Saito S-622JMC, moss green, made in Japan 2024. If this one suddenly disappears off the shop website sometime very soon, most likely I've given in and it's come to live at my house, sorry everybody. The model here means six strings, twenty two frets, JM Concept. Saito's twist on the offset shape gives it a gorgeous modern minimalist kick: a matched centre-joined high grade alder body, with a smooth carved top, simple beautiful hardware, a recessed neck plate, and their superb Standard Grip neck. The neck carved from some top notch hard rock maple and Indian rosewood to a moderate modern C shape, with a sneaky 10-12" compound radius, bound and rolled edges and an ergonomic heel. It's a seriously playable neck: so fast and easy it's frightful, but not really that skinny, just wondrously comfy. The pickups are Saito's own Saytone 'Flat Head' head: meticulously hand-scatter-wound pancake style single coils. They're very close indeed to original early 60s JM pickups: bright and open, with a gorgeous sweetness on the top end and a woody, dry midrange. The string separation and articulation on offer is extremely impressive, and it translates to both shimmering, full clean tones and articulate, harmonically rich dirty sounds. The rich dark green satin top is a classy contrast against the natural finish back, and the gold Gotoh hardware ties it all together with panache. Play it and resist if you can.

SAITO GUITARS aim is simple: to create 'Simple and Beautiful Tools'. Company founder Masaaki Saito opened a guitar repair shop in Tokyo in 1991, diligently bringing out the  best in customers' guitars for twenty years before turning his attention to product design. In 2011, Saito's SAYTONE Hand Wiring pickups were released, offering gorgeous vintage-inspired pickups wound totally by hand by master craftsmen. In 2015, they launched their solid body S series guitars. The design philosophy is all about functional beauty: stripping away everything that doesn't contribute to function and playability, in order to serve modern players pursuing an increasingly diverse mix of genres and applications. Masaaki calls it 'Beautility'.

SAITO GUITARS all feature these thoughtful details:
Compound radius fretboard for comfy chords down low and precise movement and easy bends 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-622JMC
Made: Japan, 2024
Serial: 242752
Finish: moss green, satin poly
Body: alder, 'modern archtop' shape, 45mm deep
Neck: maple, Indian rosewood cap fretboard, 25.5" scale, 10-12" compound radius, 'Standard Grip' profile, rosewood fretboard binding, rolled fretboard edges, 42mm nut, 21mm deep at 1st fret, 24mm deep at 12th fret, Jescar FW-51100 Nickel Silver frets
Weight: 3.4kg
Mods: none
Pickups: SAYTONE Hand Winding Pickups. Flat Head pancake-wind single coil x2
Accessories: Saito SHE-150L semi hard case, tools and docs

Cosmetic condition notes: brand new condition, no major marks. Note this guitar 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 10/46 D'Addario strings.
Fret life: 10/10, brand new