Ibanez S521-MOL

I'm not very experienced guitarist by any means but I do have certain expectations and demands in this price range. S521 is technically my second guitar, I swapped to it soon after buying my first one on Thomann, and guess what I think I'll hold on to it. What I was looking for is a) playing comfort, b) flexible tones, c) balanced build quality, and oh boy does this Gerät deliver in all departments!

Pros:
+ It's seriously light: this thing is second to none in terms of weight yet somehow sustains.
+ Thin contoured body & famously fast neck for ultimate playing comfort.
+ 5-way switch for quite a variety of tones (including pickups performing as singles). Now of course you don't expect strat tones from 2H layout (I didn't) but you're absolutely not doomed to metal tones only neither. There is certain flexibility to leverage from for sure.
+ Build: metal pickup frames, branded bridge, unfortunately non-locking yet pretty decent tuners (and it all matches!)
+ Looks, for those who appreciate natural satin finish, just like I do.

Cons:
- Little neck dive: I don't actually experience it because of the way I hold it in seating position but someone might. Just saying.
- QC: bridge pickup is slightly misaligned with strings, and there doesn't seem to be a way to fix this ever. The hole is just drilled 1-2 mm off. I don't care much since this doesn't affect tone in any comprehensive way yet might drive someone with OCD some big nuts.
- Looks: Ibanez could do a better job matching the headstock with the deck.

I received this guitar with a terrible problem/defect that I can't possibly fix by myself, and I think it should be sent back to the Ibanez factory for an inspection, so I'm returning it.
The third fret from the nut is way higher than the others, it's not level, and when I press the the B note on the 5th string (but also all the other notes and strings at the second fret) I hear a terrible buzz, caused by that third fret being too high and stuck in the way, and meddling with the vibration of the string, ruining the clean sound. (The same is not happening with any of the other frets, as when I press the notes on the first one I hear nothing of the kind.)
I tried adjusting the truss rod, but it won't fix the problem unless you lose the tension of the neck so much, to the point where it gets too concave, and it starts creating other intonation and fretting problems. The main issue here isn't the truss rod, but that 3rd fret which has most likely not been inserted or hammered into the wood properly. I won't mess with hammers to fix this, as I can easily damage the guitar; I won't mess with sand paper either, so it is a big: "There's NO WAY I can fix this".
This way this guitar is unusable to me, and I've decided to send it back, asking for a substitution or a refund if it's the case. What a shame, as I liked the design of its thin neck, and I think it's fun to play. I will wait what Thomman says and does, and I will update this review soon with more news, hoping I'll get a better S521 and that not all of them have this awful problem.


------- update, 27 - March - 2023:

I sent it back, and Thomman sent me a new one: this one is pristine, it has no protruding frets, it looks fine, seems new - with no signs of usage, unlike the previous one which had somehow a few tiny signs.
So, I'm quite happy now. I have to advice you that this guitar has no finish, its wood is kind of soft, so if you strum with passion you may dent or create scratches on it with your plectrum, so be careful.
You may need to adjust the truss rod a bit, to make the action the way you want it, and the intonation. I use it for live shows because of its weight: very light. It is nice to have a longer fret-board with up to 24 frets. I've no complaints.

First off, let me just say that when this guitar was first delivered to me, it was not set up at all, in fact it was very hard to play. I actually ended up paying an additional 50 EUR to a local guitar service to have the guitar properly set up. The neck was bent, to a point that even I, a newbie on this matter, could see the curve that shouldn't be there, and as a result the action around the 12th fret was obscenely high. The intonation was also off and needed fixing.

Having solved all those issues, however, I must say I am now starting to really appreciate this guitar. The strings (I have 10s on) feel kinda thicker than what same-gauge strings feel on my other guitar (an Ashton), but that is something that I can easily get used to. Now that it is properly set up, the guitar sounds really good, except for some minor fret buzzing (yes, even now!) which, for me at least, doesn't really get in the way.

In terms of building quality and aesthetics, this guitar is B-E-A-utiful. It is a work of art. I always have it at a prominent place in my living room, and I just stare at it while passing by. It is truly gorgeous in its simplicity. However, it is neck-heavy, not because it has a particularly heavy neck but rather because it has a VERY lightweight body, lol. Nevertheless, it is something that should be taken into consideration.

All in all, despite going through an phase of "oh God was this purchase a mistake?" because of the initial bad-setup shock, now that everything has been taken into consideration rationally, this guitar is really starting to repay me, and I'm optimistic that things will look up from now on.

This is my absolute favourite guitar. As soon as I picked it up, I knew it would become my trustworthy companion. The finish (MOL) is beautiful. I looks clean and natural, like carved straight out of a tree. The sound is very versatile, with an impressive width and depth. The guitar is also extremely light-weight and nicely balanced, which only adds to the wow-factor. I fell in love instantly, and my heart wept a bit when I had to send it back. The manufacturers had misaligned one of the bridge-holes which compromised the sound on the lower E-string. I am anxiously waiting for the identical replacement guitar!