Ibanez S521 Blackberry Burst unboxing review and first impressions

[@batphink2655]

What a cool guitar and it sounds great outta the box!

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Thank you ! Love the colour of this bad boy

[@LookieChannel]

Jeeeeez Rich, you are puting news so frequently I hardly can keep up wathing those :D That is a lot of xmas presents and gifts! :)

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Haha I know, I’m a nightmare! 😂

[@LookieChannel]

@@thenovicenoisemaker wow, never realized how thin the body is, that is lovely, I like lightweight guitars! Nice choice.

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@LookieChannel thank you! It’s so super comfy

[@robertclarkguitar]

Those s series are my faves !!! Awesome

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Yay 😀. My last one was a long time back so it’s nice to have another one

[@paulyoung4781]

Got mine same one yesterday and I love it never had a ibenez but chose this one too,always had Shector fender but ibenez s521 I love it so comfortable and sound tone is amazing love it so much,can you put a locking nut on them I'm curious or would u leave it how it is

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Hi Paul So glad you’re enjoying it! Lovely guitars! Locking tuners would definitely help . Thank you for watching and commenting, much appreciated. I’ve got 40 other reviews including several Ibanez, they’re on a playlist if you like 👍🏻

[@clausion]

I have exactly the same model and color. I love this guitar. Very light, I can practice standing for hours and no problem with neck or shoulders. Good sustain, good pickups, versatile everything a bedroom guitarist, as me, could wish. I had to adjust a bit its rod, I have a dry room (35% humidity). I used it mostly for stoner rock, with neck pickup and a lot of fuzz, big muff.

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I don’t have this guitar anymore but sometimes wish I did…

[@KeshavPachpande]

Is it very light compared to the other ibanezes? Pls reply

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@KeshavPachpande it certainly is!

[@clausion]

@@KeshavPachpande It is the lightest Ibanez guitar except new headless series.

[@KeshavPachpande]

Ok thx brooo

[@jasonism123]

Hi. What issues did you have with that guitar? And how's the balance? Is the neck heavier than the body? Did you try it with a strap on? I'm planning to buy that guitar tomorrow. Saw it in our local store here.

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

No neck dive. Tuners are pretty poor. Volume and tone if they were supposed to graduate from1-10 they’re more like 6-10, edging towards on or off. Pickups have a good range of tones and the neck feels good if somewhat‘unfinished’.

[@arto9775]

Hope he's not trying it with a strap on 😅😅

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

@@arto9775 that's a big part of the test but what is meant by the pots idk any that are supposed to be better than the evh low friction which even that i'm not sure if most need for what they play and the tuners seem fine though i was rushed by an asshole soundguy recently and forgot the mindset to tune between some songs like the pros do

[@KeshavPachpande]

Hey dude is this better or the rg421 or the rga42fm? Pls reply as I am planning to buy this because if it’s weight

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

That’s a tricky one but I really liked the RGA, lovely body shape and contours. Any of the 3 colours are nice (I had blue but wanted dragon eye). I’d definitely get that

[@Californification]

Does the 5 way switch allow for using this as a Single Single setup? Trying to decide between this and the S561 which has a single single humbucker (SSH) setup. Thanks

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Hi Ricky It does but an HSS will still be better in my opinion. Both great guitars though

[@Californification]

@@thenovicenoisemaker I am an absolute beginner. Which would you recommend between these two? Thanks.

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@Californification I love the on the 561 but not as much as this 521. You can get great sounds from both so go with that you like the look of most. It’s really important you love the look of your guitar to encourage you to pick it up and practice, it’s a hard instrument to learn.

[@yagmuer4965]

Hi! I want to buy this guitar or a ESP LTD TE-200 Maple STBC , which one should I buy? I'm using an sss fender and I want a stronger sound, my infrastructure is ready for use with pedals. Which should I get?

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

I love all things tele so I’d edge towards that personally. Thing is with the Ibanez, ans you’ve got to decide what you like, the body is incredibly thin, light and comfortable ans the neck is skinny and wide. It’s got a 5 way selector with lots of tones too.

[@V-Revan-V]

Good review. Looks like i’m gonna have to get one. Kinda wish there was a whammy bar though

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

That's very kind of you thank you. It's lovely to look at and play. I'm sure a decent player would really enjoy this guitar

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

there are like at least two s standards that have one and the premium is bar only the axion label is fixed and most of the s prestiges have a bar

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

i've had thinner necks before like of a prestige and a local custom shop that has been to namm as well but not really well known though i guess the standard s and probably most rgs have a neck closer to a dinky as i thought the soloist neck was already pretty thin

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Hi Mike I had a Dinky and you’re right, very similar skinny neck on those

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

@@thenovicenoisemaker i thought it was ridiculous to have a neck so thin that it has to be reinforced by titanium but they still manage to keep the costs down better than the other big brands though i would never get a prestige again since most of them seem to only be 17mm at nut and 19mm near the joint which idk if ever beat by anyone as far as being that thin

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness 17mm! Wow that is crazy. I’m not keen on necks so skinny tbh

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

@@thenovicenoisemaker i also don’t like how unnecessarily big the bridge is either since the standard s has a regular fender-style bridge which is better for palm-muting harder though i suppose some people find the gibraltar bridge more comfortable and the extra material to sustain more which is partially a myth

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness full of myths in the guitar world and lots of odd designs too for that matter

[@Metallex]

E-ban-yeth! I was at a music store with the guitarist in the band I'm in a few weeks ago and he was looking t buy a new guitar. He has adamantly hated Ibanez for years because of the Wizard-Pro neck. He played a PRS, a Schecter and something else as well and wasn't too bothered but I kept pestering to try this RG he'd seen because of the nice finish. We were on the verge of walking out and I finally pestered him to try it - played one note and I knew he was walking out with it. Both this and the RG he bought have the Wizard-III necks which are absolutely incredible. I guarantee this neck will make you a faster player. I'm not a huge fan of the massive hole for the input jack and the big black plastic nonsense around the pickup selector, but the RG series are absolutely insane value and well worth a look in too. Ibanez aren't just for Steve Vai fans! I'm trying to figure out the amp - I'm going to guess a Fender Mustang LT25!

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

I’ve had a few Ibanez but had it in mind that I didn’t want that neck again but like your buddy, I was proved wrong! I agree that I’m sure I’ll get quicker with it. I think the jack socket and pickup selector are results of the think body, bit many options for them in manufacturing perhaps? Yes it’s an LT25 and so far so good.

[@darkestfugue]

do you still have it? i have the s 1070 pbz blue poplar burl, its the only model with ss frets so that was the big seller for me, i always wanted an s series since i was a kid and i played one in a shop back in 1990, its a nice example too the burl is just right, i dont think ibanez give the s series enough love even the prestige doesnt have ss frets, as much as i like it though, its not as good as the AZ, but its so much prettier lol

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Nice to hear from a fellow S series fan! I wish they would give them more love. I had an S771 with a burl top in natural finish which was stunning! The S621 (I think) with dragon eye finish is stunning too but needs a matching headstock. Darrel Braun KZbinr had a Prestige S series is a stunning finish. Love them I’ve had a few SA serious too but they’re not as thin. I sold the one in this video. Thanks for watching and commenting, appreciate it

[@darkestfugue]

@@thenovicenoisemaker haha dude, thats why i asked, i was thinking, i bet he doesnt have it anymore, i might get mine modifed down the line with a push pull so i can split the pickups individually, however i havent put the guitar through its paces live yet and the middle single coil may work just fine, yeah Darrel has a nice one but no trem or ss frets, i think i have spec wise the best s series and its a premium, it doesnt make sense

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@darkestfugue he said he regrets getting rid of it now and so he should! I might have to buy another S series now 🙈

[@dave.F0X]

1 year later... did you really keep the Ibanez S521? If not, what made you flip it?

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

I didn’t keep it. I went through a spell of 151 guitars in a 3 year span. I’ve now settled and own 1 Harley Benton and 3 Chapmans . What have you got?

[@dave.F0X]

@@thenovicenoisemaker The Ibanez S521 looks like a good guitar - I'm tempted to get one if it adds something new to what I've already got. ;) I've collected a few guitars and basses over the last few years: Fender, PRS, Epiphone, Ibanez, Harley, Brian May, Lag, Westone, Tanglewood, Hofner, Aria.

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@dave.F0X I liked it. Nice tones, slim neck, 24 frets and super slim. I’d have one again for sure

[@marekszwej]

Do you have issues with this guitar staying in tune. My goes out of tune after 5 min of playing.

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Yes, i think the nut needs replacing, or lubed or cut better. Tuners aren’t great either. 10 gauge strings instead of 9s helped a bit

[@marekszwej]

@@thenovicenoisemaker That's a bit disapointing needing to replace all these components on brand new guitar...

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@marekszwej Yes it is. I've had a lot Ibanez guitars (9 or 10) and mostly S series or SA series, the most expensive being £499 7 years ago and they all had some sort of quality control issues. Poor fret ends/fret heights, nut and tuners have been the main issues. I still like them though 🙂

[@marekszwej]

@@thenovicenoisemaker I'll start with the nut, probably will get graphtec and then look around for decent locking tuners. Need to be carefull not to overspend for the baisc price of this guitar and my limited skils :)

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@marekszwej I totally get that. Spending too much makes to think you should have spent more to start with. I think the nut will go a long way to helping so start there and fingers crossed 🤞🏻

[@booshting3520]

I had the 770pb. Very nice except it had poor sustain. I put it down to the tiny neck

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

I had a 771PB which I think is the same but no flloyd, frets were rough on mine too but pretty guitars

[@michaelgrahamwongacutemadness]

@@thenovicenoisemaker they've been getting better about the frets recently at some point schecter was flawless and recently it only seems that chinese made ltds consistently have that problem but ibanez didn't ridiculously raise their prices like pretty much all of the other major brands

[@johnsmith-nd9yo]

thats a stunning guitar. thin lightweight guitars are so nice to play.

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

It was gorgeous but after playing with doe 24 hours it had alsorts of issues so it sadly had to go back. I’ve ordered another HB in its place. When I can afford it I really want a Premium or Prestige Ibanez

[@dawidpodgorski7763]

Hello, what were the issues you mentioned ? I see you bought recently Fender Player - can you please compare those two (Ibanez s521 vs fender) I guess you like the Player more ?

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@dawidpodgorski7763 hi John. The tuners were really poor, like entry level Squier poor. The tone pot got ‘stuck’ Haifa way up so was stiff. Volume and tone not very responsive, bit sort of on or off. Personal thing but I didn’t like the jumbo frets. I took this back. The fender is a better guitar

[@dawidpodgorski7763]

@@thenovicenoisemaker thank you for very quick reply! That's really helpful

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@dawidpodgorski7763 You are most welcome.

[@harshadasguitarworld2667]

Does it have a tremelo bar ?

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

It’s a hard tail

[@stevewilliams2895]

why is one of the string ferrels 1-2 cm lower than the others

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

I’ve seen this on a few guitars I’ve had. I think it’s to do with assisting drop tuning

[@beanapalooza6614]

RICH. DUDE MY HOMIE MY HOMEFRY, MY HOMESKILLET° I FOUND YOU AGAIN!!!! You mean to tell me that people are still letting you get guitars and send them right back 2 days later and then get another lol😂😅 that's CRAY CRAY Crazy mate!!!🎉😊😊 your bruh from Alabam!! Old black Betty bamalamb from way down in Birmingham

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Hello stranger!!! How are you doing? I think I’ve had 4,379 guitars since this one 🤣🤣🤣 Nice to have you back 🙏❤️🎸

[@beanapalooza6614]

@thenovicenoisemaker it's good to be back!! LOL I pray all is well with you° I do enjoy your videos!! To bad your about 2789 miles as the crow flies.. fly's... cause I think we could be mates lol till your lady friend said oh no not anymore with that Bean fellow!! Haha. My friends..heck everyone asks me Bean. Not like yalls Mr Bean.. .but I do love him!!

[@catmini1]

sweeet! nice color.

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Thank you 😊

[@chickenrnli]

Someone hit their sales targets 😜

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Lol Ben 😂

[@malcolmsansom5026]

I've lost track Rich, do you still have the PRS 🤣🤣🤣🎸🎸🎸

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Err …. No 🤦🏻‍♂️😂

[@enriquegallego7790]

@@thenovicenoisemaker 🤣🤣😂😂

[@RichardLuna2025]

I stayed until 7:18

[@thegaindane]

Now, that IS a nice guitar... Careful you don't cut yourself on that body!... Wow! that's thin!! NOw, where back in business for learning some Volbeat 🤘... Does the Mustang have a good preset for power chord metal playing? I have a tc electronic unitune tuner, it runs through batteries very fast too. Very annoying... Now you have a tuner on the amp. Problem solved 👍

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Glad you like it, didn’t think you would 😊. Definitely ready to start my power chord metal journey. The amp has lots of metal sounds and lots of options to change them too 👍🏻

[@thegaindane]

@@thenovicenoisemaker 🤘😜🤘

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@thegaindane 😂😂

[@thegaindane]

@@thenovicenoisemaker you should sart by learning the muting techniques in the video I linked to a few days ago. And then finding a preset for it on your new amp.. remember, power chords are bridge pickup only 😉🤘

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@thegaindane boom!

[@raz2986]

I have the red version of your tuner

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Would suit this guitar better! Does yours eat batteries as quickly as mine???

[@raz2986]

@@thenovicenoisemaker I haven't changed it once actually 😅

[@raz2986]

Though the screen has been incredibly dark so maybe it is time 😅

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@raz2986 🤣🤣🤣 I get so many guitars it’s in constant use lol 😂

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@raz2986 lol 😆

[@danielpicon8012]

I wonder how fishman moderns would work on this guitar.

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

A fine question!

[@Molds2]

Keeper 😂

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Lol 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@FalconMain3]

Things a piece of junk, couldnt get a refund on it so I smashed it on my deck

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Oh no! What was up with it? Tuners aren't the bets but overall for the price I liked it.

[@FalconMain3]

@@thenovicenoisemaker no clue, thanks for the video though I just went out and bought a fender strat. I gave a thumbs up and subbed

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

@@FalconMain3 kind of you thank you. How are you finding the Strat?

[@Knubben71]

Falconmain3,are you insane. Instead of Smashing the guitar you could sell it or give it to someone as an present

[@FalconMain3]

@@Knubben71 yeah because I couldn’t get a refund on it