School me on the Ibanez RG

Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

Yeah that would be great.

I would go for a ibby sabre if you\re looking for all out balls shrediphery
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

The wizard neck will be quite a bit different
With the flattended d shape

Play one some where

It's not for everyone
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

^ Play an Ibanez first. People are polarized by the necks; They love them or hate them. I loved it at first when I played mostly metal, but going in a bluesier rock direction, it doesn't feel quite right.
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

I have a couple Dean VMNTs that have a thin "D" neck. I was looking for something similar in a super strat design. Jackson was my first attempt, but the neck didn't really fit me very well. I tried a couple other Jackson necks and they are really inconsistent. Some felt better than others, but non of them felt like "home."

My next attempt is Ibanez. I realize that the RG450DX is not a "premium" or a "prestige," but is the quality decent? I really like the looks and the specs of the 450DX, but I'm concerned that it is a little less money than I expected. Then again, with guitars you don't always "get what you pay for." I had a lower-end Ibanez acoustic that I really liked several years ago.

Anyone familiar with this tier in the Ibanez line-up?
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

I have a Jackson DK2M and an RG450. The necks are about the same thickness. Their shape is slightly different and the Ibanez slightly wider. The new RG450's are a step down in quality from the Jacksons, but they still play well and sound great AFTER a pickup change. If you want a really thin neck and a step up from the Jackson, the Ibanez RG655 is awesome.
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

Yeah, you really need to play it. I switched to Ibanez for a little while this year but just couldn't bond with the necks.
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

eschoendorff said:
I have a couple Dean VMNTs that have a thin "D" neck. I was looking for something similar in a super strat design. Jackson was my first attempt, but the neck didn't really fit me very well. I tried a couple other Jackson necks and they are really inconsistent. Some felt better than others, but non of them felt like "home."

My next attempt is Ibanez. I realize that the RG450DX is not a "premium" or a "prestige," but is the quality decent? I really like the looks and the specs of the 450DX, but I'm concerned that it is a little less money than I expected. Then again, with guitars you don't always "get what you pay for." I had a lower-end Ibanez acoustic that I really liked several years ago.

Anyone familiar with this tier in the Ibanez line-up?
Click to expand...

The Ibanez wizard necks are wide and flat, even more so than the thin-U shape that comes on the ESP/LTD's and the D-ish shape that Jackson uses. They're great for playing fast(I always thought it felt like cheating) but are more uncomfortable for chording and rhythm work cause they don't fill the hand as much.

The 350/450 Ibanezes are great guitars, their fit and finish is good and they're instantly playable, the main problem for me is the stock pickups, they lack definition and cut IMO. If you can snag one of the RG350's instead of the 450's, they come with the ZPS which is for some reason absent from the USA-only RG450.
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

eschoendorff said:
I'm looking for a shredder to take the place of my Jackson DKMG. I just don't like the neck on the Jackson (it's a pretty thick "D-ish" shape), nor do I like the traditional Strat neck joint. I really like the thin "D" neck on a couple of my other guitars.

The RG450DX looks like a decent candidate:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/ibanez-rg450dx-electric-guitar

Any opinions from the Ibanez-minded folks out there?
Click to expand...

Ibanez RGA32 (arched top RG) pre 2009 has a neck that is totally flat (like a letter D), which is unlike the regular U-shape RG neck. I think it's Wizard II. Check it out. Perfect for shred.
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

I'd look for an older MIJ one, they're more consistent than MIC/MIK, and better trem. 1993 onwards is sculpted neck joint.

Mr. B said:
If you want a really thin neck and a step up from the Jackson, the Ibanez RG655 is awesome.
Click to expand...

Probably one of the best spec'd RGs Ibanez has made, essentially a 550 with stock DiMarzios and a 5 piece neck.

Prestige level though, so more pricey.
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

Ashurbanipal said:
I'd look for an older MIJ one, they're more consistent than MIC/MIK, and better trem. 1993 onwards is sculpted neck joint.
Click to expand...

The old Heartfield Talon is a great bargain RG too. It was sold by Fender but made in the same factory as the RGs and had DiMarzio pickups as well.
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

Grab an old Original Square Heeled 550, 565 or 770 and you will not regret it. ;)

RG565Swirl1.jpg


RG565Swirl2.jpg
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

FYI All Ibanez Wizard Necks have a 43mm Nut Width. Where they differ is in the thickness of their Necks, I believe it's as follows:

Wizard- 17mm at 1st Fret, 19mm at 12th Fret

Wizard II- 18mm at 1st Fret, 20mm at 12th Fret

Wizard III- 19mm at 1st Fret, 21mm at 12th Fret

Also, my Iceman ICT700 has the Wizard II Neck thru and it definitely has the thinnest neck out of all my guitars, I still love it mainly because of the wide neck and the flat Neck profile is comfortable to me, I wish the profile was a tad thicker honestly but that's just my personal preference. I had an Ibanez Premium RG721RW with the Wizard III and preferred the slightly thicker profile but it wasn't a drastic difference. If you want an Ultra thin Neck it don't get much thinner than the original Wizard Neck.
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

Problem is that I really don't like the square heel. That's one of my complaints with my current Jackson DKMG.
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

eschoendorff said:
Problem is that I really don't like the square heel. That's one of my complaints with my current Jackson DKMG.
Click to expand...

None of the current 2014 RG models have the square heel. Get to your local Music store and play some. Honestly my Iceman ICT700 and the RG721 Premium were both made in Indonesia and are great players with excellent fretwork, fit, and finish. Just as good as any Korean made Ibby I've played IMO. The Japanese made Ibby's are on another level for sure though.
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

I work at a music store and we carried these for a while. They have great quality, looks, features for the price! Ibanez has great designs because they continue to innovate, and don't have to make it how they did in the 1950's like some other brands to appease their fan base. If you are into shred or metal, go for it. Later on you can upgrade the pups if you want. This guitar is not a great choice for blues or vintage sounds though.
 
Re: School me on the Ibanez RG

I too recommend that you should check out the older MIJ models, 470/550/570 etc. They can be very good and can occasionally be dirt cheap. In general I find that Ibanezes don't really hold value so anything a bit older and used should be a fair bargain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top