The metal-focused Iceman joins updated signature models for Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, and Nita Strauss in Ibanez's latest signature lineup.
Ibanez has introduced a fresh batch of signature guitars developed alongside several of its longtime artists, spanning updated takes on established models and an entirely new instrument built from the ground up.
Leading the announcement is the ICWH727, developed in close partnership with Wes Hauch. Based on the iconic Iceman silhouette, the hand-crafted instrument has been specifically tailored to meet the demands of Hauch’s virtuosic metal playing style.
Built at Ibanez’s Custom Shop in Japan, the seven-string guitar pairs an African mahogany body with a flamed maple top, a three-piece maple and purpleheart neck, and a rosewood fretboard, with a twenty-seven-inch scale length and a slim Wizard 7 neck profile.
Electronics come from a pair of Seymour Duncan Jupiter Rails humbuckers, Hauch’s own signature pickup design featuring dual stainless-steel blade poles for balanced output and enhanced note articulation, paired with a Lo Pro Edge 7 double-locking tremolo for stability during Hauch’s demanding technical playing. Hauch, whose credits include his own band Alluvial alongside stints with The Faceless, The Black Dahlia Murder, Devin Townsend, and Thy Art Is Murder, has been developing the model with Ibanez over several years.
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Also joining the lineup is Steve Vai’s PIA77BON2, described by Ibanez as a high-performance functional piece of fine art. The guitar features a hand-painted 24-karat gold leaf floral pattern, alongside signature PIA elements including the Petal Grip, the PIA Blossom inlay, and DiMarzio UtoPIA pickups.
Joe Satriani’s signature line also grows with the JS2470CS, finished in a radiant cherry sunburst over an alder body with a rosewood fretboard. The model pairs a DiMarzio Satchur8 bridge pickup with a SUSTAINIAC neck driver, aimed at delivering extended sustain.
Rounding out the announcement is an updated JIVA10R for Nita Strauss, now finished in a striking torch red. The guitar retains Strauss’ signature DiMarzio Pandemonium pickups and Beaten Path inlay, now paired with a quilted maple top for a bolder new look while keeping the JIVA’s established performance characteristics.
Ibanez are distributed in Australia by Australis Music Group.
