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Hatsubai « Maple fretboarded S series »
Published on 06/22/11 at 23:50The Ibanez S series is actually part of the "Saber" series. These guitars feature super slim bodies that feel absolutely amazing when held in your hands. The S540 is probably the most popular version of this guitar, and I feel this one is actually the "standard" model that every other S series is judged by. The guitar features a mahogany body, maple neck with maple fretboard, 22 frets, dot inlays with a special inlay on the 21st fret, an Edge tremolo, HSH configuration, one volume, one tone and a five way switch.
UTILIZATION
Ibanez did one hell of a job when they developed the S series. I actually have an issue playing super heavy guitars like the old school Gibson Les Pauls, so guitars like these are a godsend. The fretwork on these guitars is awesome, and there are rarely any huge flaws that would prevent one from buying this model. The guitar also features an Edge tremolo which is one of the best trems ever made. It stays in tune under even the most extreme whammy abuse.
SOUNDS
Despite it being a super slim and sleek body, the guitar sounds very huge. A lot of that is thanks to it being made out of mahogany instead of the normal basswood that Ibanez likes to use on the RG series. The biggest issue with these guitars would be that the pickups are pretty awful. I like using the Air Norton in the neck, True Velvet in the middle and Evo 2 in the bridge. The Air Norton will give you a huge neck tone, the True Velvet sounds very clean and spanky for those clean tones, and the Evo 2 is harmonically rich, so it really helps out in making this guitar sound more alive.
OVERALL OPINION
This is probably the most recognized Ibanez S series guitar out of the entire lineup. If you find one of these at a good price, I recommend checking them out. They pop up on eBay all the time. If you're really lucky, you can find one of the few out there that have the maple fretboard. To me, these are the most desirable S series guitars ever made as the maple fretboard really helps make this model look more unique and adds that little touch of top end to help cut through the mix.
UTILIZATION
Ibanez did one hell of a job when they developed the S series. I actually have an issue playing super heavy guitars like the old school Gibson Les Pauls, so guitars like these are a godsend. The fretwork on these guitars is awesome, and there are rarely any huge flaws that would prevent one from buying this model. The guitar also features an Edge tremolo which is one of the best trems ever made. It stays in tune under even the most extreme whammy abuse.
SOUNDS
Despite it being a super slim and sleek body, the guitar sounds very huge. A lot of that is thanks to it being made out of mahogany instead of the normal basswood that Ibanez likes to use on the RG series. The biggest issue with these guitars would be that the pickups are pretty awful. I like using the Air Norton in the neck, True Velvet in the middle and Evo 2 in the bridge. The Air Norton will give you a huge neck tone, the True Velvet sounds very clean and spanky for those clean tones, and the Evo 2 is harmonically rich, so it really helps out in making this guitar sound more alive.
OVERALL OPINION
This is probably the most recognized Ibanez S series guitar out of the entire lineup. If you find one of these at a good price, I recommend checking them out. They pop up on eBay all the time. If you're really lucky, you can find one of the few out there that have the maple fretboard. To me, these are the most desirable S series guitars ever made as the maple fretboard really helps make this model look more unique and adds that little touch of top end to help cut through the mix.