Written by Syafiq, Guitar Specialist at Guitarlicious
Ibanez just dropped one of its biggest late-summer releases of the year, and the headline act is something we've genuinely never seen from them before — a 7-string, multi-scale Iceman. If you've followed the Iceman shape since its Paul Stanley and Daron Malakian days, this is a serious departure, and it's exactly the kind of release worth putting on your radar before it lands here in Malaysia.
The Iceman Just Got Fully Weaponised for Metal
The Iceman shape has been around since 1977 — Paul Stanley of KISS, Tom G. Warrior of Celtic Frost, and later System of a Down's Daron Malakian all made it their own. It's always been a distinctive, angular design, but never one built specifically for modern low-tuned metal — until now.
The new ICMS721 from Ibanez's Axe Design Lab takes the classic Iceman body and reworks it as a 7-string with a multi-scale fretboard, running 25.5" on the treble side out to 27.2" on the bass side. That extended bass-side scale length is specifically what makes super-low tunings feel tight and defined rather than floppy — a genuine departure from anything Iceman has done before.
Under the hood: a solid okoume body, bolt-on five-piece Wizard II-7 maple neck with walnut strips, an ebony fingerboard with a 15.7" radius, 24 jumbo frets, and multi-voiced Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers — pickups that let you switch between active and passive voicings on the fly. The Mono-Rail G2 bridge is built specifically to make intonating a multi-scale instrument straightforward, which has historically been one of the trickier parts of owning one.
"Multi-scale guitars can look intimidating if you've never played one, but the actual adjustment period is shorter than people expect — your fretting hand adapts within a few sessions. If you're curious, it's worth trying one in person rather than judging it from photos alone, since the angled frets feel more natural under the hand than they look."
The Signature Lineup Also Got a Refresh
Alongside the Iceman, several of Ibanez's flagship signature models picked up new finishes for this release:
Steve Vai's PIA77BON2
An ornate design finished in 24K gold leaf floral print on black, paired with his signature DiMarzio UtoPIA pickups.
Joe Satriani's JS2470CS
A Cherry Sunburst respray on the modern S-style shape, still running the Sustainiac neck pickup and DiMarzio Satchur8 bridge humbucker.
Nita Strauss's JIVA10
Now available in a Torch Red finish that makes the quilted maple top stand out.
Marcelo Barbosa's MB10
A versatile S-style with dyna-MIX10 switching, an Alter Switch, T106 vibrato, and stainless steel frets.
What This Means If You're in Malaysia
No pricing has been confirmed for the signature models yet, and the ICMS721 Iceman is priced at roughly £1,539/$1,699 at street level overseas — that gives a rough sense of where it'll likely land once official Malaysian distribution and pricing are confirmed, though local pricing typically differs once import and distribution costs are factored in.
None of these specific models are in our system yet — this is a genuinely fresh announcement, so treat this as an early heads-up rather than a stock alert. If extended-range or multi-scale guitars are already on your radar, this is worth watching closely once local availability firms up.
Want to Be Notified When It Lands?
We carry Ibanez's current lineup at both our Ara Damansara showroom and online, and we'll be tracking this release as it makes its way to Malaysia. Reach out via WhatsApp to get on our notification list, or browse our current Ibanez collection to see what's already in stock while you wait.
About the author: Syafiq is a Guitar Specialist at Guitarlicious, based at the Ara Damansara showroom, and has spent 12 years keeping an eye on where the guitar market's heading — including which new releases are actually worth waiting for.
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