The Story of Ibanez Guitars
Ibanez Guitars have made a name for themselves over the years for being the choice of expert shredders of the likes of Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, and Mårten Hagström. Most guitarist at some point have picked up a Ibanez and tried to shred like the greats. So how did a little Japanese company turn into one of the biggest names in guitars? Let’s dive in…
Early History — Imports First, Guitars Later
1908 was the year and Nagoya Japan was the place. The Ibanez name started out as a guitar importer to Japan, operating as the musical instrument division of the Hoshino Shoten, a bookstore. Ibanez imported Salvador Ibáñez é Hijos guitars from Spain. Shortly after, the parent company, Hoshino Gakki, began production of their own Spanish style guitars in 1935.
The Ibanez Starts Making Guitars
Fast forward to 1957, where the modern era of Ibanez began. While other Japanese guitar makers were following cues from European guitar makers, Ibanez took a different route making guitars similar to the Swedish style.
During the guitar boom of the 1960s, brands like Fender and Gibson were all the rage. Following suit, Ibanzez began designing guitars similar to the their American counterparts. That landed Ibanez is some legal trouble — leading to a lawsuit which resulted in trademarks for the shape of guitar headstock designs.
The Ibanez As We Know It
After copying the American style, Ibanez decided to zig while the rest zagged — creating their very own style of guitars. The 1980s–1990s saw the release of the Ibanez JEM and Universe models, which popularized the classic Ibanez design. They also made signature models for guitarist like Paul Stanley, Bob Weir, and George Benson. This allowed the Ibanez brand to finally get a strong foothold in the guitar market.
A little later on, Ibanez launched the S and RG series guitars that featured high-output pickups, thin necks, deep cutaways, and floating double-locking trems — all features need to shred!
What’s Next?
As the Ibanez brand story unfolds — the brand dominated the Nu-Metal era of the 2000s and brought forth 7, 8, and 9 string models. Expanding out of the metal genre, Ibanez is continuing to make unique designs for guitars, basses, and effects pedals for all genres of music. We’re fans of Ibanez here at Cascio and can’t wait to see what new innovations they bring to us in the future.
Do you play Ibanez? What’s your favorite Ibanez guitar or bass? Let us know what you think in the comments!
