1970s Japanese Cimar Acoustic Steel String Guitar

1970s Japanese Cimar Acoustic Steel String Guitar strung with Ernie Ball 10s.

Cimar Guitars was a brand of guitars created by Hoshino Gakki, the company also known for the Ibanez guitar brand. Established in 1976, Cimar guitars were produced until 1982. The designs of Cimar guitars often bore a strong resemblance to those of Ibanez guitars, and they were featured in Hoshino Gakki’s catalogues.

Cimar Guitars. During the 1970s, Cimar, like many other Japanese manufacturers, was part of the “Japanese Copy Guitars boom,” producing high-quality imitations of popular American guitar models. These instruments were made in the same factories as Ibanez guitars but were distinguished by different headstock shapes and branding.

Cimar guitars were known to copy many US guitar designs, including those of Gibson, and were distributed by Ibanez.

The brand’s history reflects the broader trends in the Japanese guitar manufacturing industry during the 1970s, which saw a significant rise in quality and international recognition. Cimar guitars are now a part of guitar history, with some models sought after by collectors and enthusiasts of vintage Japanese guitars.