Ibanez guitars at Fret Music

Ibanez guitars are a Japanese-based brand owned by Hoshino Gakki, one of the first Japanese companies to gain a significant foothold in the United States and Europe

While Ibanez guitars date back to well before the Second World War, with origins in Spain, they really came into prominence thanks to the famous "lawsuit" models in the 1970s. (Ibanez eventually settled out of court with Gibson when sued over headstock designs.)

Initially, Ibanez guitars were duplicates of big American guitar giants like Gibson, Fender and Rickenbacker. But while Ibanez guitars looked and played the same (or better) as these models, the price tags were much cheaper. However, as time wore on, Ibanez guitars became known as innovations rather than imitations. The company has produced its own original guitar designs ever since.

The Artist series of Ibanez electric guitars for George Benson, the Iceman model for Paul Stanley (KISS) and the Destroyer for Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) put Ibanez electric guitars in the hands of some of the world's most influential players. This also established Ibanez electric guitars as the instrument of choice for metal heads, and set the stage for what would become the company's mainstay in its Ibanez electric guitars range, the Roadster.

In the mid-1980s, newer Ibanez electric guitars began incorporating more modern elements into their design. And Ibanez electric guitars have long been associated with rock as well as metal, since they include highly stylised body shapes, slimmer necks and flatter fingerboards coupled with modern electronics featuring high output designs and pickups.

A wide variety of artists have used Ibanez electric guitars, including Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert and Krist Novoselic of Nirvana.

Like many other guitar manufacturers, the company has created signature Ibanez electric guitars models made to the players' specifications, such as the JEM guitar for Steve Vai.

The newer Ibanez guitars are more modern in design and style. You can find Ibanez guitars with interesting shapes and designs. And Ibanez electric guitars remain at the cutting edge of electric guitar design, since the legendary brand has produced some of the most significant modern instruments.

The following comment from one guitarist who only plays Ibanez guitars is typical:

"I love everything about Ibanez electric guitars, the look, the feel, the sound – Ibanez guitars definitely have a character of their own."

We stock a range of Ibanez electric guitars at Fret Music in Southampton, with prices starting at well under £300. With dozens in our range on offer, you'd be hard pressed to find a better selection of Ibanez guitars anywhere else.

Established nearly 30 years ago, we feel Fret deserves its reputation as one of the best stocked shops of its kind in the south of England. To keep up stock levels of Ibanez guitars and all our other instruments, we have an extensive on-site storage facility.

Our staff are themselves musicians, so we can give you access to a huge amount of experience and advice, whether you are buying Ibanez electric guitars or anything else.

Check out our web site today, drop in or give us a call free of charge to find out more.