Topshelf Instruments

Saito Guitars S622, Phantom Black, made in Japan 2026. The S622 is the cornerstone of Saito’s S series: S for solid body, 6 for six strings, 22 for twenty two frets. This is a stupendously good guitar, it ticks all the boxes for me. Firstly, the neck is fantastic. Saito’s ‘Standard Grip’ neck is a modern C style shape, moderate in profile, with a subtle compound 10-12” radius, bound and rolled fretboard edges and some nice tall frets, carved from some super high grade, tightly grained maple... it’s an absolute pleasure to play. This is our first Phantom Black finished example, and it’s appropriately titled: it has a bit of a ghostly look to it, with the wide wavy grain lines of the ash on full display. Paired with the black hardware, pickups and logos, it looks super slick. The body is light as a feather too, weighing in at a friendly 3.15kg. Plug it in, and it gets better. The single coils are punchy and rich, with a weighty low end, smooth gooey mids and a piquant treble; they’re clear and full and sound spot-on. The bridge pickup is fat and creamy, with a great mix of breathy wide complexity and focused midrange kick. This would easily cover everything from jazz and blues to punk and metal and sound perfectly at home all the while. To get a guitar this good from USA, you’d be up for at least $6-8k to land a Suhr or Tom Anderson; this will easily go pound-for-pound with the best of them. All hail Saito.

We have this cute bunch of Paisley Strats in the shop at the moment. Keep an eye on the website for some freshies coming in the next few days ❤️