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Hatsubai « Ebony fretboarded model »
Published on 06/24/11 at 03:08It's rare to see Ibanez guitars with ebony fretboards. This is one of the few that exist. The guitar was made for Paul Gilbert with a few differences compared to his normal model. It's a basswood body with a flamed maple top, abalone binding, white f-holes, a maple wizard neck with an ebony fretboard, 24 jumbo frets, fixed bridge, HSH configuration with a volume pot and a 5 way switch.
UTILIZATION
This guitar is absolutely killer. Anybody who wants a hardtail Ibanez should definitely look into this. The bridge itself isn't bad, but it just sustains like crazy. The pickup selector switch and volume pot are out of the way, so you're not always hitting them like a normal Ibanez guitar. The reverse headstock adds some unique tension to the lower strings, and the ebony fretboard really feels great. The neck is super thin and flat on these, so be sure you like that kind of neck if you're looking to buy one.
SOUNDS
The guitar sounds awesome, and it's all thanks to the DiMarzio pickups. The Tone Zone in the bridge is super fat and middy. Combine that with the flame maple top and ebony fretboard, and you have a guitar that sounds thick while still cutting through the mix. The Tone Zone in the neck is a bit too much for me, but you can get amazing legato going on with the thing since it's so powerful. The single coil also splits nicely to get that great "in between" kinda spanky tones.
OVERALL OPINION
This is probably my second or third favorite Paul Gilbert model. I really wish Ibanez would offer more ebony fretboards on their model. If ESP can do it, why can't Ibanez? I never really understood that. These guitars are pretty expensive, and I've only seen one in my lie, so if you ever get the chance to buy one, grab it ASAP.
UTILIZATION
This guitar is absolutely killer. Anybody who wants a hardtail Ibanez should definitely look into this. The bridge itself isn't bad, but it just sustains like crazy. The pickup selector switch and volume pot are out of the way, so you're not always hitting them like a normal Ibanez guitar. The reverse headstock adds some unique tension to the lower strings, and the ebony fretboard really feels great. The neck is super thin and flat on these, so be sure you like that kind of neck if you're looking to buy one.
SOUNDS
The guitar sounds awesome, and it's all thanks to the DiMarzio pickups. The Tone Zone in the bridge is super fat and middy. Combine that with the flame maple top and ebony fretboard, and you have a guitar that sounds thick while still cutting through the mix. The Tone Zone in the neck is a bit too much for me, but you can get amazing legato going on with the thing since it's so powerful. The single coil also splits nicely to get that great "in between" kinda spanky tones.
OVERALL OPINION
This is probably my second or third favorite Paul Gilbert model. I really wish Ibanez would offer more ebony fretboards on their model. If ESP can do it, why can't Ibanez? I never really understood that. These guitars are pretty expensive, and I've only seen one in my lie, so if you ever get the chance to buy one, grab it ASAP.