Your #1 Ibanez Guitar

UnderTheFlame83

UnderTheFlame83

New member
All of you Ibanez players, which is your #1 guitar?

I own 12 Ibanez guitars, mostly RGs, but I also have a few S series and a Artcore. All are great players. If I had to pick just one as my favorite #1 guitar it would have to be the 2nd one I ever bought back in 2002. It's also my most played. Made in Korea.

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Picking just one of my Ibanezs is a "Sophie's Choice". If I had to pick, it would be my 1980 MIJ Iceman. It is finished in automotive black urethane my buddy sprayed it in his autobody shop. It has a Dimebucker/Jazz set with splitting on each pickup and a phase switch. A Kahler hybrid tremelo, Spezel lockng tuners. The guitar is a beast for hard rock and metal. However, with the switching and pickup configuration, I can play almost anything on the guitar.

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I currently only have one Ibanez, its my 95 Iceman. It was a pre-release lets test the waters release to test the waters to see if there was enough interest to bring the Iceman back into production. What I have read, these were a limited run of between 500-800 guitars. It was built with a wider than average binding and the body was a bit smaller than the traditional Iceman as it was intended as a Japanese release. It has a Distortion in the bridge and a Black Winter neck, neck is thicker than I generally like on a guitar but it fits me like a glove.

Used to own an older RG-570 but sadly it was stolen, loved that guitar as well.
 
Hsb said:
I currently only have one Ibanez, its my 95 Iceman. It was a pre-release lets test the waters release to test the waters to see if there was enough interest to bring the Iceman back into production. What I have read, these were a limited run of between 500-800 guitars. It was built with a wider than average binding and the body was a bit smaller than the traditional Iceman as it was intended as a Japanese release. It has a Distortion in the bridge and a Black Winter neck, neck is thicker than I generally like on a guitar but it fits me like a glove.

Used to own an older RG-570 but sadly it was stolen, loved that guitar as well.
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Is that a thing? They make guitars for Japanese people smaller? Say it isn't so.

That reminds me of Avatar cabs from years back. The cabs apparently were dimensioned to reduce shipping costs, so your avatar 4x12 was something like 7/8th sized of a normal 4x12.
 
Securb's sparkly Iceman gets me every time. Total hardcore psychobilly machine.

I have a couple of oldies, which I love. #1 is definitely my PL though. Pretty customized but better than stock, imo. Been hoping to get some other models in the range but some are quite rare and prices are through the roof nowadays (think they cost as much as they did new!).
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The last Ibeenhad I had was in 1989 I think. RG somethin somethin (550?). Low end. Red with black hardware & with the "Edge" trem IIRC.

I got it as a backup guitar.

I brought it to my buddy's auto shop and used various power tools on it, including drilling a big hole all the way through for a giant nut and bolt.

After awhile, that "wafer-thin" neck just started warping.

It became firewood.

I've never jived with the Ibeenhad style, look or feel.
 
The only Ibanez I own at the moment is an XPIR20E "Xiphos". Seriously cool guitar, but it didn't make the cut into my "Top 5", so I'll be selling it as soon as I get it back from the movers.

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I had a great playing RG7321 7-string also, but decided to cannibalize the neck for a different project that I'll be completing once I get moved into my new place in a few weeks.

My absolute favorite Ibanez, though, was my first guitar (which I stupidly sold), which was a limited run 1990 RG570 with the square heel, maple fretboard, metallic "sunset burst" finish, and original Edge bridge. That was the first guitar I ever tried Duncans in! SO much rock in that thing!

Unfortunately, I have very few pics of it and the ones I do have were taken when I sold it about 17 years ago and don't show off the finish very well (those were the early days of "digital" cameras):

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I've had a lot of Ibzs, and really liked all of them, the rootbeer JEM in my avatar was my favorite ever, probably favorite guitar ever, I miss it. Unfortunately they are rare and at stupid prices now days if you can find them, so it's pretty much irreplaceable.
 
Top-L said:
Is that a thing? They make guitars for Japanese people smaller? Say it isn't so.

That reminds me of Avatar cabs from years back. The cabs apparently were dimensioned to reduce shipping costs, so your avatar 4x12 was something like 7/8th sized of a normal 4x12.
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Yep it was a thing for this release since the stature of the Japanese is smaller and meant only as a Japanese release. Its not drastically smaller than the regular released ones, probably less than an inch or so.

It still looks and feels like a big guitar and doesnt look tiny against my 6'4", 230+ frame.
 
The 520QS was one of the best models of the mid-late 90s they made.

I like that metallicy 570, bit of a rare one indeed.

LLL said:
The last Ibeenhad I had was in 1989 I think. RG somethin somethin (550?). Low end. Red with black hardware & with the "Edge" trem IIRC.

I got it as a backup guitar.

I brought it to my buddy's auto shop and used various power tools on it, including drilling a big hole all the way through for a giant nut and bolt.

After awhile, that "wafer-thin" neck just started warping.

It became firewood.

I've never jived with the Ibeenhad style, look or feel.
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Yeah, they still had flat sawn necks at that point, iirc. Not long after that they switched to qs, and then to multi-laminate in the mid-90s onwards. Cracks by the locking nut bolts are also common.

Think if someone wants a 550, they should get a new Genesis, it has a few upgrades, like a better built neck. Vintage ones may have mojo, but may need elbow grease.
 
The older ones had slightly thicker necks, which I liked better, the new ones are just under 5/8" thick. They play great, but a little thicker would be nice IMHO, granted they haven't called to ask my opinion so I'm not holding my brreath.
 
My MIJ S-540LTD Sabre from '94. Has the AANJ neck joint, Lo-pro edge trem (my best tremolo ever), original wizard and a set of A4 "Sinbucker - 7th Sin" pickups hand-wound by Chris Carter of Sounds Of Sin pickups that are phenomenal .. huge step up from the stock Quantum's :bigthumb: Wish I'd ordered more of his stuff..

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Reason for the #1 position??? I have never played faster on any other guitar :D

Jokes apart, it plays like greased lightning & sounds heavenly...it was my second Ibanez (and guitar) after my old DT250 which was also a great axe, and is easily my most used and played guitar.
 
^^ Get yer Gambale on!

Little Pigbacon said:
My RG550 had an AANJ but no cool multipiece laminated neck. I never had a problem with keeping it stable, though comfort eventually became an issue with it being so thin. That probably had as much to do with my fret-hand posture changing, as anything else.

The mulipiece laminated necks are wonderful. I wouldnt be afraid to fall in love with a new Ibanez built like that, or with a well inspected used one. I thought the $699 George Benson model was pretty nice, too. Mini hums, and they float them off the top.
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I can't remember when they started doing it, but they had 3pc all maple necks at some stage, then around 1996-97 they started doing the middle bubinga stripe on Prestige, which was introduced at that time. The Genesis models have a 5pc neck with a volute and top mounted nut; for Wizard style, probably never been better. The neck also goes all the way to the pu cavity - no Strat style joint with fretboard extension like the old ones.

Had a 320 for a long time, which was a flatsawn Wizard II and never had problems.

The only Ibz jazz box I've played was an AF75. Seemed like a decent guitar, just not my thing.
 
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