Ibanez Guitars
Ibanez is a trusted name in guitar manufacturing known for their stylish, sometimes over-the-top designs. Mostly associated with heavy metal and hard rock, Ibanez none the less makes some great less-expensive guitars that novice players grow to love.
The Ibanez brand was actually a name adopted by a Japanese instrument maker called Hoshino Gakki that wanted to tap into the US market but wanted a less “Japanese” sounding name. The company owned a Spanish guitar manufacturer called Ibanez and decided to use that name for their guitars.
Early on, Ibanez sold mostly cheap knock-offs of Gibson and Fender designs, but in the late 1970s started producing its own designs. To stand out in the market, Ibanez opted for radical body shapes, slimmer necks, and flatter fret boards which appealed to heavy metal and hard rock guitarists of the day. Joe Satriani and Steve Vai were among the first players to adopt the new guitars into their arsenals.
While Ibanez still makes some pretty radical looking guitars, the company does make some less-expensive models that might be worth a look for the novice player. The company’s GRX, GAX, and GSZ series guitars are all solid built instruments that come in under $200. And if you think you might tend towards an edgier sound, you’ll be happy to note that they all have a distictive, harder look.
Some artists who play Ibanez guitars include Brad Delson (Linkin Park), Mike DeWolf (Taproot), Rocky George (Fishbone), Billy Graziadei (Biohazard), Dexter Holland (The Offspring), Pat Metheny, Rob Patterson (Korn), and Matt Roberts (Three Doors Down).
