Test Ibanez JS2450 signature Joe Satriani
In exclusivity before the NAMM show, I had the pleasure to test the new Ibanez JS2450 signature Joe Satriani! So I went to the Metal Guitar shop in Paris that is one of the first store in France to sell this guitar, and I tried that beauty.
Subtitles in english and french are available in the YouTube played if you don’t understand my french frog accent. I played every single song you hear in the video, among the improvisation parts :
Clean Sound :
- Always With Me, Always With You – Joe Satriani
- Satisfaction – Stevie Wonder
Backing songs :
- Unstoppable Momentum – Joe Satriani
- Inside Source – Saturax
Overdriven Sound :
- Satch Boogie – Joe Satriani
- Not Of This Earth – Joe Satriani
- Flying In A Blue Dream – Joe Satriani
- Waves – Guthrie Govan
The gear I used
A EVH 5150 III 100W pluged in a 4×12″ cab with Celestion G12EVH speakers. I’ve only used the Clean channel and the Overdrive channel, not the Crunch. This amp is pretty transparent and does not distort the guitar tone, I let the Clean channel EQ at noon, and I cut a bit the high frequencies on the Overdrive channel.
No reverb or compressor were used for this video, it’s the natural sound all along. Recorded with a Zoom H4N.
Finish
First thing I can say, the color is just wonderful, the deep purple sparkle, MCP (Muscle Car Purple) is a very unexpected color and one of the best ever made in the JS series.
The usual abalon dots that feature in most of JS guitars are replaced by more sober pearly dots and are combined with the chrome pickups to perfectly match the MCP color. The finish seems at first very daring, but is very successful. The 3 piece neck also looks well-assorted to the global finish.
Woods
The JS2450 is the second guitar in the Ibanez JS history to have an alder body, the first one was the JS2410. The body seems to be slightly lighter than a JS2400 (that have a basswood body), and as I explained in the video test, Satch chose the alder because he considers that it’s a more neutral wood than the basswood, and fits better the sound of his new band, probably since the apparition of Mike Keneally and his keyboards parts, and later with Marco Minnemann & Bryan Beller who have a distinctive musical personnality.
The neck changed too, it’s now a 24 frets 3 piece neck with maple on the sides and bubinga in the center, Joe explained that choice by the presence this wood bring in, the 3 piece neck don’t have an influence on the sutain contrary to what people may think, and even brings more stability to the neck. This feature is a success.
Electronics
The JS2450 has 2 DiMarzio pickups, like always in the Prestige JS guitars, a Satch Strack for the neck that is a JS signature version of the Pro Track, and the Mo’ Joe, also a JS signature version of the FRED. As I explained in the video, the Satch track is single coil sized but it’s still a humbucker. When the JS guitars went form 22 to 24 frets, the scale length stayed the same (648mm/25.5″), they of course re-designed the body to have a better access to the 24th fret but for tonal reasons, Joe didn’t want to change the neck pickup location. This particular pickup location was a radical difference between the JS guitars and the 540R on which the very first JS1 was based, so they just reduced the size of the pickup to keep that tone.
I can say that the Satch Track is very comfortable and have a better definition than the Pro Track, more suitable to the JS spirit of the period. The JS2450 I played has a standard tuning but sounded nearly as deep, powerful and vintage that Joe’s guitars that are tuned one half-step down.
As usual in the Prestige series, the Tone pot and Volume pot have a coil-tap and an high-pass filter that can be activated by pulling the pots. When only one coil of the pickup is activated, the sound is of course more vintage but still powerful compared to classic strat sounds, this is an other soft-side of the pickups but the result is not a sign of any denaturing or deterioration. At 8’50” in the video, I show the utility of the high-pass filter and especially at 9’44” where I highlight the high frequencies that stay the same between a low and high volume when it’s activated, and disapear when it’s not activated and the volume is lowed.
Ultralite Tremolo Arm
That was the first time I use this Ultralite Tremolo Arm, and it’s just f*king crazy! The bar is light, strong, the transpiration is not even a problem with that graphite carbon material. A regluar tremolo bar is included in the flycase, so you still have the choice for arming the original Edge tremolo.
I can’t finish my rerview without saying a word about this wonderful shop that Metal Guitar is! They are regulary provided to the last Ibanez JS guitars, the JS2450 of course, the JS24P Premium, they also will have the entry-level JS140… They have in worldwide exclusivity the JEM77P Premium, they also are the only shop in France to sell Caparison guitars, see the pictures.
A professional team for great rock/metal guitars, thanks guys.
I would also like to thank the graphist Tom Breton for the wonderful pickups & controls drawings, and Arno Penguin for the camera help.
I hope you liked this test & review of the JS2450. On my side I really loved this guitar, it’s only flaw: it marks easily the fingerprints, but the sound is great, the comfort and the upper note access are amazing, it features good options but not too much, right to the essential, the JS series keep on evolving and improving… What else?
See you later for an other test !
dam i was wanting too hear that neck pickup with the highpass filter… pretty good demo as always
Nice overall view of this brand new JS signature! I’m craving for it!
Thanks my friend, you definitively should try plying one of those beauties !
Absolutely great job! Very professional well done and great playing too!
Thank you John! We are going to make other tests soon at the same place, with the JS140 and JS24P… 😉
Im stuck between a Fender next year to get an anniversary model. 57 re-issue i hope with v neck. Now i am drawn toward this guitar. I am a joe fan. Own an ebony neck 7vwh so i have a guitar for distorted, the action is a little high for a cleanish sound. How would you recommend this over a fender tone? i just thinking versatility.. Regards
Garry.