The GB10 is a hollow body electric guitar model introduced by Ibanez in 1977. It is a signature model for American jazz guitarist George Benson. It is produced in Japan by FujiGen except for a brief period in the late 1980s when production was moved to Terada (also in Japan).
The GB10 was Ibanez's first hollow body artist signature guitar. It is the longest running guitar model in the company's history. It debuted at the NAMM Show in Atlanta, Georgia on June 11, 1977.[1]
The GB10 features a smallish, single cutaway, full hollow body design constructed of a laminated spruce top with ƒ holes and multi-layer binding on laminated maple back and sides. The set-in three-piece maple neck sports a large headstock and a 22-fret ebony fingerboard with binding and pearl/acrylic and abalone split block position markers. Components include dual, floating Ibanez GB special humbucking pickups with individual volume and tone controls; a height-adjustable ebony bridge with special adjustable split trapeze tailpiece; a bone and brass nut; and a tortoise pickguard.
The design inspiration for the GB10 was to create an arched-top, hollow-bodied guitar with the lines of a Gibson Les Paul crossed with a Gibson Johnny Smith signature model. Hoshino USA designer Jeff Hasselberg traced copies of each of those guitars and designed a shape that split the difference between the two. That initial sketch was the basis for the GB10 model.[2]
Early examples had 21 frets; the change to 22 frets occurred somewhere between January and March 1979.[3]
The GB15 is a similar model without the bridge pickup. The GB100 is a related model with a ½" thicker flamed maple body and different fretboard inlays. The GB20 is a related model with a larger (though slightly thinner) body and a single pickup. The GB200 is a related model with a slightly larger body, a maple and mahogany neck and non-floating Super 58 pickups. The GBSP10 is a related model introduced in mid-2022 with flamed maple top, back and sides; a special ebony bridge; and inlaid tailpiece.
Several other special variations on the GB10 have been introduced over the forty plus years it's been in production. These include the Chinese-made GB10SE introduced in 2016.
Fingerboard inlays: 1977–1992: Pearl and abalone split block w/ "GEORGE BENSON" at 21st fret 1993–2014: Pearl and abalone split block 2015–2025: Acrylic and abalone split block
Frets: 1977–1979: 21 / low/wide 1979–1999: 22 / low/wide 2000–2014: 22 / medium 2015–2025: 22 / medium (Prestige edge treatment)
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