IbanezTOD10N

D'Addario XTC45 Coated Composite on the Ibanez TOD10N is Tim Henson's exact factory-spec rig — the result of his nylon-electric obsession that started when he found a forgotten Ibanez SC500N in a Cologne, Germany pawn shop while on tour with Polyphia. As Henson told Guitar World about the genesis: "It's incredibly light, almost like a toy. But it's not a toy — it's an incredible instrument I'm about to use to play to 50,000 people." He recorded 'Playing God' on the SC500N, sent the demo to Ibanez, and they agreed to build him the TOD10N signature. Conventional wisdom: every classical guitar pairs with D'Addario Pro-Arté EJ45 (uncoated) or Savarez 500 — the universal classical anchors. Mismatch logic: XTC45 is the COATED Pro-Arté variant — coated nylon resists the sweat-and-pick-attack abuse of Polyphia-style hybrid playing where Henson taps + thumb-percusses + slap-pops on a nylon string set, abuse that uncoated nylon can't survive past 2-3 weeks. Best for TOD10N owners doing modern instrumental hybrid technique; skip if you play traditional classical repertoire where uncoated nylon's harmonic purity matters more than coating durability.