Swap
Swap
Ibanez JS2480
Ibanez JS2450
VS
Playability
68
Sound
86
Build
69
Value
64
Score
74
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logo
Playability
68
Sound
80
Build
69
Value
62
Score
72
FIND IT ON:
Sweetwater logo
Add more to comparison

Ibanez JS2480 vs JS2450

Reasons to Get
Ibanez JS2480 over JS2450

Release Year
2018 vs 2014
From a more recent year
Pickup Mods
Sustainer vs Coil Split
Infinite sustain when activated
Pickups
HS vs HH
High output with bright neck cleans
Value Score
64 vs 62
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Ibanez JS2450 over JS2480

Pickup Mods
Coil Split vs Sustainer
Splits humbuckers into single coil pickups
Pickups
HH vs HS
High output without hum

Other Key Differences
Ibanez JS2480 vs JS2450

Bridge Pickup
DiMarzio Satchur8 vs DiMarzio Mo Joe
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Sustainiac vs DiMarzio Satch Track
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Basswood vs Alder
Different Body Wood

Shared Features
Ibanez JS2480 vs JS2450

Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood
Same Fretboard Wood
Headstock
6
Same Headstock
Nut Material
Locking
Same Nut Material
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Switch Positions
3
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
1
Same tone control
Number of Frets
24
Same maximum octave
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.79'' (20.1mm)
Same neck comfortability
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.88'' (22.4mm)
Same neck comfortability
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm)
Same string separation at the nut
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Edge
Intense vibratos with more features than a Floyd Rose
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Fretboard Radius
10'' (254mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Type of Frets
Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Retainer Bar
  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Weight Relief
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • 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 Ibanez JS2480 is probably the better product overall with its final score of 74 compared to the Ibanez JS2450's 72 score, although not by a lot.

The Ibanez JS2480 wins when it comes to sound, value for the money. On the other hand, the Ibanez JS2450 has the upper hand when it comes to.

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?

Both meet 3 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. 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. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.

New Player Friendliness

Ibanez JS2480
  • Comfortable shape
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners
  • Easy-to-use bridge

New Player Friendliness

Ibanez JS2450
  • Comfortable shape
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners
  • Easy-to-use bridge

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 JS2480 Overview

  • From Ibanez's 2018 JS series
  • Joe Satriani Signature
  • Made in Japan
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 10" Fretboard Radius
  • Basswood body
  • 3pc Maple/Bubinga neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: DiMarzio Satchur8 (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Sustainiac (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Edge tremolo bridge
  • JS Bolt-On neck
  • 24 Medium frets
  • Ibanez tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Ibanez JS2450 Overview

  • From Ibanez's 2014 JS series
  • Joe Satriani Signature
  • Made in Japan
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 10" Fretboard Radius
  • Alder body
  • 3pc Maple/Bubinga neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: DiMarzio Mo Joe (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: DiMarzio Satch Track (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Edge tremolo bridge
  • JS Bolt-On neck
  • 24 Medium 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 Both

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

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.

Woods Used in the Ibanez JS2480

Basswood wood pattern used for guitar building
Basswood

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 Ibanez JS2450

Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder

Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.

Winner: Tie.

Pickup Configuration

The Ibanez JS2480 has an HS configuration while the Ibanez JS2450 has HH pickups.

An HS configuration gives you a bridge pickup with a lot of output for playing distortion parts, but you'll also have the bright sound of a Tele or Strat neck pickup for your clean tones.

On the other hand, 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

Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.

We found the same or similar pickups to the Ibanez JS2450'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: Tie.

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.

Both give you different pickup mod options.

The Ibanez JS2480 offers Sustainer.

The pickups with Sustainer are able to recreate the 'feedback' you get when you hold your guitar near a speaker without muting the strings. This allows them to produce infinite sustain that you can use for as long as you want to create interest sounds and harmonics.

On the other hand, the Ibanez JS2450 comes with the following: 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.

Ibanez JS2480 pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Ibanez JS2480's switch options
Ibanez JS2450 pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Ibanez JS2450'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 JS2450.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Ibanez JS2480
Pickups 85
Sustain 100
Versatility 74
Tuning Stability 85
Sound 86
Ibanez JS2450
Pickups 85
Sustain 70
Versatility 79
Tuning Stability 85
Sound 80

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 JS2480 compares to the Ibanez JS2450.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Japan.

Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.

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.

In this case, both have Locking nuts. 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.

Both models come with a retainer bar, which is helpful when changing the strings on a double-locking tremolo. Without it, the strings would change pitch once you lock down the nut, so you'd have to make more micro-adjustments at the bridge to tune it correctly

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.

Both come with a similar bridge: Edge. This is a double-locking tremolo system designed by Ibanez. It's a tremolo inspired by Floyd Roses but with its own design improvements, like a push-in arm, better-positioned fine-tuners for more right-hand comfortability, replaceable knife edges, and more mass for more sustain. These bridges offer tons of versatility, but they also require more work than simpler tremolos to set up.

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

Both come with regular tuners. Both come with Ibanez.

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.

Both have 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.

Winner: Tie.

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

Strengths & Weaknesses
Ibanez JS2480
  • Made in Japan
  • Expensive Wood
  • Locking Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Sustainer Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Retainer Bar
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Ibanez JS2450
  • Made in Japan
  • Expensive Wood
  • Locking Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Coil Split Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Retainer Bar
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Ibanez JS2480
Quality of materials 41
Features 70
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 69
Ibanez JS2450
Quality of materials 41
Features 70
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 69

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

Ibanez JS2480 Nut Width
Both Guitars Have The Same Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 43mm (1.693'').

This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Scale Length

Ibanez JS2480 and Ibanez JS2450's Scale Length
Both have the same 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.

In this case, both have a scale length of 25.5".

This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.

However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.

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

Ibanez JS2480 Neck Profile
Both guitars have the same 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 JS2480 and the Ibanez JS2450 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

Ibanez JS2480 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 Ibanez JS2480 and the Ibanez JS2450 have the same fretboard radius of 10". This is slightly flatter than the typical modern Stratocaster, but not by a lot. This radius will make it comfortable to play chords without muting strings accidentally. However, when compared to Strats, the extra .5 inches radius will make it slightly more comfortable to play solos without sacrificing too much chord playability.

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 .

Ibanez JS2480:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Ibanez JS2450:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Ibanez JS2480 and Ibanez JS2450 Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium fret size

Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.

Final Playability Scores

Ibanez JS2480
Bending & Vibrato Ease 65
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 75
Playability 68
Ibanez JS2450
Bending & Vibrato Ease 65
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 75
Playability 68

Specs Side-by-Side

Ibanez JS2480 vs JS2450
General Ibanez JS2480 JS2450
Brand: Ibanez Ibanez
Year: 2018 2014
Configuration: HS HH
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Japan Japan
Series: JS JS
Colors: Red Purple
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Basswood Alder
Bridge: Edge tremolo Edge tremolo
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Ibanez Ibanez
Fretboard: Rosewood Rosewood
Neck Material: 3pc Maple/Bubinga 3pc Maple/Bubinga
Decoration: Mother of Pearl dot Mother of Pearl dot
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: JS JS
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.79'' (20.1mm) - 12th Fret: 0.88'' (22.4mm) 1st Fret: 0.79'' (20.1mm) - 12th Fret: 0.88'' (22.4mm)
Frets: 24 Medium Nickel Silver 24 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 10" 10"
Nut: Locking Locking
Nut Width: 43mm (1.693'') 43mm (1.693'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: DiMarzio Satchur8 (Humbucker / Passive) DiMarzio Mo Joe (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Sustainiac (Humbucker / Passive) DiMarzio Satch Track (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Dome Dome
Pickup Mods: Sustainer Coil Split
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 1 1