We are making some changes and upgrades to the Ibanez Mandolin website. Please excuse the mess during the changes, which may take some time. You may notice that some things are in new locations, in an attempt to make the site as usable as possible.
The biggest change will be a new look for the site, which we hope to have done as quickly as possible.

A Japanese reader, Makoto, has written in with pictures of his Blue Bell mandolin, model F-8 with serial number B788035. The Blue Bell brand was used by Ibanez for products released in the Japanese domestic market. Makoto’s mandolin is nearly identical to an Ibanez 523 model – the label is signed by Kosakabe, the Ibanez master builder, and features a serial number identical to the Ibanez format. Blue Bell mandolins are quite rare and said to be of very high quality.
UPDATE – Makoto has supplied a photo of the serial …

Our study of Ibanez Mandolin serial numbers has begun to yield some interesting information. We can break down the production of Ibanez Mandolins into two main phases:
1) The Copy Era: Making of F-5, A-5, and A style mandolins to emulate Gibson models, started circa 1975 and ending some time in 1978.
2) The Original Era: The original design 528 and 529 mandolins were made from 1981 to 1983.
The submission of pictures of H784392 gives us the latest serial number for a copy mandolin (A-5 style, model 522) in the log so …

Bluegrass musician Ralph Schut plays a beautiful Ibanez model 526 mandolin in this video.

The Serial Number Database section of the web site is now updated with a large batch of the latest submissions. The photo gallery now features over 300 photos of Ibanez mandolins and a total of 50 instruments. Many thanks to all the generous readers who have taken the time to photograph and share their instruments with everyone.