Really wanting new guitar, looking at Ibanez

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

Anybody out there?


I really am loving what I see at Ibanez. Do you guys have a specific model in mind?

[mako_kimura]

I play Ibanez RG series guitars. They've got a lot of bang for your buck. Most of the regular RG models are pretty inexpensive, but the RG Prestige's are pricey. So basically, go for an RG, that's my opinion. Something like an RG350

[ELVIS]

Go to a couple pawn shops...

They're filled with I-been-had pieces of junk...

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

Originally posted by mako_kimura
I play Ibanez RG series guitars. They've got a lot of bang for your buck. Most of the regular RG models are pretty inexpensive, but the RG Prestige's are pricey. So basically, go for an RG, that's my opinion. Something like an RG350

I kinda wanted to splurge on a

http://www.ibanez.com/eg/guitar.aspx?m=RG550MXX

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

Or a http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/revie...ibanez/rg1570/


Somebody help! I love how these feel and play.... anybody have any ideas on a specific RG Prestige model?

[BrownSound1]

Originally posted by ELVIS
Go to a couple pawn shops...

They're filled with I-been-had pieces of junk...

True dat!

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

If Ibanez is so bad, which brand would you recommend?

[BrownSound1]

Gibson or Fender.

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

Originally posted by BrownSound1
Gibson or Fender.

I was looking at a Les Paul, but those are SO expensive.....

And I really don't like Fender body styles.

[Atomic Dyver]

Originally posted by BrownSound1
Gibson or Fender.

Exactly

And if you must have a floating trem there are several high quality custom guitars.


http://www.edromanguitars.com/newsite/index.htm

[The_KiD]

Originally posted by MERRYKISSMASS2U
I was looking at a Les Paul, but those are SO expensive.....

And I really don't like Fender body styles.

Yes but they are worth it. I have owned enough "Cheap Guitars" to know I don't like them. American Strats are great guitars. They will not give you the tone of a Les Paul but they are more affordable and offer great playability...

Save your money and get something nice... Otherwise you will constantly be upgrading and will spend more money than you would have just buying something nicer to begin with..

Good Luck,

KiD

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

Originally posted by The_KiD
Yes but they are worth it. I have owned enough "Cheap Guitars" to know I don't like them. American Strats are great guitars. They will not give you the tone of a Les Paul but they are more affordable and offer great playability...

Save your money and get something nice... Otherwise you will constantly be upgrading and will spend more money than you would have just buying something nicer to begin with..

Good Luck,

KiD

So, an RG2550E would not be good enough?

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

The RG guitar line is the unchallenged standard in hard and heavy rock guitars. The RG2550 has a 24 fret thin, flat and fast Wizard Prestige neck, an Edge-Pro tremolo system, and DiMarzio pickups. Pickups and pickup placement provide the hard-edged cutting tone needed for heavy rock.

Features
Basswood body -- basswood is a comparatively lightweight wood, which makes it very comfortable for extended playing. With a good balance of highs and lows, basswood is right in between alder and mahogany in sound character.

24/jumbo frets -- jumbo frets offer easy playing for leads and chording.

Rosewood fingerboard -- rosewood offers a strong, bright sound and an attractive appearance with a long grain.

Wizard Prestige neck

5pc. maple/ walnut neck material

Basswood body

24/jumbo frets

Rosewood fingerboard

Edge Pro bridge

DiMarzio IBZ (H) neck pickup

DiMarzio IBZ (S) mid pickup

DiMarzio IBZ (H) bridge pickup

Pearl dot inlay

Chrome hardware

[Nitro Express]

If a Gibson Les Paul floats your boat, take a look at Harmony guitars. They are made in the old Gibson Kalamazoo, MI plant on old Gibson machinery. They are 1/3 less money than Gibsons and I personally think they are better guitars.

I tottaly agree with The Kid on quality guitars. Sure there are better bargain guitars than others but they still can compaire to a well built quality instrument. If you are seriouse about playing, avoid the temptation to buy a cheap Epiphone if you really want the real deal.

That being said, I have found Gibson quality as late being hit and miss. I've seen Les Pauls with horrible fret and binding work. I've seen poor finish jobs. Gibson is coasting on their brandname but they still put some good guitars out and a truely well built Gibson is a treasure to own.

Just don't think a famouse brandname and a big pricetag is going to always get you a good guitar.

[Nitro Express]

I meant to say Herritage guitars. Harmony guitars are shit. LOL! It's late and I'm a little drunk. LOL!

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

Well, what do you think of the RG Ibanezes?

[mako_kimura]

Like I said, RG's are great guitars in my opinion. The neck is thin (but not too thin, like the RG Prestige necks) and flat, so they're perfect for fast playing, if that happens to be your thing. And even though the pickups aren't any specific brand like Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio, they've got a lot of output and the configuration is perfect for tonal experimentation. The Edge III trem is good not only for going all crazy, but it's set in lower than regular double-locking trems, so there's no fine tuners digging into your hand. Also, the cutaways are cut a bit deeper than other guitars, so you can reach all 24 frets. So I say go for it, Ibanez has been good to me since I started playing them. As for a specific model, I'd go with either an RG350 or RG370.

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

I started a thread about it here...
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum...76#post8608276

[mako_kimura]

That's a pretty good choice you chose. I'd be careful dealing with people on UG.com, lot's of airheaded kids (Yeah, I know, look who's talking) who've only tried like two or three guitars. Just a heads up

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

Originally posted by mako_kimura
That's a pretty good choice you chose. I'd be careful dealing with people on UG.com, lot's of airheaded kids (Yeah, I know, look who's talking) who've only tried like two or three guitars. Just a heads up

Yeah, I can tell the idiots by their grammar or stupid comments like "Fenders SUCK, BC RICHES = METAL LOLZ!@@@@@!!!xdxdxdxd"

[The_KiD]

Originally posted by MERRYKISSMASS2U
So, an RG2550E would not be good enough?

Looks nice enough but definitely not my cup of tea... I would prefer an American Strat any day..

KiD

[mako_kimura]

Go for

Originally posted by MERRYKISSMASS2U
So, an RG2550E would not be good enough?

It's good enough and more. A lot of people on here (This is just my observations) are more old schooled dudes and don't really like the shred machines like Ibanez and Jackson. But just follow your instincts, but overall I say buy the Ibanez. They're great next-level guitars

[The_KiD]

Originally posted by mako_kimura
Go for

It's good enough and more. A lot of people on here (This is just my observations) are more old schooled dudes and don't really like the shred machines like Ibanez and Jackson. But just follow your instincts, but overall I say buy the Ibanez. They're great next-level guitars

I agree with your assesment 100%. While the Ibanez may not be for me, you may love it. Guitars are a very personal thing..

Cheers,

KiD

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

Originally posted by The_KiD
Looks nice enough but definitely not my cup of tea... I would prefer an American Strat any day..

KiD

I know it's totally not the same thing, but I do have a Squier .

I need something with humbuckers! I also think the Strat is SO overdone.

Originally posted by mako_kimura
Go for

It's good enough and more. A lot of people on here (This is just my observations) are more old schooled dudes and don't really like the shred machines like Ibanez and Jackson. But just follow your instincts, but overall I say buy the Ibanez. They're great next-level guitars

Thnaks for the help. 5 stars.

[ELVIS]

They suck...

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

Originally posted by ELVIS
They suck...

That's totally why Vai and Satch play them... and Herman Li.


How do you expect me to listen to you when you like Yngwie Malmsteen?

[rustoffa]

Originally posted by MERRYKISSMASS2U
I was looking at a Les Paul, but those are SO expensive.....

And I really don't like Fender body styles.

Gibson just re-issued the Melody Maker. The single pickup is 349.00 @ musiciansfriend. For another fifty bucks, you get another pickup! They "found" the original pickup tooling from 1959, and replicated it exactly. It's probably got more wrap than a P90. The fucker will scream.
Visit Gibbo's explanation of this incredible value here.

You should also check out ESP's LTD line...way better than Ibanez' budget shredalopters.

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

Originally posted by rustoffa
Gibson just re-issued the Melody Maker. The single pickup is 349.00 @ musiciansfriend. For another fifty bucks, you get another pickup! They "found" the original pickup tooling from 1959, and replicated it exactly. It's probably got more wrap than a P90. The fucker will scream.
Visit Gibbo's explanation of this incredible value here.

You should also check out ESP's LTD line...way better than Ibanez' budget shredalopters.

What's the difference between an LTD and a real signature model? Dave Mustaine's model looks sweet, but I wonder how it would sound and feel in person. Why do you personally not like Ibanez?

[rustoffa]

Originally posted by MERRYKISSMASS2U
What's the difference between an LTD and a real signature model? Dave Mustaine's model looks sweet, but I wonder how it would sound and feel in person. Why do you personally not like Ibanez?

I think the ESP's are made vicariously through nipponese interests on dry land. The LTD's are created on a Korean assembly line right next to the place where EMG's come from....underwater. I don't personally dislike Ibanez, if that's what you like, just buy one.

[col5150]

Dude ive owned 3 ibanez guitars a jem555 (jem junior) a jem 7dbk and an ibanez prestige and ive got rid of all 3 of em. They all looked far better than they sounded. The jems had great action but that was about it, the pickups were real whiney and they felt cheap

if your looking for something with a floyd i'd suggest a peavey wolfgang standard, you can pick one up fairly cheapish on ebay these days. Ive owned usa strats+ 2 gibson les pauls and countless others and still feel the wolfy is the best all rounder ive ever owned

just a suggestion

[hearboutitlater]

The dimebag dean from hell recreation. Scary good neck feel. Awesome screaming bill lawrence pickup. I mean, if you are looking for that metal meltdown sound....

[mako_kimura]

Originally posted by hearboutitlater
The dimebag dean from hell recreation. Scary good neck feel. Awesome screaming bill lawrence pickup. I mean, if you are looking for that metal meltdown sound....

And if you have enought money. Those things are expensive as hell

[DeadMan1984]

I just bought an LTD M-200 and lemme tell ya it's a really damn good guitar. Great neck, nice pickups (you might wanna upgrade the EMG-ESP's eventually), and a pretty good Floyd. I highly suggest it.

[MERRYKISSMASS2U]

Originally posted by hearboutitlater
The dimebag dean from hell recreation. Scary good neck feel. Awesome screaming bill lawrence pickup. I mean, if you are looking for that metal meltdown sound....

I love the sound, but the paintjob, to me, is as ugly as sin.

[Polk High]

I have an Ibanez RG something, it cost about 150 or so. It's been my learning guitar for some time now. Granted I haven't played as much as I should I think it was well worth the price. I'm actually in the market for a new one but I don't know how much if any it would help my playing

[ZahZoo]

I wouldn't get too caught up in signiture models of any guitar... many cases where the big artist may not be playing a guitar built by the manufacturer whose label is on the headstock...

Examples:

Joe Despagne Ghostbuilt many of Steve Vai's original Ibanez brand name guitars.

A California luthier named "MAX" Ghostbuilds most of Slash's guitars that say Gibson on them.

PBC Guitars, (Dave Bunker) Ghostbuilt all the USA Made Ibanez Custom Shop guitars for about 3 years.

Fuji Gen Gakki Ghostbuild the Japanese Fenders and many of the Ibanez guitars available.

[Matt White]

You have to play a guitar before you know if you want to own that guitar......

PLay as many different models as you can.....


You'll find what's right for YOU

[ZahZoo]

That's the ticket... if it feels like butter in our hands, forget price, manufacturer, endorsements and all that crap.

I'm having a blast with a $99.95 Squire 51 right now due to the funky vibe/mojo and it's overall playablility than I've had w/ $2000-5000 "dream" guitars I thought I just had to have...