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Ibanez JS100 Satriani Signature Guitar
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The JS100 is Satriani`s base model signature electric guitar. It features a streamlined basswood body, light weight and a contour made for comfort. The lower cutaway of this sleek guitar gives unrestricted access to the upper frets, and the double locking tremolo stays in tune no matter how far you bend notes. Axis 1 and 2 humbuckers give you all the body, clarity and...
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Searched Ibanez JS100 Satriani Signature Guitar in Reviews
Not as good as the JS1000 but still a solid guitar 
| Sound |
I've got a JS1200 at home but have been looking at JS100's as backups for a few months now. I don't have the money for another full blown JS1000 unless I found a good deal used, but I love the body shape, tone, and overall sound of the JS line. The "low end" version is pretty solid. I've played a few but have spent the most time with the Edge Pro II bridge models. Usually I run it direct into a tube combo like a Peavey Classic 30 or the new Blackstar HT mini-stacks.
The tone is favored to blues/rock and the notes are fairly well defined. With the gain rolled down, engaging the coil tap gives a nice strat-ty tone. It's not quite as bell-like as the Dimarzio equipped JS1000, but I found it pleasing to my ear. I notice that the tone is a bit muddy when you hit a bass note and then try to play anything in the upper register. Chords do not quite retain all the individual notes and the high notes lose a little articulation. It's like the pickup can't handle all the information from both ends of the frequency spectrum. Mids and bass tend to come through a little more than the treble, even on the bridge pickup.
It takes me a little bit to get used to the neck each time I pick one up. It's slightly different from the JS1000, though it generally has a similar feel. It seems like the string spacing is a little wider and the radius is a little flatter. The frets are also a little wider, although they are still considered "medium." Some of these alterations might be better for the shred-heads, but I prefer the feel of the Prestige neck on the 1000. That being said, it doesn't take to long to get accustomed to the new feel.
Once I get a little warmed up, I usually play through a few Satch songs. I get a pretty close approximation to his tones on the Blackstar's distortion channel. Running a few of his pedals would probably do the trick for getting 95% of his tone. Still, the pickups aren't quite as clear or as loud as the Dimarzios. They perform well enough to go on, but will leave you wanting. The neck is very warm and round, it would be excellent for Jazz but it doesn't quite have the cut and clarity of the Paf Pro/Joe. Likewise, the Bridge lacks the harmonics and dynamics of the Fred. I'm kind of being overly critical, but in the case of the pickups, I recommend an upgrade.
It's a minor complaint, but I notice the volume and tone knobs consistently feel a little more stiff, harder to turn than on my 1000. I know it's not just the guitar because I've played a few, at different locations and in different color options, so I know it's an "issue" with the components they use.
The bridge works for me, when the store's set it up properly. I sometimes wonder who they get to look over these guitars. Most of the time they have things tilted forward like an original Edge, or the intonation is wayyyyy out of whack. I've had them get me a bar to test stability and I've found the Edge Pro II to be consistent in returning to zero after dive bombs and pull ups. It's not always 100% dead zeroed, but it's enough that I don't notice it going out of tune. I tend to test this much harder than I actually use the whammy bar myself, so I feel confident that, if set up properly, the bridge is fine for tuning stability.
Overall, I think it sounds pretty good but with a few upgrades to the pickups, and maybe the wiring components it could be much better. All of my complaints can be classified in the "How it doesn't quite stack up to the JS1000+ guitars. It doesn't cost nearly the same amount, nor is it built/assembled by the same people that handle the Prestige lines. I feel as though I may be sounding overly harsh about a guitar that I do like and that I think is a capable instrument. Without any upgrades, it's definitely a solid mid-level guitar that would make any semi-pro, looking for versatility and comfort, happy. It's also a worthy backup to anyone's JS1000 or JS1200. It does cost a bit more with the Satriani name when compared to similar quality instruments, but it offers a variety of vintage and modern sound and features in one package, something I've yet to really see out of other manufacturers.
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| Action, Fit, & Finish |
The fit and finish is usually good. It was painfully obvious that the frets and neck don't receive the same attention as the Prestige guitars, but it's also half the price. I find that my hand sometimes catches on the edges of the frets when changing positions on the neck. I don't get that with the rounded fret ends, thanks to Rich, on my JS1200. The guitars I've tried all seem to have nice thick finishes that are evenly applied. I try not to nick them, but it seems like they would stand up to some abuse. The action is usually another story. Most Guitar Center ones I've tried have been horribly set-up. The bridge will be pitched forward or the neck relief will be ridiculously high. Intonation often looks like they just wanted to line all the strings up evenly! Still, I've tried a few that were ok and with a few tweaks, I imagine they could yield the low action with no buzzing or choking.
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| Reliability & Durability |
I believe Ibanez makes good instruments so I assume that the JS100 is no different. I would look into the stud lock mod as the basswood body stud holes will oval over time and make tuning less stable. I also would gig with a back-up since floating bridges do not take kindly to a broken string or anything like that.
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| Customer Support |
Never dealt with them.
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| Liked about it |
1. Good all around tone. It will handle any style you throw at it from classic country to modern metal (albeit with a little EQ help on your amp/pedals).
2. Stable bridge. I am speaking of the Edge Pro II. I've had some problems when I've demoed the Lo-TRS with tuning stability. I would stay away from those, or upgrade them.
3. Coil tap. I miss the high pass filter, but the coil tap is an excellent feature that enhances the guitar's versatility. With it on the neck pickup, you can get some nice strat spank and on the bridge, a decent tele twang.
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| Didn't like |
1. Feel of the neck was not nearly as nice as the Prestige JS1200.
2. Pickups lack the clarity, definition and output compared to the Dimarzio counterparts.
3. "Tight" volume and tone knobs. It made adjusting them on the go a bit difficult since they required a little more effort to turn them than merely semi-grabbing them with a finger while continuing to play.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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worth the money
| Sound |
the guitar sounds amazing with dimarzios added. it has a b luesy feel but can handle the metal stuff just fine.i personaly think it sounds as good as any other ibanez oput there.
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| Action, Fit, & Finish |
mine came with chrome hardware looked very nice on the black body. the hh pickup configuration in my opinion is a cleaner look than the hsh configuration.and the radius body is the cooloest looking out there.
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| Reliability & Durability |
the guitar is very durable i never had a problem with the electronics, only the bridge doesnt stay in tune well when using the whammy alot.but a trem stop should solve this problem with the trs.
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| Customer Support |
i have never delt with ibanez personally.
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| Liked about it |
i loved the coil tap on this guitar it made it very versatile and was like a secret weapon for my disposal.
i also loved the sound of the guitar a satch tone at a not satch price which is always a bonus for me.
i also loved the light weight of this guitar some of the others hurt my back and it feels like your holding a toy guitar in your hands which can save a life in a gig situation.
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| Didn't like |
i wish ibanez would have put the edge trem on this guitar i think it can be pro level with a more stable trem system.i also like the original wizard necks and wish this on had iot but if it did it wouldnt be so cheap.and it wouldnt hurt for some better stock pickups in it i wish all ibanezes came with dimarzio pickups them and ibanez are made for eachother.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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The Satch sound and look on a budget
| Sound |
I play hard rock guitar and there isn't much the ole JS can't handle. Pickups, although not Dimarzio like the 1000, I found to be really quite good, plenty of different tones you can get out of. The single coil tap is a fantastic feature - you can go from a thick humbucker sound to that really bright twangy fender tone. I use D'Addario 9's to 42's on most of my guitars, plenty of very nice sounds to be dialed in with the JS.
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| Action, Fit, & Finish |
The guitar, like a lot of Ibanez's off the rack, was set up quite high. Down to my local guitar store, better low setup and plays like a dream. I purchased the transparent red and I was really impressed with the finish - it stands out. Neck is great, 22 fret with rosewood fingerboard. The are only two things that disappoint me about the guitar was the lack of access to the top frets (the two piece neck joint doesn't leave a lot of finger space, back when I bought them they didn't have the tilted neck joint) and the trem - mine was equipped with Lo TRS mode and man, they really suck. The knife edges wore down in about 6 months and I ended up blocking the trem for a long time - it was a real pain.
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| Reliability & Durability |
I've had this guitar since 96 and it's still going strong. The only problems I have had is the fact the trem lasted no time at all and I had to get the input jack fixed because it was buggy. But other than that, it is still going strong. I have gigged and played with this thing for my music exams back in the day without any backup, but that was only after I blocked the trem, Floyd Roses should never be gigged without a backup. Seriously, I will never forget seeing Steve Vai live in 99 and the man went through like 4 guitars in a 1.5 hour set - floating trems mean u need a backup.
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| Customer Support |
Never dealt with Ibanez ever, no comment.
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| Liked about it |
Single coil tap - awesome feature.
Value for money - Really good feature at a good price.
Finish - Very nice
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| Didn't like |
Lo TRS trem - worst trem I've ever had
Neck Joint - Not particularly good access to the top frets compared to say the RG
The Name inlay on the 22nd fret - I would have preferred the rosewood!!!
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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Does it hold its own.????
| Sound |
My musical influence is Satriani, Van Halen, AC/DC & other RAWK gods.! The model i owned was the later model outfitted with the edge II bridge, important note to JS100 buyers, steer clear from the inferior early model featuring the lo trs bridge, its tight and string bends are difficult and, its generally not very good.
Tone wise there isnt a lot of difference between this and the JS1000 if your using the right amp, the 100 i had was flawless, played like a dream and i loved. Now bare in mind i have had a lot of guitars in the past, JS100, Js1000, Peavey Wolfgang, Peavey HP Special, IBanez s470, RG550, RG570 & RG1570 and i have to say that the 100 was right up there with the greats. Both AH humbuckers are actually quite tonal, especially the neck pickup, you can dial in some superb blues tones. As with all floating bridges i only use d`addario 9 gauge strings but thats just my preference. Remember, if you want to change string gauges from 9`s to either 8`s or 10`s and above you will need to make alterations to the truss rod and bridge height and claw spring tension.
At the time i had the js100 plugged into a vox vt50 modelling amp and it played an absolute dream, in all honesty it was just THE guitar, theres always one that is match perfect to YOU, this was.
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| Action, Fit, & Finish |
Moderatly low action, no buzzing frets and perfect bridge action, but saying that, my Luthier always sets my guitars to the way i like them, he knows my playing and how i work, if you dont know how to set up your guitar PROPERLY like me then its good to develop an understanding with your local luthier, it pays dividends.
You get the standard tarnishing on the bridge hardware as you do with all ibanez guitars, but this is in no way inherant to just Ibanez, the paint finish was good, neck was thin enough to shred. The bottom line is, if i was in a guitar shop and had a choice of the js100 or the js1000, having played both i would choose the js100 with the edge bridge, the main advantages you`ll get with the JS1000 are as follows, thinner prestige neck, juicier dimarzio pickups, the softness of the edge lo pro bridge, lighter weight and thinner more contoured body.
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| Reliability & Durability |
The 100 requires more frequent re-tuning than the 1000, it never spat any strings out and i would definately gig it without a back up, though this is not advisable because anything could happen on stage, a stampede of girls, you might sneeze and fall off the stage, atleast take a set of strings with you.
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| Customer Support |
no need
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| Liked about it |
The JS100 is a great looking guitar, fits well when sat down, plays as good as its bigger brothers when set up correctly, and you can still get some good satch tones if using the right gear, i found that using a big bad wah into the vox vt50 i found a perfect ALWAYS WITH ME tone, & SURFING but to name a few....
Now that ibanez have dumped the lo trs bridge changed it to an edge II this is a great bottom end signature guitar, you will not be disappointed.
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| Didn't like |
Its fairly heavy but light enough for gigging with a thick strap. With the exception of the white JS100 i wish they did a wider range of colours.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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internal use: spec97 spec484 spec553
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