Ibanez Q54W

With new developments in instrument technology, the prominence of more technical playing styles, and players’ desire for lighter, more portable instruments, today’s headless guitars are pushing far beyond designs of the past. However, even with all these advancements, Ibanez still saw an exciting opportunity in this space. The Q or Quest series is an entirely new concept for Ibanez. The “Quest” in this case was to not just to adapt an existing instrument into a headless design, but to develop an entirely new guitar from the ground up. This range features a number of unique elements intended to maximize tone, performance, and playing comfort. These include custom-designed R1 single coil and Q58 humbucker pickups, a new Mono-Tune bridge, and a proprietary custom string locking mechanism. The QX subseries is also equipped with innovative 8-degree inward slanted frets, uniquely tailoring their ergonomics to the benefit of highly technical players. Ultimately, this series offers a diverse and versatile enough feature set to attract not only the modern, technical guitarist, but also players who may have never even considered a headless guitar before. Regardless of genre, Q (Quest) allows guitarists of every background to question the full scope of their creative possibilities.

Key Features

• Wizard C 3pc Roasted Maple/Bubinga Neck: To meet the demand of various playing styles, this Wizard C neck has a very neutral shape – it’s not too thick, too thin, or too flat. The 3pc Roasted Maple/Bubinga construction also offers great stability and long-term durability.
• Roasted Birdseye Maple Fretboard: The beautiful Birdseye Maple fretboard imbues this model with an exotic appearance. The fretboard is heat-treated for a balanced attack and rich sustain.
• Jumbo Stainless Steel Frets: Stainless steel frets boast excellent corrosion resistance. The wide and tall fret-type offers a quick response and effortless articulation when playing chords and clear tone when playing single notes.
• Nyatoh Body: Nyatoh used as the body wood provides a rich mid-low end.
• R1/Q58 Pickups: The R1 / Q58 pickup combo is designed specifically for use in headless guitars. They provide a clearly defined sound, facilitating excellent tonal balance through all frequencies. The lows are powerful without being muddy, and the highs are bright and clear, but never harsh. As a result, every single note within the chord structure is well defined, and clearly audible. These pickups, with their tonal balance, and extremely low noise performance, work extremely well with both digital and analog effects.
• Custom String Lock: This custom string lock is a one-piece unit that features very simple construction. This means the hardware requires less maintenance, is highly durable, and allows for very easy string changes. Additionally, no proprietary string is required, so you can continue to use your favourite gauge and brand.
• Mono-Tune Bridges: The Mono-Tune bridges offer a wide intonation range so that you can easily set the instrument up for tuning down a whole step or even further. The string height is also easily adjustable, and each saddle generally has less material, which leads to more natural and organic tone.
• dyna-MIX9 Switching System with Alter Switch: The dyna-MIX 9 offers nine sound variations and can switch between humbucker and single coil modes with just a flick of the

Body

• Body Shape: Q
• Body Material: Nyatoh
• Finish: Satin Polyurethane

Neck

• Material: Wizard C 3pc Roasted Maple/Bubinga
• Profile: Bolt-on
• Scale Length: 648mm/25.5″
• Fingerboard Material: Roasted Birdseye Maple
• Fingerboard Radius: 305mmR
• Number of Frets: 24
• Frets: Jumbo Stainless Steel
• Nut Material: Plastic
• Nut Width: 42mm
• Inlays: Mother of Pearl Step off-set dot
• Side Dots: Luminescent
• Joint: Bolt-on

Hardware

• Finish: Cosmo Black
• Bridge: Ibanez Mono-Tune
• Tuning Machines: None (headless)
• Pickguard: None
• Strap Buttons: 2

Electronics

• Neck Pickup: R1 (S)
• Middle Pickup: R1 (S)
• Bridge Pickup: Q58 (H)
• Controls: 1 Volume, 1 Tone, 5-way lever switch
• Switching: dyna-MIX9 switching system with Alter Switch
• Output Jack: 1/4″

Miscellaneous

• Strings Gauge: D’Addario® EXL110 – .010/.013/.017/.026/.036/.046
• Factory Tuning: 1E, 2B, 3G, 4D, 5A, 6E
• Case: Gig bag included
• Included Accessories: Hex wrench, Truss rod adjust bar
• Dimensions: 980 x 430 x 110 mm