Ibanez - AR520HME Natural

Take a look at this Macassar Ebony top. You don't come across wood grain like this every morning, and that's precisely what makes this Ibanez AR520HME Natural so special! A far cry from conventional finishes, it has an organic, luxurious look, underpinned by gold hardware that shines under the spotlights of jazz clubs and rock stages.

Under the bonnet, the body is a blend of maple and okoume for a punchy attack and full-bodied low mids. The three-piece glued maple neck features a sculpted 'Smooth Heel' for your hand to glide unhindered all the way to the 22nd fret. The Jatoba fingerboard stabilises the whole and provides the clarity needed to break through any complex arrangement.

The best part is the onboard electronics. The two Super 58 humbuckers, familiar to purists, deliver the warm, woody Alnico grain so appreciated by George Benson and John Scofield. But here, the game changes: the two Tri-Sound selectors transform each pickup individually. You can go from big, rich sound to shocking precision at the click of a button.

Imagine the advantage in the studio or during a hectic rehearsal. You no longer need to switch guitars between a velvety ballad and an edgy riff. Series, parallel or single-mic splitting gives you access to crystalline textures or creamy saturations without ever losing character. It's a little acoustic laboratory built right into your instrument!

Ibanez has taken great care with the hardware details to ensure you don't have a nervous breakdown in the middle of a live performance. The Gibraltar Performer bridge maintains tuning with military rigour, even when you're attacking your strings with enthusiasm. As for the Quik Change Classic tailpiece, it turns the chore of changing strings into a matter of seconds.