Ibanez GB10SEFM George Benson Signature Hollowbody Electric Guitar - Sapphire Red

George Benson has built his guitar voice around the meeting point of fluid jazz articulation, warm tone and an entertainer's instinct for immediacy. The Ibanez GB10SEFM George Benson signature electric guitar translates that approach into a compact hollowbody built with flamed maple across the top, back and sides. A GB 3-piece maple set-in neck joins a bound ebony fingerboard with 22 medium frets and Artstar fret edge treatment, while a 24.7" scale keeps the playing surface comfortably proportioned. Floating GB special humbuckers provide George's signature pickup architecture, complemented by an ebony bridge, GB10 tailpiece and half-bone/half-brass nut. Finished in Sapphire Red with gold hardware and supplied with a hardshell case, the GB10SEFM brings a distinctive set of jazz-focused details together in one instrument.

Flamed Maple Hollowbody Balances Size and Presence

Hollowbody guitars can occupy plenty of space, but the GB10SEFM keeps its dimensions relatively compact at 14.5" wide and 3.375" deep, with an 18.875" body length. Those proportions make it easier to settle the guitar against your torso without giving up the traditional full-hollow construction at the heart of the design. Meanwhile, flamed maple spans the top, back and sides, surrounding the body with consistent figuring and giving the Sapphire Red finish a textured visual foundation. The result is an archtop that looks unmistakably dressed for the stage while maintaining dimensions that remain manageable through extended practice, rehearsal and performance sessions.

Floating GB Special Humbuckers Shape Warm Jazz Tone

The GB10SEFM uses a pair of passive alnico GB special humbuckers mounted to float above the body rather than being installed directly into the top. Ibanez developed this arrangement to help manage feedback while retaining the warm response associated with George's sound. A 3-way selector provides neck, combined and bridge settings, and each pickup receives dedicated volume and tone controls. That straightforward layout makes it easy to establish separate sounds for comping and lead work or adjust the balance between the two pickups without relying on additional switching. From rounded chord work to articulate melodic passages, the electronics keep the emphasis on direct control and the natural dynamics of your playing.

GB Neck and Ebony Fingerboard Keep Playing Fluid

George's signature specifications continue through the neck, where a 3-piece maple construction is set into the body for a solid connection from the headstock through the hollowbody. The 24.7" scale keeps chord stretches and position changes compact, while the bound ebony fingerboard has a 12.01" radius that accommodates everything from extended jazz voicings to single-note lines. Twenty-two medium frets provide familiar dimensions, and Ibanez applies its Artstar fret edge treatment to smooth the transition along the sides of the fingerboard. Together, those elements create a neck designed to stay unobtrusive under the fretting hand, letting phrasing, chord movement and touch remain the focus.

Signature Hardware Refines Tone, Feel and Stability

The string path incorporates several details closely associated with Ibanez's George Benson designs. An ebony bridge transfers string vibration into the hollowbody, while the GB10 tailpiece anchors the opposite end and is designed to support tuning stability. At the headstock, a half-bone/half-brass nut combines two materials in a distinctive signature component. Ibanez ships the guitar with D'Addario ECG24 flatwound strings in .011-.050 gauges, providing the smooth surface and rounded attack commonly associated with jazz setups. Gold hardware, acrylic and abalone block inlays and the bound ebony fingerboard complete the visual presentation, while the included hardshell case gives the instrument dedicated protection away from the stand.

George Benson's Musical Vision Shapes the GB10SEFM

George Benson emerged from the clubs of his native Pittsburgh and developed a career that has consistently joined accomplished jazz improvisation with an instinct for rhythm and blues and broad musical communication. That balance between musician and entertainer has helped make his guitar voice recognizable well beyond traditional jazz circles. The GB10SEFM reflects the same priorities in physical form: a compact hollowbody, smooth-playing neck, floating pickups designed around warm jazz response and signature hardware that keeps the string path deliberately simple. With its compact hollowbody design, floating GB special humbuckers and signature hardware, the Ibanez GB10SEFM George Benson signature model gives players the control, warmth and responsive feel to carry a refined jazz voice from first chord to final note.