ibanez guitars,a design team only?

[MERCYFULFATE]

just who makes them? i have heard yamaha does. is ibanez just a design team? and if so . who makes the ibanez guitars now? or who manufactures them?


frank gambale said they were just a design team? i would like to know who or where they are made for real?

is ibanez a company that makes thier own guitars? if not who?

[toshiro]

Ibanez's Japanese guitars are made in the Fuji-gen-gakki plant in Japan. This plant makes guitars for other companies as well(Fender Japan, Fernandez Japan, etc).

The J Custom guitars might be made somewhere else, but I'll believe that when I see pictures of the place.

Most of Yamaha's current prodution line is make in Taiwan/China, with some Korean models. Like Fernandez, they make very few Japanese guitars now-a-days, though those guitars might've been from the Fujigen plant.

[Shakma!!]

i never heard that before. I know ibanez is owned by hoshino, and to my knowledge, they manufacture the high end ones themselves in japan and the mid and low range ones are made by Samick in Korea.

[Gambale_rules]

Frank Gambale says that Ibanez is just a design team.

http://mb.frankgambale.com/NonCGI/Fo...ML/000372.html

[Gambale_rules]

I also found this. See the replies to questions 18 and 19.

http://www.frankgambale.com/pages/brazil.html

[fettouhi]

If that is true, what is the custom shop doing in LA at all?

Regards

André

[jemsite]

The LA Custom Shop is for endorsed artists only... no production. See thread in the FAQ/Archive. They do some design too, which probably has little input on Ibanez JPN. Frank is pretty much dead on regarding the shops... they are not Ibanez exclusive and to my knowledge they are not ibanez owned.

Frank is correct in that Ibanez does not have a factory of Ibanez employees doing exclusive work for their company (ala PRS/Gibson).

I can't comment on their ethics however, but i'm sure he has his reasons and credit him for his candor... glen

[fettouhi]

Originally Posted by jemsite

The LA Custom Shop is for endorsed artists only... no production. See thread in the FAQ/Archive. They do some design too, which probably has little input on Ibanez JPN. Frank is pretty much dead on regarding the shops... they are not Ibanez exclusive and to my knowledge they are not ibanez owned.

Frank is correct in that Ibanez does not have a factory of Ibanez employees doing exclusive work for their company (ala PRS/Gibson).

I can't comment on their ethics however, but i'm sure he has his reasons and credit him for his candor... glen

When Frank was an endorsee at Ibanez, didn't he get his guitars made at the LA custom shop? Or is the LA Custom Shop limited to endorsees of a certain level?

Regards

André

[jemsite]

the production guitars he was given would be standard assembly line pieces. if he had a custom guitar made it was from the LACS. .. glen

[Rich]

Or Bensalem, he was an endorcee when they were doing artist guitars there

[jim777]

Has anyone played that Gambale Yamaha?

[adriansern]

IBANEZ is basically just a trading company. Other people make their guitars for them (eg. Fujigen, World factory)

And for the record, yea, played the Frank Gambale Yamaha.. sounds and feels ok to me .. but it could improve it's looks.. definitely.. i prefer the old Ibanez frank gambale last time ...

[MERCYFULFATE]

now i think they are looking for a new place to build?

[fettouhi]

Why?

Regards

André

[Chris From Singapore.]

Honestly speaking....I don't think it's going to matter whether Ibanez is a design team or not. I've known this for a really long time. But it's kind of taboo to mention this on a community with so much love for their instruments. Look at it this way. As of today I believe it's very hard to find a popular instrument maker that charges the prices we pay for jems/UVs/RGs/PGMs/Whatever without going through an "automated" factory/assembly line type of setup.

The fact remains that Ibanez, or more rather Hoshino Gakki (which also makes tonnes of other instruments, and then some), makes instruments that we love. Not only for their design, but their playability and quality. Quality with the exception of a few.

The fact that the are "merely" a design team should not bother anyone. I think we should focus our comments to the company itself confined on aspects that can and will actually improve the build quality, features and general design of the instruments themselves.

I've been playing Ibanez for the past 8 years, as far as I can see it, nothings gonna change that. And neither is my love for Jems/UVs.

Christopher.