Eye-banez or Eee-banez?

[DiabolusInMusic]

LOL great example. I argue with my friends all the time over how Neil's last name is pronounced. It is definitely 'Peert'.

I too, have had that debate. There is an album where Neil says his name. It was late 80's/early 90's, I cannot remember which album but I think it was the one with the Inukshuk on the cover.

Epifani is actually pronounced ep-a-fawn-ee. I talked with Nick, and that is his last name.

 

[conundrum]

I have never heard it pronounced EE-banez. When they first started selling instruments in the U.S. I heard people pronounce it with a "short" I as IBB-a-nez, but over the last 20 years or so, I have only heard it pronounced Eyebanez.

This; except I prefer IBB-a-nez.

 

[DigitalMan]

It is kind a a "nowhere" debate, and also everywhere depending on your cultural association.
The point that sticks with me is, if you think a quote like "Just loves me a plate of that EYE-tal-yun food" sounds right to you, then you wouldn't budge from pronouncing a Spanish-derived name "EYE-bunez".

That's a horse poop equivalency if I've ever heard one. Even Jeff Foxworthy never met anyone that redneck. It's a stretch to compare something completely ridiculous to the leading prevailing opinion.

 

[Pet Sounds]

RickenBACKer.

 

[packhowitzer]

Fronk-und-shteen.

GT

+1

 

[blowinblue]

As I recall it was Jeff Foxworthy who said, "You might be a person with absolutely no life if you have time to sit around and argue about the proper pronunciation of Ibanez."

M. M.

 

[JustForSport]

It's properly pronounced as a Spanish name but American honkies done muricanized it to eye-buh-nez. I once heard it pronounced as eebanez and i've had a guilty conscience ever since.

Yeah, loved that radio station we got on the Big Island with the 'Hawaiian-ized' music- and the Jawaiian Festival.
Sometimes those 'ized versions really do it.

I remember finding it really weird when moving to New Zealand and everyone here pronouncing it "Eye-bah-nez"! Back in Germany it had always been "Ee-bah-nez", and for me, it still is!

But Germany is lots closer to Spain...

 

[zontar]

I've always pronounced the first syllable as "I", not "E"
Because it's a Japanese company, not a Spanish one.

Even though there are Spanish roots to it, in a way.

 

[TTPbass1]

I've always heard eye-bah-nez, and I'm in Peru...

 

[Classic69]

Wow, 5 pages....!

And no one gets it right!

FYI, I e-mailed, here is their reply:


SIR:

Thank you for your interest in our products. The correct pronunciation of our Company, is as follows, phonetically in English:

AY-YA-BEEEEN-EEEEZ-AAAAAH. ( then;silent: ahhhahaaaa)

Sincerely,

Consumer Relations

Guess that settles this!

 

[avvie]

Lol!

 

[cronker]

Wow! Thanks guys!

Next up: Fodera!

 

[RBellavance]

I've always pronounced it "eee-banez", maybe because french is my native tongue. I also pronounce Nikon "knee-con" and not "nigh-con". In that case I know the japanese pronounciation is the same as that I use - not sure about Ibanez, but I'd think it would be the same...