Ibanez Guitars
bluetag
Sep 14 2009, 07:24 AM
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hey guys just curious if anyone here is an ibanez fan. i've been looking at a few guitars might be in the market for one and was curious about ibanez. i play mostly fender strats and am comfortable with those guitars but recently was interesting in the rg model of ibanez. price doesn't really matter that much cause im looking for a good instrument. i also had heard about the rg 550 and looked on ebay for them but it seems they are pretty rare. anyways suggestion are much appreciated

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Jesse
Sep 14 2009, 09:02 AM
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I'm not so much, but there are alot of ibanez guys here... I believe Marc_maiden... WRK.... Kris even has a nice metal axe!:D

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loundzilla
Sep 14 2009, 09:10 AM
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Hey man, i've not been playing that long but I am a fan. I started out with an Ashton, then an Aria then an Ibanez.

I dont have a mega expensive axe (GRG170dx) but shes lovely! I went to the music shop this weekend and had a play on an Ibanez Gem - that was amazing, felt so nice and played lovely.

My friend has a Fender and he prefers that over the Ibanez, but like most people say, its all about preference. Have you gone to a music shop and tried some out? The staff in the one i go to are ace, they spot you looking around and force the expensive guitars in your hand and plug it in for you! - brilliant smile.gif

What ever you go for, be sure to post us a picture of the little beaut!

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del-4fr53e3
Sep 14 2009, 11:03 AM
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I haven't played too many Ibanez guitars, but I have the Marty Friedman signature model (MFM-2), which basically is like an SZ guitar. It feels and sounds really great smile.gif
I'd advice you to try a few and see what you like. Especially neck wise, as the RG has those Wizard necks I think, which is really thin.

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mhskeide
Sep 14 2009, 11:19 AM
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I`ve had three Ibanez guitars over the past years, and I`m maybe buying an ibanez bass as well soon.

yeah you got my point, I think they are great guitars biggrin.gif
Especially the RG Prestige if you have some size on your budget, very versatile, good sounding and comfortable guitar.

They also have many other, kickass guitars like the Xiphos, Iceman or FR.

Ibanez gives you what you pay for, and a little more, and they rarely break down, so you can`t go wrong with f.i. a prestige wink.gif

Hope that helps some

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Sensible Jones
Sep 14 2009, 11:26 AM
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Well, what can I say?
I've been a dedicated Fender/G&L user, Strats and Teles, for over 20 years! After joining here and realising that I'd need something with 24 frets and a Floyd Rose to make the most of the site I bought an RG350DX (I wrote a review HERE) and I really, really like it!! I installed some Seymour Duncans and so, in total, the whole thing has cost about £475 ($795)!
biggrin.gif biggrin.gif

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Staffy
Sep 14 2009, 11:37 AM
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I have two Ibanez semi-acoustics, one 335 like which plays wonderful and one Joe Pass signature model that is also a very nice instrument. I don't know very much of the solidbody's, but I guess they are good as well.

//Staffay

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Andrew Cockburn
Sep 14 2009, 01:35 PM
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I have played nothing but my Jem since I bought it a couple of yeas ago, but it depends on what you want:

+ Ibanez guitars are versatile and feel great. They have really flat necks that are amazing to play.

- They don't have a "distinctive" tone like a Strat. If you are used to a rounder necked guitar like a Strat or an LP it will take you a little while to adjust

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CathShadow
Sep 14 2009, 01:36 PM
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I LOVE Ibanez... they're really really smooth and easy to play... feel great biggrin.gif biggrin.gif

I have a GRG150BKN (wanna upgrade when I can afford it but yeah)... LOVE Ibanez

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coloneldrew
Sep 14 2009, 01:44 PM
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If you're looking for a really good, (budget) guitar, go for the RG 321. I play a fixed bridge but they come with tremolo bridges also. Its the best guitar I've ever played for under 500 bucks.

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Marc_Maiden
Sep 14 2009, 04:45 PM
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I love ibanez guitars!

let me give you a brief buying guide so you know what to look for and how to look for them:


you already noticed the rg550! that guitar is from the "golden era" of ibanez. what does that mean? The golden era represents all ibanez guitars BEFORE the year 2000 (some 2001 models are an exception). The ibanez guitars made BEFORE the year 2000 surpass the quality, tone, and playability of today.

how can you tell whats an ibanez golden era guitar?

the serial number (and in some cases golden era guitars even look better!)

the way an ibanez serial number works is like this:

they start with a letter: either, F - for japan (fugigen factory), C - for korea (no more guitars made here but they were from the cort factory..lasted from 2000-2008), I - indonesia. or J- China ( most guitars that arent prestiges are made here now)

thats the factories in order from highest quality to lowest. there are some "USA" custom models out there, but those will say "USA CUSTOM" on the headstock.

so the guitar you are looking for should be made in japan so the serial number starts with an "F." then ibanez puts the number for the year right after the letter. it is hard to tell the difference from 1980's and 1990's serials because they both start the year with a number....so if it was made in 1999 (or 1989) it would say "F9XXXXXXX' if it was made in 2000+ it would say "F09XXXXXXXX" 2000 models have a "0" in front of the year.


now what models should you buy?

well you have a few options in terms of Hardware and neck style.

there have been 3 main necks ibanez released

Wizard 1 - the thinnest of them all...found only on early 90's ibanez guitars
The Super Wizard - adds a few MM of thickness but its still very thin and very comfortable to play (my favorite of the 3)
the Wizard 2- thickest, and probably worst quality. (found on everything except prestiges now)

there have also been a few trem styles for you to choose from, 3 being high quality, and 3 being horrible little monsters!

3 good trems
----------------
Ibanez Lo-Pro Trem: best trem i think ibanez ever released...used up until 1996 i believe
Ibanez Original Edge: also very well made....this one was made until the year 2001
Ibanez Edge Pro: Found on prestiges, one of the best trems around now.

3 BAD trems
---------------
Ibanez TRS II- dont even bother (the TRS I ibanez used on early 90's models was not bad!)
Ibanez Edge II - again, dont even bother!
Ibanez Edge III - not a bad trem really...but not as high quality as the top 3

-------------------------


ok now you know what hardware to look for, but what models should i be looking at?

well there are 2 main ibanez body shapes to choose from:

the thin, comfortable, Ibanez S series (22 fret neck) or the highly coveted Ibanez RG (24 fret neck)


they both essentially have the same hardware, and play the same, its just about body and fret preference. here is a list of ibanez models i know that are super high quality and the years to look for:


oh one more quick thing! ibanez uses a number system in they guitar names to tell you what the aesthetics are: "50" means the guitar has a pick guard and is HSH config. "20" means HH config, no pick guard. "70" means HSH config, no pick guard. and "60" is HSS, no pick guard. So rg 550 is an RG with an HSH config with a pick guard...rg520 is HH no pick guard...see how it works?

so on to the models to look for:

RGs:

550 - made from 1987-2000
520 - late 90's
560 - mid 90's
565 - rare, cool reverse headstock with maple fretboard...retro looking axe
(rareish ones)
750 - note all these guitars have the same hardware, slightly better pick ups on the 7 series
770 -
760 -

S's:

570 1990- 2000
540 early - mid 90's
520 same as above

note...some S's will have a "custom made" inlay on the 22nd fret...dont worry, they are not custom made, its a marketing gimmick.



S's run from $300-800
Rg's from from 200-600

(thats for ones in perfect condition!)

good luck!

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loundzilla
Sep 14 2009, 04:56 PM
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@ Marc_maiden

Thats some awesome info right there! Where did you learn all that??? I certainly found that an interesting read.

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Praetorian
Sep 14 2009, 04:57 PM
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Shoot me an email to [email protected]

I have an Ibanez RG4EXQM1 that has been upgraded with EMG 81/85 Kerry King signature pickups and a Tremel-no in case you want to lock the bridge to change tunings. It is in mint condition and I have been thinking about selling it. Here is a picture...not a great pic, I can take lots more for you if you like.

Ben

p.s. I am in Greenville NY about 1/2 hour south of Albany...where in New Jersey are you?

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Marc_Maiden
Sep 14 2009, 06:43 PM
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QUOTE (loundzilla @ Sep 14 2009, 08:56 AM) *
@ Marc_maiden

Thats some awesome info right there! Where did you learn all that??? I certainly found that an interesting read.



haha thanks well, aside from it being personal experience, i have been an ibanez user since 2000, and ive been a member of the ibanez forum since it first came out in 06....you just come to learn these things.



however recently, ive been finding what i want in guitars from yamaha...their older pacifica series are just like RG series, but with alder bodies instead of basswood which i think sounds waayyyy better smile.gif

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Gus
Sep 14 2009, 07:45 PM
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I've got Ibanez RGT 320q. This is the most comfortable guitar I ever played.
It makes guitar playing really addictive.

It sounds really good, specially for metal. However I will change pickups soon, since I am looking for a different sound .

Since you are coming from strats, I have to say that intermediate positions in Ibanez do not sound as sparkly and alive as in strats. But overall I prefer the way Ibanez plays and having a humbucker on bridge. wink.gif

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Marc_Maiden
Sep 14 2009, 08:09 PM
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i have to agree with Gus....if you want an Ibanez style guitar but that has a spanky tone with out going single coil,


try finding a yamaha pacifica 821 model.

they were made in 1994-95 i believe and came with an amazing bundle of features

-alder body
-HSH pick up configuration
-Dimarzio Air classic in neck and bridge (one of the best sounding pups ive ever owned)
-Dimarzio Blue velvet single coil in the middle
-TRS Pro trem ( has a screw you can tighted to make the trem a hard tail) this is one of the coolest bridges ive used yet
- 24 fret neck that plays like an ibanez but a bit more round and comfortable to me
- adjustable nut! you can raise or lower it with the turning of some screwes
-5 way switch

really amazing guitar which i will review soon

you can find similar ones (any of the pacifica series starting with 6 series an up will come with similar features and grat quality) look on the bay or on craigslist...you can get them from $200-500 in like new condition (i got mine for $300

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Ivan Milenkovic
Sep 14 2009, 11:41 PM
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Great stuff Marc, I learned a lot from your post, that should go straight into Wiki! *Ctrl+D clicked* smile.gif

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bluetag
Sep 14 2009, 11:44 PM
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wow thanks everyone for the great info and thanks marc for all that info im definitely gonna know what to look for now. the only ibanez's i've played are the jem which i thought played great and a rg700 something model which was nice too. im definitely going to be looking now for those models. im also curious for an ibanez whats the best pickup set up i've always been interested in the hsh setup since i play single coil its seems like the best of both worlds.


also has anyone played one of the 20th Anniversary rg550 i was looking and a saw a few things about them. are they better than the originals ?

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Marc_Maiden
Sep 15 2009, 12:21 AM
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H S H is nice....the only problem is getting that single coil to match volume with the other humbuckers, while not effecting its tone....its great for studio use though, and gives you a lot more tone.

the 20th RG550 is a nice guitar...they arent so much better as they are a little different. the neck is a little thicker than the originals (from the early 90's) but are the same as most of the mid to late 90's RG550 necks...the pick ups are the same, and trem is different.

the biggest difference is price...because the RG550 20th is only 2 years old, the prices will be much higher than the ones from the 80's and 90's even though they could very well be in the same condition

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