Part of Ibanez's boundary-pushing Quest series, the Q52 vaunts a headless design built from the ground up to maximize tone, performance, and playing comfort. While this solidbody electric guitar is extremely lightweight, its ergonomic nyatoh body resonates with rich, woody tones that belie its compact profile. Technically minded players will be blown away by the zero-drag feel of the Q52's Wizard "C" neck, and its heat-treated bird's-eye maple fingerboard is as playable as it is visually appealing. This headless guitar's made-to-measure pickups exude amazing levels of articulation and definition that are bolstered by Ibanez's acclaimed dyna-MIX10 switching system. Rock-solid hardware, including a custom string lock and innovative Mono Tune bridge, ensures easy string changes and ultra-reliable, stage-worthy performance. Jescar EVO gold frets round out the Q52's generous features. If you've been hunting for the perfect headless electric guitar — or even if you're considering your first headless instrument — the Ibanez Q52 is guaranteed to unlock unlimited creative possibilities.

Wizard "C" neck makes complex playing techniques easier

The Q52 was built for high-level, technical playing styles, evidenced by its Wizard "C" neck. Crafted from maple and bubinga, this ultra-stable 3-piece neck offers an extremely neutral feel that's tailor-made for high-performance fretwork. The Q52's heat-treated bird's-eye maple fingerboard not only turns heads, its 12-inch radius yields incredible playability in every position. This headless solidbody electric guitar also includes Jescar EVO gold frets, which ensure long-lasting durability and effortless note bending. The guitarists here at Music Experience have found the Q52 to be incredibly versatile — it offers a zero-drag playing experience for technical metal, jazz-rock fusion, and any experimental genre you throw at it. If your personal style involves complex playing techniques, the Q52 will permit you to play cleaner and faster than you ever thought possible.

Made-to-measure pickups yield an endless array of tones

Designed especially for headless guitars, the Ibanez Q52's Q58 humbuckers churn out divine sonic textures with astonishing levels of articulation and definition — a must-have for elaborate riffing and intricate, rapid-fire leads. The tonal balance of these pickups is unprecedented throughout the instrument's entire range. Plug into your favorite amp, and you'll experience muscular lows that are completely devoid of muddiness and mix-piercing highs that eschew harshness for a sublime-sounding clarity that enables every note within a chord structure to be heard. These pickups exhibit little self-noise, even in high-gain applications, and they play nice with both digital and analog effects. The Q52 incudes dyna-MIX10 switching, which provides 10 different pickup combinations via an Alter Switch and 5-way lever switch. No matter the genre, the Q52 can achieve the sound you're hearing in your head.

State-of-the-art hardware that can withstand aggressive playing styles

The Q52 is teeming with cutting-edge, near-bulletproof hardware. Its custom string lock boast a straightforward one-piece design that's not only highly durable, but it also requires little maintenance. String changes are a breeze, and because the Q52 doesn't require a proprietary set of strings, you can use whatever time-tested gauge and brand you'd like. You'll also appreciate the Mono Tune bridge. This expertly crafted bridge facilitates a wide intonation range, which makes down tuning a piece of cake. This headless guitar's Mono Tune bridge is also a cinch to adjust, and its streamlined saddle design lends a natural, organic character to every note you play.

What Ibanez Says...

With new developments in instrument technology, the prominence of more technical playing styles, and players’ desire for lighter, more portable instruments, today’s headless guitars are pushing far beyond designs of the past. However, even with all these advancements, Ibanez still saw an exciting opportunity in this space. The Q or Quest series is an entirely new concept for Ibanez. The “Quest” in this case was to not just to adapt an existing instrument into a headless design, but to develop an entirely new guitar from the ground up. This range features a number of unique elements intended to maximize tone, performance, and playing comfort. These include, custom designed R1 single coil and Q58 humbucker pickups, a new Mono-Tune bridge, and a proprietary custom string locking mechanism. The QX subseries is also equipped with innovative 8-degree inward slanted frets, uniquely tailoring their ergonomics to the benefit of highly technical players. Ultimately, this series offers a diverse and versatile enough feature set to attract not only the modern, technical guitarist, but also players who may have never even considered a headless guitar before. Regardless of genre, Q (Quest) allows guitarists of every background to question the full scope of their creative possibilities.

Wizard C 3pc Roasted Maple/Bubinga neck

To meet the demand of various playing styles, this Wizard C neck has a very neutral shape – it’s not too thick, too thin, or too flat. The 3pc Roasted Maple/Bubinga construction also offers great stability and long-term durability.

Roasted Birdseye Maple fretboard

The beautiful Birdseye Maple fretboard imbues this model with an exotic appearance . The fretboard is heat-treated for a balanced attack and rich sustain.

Jescar EVOgold™ frets

Jescar EVOgold™ frets are known for their bright tone, gorgeous appearance, and excellent features such as long-lasting durability and smooth note bending.

Poplar Burl top / Nyatoh body

The Poplar Burl top features an exotic wood grain and the Nyatoh body provides a rich mid-low end.

Q58 H-H pickups

Q58 pickups are designed specifically for use in headless guitars. They provide a clearly defined sound, facilitating excellent tonal balance through all frequencies. The lows are powerful without being muddy, and the highs are bright and clear, but never harsh. As a result, every single note within the chord structure is well defined, and clearly audible. These pickups, with their tonal balance, and extremely low noise performance, work extremely well with both digital and analog effects.

Custom string lock

This custom string lock is one-piece unit that features very simple construction. This means the hardware requires less maintenance, is highly durable, and allows for very easy string changes. Additionally, no proprietary string is required, so you can continue to use your favorite gauge and brand.

Mono-Tune bridges

The Mono-Tune bridges offer a wide intonation range so that you can easily set the instrument up for tuning down a whole step or even further. The string height is also easily adjustable, and each saddle generally has less material, which leads to more natural and organic tone.

dyna-MIX10 switching system with Alter Switch

The dyna-MIX 10 offers ten sound variations and can easily switch from humbucker and single coil modes with the mini switch. The power Tap mode provides a realistic single coil sound despite its two humbucker pickup layouts.

Ergonomic body design 

The body features a number of strategically placed curves on both the top and back of the instrument. This complex, yet sophisticated design provides maximum playing comforts.

Compact and light-weight, yet resonant body 

While it is really compact and light-weight, its non-chambered, solid body provides great sound with rich woody tones.