Ibanez USA

[pianoguyy]

For the life of me, I didn't know that Ibanez had guitars made in the US.
I am looking at one that was made in Bensalem PA in 1988.

Who knows the story about these and can fill me in on some details?

[xenophobe]

Probably a custom shop that closed. The only current US shop that I'm aware is LACS and you have to be pretty elite artist to get one of those.

[markD]

The Bensalem guitars were Japanese parts assembled in the PA back offices of Hoshino and given a special Bensalem addressed neck plate. My Desert Sun Yellow 540S is a Bensalem guitar. They really aren't anything "USA made" or that special. The real USA Ibanez guitars are from the LA Custom shop - hard to get unless you are an endorser.


This book is an awesome resource on info like what you are asking. There is a chapter that discusses the Bensalem guitars and even tells you who was making them!! I read this book a lot.....

http://www.halleonard.com/viewcloserlook.action?lid=-1&subsiteid=66&refer=null&id=00333185&img=http://s3.amazonaws.com/halleonard-closerlook/00333185/00333185FC.jpg&order=0

[xenophobe]

The real USA Ibanez guitars are from the LA Custom shop - hard to get unless you are an endorser.

Hard to get even if you're an endorser.

[neilli]

There were various other Ibanez guitars branded as USA starting with the graphic guitars in the early 90s. Not sure if these were actually made in the US or just assembled like the Bensalem guitars..

[PowerTube]

They're most likely ghost-built by someone else anyway. A lot of that goes on.

[AAEA]

1988 -1992(3) they had a custom shop that did pretty cool guitars. I've had a few of the painted ones and they are very good. pretty much the same sort of deal as any custom order; lots of boxes to check and then you get a special one for you. some are rarer than others.

later on ibanez opened a custom shop in LA and there are about 4-5 people working there. they make pretty cool stuff but I hear it is very difficult to get one built. Many ibanez sponsored artists have their guitar built there or at least have the option to have it built there. La custom shops are built to order and ebony fretboards are an option.

PA custom shops: $700 - $2600 depending on rarity of graphic and options.

LA custom shops: $3000+ all are rare and proceed with caution as there are fakes.

also, the S540 or 540s with custom and then a PA plate are just assembled in USA. cool for the price but don't spend over $500

[DonP]

I have an Ibanez USA with a reverse headstock, "Chop Shop" graphic, and EMG 89 bridge EMG 85 neck. No middle pickup and no pick guard.

It doesn't have a neck plate - the AANJ. Has "Ibanez USA Custom" in gold on the headstock, F05xxxx serial number.

Don't know much else other than it's a kick ass axe.

[pianoguyy]

And H&S guitars are something like the Custom Select?

[markD]

from the Ibanez book:

"Beginning around 1988, the US firm began assembling 3 540 models - 540P, 540R, and 540S - from parts supplied by Fujigen in Japan. Each was given an Ibanez neckplate that bore the Bensalem address - 1726 Winchester Road - stressing the US contribution to these guitars, and most has 'H&S' stamped in the neck pocket, standing for Heartfield & Starfield. H&S was a joint venture by Fujigen and Hoshino. "People would order stuff, and we would have these already-made bodies, necks, and electronic harnesses, and from those Japanese parts we would assemble the guitars," Rich Lasner explains.

Next came the USA Custom guitars, starting in 1989. "It was a step-up from the parts-assembled guitars we were already selling," Lasner recalls. "Fujigen sent two or three more people and set up shop with just a couple of pin routers. We'd use pre-done bodies that weren't routed for pick-ups yet." The prospective customer for a USA Custom guitar could visit an Ibanez dealer and chose from an array of options, including graphics, one of eight pick-up configurations, a few fingerboard choices with inlay, and a regular or reversed headstock."


The info for the LA Custom shop is more involved - just say that those are endorser, and elite endorser guitars at that (Vai, Gilbert, Satch), guitars that most likely will not come up for sale at a reasonable price.

[xenophobe]

The info for the LA Custom shop is more involved - just say that those are endorser, and elite endorser guitars at that (Vai, Gilbert, Satch), guitars that most likely will not come up for sale at a reasonable price.

Yeah, they do come up every once in a while, and if it doesn't have a recognizable name that you can't search on, it's most likely fake. But real ones are out there and for sale.

[AAEA]

there is a real one for sale, only "REAL" one i've seen in a long time on the market.

this is a real example of a LA custom shop one. not too crazy but it is real: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ibanez-RGT-L...sAAOSwHaBWiEJf

[AAEA]

here are all the custom graphics that could be ordered.

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z8/ibanezgitarrero/Ibanezpostermergedmedium.jpg~original

http://ibanezrules.com/catalogs/us/1991/usacg_2.jpg

http://s93105080.onlinehome.us/Ibanez-Catalogs/catalog/1991/23.jpg

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_forum/uploads/monthly_09_2015/post-8794-1441528421.jpg

http://www.ibanezrules.com/catalogs/us/1992/uscg_2.jpg

http://www.ibanezrules.com/catalogs/us/misc/1990_USACustom_Order_Form.pdf

[xenophobe]

there is a real one for sale, only "REAL" one i've seen in a long time on the market.

this is a real example of a LA custom shop one. not too crazy but it is real: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ibanez-RGT-L...sAAOSwHaBWiEJf

They're out there and they show up fairly regularly... there's always usually one or two for sale at any given time.

There's one on Reverb:

https://reverb.com/item/1322542-ibanez-lacs-rga8-2012-bubinga-dark-burst

[shramiac]

They're most likely ghost-built by someone else anyway. A lot of that goes on.

That is true. Vinnie Vincent's Ibanez VVV was ghost built by John Carruthers in LA.