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Ibanez Axe Design Lab SML721 Electric Guitar - Rose Gold Chameleon

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Nyatoh Body, Maple/Walnut Neck, Rosewood Fingerboard, 2 Humbucking Pickups, and Dyna-MIX10 System - Rose Gold Chameleon
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Item ID: SML721RGC
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Ibanez Axe Design Lab SML721 Electric Guitar - Rose Gold Chameleon
Ibanez Axe Design Lab SML721 Electric Guitar - Rose Gold Chameleon

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Ibanez Axe Design Lab SML721 Electric Guitar - Rose Gold Chameleon
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Frequently Asked Questions

Ibanez Axe Design Lab SML721 Electric Guitar - Rose Gold Chameleon

Q: What makes the Ibanez SML721's Rose Gold Chameleon finish special?

Q: What are the benefits of the multi-scale neck on the SML721?

Q: How do the Ibanez Q58 humbuckers and Alter switch enhance the guitar's sound?

Q: Who is the Ibanez Axe Design Lab SML721 electric guitar designed for?

Q: What kind of tuning stability and playability can I expect from the SML721's hardware?

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Excellence from the Axe Design Lab

Part of Ibanez's cutting-edge Axe Design Lab, the SML721 is built from the ground up for clear tone, bold performance, and smooth playability. The SML721 is compact and lightweight with an ergonomic nyatoh body that resonates with a rich low-mid emphasis that’s a natural fit for high-gain applications. The SML721’s unique multi-scale fanned fret rosewood fingerboard and Ibanez’s high-performance Wizard neck profile are perfect for effortless upper-fret riffs, but with a traditional feel below the 5th fret that makes chords and rhythm playing effortless and familiar. Powering performance are two custom Q58 pickups, built for ultra-clear articulation with deep versatility expanded by Ibanez's acclaimed dyna-MIX10 switching system. What’s more, this guitar boasts premium performance-boosting hardware, including stainless steel frets, Gotoh locking tuners, and Ibanez’s Mono-Rail bridge. If you've been hunting for a high-value axe that’s optimized from headstock to heel, then Ibanez's SML721 is guaranteed to deliver.

Related Videos: Axe Design Lab SML721 Electric Guitar - Rose Gold Chameleon

Ergonomic design meets top-tier tonewoods

The SML721 sports an incredibly light but robust body made from nyatoh. Nyatoh is a modern favorite prized for its rich mid-low emphasis and strong sustain. It’s often compared to mahogany but with a dash more transparency as favored by modern shredders. The SML721 plays silky and smooth at either end of the fretboard; a multi-scale setup of 25.5-inches on the low E string and 25-inches on the high E gives your highest strings a smoother, more supple feel (like that of a low roundwound string) for easier riffage and tapping. An extra-deep upper cutaway ensures you can squeal and shriek on the highest fanned frets, while the SML721 keeps a very traditional fret feel from the fifth fret down. This unique multi-scale approach offers the best of both worlds for players who need to effortlessly hop between rhythm and leads. What’s more, the SML721’s 5-piece maple/walnut neck is incredible stable, great for travel, and features Ibanez’ acclaimed Wizard profile for a thin, flat, and fast feel.

Custom Q58 pickups

Originally designed for headless guitars, passive Ibanez Q58 humbuckers 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 devoid of muddiness and mix-piercing highs that eschew harshness for sublime clarity. These pickups exhibit little self-noise, even in high-gain applications, and they play nice with both digital and analog effects. The SML721 incudes dyna-MIX10 switching, which provides 10 different pickup combinations (humbucking and coil-tap selection) via an Alter Switch and 5-way lever switch. Guitarists here at Sweetwater have found the SML721 to be incredibly versatile — it offers a zero-drag playing experience for technical metal, jazz-rock fusion, and any genre you throw at it!

High-performance hardware stands up to aggression

The SML721 is teeming with cutting-edge, near-bulletproof hardware. Locking Gotoh tuning machines make for fewer tuning breaks and fast string changes while an Ibanez Mono-Rail bridge opens pathways to perfect intonation control and stronger string individual string clarity. This fingerboard also includes stainless steel frets, which ensure long-lasting durability and effortless note bending.

Ibanez Axe Design Lab SML721 Features:

  • Tight and balanced electric guitar with a hybrid multi-scale taper for enhanced upper fretwork
  • 5-piece maple and walnut neck with classic thin, flat, fast Wizard neck profile
  • Smooth rosewood fingerboard with 24 fanned frets
  • Comfortable multi-scale setup — 25.5-in. on the low E string and 25-inches on the high E
  • Slanted frets for easy tapping, fingerstyle, bass-inspired slapping, and other intricate maneuvers
  • Lowest frets have very mild fanning for easier chording and rhythm work
  • Solid nyatoh body powers playing with rich mid-low emphasis and great sustain
  • Premium Gotoh MG-T locking tuning machines cut down on tuning and string change times
  • 2 Q58 humbucking pickups, designed low noise performance and bold clarity
  • dyna-MIX 10 system with alter switch streamlines humbucker and coil-tap selection with 10 sound variations onboard
  • Ibanez Mono-Rail bridge minimizes crosstalk between strings for boosted clarity
  • Jescar EVO gold frets ensure long-lasting durability and effortless note bending

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Resources

Electric Guitar Buying Guide
Should I Fret About My Frets? Fret Sizes and Materials Explained
Oct 21, 2024

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape S
  • Body Material Nyatoh
  • Body Finish Gloss Polyurethane
  • Color Rose Gold Chameleon
  • Neck
  • Neck Material 5-piece Maple/Walnut
  • Neck Shape Wizard
  • Neck Joint Bolt-on
  • Radius 15.75"
  • Fingerboard Material Rosewood
  • Fingerboard Inlay Offset White Dots
  • Number of Frets 24
  • Fret Type Jumbo
  • Fret Material Stainless Steel
  • Scale Length 25"-25.5"
  • Scale Length Type Multi-scale
  • Nut Width 1.692"
  • Nut Material Plastic
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Ibanez Mono rail
  • Tuners Gotoh MG-T Locking
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Ibanez Q58 Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup Ibanez Q58 Humbucker
  • Controls 1 x volume, 1 x tone
  • Switching 1 x Alter switch, 5-way blade pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Sold Separately
  • Manufacturer Part Number: SML721RGC

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Reviews

4.9

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Customer Photos & Videos

Breath of fresh air
What I like:
- 10 very distinct sounds from the pickups. I've actually sought out the Q-58 Humbuckers and switching, to install in another guitar. They're that good, you don't need to swap parts, goes from Jaguar bright to chug a lug dark, surf, country, metal, etc.. this does it.
- very comfortable, light and your hands just fall into a more relaxed position due to multi scale.
- Neck is thin! That's a love/hate, but I can play scales or chords, but it's thin, and I like it.
- super easy to play while sitting. Chord plugs into front, so it's not hanging awkwardly off the edge. Multi scale relaxed the hand. Basically perfect balance. It's great.

What I don't love:
-No case or bag… why!
-only this one color, (it does change to about 6 colors total, FWIW)
-Made in Indonesia.. should be in the Prestige line and make them in Japan. Better yet, open a plant here in the US and make them here!!!
by Clint from Florida on
Music background: Been playing 30+ yrs and still intermediate.
Something different, and I like it
I bought this guitar primarily because I was curious about a fanned-fret guitar, and this one seemed like a very attractive package at a very reasonable price. Overall, I've been very pleased and consider this to be a successful experiment.

Here are the things that I like:

* Overall, very nicely constructed. It's amazing what modern guitar factories can do at relatively low prices. The paint job is flawless, the frets are cleanly installed with no high spots or sprouted ends, and the controls work smoothly and with no unusual noise or issues. From a quality perspective, I would have no concern about playing this at a gig (but you should always have a backup anyway - weird things happen.)

* The pickups and switching system are excellent. The combination of the 5-way switch and 2-way toggle gives you up to 10 distinct sounds. I like all of the sounds with the toggle down (in "normal" position) and a couple of the sounds with the toggle up could be useful as well. Positions 2 and 4 almost give you a bit of a Strat-style "quack", with the neck only/bridge only positions are as expected and sound great both clean and dirty.

* The bridge configuration is outstanding. If you look at it closely, there are actually 6 bridges - one for each string. The strings aren't physically connected to each other at the bridge. This is important because the vibration of each string does not impact (positively or negatively) the vibration of any of the other strings. As a result, the guitar sustains very well and there are no "ghost notes" due to weird vibration interactions. This is a big deal! As a bonus, the intonation on the guitar was set very well out of the box - kudos to either Ibanez or Sweetwater, whoever did the final check-out. They got it right.

* It's a feather (around six pounds), and it balances well. The body is very thin and very comfortable, and I expected that it would feel neck-heavy - but it doesn't. It balances very well either on a strap or on your knee, and it's very comfortable to play.

* It stays in tune very well. Between the unique bridge design, the high-quality locking Gotoh tuners, and the 5-piece neck, it's very stable. This is another thing I was concerned about at this price point, but no worries here - it's rock solid.

* The finish. It looks much better (and more subtle) in person than in the pictures. The "chameleon" nature of the finish means that it looks different depending on the level and angle of the light that's hitting it - sometimes it's a very dark purple (see the attached picture), and sometimes it's more of a root beer color, almost bronze. It probably would look really good under stage lights.

* The flat fretboard radius. It's VERY flat - 15.75" radius - but it gives me no problems playing chords all over the neck and single-note playing is fast and precise. I'm a decent player but not a hard-core "shredder", but the flat radius feels good to me. The flattest radius I have on other guitars is 14" on my Hamer USA guitars (which I love), and this even-flatter radius works well.

There's nothing that's a real "dislike", but here are some things you should know:

* Hopy mackerel, is the neck thin! It feels normally side-to-side (across the strings), but it's EXTREMELY thin front-to-back. I knew this going in - Ibanez is famous for this, with their "Wizard" neck profile - but WOW, it's thin. To be fair, most of my other guitars have fairly chunky "vintage", 50s-style neck profiles, so this is an extreme difference. But this is very thin when compared to Gibson's "slim taper" profile or even PRS's "wide thin" or "pattern thin" profiles. If you have small or medium sized hands, you might find this to be perfect, but with my big mitts it's a challenge. I can get used to it, but personally I wish it was much thicker. (Again, I knew this going in - it was not a surprise. But actually, yeah, it WAS a surprise when I found out just how thin it is.)

* The output jack position on the face of the guitar causes some issues when used with fancy guitar cables, like Mogami Platinum or Divine Noise cables. It's difficult (but not impossible) to get them plugged in and unplugged. On the upside, the jack is very solid - once the cable is connected, it's not going anywhere. Once you see how thin the body is, particularly on the edges, you realize that there was no other place to put the jack.

* The pickups may not be potted. While they are quiet overall, I have noticed that when I am sitting very close to a high-gain amp, the pickups squeal a little bit when you face the amp. If you turn away from the amp, it stops - so they're a bit microphonic. In a normal band configuration, this would probably not be a problem.

* No case or gig bag. Nothing. The guitar comes in a box; well packaged, but...a box. It doesn't really matter to me because it will probably never leave my music room, and if it ever does, I have some gig bags that will work - but you should be aware of this going in.

Now, what about those fanned frets? I've been playing for nearly 50 years, and this is my first hands-on experience with them. The Ibanez's fanned frets seem a little less extreme than what you see on a Strandberg or some other fanned-fret guitars. To me, it feels very "normal" up to the 9th fret, and up to about the 15th fret or so it requires very little adjustment to your playing style. However, once you're up in the highest fret range (16-24), the frets are significantly angled, and it requires concentration and adjustment to your playing style. I'm sure it's something that you could get used to over time, but if all your other guitars are conventional, the fanned frets will always feel a bit strange. I do like the fact that the different scale length results in a looser feel on the high strings and a tighter feel on the low strings - that seems to be the major benefit of the fanned frets to me.

Overall, I'm happy I bought this guitar. It's an outstanding value and a solid guitar for $1,000, and doesn't require any upgrades or changes (except a gig bag if you need one). If this sounds like something you might like, I think you should definitely go for it! Just be prepared for that VERY thin neck and some adjustment to the fanned frets, and you'll have a great tool to make music with.
by Dave Armstrong from South Carolina on
Music background: Playing for 50 years, lots of stage and studio experience in the past but just a hobbyist now
It's an absolute beast.
Man this guitar is a game changer, personally going from a modded off brand Strat, (I still love it) to a sleek 3pc sleek wizard neck and is absolutely flawless. The Q80 pickups are amazing! I love the thick yet defined neck humbucker and split coil sound, but the bridge humbucker was a little weaker and dry for my taste. that being said this is only my personal tone taste. so I think I'll probably just mod it with some kinda Dimarzio. The paint job is absolutely gorgeous, I played at my schools talent show with this thing, and I had people tell me the reflection was blazing gold.

Seriously, check this out man! its worth the grand for sure!

Jordan F.
by Jordan Fuqua from FL on
Music background: Worship Guitarist and Prog Enthusiast
if it's not perfect it's as close as I have ever found
Being almost 60, this guitar changed my life. It's yone is perfect and sustain is like playing in a canyon it just keeps going. The fret being fanned is new to me but somehow it feels like the most natural thing ever. Delightfully thin and light and comfortable. I did upgrade to a bone nutbut other than that it was already perfect. I wish everyone could experience the joy of playing this beauty. I could not be more happy with my purchase.
by Todd Kaplan from Harrisburg, PA on
Very nice!
Got my guitar about month ago. Got it with a hard case. It looks very beautiful. Love the way it glimmer the Goldish/Rosy color at different angles. It's a art piece that you can play. Action/fret feels nice. Love the thin neck and body. Very happy about my purchase. Thank you Sweetwater.
by Sweetwater Customer on
See also: Solid Body Guitars, Ibanez, Ibanez Solidbody Guitars