The JS model, which has been Joe Satriani's main instrument for many years now, is a bit of an odd bird in the Ibanez range. With a slightly different neck profile and playing feel for Ibanez, it is a guitar that is quite different from what Ibanez usually makes.
The playing feel can perhaps be described as modern vintage (it's quite obvious where he got his inspiration from when playing a JS). A guitar where it is obvious that Joe thought about tone, playing comfort, width and more tone.
The newly developed DiMarzio® Satchur8™ pickup in stall position helps achieve a more versatile sound. The SUSTAINIAC® Driver mic in the neck position is connected to a "Stealth PRO" preamp tailored for Joe. It can provide infinite sustain and expands the range dramatically with a 3-way Sustainiac switch.
Joe has always felt that the two extra frets on a 24 fret neck moved the neck pickup closer to the bridge pickup and away from what he considers the neck pickup's "sweet spot". But after a lot of experimenting with different pickups and tests with replacing the neck pickup with a humbucker in single coil format, he found a solution to get the neck pickup sounds he wanted despite a 24 band neck.
The fact that the neck has more bands has also meant that the shape of the lower cut-away has been made a little deeper into the body. Otherwise, it is in both sound and playing feel like the usual JS guitars.
The neck is a 3-piece maple/bubinga neck with a Rosewood fingerboard banded with 6105 frets that have received the Ibanez Prestige Fret Edge Treatment. The neck has a profile Ibanez calls JS and which is rounder and more C-shaped than, for example, Wizard necks. Even the fretboard is more arched (less flat) than Wizard necks.
- 3-piece Maple/Bubinga JS neck.
- Rosewood fingerboard.
- Mother Of Pearl necklace.
- W/6105 frets with Prestige Fret Edge Treatment.
- Basswood (Lind) body.
- EDGE tremolo.
- SUSTANIAC (S) neck pickup.
- DiMarzio Satchur8 stable pickup.
- Chrome hardware.
- Hard case
The neck:
- 648mm/25.5" scale.
- Width at saddle: 43mm.
- Width at 24 bands: 56.4mm.
- Thickness at first band: 20mm.
- Thickness at 12 bands: 22.3mm.
- Radius: 250mmR.