Saito Guitars S-622TLC Mustard 2024 (New)
Saito S-622TLC, mustard finish, made in Japan 2024. 'Waiter, bring me a butterscotch T style, but, make it absolutely eye-wateringly stupendous...'. coming right up madam. The model number here stands for six strings, twenty two frets, TL concept. There's a couple of things that make this a little different from a regular fifties style job: first, the body. It's swamp ash, and extremely carefully selected, lightweight, two-piece matched centre-joined stuff at that, but you get a belly carve, recessed neck plate and a carved top for reduced weight and increased comfort. The thing rings like a bell too, it's crazy. The neck awe-inspiring: solid African wenge, carved to a moderate C shape, with a subtle compound 10-12" radius and rolled and bound edges and an access-heel join. It feels incredible: not super skinny, but so comfy and intuitive that the thing basically plays itself, so it's got a foot in the shred camp for sure. Saito's primary business for years was their Saytone pickups, so this has a gorgeous set of handwound humbuckers on deck. The neck position is a Sledgeα, a PAF-style offering with a gorgeous open chime on the top end, breathy mids with a gooey complexity and a vocal-esque percussive low end. The bridge slot gets a Bore Up, which is wound a little hotter and delivers a creamy sustain with outstanding string separation and balance with plenty of girth through the mids. They split via a push/push tone control, and the single coil tones are very enjoyable too. To say this is classy is a huge understatement: it's James Bond stuff.
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-622TLC
Made: Japan, 2024
Serial: 242761
Finish: mustard, open pore style, satin poly
Body: swamp ash, 'modern archtop' shape, 45mm deep
Neck: wenge, wenge cap fretboard, 25.5" scale, 10-12" compound radius, 'Standard Grip' profile, wenge fretboard binding, rolled fretboard edges, 42mm nut, 21mm deep at 1st fret, 24mm deep at 12th fret, Jescar FW-51100 Nickel Silver frets
Weight: 3.2kg
Mods: none
Pickups: SAYTONE Hand Winding Pickups. Sledgeα humbucker (neck), Bore Up humbucker (bridge), split via push/push tone control
Accessories: Saito SHE-150L semi hard case, trem arm, 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