Is Lari Basilio Ibanez’s next signature artist?

With her latest album, Far More, Lari Basilio established herself as one of today’s foremost instrumental guitar players, and now the Brazilian-born guitarist has further cemented her credentials as she joins the Ibanez artist roster.

“Today a new chapter begins!” Basilio, previously a longtime Suhr artist, said in a Facebook post announcing the news.

“I grew up watching my guitar heroes playing Ibanez Guitars and I’m so honored and happy to join the team now! Very excited about what’s coming!”

Speaking of which, just what exactly is that model slung around Basilio’s shoulder? It’s spec’d like an AZ2204 – and certainly, she’s been seen playing a limited-edition koa brown version of that very model lately – but there are a number of differences.

For one, that Silver Sparkle finish is definitely something fresh for the range, and complemented by a black painted headstock and gold hardware.

Plus, if you look closely, you’ll see ‘Seymour Duncan’ written out in full across the guitar’s two single coils, rather than the ‘S’ logo that appears on other AZ models – so these may well be something other than the standard-issue Hyperions you’d normally find on AZs.

All of which leads us to speculate… is this our first look at a Lari Basilio signature guitar? That accolade would make her Ibanez’s third female signature artist, following Nita Strauss and Yvette Young.

Rest assured, we’ll bring you more news as soon as we have it…