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Ibanez S521 - Ocean Fade Metallic

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Mahogany Body, 3-pc Maple Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Ocean Fade Metallic
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Ibanez S521 - Ocean Fade Metallic
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Exceptional Sustain and Tonal Range

With a hot pair of humbuckers and a rock-solid fixed bridge, the Ibanez S521 solidbody electric guitar boasts aggressive tone with sustain that lasts for days. Five-way switching gives you more tonal combinations than you normally get with a dual humbucker setup, extending the range of this versatile instrument further. And if you're a fast player, you'll feel right at home with the sleek Wizard III neck profile. With a comfortably curvy body shape, the Ibanez S521 is the kind of guitar you can rock out with for hours.

Explore diverse tonal options with five-way switching

While you'd normally expect a three-way switch with a dual-humbucker guitar, the S521 packs a five-way switch for extra tonal range. Position one gives you the neck humbucker as you'd expect, while the second position puts its two coils in a parallel configuration. The third position gives you both pickups, while the fourth position gives you the inside coil of each pickup. The fifth position is all bridge humbucker. Guitarists at Sweetwater dig the extra tonal variety, and we know you will too.

Your fretting hand will fly on this Wizard III neck

One of Ibanez's fastest necks to date, the 3-piece maple Wizard III neck on the S521 is an absolute pleasure to play. This slim and super-comfortable neck lets you pull off lighting-fast runs and arpeggios with ease, but still gives you the substance you need for fretting chords when you need to. From the first time you put your hands on the S521's Wizard III neck, you'll know you've got a guitar that was built with performance in mind.

High-octane tone from dual quantum humbuckers

The S521 packs a pair of their popular Quantum humbuckers, voiced differently for maximum tonal range. The bridge position humbucker is voiced for aggressive chording and rhythm work, while the neck humbucker is a brilliant lead pickup: warm, yet snarling with an enhanced midrange output when you push it. Bottom line? If you're after aggressive tone with character, then the Ibanez S521 will give your amplifier what you need.

Ibanez S521 Solidbody Electric Guitar Features:

  • Sleek electric guitar with aggressive, wide-ranging tone
  • Maximum sustain and tonal impact from the fixed-bridge design
  • Wide tonal range from ceramic humbucking pickups
  • Perfect for fast, intricate fretwork thanks to the Wizard III neck profile
  • Comfortable to wear and play even during marathon sessions and gigs

Why Buy Your Guitar from Sweetwater?

See how Sweetwater goes to great lengths to give you the very best online guitar buying experience. From our online Guitar Gallery that allows you to see and select the exact instrument you want to our 55-point Inspection process and our in-house guitar techs, we take the guesswork out of buying your next guitar online.

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape S521 Standard
  • Body Material Meranti
  • Body Finish Gloss Polyurethane
  • Color Ocean Fade Metallic
  • Neck
  • Neck Material Maple
  • Neck Shape Wizard III
  • Neck Joint Bolt-on
  • Radius 15.75"
  • Fingerboard Material Rosewood
  • Fingerboard Inlay Offset White Dots
  • Number of Frets 24, Jumbo
  • Scale Length 25.5"
  • Nut Width 1.692"
  • Nut Material Plastic
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece F106 Bridge with Individual Saddles
  • Tuners Ibanez Closed Gear
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Quantum Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup Quantum Humbucker
  • Controls 1 x master volume, 1 x master tone
  • Switching 5-way blade pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings D'Addario, .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Sold Separately
  • Manufacturer Part Number: S521OFM

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Customer Reviews

Write your review
Rated 5/5

Nothing to complain about

Insane sustain, light-weight, nice pickups, & nice 5 way switch.
Rated 5/5

My first Ibanez

After a lot of research for the best I could get in this price range, the S521 was a no brainer. Marcus (my sales guy) made the purchase easy. I got a notification once the guitar was available and once I decided to move forward I received pictures of the guitar shortly after. The guitar plays well. THe action was not bad at all (1.50mm on high E and 1.75mm on low E). The guitar is light and plays nice. The body is super thin and contours to you so that it is super comfortable playing. I have not seen a bad review of this guitar , and based on the quality of the instrument at this price point I can see why. This guitar is a keeper!
Music background: Long Time Player
Rated 5/5

What a great guitar!

I love Ibanez S type bodies, as well as their JS series. This guitar is EXCELLENT.

One caveat: the back of the neck on the guitar was kinda rough in finish (that is, the clear lacquer was a big 'bubbly'). I rubbed it with 0000 steel wool I had around and it became nice and satiny.
Rated 5/5

Awesome guitar

This is my 3rd Ibanez guitar. I will never buy any other brand. This guitar sounds great. It's a pleasure to play.
I've added a Kahler tremelo and replaced the pickups with EMG Active pickups. Which brings me to the only problem I have with this guitar. The electronics are crammed in there, so tight that I couldn't use a standard 9 volt battery, (wouldn't fit). I had to use 3 2032 pancake batteries. I need to change them a lot more frequently, and it requires a bit more time than just popping in a 9v.
I would recommend this to anybody that wants a great guitar for under $
Rated 5/5

Just what i needed.

This guitar rocks, Like the neck on it, Plays like a more exspensive guitar. Beautiful color and stays in tune.
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