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Hatsubai « Looks great but somewhat lacking »
Published on 09/25/11 at 09:49Ibanez has recently decided to hit a market that's been untapped for awhile. They're looking to release a guitar that looks like a J-Custom but has the price of a regular Prestige model. They came up with this guitar, and it has a lot of cool features. The guitar features a basswood body with a veneer maple top, a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, 24 extra jumbo frets, offset dot inlays, an Edge Zero tremolo, two humbucker configuration, one volume, one tone and a five way switch.
UTILIZATION
There are some problems with this guitar. The first thing I noticed was that, while the ends were nicely balled, the frets weren't as level as they were on the Prestige guitars. This was giving me some issues with getting the action that I wanted. The other thing was that there were a few things I just didn't really care for about this guitar. For one, I hate the fact that the top is a veneer. Basswood + maple is an amazing combination, and for them to skimp out on that is a bit of a let down, in my eyes. The trem is the same as it's been in the last few years, and I'm sure you've already heard all the comments regarding that. I heard some rumors of some necks being twisted and what not on these guitars, as well.
SOUNDS
The guitar had some bland pickups in it. They're decent, but they're not nearly as good as real DiMarzios. The bridge pickup had some good output, but it lacked the depth that I normally hear from a good, high quality pickup. It also wasn't quite as responsive, either. The middle pickup was about the same as your average single coil pickup. It did great clean tones, but that's about it. The neck pickup was a bit bright, so I found myself using the tone knob to help fatten it up for those super fat lead tones that I tend to go for. While it was decent, it didn't sound nearly as organic as something like the Air Norton or Duncan 59 would sound.
OVERALL OPINION
While the guitars look good, there are a few issues regarding QC on these things. I recommend playing them before you go ahead and buy one. Be sure to check the threads on the internet regarding these as some people are having major issues while others are having a perfect guitar. I also recommend buying used if you can as the value on these will plummet a bit on the used market.
UTILIZATION
There are some problems with this guitar. The first thing I noticed was that, while the ends were nicely balled, the frets weren't as level as they were on the Prestige guitars. This was giving me some issues with getting the action that I wanted. The other thing was that there were a few things I just didn't really care for about this guitar. For one, I hate the fact that the top is a veneer. Basswood + maple is an amazing combination, and for them to skimp out on that is a bit of a let down, in my eyes. The trem is the same as it's been in the last few years, and I'm sure you've already heard all the comments regarding that. I heard some rumors of some necks being twisted and what not on these guitars, as well.
SOUNDS
The guitar had some bland pickups in it. They're decent, but they're not nearly as good as real DiMarzios. The bridge pickup had some good output, but it lacked the depth that I normally hear from a good, high quality pickup. It also wasn't quite as responsive, either. The middle pickup was about the same as your average single coil pickup. It did great clean tones, but that's about it. The neck pickup was a bit bright, so I found myself using the tone knob to help fatten it up for those super fat lead tones that I tend to go for. While it was decent, it didn't sound nearly as organic as something like the Air Norton or Duncan 59 would sound.
OVERALL OPINION
While the guitars look good, there are a few issues regarding QC on these things. I recommend playing them before you go ahead and buy one. Be sure to check the threads on the internet regarding these as some people are having major issues while others are having a perfect guitar. I also recommend buying used if you can as the value on these will plummet a bit on the used market.