NAMM 2019: Will the Ibanez Joe Satriani JS1CR keep its Chrome Boy finish?

02 Jan 2019 by Jef |

5,0 / 5,0 | Approximate reading time: 2 Minutes

NAMM 2019- Ibanez Joe Satriani JS1CR 'Chrome Boy' · Source: Ibanez

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Ibanez has announced a Joe Satriani JS1CR ‘Chrome Boy’ guitar it says is to appear at NAMM 2019. It’s the latest iteration of the famous shred guitarist’s signature model. In the past, buyers had reported problems with the finish (it flaked off, apparently). Has Ibanez found a way to make it stick?

Ibanez Joe Satriani JS1CR

I wrote about a previous variation of this guitar, the JS1CR30 annioversary edition. The new version has a simpler name, JS1CR, so perhaps Ibanez has decided to offer this as a production model in 2019. Or maybe it’s just sorted out the ‘finish-flaking’ issues.

The Joe Satriani JS1CR has a three-piece maple/bubinga neck with a rosewood fingerboard loaded with 24 frets and mother of pearl dot inlays. The fretwork has seen Ibanez’s ‘Prestige’ fret edge treatment, so it should feel super smooth under your hand. With an alder body and an amazing chrome finish, it certainly will stand out from the crowd.

Sustain forever…

The guitar comes with Joe’s signature DiMarzio Satchur8 humbucking pickup in the bridge position, so expect it to be articulate and able to handle all manner of high-gain tones.

It also comes with a SUSTAINIAC Driver in the neck position which is wired to a Stealth PRO preamp tweaked and tuned especially for Joe. The SUSTAINIAC Driver creates endless sustain and so it gives you more ways to play and interact with the guitar. It comes wired via a three-way Sustainiac mode selector switch: Normal sustains the fundamental; Mix sustains the fundamental and overtone while Harmonic sustains just the overtone.

Ibanez Joe Satriani Chrome Boy 2019

The Edge

There is also a high-pass filter on the volume pot which helps maintain high frequencies when used at lower volumes with your volume knob backed off. Also included is the Ibanez JS/Edge Tremolo system that should let you dive bomb and squeal your notes to your heart’s content and still stay in tune. We hear that the JS1CR also includes a ‘special case’ to protect its unique finish from damage during transportation, but no details are available yet.

It looks like the classic ‘Chrome Boy’ model has been adapted for 2019 and I know that a lot of players will be watching with bated breath to find out exactly how much it will cost once it is finally released. I know I am!

RRP – TBC