The TV650 first appeared in 1994 along with the TC530 and TV750 (USA exclusive) to launch the new Talman line of guitars! Currently it's not known which model was the actual first production Talman made, but we do know Ibanez® thought of the TV650 as the "default" Talman model. All debut models (TC530, TV650, TV750) have a stamp on the back of the neck (at the base, hidden inside the neck pocket) that reads "TV-650". Because of this I also consider the TV650 the "mother" Talman. All TV650 guitars have HSH configuration mini-humbucker and mini-lipstick pickups (designed by Kent Armstrong) and a Resoncast body that features a "sound cavity" route under the pickguard.

These guitars were made in Japan at the legendary Fujigen factory. The debut Talmans were also the first Ibanez guitars to feature Korean hardware. The pickups and entire pickguard assemblies were built in Korea, then shipped to Japan to be dropped into the guitar bodies.

Production of the TV650 started in mid to late 1993 (same as the TC530 and TV750).

Ibanez's catalogs and marketing materials from this era compare the debut Talmans to Danelectro® guitars because of their similar composite bodies and unique funky tone. It's important to note, Ibanez made some of the design decisions (Resoncast bodies, gravure finishes, Korean hardware) to keep the prices of these Japanese made guitars competitive as the US dollar's value decreased rapidly against the Yen.

1994 vs. 1995 models

Between the two model years, a lot of subtle changes were made. The 1995 models are less common. 1994 model year TV650 guitars have faux birdseye gravure necks, a solid white pickguard (3-ply), Sky STV-3 middle pickup, white plastic knobs, white truss rod cover with 1 screw, and sealed tuners (gold) with hex style buttons. 1995 model year TV650 guitars got rid of the gravure necks for a standard maple neck. They also feature a pearloid white pickguard (3-ply), Sky SLV-10 middle pickup, metal knobs (gold), white truss rod cover with 3 screws, and vintage Kluson style tuners (gold) with round buttons. All of these changes for the '95 model year match the features of the newly introduced TV550 model. Ibanez likely used the same components across models to simplify the build process and reduce cost. Note, you can't rely on serial numbers to differentiate between '94 and '95 model years; you have to look at all the details outlined above. A lot of '95 model year guitars were likely built in late '94, giving them a '94 serial number (F4xxxxx).

• model years 1994, 1995
• made in Japan (Fujigen)
• sold in AA, EU, JP, USA
• finishes
  • Gravure Quilted Brown Sunburst (GQB)
  • Gravure Quilted Cherry Sunburst (GQC)
  • White (WH)
• original list price (USA)
  • $699.95 (WH) ⇒ $1,412.98 (in 2023)
• original list prices (JP)
  • ¥55,000 (GQB, GQC, WH)