Vintage - Hoshino Gakki exported copies of American electric and acoustic guitars in the 1950s, and by the mid-1970s the Ibanez guitars had reached a level of quality comparable to American guitars. Lower labor rates at the time, plus efficient manufacturing meant that Ibanez guitars could be sold for almost half (or less) of the cost of a Gibson Les Paul or Fender Stratocaster.
In the mid-1970s Hoshino Gakki wanted to make a distinctly Japanese guitar and to start breaking away from the Ibanez replicas of Fender and Gibson models. The idea was to build a guitar with an appealing original design, like a Les Paul or Stratocaster. A meeting between Hoshino (Ibanez), Kanda Shokai and one of the main guitar factories in Japan resulted in the Iceman/Mirage design.
The early Ibanez models were originally named the Artist 2663 models, launched in 1975. The name "Iceman" came later in 1978. Body wood, pickups and neck joint construction varied with the Iceman/Mirage model price.
The original Ibanez Artist/Iceman production was from 1975 to 1982/1983 with different models having set neck and bolt-on necks.Paul Stanley of KISS favored the Iceman from 1977 to 1980 and again used it primarily from 1992 to 1997.
If you're looking for a taste of vintage 1980's rock, look no further!
