Ibanez Twin Neck Guitars: Why Did Ibanez Even Make These?

Do you also think double-neck guitars look a bit ridiculous?

They’re heavy, they’re expensive. They require huge cases. They’re difficult to store, transport, and simply uncomfortable to play. Most guitarists don’t need two necks on a single guitar.

So why did Ibanez make them?

The short answer is: Ibanez made twin neck guitars because, in the 1970s, instruments with a bold look were in fashion. At the same time, a 6/12 doubleneck let a player move from 12-string shimmer to 6-string lead without changing guitars. A guitar/bass doubleneck let one performer cover different arrangement roles.

They were stage tools, catalog statements, and proof-of-build instruments rather than normal everyday guitars.

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The Doubleneck Problem

A doubleneck guitar exists because one neck is not always enough for the arrangement.

That sounds obvious, but it matters. Before modern switching systems, modelers, compact stage rigs, and easy guitar changes, a live player had fewer clean solutions. If one song needed a 12-string part and a 6-string solo, the guitarist either had to switch guitars mid-song, let another player cover the part, or use a doubleneck.

The 6/12 format made the most sense. The 12-string neck gave wide, chiming rhythm parts. The 6-string neck gave normal bends, solos, and heavier rhythm. The player could move between them in seconds. On a big stage, that was useful. For the audience, it was also impossible to miss.

At the same time, a doubleneck makes the player look like the song requires a machine, not just a guitar. In the 1970s, when progressive rock, arena staging, and big visual gestures were part of the culture, that mattered. The guitar was doing a job, but it was also part of the show.

Ibanez understood that market.

The 1970s Made Twin Necks

A lot of strange guitars make more sense when you put them back into the 1970s.

This was a period of big bodies, heavy hardware, long songs, and guitar companies trying to prove range. A guitar could be dramatic. It could be overbuilt. The doubleneck fit that world.

Players associated the shape with serious stage work. The Gibson EDS-1275 became almost a symbol of double-neck guitars.

Japanese manufacturers were watching that demand. During this period, Ibanez kept an eye on Western innovations. The company offered instruments inspired by major American guitars at prices that were more affordable for musicians than American ones. Double-neck guitars were no exception.

If players wanted a double-cut 6/12 stage monster, Ibanez had a reason to make one.

2402 And 2404 Ibanez Twin Neck Guitars

The early Ibanez twin neck story starts with models such as the 2402 and 2404.

The 2402 was the more familiar idea: a 6-string and 12-string doubleneck electric guitar. The 12-string neck gave the sparkle. The 6-string neck did the normal guitar work.

The 2404 was stranger and more interesting: a guitar/bass doubleneck. It is for arrangements where one player might need to cover bass and guitar roles. It is also the kind of thing a catalog could use to say, “Yes, we can build that too.”

These instruments belonged to the same 1970s world as other Japanese interpretations of famous shapes. They were similar in shape to the Gibson EDS-1275.

These guitars weren’t subtle. They were a response to a demand: a double-neck guitar at an affordable price.

The brand was still moving from replicas toward its own identity. Twin necks helped fill out the catalog with instruments that looked ambitious and competitive.

Ibanez Artist Twin

The more interesting Ibanez twin necks are the ones that show the company moving beyond simple imitation, such as the 2670 Artwood Twin, 2640, and later AR1200 Artist Twin.

These were still 6/12 instruments, but the message changed. Instead of only saying “we can offer a version of that famous doubleneck idea,” Ibanez was saying, “we can build a serious Japanese high-end instrument.”

The 2670, also known as the Artwood Twin, is the clearest example. It had the ornate 1970s Artist style: carved body work, fancy binding, ebony fingerboards, vine-style inlays, gold hardware, Super 70 pickups. And the kind of decoration that makes sense only when a company wants the guitar to feel special before a note is played.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, new double-neck guitars, the Artist 2640 and AR1200, were released. By this time, Ibanez had already begun to build a reputation based on Japanese quality, set-neck Artist guitars, serious hardware, and original design. Now, the double-neck guitar became a way to showcase Ibanez‘s craftsmanship.

Later, the AR1200 model was released. It was huge and heavy. Around 15.5 pounds is not a casual guitar. That kind of weight tells you exactly why twin necks remained niche.

What A Twin Neck Guitar Actually Did For A Player

The practical reason is easy to understand once you imagine a 1970s set list.

A song begins with a wide 12-string intro. The verse needs that same 12 strings. Then the middle section needs normal 6-string lead work. Then the final chorus returns to the 12-string sound. If the player changes guitars, the moment can fall apart. If the player stays on one guitar, part of the arrangement is compromised.

A 6/12 doubleneck keeps the arrangement intact.

The guitar/bass version is more specialized. It can make sense for a multi-instrumentalist, a small band arrangement, a studio experiment. It is not something most guitarists need, but it exists because some music asks one performer to cover more than one role.

That idea still appears in modern music. The viral Quebec duo Angine de Poitrine built part of its identity around a microtonal guitar/bass double-neck, with one player covering guitar and bass roles through looping and an intentionally strange instrument.

Why Ibanez Stopped Making Double-Neck Guitars

They are expensive to build. They need more hardware, more pickups, more wiring, more wood, more labor, and a larger case. They are harder to set up because two necks have to behave. They are harder to ship safely. They take up space. They are not fun for every player’s shoulder.

They also became less necessary.

Modern guitarists can solve many of the old problems in easier ways. A second guitarist can cover the 12-string part. A tech can hand off a guitar quickly. A pedal, modeler, or studio layer can fake or replace part of the song. A player can use a separate 12-string for one song and put it back on a stand. In recording, there is almost no reason to use a twin neck unless the player wants that experience.

The stage changed too.

By the 1980s, guitar culture moved toward superstrats, locking tremolos, pointier shapes, faster necks, and more efficient performance tools. Ibanez itself helped drive that shift. The same company that once sold ornate double-neck Artists would later become known for RG, JEM, Saber, and modern shred guitars.

The twin neck did not disappear because it was useless. It became rare because its usefulness was too specific.

Why Collectors Still Care About Ibanez Twin Neck Guitars

Vintage Ibanez twin necks still attract attention because they carry several stories at once.

A 2402 or 2404 carries the copy-era story: Japanese manufacturing, 1970s ambitions, Gibson-inspired shapes, and the period before Ibanez fully became its later self.

A 2670, 2640, or AR1200 carries the Artist-era story: FujiGen workmanship, Japanese build quality, heavy hardware, carved bodies, and the move toward Ibanez as a serious high-end maker.

That is why originality matters so much on them. Pickups, wiring, bridges, tailpieces, tuners, cases, and neck condition all affect how much of the original story is still there. A modified twin neck may still be cool, but it is not the same.

Are Ibanez Twin Neck Good Guitars Or Just Weird?

Both can be true.

A good Ibanez twin neck can be a real instrument, not just a wall piece. The 12-string neck can deliver the wide clean sound people want from the format. The 6-string neck can handle normal rhythm and lead work. The Artist examples, in particular, can have the solid feel and hardware quality people associate with late-1970s and early-1980s Japanese Ibanez.

You get sound, stunning looks, but you also get weight, size, setup complexity, and awkwardness. You get a guitar that may be brilliant for a few songs and annoying for the rest of the night. You get an instrument that makes sense on a stand, in a studio corner, or in a specific live arrangement, but not as the only guitar most players would bring to a gig.

That is why “good” is the wrong test.

The better test is whether the guitar’s two-neck ability matters to your music. If it does, the design becomes logical. If it does not, the design becomes theater.

Ibanez double-neck guitars are great for show. Sometimes they’re also great as instruments.

That is the whole story.

The twin neck was never going to become the normal future of guitar. It was too heavy, too expensive, and too specific. But for a certain window of guitar history, it made perfect sense.

Ibanez made them because players wanted the possibility of two instruments in one body, and because Ibanez wanted to be seen as a company capable of building that kind of instrument.

Not every guitar needs to be practical every day. Some guitars exist because a stage, a song, and an era demanded something bigger.

Ibanez twin necks belong to that category.

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