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Ibanez QX54QM - Blue Sphere Burst Flat

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Nyatoh Body, Maple Top, Maple/Bubinga Neck, Maple Fingerboard, 1 Humbucking Pickup, 2 Single-coil Pickups, and Mono Tune Bridge - Blue Sphere Burst Flat
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A Boundary-shattering Headless Axe from Ibanez

Part of Ibanez's boundary-pushing Quest series, the QX54QM vaunts a headless design built from the ground up to maximize tone, performance, and playing comfort. This electric guitar's lightweight nyatoh body resonates with rich, woody tones, while its quilted maple top brings a subtle snap and eye-grabbing visuals into the fray. Technically minded players will be blown away by the zero-drag feel of the QX54QM's Parallel Wizard neck, and its slanted frets make intricate fretboard maneuvers like tapping, fingerstyle, and slapping feel effortless. This headless guitar's made-to-measure pickups exude amazing levels of articulation and definition that are bolstered by Ibanez's acclaimed dyna-MIX9 switching system. Rock-solid hardware, including a custom string lock and innovative Mono Tune bridge, ensures easy string changes and ultra-reliable, stage-worthy performance. Stainless steel frets round out the QX54QM's generous features. If you've been hunting for the perfect headless electric guitar — or even if you're considering your first headless instrument — the Ibanez QX54QM is guaranteed to unlock unlimited creative possibilities.

Parallel Wizard neck makes complex playing techniques easier

The QX54QM was built for high-level, technical playing styles, evidenced by its Parallel Wizard neck. Crafted from maple and bubinga, this ultra-stable 3-piece neck is 0.75 inches thick throughout its entire length, offering amazing playability for players who prefer a higher playing position. The QX54QM's heat-treated bird's-eye maple fingerboard not only turns heads, but its frets are also equally slanted at an 8-degree angle for easy execution of tapping, fingerstyle, bass-inspired slapping, and other intricate fretboard maneuvers. This headless electric guitar also includes stainless steel frets, which ensure long-lasting durability and effortless note bending. The guitarists here at Sweetwater have found the QX54QM to be incredibly versatile — it offers a zero-drag playing experience for technical metal, jazz-rock fusion, and any experimental genre you throw at it. If your personal style involves complex playing techniques, the QX54QM will permit you to play cleaner and faster than you ever thought possible.

Made-to-measure pickups yield an endless array of tones

Designed especially for headless guitars, the Ibanez QX54QM's Q58 humbucker and R1 single-coil pickups churn out divine sonic textures with astonishing levels of articulation and definition — a must-have for elaborate riffing and intricate, rapid-fire leads. The tonal balance of these pickups is unprecedented throughout the instrument's entire range. Plug into your favorite amp, and you'll experience muscular lows that are completely devoid of muddiness and mix-piercing highs that eschew harshness for a sublime-sounding clarity that enables every note within a chord structure to be heard. These pickups exhibit little self-noise, even in high-gain applications, and they play nice with both digital and analog effects. The QX54QM incudes dyna-MIX9 switching, which provides nine different pickup combinations via an Alter Switch and 5-way lever switch. No matter the genre, the QX54QM can achieve the sound you're hearing in your head.

State-of-the-art hardware that can withstand aggressive playing styles

The QX54QM is teeming with cutting-edge, near-bulletproof hardware. Its custom string lock boast a straightforward one-piece design that's not only highly durable, but it also requires little maintenance. String changes are a breeze, and because the QX54QM doesn't require a proprietary set of strings, you can use whatever time-tested gauge and brand you'd like. You'll also appreciate the Mono Tune bridge. This expertly crafted bridge facilitates a wide intonation range, which makes down tuning a piece of cake. This headless guitar's Mono Tune bridge is also a cinch to adjust, and its streamlined saddle design lends a natural, organic character to every note you play.

Ibanez QX54QM Features:

  • Headless design built from the ground up to maximize tone, performance, and playing comfort
  • Compact, ergonomic nyatoh body resonates with rich, woody tones
  • Quilted maple top brings a subtle snap and eye-grabbing visuals into the fray
  • Ultra-stable 3-piece maple/bubinga neck with heat-treated bird's-eye maple fingerboard
  • Parallel Wizard neck profile is perfect for high-level, technical playing styles
  • Slanted frets facilitate easy execution of tapping, fingerstyle, bass-inspired slapping, and other intricate maneuvers
  • Stainless steel frets ensure long-lasting durability and effortless note bending
  • Q58/R1 pickups in a flexible HSS configuration yield astonishing levels of articulation and definition
  • dyna-MIX9 switching system provides 9 different pickup combinations
  • Custom string lock's straightforward 1-piece design is durable and requires little maintenance
  • No proprietary strings required — continue using your favorite gauge and brand
  • Mono Tune bridge provides easy adjustment and lends a natural, organic character to every note you play

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape QX54QM
  • Body Material Nyatoh
  • Top Material Quilted Maple
  • Body Finish Satin Polyurethane
  • Color Blue Sphere Burst
  • Neck
  • Neck Material 3-Piece Roasted Maple/Bubinga
  • Neck Shape Wizard C
  • Neck Joint Bolt-on
  • Radius 20"
  • Fingerboard Material Roasted Birdseye Maple
  • Fingerboard Inlay Mother-of-Pearl Offset Dots
  • Number of Frets 24, Jumbo, Stainless Steel
  • Scale Length 25.5"
  • Nut Width 1.653"
  • Nut Material Plastic
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Ibanez Mono Tune
  • Tuners Bridge tuners
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup R1 Single-coil
  • Middle Pickup R1 Single-coil
  • Bridge Pickup Q58 Humbucker
  • Controls 1 x master volume, 1 x master tone
  • Switching 1 x Alter switch, 5-way blade pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings D'Addario, .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Gig Bag
  • Manufacturer Part Number: QX54QMBSM

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

unreal!

picked up one of these around a month after buying a ICHI10(which is amazing, btw)....got this guitar as a demo, so it was a smokin' deal i couldn't pass up. i was a little worried about the slim neck profile and the slanted frets, but i was worried about nothing; the frets take exactly ZERO time to get used to and the slim neck feels AMAZING! the neck feels so good, in fact, that i have hardly touched any of my other guitars since i got this one. very, very nice guitar and i can't wait to see what other headless guitars ibanez may produce in the future
Music background: classical guitar and SHRED
Rated 5/5

Fantastic Sound

Plays and sounds amazing, I was initially planning to replace the pickups however the stock ones turned out to be extremely articulate and surprisingly quiet for single coils. Highly recommend picking one up.
Music background: Audio Engineer
Rated 5/5

Fantastic guitar, so small

The pickups are powerful, much more so than I expected. The number of configurations with the alt switch is amazing too, go look it up on Ibanez's website, remarkable. It's tiny, I didn't realize how small the guitar would be. Perfect for a travel guitar or anything else.

I wish the neck were normal maple instead of roasted but that's just a personal preference. The fanned/angled frets are interesting. My sales guy (the amazing Ryan Clapper x1348 if you need a salesperson) suggested "just don't look down" while you're getting used to it. This was sage advice for my first non parallel fret layout guitar. It is a bit hard to reach backward while soloing but I'm sure I'll get used to it over time.

I had no idea what to expect from this guitar but it really surpassed even my hopes. Just waiting on Sweetwater to get in the new Ibanez MR350C case for these new guitars. The gig bag is nice but I like hard shell cases better.
Music background: Amateur Musician
Rated 3/5

Great guitar - with one flaw

This thing is beautiful and sounds amazing. The weight is great, the features are great, it is almost the perfect guitar for me. Here's the issue: the neck is 57mm wide with a 10.8mm string spacing. The string spacing adds ups to 54mm, leaving you only 3mm clearance on the outside of the strings. Mix that with some serious rounded fret edges and you get about 1mm of clearance on the E strings. You cannot do the slightest bit of vibrato on those strings without killing the note. Any sort of D-shape chords tend to have the high-e note die off due to a slight movement causing the string to roll off the end of the frets. So it's a great guitar, but as someone who enjoys playing lead it's unfortunately not the perfect guitar for me. The search continues!
Music background: guitarist in a classic rock cover band
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