Ibanez first started making stringed instruments around 1935 and in the 1960s started shipping a range of funky looking guitars into the USA. In the 1970s most of the guitars were inexpensive copies of more famous products. They then became a lot more innovative and by the mid 1980s had formed collaborations with artists such as Steve vai and Joe Satriani and the Jem, RG and JS guitars were born. Today Ibanez design and manufacture a wide range of guitars, basses and acoustics and is a major player in the guitar market.