Ibanez Acoustic Electric Guitars, Ibanez Bass Guitars, Ibanez Guitar Effects

Ibanez is a well known guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan. Ibanez production was started in Japan in 1970 by Hoshino Gakki but the actual Ibanez name dates back to the Ibanez Salvadol Brand in 1929. Hoshino Gakki owns the Ibanez (guitars) and Tama (drums) brand names. Ibanez is only a brand name that is owned by Hoshino Gakki and therefore Ibanez does not produce guitars. An Ibanez guitar is not produced by Ibanez, an Ibanez guitar is produced by Hoshino Gakki who contract guitar factories to make guitars for them bearing the Ibanez brand name.

In the early 1970s Hoshino began making Ibanez guitars that were almost exact copies of popular models by Gibson, Fender and Rickenbacker. Using somewhat cheaper materials and greater automation in manufacturing, Ibanez were able to sell these guitars for a significantly lower price than the originals. The low price combined with the relatively high quality of the guitars made these models very popular. Many guitar aficionados feel that the early- and mid-70s mark a low point in the quality of guitars from the major manufacturers, which helped contribute to the popularity of the Ibanez copies. These Ibanez guitars have become known as "lawsuit" guitars and have become highly collectible.

The actual lawsuit referred to was brought by the Norlin Corporation, the parent company of Gibson guitars, in 1977, and was based on an Ibanez headstock design that had been discontinued by 1976. Hoshino settled out of court, and by 1978 had begun making Ibanez guitars from their own designs.

Abandoning the strategy of copying "classic" electric guitar designs, the newer Ibanez models began incorporating more modern elements into their design, such as radical body shapes, slimmer necks and flatter fingerboards (which allowed for faster playing), higher-output electronics and colourful finishes. This led to an increasing popularity with heavy metal musicians. Ibanez also began an extensive program of consulting with well-known guitar players, such as Kevin 'Noodles' Wasserman, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Munky, Andy Timmons, George Benson, John Petrucci, Herman Li and Sam Totman, creating signature models made to the players' specifications.

Hoshino also manufactures Ibanez electro-acoustic and Ibanez acoustic guitars, both nylon and steel-stringed. The logo used on the headstocks of the acoustic guitars is the original Spanish Ibanez logo. Most Ibanez guitars were made for Hoshino by the FujiGen guitar factory in Japan up until the mid to late 1980's and from then on Ibanez guitars have also been made in other Asian countries such as Korea and China.

In the 1970s, the Nisshin Onpa company who own the Maxon brand name developed and began selling a series of effect pedals in Japan. Hoshino licensed these for sale using the name Ibanez outside of Japan. Due to popular demand, Hoshino reissued the Ibanez TS-808 in 2004, complete with the JRC4558D chip. Original Ibanez TS-808's, and to a lesser extent, Ibanez TS-9s, have become highly collectible. Many overdrive pedals in production, especially those by "boutique" manufacturers, are a modified version of the Tube Screamer circuit.