The Cheap Wood Of Ibanez S520

IanShaw · April 2020

For some time I've been interested in buying an Ibanez S520 due to its light weight and sweet melodic tone, but recently Ibanez has replaced its Mahogany body with a cheap Meranti body. I couldn't find any reviews that demo the S520 after this modification online, but I suspect it has a dead-dull tone that has no presence and definition. Meranti is a cheap wood and it's very likely it has a low sonic quality. I'm afraid that even if somebody puts Demarzio pickups on this guitar, it won't give a satisfactory sound.

Is it worth buying this guitar and experimenting with replacement pickups?

Winny_Pooh · April 2020

Alder is/was a cheap wood
Basswood is/was a cheap wood

Don't over think it

monquixote · April 2020

Just because it's cheap doesn't mean it will sound bad.

Wood prices are more governed by value for making furniture etc than guitars.

Corvus · April 2020

Nothing wrong with meranti except being on the denser/heavier side.

Whitecat · April 2020

F*** knows what kind of actual mahogany it used to be either. Unless they are specific about that it could be any of a dozen different woods, possibly including Meranti since one of the common marketing names for it is Phillipine mahogany.

WezV · April 2020

Corvus said:

Nothing wrong with meranti except being on the denser/heavier side.

I've had some nice light Dark Red Meranti.

Not my favourite wood to work, but it makes a decent enough guitar

KrisGee · April 2020

IanShaw said:

For some time I've been interested in buying an Ibanez S520 due to its light weight and sweet melodic tone

Light weight yes. Sweet melodic tone, erm...no not really;) One of the least inspirational guitars I've ever owned. Have you played it yet? I'd choose any RG over this model to be honest.

grungebob · April 2020

People seem to love their pine bodied telecasters and that’s a really cheap wood.

Go try one

IanShaw · April 2020

Whitecat said:

F*** knows what kind of actually mahogany it used to be either. Unless they are specific about that it could be any of a dozen different woods, possibly including Meranti since one of the common marketing names for it is Phillipine mahogany.

Ibanez are well known for using different types of Mahogany (cheaper types) for commercial reasons, so you're right...but at least we know what Mahogany is!...where does Meranti come from?

. I think they're killing the S520 model. Their marketing and promotion are focused on the AZ series now. Notice they have changed the colour of the S520 from red to lifeless black which doesn't appeal to everybody.

IanShaw · April 2020

KrisGee said:

IanShaw said:

For some time I've been interested in buying an Ibanez S520 due to its light weight and sweet melodic tone

Light weight yes. Sweet melodic tone, erm...no not really;) One of the least inspirational guitars I've ever owned. Have you played it yet? I'd choose any RG over this model to be honest.

What about Joe Satriani? Don't you think he has a sweet melodic tone?...if you're not a fan, have a listen to some of his famous tunes like "Always With Me, Always With You".

Of course I played many Ibanez S guitars, and I can say they were so responsive melodically and harmonically. I do agree that RGs are better Metal machines especially for denser and heavier rhythms.

Generally speaking thinner bodies resonate more and thicker bodies have fuller sound, so it's a matter of personal choice.

IanShaw · April 2020

grungebob said:

People seem to love their pine bodied telecasters and that’s a really cheap wood.
Go try one

Telecasters are great and legendary guitars, but their bodies are not ergonomic. I find them a bit chunky! I like contoured bodies with easy access to high registers for better playability. These are other reasons why I want the Ibanez S.

ICBM · April 2020

IanShaw said:

...but at least we know what Mahogany is!

No we don’t. “Mahogany” can mean many different wood species from different continents, some of which are only loosely related. In fact as already said, Meranti is sometimes called Philippine Mahogany... so you could buy a ‘mahogany’ guitar and get Meranti anyway.

When looking at the specs of guitars, “mahogany” (without prefix) should really be treated as a generic marketing term, much like “rosewood”. I would actually prefer to see a species name like Meranti, that way you *do* actually know more accurately what you’re getting.

Unless there are huge differences in the density and grain structure of two different pieces of wood it’s quite difficult to make any accurate predictions about how they will affect the sound of a guitar anyway, whether they are the same species or different species.

Loobs · April 2020

Doubt it'd make any discernable different to tone. In my experience with solid body electrics, 90% of the sound is the bridge construction/pickups/scale length/general design of the instrument.

Never been able to notice the difference between rosewood and maple fingerboard or ash vs alder body Fenders, tonally speaking.

Bucket · April 2020

IanShaw said:

KrisGee said:

IanShaw said:

For some time I've been interested in buying an Ibanez S520 due to its light weight and sweet melodic tone

Light weight yes. Sweet melodic tone, erm...no not really;) One of the least inspirational guitars I've ever owned. Have you played it yet? I'd choose any RG over this model to be honest.

What about Joe Satriani? Don't you think he has a sweet melodic tone?...if you're not a fan, have a listen to some of his famous tunes like "Always With Me, Always With You

But he recorded that on a very different guitar - at that point in his career, probably a 540 Radius or whatever it's called.

IanShaw · April 2020

Bucket said:

IanShaw said:

KrisGee said:

IanShaw said:

For some time I've been interested in buying an Ibanez S520 due to its light weight and sweet melodic tone

Light weight yes. Sweet melodic tone, erm...no not really;) One of the least inspirational guitars I've ever owned. Have you played it yet? I'd choose any RG over this model to be honest.

What about Joe Satriani? Don't you think he has a sweet melodic tone?...if you're not a fan, have a listen to some of his famous tunes like "Always With Me, Always With You

But he recorded that on a very different guitar - at that point in his career, probably a 540 Radius or whatever it's called.

There are many live renditions of the tune on YouTube with Joe using his famous Ibanez S signature. Does it alter the fact that he has a sweet melodic tone?

IanShaw · April 2020

Loobs said:

Doubt it'd make any discernable different to tone. In my experience with solid body electrics, 90% of the sound is the bridge construction/pickups/scale length/general design of the instrument.

Never been able to notice the difference between rosewood and maple fingerboard or ash vs alder body Fenders, tonally speaking.

This is really strange. Most guitarists and instrument builders agree on the tone differences between the wood species. Look for a channel on YouTube called "Darrell Braun Guitar" and find a video with the title "ROSEWOOD vs MAPLE - Guitar Tone Comparison!". It's one of the best and honest comparisons between maple and rosewood fretboards on the same guitar body. Some pro magazines used it as a reference.

IanShaw · April 2020

ICBM said:

When looking at the specs of guitars, “mahogany” (without prefix) should really be treated as a generic marketing term, much like “rosewood”. I would actually prefer to see a species name like Meranti, that way you *do* actually know more accurately what you’re getting.

I agree 100% and this is really important. Few manufacturers refer to the real name of the species. Harley Benton clearly mentions their Mahogany is Sapele.

WezV · April 2020

https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/mahogany-mixups-the-lowdown/

Everything you need to know about "mahogany" type species

Loobs · April 2020

IanShaw said:

Loobs said:

Doubt it'd make any discernable different to tone. In my experience with solid body electrics, 90% of the sound is the bridge construction/pickups/scale length/general design of the instrument.

Never been able to notice the difference between rosewood and maple fingerboard or ash vs alder body Fenders, tonally speaking.

This is really strange. Most guitarists and instrument builders agree on the tone differences between the wood species. Look for a channel on YouTube called "Darrell Braun Guitar" and find a video with the title "ROSEWOOD vs MAPLE - Guitar Tone Comparison!". It's one of the best and honest comparisons between maple and rosewood fretboards on the same guitar body. Some pro magazines used it as a reference.

This is just my opinion. As long as I've been playing guitar I've been told that maple necks sound 'brighter' and rosewood 'darker'. And that there's a discernable difference between ash and alder. And that ebony sounds 'even brighter'. I think it's mostly psychoacoustics. I've heard very bright rosewood-board Teles and darker sounding maple-board Teles. We're not talking about an acoustic, or even an archtop, where acoustic qualities really play a big role in the tone of the instrument.

By the time you factor in pickups, bridges and all the rest of it to the equation, I'm truly skeptical that people can really hear the differences between woods in solid-body electric guitars. But if you can, more power to you!

IanShaw · April 2020

WezV said:

https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/mahogany-mixups-the-lowdown/

Everything you need to know about "mahogany" type species

Very informative. Meranti is in the category "OUTLIERS: NOT IN THE FAMILY". It's not Mahogany at all.

WezV · April 2020

IanShaw said:

WezV said:

https://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/mahogany-mixups-the-lowdown/

Everything you need to know about "mahogany" type species

Very informative. Meranti is in the category "OUTLIERS: NOT IN THE FAMILY". It's not Mahogany at all.

But it is still a wood that will work for guitars, and it will be closer to mahogany than say, alder or ash

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The Cheap Wood Of Ibanez S520

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