Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Northern California
Posts: 2,511
Re: IBANEZ 2013 (who has the inside scoop)
What's with Ibanez Japan?
They are still on their 2012 website!
I know it's likely they don't have anything different than USA or Europe, but it's possible and I would like to see something new there, too.
They had the "box guitar", high end Artstars and the solid top, dot inlay jazz infused Artcores I liked but couldn't easily get in the USA other than buying it on the internet sight unseen. They both were expensive enough that if I had bought them, probably at extra cost, then found them to be far below a used MIJ AF or AS, that would have been a bummer. I hope, even for non-MIJ stuff, that the higher end archtops and semi-hollowbodies are every bit as good as the old 80s and 90s MIJ hollowbodies. I know a lot of you here don't think the Indonesian mid/upper priced Premium solidbodies hold up to older MIJ Ibanez solidbodies, but I can't think that a company as well funded and as big as Ibanez can't build instruments worthy of the Ibanez legacy outside of Japan.
Also at the high price they ask for, it's better paying a little more and getting a Benson or Scofield, which is a known commodity as a equal or better than Gibson hollowbody, than taking a chance on buying a rather expensive Artstar sight unseen.
Have any of you tried the high end Japan market archtops of 2013 yet?