Ibanez John Scofield Signature JSM100 Review

The Scofield Ibanez

I've always loved Ibanez since the late 70's. This one is the made in Japan model. played good out of the box when it arrived. I had it set up by a guy in Baltimore who advised the fret buzz was taken care of. Apparently Ibanez has floating frets which i wasn't aware of. He affixed them. The guitar plays great and its a very versatile. Instrument comparable to the Gibson ES335.… read more I like it better since the input jack is not located on the body like the Gibson. I play jazz on the guitar and you get that Scofield sound by using the bridge pickup with the tone on 1 or 2. highly recommended. Of course Sweetwater was great throughout.

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As good as they say it is

The other reviews are absolutely correct. It would be hard to improve on this. It's better than and ES-335 in my opinion. People seem to get hung up on brand names. The internet "echo chambers" are largely responsible for certain stereo types (as well as inflated prices). This is indeed a work of art and I'm sure the Japanese luthiers feel a great sense of pride with each one of… read more these that they turn out. For me, I love the compound radius neck and jumbo frets. This is the only model that has those. As a result, the playability is amazing. The pickups sounds great. I also love the color and grain pattern (I've never been much of an orangey sunburst guy).

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A Professional Semi-Hollow Guitar!

This Ibanez JSM100 guitar from Sweetwater has everything a professional semi-hollow guitar demands: tone, playability, versatility, vibe, all there! This is my second Ibanez JSM100 – ignorantly sold the first one for a 'shiny object' ES guitar. Owned a few very high-end 335's, other high-profile semi-hollows, even a couple cost efficient JSM10's since, but finally came back… read more to the JSM100.The Ibanez JSM100 controls are easy to use, intuitive and solid (smooth & linear), and the tonal palette in every pickup position is distinct and useful! Plus, I prefer the bottom-load jack. The JSM100 build quality is superb as you might expect! Not sure what else to say except this is quite easily a much more expensive guitar.

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For those in the market for a semi-hollowbody, this is as good as anything out there

First let me thank Forrest Powell for his expert assistance, as always, in helping me decide on and purchase a new guitar. What can I add to what's been said here already? Simply this: that if you're in the market for a semi-hollowbody and considering the many more (and less) expensive options out there -- Gibson, PRS, Heritage, etc. -- do yourself a favor and have a long hard look… read more at this Ibanez. It's as good as or better than any of these other instruments. Attention to detail, sound, overall feel -- this is the real deal and you'll be hard-pressed to find something better.

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This guitar is absolutely mind blowing!

To say I am blown away would be an understatement. I was after a semi-hollow guitar so I started looking around and doing my research. I really wanted a Gibson ES-335 due to it's iconic history. However, I have read a lot of bad stuff about Gibson Memphis in recent years so I kept looking for another option. I stumbled upon this gem on another guitar forum where guys were raving… read more about how nice of a guitar it was. Anyways, I decided to purchase both the Ibanez JSM100 and a brand new Gibson ES-335 in cherry red. I got them both and clearly inspected them top to bottom. The Gibson was disappointing. It looks good from a few feet away, but when you get up close you can see many, many flaws. First off, there is lots of areas where paint was on top of the bindings (which looks unsightly). I also found lots of orange peel in the finish and overspray on the headstock. There were some unsightly imperfections in the wood as well, but it had clearly been painted over. Looking at the Ibanez JSM100 up close, you'd swear this thing was crafted by the hand of god himself. Honest to goodness, I can't find one single flaw anywhere on it, it's literally perfect. Every single minor detail looks like it was gone over with a fine tooth comb. Needless to say that I have more faith in the Japanese building a guitar now than I do the Americans (unless we're talking about Paul Reed smith, which is above and beyond anything). Comparing the sounds, the Ibanez JSM100 blows the Gibson ES-335 out of the water. It plays so nicely, the ebony fretboard feels perfect, and this thing just screams in the best of ways. You can go from a blues tone to a hard rock tone in seconds. The humbuckers sound amazing, and the guitar is so comfortable to hold. After owning this Ibanez for a few months, this thing has replaced every other guitar I've owned (and I own some very cool guitars). It's so versatile, so well crafted, and sounds so amazing, that the only other guitar that can compare (in a different way) is my PRS McCarty 594. I am not kidding when I say that the quality of this guitar is that of a much, much more expensive guitar. Honestly, they should be charging $4000 or more for this. The fact that Gibson is charging $4000 for an ES-335 is a joke, when this guitar is better, and priced way less. I dare anyone to compare this side-by-side with a modern Gibson ES-335. You'll quickly understand exactly what I am saying. This is a better guitar in every single way possible. I don't see any way at all that this guitar could be any better than it is. It's a beautiful work of art to look at, and it plays like a dream come true. To give you an idea of the guitars I own: - 2017 PRS McCarty 594 Artist Package - 2017 Gibson ES-335 Slim Neck (now sold as this Ibanez replaced it) - 2017 Fender Stratocaster American Elite - Epiphone Sheraton II Pro - 1995 Gibson Les Paul - Ibanez JSM100 This Ibanez JSM100 blows ALL of them out of the water with the exception of the PRS. The PRS is just as good as the Ibanez, but it's a solid body, so they can't really be compared. However, if you've ever seen the craftsmanship and quality of a high end PRS, I will tell you first hand that this Ibanez is of the exact same quality as the PRS. They both look like guitars that someone went over with a fine tooth comb, and made sure that NONE left the factory with any imperfections at all. If you're looking for a semi-hollow and can get past the whole "Made in the USA" thing, then this Ibanez JSM100 (which is made in Japan by Ibanez's "Team J") will likely be the best semi-hollow guitar you'll ever play. Oh, my only complaint is the huge 13 gauge strings it comes with! Haha... I removed those immediately for some 10s and it's much, much better now! Some of you guys might like those thick strings, but not this guy! One last thing, Sweetwater is the best to deal with. I had an issue with a different order (not this one) and Chuck himself (the CEO) took care of it for me, same day, no questions asked. Sweetwater will continue to have my business until the day I die. Oh, and this thing will go to the grave with me! I friggin' LOVE this guitar!!!

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