2024 Ibanez S Premium = Instant GAS

[Phantasmagoria]

The unfinished/pitted feel of the neck that's been mentioned comes from it being 'Panga Panga' which has those large pores as a characteristic of the wood. My Cort X700 Duality II with Fishman Open Core Classics has a Panga Panga/ maple/ Panga Panga 3 pc. neck as well & it's exactly the same thing. It's never bothered me at all. in fact I find it completely unnoticeable & a total non-issue when I'm playing. The Cort's neck is'nt Ibanez Wizard thin in fact it's kind of chunky, but still plays very comfortably & fast...

 

[Aceman]

Sorry - Burl is the faces of damned trapped in the wood. Not playing it.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Well they look like they're having a good time


:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

I've alway been kinda partial to the whole "damned trapped in wood" theme anyway :bigthumb:

[imghttps://wallpapercave.com/wp/wp4440538.jpg[/img]

 

[Phantasmagoria]

.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Another cool demo w/ some 80'smetal/lead playing in there too (through a Laney Ironheart!) and a reviewer who is'nt all apologetic about it being an Ibanez shred-stick (That they could'nt resist picking up anyway) :lmao:

I will say It DOES sound as good as it looks. Lovin' the tones :bigthumb:

Needless to say I went around visiting my local stores yesterday ( none of whom had it in stock yet )

Did see it online in a couple places though ..so lets see how things go :laugh2:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Actually ..it looks like he's plugged into the other Laney...but who cares it sounds fantastic :bigthumb:

Just struck me...it's not often that you see locking tuners on a guitar w/ a locking trem/nut...that's kinda unusual (overkill maybe?) Still, nothing to complain about I guess..

 

[Mincer]

Sorry - Burl is the faces of damned trapped in the wood. Not playing it.

Looks more like a disease under a microscope.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Well guy's,to each their own, though I stand by what I said 100%.

If you have not seen/played a recent Premium model I urge you to do it.

I totally would if they offered anything that I liked. I don't love how bling'd out they are, and I'm not a trem guy. I love Ibanez necks, and I love the RG and RGA shapes, but I'm not one for burl tops, abalone inlays, and, on top of that, gold hardware. That's just me, though. Even if I'd rather have a fixed bridge, Trems aren't deal breakers for me, but add a trem to a list of specs that I already don't like, and... welll, yeah. I loved how my old Prestige RGA looked with the plain top, the fixed bridge, and the violin finish.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Looks more like a disease under a microscope.

It's a disease I'm hoping I pick up soon

 

[Phantasmagoria]

I totally would if they offered anything that I liked. I don't love how bling'd out they are, and I'm not a trem guy. I love Ibanez necks, and I love the RG and RGA shapes, but I'm not one for burl tops, abalone inlays, and, on top of that, gold hardware. That's just me, though. Even if I'd rather have a fixed bridge, Trems aren't deal breakers for me, but add a trem to a list of specs that I already don't like, and... welll, yeah. I loved how my old Prestige RGA looked with the plain top, the fixed bridge, and the violin finish.

With me it depends on the bling. I'm not crazy about abalone trimming/binding around a body/fretboard for instance. That was all the rage for a while and it spoilt a lotof otherwise great looking guitar's for me.You had it on the Schecter's, BC Rich's, Ibanez's.. everything..

There's nothing about that Charcoal Black burst one up there that strikes me as 'blingy'. Eye catching for sure but not blingy at all (imo of course)...it's gorgeous but in a kinda sleek, evil/metal-ish way..

My RGT on the other hand is blingy in the more traditional sense of the word (esp. the gold hardware).....but it had amazing features (neck-thru/Dimarzio's/ Edge trem etc) , I love the burl top & it called out to me (and I answered the call) :bigthumb:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

In any case I think their Iron Label stuff will probably be more up your street (also Indo-made & I would guess at about the same level) ..fixed/hipshot/Evertune bridges, modern (dare I say djenty) designs, reverse headstocks & Fishman pups :lmao:

I think the Premium's are more for the more "shred" inclined....

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Anyway I have spent the last couple of days looking to turn my dreams into reality :lmao:

...and my window of opportunity has been closing fast...


Visited a few more guitar stores in my area and again..no luck

Then I looked around online some more again ..but still, only two stores had it ...& both in other cities.
,
Anyway I emailed both of them and one of them only had the blue burst in stock (which I kept in mind as a last resort.)

The other had just one piece of the charcoal burst one left in stock @ a slightly inflated price. After some haggling on my part I was able to talk him down to just about what the US street price for these is...which is good enough for me. He also sent me a 2 second video of the actual guitar (screen grab

I think that ^^ will do nicely ..lotsa nice damned/writhing lost souls trapped in there :laugh2:

Long story short I pulled the trigger.. and it should be here next week (upcoming NGD) :bigthumb:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

..another screen grab from the video...

Now that's pretty sweet!

Can't wait to get my grubby paws on it and put it through it's paces ('lil pun there) :laugh2:

 

[Mincer]

Are you gonna keep it stock?

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Most likely will... I haven't needed to swap out anything in the other 2 Premiums (Jem Woody & blingy burl-top RGT). This the third axe I have w/ practically the same pickup combo though ..Tone Zone/Air Norton (They're in my RG Prestige too) , except this has a True Velvet Single Coil in the middle , being HSH. Still, they're good pickups and I've heard the Tone Zone sound's especially good in Saber's...

Nothing else to swap out really. The bridge I'm absolutely fine with . This will actually be my 7th Ibanez w/ the Edge Zero II so I obviously like them
And I don't see myself taking a hacksaw/grinder to it & relic'ing it anytime soon ...so 100% stock it will most probably be :lmao:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Sent me a proper pic cuz it's being packed up to ship out on Monday :bigthumb:

Quite a beaut! If it plays anywhere near as good as it looks it's going to be a wicked shred monster

 

[AdrianSD]

The bridge I'm absolutely fine with . This will actually be my 7th Ibanez w/ the Edge Zero II so I obviously like them

Yep that's cool, gives me some reassurance my Edge Zero II will last for the life of the guitar Now that I have the intonation and string height sorted, I just have to be careful when changing the strings, the hex screws feel rather soft compared to the Gotoh and the Floyd.
Enjoy yours in good health and play it like there's no tomorrow, fingers cross it arrives unscathed!.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Thanks! I'm sure it will.. they are pretty well built & tough :bigthumb:


Side by side with the original Edge...it looks as well machined & solid. The hex's for holding the strings in place are inset so they feel different to loosen/tighten than other Ibanez bridges....but I've had the seven string version of this bridge on my 7 string Saber for over ten years and it's still as solid as it was the day I bought it. No stripping/shaking around etc. None of my Edge Zero II's have been problematic in any way.at least so far & the tuning stability with heavy whammy use is pretty much the same as with the Edge/Lo-pro...ie. it's excellent.

Yeah here's hoping it get's to me safe...but if I'm not mistaken (I bought my Schecter w/ the Sustainiac from him before ..also a couple of my Cort's) this guy does a hell of a job w/ his packing. Double boxes it and then pops it in a wooden crate. The difficult part is opening it up when it gets here..

 

[RanchManSandy]

I have an RG premium and it's great. Stainless frets, cool 11piece neck, all the bell and whistles. Lowest action in my stable except for one of my warmoths. A++ would buy again