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IBANEZ 2013 (who has the inside scoop)

174K views 990 replies 118 participants last post by  MatiasTolkki 
#1 ·
IBANEZ 2013 (who has the inside scoop)! What will be new,,what to be expected for us ibanez fans who just cant wait. :p anyone know post here :D
 
#568 ·
Any company has a right to choose how it wants to reveal new products, regardless of how any other company chooses. I think they know there is no way to keep a lid on everything, because it's been proven every year. But they are not leaking or promoting leaks either. The few models that they can keep secret are only because they're keeping them completely out of the loop until show day.
 
#569 ·
Too bad you can't do everything but the pictures up front; then smack images on the day of or before.
This whole thing kind of reminds me somewhat of what the car industry does with painting prototype cars with funky shapes or driving them under coverings. There's always going to be someone jumping the fence wanting a picture.
 
#570 ·
I understand the logic of wanting to 'surprise' people at the big show, but let's be realistic here, it's just a guitar. It isn't like the vaccine for a disease that's suddenly unveiled and blows everyone away. It's the same thing with mobile technologies, everyone 'leaking' upcoming phone models, and the resulting fallout as if this product being common knowledge somehow makes it less appealling for the consumer when it's 'officially' revealed.

For the general public that just want to see what kind of new toys they get to spend their tax return on, all we want is a little picture or two to get our saliva flowing. I doubt it's really a case of people looking for '15 seconds of fame', it's more likely just excitement at finding out that there's going to be a new toy soon.
 
#574 ·
Yup! I've seen many a great Ibanez guitar have its price slashed simply because it was discontinued. And who will pass up a great deal in light of history like discontinuing the MIJ fixed RGA? Or the end of the PGM301 or 401? Some of those guitars will fetch better prices used simply because there are fewer of them (the 301 maybe not).
And I can totally understand Ibanez OR the dealers buying from them NOT wanting this info going public prior to Christmas. Sell what you have now indeed.
 
#576 ·
The UK will have to answer to Japan for their choices.


The deep discounts only come with closeouts. When Ibanez has excess inventory that isn't going anywhere, just like us dealers, they have limited space and stuff has to move. Extra incentives move the wood, and why you can find pricing cheaper than original dealer pricing, like the 3570's I bought out, or the 3250DY's I have now. I can sell them for hundreds less than I would have paid for one.
 
#577 ·
The UK will have to answer to Japan for their choices.

The deep discounts only come with closeouts. When Ibanez has excess inventory that isn't going anywhere, just like us dealers, they have limited space and stuff has to move. Extra incentives move the wood, and why you can find pricing cheaper than original dealer pricing, like the 3570's I bought out, or the 3250DY's I have now. I can sell them for hundreds less than I would have paid for one.
You have me interested. If I get another guitar and it's Ibanez, you seem to be the guy! It's cool to see the micro-innovations of any company from year to year, but nothing beats getting something, still good, that a dealer/website has to move.

Even small mom and pop stores move great stuff at rock bottom prices. I liked the 2010 Les Paul Studio, a couple of years old, sell for $999 when the others very similar but somehow newer, go for $1399. I liked the Jackson Kelly (pretty high end/high mid end at $500) sell for less than half of list when people paid a lot more for latest and greatest Jacksons.
 
#582 · (Edited)
^^^ mike570, that seems to fit the line quite nicely, I thought it was something weird. :)

also:

As someone who has attended many, many trade shows, on both sides of the booth, I can tell you that this is absolutely wrong. When you're at a huge show like NAMM, you want foot traffic in your booth. If everyone already knows what will be there, there's a good chance they won't stop by. As has been pointed out elsewhere in this thread, actually holding the instrument in your hands is worth much more than a picture on a website.


______________________________

Really? Don't most come to booth because they want to see all your models, not just the latest year?

Even then, about what percentage of entire line is uniquely a new year's offerings, versus what is actually there which I assume in general people want to come and see?

If you are Ibanez, won't most of the people be there, attending your table in general to see common but extremely popular double locking trem hard rock guitars RG, S, Vai, Satch (and to lesser extent Artists, Artcores, and many non-trem instruments), regardless of year of debut?
 
#587 ·
Really? Don't most come to booth because they want to see all your models, not just the latest year?

Even then, about what percentage of entire line is uniquely a new year's offerings, versus what is actually there which I assume in general people want to come and see?

If you are Ibanez, won't most of the people be there, attending your table in general to see common but extremely popular double locking trem hard rock guitars RG, S, Vai, Satch (and to lesser extent Artists, Artcores, and many non-trem instruments), regardless of year of debut?
Your core customers will always come to your booth. Your goal is to attract people who aren't currently your customer, which is why you want some hook to draw them in. At a huge show, there's tons of booths, seminars, etc to eat up your time and mental bandwidth. You want people to make coming to your booth a priority. If they've already seen all your new models on the internet, they might not. When and if they get there, they might be mentally tuned out or just desensitized from seeing so much stuff.

Having looked at a number of Rich's NAMM reports, they show the entire lineup (not every color though) and make sure and feature new products.
 
#585 ·
I don't know how it works but I think the people going into the booth are dealers and retail people looking to buy for the year, no? They know what's coming out for the year if they're a manufacturer's dealer (like Rich does) but are there to see these products first-hand. I don't know. I never attended a NAMM.
I think us knowing isn't as bad as the competition knowing. But like Rich said, every company's different. Hoshino, being a private company, can do whatever they want really.
 
#586 ·
No matter what Ibanez does, their long lasting tradition of innovation (and restlessness for previous great innovations) makes it a sure thing they will wow me. Some companies hit upon a great design and just stay there like PRS.

I think there have been some others to come along after Ibanez like a Parker Fly (ultra light), Steinberger (headless, small form factor), or Jackson (RR models) who blew us away with something new and noteworthy, but I can't think of a more consistent company with new ideas more than Ibanez.
 
#589 ·
Which is why I said Japan would have to deal with it, I have no doubt Headstock put it out there, as well as letting the dealers do the same.

NAMM is the show for the world, even though there is the Australian Music Fair and Music Messe, there are as many foreigners at NAMM as there are Americans. This is where they can come handle the actual products long before their trade shows.
 
#595 · (Edited)

So the three 2013 sources are:


musicradar
Gear4music
sevenstring.org

but are there others or is this site becoming the catch all site to organize all so-called leaks?

Ibanez puts out so much stuff, and different gear in different countries, that with all gear they don't continue on that if somebody posted a 2009 or 2008 picture of an Ibanez guitar and called it a new 2013, few of us here would be sharp enough to catch the error. Sometimes I see great stuff on Europe or Japan's site and wish they would release it already in the United States. I am sure there are players outside the USA who want something that's only available just in USA right now (or as of 2012).
 
#596 ·
I dont think Ibanez has done anything too innovative in recent years but certainly this year is a step in the right direction with all the cool new models. Although, the endless sea of black guitars with EMGs is boring but I get it. Those will surely be popular. Good call on Parkers, those were pretty revolutionary at the time. Vigier and Flaxwood as well.
 
#597 ·
Along with ESP, we are the go to metal guitar and black or flat black can't lose and EMGs are best to get that really heavy tone. I am sure you can get a pretty decent sound with a chrome covered Duncan JB, or zebra open coiled DiMarzio Super Distortion, but they just wouldn't look as menacing as that black, stealthy EMG 81 in a black guitar.

Even Gibson and Epiphone want in on that action.
 
#607 ·
DiMarzio makes quite a few alnico pickups and and they still dominate what you find in Ibanez guitars. The PAF Pro used in the Jem and other signature models for years is alnico, as are all the Satriani pickups and the Tone Zone, which is widely used. The F2 pickup used in many guitars in the late 80's and early 90's is based on a PAF Pro. The Tone Zone is the only one that approaches the "ceramic" territory in terms of output, which is probably why it's so popular.

But I'll agree with you that recently, the hotter trends with DiMarzio seem to be moving to ceramics. The Evolution has been around forever, but the Crunch Lab and the D Sonic before it are all ceramics.
 
#610 ·
Are we still going to wait until 24th or is Ibanez going to put them up like Gibson and a few others? That 7 string Iceman looks great and has the nice price. ^^^^^^

I think on some level, whether deserved or not, Gibson knows they have enough of a core audience that they don't care if they release before NAMM and will sell at least a set amount of SGs and Les Pauls anyway. I would think Ibanez has the same level of devotion, or is it just me who loves Ibanez?

So with the 7 string Iceman, many 6/7/8 strings RGs and a few S models all in various finishes, and the Artcores with either 12 strings (AS73 variant), ebony fretboards, and reintroduction of Artstar (above Artcore) with ebony fretboards, how many other 2013s can there be?

I would think the biggest secret of them all from Ibanez would be a new Vai model or two. It's definitely the PR flagship of the whole company and could make a splash at NAMM for the whole company whether some of the rest of the 2013 models are leaked or if all the 2013s outside of Vais are leaked.

A great cash cow for Vai would be some sort of regular, not Premium or Prestige, sub-$1,000 dollar Vai model, street price. Fender has their iconic strat and tele in the USA Special models for under a grand and Gibson has their faded Studio SGs and Les Pauls.

We need to get some sort of Vai representation to go against those strats, teles, SGs, and Les Pauls. And for years we have had the sub-$1000 dollar Satch JS-100.

Anyway, I am going to check out this forum page every day a few times a day to see what other 2013 stuff gets leaked, and in no way does early leaking help or hurt my chances of buying a new 2013 model. Basically if I am ready, I will look at Ibanez first and if they have a new, but pre-2013 that fits the bill, then that will get my vote/business.
 
#612 · (Edited)
Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah!
Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah! Woah!
Can you scroll to the left? Is there a white version too or is there a white 6 with a 3/3 headstock coming out?!?
There isn't, or hasn't been one (white six string) already with Ibanez?

What if that's a white seven string as that seems to be the more likely entry?

UPDATE: I see that the white Icemans are all 6 in line tuners and I don't see an Ibanez, white Iceman, with 3+3 tuners but check this out (scroll down to post #6):

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/other-gu...76-79-ibanez-iceman-worth-78-twin-reverb.html

official:

http://www.hembryguitars.com/whiteIce.htm

NC-17 version...NSFW...6x side or 2x Double-D:

http://www.hembryguitars.com/starchild.htm
 
#614 · (Edited)
I think that could be the fixed 7 string Gibralter bridge which is like an offset version of Fender hardtail in black chrome, but it's hard to tell from half a picture.

What would be nice for a change in 2013 is, similar to Fender and ESP, a basic order form form for body and neck, but then custom choices of finishes, hardware and electronics from J Custom builders. Those cost over four grand from either those companies and one from Ibanez wouldn't be any cheaper.

They could have a basic guitar template, like ESP's old custom order site,

body (RG, S, RG7, S7, RG8, Vai, and Satch),
body wood of basswood, alder, maple, or mahogany,
neck (1/3/5 piece Prestige neck choices in 22 or 24 fret in maple, rosewood, or ebony fretboards...bolt on, set, or neck thru
inlay choices of Ibanez sharktooth, block, Ibanez parallelogram, or dot),
finishes like black, white, red, natural, various sunbursts with or w/o flame, quilted, birdseye
or custom wood tops like bubinga and spalted maple, and matte finishes

Pickups could be custom Ibanez, DiMarzios, Duncans, or EMGs
hardware could be various locking trems, non-locking trems, fixed bridge TOM and Stop Tail type, Gibralter hardtail,
and finished in chrome, black, or gold

Start pricing at $2500 dollars USD for most simple setup to not over $10,000 dollars for most extreme dream guitar.

__________________________

For those with no budget, offer one of a kind Ibanez Prestige level hollowbodies with the core
AS, AM, AF, AFS, AG body shapes
with maple bodies and maple top or spruce top
trapeze bridge on any model
and additionally the fixed bridge for AS or AM if desired
rosewood bridge option on full hollowbodies
Ibanez Bigsby B-6 or B-7 option
and in all types of finishes
with gold, chrome, and black hardware.

Start pricing a little higher at $4,000 dollars for most basic custom hollowbody.

__________________

And to be fair offer custom versions of Iceman, Talman, and various X-Series guitars with custom specifications.

If a custom shop for Ibanez works, and the signature guitars they have put out proves this beyond a doubt and people order enough of them, then why not a 2014 Ibanez guitar calendar?
 
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