Ibanez John Scofield Signature JSM20 - Black Low Gloss Review

Not Worth It

I wanted to love this guitar. It has all the things I want: cool aesthetic, neat neck pickup switching, 12" radius. First one I received had so many high frets it was unplayable - every bend above the 12th fret choked out at a reasonable 4/64" action. First and seventeenth frets weren't seated in the board, pitting in the finish, and flaking of the bridge. No big deal, lemons… read more happen. Exchange for a new one. New one has a fret so high that the D# on the B string won't even ring out. Many uneven frets above the 12th lead to sporadic choking out. If you want to invest in a full fret level and dress after buying a brand new guitar, this is the one for you!

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Poor finish, very heavy and imbalanced

The wood they've used for the center block is incredibly heavy, and since most of its mass is in the lower bout, it won't balance on your leg whatsoever. You constantly have to keep a downward pressure on the neck to keep it from careening to the ground. The finish is pretty bad, with slight gaps in the binding that weren't filled before painting, causing small cavities, and various… read more raised bumps along the back of the neck where debris has been trapped under the paint, including one spot where a fiber of some sort has been encased. Mine is a Chinese-made model, and I gather that they've since moved production to Indonesia, so hopefully quality control has been improved, but unless they've done something to remedy the excessive weight/imbalance of their design/materials, I can't recommend this otherwise gorgeous, great-sounding guitar.

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Great versatility

I was looking for a guitar for my gospel music gig that could cover the wide range of styles that I encounter. this guitar does it all from the Dixie hummingbirds to Kirk Franklin. it sounds and looks great, I love it

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Wonderful for all around use

I wasn"t sure I would like this guitar, because I didn"t know whether I preferred the sunburst model or this black one, but it took all of about two days for me and this cutie to bon,d and it is not only a keeper, it has become my main workhorse. The sound is terrific, it is very light, and it looks fantastic, and no problems with feedback, which is why this has replaced my archtops.… read more These days I only play jazz, and I"ve put 11 gage flat wound Chromes on it (I replace the wound G string with a solid one so that I can do bends) and I get a beautiful sound - people keep complimenting me on it. I sold an American made guitar for quite a bit more money because no matter how I tried I couldn"t get a jazz sound I was happy with, whereas with this guitar I get jazz to country to rock... easy, straight out of the box, with great sounds from both pickups The finish and construction are impeccable. That said, I had to spend some extra money for a good setup - the nut slots were high and the intonation poor, but once that was taken care of with my preferred strings, this little axe turned into a total gem at a very reasonable price.

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