MegaGuitar®

Ibanez GB10 Guitar: Still Going Strong

The Ibanez GB-10 Guitar is made in Japan and sets the standard for an affordable high-quality electric archtop guitar. Photo credit: Ibanez.

Many years before he achieved success as a pop singer, George Benson had already been recognized as one of the finest jazz guitarists of his generation.

Benson heralded a new era of toe-tappable smooth jazz with forays into pop songdom to follow. For Benson, it was clear that traditional archtop guitars such as the Gibson Johnny Smith and D'Angelico New Yorker just weren't going to cut it.

Feedback was a huge problem for the traditional jazz boxes. They were designed for deep acoustic resonance and eloquent musicality in a low-volume context. In the era of Benson's ascendancy, electric instruments were now the new norm.

Shortly after the spectacular success of his album Breezin', George engaged in discussions with Ibanez over the development of a new signature model electric guitar that conformed to his requirements. Hoshino U.S.A. designer Jeff Hasselberg played an integral role in this effort.

The goal was a guitar that projected an earthy jazz tone with pronounced articulation and minimal feedback.

The result was the Ibanez GB10, a 2-1/2 inch deep hollow-body guitar, which was launched at the NAMM trade show in Chicago in June of 1977. The model has remained in production ever since.

The versatile and compact GB10 is a pleasure to play. The stiffer top, smaller body, special design pickups and adjustable tailpiece all work together to provide a punchy acoustic tone with powerful projection.

MAIN SPECIFICATIONS

  • Neck type: Maple set-in neck
  • Body construction:
    • Top: Spruce
    • Back: Maple
    • Sides: Maple
  • Color variations: Natural or Brown Sunburst
  • Fretboard: Bound ebony; Acrylic & abalone block inlay
  • Frets: Medium frets; Prestige fret edge treatment
  • Number of frets: 22
  • Bridge: Ebony bridge
  • String spacing: 10.4mm
  • Tailpiece: GB10 tailpiece
  • Neck pickup: GB special (H) neck pickup - Passive/Alnico
  • Bridge pickup: GB special (H) bridge pickup - Passive/Alnico
  • Strings: D'Addario® ECG24 flatwound
  • String gauge: .011/.015/.022w/.030/.040/.050
  • Nut: Half-bone/Half-brass
  • Hardware color: Gold
  • Country of origin: Japan

If you play jazz, pop, or R&B, check out the Ibanez GB-10. It sets the standard for a high-quality archtop guitar for medium-volume stage settings. And after nearly 50 years, it's still going strong.

OFFERS AND DEALS

Check out Reverb.com for great deals on Ibanez GB-series guitars. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Ibanez U.S.A.
Bensalem, PA 19020
United States
ibanez@hoshinousa.com
(215) 638-8670

TEXT AND IMAGE CREDITS: Courtesy of Ibanez.

DISCLAIMER: MegaGuitar is not affiliated with Ibanez.

OFFERS: Please check out the offers below.

MegaGuitar® contains affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases at no additional cost to you.

MegaGuitar® contains affiliate links to help support our content. We may earn a commission on any affiliated purchases at no additional cost to you.