Ibanez ICHI10 - Overview and Best Prices

Ibanez ICHI10 Review
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  • From Ibanez's 2021 ICHI series
  • Ichika Nito Signature
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 12" Fretboard Radius
  • Nyatoh body
  • 3pc Roasted Maple/Bubinga neck
  • Roasted Birdseye Maple fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: R1 (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Middle pickup: R1 (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: R1 (Single Coil/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Bell knobs
  • 5-way Switch
  • Ibanez Mono-Tune bridge
  • Wizard Bolt-On neck
  • 24 Jumbo Gold frets
  • At bridge tuners
  • Side-By-Side Comparison
Show Specs
Ibanez ICHI10 Specifications
Ibanez ICHI10
General
Brand: Ibanez
Year: 2021
Configuration: SSS
Strings: 6
Made in: Indonesia
Series: ICHI
Colors: White
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Type: Solid Body
Body Material: Nyatoh
Bridge: Ibanez Mono-Tune
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On
Tuners: At bridge
Fretboard: Roasted Birdseye Maple
Neck Material: 3pc Roasted Maple/Bubinga
Decoration: Mother of Pearl Step off-set dot
Scale Size: 25.5"
Shape: Wizard
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.71'' (18mm) - 12th Fret: 0.79'' (20.1mm)
Frets: 24 Jumbo Gold
Fretboard Radius: 12"
Nut: Plastic
Nut Width: 42mm (1.654'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: R1 (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup: R1 (Single Coil / Passive)
Neck Pickup: R1 (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 5
Knobs: Bell
Pickup Mods: Series Split
Volume Controls: 1
Tone Controls: 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: No
Hardware Color: Chrome
Show Diagram
Ibanez ICHI10 pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Ibanez ICHI10's switch options

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 78
Sound 69
Build quality 62
Value for money 75
Overall Score 70
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
Ibanez ICHI10
  • Gold Frets
  • Expensive Wood
  • Series Split 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

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $800, which means that the Ibanez ICHI10 costs around 25% more than the competition. It might be due to it having additional features, but know that you can find cheaper similar alternatives. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in Indonesia.

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User Reviews & Feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

Weight

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Tuning stability

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Neck speed (thickness)

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Neck access to high frets

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Neck profile shape

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Fret edges

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Pickups noise

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Pickups power

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Often Compared With

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Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Ibanez ICHI10's construction favors people with relatively small hands.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Ibanez ICHI10 meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's a good guitar to start with as a complete beginner. 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 to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

Ibanez ICHI10
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

Videos

I Tried Ichika's Headless Guitar... | 2022 Ibanez Ichika Nito Signature ICHI10 Quest Review + Demo
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The Ultimate Player's Guitar! The Brand New Ibanez ICHI10
"Awakening" on Ichika Nito Signature Guitar - Ibanez ICHI10

Playability

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Ibanez ICHI10's 25.5" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Ibanez ICHI10 Scale Length Comparison
Ibanez ICHI10's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This is the same scale length used in Stratocaster guitars, and it's one of the main reasons they have such a bright sound. It's considered a long scale when compared to most non-baritone guitars.

Since the distance between bridge and nut is relatively long, you'll need to give the strings more tension to get them in tune. This higher tension will allow for a couple of things. First, you can get a lower action (get the strings closer to the fretboard) because the strings won't 'wiggle' too much when pluck and won't cause fret buzz. This can allow you to use lower tunings without increasing your string gauge, and it will make it easier to press down the strings fast.

However, the frets will also have a wider separation between each other, which can make it harder to play, especially if you got small hands. The higher tension will also make the strings feel stiffer, so bending will require more strength.

More with the same scale length:

Neck Profile

Ibanez ICHI10 Neck Profile
Ibanez ICHI10's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

The Ibanez ICHI10's neck thickness is approximately 0.71'' (18mm) at the first fret, and 0.79'' (20.1mm) at the twelfth.

These measurements were taken either from the official Ibanez website, or, in case this information wasn't provided, by researching multiple online marketplaces and forums where owners of this model have posted their measurements.

It has a Wizard type neck. This is a neck profile invented by Ibanez in the 90s and perfected throughout the years. It's thinner than the C profile that most people like. It's not as thin as their 'Super Wizard' version, so it's a good option if you like thin necks, but like to have a bit of thickness for resting your hand while playing.

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

The Ibanez ICHI10 has a 12" fingerboard radius.

Here's an image comparing this fretboard radius to other popular choices:

Ibanez ICHI10 Fretboard Radius Comparison with Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul
Ibanez ICHI10's fretboard radius compared to others

This is the same radius that Gibson uses in most of their guitars. When compare to the other popular radius of Fender Stratocasters, you can see that it's a lot flatter. Guitars with this radius are usually made to bring a good balance between single-note and chord playing.

Compound radius fingerboards give the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the Ibanez ICHI10 has the same radius across the board.

More with the same fretboard radius:

Playability compared to main competitors

Ibanez ICHI10
This model
25.5'' Scale Length
Wizard Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
12'' Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.625'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
U Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
Compound Fretboard Radius
Multiscale Scale Length
U Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
13.78'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

Ibanez ICHI10 Nut Width
Ibanez ICHI10 Nut Width

The Ibanez ICHI10 has 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.

Frets

The Ibanez ICHI10 has 24 frets. A lot of people mistakenly believe that having more frets will always be better because it gives you a higher octave. This is certainly an advantage, but there's also a disadvantage to this.

Since the fretboard will be longer, the neck pickup will need to be placed closer to the bridge. And as you may know, the further away the neck pickup is from the bridge, the warmer it sounds. This means you'll have a brighter-sounding neck pickup when using a 24-fret guitar, even if you use the same pickup on a 22-fret guitar.

Finally, this guitar has EVO gold frets. These sit right between nickel silver and stainless steel in terms of durability. They have the plus of looking absolutely stunning thanks to the golden finish.

Fret Size

Ibanez ICHI10 Fret Size Comparison
Ibanez ICHI10's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Ibanez ICHI10's frets are Jumbo size. This is a tall fret size that is becoming increasingly popular because it makes it easier to press down the strings cleanly. With this fret size, you won't feel the fretboard when playing, so if you press down too hard, you will get the notes out of pitch. However, this is something you can overcome by getting used to the taller size.

More with the same type of frets:

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
Chord Playability 60
Solo Playability 90
Playability 78

Tone

Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.

Wood

Nyatoh wood pattern used for guitar building
Nyatoh Body
Roasted Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Roasted Maple Neck
Birdseye Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Birdseye Maple Fretboard

Nyatoh Body: It's a wood type found mainly in Indonesia. It's fairly hard and durable and is becoming popular for building guitars because it isn't expensive.

Roasted Maple Neck: Similar to simple Maple, but even stronger, darker, and more stable to temperature changes. This is thanks to the treatment process that consists in using high temperatures to drain the water, sugar, and resins from the wood.

Birdseye Maple Fretboard: This wood has beautiful patterns only found in specific types of maple.

More made with the same wood:

Pickups

Unfortunately, it doesn't come with pickups from one of the top brands. This doesn't mean you will get bad pickups, but you might want to consider a pickup upgrade after some time.

These are passive pickups, so you can expect a rounder sound and a moderade level of output.

The Ibanez ICHI10's configuration is SSS. This is the pickup configuration made famous by the Stratocaster. It gives you beautiful clean tones, but also a vintage-sounding distortion. This pickup combination will sound chimey, but you might be surprised at the warmness that you can get from a single-coil at the neck position on a 22-fret guitar. The disadvantage of this configuration is the hum noise that single-coils produce due to their nature.

More with the same pickups

Ibanez ICHI10
This model
24 Frets
Fixed Bridge
R1 Bridge Pickup
R1 Middle Pickup
R1 Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Fixed Bridge
Q58 Bridge Pickup
R1 Middle Pickup
R1 Neck Pickup
Ibanez Q54
Compare
24 Frets
Fixed Bridge
Q58 Bridge Pickup
R1 Middle Pickup
R1 Neck Pickup

Versatility

It gives you a good amount of tone options with its 5-way switch. You can use it to choose at least 5 different pickup combinations.

It has a Series Split option. Some pickups will be wired in series (the ground wire of one is connected to the hot wire of the other). This is how Humbuckers are usually connected, so you can expect a fuller sound with more output than two single-coils connected in parallel.

What music genre is it good for?

As a 6 strings, Solid Body guitar with SSS configuration and Passive pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Blues or similar. However, you can use almost any guitar for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.

Sound Score

Pickups 65
Sustain 70
Versatility 75
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 69

Build Quality

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Ibanez ICHI10 is made in Indonesia. Many people prefer the quality of an Indonesian guitar over a Chinese. Respectable brands like Epiphone, Ibanez and Schecter are building in this country because of the great quality and lower price. Some people like to compare them to the ones built in Japan during the 80s, when Japanese guitar makers made a name for themselves.

Still, remember that we're taking about Ibanez here, which is a brand with good renown. They know how to use cheap labor in this country without sacrificing too much quality. So you shouldn't end up receiving a useless or ugly instrument.

Bridge

Ibanez Mono-Tune: The advantage of fixed bridges is that they don't require any kind of set-up. This makes it extremely easy when changing strings because you don't need to adjust anything besides tuning the guitar. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. The disadvantage is the lack of versatility since you can't create the same vibrato effects as with tremolo bridges.

More with the same type of bridge:

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Ibanez ICHI10 has 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.

Neck Joint

The neck joint is the part where the neck of the guitar meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.

This guitar has a Bolt-On neck joint. Even though this type of neck was looked down upon for a long time, nowadays bolt-on necks are well built and provide just as much sustain as any other join method. First of all, it's cheap to make because it consists of simply 4 bolts that attach the neck to the body. And you can travel with the guitar more easily, swap out the neck if you damage it, or upgrade to a more comfortable neck later on.

More with the same build:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 56
Features 60
Quality Control 70
Build Quality 62