Swap
Swap
Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged
Ibanez Q52PB
VS
Playability
73
Sound
72
Build
74
Value
58
Score
73
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logoMusician's Friend logo
Playability
78
Sound
68
Build
63
Value
70
Score
70
FIND IT ON:
Musician's Friend logoSweetwater logo
Add more to comparison

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged vs Ibanez Q52PB

Reasons to Get
Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged over Ibanez Q52PB

Country of Manufacturing
United States vs Indonesia
Built with higher quality standards
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo vs Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Neck Profile
SlimTaper 60s C vs Wizard C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Pickups Brand
Gibson Custom vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Nut Material
Nylon vs Plastic
Resistant nut with good tuning stability
Body Type
Semi-Hollow vs Solid Body
Lighter and allows more gain than a hollowbody
Volume Knobs
2 vs 1
More volume control
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Nut Width
1.688'' (42.9mm) vs 1.654'' (42mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Paint Finish
Aged vs Poly
Paint has been artificially aged
Scale Length
24.75'' (628.7mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone

Reasons to Get
Ibanez Q52PB over Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged

Decorative Top
Poplar Burl vs None
Finished with beautiful natural wood patterns
Fret Material
Gold vs Nickel Silver
Almost as durable as stainless steel with an exotic look
Release Year
2023 vs 2022
From a more recent year
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Type of Frets
Jumbo vs Medium Jumbo
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Neck Profile
Wizard C vs SlimTaper 60s C
Thin neck for playing fast
Pickup Mods
Coil Tap vs None
Lowers output of humbucker coil to create a single coil sound
Neck Joint
Bolt-On vs Set
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Body Type
Solid Body vs Semi-Hollow
Feedback free
Switch Positions
5 vs 3
More tone options
Number of Frets
24 vs 22
Allows to reach higher notes
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm) vs 1.688'' (42.9mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Luminescent Sidedots
Yes vs None
Assists you when playing in dark environments
Paint Finish
Poly vs Aged
Resistant paint that ages well
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 24.75'' (628.7mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Value Score
70 vs 58
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged vs Ibanez Q52PB

Bridge Pickup
Custombucker Alnico III (Unpotted) vs Q58
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Custombucker Alnico III (Unpotted) vs Q58
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Maple vs Nyatoh
Different Body Wood
Neck Wood
Mahogany vs Roasted Maple
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood vs Birdseye Maple
Different Fretboard Wood
Headstock
3-3 vs Headless
Different Headstock
Nut Material
Nylon vs Plastic
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged vs Ibanez Q52PB

Strings
6
Same playing style
Pickups
HH
High output without hum
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Frets
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Table of Contents

Price History Comparison

SET PRICE ALERT
SET PRICE ALERT

These are affiliate links. We may earn a fee if you purchase after clicking. These prices are prone to error. Make sure you're buying the right product after clicking on a link from our site. We are not liable if you buy the wrong product after following these links. As an Amazon Associate site we earn from qualifying purchases.

Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged is probably the better product overall with its final score of 73 compared to the Ibanez Q52PB's 70 score, although not by a lot.

The Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Ibanez Q52PB has the upper hand when it comes to playability, value for the money.

If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Ibanez Q52PB is the better choice.

The Ibanez Q52PB meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged meets only 4. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

New Player Friendliness

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Ibanez Q52PB
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged Overview

  • From Gibson Custom's 2022 Murphy Lab series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 24.75"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • 3-Ply Maple/Poplar/Maple body
  • Mahogany neck
  • Indian Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Custombucker Alnico III (Unpotted) (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Custombucker Alnico III (Unpotted) (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 2 volume and 2 tone Bell knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Lightweight Aluminum Stop Bar bridge
  • SlimTaper 60s C Set neck
  • 22 Medium Jumbo frets
  • Kluson Single Line, Double Ring tuners
  • Weight between 7.8lbs (3.5kgs) and 8lbs (3.6kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Ibanez Q52PB Overview

  • From Ibanez's 2023 Q series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Poplar Burl top
  • Nyatoh body
  • 3pc Roasted Maple/Bubinga neck
  • Roasted Birdseye Maple fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Q58 (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Q58 (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 5-way Switch
  • Ibanez Mono-Tune bridge
  • Wizard C Bolt-On neck
  • 24 Jumbo Gold frets
  • Ibanez tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

Woods Used in the Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood
Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.

Woods Used in the Ibanez Q52PB

Roasted Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Roasted Maple
Birdseye Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Birdseye Maple
Nyatoh wood pattern used for guitar building
Nyatoh

Roasted Maple is just maple without a finish. It's technically cheaper than regular maple, but it doesn't have any extra disadvantages because of this. The color is darker, and it's lighter weight and very stable even when there's a lot of humidity.

This wood has beautiful patterns only found in specific types of maple.

Nyatoh has been replacing Mahogany for guitar building. It's fairly hard, durable, more sustentable and common than Mahogany. Find out more about Nyatoh.

Winner: Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged.

Pickup Configuration

Both pickup configurations are HH. Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

Pickups Quality

The Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged has pickups from a more specialized brand than the Ibanez Q52PB. Its pickups should simply give you a better, fuller sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Jazz and similar genres.

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged.

Versatility Comparison

Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

Switch Options

The Ibanez Q52PB gives you 5 switch options while the Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged gives you 3. This means that the Ibanez Q52PB gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Only the Ibanez Q52PB comes with some kind of pickup modification: Coil Tap.

Coil Tap is similar to Coil Split but it works a bit differently. Instead of completely cancelling one of the coils of the humbucker, it only cuts part of the output once activated. Some people believe this gives the split pickups a more real single-coil sound.

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged's switch options
Ibanez Q52PB pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Ibanez Q52PB's switch options

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Ibanez Q52PB.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged
Pickups 90
Sustain 75
Versatility 53
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 72
Ibanez Q52PB
Pickups 55
Sustain 80
Versatility 72
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 68

Build Quality Comparison

When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged compares to the Ibanez Q52PB.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged is built in United States while the Ibanez Q52PB is made in Indonesia.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.

Winner: Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged

Nut Material

If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

The Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged has a Nylon nut. It used to be one of the highest quality materials for nuts (and still is), but it's rare to find nowadays because it's hard to work with. It's a very resistant material with very low friction, so it will keep the guitar in tune and will last for a long time

On the other hand, the Ibanez Q52PB comes with a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.

Winner: Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged.

Fret Material

Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

In this comparison, the Ibanez Q52PB is the only one that has stainless steel frets. These frets will basically last for the entire life of the guitar. They will never need polishing nor replacement. And not only that, but some people also notice that bending and vibratos are much easier to perform when they upgrade to stainless steel.

Winner: Ibanez Q52PB.

Bridge

The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

Both come with a similar bridge: Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

Winner: Tie.

Tuners

In this case, the Ibanez Q52PB has no machine heads because it is a headless guitar. Instead, the strings are tuned at the bridge. This gives the guitar a better balance and will prevent neck dives. It also makes it more travel friendly.

Winner: Tie.

Neck Joint

Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

The Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged has a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.

On the other hand, the Ibanez Q52PB comes with Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.

Winner: Ibanez Q52PB.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Nylon Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Ibanez Q52PB
  • Gold Frets
  • Expensive Wood
  • Coil Tap Pickups
  • Luminescent Inlay
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No High-Quality Nut
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged
Quality of materials 66
Features 55
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 74
Ibanez Q52PB
Quality of materials 55
Features 60
Quality Control 75
Build Quality 63

Playability Comparison

Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

Nut Width

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged Nut Width
Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged Nut Width
Ibanez Q52PB Nut Width
Ibanez Q52PB Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged has the wider nut with 42.9mm (1.688'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 0.9mm (0.034'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged's Scale Length
Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged's Scale Length
Ibanez Q52PB's Scale Length
Ibanez Q52PB's Scale Length

The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

The Ibanez Q52PB has the longest scale: 25.5". The Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.75'' (19.1mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

Neck Profile

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged Neck Profile
Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged's neck profile
Ibanez Q52PB Neck Profile
Ibanez Q52PB's neck profile

No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

The Ibanez Q52PB, on the other hand, has a Wizard neck. This is thinner than most C-type necks. It won't get in your way if you want to play fast solos. It's not as slim as 'Super Wizard' necks, so it might fit you better if you don't like ultra-thin necks.

Fretboard Radius

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged Fingerboard Radius
Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

Both the Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged and the Ibanez Q52PB have the same fretboard radius of 12". This is the radius used in most Gibson guitars. It gives you a good balance for playing chords without muting, but also good comfortability for playing single notes and bending.

Hand Size Comfortability

Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.

After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Ibanez Q52PB:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged Frets Size
Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged's Frets Size
Ibanez Q52PB Frets Size
Ibanez Q52PB's Frets Size

The Ibanez Q52PB has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged's Medium Jumbo frets.

Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.

Final Playability Scores

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 70
Playability 73
Ibanez Q52PB
Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 60
Solo Playability 90
Playability 78

Specs Side-by-Side

Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged vs Ibanez Q52PB
General Gibson Custom 1961 ES-335 Ultra Light Aged Ibanez Q52PB
Brand: Gibson Custom Ibanez
Year: 2022 2023
Configuration: HH HH
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States Indonesia
Series: Murphy Lab Q
Colors: Red Natural
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Semi-Hollow Solid Body
Body Material: 3-Ply Maple/Poplar/Maple Nyatoh
Bridge: Lightweight Aluminum Stop Bar Ibanez Mono-Tune
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Bolt-On
Tuners: Kluson Single Line, Double Ring Ibanez
Fretboard: Indian Rosewood Roasted Birdseye Maple
Neck Material: Mahogany 3pc Roasted Maple/Bubinga
Decoration: Pearloid Dot Mother of Pearl Step off-set dot
Scale Size: 24.75" 25.5"
Shape: SlimTaper 60s C Wizard C
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver 24 Jumbo Gold
Fretboard Radius: 12" 12"
Nut: Nylon Plastic
Nut Width: 42.9mm (1.688'') 42mm (1.654'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Custombucker Alnico III (Unpotted) (Humbucker / Passive) Q58 (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Custombucker Alnico III (Unpotted) (Humbucker / Passive) Q58 (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 5 Way
Knobs: Bell Dome
Pickup Mods: None Coil Tap
Volume Controls: 2 1
Tone Controls: 2 1