Hoshino Gakki

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[edit] History

Hoshino Gakki is the owner of the Ibanez guitar and Tama drums brand names (Gakki means musical instrument company). The Hoshino company was founded in 1908 by Matsujiro Hoshino originally as the Hoshino Shoten bookstore which mostly sold books and sheet music and then gradually over the years also began to import musical instruments into Japan. Matsujiro was succeeded by Yoshitaro Hoshino. In 1935, the company began manufacturing their own stringed instruments. The company had little presence in the Western world until the mid-1960s.

In 1957 Hoshino Gakki manufactured what would be considered the first of the modern era Ibanez guitars. In 1962, Junpei Hoshino, Yoshitaro's son, opened the Tama Seisakusho factory to manufacture electric guitars and amplifiers. The Tama Seisakusho factory produced a line of guitars that included clones of several popular guitars, including the Martin Dreadnought. At the time they were also manufacturing Star Drums, available in either the Imperial or Royal models. Hoshino Gakki stopped making guitars at the Tama Seisakusho factory in 1966 (but continued making Drums) and from then on contracted outside guitar factories, like there main factory and exclusive one in Japan, FujiGen , to make guitars.

[edit] Timeline

1908: The Hoshino Shoten bookstore company is founded by Matsujiro Hoshino. Originally selling books and sheet music they gradually start to import musical instruments.
1929: The Hoshino company starts Hoshino Gakki Ten Inc. and starts to import Salvador Ibáñez acoustic guitars from Spain.
1935: Hoshino Gakki begins their own production of "Ibanez Salvador" branded Spanish guitars.
1945: The Hoshino Gakki factory was destroyed by World War II bombing.
1955: Hoshino Gakki builds new headquarters in Nagoya Japan and becomes an export only business.
1957: Hoshino Gakki starts making the first modern era Ibanez branded guitars.
1962: Hoshino Gakki opens the Tama Seisakusho factory.
1966: Hoshino Gakki starts to use outside manufacturers for guitars and amplifiers but continues to manufacture drums themselves.
1969: Hoshino Gakki starts to use the FujiGen Gakki guitar factory to make most of the Ibanez branded guitars. The headstock logo on Ibanez guitars is changed from a metal logo to a more modern decal logo.
1971: Hoshino Gakki establishes a U.S. distribution channel called Elger near Philadelphia.
1972: Hoshino Gakki launches its own line of Ibanez effect pedals. The Ibanez effects pedals were licensed from the Nisshin Onpa Company who own the Maxon brand.
1974: The Tama brand name is used for the drums produced by Hoshino Gakki.
1975: The Ibanez Iceman an original guitar design by Hoshino Gakki (Ibanez), Kanda Shokai (Greco) and FujiGen Gakki is launched.
1980: The Elgar name is changed to Hoshino USA Inc.
Late 1980s: Hoshino Gakki starts using Korean guitar manufactures as well as Japanese guitar manufactures and in later years also uses Chinese and Indonesian guitar manufacturers.