What a beast we have here. Behind the acronym UCEWQM lies the name USA Custom Exotic Wood Quilt Maple, and these guitars are both amazing and rare. The USA Custom Exotic Wood models UCEW were produced for Ibanez by Hosono Guitars in California. As the name suggests, this series featured exotic wood tops. They could be custom ordered through Ibanez dealers with numerous options including pickup configuration, pickup selection, headstock, fretboard material and inlays, as well as electronics. The founder and master luthier of Hosono, Tak Hosono, was later hired by Ibanez to open their Los Angeles Custom Shop.

After a break in 1993 during which no USA Custom models were offered, the USRG series was introduced. These guitars were entirely built in the United States by master luthier David Bunker and his team at PBC Guitars in Pennsylvania. These models featured PBC’s patented Tension Free neck without a traditional truss rod. This series was produced from 1994 to 1996. We actually have such an instrument, an Ibanez USA Custom USRG 30 signed by Steve Vai, Satriani and Eric Johnson, currently for sale in the shop.

Back to our original series, the 1992 UCEW. The RG USA Custom UCEWQM presented here stands out with an alder body topped with a stunning AAA quilted maple top finished in transparent purple. The thickness and figuring of the top are exceptional. The birdseye maple neck is equally beautiful and is paired with a rosewood fretboard. The neck is incredibly comfortable and thanks to the modern radius fretboard, shred techniques and bends become effortless.

The instrument features Di Marzio PAF Pro humbuckers and a Rio Grande single coil which was installed in the early 2000s. Black hardware completes the look. This guitar is in good condition and shows signs of play and scattered scratches but no significant damage. Delivered with its original Ibanez export case, this guitar is a true shred machine.