Saito Guitars S-521bCSJ Fighting Red 2025 (New)
Saito S-521bCSJ, Fighting Red, made in Japan 2025. This is the first Saito bass we've had through the shop, but I can confidently say it won't be the last. It's a seriously impressive instrument: I can't think of a modern-J style bass I've played that's better than this, and I've played many of the fanciest American, German and Japanese offerings going around. The model here breaks down like this: S series, five strings, twenty one frets, bass guitar, 'Classic Shape Jazz'. Saito offer an modern arched top bass, but this is their more trad cut, with a pickguard and all-over finish on the body. The body is lightweight, but perfectly balanced, and carved from two-piece centre-joined high grade alder. That's attached via a classy recessed aluminium neck plate to a solid wenge neck, which is really quite a statement piece. Wenge is an African rosewood species, favoured for it's beautiful grain lines, extremely high density and stability and outstanding resonance. The piece selected for this neck is as good as you could ever hope for: gorgeous swirling grain, carved and finished with frightful precision and an absolute pleasure to behold or feel. The even response up and down the board and the natural sustain and responsiveness are apparent from the first unplugged note: the thing rings like a bell. Plug it in, and it gets better. The house-made Saytone Vantage+ set are hand wound, passive alnico single coils, and they're a delight. The low end punch is extremely tight and fast, paired with a detailed, growling midrange and a crystal clear smooth top end. If you're playing detailed clean lines in a fusion, gospel or funk context, this will nail the brief. If you're smothering the tone in distortion and bombarding the world with death metal, hardcore or thrash stuff, this will nail the brief. The balance of clarity, kick and fullness is wildly impressive. Visually, it's a treat: the vibrant red looks awesome. Paired with a red logo on the headstock, the dark and moody wenge and a black guard and hardware... chef's kiss. Friend, you're gonna need to buy new cargo shorts to match.
SAITO GUITARS all feature these thoughtful details:
Compound radius fretboard for comfy feel down low and precise movement higher up the neck
Rolled fretboard edges for improved ergonomics
Wooden fretboard binding to hide fret ends and maximise smoothness
Luminlay side dots for easy visual reference on dark stages
Recessed aluminium neck joint plate paired with a curved heel to minimise weight and allow for easy access to the top frets
Gotoh MG-T locking tuners and 510 series bridges for excellent tuning stability
SAYTONE Hand Winding Pickups, all designed and wound by master craftsmen in house using the best of vintage and modern techniques and materials. Pickups was Saito's primary business for several years, so they're truly boutique quality
Model: Saito Guitars S-521bCSJ
Made: Japan, 2025, Kawaguchi Saitama workshop
Serial: 253342
Finish: Fighting Red, thin gloss urethane
Body: alder, Classic shape, two-piece centre join
Neck: wenge, wenge fretboard, 34" scale, 12-16" compound radius, Classic JB Grip shape, wenge fretboard binding, rolled fretboard edges, 47.6mm nut, 22mm deep at 1st fret, 25mm deep at 12th fret, 21 frets in Jescar FW-57110 Nickel Silver
Weight: 4.1kg
Mods: none
Pickups: SAYTONE Hand Winding Pickups: Five Vantage+ set, passive single coils
Accessories: Saito SHB-130 semi hard case, tools and docs
Cosmetic condition notes: brand new condition, no major marks. Note this bass has been used to film demo videos and played in store.
Overall: brand new condition (10/10)
Playing Condition Notes: Action is low, neck is straight, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electronics tested and working properly. Wearing fresh D'Addario EXL165-5 45-135 strings.
Fret life: 10/10, brand new