Ibanez is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as well as the first brand of guitars and basses to mass-produce the seven-string guitar, eight-string guitar, five-string and six-string bass guitar along with ESP Guitars and Schecter Guitar Research.