Ibanez JS140M vs Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline
Reasons to Get
Ibanez JS140M over Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline
Reasons to Get
Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline over Ibanez JS140M
Other Key Differences
Ibanez JS140M vs Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline
Shared Features
Ibanez JS140M vs Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
Common Weaknesses
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline is probably the better product overall with its final score of 71 compared to the Ibanez JS140M's 68 score, although not by a lot.
The Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline wins when it comes to playability, build quality. On the other hand, the Ibanez JS140M has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Ibanez JS140M is easier to play.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline is the better choice.
The Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Ibanez JS140M 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
Ibanez JS140M- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
New Player Friendliness
Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- 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.
Ibanez JS140M Overview
- From Ibanez's 2020 JS series
- Joe Satriani Signature
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 10" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- Maple neck
- Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Quantum Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Infinity RD (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Edge-Zero II tremolo bridge
- JS Bolt-On neck
- 24 Medium frets
- Ibanez tuners
- Compare Specs >
Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline Overview
- From Fender's 2020 Artist series
- Jim Adkins Signature
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 9.5" Fretboard Radius
- Semi-Hollow Ash body
- Maple neck
- Indian Laurel fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan SP90-3 Custom P-90 (Single Coil/Passive)
- 2 volume and 2 tone Bell knobs
- 3-way Switch
- 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Adjusto-Matic with Anchored-Tailpiece bridge
- Modern C Neck-Through neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo frets
- Standard Cast/Sealed tuners
- Weight between 7.35lbs (3.3kgs) and 7.6lbs (3.4kgs)
- 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 Both
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 JS140M
Basswood is a lightweight type of wood that isn't as expensive as other popular choices for guitar building. It gives more power to the mid-range frequencies. Its color can vary from pale white to light brown. Find out more about Basswood.
Woods Used in the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline
There are many types of Laurel, but East Indian is the most common for guitar building. Its color can vary from dark to light brown with black lines. Many people find its tonality similar to Rosewood, which favors the warmer frequencies. Find out more about Laurel.
Ash is a type of wood that Fender used almost exclusively in the 50s, and it's still used by many brands. It's a dense wood with a light color that works well for a transparent, natural finish because of its beautiful patterns. In terms of sound, it's known for emphasizing the mid and high frequencies, but with strong low end. Find out more about Ash.
Winner: Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline.
Pickup Configuration
The Ibanez JS140M has an HH configuration while the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline has P90P90 pickups.
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.
On the other hand, P90P90 gives you two P90s for a crunchy vintage tone. The tone sits somewhere in the middle between typical single-coils and humbuckers. They also produce less hum than single-coils, but they don't cancel it completely like humbuckers.
Pickups Quality
The Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline pickups from a more specialized brand than the Ibanez JS140M. Its pickups should give you a fuller, richer sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Blues and similar genres.
We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline's online:
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: Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline.
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
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Only the Ibanez JS140M comes with some kind of pickup modification: Coil Split.
Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.
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 JS140M.
Final Sound Quality Scores
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 Ibanez JS140M compares to the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Indonesia.
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: Tie
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 Ibanez JS140M has a Locking nut. Instead of a regular nut, this guitar has a locking system that will lock down the strings at the nut, preventing it from getting out of tune. It removes one of the disadvantages of tremolo bridges, tune stability.
On the other hand, the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline comes with a Synthetic Bone nut. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.
Winner: Tie.
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.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
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.
The Ibanez JS140M's brige is a Edge Zero II. This is a cheaper version of Ibanez's Edge Zero bridges. It comes with the same locking stud bolts that lock down into the body and provide better stabilization, and with easier adjustment of the springs without having to remove the backplate thanks to a thumb-screw. However, the intonation in this cheaper version will require additional work.
Edge Zero IIs that come with the ZPS3 Zero Point system have two extra springs that help return the tremolo to the neutral position faster. These bridges offer tons of versatility, but they also require more work than simpler tremolos to set up.
On the other hand, the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline's is a 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: Ibanez JS140M.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Ibanez JS140M's are Ibanez while the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline's are Standard Cast/Sealed
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 Ibanez JS140M has a 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.
On the other hand, the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline comes with Neck-Through neck joint. This neck is a lot more resistant and lets builders give the neck joint a more comfortable shape for soloing at the upper frets. The disadvantage is that they're more expensive and that if you damage your neck, you can't simply replace it like with bolt-on necks.
Winner: Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Ibanez JS140M
- Locking Nut
- Coil Split Pickups
- Tremolo
- Retainer Bar
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No Expensive Woods
- No Top Brand Pickups
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline
- Expensive Wood
- Synthetic Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
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
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 42mm (1.654'').
This is considered a narrow width for a 6-string guitar. This means that this guitar will have a narrower string separation at the nut, which will affect your fretting hand.
If you are a player with big hands, you might find it difficult to play chords without muting strings. However, this is good for players who have smaller hands, as it will allow them to reach each string more easily at the nut.
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 JS140M has the longest scale: 25.5". The Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline 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
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.
Both the Ibanez JS140M and the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline have a C-shaped 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.
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.
In this case, the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Ibanez JS140M's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Ibanez JS140M.
Still, both are closer to a Stratocaster radius than a Les Paul, so both of them will favor chord playing rather than soloing.
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.
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline favors large hands more than the Ibanez JS140M. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Ibanez JS140M:
Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline:
Fret Size
The Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline has Medium Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Ibanez JS140M's Medium 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.
