AMONG THE MANY guitars that took their design cues from a handful of seminal designs, the Ibanez Artist Model 2617 stood out as distinctly different, even enticingly exotic. And yet it looked undeniably classic.
The golden age of American electric guitar design and manufacture stretched from the early 1950s to the mid '60s. For Japanese guitars, however, the renaissance didn't occur until a decade later. Today, nearly a quarter of the way through the 21st century. players are again appreciating the quality and originality that made these late-'70s and early '80s creations so desirable and successful in the first place.
Many fans of Japanese electric guitars refer to the mid to late '70s as the "lawsuit era," a term that references the direct copies of American guitars that arrived from that country just before its guitar makers began creating models based on original designs. In truth, Gibson rarely ever filed lawsuits against Japanese manufacturers, as they would have been difficult to pursue and enforce from such a distance. However, the company did sue Elger, Ibanez's U.S. importer, in 1978, putting the squeeze on any direct copies brought into the American market.
Predictably, Ibanez responded by producing original designs for export to America. In fact, the brand had been designing and building some unequivocally original models before the lawsuit, many of them under the Artist banner, which it had also applied to several guitars that closely aped Gibson's Les Paul and SG. Copies continued to emerge after 1978 but weren't shipped to the American market, making it more difficult for Gibson to enforce restrictions imposed by the U.S. courts.
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Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Guitar Player.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Mother Folker
Dubbed the Queen of the Beatniks, Judy Henske ruled the roost on High Flying Bird.
An ES for Less
Offered by Silvertone and Harmony, the H63 Espanada was the poor-man's version of Gibson's ES-175.
DEATH BECOMES THEM
Tik Tok gave Mother Mother a second lease on life. Now they take on the Grim Reaper with Grief Chapter.
NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
West Coast luthier Ron Thorn took a trip to the Big Apple. He came back with his stunning new Florentine Empirial.
NEVER BE THE SAME
Four decades in with Crowded House's ever-changing lineup, Neil Finn takes a trial-and-error approach to music - and guitar. \"The mistakes make it interesting,” he says.
THEMES FOR IMAGINARY WESTERNS
Estevan and Alejandro Gutiérrez weave haunting guitar instrumentals evocative of spaghetti-western scores. With Sonido Cósmico, they show why they are the most exciting guitar duo of our time.
TIP SHEET
How did Peter Stroud become the right-hand man to Sheryl Crow, Don Henley and many others? It took talent - and these five rules.
MY CAREER IN FIVE SONGS
Four decades down the road with Winger, Reb Beach sheds his hair metal past with this quintet of metal and fusion cuts.
THE SESSION WHISPERER
Shred like the best of them with these 10 techniques gleaned from Steve Lukather, the legendary studio ace and Toto guitarist.
WONDER WOMEN
With her new solo acoustic One Guitar Woman, Sue Foley pays tribute to guitar's female trailblazers, from Elizabeth Cotten and Lydia Mendoza to Maybelle Carter and Charo.