The Ibanez PE-105 Power Equalizer is a vintage equalizer pedal from the late 1970s, part of Ibanez's Wide Box series. It was produced from 1977 to 1978, a short run that has made it one of the harder vintage Ibanez pedals to find: TONEHOME, the vintage effects reference, lists its availability as very rare and its collectibility as high1.
Production and rarity
The PE-105 was made for roughly two years. TONEHOME dates its production period to 1977 and 1978, and records that it was never re-issued1. That short window, combined with the pedal's age, is why it carries a "very rare" availability rating from the same source. For a player hunting one today, that means originals surface only occasionally, and collectors compete for them.
Its 1978 list price was 185 DM, the German mark being the currency of the market where that price was set1. No US dollar list price is recorded for the pedal.
Where it sits in Ibanez's EQ line
The PE-105 is an early entry in a long line of Ibanez equalizer pedals. Later Wide Box and Power Series models followed it, including the Ibanez GE-300 Graphic EQ from 1979 to 1980 and the Ibanez GE-601 Graphic Equalizer. Players comparing vintage Ibanez EQs can also look at the Ibanez GE-10 Graphic EQ, the Ibanez GE9 Graphic EQ, the Ibanez PQ 401, the Ibanez PQ9 Parametric EQ and the Ibanez GE-500. For the wider category, see the site's page on equalization pedals.
Documentation and period coverage
Two pieces of period documentation survive for the PE-105:
- The original Ibanez PE-105 Power Equalizer manual, available as a PDF download from TONEHOME's product page1
- A gear test published in Fachblatt, issue 09/78, a German music trade magazine, from September 19781
The PE-105 was never re-issued, so any example offered for sale is an original from the 1977 to 1978 production run1.
Questions
When was the Ibanez PE-105 made?
TONEHOME dates the PE-105's production period to 1977 and 1978, making it one of the shorter runs in Ibanez's vintage pedal catalog. It belongs to the Wide Box series, and it was never reissued, so every example in circulation today is an original from that two-year window.
How much did the Ibanez PE-105 cost when new?
The PE-105 carried a 1978 list price of 185 DM, the German currency of the time. That figure comes from TONEHOME's product page for the pedal. No US dollar list price is recorded for it.
Has the Ibanez PE-105 been reissued?
No. TONEHOME records the PE-105 as never having been re-issued. Ibanez has made other EQ pedals over the years, but none of them is a reissue of the PE-105 circuit.
Is there a manual for the Ibanez PE-105?
Yes. TONEHOME hosts a scanned copy of the Ibanez PE-105 Power Equalizer manual as a PDF download on its product page for the pedal, so owners and curious players can read the original documentation.
Is the Ibanez PE-105 rare?
Yes. TONEHOME lists the pedal's availability as very rare and its collectibility as high. With a production run of only 1977 to 1978 and no reissue, original examples are hard to come by on the used market.
Sources (1)
- TONEHOME, TONEHOME, 1978
