Ibanez S521 (HH) 6 String Solidbody Electric Guitar

89
GEARANK

89 out of 100. Incorporating 275+ ratings and reviews.

Street Price: 

$400
Ibanez S-521

Gearank Recommendation

The Ibanez S521 appeared on our recommended list for Humbucker Equipped Solidbody Electric Guitars Under $500 from March 2019 until June 2020.

Overview

Ibanez continues to be the go to guitar for the likes of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, George Benson and a long list of other virtuoso guitarists.

But they're not just a brand for the elite - rather they are well known for their good balance of cost and quality - hence the popularity of guitars like the Ibanez S-521.

To break free from the typical dual humbucker setup, Ibanez equipped the S-521 with a 5-way pickup selector that allows for more tone options.

It's an interesting configuration which lets you select choose from the following - neck pickup, neck pickup (coils running in parallel), both pickups, neck pickup's lower coil and bridge pickup's upper coil, and bridge pickup.

As expected, it comes with Ibanez' brand of low action playability via its wizard III neck profile. Finally, it comes with a fixed bridge for more sustain and tuning stability.

Specifications

  • Body: Mahogany
  • Finish: Blackberry Burst, Ocean Fade Metallic, Mahogany Oil
  • Bridge: Fixed Bridge
  • Pickups: Infinity Humbuckers
  • Neck: 3-pc Maple
  • Scale Length: 25.5”
  • Fingerboard: Jatoba
  • Fingerboard Radius: 15.7”
  • Frets: 24 Jumbo
  • Nut Width: 1.69”
  • Controls: Master Volume, Master Tone
  • Pickup Selector: 5-way Toggle Switch
There are dual humbucker equipped guitars with higher ratings which you can see in our guide to The Best Electric Guitars Under $500.

Demo