Watch Ichika Nito take Tim Henson’s new nylon-string signature guitar on a test drive – and deliver the most technical 18 seconds you’ll hear all week

Not too long ago, Ibanez and Tim Henson teamed up to release the Polyphia virtuoso’s long-awaited nylon-string signature guitar – the TOD10N – which made its debut earlier this year in the prog quartet’s Nuevo Flamenco-inspired single, Playing God.

Since then, we’ve seen our fair share of the model in action, with Henson wielding his newest piece for unplugged playthroughs of Polyphia tracks such as ABC, Neurotica and Playing God.

We’ve also seen the TOD10N in the hands of Henson’s fellow Ibanez signature artist, Marcin Patrzalek, who put the sleek six-string through its paces with a jaw-dropping Latin-inspired fingerstyle performance.

Now, another Ibanez signature artist has got in on the action, with YouTube’s foremost short-sketch virtuoso Ichika Nito taking the TOD10N – or, as he calls it, “the coolest guitar” – for a test drive.

I Play the Coolest Guitar - YouTube

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Ichika never needs too long to dazzle viewers with his fretboard fury, but he might just have hit a new record – in just 18 seconds, Ibanez’s first-ever Japanese signature artist recites his entire playbook of extended techniques, from his lightning-quick right hand fingerstyle workout to his incomprehensible flood of two-hand tapping sequences.

We’re struggling to think of a guitarist who could attract more than 116 thousand views for 18 seconds’ worth of playing in just 24 hours, but that’s just a testament to the creativity and ingenuity that guitar fans have come to expect from Ichika.

As for the TOD10N, it continues to prove itself as one of the cleanest-sounding guitars of 2022. Helping it achieve such a status is its solid Sitka spruce top, sapele back and sides, and walnut fretboard-topped C-shap nyatoh neck.

It also comes equipped with a side sound port that aims to “preserve the clean, modern appearance of the guitar, while also providing clear and accurate acoustic tone”, as well as a classical guitar-inspired fan internal bracing.

Other appointments include a Fishman Sonicore pickup, which takes its place alongside an Ibanez AEQ210TF preamp.

It's not the first time Ichika and Henson have crossed paths. Back in 2018, Polyphia tapped the Japanese virtuoso for Death Note, a track that featured on the band's third studio album, New Levels New Devils, while Henson and Nito have previously traded licks in an insane video jam.

The cohort of Ibanez signature artists have become increasingly involved with each other’s musical exploits in recent weeks. Not only have Marcin and Ichika tested Tim Henson’s signature guitar, the pair also recently teamed up with one another to release a quick-fire collaborative single titled Fall.

As for Henson himself, it looks as though his TOD10N will be closely followed by a new Fishman Fluence-loaded Ibanez signature electric guitar next year, after it was recently announced he and his bandmate Scott LePage had partnered with the pickup heavyweights.

To find out more about the TOD10N, head over to Ibanez.