Price
UK: Approx £1100 new, £650 - £900 used.
US (I read): $1100 new, as low as $500 used!
Mine is a 2002 model, and I haggled the guy down to £450!
Pros
Lightweight guitar, with amazing finish - each one is a bit different
Switching options - coil tap gets you close to fender twang, and high pass filter enhances high frequencies at low volume.
Neck is a 'digital reproduction' of Satriani's favourite - not bothered about that, but it has a wonderful played in feel
DiMarzio Pickups - PAF Pro and Fred... so much tone
Headstock not angled like other Ibanez guitars - better sustain IMO
Really low action with no problems (I've pulled it back up to improve tone, but man was it low!)
Build & Finish perfect - no flaws at all!
Edge Trem stays perfectly in tune despite abuse
Cons
Oddly, with the Coil Tap on (Tone pot pulled up), the trem arm hits the top of the pot - pants design. Only divebomb in HB mode!
Only 22 frets, if that's a problem for you.
Review
I've had the JS1000 for a month now, and it feels like an old friend - almost plays itself. I could never play 'Eugene's Trick Bag' full speed until I got this (Slight problem with the lack of 24th fret, but 'fretting' notes on pickups is a laugh) but now I can - the neck is amazing. Not too thin like a Wizard II - feels like a thin vintage strat neck. The change in neck radius makes playing this really comfortable, whether you're chugging power chords or burning legato. More sustain than my RG, and when I play 'always with me, always with you' or 'Midnight', if I shaved my head you wouldn't know I wasn't Satch
Well, maybe not quite but the tone and versatility offered by this beast are just amazing.
Also, although I like to shred, I don't like to look like I do if you know what I mean. No pink pickup covers / matt black paintjobs / REALLY pointy headstocks etc for me - I wanted a versatile gigging machine. I had a JEM, but just felt like such a ponce with it. This guitar offers similar performance in a toned down package. With the gain at 17, this guitar isn't as clear as the JEM used to be, but it offers so much more tone that you don't need to hide behind the gain.
Summary
Beautiful, articulate & versatile guitar. I see the prices are even more tempting over in the US of A so I strongly suggest any of you in range of a guitar shop get down there and try one of these things out. I doubt you'll be dissapointed, and bet you buy it! Check out the full specs at
www.ibanez.com
Seriously, go play one...
Linear Mode
