The Ibanez Electric Guitar Book : Backbeat : 9781617134531 : 1617134538 : 01 May 2013 : (Book). Ibanez is the most important Japanese guitar brand, and this new book tells the story of its electric guitars, tracking the fortunes of this impressive brand. At first the guitars were cheap and basic, and in the 1970s, Ibanez was best known for its copies of leading Gibson instruments, including Les Pauls, SGs, and Explorers. As the Japanese music industry gained maturity and increased quality, Ibanez made more assured instruments with original features; and in the late '70s and early '80s, it hit new peaks of achievement. The big break came in the late '80s with the arrival of Steve Vai's impressive and spectacular JEM signature models. In recent years, the company has continued to provide great modern electric guitars. Ibanez guitarists featured in the book include George Benson, Charlie Burchill (Simple Minds), Phil Collen (Def Leppard), Allan Holdsworth, Pat Metheny, Steve Miller, Joni