2005 WINTER PRESS RELEASE

H.R GIGER SIGNATURE SERIES GUITARS UNVEILED

Limited Edition Electric Guitars Feature (fi nal quantities were not available at press time). Graphic Designs By Infl uential Modern The RGTHRG1 features Giger’s “NY City XIX” Painter and Sculptor painting on the Ibanez “RG” body design popular among heavy metal guitarists. The ICHRG2 features Giger’s “NY City VI” painting on an Ibanez (ANAHEIM, CA) In one of the most interesting Iceman guitar, perhaps the most famous Ibanez pairings worlds of the visual and musical arts in guitar design. recent memory, designer H.R. Giger, best known While this is the fi rst collaboration for H.R. Giger for the creature of “Alien” fame, has joined and Ibanez, the two have a previous connection forces with Ibanez, the fretted-instrument with the metal rock band . Giger designed a maker for heavy metal band Korn, jazz striking functional sculpture mike stand for Korn guitarist George Benson and many others. vocalist Jonathan Davis while Ibanez has created On display at the “NAMM” musical instrument custom 7-string guitars for Korn guitarists, “Head” convention in Anaheim, CA in January were two and “Munky” and 5-string bass guitars for Korn diff erent limited edition Ibanez guitars featuring bassist “Fieldy.” bodies utilizing the designs of H.R. Giger. The partnership of Giger and Ibanez was “H.R. Giger’s collaboration with Ibanez is a highlighted at the NAMM Show Hoshino U.S.A./ natural pairing when delving into the world of Ibanez booth with a H.R. Giger-dedicated display string instruments,” commented H.R. Giger’s featuring the two Giger/Ibanez guitars. Also on agent Les Barany at the convention site. “Mr. Giger display were other examples of Giger’s work and a is an acknowledged fan of diverse musical styles video recounting some of Giger’s impressive career and an accomplished jazz pianist and saxophone in the visual arts. The Hoshino U.S.A./Ibanez booth player in his own right. Giger’s musical enthusiasm itself, overseen by an improbably huge and his avant-garde approach to industrial and fi gure of Japanese science fi ction hero ‘practical’ design is right at home in the Ibanez “Ultra-Man,” also featured H.R. Giger’s camp.” Bill Reim, president of Hoshino U.S.A. limited edition “Guardian Angel” which distributes Ibanez in the United sculpture hanging very visibly from States, and who has contributed to the high ceilings of the Anaheim many Ibanez designs himself, was Convention Center. extremely enthusiastic about the new More detailed specifi cations and prices partnership. “I was always a big fan of for the new H.R. Giger Ibanez guitars can be H.R. Giger’s work, and I was infl uenced found at the end of this press release. during my years in art school by his designs for album covers for Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Deborah Harry and H.R. GIGER Background Info others. I had always wanted to use H. R. Giger is recognized as one of the H.R. Giger’s designs for some of world’s foremost artists of Fantastic our displays, so when the chance Realism. Born in 1940 to a chemist’s came to actually utilize his graphic family in Chur, Switzerland, he moved designs for our guitars, we were in 1962 to Zurich, where he studied more than ready to do so.” architecture and industrial design at the There are two diff erent models School of Applied Arts. By 1964 he was producing of H.R. Giger/Ibanez electric guitars, whose his fi rst artworks, mostly ink drawings and oil relatively small numbers of available quantities paintings, resulting in his fi rst solo exhibition in compared to standard guitar production should 1966, followed by the publication and world-wide make them highly desired items for collectors distribution of his fi rst poster edition in 1969. Shortly after, he discovered the airbrush and, along with it, exhibition of the artist’s work to ever take place outside his own unique freehand painting style, leading to of Switzerland. Over one year in preparation, ninety the creation of many of his most well known works, percent of the artwork is on loan from Giger’s the surrealistic Biomechanical dreamscapes, which collectors, including three Swiss museums. The formed the cornerstone of his fame. To date, 20 books display of more than 200 pieces spans four decades have been published about Giger’s art. of the celebrated artist’s career, covering two fl oors Giger’s third and most famous book, of the museum’s exhibition space. On December Necronomicon, published in 1977, served as 17, 2004, H.R. Giger received the prestigious award, the visual inspiration for director Ridley Scott’s “La Médaille de la Ville de Paris”, at Paris City Hall, fi lm Alien, Giger’s fi rst fi lm assignment, which from Christophe Girard, the city’s Deputy Mayor in earned him the 1980 Oscar for the Best charge of Culture. Achievement in Visual Eff ects for his designs of Giger continues to live in Zurich, working on a the fi lm’s title character and its life cycle, plus variety of new projects, including the fi nal plans for the movie’s otherworldly environment. Giger’s a train ride through the Giger Museum. He is also in other fi lm works include “Poltergeist II”, “Alien3” the process of completing a series of new sculptures and “Species”. for another retrospective in Prague this upcoming Giger’s album covers for Debbie Harry and the April. band ELP were voted among the 100 best in music To learn more about the artist and his current history in a survey of rock journalists. Throughout projects, visit his offi cial web site, www.hrgiger.com his career, Giger also worked in sculpture and, in 1988, created his fi rst total environment, the Ibanez Guitars, Basses and Electronics Tokyo Giger Bar, and in 1992 a second Giger Bar in Chur. Ibanez guitars were fi rst made by Hoshino In 1998, The H.R. Giger Museum Gakki of Nagoya Japan in the 1930’s. Since the was inaugurated in the Château 1970’s Ibanez has provided a vast range of acoustic St. Germain, a four-level building and electric fretted instruments for a long list of complex in the historic, medieval respected “guitarist’s guitarists,” including walled city of Gruyères, Switzerland. George Benson, , , As the permanent home to many of Pat Metheny and Head and Munky of the artist’s most prominent works, Korn. In addition, the company is one the Giger Museum houses the largest of the most important electric bass collection of the artist’s paintings, guitar companies in the world, as well as sculptures, furniture and fi lm designs, a manufacturer of amplifi ers and eff ects dating from the early 1960’s until processors such as the legendary Tube the present day. Displayed on the Screamer overdrive pedal. Information museum’s top fl oor is Giger’s own on Ibanez electric guitars and basses, private art collection, as well as the acoustic guitars, amplifi ers, and H.R. Giger Museum Gallery where, electronic eff ects can be accessed at on a rotating basis, Giger curates ibanez.com one-man shows for other artists. Additional information on the The adjoining new H.R. Giger fascinating, sometimes controversial, Museum Bar was offi cially opened on history of Ibanez is available in the new April 12, 2003 as part of the museum complex. book, “Ibanez – The Untold Story,” which also Giger’s designs for the bar emphasizes the pre- debuted at the 2005 Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim. existing Gothic architecture of the 400 year old space. At this time the new book can be purchased at ibanez. The giant skeletal arches covering the vaulted ceiling, com and will be available at authorized Ibanez guitar together with the bar’s fantastic stony furniture, and electronics retailers. evoke the building’s original medieval character and Requests for information and photos on the H.R. give the space a church-like feeling. Giger Signature Ibanez guitars should be directed to September 16, 2004 saw the opening of a six- [email protected] month Giger retrospective at the Museum Halle Saint Pierre in Paris, France. “Le monde selon H.R. Giger” Requests for press photos of the works of H.R. (The World According to H.R. Giger), is the largest Giger as well as licensing and select commissions are available through www.baranyartists.com H.R. Giger Signature Series Specifi cations

ICHRG2 RGTHRG1 • List Price: $929.99 • List Price: $929.99 • “NY City VI” Graphic Print • “NY City XIX” Graphic Print • Mahogany Body • Mahogany Body • 3pc Maple Neck • 5ply Maple/Walnut Neck • 24 3/4”/Set-In Neck • 25.5/Neck-Thru Body Neck Scale • 22/medium Frets • 24/jumbo Frets • Rosewood • Rosewood Finger Board • Parallelogram Inlay • Shark Tooth Inlay • BR-EG Fixed and Quick Change • Edge Pro II Bridge Tailpiece Bridge • Powder Cosmo H/W Color • Powder Cosmo H/W Color • Ibanez Infi nity 1 Humbucker • Ibanez Axis AH1 Neck Pickup Humbucker Neck Pickup • Ibanez Infi nity 2 Humbucker • Ibanez Axis AH2 Bridge Pickup Humbucker Bridge Pickup • 5-way switch • 3-way switch • Case List Price: TBA • Case List Price: TBA