when and how did the Power II design come up?
When the Power model didn’t sell, I was asked to think of a new model. I liked what Jackson was doing with the upside-down headstocks and decided to push it beyond that. Alex Skolnick also wanted a kind of upside-down guitar, so we tested it out on him.
why did Ibanez replace the Power model with such a different model in design and concept?
The original Power had failed to sell and we felt that a radical change was needed.
why was the nut 45mm.-wide?
Popular Jackson guitars were very wide and we needed a model to compete.
why was the Power II body reduced in size?
I figured for Metal players, it would be cool to have a guitar that was easy to handle.
how did you manage to have Hoshino building a guitar with no tone controls and with a wider locking-nut just for one model?
I was very surprised that Gotoh (the hardware maker) would make us this nut in very small quantities. Remember also that the Van Halen influence of only one control was strong at the time the Power II appeared.
were there any other guitarists, Alex Skolnick apart, who were interested in this model?
No!
how long has the Power II been produced? and why did Hoshino halt the production?
It lasted maybe 1 ½-2 years. Sales were bad and we were gaining success with other models. Since Hoshino didn’t make its guitars, we were in a constant push to get the factories to give us more production capacity. By eliminating a slow-selling model, we freed-up the capacity for a better-selling one.
Alter, ist die schick!
