Jon Gomm – the champion of the modern fingerstyle genre who teamed up with Ibanez in August 2020 – has finally released his highly-anticipated JGM10 signature acoustic guitar.
In conversation with Guitar World last October, Gomm teased some of the features that we would likely see on the guitar. Having used a prototype JGM10 while recording his latest album The Faintest Idea, hints of a "completely unique body shape" and a niche bracing pattern were dropped.
With details of the new guitar being finally released alongside the rest of the Ibanez lineup for 2021, the JGM10 has been labelled by Ibanez as a "new and exciting step forward in the design of fingerstyle-specific acoustic guitars".
The guitar's Asymmetrical Jumbo body is made up of a Thermo Aged solid Sitka spruce top and solid pau ferro back and sides, and has been designed to enhance the acoustic properties of the instrument to deliver the big bass tones Gomm wanted. The body also maximizes the guitar's surface area for the percussive elements of his fingerstyle playing.
As promised, the Thermo Aged spruce modified X-M bracing pattern is indeed different, and seeks to improve the guitar's acoustic tonal response, delivering more pronounced lows and a brighter high end.
A five-piece African mahogany / pau ferro neck is complemented by a Macassar ebony fretboard – a wood that is also used for the binding on the rounded edge of the body and the top-loading bridge piece.
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(Image credit: Ibanez)
Smaller details have not been overlooked, with the 45mm nut width being specifically chosen to create more space between the strings and allow for precise access – a critical element for the modern fingerstyle guitar.
The JGM10 is also equipped with a Fishman Rare Earth Mic Blend Active Soundhole pickup and Fishman PowerTap Blend Preamp – a combination designed to accentuate "extremely natural sounds and preserve the true acoustic properties of the instrument".
Gomm had previously told Guitar World of the inaccessibility of the modern fingerstyle genre due to the difficulty obtaining appropriate instruments, which are predominantly handmade by luthiers.
With his new signature, Gomm said that he hoped the guitar can make fingerstyle ideas more mainstream and available.
"Hopefully this style of playing will become more popular, because people will be able to get a guitar that's designed for it."
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
