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Ibanez S320
List: $900
The preference for simplicity continues this 2007 as Ibanez adds the S320 to its S-series line up. This guitar isn’t particularly different from its S520 brother as it features a dual humbucking pickup configuration & a gloss-free body finish. Between these 2 very good selections from the manufacturer, there is a $900 difference which naturally begs the question- is it half as good?
Construction/ fit/ finish
As it is with a typical Korean mid-priced Ibanez (S-series or otherwise), this S320 is virtually faultless. The winning foresight here is the guitar’s lack of paintwork. The body’s finish is simply a stained variety, satin in nature. The granular & rather porous body is simplicity at its best. The neck is also devoid of a sumptuous binding but the rosewood fretboard, in its very healthy hue (no dehydration here), sits flushed on the maple; no indications of any misalignments or temperature related expansions anywhere along the register. Similarly, the hardware here & over at the headstock are prim & proper.
These fundamentals could have been the manifestation of shoddiness considering its country of origin & list price; on the contrary, it’s an epitome of attentive production.
Rating: 90%
Tone/ playability
What would you expect from a mahogany bodied guitar with barely a finish to boast for & a set of in-house pickups (INF models) which are midrange-inclined by nature? Answer: An excessively shrieky sounding guitar with virtually zilch dynamics… but surprise, surprise; it isn’t a dud article tone-wise.
Yes, the mahogany + INF + satin finish prescription is disasterous as it propagates excessive midrange but the massive ZR vibrato bridge (once detested by the reviewer) ensures a healthy dose of bass in the mix. As such, distorted bottom end notes sounds acceptably thumping in the bridge humbucker, while the strong midrange response ensures muffle-free responses from the neck counterpart.
If you are new to the INF pickups, be informed that these aren’t factory stellars; in fact, do not expect any pleasing clean warmth from this duo. Save yourself from a bland insurgence, do employ some chorus in your cleans. The INFs on the other hand have no qualms in drive mode; it performs better at higher gain/ drive settings for sure. Nevertheless, this pair simply cannot generate, let alone emulate, the more articulate voicings of popular replacement pickup-, Seymour Duncans & Dimarzios (among others), would reduce these factory electronics to mere production obligations, lacking in dynamics, severely.
On the handling front, the sumptuous but still thin, Wizard II neck provides endless shredding opportunities but the power-chord mongers among us who possess the tendencies to over-exert our fretting, would find this neck lethargy inducing. Bunglers would also note the absence of necessary fretboard markers. The twin dot 12th fret indicators are mostly invisible once you tilt the instrument into playing position.
You should know by now that the S-body is a dual curve design (front & rear), while this accentuates the sleek, aero dynamism of the body, the thinner edges would virtually cut into your lap in a sit-down playing position. Nevertheless, none of the S-series enthusiasts have suffered from gangrene…
The highlight of any S-series guitar is definitely the ZR vibrato. This is essentially the manufacturer’s interpretation of a floating bridge which was primarily perpetrated by the Floyd Rose unit. However, the ZR bridge boasts a bearing laden pivot system for smoother whammy responses as well as the in-built trem setter; a valueble contraption to regulate your bridge’s tension should a string snap during play. The unit equipped in this S320 is another superb production.
All in all, this guitar is a good-playing instrument which sounds very acceptable in light of its factory specified pickups.
Tone check equipment
Amp: Peavey Triple XXX combo (2X12)
Rating:
• Tone- 70%
• Playability- 85%
Conclusion
It’s an affordable winner by Ibanez but this guitar is another victim of bland pickups. A good guitar is both appealing in feel & tone, the S320 suffers from a deficit in the latter department but it isn’t a chronic repulsion. If you’ve decided to swap pickups anyway, you’re definitely on the right track. For those of us who prosper in simplicity, don’t mind dents & in dire need of whammy tuning stability, the S320 is recommended.
Overall rating: 79%
Likes:
• Simple yet appealing finish
• Effective/ reliable floating bridge
Dislikes:
• Only 12th fret indicators
• Default pickups lack dynamics
• Stiff knobs on test model
• Only available in black…
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