Fender vs Ibanez:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Fender had more branded searches than Ibanez among guitar brands in New Zealand. Fender had about 4,370 branded searches, while Ibanez had 2,380. Fender made up 34.2% of all guitar brand searches we track, and Ibanez accounted for 18.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about guitar brands, both Fender and Ibanez appeared in all five answers. Fender was mentioned before Ibanez in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Fender, about 84% more searches than Ibanez
Who does AI mention more?
Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.
Who does AI recommend more?
Fender, named ahead of Ibanez in 3 of 5 answers
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Top guitar brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Fender and Ibanez showed up in all five answers. Fender was listed before Ibanez in three of them.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Fender1st
Yamaha Guitars2nd
Cort3rd
Ibanez4th
Gibson5th
Epiphone6th
PRS7th
Taylor Guitars8th
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Fender5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Ibanez5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Yamaha Guitars4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Cort4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Gibson3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Epiphone2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Taylor Guitars2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
PRS2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about guitar brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which guitar brand should I buy in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best guitar brands in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best guitar brand in New Zealand for a beginner player?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“electric guitar nz”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best guitar brand”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.
Is Fender or Ibanez more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Fender and Ibanez by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight guitar brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.
Share of searches by month for Fender, Ibanez. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Fender | Gibson | Ibanez | Epiphone | Yamaha Guitars | Taylor Guitars | PRS | Cort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 32.5% | 20.4% | 19.1% | 12.6% | 5.3% | 5% | 3% | 2% |
| Nov 2025 | 32.1% | 20.3% | 17.1% | 12.2% | 5.3% | 7.4% | 3% | 2.5% |
| Dec 2025 | 32.5% | 19.1% | 18.6% | 14.2% | 5% | 5.1% | 3.1% | 2.5% |
| Jan 2026 | 30.9% | 19% | 20.3% | 12.5% | 5.2% | 6% | 3.6% | 2.4% |
| Feb 2026 | 32.6% | 20.1% | 16.2% | 12.9% | 6.1% | 6.2% | 3.8% | 2% |
| Mar 2026 | 36.8% | 20% | 16.5% | 10.3% | 5.3% | 5.7% | 3.5% | 1.9% |
| Apr 2026 | 37.5% | 17.9% | 18.2% | 11.2% | 5.4% | 4.9% | 2.9% | 2% |
| May 2026 | 38.4% | 18.7% | 16.5% | 10.3% | 5.6% | 5.5% | 3.3% | 1.8% |
| Jun 2026 | 36.9% | 18.1% | 16.6% | 10.8% | 5.3% | 5.5% | 5% | 1.8% |
| Jul 2026 | 35.4% | 18.8% | 17.3% | 10.7% | 6.5% | 5.8% | 3.6% | 1.9% |
| Aug 2026 | 33.7% | 19.6% | 18.4% | 11% | 5.7% | 5.9% | 3.6% | 2% |
| Sep 2026 | 34.2% | 18.9% | 18.6% | 11.5% | 5.6% | 5% | 3.8% | 2.5% |
How has the Fender and Ibanez comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Fender was ahead of Ibanez in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Fender’s share of searches among guitar brands in New Zealand moved from 32.5% to 34.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.2K to 4.4K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Ibanez’s share of searches among guitar brands in New Zealand moved from 19.1% to 18.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.5K to 2.4K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand guitar brands in September 2026?
1 change

Ibanez’s share of searches among guitar brands in New Zealand has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 16.6% to 18.6% in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
20 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Fender’s and Ibanez’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Fender
10 branded search terms
- fender
- fender acoustic guitar
- fender bass
- fender electric guitar
- fender guitar
- fender jazzmaster
- fender mustang
- fender p bass
- fender strat
- fender tele
Ibanez
10 branded search terms
- ibanez
- ibanez acoustic guitar
- ibanez az
- ibanez bass
- ibanez electric guitar
- ibanez gio
- ibanez guitar
- ibanez jem
- ibanez rg
- ibanez ts
Other head-to-heads among guitar brands

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