Where are the New Ibanez's Made?

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Author Message   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 12:59 pm:    Which are still made in Japan? Which in Korea? Indonesia? What are the factories? You all know so much, I thought I'd ask. Thanks! -Chuck   Captainibanez Username: Captainibanez Registered: 1-2004 Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2007 - 9:30 pm:    Chucke,in the interests of common scence, is there a specfic model range you are interested in ? I would be more than happy to answer your question. Captain Ibanez   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 12:53 am:    Artcores, mostly, but I guess I'm asking for the moon here: Artcores, Artstars, the JEM's, etc. When did Hoshino switch from Japanese to other Asian manufacturers, etc. If that's too much, then Artcores and Artstars. Thanks!   Japanguitar Username: Japanguitar Registered: 5-2007 Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 12:17 pm:    Ibanez have made too many models to list which ones are Korean or Japanese or whatever. Ibanez started making models in Korea in the late 1980's from what I've read. I had a late 1980's Ibanez EX170 from Korea that wasn't that great. Before then they were all Japanese. I'd say that Ibanez would only be making their recent high end models in Japan because making guitars in Japan is not cheap.   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 12:28 pm:    Fair enough. I was hoping someone had kept track, and maybe there was a list that could benefit other ICW members. :-)   Mr_roadstar Username: Mr_roadstar Registered: 6-2002 Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 3:24 pm:    It's a fools errand. Some models have been made in more than one factory depending on the production run. The Bear   Chazmo Username: Chazmo Registered: 3-2007 Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 3:30 pm:    I'm not sure if this helps, Chuck, but if you can read the serial number of a given guitar, you can usually map that to a factory. It's not always easy, but around here we seem to have the knowledge. ;)   Gemberbier Username: Gemberbier Registered: 5-2006 Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 10:24 pm:    I was thinking the same, Chazmo. Serial numbers tell us not only WHEN, but since 1987 also WHERE an electric Ibanez guitar was made. That was the year the ARTSTAR series started. They were originally semi-hollow body ARTIST models until the end of 1986 made by Fuji Gen Gakki. Generally speaking, there were 3, no actually 5 lines: full acoustic hollow bodies (AF), ES-335 sized Semi-Acoustics (AS) and small body (Stagemaster) semi-acoustics (AM), the fourth and fifth were the shortlived AC and AB bass lines which were added it 1990 (for as far as I can find) in Korea. The production of the higher model numbers moved to Terada (Japan). The headstocks changed from castle to narrow (tapered) with a v-shaped dent on top. The first serial numbers of these Terada made Artstars were H70xxxx. The lower model number AM50 however was produced in Yoojin (Korea), which was probably one the first experiments with Korean Ibanez jazz guitar production. Now, over the period from 1987-1989 the documentation is scarce. In 1988 the small catalogue shows us only Japanese Artstars (including a WHITE AS200). http://www.t3-kundenserver.de/htmlpages/redasys/_c ore/databases/t_meinl-uploads/1988_electric_guitar s.pdf I couldn't find a catalogue of 1989. But in 1990 a small catalogue pops up with Japanese AND Korean Artstars. http://www.t3-kundenserver.de/htmlpages/redasys/_c ore/databases/t_meinl-uploads/1990_gesamt_mini.pdf You can see that the high end Japanese models have pickups with 3 adjustment screws and the Korean pickups have only 2 adjustment screws. The Korean manufacturer of these models was Samick and that's why their serial numbers started with an S. This cooperation lasted until spring 1995, when a business conflict lead to tranfer of the production to the Cort factory, which was then relatively small, but good. They grew fast. Their products beared serial numbers starting with C, during the first years, but there were difficulties with the serial number stamps (for example in 1997). The serial numbers were sometimes written by hand, and then they skipped the C, so 706xxxx to indicate that a guitar was from June '97 for instance. (the handwriting of this employee is so terrible, that you need to see several labels of his hand in order to decipher the individual characters). A development worth mentioning is the change of headstock shape to wide Guild tulip from '96 to '97. This includes the MIJ models. The highest model number used for Korean Artstars was 120, as in AF120 and AS120. These were affordably luxury versions with MOP/Abalone/MOP fretboard inlays and gold hardware. The lowest model number used for Japanese Artstars was 180, as in AS180, which was in fact the MIJ DOT. Well, this continued until the Chinese Artcores gradually took over the position of affordable (actually cheap) Ibanez jazz guitars. That was in 2002. The MIJ AS200 had been rebaptized JSM100 (John Scofield Model 100) in 2001. Then, in 2003 they did something to combine Japanese neck quality with cheap Chinese jazz body making, in order to make the first really good Artcore: the UNITED ARTCORES AF195 and AS193 were born. http://www.t3-kundenserver.de/htmlpages/redasys/_c ore/databases/t_meinl-uploads/2003-artcore.pdf And they were discontinued after the Chinese had proven that they could make their own top models: nice blonde flamed "custom" ones with model number above 100, such as AS103, AF105. As far as I know there is no Artcore custom AM model yet. Would be nice, some flames, MOP/AB/MOP blocks etc. (just an idea) Well, I guess that's about it. I'm not even thinking about doing all those pointy planks. If you want to buy a recent one, just look for an F-serial number. Ginger   Petruz Username: Petruz Registered: 5-2004 Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 10:36 am:    ginger, congrats for the nice review. very handy and useful info. btw in the 1990 catalog there's an AR200PP (purple pearl). i wonder if artfield ever noticed that one ;)   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 12:54 pm:    Ginger, thanks!   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 4:23 pm:    Ebay Item #230136677333 Seller says serial number is W751466. So what does that mean? (In terms of when and where.) It's got an interesting inlay on the neck.   Johns Username: Johns Registered: 2-2001 Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 4:47 pm:    The Ibanez parts pages show the country of origin for most guitars between 2000 and 2004. http://www.ibanez.com/parts/START_HERE.HTML Be careful, though. You can't always trust the info on the index page of models. Dig down to the actual guitar parts page. For instance, the 2002 index page of Jazz Boxes (just called Boxes) says the AF120 was made in Japan. But when you click the link, the actual parts page says Korea. For some reason they leave the country of origin out on the 2005-2007 parts pages.   Chazmo Username: Chazmo Registered: 3-2007 Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 5:34 pm:    Chuck, W indicates this is from the World factory in China. This serial number, W751466, parses into a build of July, 2005, and it's the 1466th built that month. I'm using the information in this thread about serial numbers (you'll see what I mean): http://www.ibanezcollectors.com/discus/messages/57 51/8404.html?1179624772   Chucke99 Username: Chucke99 Registered: 2-2007 Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 6:04 pm:    Cool. And thanks for that link!   Ibanezfreak1960 Username: Ibanezfreak1960 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 10:55 pm:    Only the SZ is a Korean built guitar. At least my 2003 SZ720 is.   Gemberbier Username: Gemberbier Registered: 5-2006 Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 11:57 am:    Here's a quick copy 'n paste of an old message from Jim Donahue that makes it all clear: "Jim_donahue Username: Jim_donahue Registered: 04-2004 Posted on Friday, January 14, 2005 - 9:24 pm: -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Serial numbers Here are the answers to your Questions F7 Means 1987 in 1997 they added F 97 and the CE designation. Sung-Eum is E because S was used by Samick. So S was samick in 1990 to 1995, S is now Sejan, Y is actually yoojin Korean Factory this was made in Korea (RG140,RG240,RG340) They also made the first Korean acoustic's. P Peerless factory in Pusan Korea, Owned and controlled by IIDA Gakki in Japan they made the Nomad series and AE and other acoustics like the Charleston. I is Idda Gakki they made some AR300 models in the mid 1980's after Fuji stopped making set necks. H is the funniest H7 is Terrada a comapy in Nagoya Japan that makes mostly Gretsch guitars, This was a disaster and they made H7 for 3 years on the serial numbers, H must have ment for Hoshino. Acoustics with a 2 like 2940000 are Cort Taejan factory because they did not have a Letter on the stamp, I asked them to do that. The older acoustics were made by a Japanese company Called Kato they made the V300 series and a few other ones. They use the year then month like 8204 (April 1982) W is world this is actually a Korean not Chinsese Company. There is also another Z that was on the Silver Cadet that was Woo-sin, that place burned down and so did the S&N factory. (I went to all of these places man I have stories.) Any other serial number questions, just ask I know them all. Jim" ----------------------------------------- So, World Factory is NOT Chinese, although we got that impression because of an example in Captain Ibanez's serial number thread. Ginger   Chazmo Username: Chazmo Registered: 3-2007 Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 4:33 pm:    Ah, OK, Ginger. Chuck, take notice. Good catch on the World factory being in Korea. I guess that first post in the serial number thread should be fixed up a bit with this later information from Jim. Tallyho.

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