Saito S-622JMC, kanaagi hand painted finish, made in Japan 2024. Life's too short for boring guitars, right? 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 lightweight swamp ash 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 to a moderate modern C shape, with a sneaky 10-12" compound radius, bound and rolled edges and an ergonomic heel. It's an absolute breeze to play, and the natural resonance and responsiveness in the hands is truly impressive. This one was blessed with a handy hardtail bridge and a most enjoyable pair of Saito's own handwound Saytone humbuckers. The neck is a Sledge, a PAF-style pickup with a gorgeous wide warmth and a sparkling clarity. The bridge position is the slightly hotter Bore Up model, which has a glorious creamy midrange kick and a brimming complexity. The finish starts with an open-pore style light blue top with the ash grain on show and then gets hand-painted metallic silver detail on top, which catches the light beautifully and gives the guitar a fun 3D presence. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but golly: put it under lights and tell me it's not the coolest guitar you've seen all year. 

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

Model: Saito Guitars S-622JMC
Made: Japan, 2024
Serial: 24XXXX
Finish: kanaagi, hand painted, satin poly
Body: swamp ash, 'modern archtop' shape, 45mm deep
Neck: maple, maple cap fretboard, 25.5" scale, 10-12" compound radius, 'Standard Grip' profile, maple fretboard binding, rolled fretboard edges, 42mm nut, 21mm deep at 1st fret, 24mm deep at 12th fret, Jescar FW-51100 Nickel Silver frets
Weight: 
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, 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