Ibanez "prestige"

[Jeroen]

Re: Ibanez "prestige"

They are making Korean Prestige models now too. Ibanezes descrption states that the neck is given more hand treatment, and the frets are more rounded over to giv ethe necks a broken-in feeling.

This is the only correct explanation of the Prestige name. It's just a neck treatment, it has nothing to do with the overall dressing of the guitar or the grade of the woods. At some point though, with the RG series, there were three levels of Prestige instruments (when they were still MIJ, and had four-digit typenumbers). There was the RG1xxx, indicating only the specially treated neck. There was the RG2xxx, which were exactly the same as the RG1xxx but with pickups that were specially wound by DiMarzio for the RG, and there was the RG3xxx series, which featured some exclusive models with 'real' DiMarzio's, and a couple of NTB models.

 

[Jeroen]

Re: Ibanez "prestige"

The Prestige line is almost like a custom shop guitar.
For example the Prestige Artist I have. The standard Artist reissue was Korean the neck heel and hardware was different and the woods while still nice were generic. On the other hand the AR 2000 I have is IMO the best Artist Ibanez has ever built. It was built in Japan and the fit, finish, workmanship, fret dress, materials and hardware are as nice or IMO nicer than ANYTHING PRS Gibson or Hammer is doing. It better be as the standard AR 300 retails at under $1000 and my AR 200 at $2000!!

That's not typical to the Prestige line, but to any Ibanez solidbody guitar of that time which had a typenumber of 2000 and up.