Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

I would love them if they had necks that fit my hand and they didnt have Basswood bodies. I think they look great though. I like other Ibanez guitars though. They always seem to be a good bang for the buck axe.

I have big hands and typically hate small necks but the thing that i found is that the fretboard of the RG5550DX I had and the Bensalem RG750 both have a really wide fretboard with very little curve to it.

Somehow it's enough for me to be able to get around on effectively. It's actually easier for me to play some things on the Ibanez than any other guitars I have which have larger necks on them. The fretboard radius is enough to compensate. And I think some of it is also because they're so thin I HAVE to play in more of a classical position, which forces me to play a little differently.

My RG750's an amazing beast of an instrument though. And I'm never going to find a MIJ or MIA Ibanez at that same price ever again so my inclination is to just hang onto it and stash it away when I'm not playing it.
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

Somehow it's enough for me to be able to get around on effectively. It's actually easier for me to play some things on the Ibanez than any other guitars I have which have larger necks on them. The fretboard radius is enough to compensate. And I think some of it is also because they're so thin I HAVE to play in more of a classical position, which forces me to play a little differently.
That IS the idea of the thinner neck afterall, isn't it? ;)

I finally pulled out the calipers and dimensioned my Epi LP neck and it turns out it's so thin it's pretty close to the JEM size (larger than both the Wizard and Wizard II I believe)
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

That IS the idea of the thinner neck afterall, isn't it? ;)

I finally pulled out the calipers and dimensioned my Epi LP neck and it turns out it's so thin it's pretty close to the JEM size (larger than both the Wizard and Wizard II I believe)

Well, sure....

The biggest issue I have with guitars is small necks though.

I can't play my 73' Strat unless I really work up to it and play it for awhile. the neck so small and thin that it feels like a toy next to my Les Pauls, Epi Dot and other Strats.

With the Ibanez the depth of the neck is a bit of a moot point because of the fretboard radius. It makes me be better technique-wise but it also can tire the heck out of me. I'd be terrified to play a three set night on it.

To me that's kind of amusing because it comes off as the perfect axe to haul around as a backup to take the place of a Les Paul ot Strat if I broke a string.
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

I'm just sayin, they've got Jacksons right there, Charvels over there, a big stack of Kramers over there...who needs RG's?

You couldnt be more wrong! Jackson and Ibanez do not have the same feel at all, atleast not the ones I have played. Cant say anything about charvel; I´v never played one. Not saying that Ibanezs are better then Jacksons though, diffrent feel and I perfer the ibanez. The best necks Iv played was a Ibanez 1570, hated the colour and dont like the boxy body also I perfer no trem.

And yes I do have a RG.. and I am looking at selling it (buying a cort m520, I think.). I dont like the painted neck, the trem, but mostly I am tired of having played it exclusively for three years. What I would like is a Ibanez SA or, if the price went down a bit, a RGA.

So I dont love playing my RG:eyecrazy:
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

Eh... Everything I tried from them for under 1,000 pounds could be found for cheaper by other makers. They're decent, but certainly not amazing. The price is right, not amazing either. And the necks are way too thin for me, I have small hands and I prefer something meatier to not get cramps easily.


They're the kind of necks that'd feel amazing to play for a couple of minutes when you try an axe, then try it for days and days and months and I'd realize they just hurt me.

THOUGH

Them old powersould pickups SUCKED bad, the new INF or whatever they put in now are surprisingly decent.
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

My thoughts?

Pros:
Cost relative to quality (they not too bad)
Style
Features

Cons:
Basswood
Pickups
Feel
Edge trems

Ibanez just never caught my eye much. The best Ibanez still feels like a Japanese Jackson to me.
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

I sold two Japanese Jacksons in disappointment, bought my Prestige RG and haven't looked back ever since. I love it!

Compared to the Jacksons I had (KE3 and KV4) this Ibanez feels a bit more warm tonally, while the Jacksons were more percussive and focused. I prefer the basswood feel. :)

I do admit the pickups are rubbish (bridge was thin and muddy -how they managed that, I don't know- single coil is piercing and neck is like a ghost, all ice pick and no mids) but I'll have it over the dodgy electronics and awful trems on the Japanese Jacksons any day of the week.
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

I sold two Japanese Jacksons in disappointment, bought my Prestige RG and haven't looked back ever since. I love it!

Compared to the Jacksons I had (KE3 and KV4) this Ibanez feels a bit more warm tonally, while the Jacksons were more percussive and focused. I prefer the basswood feel. :)

I do admit the pickups are rubbish (bridge was thin and muddy -how they managed that, I don't know- single coil is piercing and neck is like a ghost, all ice pick and no mids) but I'll have it over the dodgy electronics and awful trems on the Japanese Jacksons any day of the week.

I wasn't implying that Japanese Jackson were bad in any respect. I have one (they don't make a U.S. model with a Sustainiac, nor does the custom shop), I guess I have not had any of the issues that you are referring to, but I do know that they improved the Japanese imports for the 2006 model year and newer.
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

I love mine! And I can play all kind of styles on them. RG570 and RG550. Not just drop d, numetal. My 59b in the neck of my 570 gets some great blues tones..

RGDuo.jpg
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

My only "gripes" with Ibanez (I own several) is most have basswood bodies, and there is a severe lack of Prestige level fixed bridge models.

I actually prefer the slightly bigger "Prestige" neck to the thinner "wizard", but the difference is neglible.
 
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Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

i play an RG 7621 and an RGA121..

RGA121 has PATB-1 and full shred neck- i bought it new on a complete whim, and i'll never sell it. does any sound i've ever needed, and the whole vibe of the guitar is to let you express yourself, no matter what you've got in mind:

257553410_ddd281f32d_m.jpg


the rg7621 is a different story, but i still love to pick it up and thrash out some super heavy chords from time to time.. my voice is pretty low (no nasal edge thanks to a nasty break) so it's an amazing songwriting tool - fits me like a glove!

it's in cream/white, and i need a decent bridge bucker for it - but it's got a personality totally different to the RGA - much thicker, bassier, and smoother. pulls off QOSTA tones like nothing else.

in conclusion, i love RGs. they're designed for the player, and i can't stand an uncomfortable guitar!
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

I wasn't implying that Japanese Jackson were bad in any respect. I have one (they don't make a U.S. model with a Sustainiac, nor does the custom shop), I guess I have not had any of the issues that you are referring to, but I do know that they improved the Japanese imports for the 2006 model year and newer.

I know you didn't, I was just stating my experience with them. I'm glad you aren't having any issues, because I sure did! Noisy pots, noisy pickup switch, and a not-so-reliable Jackson FR made me sell both models. The ones I had were made in 2002 and 2003 I believe.
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

Check out the PC-1 ;)

I figured you would come out and post about that. I played the PC-1...

I didn't like the neck profile, and aside from that the "Jackson" sustainer is the Fernandez version, its not as nice as the Maniac Music Sustainiac model in the DK2S.

The Fernandez version is usually "calibrated" to the bridge pup where the Sustainiac is adjustable to any bridge pickup and outperforms the Fernandez model everytime.

You would think that since they use the Sustainiac in the DK2S that the custom could drop one in a custom ordered U.S. Dinky? Nope, I tried.

I just got done wiring a Crazy 8 in my DK2S; that pup and a Sustainiac are loads of fun!
 
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Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

I used to own an RG470NP around 2000. I enjoyed everything about it accept changing strings....
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

I understand when guys say the necks are too thin and the stock pups arent good. Personal preference issues. However, what I dont get is why some guys seem to just despise the very existence of the RG (or Ibanez' in general) Why is that??
Ive heard alot of guys say they sound thin.. mine sound good. Are they thick as a les pauL?? No, but that is what makes a LP a LP.
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

There's one guitar that I like better than the Ibanez RG's and that's the Fender Talons. Which were made by Ibanez anyways.
 
Re: Anybody else love-playing Ibanez RG guitars

There's one guitar that I like better than the Ibanez RG's and that's the Fender Talons. Which were made by Ibanez anyways.

Were they really made by Ibanez? I never heard that before..
 
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