete Ibanez Catalogs Online
- JAPAN Discoveries - International shipping Available (from JAPAN)
- IbanezRules - Buy/Sell used Ibanez guitars, technical setup guides, catalog scans, manuals, wiring diagrams, etc.
- Guitar Resource Center Ibanez Guitar Reviews
- The Ibanez JS Site
- Jemsite - Dedicated to Ibanez JEM guitars and other Ibanez guitars.
- Rich Lasner from Hoshino USA interview
- The Mr-Ibanez Collection - Collection of rare vintage ibanez guitars
- ICJ100WZ.com - Dedicated to the Ibanez ICJ100WZ