While singers and songwriters aspire to numbers of streams and followers, the brass ring for instrumentalist sidemen has long been a sponsorship/endorsement from the companies whose products have inspired them. Of course, sheer talent and notoriety are not the only factors which result in such a collaboration. One must be able to add something unique or expansive. Cameron Mee has loved Ibanez guitars for his whole life; his notoriety as a studio musician in Nashville as well as concert performances with many popular country artists enables Ibanez to place a substantial footprint in Music City USA. It’s a collaboration which Cameron couldn’t be happier about. He excitedly remarks, “My first three electric guitars were Ibanez and I’ve always held a huge affinity for them. They always just seemed incredibly cool. Their look has always been sleek and more interesting to me than other newer guitars but also with their own take on traditional guitars, which I love. Honestly, as a kid, I thought they just looked like the coolest guitars and I always pictured myself playing them. I’d get Ibanez catalogs from local guitar stores when they no longer needed them and pour over the magazine ads of famous guitarists playing Ibanez. I’ve always played or owned at least one Ibanez to have in my arsenal. The fascination with Ibanez guitars is a somewhat lifelong obsession for me, so becoming a part of their family is a dream come true.”
Ibanez artists include such world famous guitarists as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Thundercat, Pat Metheny, George Benson, Frank Gambale (all Grammy Award–winners). Each is known for a distinctive sound and musical identity which has inspired generations of players. As one of the current faces of Ibanez guitars, Cameron not only represents today’s elite players but he also bridges the contributions of the previously mentioned artists. Mee refers to his first real Ibanez, the PGM30 (Paul Gilbert model), as a demarcation for him that he was committing himself to being serious about music as a career. He refers to the Andy Timmons model Ibanez that he later began playing as “The perfect Strat” whose flatter radius made flying around the fingerboard a dream, and showed him how a straight modern take on a classic can really work. Cameron’s current preferred model is the Ibanez AZ2407F which he refers to as, “The most versatile and modern take on the guitar I’ve ever witnessed. I can play crushingly heavily yet sensitive, and it allows such ease of access to every note and part of the fretboard. It has really opened my eyes to where the guitar is headed. Knowing I was sent this by Ibanez is a huge honor and playing it is a very real reminder of how lucky I am, and that all the work I put in has paid off.”
What Ibanez receives from this relationship is visibility in the vastly expanding Country music genre. In addition to his status as a coveted session musician in Nashville, Cameron plays with a number of artists to massive crowds, all of whom are experiencing the quality of Ibanez instruments through his hands. Whether it’s playing the #1 hit single “23” to a stadium full of fans with Country music artist & American Idol winner Chayce Beckham, Whelan Stone’s “Whiskey in a Wine Glass” to a packed theater, or any number of other popular artists, Cameron Mee is representing Ibanez to current and future guitarists who will follow in his footsteps someday to play the same legendary music venues. He values this opportunity stating, “I exist in the country guitar world. A place where Ibanez is not common at all. I provide access to a small and tight knit community of guitarists, unlike any other. I’ve been able to show them my Ibanez, and promote them. I also get to show that Ibanez can’t be pigeonholed into a specific genre. They can play country music well and be used in other contexts you’d be very surprised at. For me, I feel I’m different enough to make a good stand amongst the other players. And like them, develop my own sound and flavor. A relationship like I have with Ibanez should be something that both partners benefit from. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship that lets us form a great bond. I also see it as a way to give back to the community in many senses because I’ll get to try things before other people do to give feedback on products. I’ll be able to help Ibanez break into the Nashville market where they’re not so commonly seen. I’ll be able to give insight to what people in Nashville seek from a guitar and what Ibanez could potentially do in order to get their guitars in Nashville played more.”
Sharon Howe is a creative person with diverse talents. She writes engaging articles for WonderWorldSpace.com, where she works as a content writer. Writing allows Sharon to inform and captivate readers. Additionally, Sharon pursues music as a hobby, which allows her to showcase her artistic abilities in another creative area.