Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
This is the 2026 Ibanez Iceman IC420MFM – a brand new affordable take on the cult Iceman model with a couple of unique improvements and twists up its sleeve!
Get it at Thomann: thmn.to/thoprod/633049?offid=1&affid=1250
At Sweetwater: sweetwater.sjv.io/zzgRg7
I’m so happy that Ibanez have made the Iceman available again as a more affordable guitar. I adore my 2024 Antique Blue Metallic model, which constantly surprises me with its astonishing versatility, its incredible tones, and its astounding ergonomics.
But this, the 2026 model, brings a couple of key changes that might just make this the best Iceman model money can buy! You’ll have noticed one straight away: a maple fingerboard. This is a taste thing, of course, but a maple board on an Iceman looks the absolute business!
Secondly, and most crucially for me, is that the 2026 Iceman features an ultra-thin low gloss finish (Caramel Burst Low Gloss is the official colorway on this one). This extends to the body and the neck, and it feels like something between a nitro and a satin finish. If you’re anything like me, you love a satin finish on a neck, and so this is a huge deal for me!
Otherwise, the ‘Maple’ Iceman has the same specs as the 2024 model I so love: an okoume body and set neck, a pair of Ibanez's iconic Super 80 ceramic humbuckers (with the awesome Flying Fingers decal!), and the brand’s Gibraltar Performer bridge and Quik Change III tailpiece.
The neck is a standard C shape – not too thin, not too chunky – and has that lovely low gloss finish. You get 22 medium frets, a 24.75”/628 mm scale length, and a 12”/305 mm fingerboard radius. The massive Iceman headstock is also present and correct.
The 2026 Iceman is made in China, it comes with a decent gig bag, and it costs $999/€749… which all sounds like a whole lot of guitar for the money!
But how good is the guitar really? It’s time to find out! Here, I put the Iceman through its paces in as many different genres and styles as I can, from country, folk and indie, to pop, rock, punk – and of course some downtuned heavy stuff too!
Let me know what you think of the ‘Maple’ Iceman in the comments!
Here are some links to the various playing samples and info bits:
00:00 Introduction and what we’re doing today
01:31 Specs and info
06:08 Today’s rig and plan
06:51 Clean tone reference chords
07:08 Clean tone samples (folk, country, pop, indie, blues, funk, etc.)
09:08 Tone control test
10:15 Indie and alt rock tones
12:53 Volume control roll off test
13:15 Classic rock tones (AC/DC, Hendrix, Airbourne, etc.)
15:05 Hard rock tones
16:21 Alternative rock tones
17:09 Punk rock tones
18:27 Progressive and modern rock tones
19:25 Metal/chugging/heavy distortion tones
21:49 My thoughts
22:50 First impressions and looks
23:16 Packaging and gig bag
23:46 Weight
24:48 Build quality and hardware
25:33 Playability and neck
26:16 Sounds and pickups
28:34 What other similar guitars are out there?
30:20 My conclusions on the 2026 Iceman and why you should buy it
My setup was as follows: I ran the Iceman into my Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 head, also using my Greer Lightspeed, Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker, Joyo Uzi, and my Revv G3 pedals for overdrive and heavy distortion sounds. The amp went from the Red Box AE+ DI out straight into my Zoom H6 recorder. That's it. No post-processing on the sounds was done.
Get all this gear at Thomann: thmn.to/thocf/jkhog8l06m
Get all this gear at Sweetwater: sweetwater.sjv.io/LXqdE0
---
Backing music from the YouTube Audio Library: Duck In The Alley – TrackTribe.
#Ibanez #IbanezGuitars #IbanezIceman #Iceman
*Note: certain links in the description are affiliate links. If you click said links and purchase anything as a result, I will receive a small commission. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, but it does help to support the channel. So, if you do that, thank you very much!*
@IbanezOfficial
@IbanezGermany
@CrazyTubeCircuits
This is the 2026 Ibanez Iceman IC420MFM – a brand new affordable take on the cult Iceman model with a couple of unique improvements and twists up its sleeve!
Get it at Thomann: thmn.to/thoprod/633049?offid=1&affid=1250
At Sweetwater: sweetwater.sjv.io/zzgRg7
I’m so happy that Ibanez have made the Iceman available again as a more affordable guitar. I adore my 2024 Antique Blue Metallic model, which constantly surprises me with its astonishing versatility, its incredible tones, and its astounding ergonomics.
But this, the 2026 model, brings a couple of key changes that might just make this the best Iceman model money can buy! You’ll have noticed one straight away: a maple fingerboard. This is a taste thing, of course, but a maple board on an Iceman looks the absolute business!
Secondly, and most crucially for me, is that the 2026 Iceman features an ultra-thin low gloss finish (Caramel Burst Low Gloss is the official colorway on this one). This extends to the body and the neck, and it feels like something between a nitro and a satin finish. If you’re anything like me, you love a satin finish on a neck, and so this is a huge deal for me!
Otherwise, the ‘Maple’ Iceman has the same specs as the 2024 model I so love: an okoume body and set neck, a pair of Ibanez's iconic Super 80 ceramic humbuckers (with the awesome Flying Fingers decal!), and the brand’s Gibraltar Performer bridge and Quik Change III tailpiece.
The neck is a standard C shape – not too thin, not too chunky – and has that lovely low gloss finish. You get 22 medium frets, a 24.75”/628 mm scale length, and a 12”/305 mm fingerboard radius. The massive Iceman headstock is also present and correct.
The 2026 Iceman is made in China, it comes with a decent gig bag, and it costs $999/€749… which all sounds like a whole lot of guitar for the money!
But how good is the guitar really? It’s time to find out! Here, I put the Iceman through its paces in as many different genres and styles as I can, from country, folk and indie, to pop, rock, punk – and of course some downtuned heavy stuff too!
Let me know what you think of the ‘Maple’ Iceman in the comments!
Here are some links to the various playing samples and info bits:
00:00 Introduction and what we’re doing today
01:31 Specs and info
06:08 Today’s rig and plan
06:51 Clean tone reference chords
07:08 Clean tone samples (folk, country, pop, indie, blues, funk, etc.)
09:08 Tone control test
10:15 Indie and alt rock tones
12:53 Volume control roll off test
13:15 Classic rock tones (AC/DC, Hendrix, Airbourne, etc.)
15:05 Hard rock tones
16:21 Alternative rock tones
17:09 Punk rock tones
18:27 Progressive and modern rock tones
19:25 Metal/chugging/heavy distortion tones
21:49 My thoughts
22:50 First impressions and looks
23:16 Packaging and gig bag
23:46 Weight
24:48 Build quality and hardware
25:33 Playability and neck
26:16 Sounds and pickups
28:34 What other similar guitars are out there?
30:20 My conclusions on the 2026 Iceman and why you should buy it
My setup was as follows: I ran the Iceman into my Hughes & Kettner Black Spirit 200 head, also using my Greer Lightspeed, Crazy Tube Circuits Heatseeker, Joyo Uzi, and my Revv G3 pedals for overdrive and heavy distortion sounds. The amp went from the Red Box AE+ DI out straight into my Zoom H6 recorder. That's it. No post-processing on the sounds was done.
Get all this gear at Thomann: thmn.to/thocf/jkhog8l06m
Get all this gear at Sweetwater: sweetwater.sjv.io/LXqdE0
---
Backing music from the YouTube Audio Library: Duck In The Alley – TrackTribe.
#Ibanez #IbanezGuitars #IbanezIceman #Iceman
*Note: certain links in the description are affiliate links. If you click said links and purchase anything as a result, I will receive a small commission. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, but it does help to support the channel. So, if you do that, thank you very much!*
@IbanezOfficial
@IbanezGermany
@CrazyTubeCircuits
