The new arrivals include the Axiom Series, signature basses from Gary Willis and Adam Nitti, and Altstar acoustics.
Anaheim, CA (January 4, 2019) -- Ibanez Guitars recently announced a host of new models for 2019 that will be debuted at the NAMM show. Here are some highlights.
Acoustic
AC150CE
The Artwood series is the embodiment of what might be called the Ibanez āmodern approach to tradition.ā Cutting-edge woodworking technology enables Ibanezās luthiers to reproduce the sophisticated bracing techniques of one-of-a-kind instruments of yesteryear. While tradition is obviously the hallmark of the Artwood series, Ibanezās decades-long search for the ultimate in acoustic tone has contributed to design alterations that give Artwood a voice all its own. The Grand Concert body shape of the AC150CE, along with the solid Sitka Spruce top, delivers player comfort along with an enormous frequency range that offers wave after wave of shimmering highs along with tight mids and a full-bodied low end.
LIST: $599.99
Altstar Line
Ibanez is proud to introduce the Altstar series of acoustic guitars. Modeled in the image of the quintessential Rock & Roll sprit, the AltStar is an acoustic guitar with the soul of its electric cousins, not only visually, but in design as well. The idea was to build an instrument for players who may have just started playing electric guitar, but want to explore the world of acoustics but maintain a familiar feel while doing so. Every Altstar has a Spruce top, Sapele back and sides, and a Maple neck topped with a Laurel fingerboard, combining to generate a bright and present tone. The Altstar also comes equipped with an Ibanez AEQ2UT on-board preamp and an onboard tuner, making it more than capable in a live performance situation.
List: $449.99
Basses
SR500E, SR505E, SR505EL, & SR506
These feature an Okoume body which offers a warm and fat low end. The thin, sturdy and stable Jatoba/Walnut neck offers superior playability when combined with the extended neck joint, making the upper frets easily accessible. These basses are equipped with BartoliniĀ® BH2 pickups in a dual-coil style configuration with a lower resonant frequency, providing a balanced, warm response with a tighter bottom end and a fuller midrange. The Ibanez Custom Electronics 3-band EQ features a 3-way mid-frequency switch, allowing for precise tonal control (250 Hz, 450 Hz, and 700 Hz) and an EQ bypass switch for passive-only operation. When the EQ bypass is activated, the treble tone control knob becomes the global tone control for the passive circuit. The B500 bridge (B505 & B506 on 5 and 6 string) has adjustable saddles for string spacing adjustments, answering every bassistās individual string spacing demands, no matter the playing style. The saddles can be adjusted +/-1.5mm, and the neck-joint truss rod access allows for quick and easy neck adjustments. The SR Series continues to satisfy the vast needs of bass players, exciting them with the SRās smooth and fast neck, lightweight body and perfectly matched electronics.
SR500E - List: $866.65
SR505E - List: $933.32
SR505EL (Left Handed) - List: $999.99
SR506 - List: $999.99
Watch the company's video demo:
Gary Willis 20th Anniversary Signature Bass
It has been two decades since Ibanez introduced the first Gary Willis Signature bass, the GWB1, in 1999. We are extremely pleased to introduce the Gary Willis signature anniversary model, the GWB20TH, to celebrate our long and fruitful relationship. The GWB20TH is full of of Garyās signature details such as a fretless fingerboard, finger ramp and special shaped machine heads. On top of those familiar GWB features, this anniversary model is unique unto itself. The Ash top/Basswood body provides sparkling highs and a well-balanced tone. Additionally, the beautiful TQF (Tequila Sunrise Flat) finish enhances the gorgeous Ash grain.
LIST: $1,599.99
Adam Nitti ANB205 Signature 5-String Bass
Ibanez is proud to introduce Adamās stunning new signature bass, the ANB205. The ANB205 has a lightweight Swamp Ash body which produces sparkling highs and rich harmonics. The back side of the lower horn has an extra scoop, borrowed from the Ibanez SRās body shape, which enables easier access to higher fret positions without stress. The Maple neck and fretboard provide crisp, bright highs and strong upper midrange.Adam selected Bartolini 59CBJD pickups for his new signature bass. These āClassic Bassā pickups are passive designs that feature an extended and more resonant frequency range. The pickups have far more āairā and definition at the top end without sacrificing lows and low mids.
LIST: $2,666.65
Electrics
Axion Label RGA61AL-IAF
The new Axion Label series is designed for metal, but offers exciting possibilities for any adventurous players after a next-level axe. Axion Label Guitars feature forward-thinking designs in sound, playability, and looks that take your performances to new heights. Arm yourself with the Axion Label and get ready to break some new ground. The RGA61AL-IAF features a Flamed Maple top with Nyatoh body in a new stunning Indigo Aurora Burst Flat finish, giving the model an otherworldly color scheme. The Macassar Ebony fretboard provides a tight low end with quick response and the extremely rigid, super-thin and ultra-playable Nitro Wizard 5-piece Panga Panga/Walnut neck substantially increases sustain. The Sub-Zero treated frets can stand up against the hardest riffing and string-bending. The luminescent side dot inlays make it easy for players to perform on dark stages and match the dazzling luminescent Ibanez headstock logo. Bare Knuckle Aftermath pickups deliver a bright and wickedly expressive tone, transmitting a quick bottom-end response for picking and fast riffing along with a dynamic midrange and precise high-end articulation. The coil-tap switch unleashes the Aftermath pickupās full output (for a modern voice) or a lower output signal (for a vintage tone). The Gibraltar Standard II enables the optimal transfer of each stringās vibration. The GotohĀ® locking tuners provide tuning accuracy and allow for quick, efficient string changing and the Schaller S-Lock strap lock pins hold a strap securely but make it easy to put the strap on and take off quickly. The RGA61AL-IAF represents a new level performance for the modern guitarist.
LIST: $1,791.10
Watch the company's video demo:
RG5120M Prestige
The Prestige series employs a combination of cutting-edge manufacturing techniques and old-world Japanese craftsmanship. The 2019 Prestige lineup adds something new to attract the contemporary players who are always seeking something new. Develop your range, tone and technique with these new high-performance Prestige guitars. To create guitars that are truly exceptional, Ibanez carefully developed the new modern specifications of the new RG5000 series. This line features Stainless Steel frets for a bright tone, long durability and smoothness, a rigid 5-piece Maple/Wenge neck; a beautiful wood grain fretboard, Made-in-Japan Luminlay side dots and the most cutting-edge pickups.
List: $2,533.32
Watch the company's video demo:
Artcore Vibrante Series
Full of good vibes and vitality, the Artcore Vibrante brings another bold flavor to the long-established Ibanez hollow-body Artcore series. Vivid in both color and tone, the Artcore Vibrante (Spanish for Vibrant) offers a unique take on the typical semi-hollow body image. The AS63 features a standard semi-hollow body construction that generates a a warm, full tone without any feedback. The Ibanez AS63 is the most simplified model the AS series has to offer, bringing the joy of owning a quality semi-hollow guitar to everyone for an amazingly affordable price. The combination of its lively appearance, white dot inlays, and a pearloid pickguard produces a unique visual theme that ties in well with the classic body shape. The AS63 unites function and eye-grabbing looks to offer a great choice for any guitarist.
List: $482.21
Watch the company's video demo:
For more information:
Ibanez
Lutefish, the real-time music collaboration device and platform, is excited to announce a suite of new features designed to simplify setup, streamline collaboration, and offer more flexible subscription options for Lutefish Stream users. These latest updates, Audio Presets, Automatic Session Recall, Improved Scheduling with Contact Visibility, and a new Yearly Subscription Plan, are all about making it easier than ever for musicians to jam together, no matter where theyāre based.
Save Time and Stay in the Flow with Audio Presets & Session Recall
Musicians can now save and reuse their exact audio settings, reducing setup time and ensuring every session sounds exactly as they want.
- Automatic Session Recall: When users leave a session, their current audio levels are automatically saved and restored when they rejoin.
- User-Defined Audio Presets: Each user can create and name up to five custom presets, like āBand Practice,ā āStudio Mic Setup,ā or āQuick Jam,ā making it effortless to jump back in with the perfect sound.
āThese tools are all about saving time and hassle,ā said Patrick Finn, Business Manager at Lutefish. āMusicians want to make music, not spend time rebalancing levels every session. With presets and recall, weāre giving them time back and helping them sound their best, every time.ā
Smarter Scheduling and Contact Visibility
The latest update to Lutefish also made it easier to find collaborators and book sessions. Users can now:- View all their contacts at a glance when scheduling a session.
- Instantly identify which contacts own a Lutefish Stream deviceāso they will always know whoās ready to jam.
Go Yearly and Save 20%
Lutefish now offers a Yearly Subscription Plan, providing users with the same great access as the monthly plan at a 20% discount.
This option is now available within the Lutefish app and web platform, and current monthly users are eligible for a discount with an upgrade to a yearly subscription.
Lutefishās mission has always been to empower musicians to connect and collaborate without boundaries. With these new updates, Lutefish Stream continues to break down barriersāwhether youāre jamming with a friend across town or collaborating with a bandmate 500 miles away.
For more information and to start jamming today, visitlutefish.com.
Few musical acts did more to put their fame and fortune to good use than punk rock icon Wayne Kramer. Known for his enduring commitment to activism, especially in justice reform, his life story embodies the defiant, DIY ethos of punk, directly inspiring generations of bands and musicians who followed. Now, fans and fellow musicians alike can attempt to emulate Kramerās incendiary sound with the new, limited-edition pedal.
Designed before his death in February 2024, Wayne Kramerātogether with friend Jimi Dunlop (Dunlop CEO) and Daredevil Pedals owner Johnny Wator āthe pedal features artwork from artist and activist Shepard Fairey (Obey Clothing founder). A majority of profits from the sale of the pedal goes directly to Kramerās charity supporting the rehabilitation of incarcerated people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds.
In honor of his close friend, Tom Morelloāthe innovative guitarist behind Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, the Nightwatchman, and moreādemoed the pedal, showcasing its sound and shining light on Wayne Kramerās incredible legacy.
Tom Morello Introduces MC5 Wayne Kramer-Inspired Pedal For Charity: MXR Jail Guitar Doors Drive
"What they've tried to bake into the MXRĀ® Jail Guitar Doors Drive distortion pedal is not just Wayne's sound but Wayne's attitude, and the grit and the rawness of Detroit and of the MC5," said Morello, one of Kramerās best friends, during his demo of the pedal. "This is the guitar pedal that was used on the song 'Heavy Lifting' that I recorded with Wayne for the last MC5 record.
"Named after the late rocker's charityāwhich provides instruments and art workshops to incarcerated individuals as rehabilitation toolsāthe MXRĀ® Jail Guitar Doors Drive pedal aims to capture all of the high-voltage energy of Wayne Kramer's sound. It features two uniquely voiced gain circuits cascaded together with a singular pot controlling both the output level of each circuit and the overall saturation level of the distortion.
Music makers looking to capture Kramerās raw, fiery sound can pick up the new MXRĀ® Jail Guitar Doors Drive pedal, exclusively on Reverb via The Official MXR Jail Guitar Doors Drive Reverb Shop for $199, here: https://reverb.com/shop/the-official-mxr-jail-guitar-doors-reverb-shop.
The veteran Florida-born metalcore outfit proves that you donāt need humbuckers to pull off high gain.
Last August, metalcore giants Poison the Well gave the world a gift: They announced they were working on their first studio album in 15 years. They unleashed the first taste, single āTrembling Level,ā back in January, and set off on a spring North American tour during which they played their debut record, The Opposite of December⦠A Season of Separation, in full every night.
PGās Perry Bean caught up with guitarists Ryan Primack and Vadim Taver, and bassist Noah Harmon, ahead of the bandās show at Nashvilleās Brooklyn Bowl for this new Rig Rundown.
Brought to you by DāAddario.Not-So-Quiet As a Mouse
Primack started his playing career on Telecasters, then switched to Les Pauls, but when his prized LPs were stolen, he jumped back to Teles, and now owns nine of them.
His No. 1 is this white one (left). Seymour Duncan made him a JB Model pickup in a single-coil size for the bridge position, while the neck is a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound Staggered. He ripped out all the electronics, added a Gibson-style toggle switch, flipped the control plate orientation thanks to an obsession with Danny Gatton, and included just one steel knob to control tone. Primack also installed string trees with foam to control extra noise.
This one has Ernie Ball Papa Hetās Hardwired strings, .011ā.050.
Here, Kitty, Kitty
Primack runs both a PRS Archon and a Bad Cat Lynx at the same time, covering both 6L6 and EL34 territories. The Lynx goes into a Friedman 4x12 cab thatās been rebadged in honor of its nickname, āDonkey,ā while the Archon, which is like a ārefined 5150,ā runs through an Orange 4x12.
Ryan Primackās Pedalboard
Primackās board sports a Saturnworks True Bypass Multi Looper, plus two Saturnworks boost pedals. The rest includes a Boss TU-3w, DOD Bifet Boost 410, Caroline Electronics Hawaiian Pizza, Fortin ZUUL +, MXR Phase 100, JHS Series 3 Tremolo, Boss DM-2w, DOD Rubberneck, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Walrus Slo, and SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III.
Taverās Teles
Vadim Taverās go-to is this cherryburst FenderĀ Telecaster, which he scored in the early 2000s and has been upgraded to Seymour Duncan pickups on Primackās recommendation. His white Balaguer T-style has been treated to the same upgrade. The Balaguer is tuned to drop C, and the Fender stays in D standard. Both have DāAddario strings, with a slightly heavier gauge on the Balaguer.
Dual-Channel Chugger
Taver loves his 2-channel Orange Rockerverb 100s, one of which lives in a case made right in Nashville.
Vadim Taverās Pedalboard
Taverās board includes an MXR Joshua, MXR Carbon Copy Deluxe, Empress Tremolo, Walrus ARP-87, Old Blood Noise Endeavors Reflector, MXR Phase 90, Boss CE-2w, and Sonic Research Turbo Tuner ST-200, all powered by a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus.
Big Duff
Harmonās favorite these days is this Fender Duff McKagan Deluxe Precision Bass, which heās outfitted with a Leo Quan Badass bridge. His backup is a Mexico-made Fender Classic Series ā70s Jazz Bass. This one also sports Primack-picked pickups.
Rental Rockers
Harmon rented this Orange AD200B MK III head, which runs through a 1x15 cab on top and a 4x10 on the bottom.
Noah Harmonās Pedalboard
Harmonās board carries a Boss TU-2, Boss ODB-3, MXR Dyna Comp, Darkglass Electronics Vintage Ultra, and a Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2 Plus. His signal from the Vintage Ultra runs right to the front-of-house, and Harmon estimates that that signal accounts for about half of what people hear on any given night.
Kiesel Guitars has introduced their newest solid body electric guitar: the Kyber.
With its modern performance specs and competitive pricing, the Kyber is Kiesel's most forward-thinking design yet, engineered for comfort, quick playing, and precision with every note.
Introducing the Kiesel Kyber Guitar
- Engineered with a lightweight body to reduce fatigue during long performances without sacrificing tone. Six-string Kybers, configured with the standard woods and a fixed bridge, weigh in at 6 pounds or under on average
- Unique shape made for ergonomic comfort in any playing position and enhanced classical position
- The Kyber features Kiesel's most extreme arm contour and a uniquely shaped body that enhances classical position support while still excelling in standard position.
- The new minimalist yet aggressive headstock pairs perfectly with the body's sleek lines, giving the Kyber a balanced, modern silhouette.
- Hidden strap buttons mounted on rear for excellent balance while giving a clean, ultra-modern look to the front
- Lower horn cutaway design for maximum access to the upper frets
- Sculpted neck heel for seamless playing
- Available in 6 or 7 strings, fixed or tremolo in both standard and multiscale configurations Choose between fixed bridges, tremolos, or multiscale configurations for your perfect setup.
Pricing for the Kyber starts at $1599 and will vary depending on options and features. Learn more about Kieselās new Kyber model at kieselguitars.com