Why the Ibanez ICHI10 is the BEST guitar for working musicians

[@unacuentadeyoutube13]

What the switch does is to take two single coils and make them work like one, separated humbucker. That's why it's less chimy and has more midrange: you're using a weird looking humbucker. Explanation: two single coils generally work in parallel, because that's a way to make the sound clear and don't boost the signal. Humbuckers are, roughly speaking, two single coils very close together wired in series: that means all the input one coil receives will be added to the input of the other, doubling the original amount of power a single coil would have produced/captured.

[@mrebysan]

Sooooooo if both coils in a humbucker pick up sound at the same time and then how does the 'adding signal to each other' part work? Does it just bounce around in the pickup frantically till it screams out an Eflat?😅 Can someone point me to their favorite 'precisely how pickups work'? Thx

[@guitar_md]

@@mrebysan Hopefully nobody minds me answering this. Don't mean to be overstepping anyone's boundaries or anything as this is not my channel. But I'd like to help answer your question: Pickups work by a principle called electromagnetic induction. They have a magnetic field and a coil. When you pick a steel string, it excites the magnetic field, and induces an alternating current in the coil. That tiny, extremely tiny amount of alternating electrical current, is what goes to your amplifier, whose job it is to amplify that tiny electrical current into something audible. This all happens instantly. In a sense, the signal *does* bounce around in the pickup, as again, it's Alternating Current, not Direct Current (AC, not DC). AC doesn't move in a single direction, but rather alternates between moving forwards and backwards, just like the tide of the ocean. With DC, electricity flows in one direction only, like the flow of water down a river. The main point is as soon as you pick a string, a current is induced in the pickup coil, which is sent to your amplifier -- and this happens instantly. When two coils are wired together, the current is induced in both coils at exactly the same time. Wiring the coils together, whether two coils or even four in the case of quad humbuckers, simply combines the currents from each coil in one of two ways: series or parallel. Series wiring is like this: start wire of Coil 1 - finish wire of Coil 1 - finish wire of Coil 2 - start wire of Coil 2. In that scenario, your start wires from Coil 1 and Coil 2 are used as either the "hot" or "ground" wire. The finish wires of each are connected together, making a series connection. Parallel wiring is like this: start wire of Coil 1 + start wire of Coil 2 connected together - finish wire of Coil 1 + finish wire of Coil 2 connected together. Think of it as twisting the start wires from each coil together, and twisting the finish wires of each coil together, and then using the twisted start wires and twisted finish wires as either your "hot" or "ground" leads. It would be wired just like a single coil pickup, with a "hot" and "ground" connection, instead of a single wire, you have two wires connected together playing the role of that single wire. Another way: think of two people holding both of each others' hands. That's parallel. Now think of two people holding one of each other's hands. That's series. Parallel takes some of the output of each coil and combines the signal. Series takes the full output of each coil and combines the signal. If you test pickups connected in parallel, you'll see the DC resistance is actually lower than either pickup individually -- and in series, the DC resistance is roughly the DC resistance of both pickups added together. Then you have phase, which is the direction the coils are connected in. You can have parallel in phase or out of phase, and series in phase or out of phase. This is a whole nother topic. When it comes to phase between two pickups, it deals with the magnetic polarity of each coil as well as the wiring direction of each coil. All you need to know is parallel in phase gets a weaker output, and a "clucky" tone; parallel out of phase gets an even weaker output, with a "honky" or more "hollow" tone; series in phase gets a strong output, heavy in midrange with a "thick and warm" tone; series out of phase gets a weak output, pretty much zero low end at all, with a "thin, weak" and "trebly" and "cutting" tone. Of course, this is all dependent on the individual coils being combined. But as general principles, these are the tones you're going to get from these combinations regardless of the pickups combined. Anyway. All this gets fairly complicated. But hopefully this was able to help you at least a little bit. FWIW, I made a two pickup pickguard for my Strat, so I only run a Neck and Bridge single coil. I have a 3 way switch mounted on a top loading jack plate I made out of pickguard material to replace the metal football jack plate, and I only have two knobs: knurled chrome knobs, one master volume, and one master tone. They are both push/pull knobs. The volume push/pull is a Series/Parallel mode, where when you pull up, it goes to Series between both pickups, regardless of where the switch is. The tone push/pull is an In Phase/Out of Phase switch, where when you pull up, the series and parallel modes are out of phase, and when pushed down, they're in phase. With both pots pushed down, you have normal operation with a 3 way switch, with the middle position being both pickups wired together in parallel, like a standard Tele for example. I've made a wiring diagram for this here: imgur.com/gallery/ultimate-wiring-2-pickup-guitars-DJqCVZk It will only work for 2 pickup guitars, so not relevant to the guitar that's the topic of this video, but for anyone with a Tele or other 2 pickup guitar (even two humbuckers), it's a great mod. 6 very different tones out of only 2 pickups. The tradeoff is with my setup you have a master tone knob. I'd have to think of how to rewire it for individual tone knobs.

[@mrebysan]

@guitar_md thank you for your time and detailed explanation. I might rewire my EART HH. Sometimes you get a good cheap guitar that feels good cuz they put cheap electronics in. Thanks again!

[@guitar_md]

@mrebysan Absolutely. Rewiring can breathe totally new life into old guitars. My 2005 MIM Strat is back to being my main guitar after rewiring and a whole lot of other work. Glad the info was helpful to you!

[@unacuentadeyoutube13]

@@mrebysan I explained it in two comments, but somehow they got deleted or never got sent

[@kmw5100]

I saw all the rust and immediately I was like "bros been gigging in florida or some shit"

[@realkylehooks]

@@kmw5100 there's a venue we play at the beach down here that has a 80s Ibanez RS1010SL screwed to the wall. Open air place literally 50ft from the water. That guitar isn't even this rusty lol but that guitar on the wall isn't getting sweat on

[@Natimaguitar]

@@realkylehooks ugh.... what a guitar to be screwed to a wall Q_Q

[@realkylehooks]

@Natimaguitar I plan to play it until it's unsalvageable, at which point it'll take an honorary position on a wall in the studio

[@Natimaguitar]

@@realkylehooks I just think it's heartbreaking that bar has an rs1010 screwed to a wall. Those are beautiful and rare guitars.

[@Viper-dz2kw]

The fact you’ve had this guitar for less then two years and it’s aged like that is crazy

[@redcomn]

I can confirmed that the finish of ichi10 is easily stained. Especially is you smoked

[@pierreleroy6662]

@@redcomn But how about these mega corroded screws though?!

[@redcomn]

@@pierreleroy6662 screw is easily replaceable, the bridge tho…….. The finish on the hardware is that meh.

[@IdolMako]

@@pierreleroy6662humidity

[@thesmellycatjazz]

​@@pierreleroy6662sweat is corrosive

[@Jayson-j8h]

I love to see a guitar used that much.

[@HunnysPlaylists]

I do too.

[@officialExcerpt]

I love to see a guitar that allows wear. Most of them are coated in so much clear coat that it won't wear down even after 10 years.

[@AmeerNajarali]

@@officialExcerpt Agreed completely! As consumers and musicians, we should have the choice to relic our own guitars through hard work, not by paying a premium.

[@CKS64]

A real performing musician in the wild. This is historic in that he also has his weapon of choice. He seems to be in a relaxed state in this encounter. Please save this video for future reference.

[@junehabsen6368]

wtf you mean? Sry don't get your point...And why do you talk in such a strange tone of voice? Envious on musicians or what?!🤷‍♀

[@ababilashari9970]

@@junehabsen6368 its a national geographic joke told badly hh

[@anonim0ful]

Ibanez should pay you for this video

[@SLURPAUDIO]

you should get your own signature quest series by them!

[@VMinoda]

Looks like a vintage ICHI10 from the 70's, and I kinda like it! Ever since I got one of these I can't wrap my head around the fact that I don't see it played more on stage or here on youtube. Such a nice instrument.

[@credibleink]

Best non-affiliated endorsement for the ichi10 ever! The fact that you’re a working musician and have a lot of guitars to compare it to, means so much, and you’ve clearly wear tested the thing to (near) death. Every other review I’ve seen looks like the reviewer never plays them, spends more time polishing it, or is about to send it back to the retailer. I also agree about the fret markers. I think they were designed for bedroom guitarists 😂

[@realkylehooks]

@@credibleink I'm considering carving out little notches in the wood and filling them with neon paint to have instead of the stock fret markers. The gorilla tape works surprisingly well, but of course I'd prefer a permanent solution. I took the ICHI to the shop yesterday to give her a good tune up AND a pickup swap. Got some 50s vintage Strat pickups going in there (not *actual* vintage) and I'm super excited to demo the two ICHIs after the swap

[@Nicolas-uu6pt]

​@@realkylehooksplease o want to see a video of how it sounds, I like your content and the way that you talk😊

[@trev3971]

@@realkylehooks I hope the pickup swap gets you closer to where you want to be, but in my experience you'll never get that 100% Strat sound in a 24-fret guitar. The neck pickup just isn't in the place where it needs to be. With that said, this was an excellent review and I'm gonna check out an ICHI10 even though it's not something I ever would've considered before.

[@realkylehooks]

@@trev3971 I'm with you. If I were designing a custom guitar, I'd probably make it 21, max 22 frets because I never play at the very top, and I love a classic Strat neck pickup sound.

@@realkylehooks I was surprised you use tape on the side of the fretboard, because the stock dots on the side are already luminiscent. I sure love my Ichi10 even when our shows are 2h nowadays. I've worked 2+4h shows for years and used a Parker P-38 guitar and I still got some back problems!

[@Cerasinum]

I have this guitar. I am not a gigging musician, but this thing is my go to for practice. It's light, you can get really close to most single coil and humbucker tones and the tuning stability is crazy. I might tune it once a week and it's only to correct the g string a few cents. It also has stainless steel frets. I have a strat that I've owned for less than a year and the frets already have dents. These stainless frets will likely never have to be touched, and the fretwork on mine out of the box was immaculate. I genuinely adore this guitar and can't recommend it enough just for its ergonomics.

[@superiorduck9416]

Been kicking the idea of getting one around for a few weeks and this just sold me on it :)

[@realkylehooks]

@@superiorduck9416 if you can get a decent deal, heck yes.

[@AndrewJamesNeely]

I've got the standard quest and I love it. Best travel guitar in the world and perfect for just grabbing and practicing.

[@ToneNailer]

Man, your description of your live shows are sweaty and diiirrrrrty. I like.

[@realkylehooks]

@@ToneNailer extremely dirty, and more fun than any other music I've ever been a part of

[@SnaFOo75]

dang that Florida humidity really does a number on the hardware. love the guitar, now I'm thinking of getting one!

[@realkylehooks]

@@SnaFOo75 the humidity is definitely a problem, but it's mostly the sweat. My backup guitar is out there every night but hardly has any corrosion. I cannot recommend the ICHI10 enough for live situations.

[@SnaFOo75]

@@realkylehooks yep I figured after watching the entire video. respect to you my friend. keep hustlin'

[@adrianboulanger1198]

I bought a Qx a month ago and so far it's been my favorite guitar to play with: super small and light as a feather, I can play for hours without having sore shoulders!

[@TheGuitarGeek]

This is the best video I have seen for the ICHI10. Kyle knows what he talking about.

[@jonathanlong9176]

Also I love six piece suits! I love when you guys come and play!

[@realkylehooks]

@@jonathanlong9176 thank you! I'm very lucky to do what I LOVE for a living!

[@leep_]

Im not even remotely interested in this guitar or the content but it was very interesting listening to you talk about it and I watched the entire thing without realizing LOL

[@jfbravoc]

Thanks for getting that stache in order at 2:34

[@RobertFairweatherLuvMachine]

Epiphone Florentine is a pretty badass gig machine with dual coil taps and Probuckers. It's light as a feather too.

[@realkylehooks]

@@RobertFairweatherLuvMachine I'm seeing that they usually weigh right about 6.5lbs. That's awesome. That's lighter than most Strats.

[@handle433]

Please make more content about this guitar and the spare!!! Thank you!!!!

[@longlivegarybusey6409]

Would love to see the guitar after you've had it cleaned up and serviced. Also you should consider having luminlay side dots put in so you can ditch the tape and have nice visible glowing fret markers on stage.

[@muse-mech-moda]

they have lumilay dots - he shows them. Maybe he doesn't know what they are?

[@wonopete]

Kyle you should totally do podcasts! Such a great voice that engages so much interest!

[@JulianRedAudio]

Nice review, dude. That's the way a real and honest review with facts is supposed to be shown to the public. Un saludo desde Colombia.

[@rpanchelli]

I've got the all black one with humbuckers and the slant frets. It's amazing. I did change the pickups as I felt the stock ones were a little too clear if that makes sense. After having several back surgeries light guitars like this are crucial. The only real con I have is if you play in a higher position you'll need a shorter strap and there aren't many manufacturers that make short straps so I had to get creative with straps.

[@realkylehooks]

@@rpanchelli I had that exact same guitar and traded it largely because of the overly clear tones. I'm a huge burstbucker fan, so one day I may get another Q52 and swap for burstbuckers

[@Mr.Goldbar]

even Ichika himself would be blown away after seeing how his guitar turned out to become in your posession :D

[@karioa2346]

Love finishes that age as you play them. My favorite guitar is a 2003MIM strat but it just wont wear down to the wood despite it's mileage... Thank you for the review, I'm interested in a headless guitar and this is very tempting

[@realkylehooks]

@@karioa2346 my number one guitar for years was a 2006 MIM Strat. I've had it for 18 years and the body still looks new.

[@Blumencomusic]

I love your passion explaining this guitar. Ibanez create one the best guitar in the world. I love Ibanez Talman series.

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

Very cool. I love it. I've been looking at the humbucker version since I already have a strat with stainless frets and EMG single coils. I also have an Ibanez Japanese S series I love because it is so light as well. I'm going to put EVO frets on it like that guitar. Very cool and I concur man. Great stuff. Great demo brother. ❤... Very cool. Thanks man for sharing. ❤

[@realkylehooks]

@@hoosierdaddy2308 the Q52 is a cool guitar. I had one with a couple of minor issues (used, not new), but the pickups were what made me trade it to my cousin. They were quality pickups, just not my style. Very modern sounding, but I lean toward old school humbuckers

[@riffrockband]

I need the HSH superstrat format like my Charvel Guthrie and Suhr Modern Plus. I like that humbucker neck pickup for rock guitar and the neck radius is very comfortable. I also try to avoid locking nuts/Floyd Rose trems. One string breaks and the whole thing goes out of tune. I agree with you about Les Paul's. I sold mine. Too heavy and bulky.

[@jonnyf9049]

crazy how you reliced it in 200 gigs, thats damn cool

[@realkylehooks]

@@jonnyf9049 I like the way it's yellowed and the paint is wearing. I just wish I could keep the electronics and metal parts safe from the sweat and corrosion.

[@bassyey]

@@realkylehooks When you take it in for checking. Have them use stainless screws, it's a thing and it works. I can't say the same for other parts but for screw it's an option.

[@DeffoZappo]

​@@realkylehooksI believe it was Kenny Wayne Shepherd's guitar tech who put the whole wiring harness inside a ziplock bag and poked the volume and tone knobs through and put the washers back on. All because apparently the dude sweated so much it was corroding the electronics

[@JeppPadilla]

You love it so much you bought 2. Love it! I wanna try it too

[@matthewf1979]

It makes me so happy to see a guitar get that much use and hold up to it. Get your tech to install some glow in the dark side dots. It’s not a huge job for a working guitar (imperfect finish) and it helps TREMENDOUSLY. Even the powder stuff with super glue is great. You’ll want a set of Strat pickups with a reverse wound/polarity middle to retain that alter switch “faux humbucker” sound. There’s all kinds of great inexpensive(relatively) sets out there from all the manufacturers that nail the traditional Strat sound.

[@juliusarlt3]

Wow. I dig your philosophy.

[@daniyalahmed97]

This was quite fucking convincing, great video dude

[@JeremyAndersonBoise]

Never have seen that model before, I will be getting one based on this video.

[@maggiehooks8305]

Great video, brother 👍🏻

[@joelwhite2361]

I got the Ichi10 a little over a year and a half ago. It's been my #1 since then. I love this guitar so much. I still like the sounds I get out of my Telecaster more, but this is the one I pick up when I just want to play.

[@1148-w1d]

The wear, tear, and rust is so AWESOME!!

[@sonord2074]

great video, really got me thinking about looking for one. I relate so hard to the level of rust youre generating on that thing, my reverend started to look on its way to something like this after one hard summer of sweaty gigs here in central cali

[@ArchieMackintoosh]

Can confirm the SSS with alternate wiring options is extremely versatile! I have a freeway 10-way blade switch in my strat and it's incredible. The altered middle position sounds amazingly close to a les paul with both pickups on, and I love the middle-neck in series for jazzy tones. I also have it wired with a master bass cut knob, instead of a 2nd treble cut, which makes it extremely versatile. All 3 pots are push/pull, one reverses the phase of the middle PU, one allows all 3 pickups in series together, and one bypasses the volume/tone pots, making the pickups louder and brighter (sort of like a passive boost).

[@EdBender]

Lol! It's a couple wires away from being a quantum computer! Working on your wiring must be a luthier's nightmare! 😂

[@mlowack]

Nice guy! Thanks much, great review!

[@Ottophil]

My main live guitar is an HSS strat with a coil split. I have the humbucker resistance matched to double the single coils so I can get that stratty position 2.

[@realkylehooks]

@@Ottophil I bet that sounds killer

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

Nice guitar. I want one. Back in the 90's my aunts nephew was in a rock band called Barrage that gigged around Florida and recorded a few albums. I remember meeting him one and the drum kit he took to gigs looked like something from Fallout lol. He had to keep polishing, repairing, repainting, and re-tuning it due to all the humidity.

[@Domn879]

10 way freeway switch in a strat plus has given me that one guitar for gigging.

[@chappie2dope247]

keep up the videos! quality and knowledge is there! you are about to blow up!! great video

[@realkylehooks]

@@chappie2dope247 if I can figure out some basic video editing, I'll try to put out more consistent, higher quality content

[@mister_syre]

Now that's a great but also very convincing review. Thanks!

[@AlecBourneMidiMadScientist]

Now that is a great video. I got a fairly cheap ibby last year a Gio the purple to blue chaneleon thing and yeah, weight and the variety of pickup configs outside tbe standard strat - LP setup has really seen it getting a huge amount of playtime. Plus i am never really worried about it. Built to play. I gotta try one of these based on this video

[@admatlydian]

That is a really cool Ibanez. I love it!

[@fives.]

I fucking love this video, it's super evident how much you love this guitar and even though I'm an Ibanez dork to begin with, you just sold me on it The bridge is even aging and corroding in a really cool way, but I would posit that those screws in particular would be modular and you could replace aspects of the machinery if you ever wanted to/moved northward where there's slightly less humidity. My one thing in response would be: 9:40 when you take it in to get serviced, maybe ask if they can remove the tape and if they have a UV light in shop that could feed those side-dots some light, because they're *supposed" to glow in the dark, and that would be a glaringly funny defect if they don't, given how often you gig it. It's likely this suggestion doesn't aid you as well as the tape does considering the dots are so small and if your stage-show is well lit, glow-in-the-dark side-dots might be a redundancy, but I thought I'd mention it anyway

[@realkylehooks]

@@fives. At most of our shows the front lighting is super bright, but there's not a lot of top lighting, so the fret markers see very little light. They do glow a little if you charge them, but I already have a lot on my plate right before shows, so I didn't want to add extra steps. I do have a permanent fix in mind, and that'll be in a future video

[@T2kizz]

Ahhhhh I was seriously like I don't need anymore guitars, and I had been on the fence on this particular one for a while. I think I know what's happening next. Thanks for the great video and review!

[@michaelmenkesOZSKIB]

That switch puts the pickups in series, which makes the two together a humbucker. I prefer a good humbucker with a credible coil split. G&L rocks this concept.

[@realkylehooks]

@@michaelmenkesOZSKIB I've played several guitars with coil splits, but they never sounded like genuine single coils when split. Does G&L get it right?

[@KaninTuzi]

​@@realkylehooks my PRS sounds amazing while coil split

[@willrayment9544]

Awesome review. i have the q54. Unfortunately keeps breaking the high e string. 11_49 in eb. It breaks right where the ball recesses into the bridge. Very frustrating. May have to get a dremel in there and get rid of any sharp edges.

[@realkylehooks]

@@willrayment9544 after mine got some rust on the bridge, that started happening, as it does all the guitars I've used on the road. 10 seconds with a wire brush was enough to fix it, but you might need a Dremel if it's more serious

[@Oryphic]

Dope video dude! Wanted to say; you can charge those dots with a light so it's more visible when they glow! I'm sure you know that... but in case viewers don't though. iPhone light works perfectly.

[@keatchan4718]

Change the nut to bone. I did it on mine, haven't looked back. Also I met Ichika and had him sign mine on the horn too. Still use it a ton!

[@edwardmichael7513]

Best part about this is - No sponser No affiliate link You know this is a legit review

[@TechnoRiff]

Hey Kyle - Nice and smooth presentation! I'm waiting for Ibanez to release a headless trem bridge model as I'm addicted to whammys, especially for Strat stuff. I prefer the Steinberger / Hipshot style of headpiece as it makes the guitar shorter for travel, though that's a personal thing. Your Ibanez's seems to be more streamlined than the Strandberg's - its body is also more symmetrical for easy resting in place. Thanks!

[@realkylehooks]

I seem to remember the Strandberg body being a little thicker and less rounded off. There might be some basic routing to do, but you could probably get a Strandberg tremolo bridge to swap in. I personally prefer no tremolo for road guitars

[@TechnoRiff]

@@realkylehooks Good idea! I'm risk-adverse though, and think that Ibanez is currently working on its own trem bridge; seems inevitable. Such a model would be a nice addition to my collection.

[@orlandobonzi2607]

I hundred percent agree with you, this guitar is incredible

[@wittmoneyman]

I'd love to see an update video if you do swap up pickups on it and have recommendations, I'd love to see it! Guitar is sweet. I'm a consistent gigging musician as well and am thinking about getting one myself. Looking forward to seeing more!

[@realkylehooks]

@@wittmoneyman I did get the pickups swapped and used it for a show last night. I'll be doing a video in the next couple of days comparing the two and giving my thoughts.

[@wittmoneyman]

@@realkylehooks I watched and liked it! Vintera pickups are a nice choice. They sound amazing!

[@lordcoco_]

I learned that compliment and complement are two different words because of this video

[@Lionstarr86]

I have owned my Ibanez for over two years now. Mine, however, is in Surf Blue or Surf Green. On my guitar, you can’t see any wear and tear as shown in the video here. The color is like the first day, I would say, and there is no rust anywhere. However, I’m not a professional player and the guitar is mostly played at home every day and occasionally at different locations. I love this guitar and really can’t say anything bad about it. The only wear and tear I have is on the neck, where I have one or two small indentations in the wood, I would call them. But I think that’s quite normal for a guitar that occasionally gets knocked against something.

[@TimBeauBennett]

Got a q, the blue one with the humbuckers, really happy with it so far

[@realkylehooks]

@@TimBeauBennett I had a black Q52 a while back, but I traded it to get back a guitar I shouldn't have parted with years before. I'd like to have another one, but I'd swap out the locking nut for the one used on the ICHI, and I'd swap the pickups for burstbuckers or P-rails

[@tommyle686]

Just a little word of advice with the pickups. i have ibanez q54 (the standard non signature model with the HSS) and one of my neck pickups broke when i opened up. it turns out ibanez uses these hot-swappable pickups that have prongs on them to connect them to the wires. i’m not an electrician or anything so i don’t know how big of a deal it is, id just be aware of that when it comes to replacing the pickups since it’s unlike normal wiring on normal pick ups

[@realkylehooks]

@@tommyle686 I wish you had told the tech at the shop lol. I got the guitar back yesterday from an overhaul and pickup swap, and he broke the prongs on one of the pickups when taking it out. The new pickups sound great though

[@realkylehooks]

@@tommyle686 I'm glad I didn't run into that trouble. At shows it's been bullet proof, but I've heard many times that the pickups run into issues when you open up the guitar

[@_Helm_]

loved this presentation, very real. I have an old Les Paul I love but it does weigh a ton... if I ever go back to playing a lot I'll pick up this one, it has everything I love. thank you for the spirited presentation

[@realkylehooks]

@@_Helm_ Les Pauls absolutely ROCK, but yeah they're heavy

[@Zundfolge]

I'd think for most players the Q54 would be a better choice being HSS. But I've fondled a couple of these at my LGS and have thought one would be an excellent choice (glad to see your experience proves this out). Ibanez generally makes good stuff.

[@EdBender]

I'll almost agree. Two factors to consider: 1. Because it is 24 frets, the neck pickup (and the middle) is slightly misplaced in terms of the scale lenght. So it doesn't sound EXACTLY like a strat. A pity, because it coud have 21~22 frets and sound EXACTLY like a strat. 2. It could have some protection to the tuners (like a body carve below them). They are open to something smacking them from below and breaking them (ok, not likely, but yet).

[@realkylehooks]

@@EdBender if I were working at Ibanez designing the guitar, changing from 24 to 21 is a change I'd make. I never personally go above the 21st, and it would make just that slight difference in neck pickup tone. I'm pretty rough on the guitar, and the tuners getting smacked has never been an issue. I'd argue it's less likely they'd be damaged than normal tuners on the headstock.

[@nanimonada9860]

You have natural reliving in your guitar. . . Thats so cool!

[@TomatePasFraiche]

Well, I can confidently say, you used this guitar.... so I believe you :D

[@alvich]

God it looks so good when its been used

[@keithklassen5320]

The way you described the alter switch, the outside positions put the pickups in series instead of parallel. It doesn't switch the polarity; if it did, you'd get a super thin and weak "out-of-phase" tone. Normal Strat tones have the pickups in parallel, whereas series is essentially a humbucker.

[@AllAboutBasses]

Really nice guitar collection!

[@themagicreed6013]

Hi , great video!! I have the same guitar in Crete Greece, island with great humidity , where I play 3 gigs every week and the Ibanez still holds up perfectlly!! I have one complaint though...My E and B strings keeps on breaking every one or two giigs... Have anyone the same problem and have you find any solution?? I really love it for the smae reassons, and also thinking to change the pickups too!! Thanks!!!

[@realkylehooks]

I had that problem briefly, but I realized some rust on the bridge was making the contact point abrasive. I sprayed it with some WD-40 and gave it a little scrub with a wire brush, and that fixed that. Because of my sweat, I have to change the strings every show so they don't get rusty

[@themagicreed6013]

@@realkylehooks thanks for the responce!! I sweat a lot too, I even coroted the metal of most of my guitars... But new strings every gig is not a viable option for me , its too expensive, so i use elixirs and keep em on as much as I can. I contact Ibanez Greece and they told me to grind the notch on the saddle off , so I did and I wait for the the gig tomorow... Otherwise, my best guitar , and I also have plenty....maybe I ll buy a spare too...

[@josuastangl7140]

@@themagicreed6013I also played Elixirs for a long time, because I thought it would be cheaper to keep them on longer. I eventually switched to regular Ernie Balls. For 1/3 the price, I‘d rather change them every show than to play the Elixirs for 3 shows. Depending on the intensity of your shows, you’ll probably be able to only change once every two shows, which would be less than $3 per show.

[@Supernova--88]

I agree with you on that guitar looking cool with the aging but I would at least replace the screws before they get so rusted that you can't get them out. Also wouldn't hurt to start putting a little bit of oil on all of the metal parts

[@realkylehooks]

@@Supernova--88 I actually got the screws replaced over the weekend, bridge cleaned, fretboard cleaned, and pickups swapped. I'm excited to compare my two ICHIs soon

[@eggy7346]

It's jarring going from a girthy Fender to this. I had the pleasure of trying one at my local shop and the lightness caught me off guard. I do own an Ibanez RG series and it's even lighter than that

[@realkylehooks]

@@eggy7346 oh yeah, the weight is a game changer for me. Every year I get a little older, and heavy guitars affect me more and more

[@americanbystandard]

the amount of live shows you are playing... and you are so damn humble? damn dude, Ibanez should be sending you guitars.

[@realkylehooks]

@@americanbystandard I've been lucky enough to surround myself with musicians better than myself. Their excellence will always keep me humble.

[@piemmetubo]

Great sharing, thanks! I'm a happy owner of a Q54 and I agree 100% with with you say. P.S. Luminlay dots are awful and useless.

[@The6550s]

Wow... look at that awesome patina it has now after all that giggin.

[@thepokebw10]

I can't help but notice that you might've gotten a unique wood config on the rear of the neck, where one of the roasted maple neck pieces is birds eye! Whether it be on purpose or accident, this seems like a rare occurence indeed. I don't think I've ever seen an Ibanez Quest with birds eye on the back.

[@realkylehooks]

@@thepokebw10 when I bought it, I picked this one over all the others available strictly because of the wood grain. For my tastes, the darker the wood and the more figuring, the better.

[@whitec59]

Use white nail polish to make the fret dots more visable on the edge of your neck and they won't gum up as they get worn down

[@krokmiten]

I'll buy one if they ever make one with a tremolo. If they make it as good the tremolos on their RG, it would be amazing.

[@johnstitt2615]

Do tell.....I tripped onto a good vid here, ✌️🎸✌️

[@marcus_hermansson]

You sold me one of those for sure! Is that a white version aged or is it a yellow one? Thanks!

[@realkylehooks]

@@marcus_hermansson they're the same version, but the beat up one has been the main one the last 19 months. The other one sits on a guitar stand just in case a string breaks.

[@redstonetheanimecat3390]

I wish to own as many guitars as u in the future good sir

[@HogGaming9000]

great video! i'm pretty sure those are luminlays so if you charge them with your phone flashlight for 15-30 seconds each they glow in the dark!

[@themagicreed6013]

It really dont...I have the same problem!!! Even tried a UV flashlight, after 20 min you cant see sh*t

[@matthewjohnloren1995]

Please do a video when your guitar has its pickups swapped its pretty awesome!

[@realkylehooks]

@@matthewjohnloren1995 it's in the shop now. When I get it back in a week or two, I'll compare my other ICHI to the one with swapped pickups. I'm very excited to get it back in my hands (that's what she said)

[@themagicreed6013]

@@realkylehooks that would be great!

[@gryzew]

Have you tried Elixir strings? They should durable against rusting from sweat and partially resolve the issue of rust spreading to frets and hardware.

[@cobyup10]

You could get glow in the dark paint or nail polish and dot those side markers

[@alif499]

Are the side dots not luminescent? You can charge them with a flash light or, if you want it to last longer, then a UV light.

[@realkylehooks]

@@alif499 they are, but it's a hassle to do that right before shows.

[@JTaylo]

the ichi10 was my first good guitar, my only complaint is the bridge which mine at least was just faulty, i plan to switch the bridge for the hipshot headless trem, and the pickups with fishman fluence active single coils eventually

[@reverendjetstream]

My most favourite guitar is from 2012 (Les Paul, ooops!) and does not look nearly as beaten up as this Ibanez 😀 It looks fantastic (yep, it's just an opinion...) natural "relic". Btw. I noticed you have a USA Reverend in you collection, used to have one too (Rocco). Anyways good video!

[@realkylehooks]

I love USA Reverends. I used to have a black Rocco and a gold Slingshot. The slingshot was a thing of beauty, but the pickups just didn't do it for me. The one I kept is the body of my Avenger, neck from the Rocco

[@HunnysPlaylists]

get lace sensor blues: humbucker voicing in passive singlecoils.

[@motoki1]

Looking at the aging, at first I thought it was a rare 80s model. Looks great!

[@realkylehooks]

@@motoki1 I'm from the 80s, but the guitar is still kinda new

[@DavidPerry-ui2qz]

That guitar has earned the right to look that way. Over 200 live shows in Miami, you should wear that guitar like a badge of honor. Just looked these up, and noticed Strandberg has a comparable priced instrument, but lacks the center pickup.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

Wouldn’t it figure. Just the other day, I was musing to this Irish KZbinr named mindhead2005 about how, after thirty years of playing music and discriminating against Ibanez, the time might be ripe for me to put that prejudice aside. Then, this video pops up in my recommendations. If I had not just purchased a preowned Burns duplicate of the Brian May special back in February 2024, this model would definitely be a temptation for featuring several of the same tonal options, not to mention what you shared here about how easy it is to hold and maintain. The thing is, after having owned several Stratocasters, I could imagine that I would want to keep the stock pickups in this model. Visually, they look like the Burns TriSonics in the guitar I just took delivery of in February. Traditional Fender pickups have largely stopped impressing me in recent years. Out of curiosity, Kyle, has anyone ever suggested that you could do a Frank Zappa portrayal on screen? He definitely have his look, not to mention being a sweet guitar player.

[@realkylehooks]

@@Shred_The_Weapon that's the first time I've heard the Zappa comparison. If Hollywood wants to pay me money to portray a badass guitarist, I'm in!

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

Dig, Kyle.

[@MrMarac63]

I have a guitar like that myself. Ok, interesting comment, but i think the comparison with Gibson is slightly inappropriate, rather with some stratocaster. Second, this guitar doesn't have a real strat tone, it's very specific. I rebuilt my ICHI 10, installed Seymour Duncan hotrails in the bridge position, a Dimarzio Area 67 in the middle, and a Dimarzio Air northon in the neck position. The switch between the two potentiometers is now only for split. I LOVE THIS GUITAR 😎

[@FastRedPonyCar]

Not too far removed from this guitar, I have a Strandburg Boden standard and it’s the most comfortable and best playing instrument I have and it’s light as a feather giving me zero shoulder pain or finger numbness. Despite that, I absolutely hate using it on stage because it’s literally the most uncool looking instrument I’ve ever held in my life. Until recently, I was always using my sticker bombed Charvel San Dimas, or my Tokai Les Paul, both of which I’ve had for about a decade and countless hundreds of shows on both of them, but now that I’ve been gigging with my Lizzie Hale Explorer for the last five weeks, I don’t even want to look at any of my other guitars when it comes to what I want to bring to the stage. My brain tells me to grab the Strandberg but my heart tells me to grab the Explorer and gone off ALL the rockstar vibes. The crowds seriously just eat that Explorer up man.

[@FusicPool]

so most of your gigging is just with the one band that you're in with it sounds like your buddies?

[@realkylehooks]

@@FusicPool yep, just the one band. That's how I make my living. My dad is the bass player, my brother is the drummer, and other three I met while recruiting for the band, but they've all become close friends, basically family

[@robroymenzies8641]

I finally bought one, and its weird but cool! LOL! But I cannot believe you didn't mention it has glow in the dark dots on the side of the neck!

[@igorshevchenko5151]

Hey man thank you for such a review! Have you ever break a string , or had any locking nut issues during the shows? Just want to understand how reliable it is for important shows.

[@realkylehooks]

@@igorshevchenko5151 I've always been prone to breaking strings during live shows. I'm very heavy handed and sweat a lot. However, my ICHI hasn't been more prone than my other guitars to have a string break. The locking nut doesn't seem to make it any more likely. The tuning stability has been stellar with the ICHI. I don't do a ton of aggressive bends, but I tune my guitar before each set, and most of the time that keeps it in tune enough that I don't need to tune between songs. This is SUPER important because as the front man, I need to keep the show rolling, so I need to interact with the audience between songs for transitions. If I start tuning, we've got dead space, and that's a show killer.

[@igorshevchenko5151]

​​@@realkylehooksthank you ! 🙏

[@andrecheongavocadojudo2114]

I dig your review man. I play a Strandberg and sometimes I catch a few people in the crowd laughing at my instrument 😂

[@realkylehooks]

@@andrecheongavocadojudo2114 Strandbergs are straight up badass, dude!

[@gitarmats]

Does the neck get sticky over time? Finished? Or is it smooth like an unfinished type of neck?

[@Ardoresprit]

i've been debating getting this guitar or the q54 for over a year