Professional Luthier Reacts: Ibanez Guitar Factory Tour
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- Опубліковано 7 жов 2024
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Chris and Matt sit down and watch a tour of Ibanez Guitars' "Platinum Collection" guitar factory.
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Link to the original video here:
• Ibanez Platinum Collec...
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I gotta say as an acoustic snob and total purist, I have played some recent Ibanez acoustics at Sweetwater’s new showroom and I gotta say… they are making a KILLER guitar for $900. The jumbo body with german spruce top I played last month really shook me up. I have hand built luthier built instruments, but these were really something special.
What specific Ibanez model/s are you referring to and what in particular gave you the good overall impression of the instrument?
Jumbo guitar bodies do seem to have a lot of character don’t they?
Every time Chris started gesturing I got super nervous for that nice glass of scotch.
Me too,that is a very unusual glass.I'd have been even more nervous if it had contained a really nice Bourbon.........................
It's a grappa glass of all things! Borderline blasphemy :P Something like a glencairn glass would have been more appropriate.
Thanks guys. I didn't even know Ibanez made acoustics! It would be interesting to see you react to a Yamaha factory tour. They manage to pack a lot of features into a pretty high quality and budget friendly guitar.
Forgive me for leaving a comment so long after the video came out, just recently got back into guitar playing after a many year hiatus and discovered your channel and really enjoy it. I’ve made my living as a CNC mill set up, operator, programmer. There seems to be some similarities between what I’ve noticed in a metals shop as a laborer versus an engineer and having conversations with engineers that have little to no experience machining something compared to only designing something and the way the Ibanez video went. Almost like someone in the marketing department put the script together specifically for the purpose of selling the guitar, maybe with little experience playing or building guitars. I have no experience or knowledge in guitar building which is why I enjoy watching your videos. That being said, I have owned many Ibanez guitars through the years, acoustic/electric and electric. They were all lower end guitars as far as price range goes but have always impressed me with what I got for the money spent. When the time came when I had the money available to purchase a higher end acoustic guitar I really only considered two manufacturers: Martin and Taylor. Ibanez never came to mind even with my good experience with the brand. While watching their video and your comments on it I kind of felt they were aiming to reach out to people like myself, those who’ve had positive results from the more moderately priced Ibanez acoustics but would never consider Ibanez as an option when ready to look at higher priced acoustics. Just some of my opinions. Great videos, I have subscribed and will definitely be watching more. 👍
I really never thought about how little the sides contribute to the sound before and the similarities between a snare drum and an acoustic guitar. Solid points my dudes!
They still contribute somewhat to acoustics. Think about being in an empty room with cedar walls versus concrete walls versus drywall. It's all going to absorb and echo sound differently when you talk.
For this series I've started to watch the actual tour before watching the reaction so I can see which things you guys will pick out. On this one I guessed that you'd pick out the pencil lines on the bracing, the hand bending of the sides and the kerfing but I didn't forsee the other points. Anyway, thanks for another great video
And now I wanna build my own guitar. Thankyou. Love your vibe, great show!
I’d love to see what you guys think of Larrivée guitars
I second this!!!!
In defense of Ibanez, at the 7:00 mark when they are hand shaping the top braces, they never said it was being voiced, they are just showing that the braces are hand carved.
I'm sure the design has been voiced during building of the prototype, the templates just assure they are getting as close to the original design/voicing as possible.
Anyway, it is a factory build guitar and not a single Luthier produced instrument, there is a big difference as very few factory guitars could come close to a custom build acoustic.
You can use a machine to carve the soundboard braces. Use a vacuum to hold the board in place and then use CNC to carve the braces; it wouldn't be voiced however it would be craved beautifully.
Kerfing is structural, but it is also what is responsible for a lot of the smell of a guitar from what I have heard. I think my Martin has Spanish Cedar Kerfing which smells delightful! Not sure that is why they do this, but it is one thing that makes my guitar so enjoyable!
The guitar is painted with the neck on because the guitar is built with the Spanish system.On the Spanish guitar the body and neck are not separated. The guitar is assembled upside down. First the neck is glued to the top, then the sides are glued to the top and neck and lastly the back is glued. Once the guitar is assembled, it is impossible to separate the neck from the body .You can see this at minute 18.30 of the video, where you see the neck attached to the body before the back is glued. They do it this way to achieve the neck joint that is seen at minute 4.20. There is an English luthier named Adrian Lucas who uses the same neck joint, and assembles the guitar with the same system.
Correct , I think when they make these videos they SHOULD watch it once or twice before they comment ,some of it is just a lack of good observation or jumping to conclusions or assumptions prematurely .I think when you're watching/evaluating somebodies factory tour ,it deserves more than a shooting from the hip running commentary, it's called doing your due diligence. I think these manufacturers are deserving of this.
Hi,yes , it's kind of the nature of UA-cam ,right? I also think it's part of the weakness of UA-cam or any social media for that matter, misinformation or entertainment value can have real consequences that aren't condusive. If it was your guitar factory would you happily embrace potential misinformation or an impact on your sales , for the sake of "entertainment".Can't we do better and take some thought and responsibility for what we say?.Especially when it has a real influence on what others work hard to create? You know the old saying from the workshop"measure twice, cut once? Maybe we can look twice and speak once.:)
The lining contributes to the tone because it supports the top just as much as your pocketed bracing.
I couldn't disagree more. Flexible kerfed lining contributes nothing to the tone of the guitar.
Had to hit that subscribe button for your channel. This is the second video you’ve posted where my quest for knowledge of all things guitars led me to an answer. Thank you for sharing your minds expertise and desire to help find good ideas and answers.
I’ve been enjoying your “factory tour” commentary videos. And your other videos too. Would be interested is seeing one on Gallagher guitars.
Hey Chris, #1- Thank you for your service to our Country, 🙏🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸 Iam new to building guitars and have only built 2 & for tenor Ike’s but I build my necks in a laminated fashion like you said it’s cheaper to but flat sawn wood but it’s a lot more labor intensive.
Yeah, linings/kerfed linings are a structural component and any tonal benefit are because of it's structural importance. Also, I totally agree with spraying finish with the neck on the body is not a good thing however... I don't have any problem with poly and uv cured finishes and they are reparable just not with the original product. Gluboost is amazing at repairing poly finishes and can be completely invisible. I really love these videos guys... thanks for the content.
Really enjoying the recent videos, you guys are like luthier “Car Talk”
I see Matt, I click 🙌🤪
👀👀👀
With the notches in the bridge you can sink the saddle deeper in the wood (or have the wood up higher on the sides of the saddle) without it getting in the way of the strings. Theoretically making the joint between bridge and saddle stronger
Hey guys! Great video as always. One question: Will you guys ever do a video on the build differences between a regular acoustic and a 12 string?
You should do a Gibson USA electric video. Shocking finishing. I have 4 of them. But they all need work after they leave the factory.
Platinum collection AAD400CE, AE410, JGM5, PA230E, PA300E
Loving these factory reaction videos
I'd recommend the Godin tour, done by Premier Guitar. Godin is a Canadian company that makes Godin electrics, as well as Simon and Patrick, Norman, La Petrie, Art + Lutherie, and Seagull acoustics. They have also made necks for Kramer and Jackson, and Alex Lifeson's 'Signature' guitar company. They own their own forest, and sell wood to other builders.
I bought a Seagull S6 as my first acoustic after seeing several stellar reviews on the overall quality, especially for the price point. I would also be interested to see what comments you have on how they manage to keep the cost as low as they do given they build their guitars in Canada.
Plus, the video is as far as can be from a polished marketing exhibition.
“Bridge slotting” / “combing” might be done for the same reasons that most high end nuts nowadays carve “dips” between string slots (leading to that comb look)-the hypothesis being, from what I understand, less vibrating material directly between strings and, hence, less string crosstalk and energy dispersion.
I have an Ibanez artcore hollow body acoustic/electric that I absolutely love,basically the same as the Gibson ES 335. I would put it up against the Gibson any day. Very impressed with how it plays especially since I got it and a Boss Katana amp for 300bucks
I've had a semi hollow and an acoustic from them, when I was young. both in the 350-500 range. I'm a novice player just picking the guitar up again with an Orangewood and I'm already pining for that Ibanez neck.
my choice, this evening is a laphroaig quarter cast single malt whisky from schottland, my ibanez collection startet in 1980 V300L till 2020 with a jemjun lefthand, I love ibanez guitars
I've owned Ibanez's hollow body, and semi-hollow body guitars, grant it not the super high dollar range, but midrange guitars. They are pretty good quality guitars. At least the ones I have owned.
So glad I found your channel, loving all the informative vids. I'm mainly an electric "strat" guy but have always played takamine acoustics, mainly my 1999 santa fe so would love for you guys to critique the takamine factory tour and hear your thoughts!. Many thanks guys, keep the vids coming, new sub 👍👍
Thanks for the tour videos and the insightful commentary. My one takeaway from this video however is that I want a glass of scotch.
Man, when are you going to do more on the 3000 year old build!!! It will be 6000 years old by the time it's finished :-o
Talisker Single Malt Scotch. Made by the sea!! Slainte!! 🥂
So damn good
I saw the cort acoustic factory video recently. Interesting to see what you think about it. Showed pretty much the entire process.
I have a feeling the slots in the bridge are there to prevent having to shave the bridge down in the eventuality of neck movement. You get to use almost the full saddle depth before having to do a neck reset. Brilliant if on top of it, the bridge is actually shaped to maximize the bracing pattern they have in there.
That's a solid point!
@@DriftwoodGuitars I used to work at ibanez(hoshino) in bensalem pa. I was one of the guys who inspected guitars before they landed at scam ash and other music stores. and at 25:18 your sidekick there asked if there was a pile of guitars that were destroyed by cougars? The answer is YES! and every month or maybe it was every business quarter our boss would pull everyone off their inspection desks and as a "stress reliever" or a "team building event" he would tell everyone of us to pick out a guitar from the 2 or 3 skids of defects. and each one of us had our turn to go trent reznor on the guitar we picked. there was splintered wood every where by the time we were done. imo Ibanez is a shit company, who still makes shitty gear(and overpriced AF now), and shitty bosses. Fuck um.
@@DHarvey i did the same job at maton guitars in australia...no way would they let us touch a defect guitar for fun, tbat shit went straight in the bin..such a waste and a bunch of idiots...nice guitars for a hamburger factory though. Hey chris, cut a maton in half...doesnt have to be for a video, its just fun 🤣
Please please can you guys do Faith guitars?
is that Talisker? very good choice :)
I'd assume those notches in the bridge are for future saddle shaving. They would allow you to take the saddle down super low without maxing it out. Perhaps the neck on spraying won't be an issue at all if it won't need a neck reset at all. Just my two cents.
@@nopinionocomnt What is it?
Nice picked factory to comment on! They seem to have taken after Cort Guitars that makes their higher end Acoustics called Gold series. (I have one Gold O6 and it's an amazing built Guitar, sounding and feeling better than some Taylors.) And Ibanez calls their higher end acoustics Platinum now... pretty similar. Cort used to make guitars for Ibanez, so it might be a connection.
+1 for the Cort Gold series. Killer guitars.
I'd like to see your reaction to the Alvarez-Yairi factory tour
Hi guys, I've come across an Ibanez acoustic with a similar bridge. Here are what I can tell you about it. Firstly, it is not a new design as older models have used the same. For the slots, the area in front of the saddle is much thicker and the area behind it is thinner. I don't know if it's so the string holes sit lower for greater break angle or whatnot.... but the front area have those slots where the string runs. Can't say for sure, but it seems that even if the saddle is lowered below the bridge height itself, the strings will not be inhibited. I know there will be more problems if we get here but oh well, what can we do... haha. I hope you get what i mean. The itself guitar i came across has the saddle sitting a good healthy bit above the bridge so that's not an issue. Maybe it's just to reduce weight.
Anyway, i hope ibanez gives us more information about the neck joint! If it really were removable it won't make sense to attach the neck before closing the body up. But if the neck were really not removable for whatever reason, I guess they don't have a choice to finish the body separately then... I mean it doesn't exactly look like a spanish heel, but what do you think? :)
I just gotta comment on Chris knowing where the fret beveler is in the cabinet immediately lol man knows where he puts his tools.
I got lucky
I'd love a Takamine factory tour. Thanks for this one.
Awesome content Chris and Matt. Been binge watching your videos this past week. Well worth the time 👍
Not sure if this has been recommended, but Ruokangas Guitars has a build series on their Unicorn model. You can react to the neck build video because what he did was to "laminate" a neck blank by cutting it to three pieces and flipping the middle piece. You might want to check that out.
I've been watching some of the tour and it's wild. My poly guitars neck needs a re-set soon it's totaled but since I'm doing it myself I'll at least learn something. And yes the finish got rocked at the joint but it can hold a thin guitar pic and plays decent for now
I hate the angled file block because it can scratch the frets up and on heavily radiused boards like fenders it can slip off . This way seems like a good alternative and i will be trying that on a future fretjob.
Love your reaction videos. How about doing one on Santa Cruz Guitars?
Hand voicing, maybe they use the template as a common measurment and then take the precission of the hand voiceing further from that? They are not specifically showing that in the video, but who is to say they arn't going to do it since they have the hand carving tool at, well hand. And why wouldn't they?
Great choice of scotch
Was going to order a Driftwood acoustic but now I know your kerf cuts aren't tamboring.
Superlative language anyone? LOL. I always enjoy your commentary of these videos. It separates the marketing from the actual craftsmanship. Keep it up guys!
How about : For each individual guitar, hand voicing to that guitars specific Top/piece of wood .
Furch does that, magnificent instruments
I looked up their "Advanced" line and found this to be the most expensive, Ibanez AAD300CE Advanced Acoustic Electric Cutaway Dreadnought Guitar Low Gloss Satin at $799.99. This explains a lot of what we saw in the video. They have a "Signature" line that runs as much as $1,599. I couldn't find anything else. Now to try them out to see if they sound worth a darn.
I’ve seen plenty of budget level Ibanez acoustics but I had no idea they made higher quality ones either. When I think of them I’m thinking shredder axes. Thanks for the videos Driftwood 🤙
If you own an Ibanez Platinum, send it in so we can cut it in half!
i cracked up laughing so hard when it came to the kerfing part :D thanks for rewinding and pointing it out again! and again, let's hear it one more time :D
I have two Ibanez that have similar bridges, both older low end models. My theory is that it might possibly allow the saddle to be lowered to a greater extent before a neck reset is necessary, but not sure really other than aesthetic 🤷♂️
That’s my guess, too.
Yep no question kerfing is strictly structural. It's like saying the truss rod contributes to the sound.
Mahalo for making these videos and taking on the issue of “marketing fluff”. There is a risk in doing this. I read a comment below saying it sounds like ‘sour grapes’. I think this video has a neutral/objective tone which is much needed. Lutherie has so many variables involved already without the marketing and “branding” embelishments. I commend you both for taking this topic on directly. I think your tone and approach is getting better. The Taylor review kind of sounded like a rationalization of hand building vs factory building in a few places. Here it didnt feel that way. Keep ʻem coming.
Nice choice of tipple 🏴
Your arm gave me so much anxiety every time you reached for the space bar Chris, good job on not knocking your glass ahahah
My understanding is that Bourgois guitar is cutting the braces by CNC but still doing individual voicing. I think Dana himself does that bit.
An excellent tour of an (alas) defunct factory is the Ovation factory, by Premiere Guitars. It is 35 minutes long. Detailed descriptions of each station including many hands on demonstrations of the work. Also, I have seen the Fender factory tour after they took over Ovation in the same building, with many of the same employees and craftsmen.
I'd really like you guys to do a breakdown of a Furch guitar. I recently bought a Furch Blue Gc-CM which sounds more resonant and richer in tone than my Martin 000-18. I'm not a builder but love your videos on the 3000 year guitar.
Scanned some on our Plek, great guitars fret/ fretboard wise..
I’m not a guitar builder! I’m barely a player! But I understand physics. Kerfing looks and feels structural. I feel like structural voicing braces, depth, top, and the size of the sound hole matters more for sound than the sides do. This is just my observation, but the side always seems to be a bit fancier and denser wood. Therefore, in my mind it doesn’t matter one bit. Also there is binding most of the time and that also makes it more dense. For those that want to argue with him please feel free! I choose not to cause it makes sense.
Chris is correct... It's all about the top and it's bracing.
you guys should watch the yairi factory tour
Being that the neck joint is some modified version of a spanish heel, is it that big of a sticking point that they finished it in poly with the neck attached? I thought a spanish heel made it near impossible to reset the neck without deconstructing pretty much the whole guitar.
Solid point. You’re correct
You need to do an Alvarez with a direct coupled bridge. I have a DY 40 (6 string) and a DY 80 (12 string - Canyon Creek).
You should check out the luthier on luthier podcast with Trevor Gore. I think you would find it really interesting. He talks extensively about the way sides interact with the soundboard from the POV of mechanical impedance. Trevor really knows his physics / acoustics inside out so it's good knowledge.
Takamine has a nice factory tour video. You should check it out
smashed like for the Talisker. Keep buying good Scottish produce, thanks!
Full marks for not putting ice in your Scotch. It's usually how you can tell if someone is from the USA when they are in the UK. Ruining good single malt. (Apart from the baseball caps). If they did that in Scotland they might not get home.
There are some great videos on the interwebs for the Maton guitar factory in Australia which would be great to hear your thoughts on
I honestly thought you were going to say, If you have one of these, send it to us for cutting 😂
Great video, as always. Entertaining, as always. The difference in audio levels between Chris & Matt and that of the Ibanez video is a bit too much. The Ibanez video is very quiet
The sides, being curved, just don't possess the geometry to significantly contribute to the tone of the guitar. I suppose the kerfing perhaps affects the movement of the top/bottom?
I hope you have a shop with wood stacked up like that one day too…
Have you guys watched the Hofner factory tour? I have watched it quite a few times and really enjoy it. The video is 17 minutes long.
Is that Ibanez?? Or Fujigen guitars factory?. Check out Maton guitars, 2 great things to watch, sanding and final fretboard radius.. Kerfing could be translation issues..
fantastic
Nice bottle of apple juice. Always a nice touch when relaxing at the shop 😉
10yr old peated malt
I have had Ibanez guitars sine the early 1980s and my son now has an acoustic Ibanez. They and other Japanese manufacturers make consistently good guitars' I accept your criticisms on terminology but they are all good.
A lot of ibanez guitars aren't made in Japan anymore.
could the gaps in the bridge to be to allow the saddle to be cut down deeper as necessary over time as the guitar approaches the need for a neck reset?
What you're not saying is that there are no semi hollow electric guitars , such as AS93 ,AS 153 , being produced out of Indonesia , at present,. And there are no indications of when the factory will commence production of them. C_rt are going ok with CR300 & S_re.
Yes Ibanez are desireable guitars, for sure, but buying one, even in Indonesia, ( high end stuff) , is particularly difficult. As a consequence, buying DIY kits and hard hitting on other brands, (eg ES style To_ai , for instance, ) is occurring .
I was waiting for, "The headstock is what gives the guitar its tone." Haha
As a youngster many moons ago, I worked hard doing an assortment of jobs that eventually got me enough money to purchase a brand new Ibanez Artist AR50 electric guitar. It was 1981 and Ibanez were in their 'lawsuit era' with Gibson. I duly got my Ibanez and thought it was the coolest thing on the planet. That was until I discovered motorbikes. I sold the guitar and bought bike... Anyway, I came to realise that I made a mistake in selling my cherished Ibanez guitar. Many years rolled on and one day a few years ago I saw an AR50 in the local ads. I went to look at it and sure enough it was my old guitar and in the same perfect condition as the the day I let it go. As I type this, it sits on its stand taking pride of place in my living room. If I remember correctly they were marketed as 'The Les Paul killer '
How cool!
@@DriftwoodGuitars what seems to be your favorite series to make out of all of these? My daughter and I have been watching your channel since you were at 100 subscribers, as well as it is amazing to watch you two grow as individuals - we love it!! Plus, have you thought about viewing Fender Custom Shop (or Fender’s general factory tour)?
I really enjoy the Breakdown videos because I learn a lot each time and get to see how my expectations line up with the reality of the guitar. I love the factory tours because I get to see how other people build, and I really live making any video that helps teach and inspire others to start the hobby. Thanks so much for watching for so long! I feel like you need some kind of special status as an OG subscriber.
I heard there masterworks tiaras use 50+ year old wood
Ibanez aren't very renowned for acoustic building, much more known for electrics. Would love to see a video of the K Yairi factory or even takamine factory. While takamine is more mass produced than K Yairi and ibanez platinum I believe they're a more experienced acoustic builders :)
My 1982 K Yairi DY-76 12 string is the best sounding and playing 12-string I've ever picked up. There are some REALLY old videos of the factory out there, but nothing recent that I've seen...
The Ibanez Artwood series are some pretty decent low price acoustics
Not sure I’d agree with your comment. Ibanez has been making quality acoustic guitars for decades.
@@VAXHeadroom Yeah I love my Yairi, I think K yairi tour would be a good one because of the few innovations they made and oddities that they use in their factory...theyre more of a boutique brand.
Yamaha Hamamatsu is the one I really want to see. Red Labels and A Series from there is A1
The LL yamaha says they use a Spanish neck joint..was wanting to hear your comments on why?
Very interesting, as luthier it's nice topic for me😀
I find it interesting that traditional luthiers talk about hand voicing to make the top ‘musical’ without any real explanation or repeatability and then criticise others for ‘not doing it’. Check out Gore/Gilet for a more scientific and actually repeatable method for designing a guitar.
hmmm... there is a John Gomm signature guitar from Ibanez which is very interesting
One thing I did notice , the bracing does not go fully to the edge .
Ibanez make some truly beautiful guitars from a reasonable amount of money that the average person can afford without remortgaging the house.
maybe it's the starting point on the bracing ?
I didn't see any evidence of glue on that kerfing!! Maybe a dry run?
I'm not even a minute in and I'm with you (whatever you say). Talisker. If that's the 10yo, we are on the same page.
Is that Talisker? I was trying to see.
This video just reinforces my understanding of acoustic guitars.
I have two decade+ old Ibanez acoustic guitars. Or my daughters have. A dreadnought with a solid top and a nylon string crossover that you can get in a steel string version.
They are inexpensive and one can not have the same expectations as more expensive ones. I understand that.
But. And that is a big one. They both have terrible intonation issues and when I put a ruler on the fretboard it will almost hit the soundboard near the bridge.
Like you state in the video. These guitars are not made to last. You are supposed to buy a new one in five years time if you are still playing guitar.
Contrast that with Yamaha.
I have access to a dead cheap Yamaha F310, all laminate. Very old but with none of these issues.
The neck joint is obviously very important and I think Yamaha has a better process.
As always. Thanks for a great show and enjoy the scotch.
Greetings from Sweden.
Jim Beam straight from the bottle with my trusty Guild M-120 in hand.
Feelin' a bit underdressed for this particular party.