Ibanez and George Benson are at it again, and the result of their latest collaboration is the new spruce top GB10SE.
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Archtop Jazz Guitars
The latest iteration of the popular Jazz guitar line from Ibanez is here, and is described as a new take on the tried and tested jazz guitar design, with some subtle yet important changes that make it distinct from the previous versions.
Multi-Grammy awarded guitarist singer-songwriter George Benson started out as a Jazz guitarist when he was 21 years old. And with his experience, expertise and accolade, Ibanez can rest at ease that whatever design idea George recommends and approves of, are production line worthy. And speaking of production line, the GB10SE is the latest to come out, and is now available for pre-order from some online retailers.
The most notable difference that the GB10SE brings to the market is the use of spruce for the top of the guitar. This is contrary to what traditional hollowbody design dictates, where maple is used for the entire body. While spruce is popular with acoustic guitars, it’s not so commonly used on jazz guitars, especially in this case where it is paired with maple back and sides – so this is certainly an interesting combination.
The expected result of pairing spruce with maple is subtle loss of brightness while having more punch and overtones. The body has basically become similar to that of an acoustic-electric with maple back and sides, the only difference being the use of two magnetic humbuckers instead of piezo. This warmer and rounder tone can be a nice complement to your existing collection, and it won’t be a bad main guitar either, especially knowing that George himself approves of the design. The cutaway jazzbox shape of the original is retained along with the fancy f-holes that complete the hollow body guitar appeal.
The neck of the new GB10SE is crafted from 3-piece maple, topped by premium looking ebony fingerboard. The bound fretboard feature Artstar fret edge treatment to round off the edges in order to make playability easier. Another cool feature found on the neck is the half-bone/half-brass nut with its 1.692″ width.
The Ibanez GB10SE is has the same pickup found on the previous version, the GB Special humbuckers, which retains the jazz friendly tone of its predecessors. Other features include a shorter 24.7″ scale length and 12″ fingerboard radius.
The new Ibanez GB10SE is currently available for preorder, priced at just under $1300. For more information and the complete specifications of the guitar, you can visit Ibanez.
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