Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: MDV on April 28, 2009, 10:03:51 PM
-
For 100 of your earth pounds. With a (quite poor) hardcase.
Theres a small crack in the neck join, build quality is good, not stellar, buit good, its all smooth and slinky and been well kept, frets need some work, its got an original edge and a wizard I neck, pretty old design (with the angled neck plate, wizard I and such) but not sure how old. Older the better for me with RGs.
Preliminary analysis (with the 4mm action the guy I got it off had it on and 9s in E) of the acoustic sound show a decent low mid, good punch and clarity, perhaps lacking in bottom end. Wont know for sure till its set up properly, with 12-64s in drop A# :twisted:
Its white
Errrr
Yeah
ROCK!
Oh, and yes I realise this is just s tissue of lies without pics. But I have no camera. or rather, to all intents and purposes no camera since I have no way to transfer the pics.
Does anyone that knows RG history better than I know when they stopped using the neck plate and started using AANJs? And wizard IIs? I'd like to get a ballpark idea of age.
-
Wait, it has a manual - dated 94. Assuming the manual came with the guitar originally (who the hell keeps them, let alone for that long and at least 2 other owners?) that'll be its age.
-
do you have the serial number (only the first couple of digits are needed)? should be on the back of the headstock, you can normally work out the age from that. should start off with an "F" (for fujigen)...
i'm not sure of the exact age, but you're right, no AANJ should mean it's one of the older ones...
EDIT: sounds good, by the way, £100 sounds like a good price if it's in half-decent nick at all. What's the 560 again, is that the HSS one?
EDIT #2: yeah, there you go:
http://www.jemsite.com/jem/other.htm#neckssn
before 1997, the first digit in the serial number is the last digit of the year (i.e. a serial number starting with "F3" means "1993", while one starting with "F8" would be a 1988 model), then in 1997 (presumably because they started making them in 1987, and would have been duplicating serial numbers otherwise) they changed to the first 2 digits being the year, so a serial number starting off "F98" would be a 1998 model, while a serial number starting with "F00" would be a 2000 model... etc. I think that's how it works, anyway.
-
Yep its HSS. I'd prefer HSH for the classic RG vibe, but I like HSS and Ibanez were making some good guitars back then.
I'm not terribly up on the 2nd hand market for them, but its my understanding that 100 is a very good price indeed for such a guitar...? Very good price for the one I have here at any rate (its a hell of a lot better than that caparison I played anyway :lol: )
-
:lol:
check my edit, by the way, I put in a lot more info. you should be able to date it (er...) from that. :)
but yeah, i think, from my very limited experience with seeing what other people bought them from on this forum and others, you can pay up to £300, maybe even more. So yeah, £100 sounds great. The edge is a sweet bridge too. I like HSS, too- I think I *slightly* prefer HSH too, but as you say, both are good. :)
EDIT: is it a scratchplate model? if it is, and depending on what the routing is, you could always convert it to HSH...
-
Thanks for the SN info dave.
This is F918blah, so given the specs of the rest of it that would mean its 89 or 91 and someone got manual later.
Wait, brain no worky, it must be 89. Cool.
its not scratchplated, no. I'm not fussed about the config tbh. I use the bridge 80% of the time anyway and like HSS perfectly well. Theres no substitute for a neck single for many a tone.
-
No worries about the info, I only know because I have an RG too, and wanted to find out when mine was made... :D But i had to check to see when the changeover to the double-digit numbers was. From the sounds of things, yours is a 1989 model, they didn't change to the double digit system to 1997- if jemsite is to be believed, that is, which to be honest, is kind of debatable. I've caught them out being wrong before, but admittedly with much more obscure info- I'd assume they've got the serial numbers correct.
EDIT: yeah, that's true about HSS, it's certainly useful in certain situations. probably not worth modifying it, you'd devalue it etc. etc. I mainly use the bridge pickup too... :lol:
EDIT #2: oh yeah, what's the fretboard? maple? rosewood?
-
Yeah I realised my dumbness about the 89/91 thing...
Its a rosewood board.
-
no worries, it took me a couple of minutes before i posted to get my head around it too :lol: what made it click was that i remembered why they changed, because they'd been making them for 10 years. bit like the best way to remember scientific formulae, if you understand why it's the formula...
mine has a rosewood board too, wouldn't mind trying a maple one at some point just to see how that changes the tone...
-
A mate of mine has an 87 550 with a maple board. Great guitar. Its got a surprising low end chunk when detuned, but not massive amounts, really tight and very bright and responsive, lots of attack. How much of thats the board and how much is just that its a great guitar is HIGHLY debatable, but since this and that are 2 years apart and wood and costruction wise almost identical (one pickup route and one fretboard difference) it would be interesting to A/B them.
But hes in manchester. And I'm not.
-
You two make a nice pair.
Now make out.
(Staying out of this thread untill we have proof MDV isn't a dirty liar!)
-
£100 is a steal! I paid a bit more for my 91 in Grape Ice, but it's clean and in the original Ibanez grey tolex case. I paid around the same for my Lipstick red beaten up old 89 (which is actually the nicer player).
It does indeed sounds like a 89 from the serial number. The crack in the neck pocket is nothing to worry about, it's a common problem on them, as are cracks around the bolt holes for the locking nut. IMO the Edge trem is one of the best ones out there. If it's been played a lot you should also have the discolouration on the neck plate where the thumb has been rubbing over the years.
Out of interest has it got a matching colour headstock, or is it just black?
-
Yep, the neckplates discoloured. Rather a lot more than my (steadily played for 9 years) jackson.
Headstock is black.
The crack in the neck joins seems to be more a crack in the paint than anything. I'll know more when I dismantle it later.
-
I'll know more when I dismantle it later.
Good God ! Will she stay still alive after that treatment ?
-
I'll know more when I dismantle it later.
Good God ! Will she stay still alive after that treatment ?
Of course :? It'll only be the bajillionth time I've done it :shock: :P
-
yeah, mine seems pretty warm in tone (though how much of that is the cr@ppy lo-trs sustain block, i don't know :lol: ), shame your friend's too far away to do an A/B test... :(
-
Unless there was a marked difference in brightness and attack I wouldnt be convinced anyway. I reckon the variation in tone between bits of maple and basswood is capable of imparting as large a difference. They would have to be different in exactly the predicted way for me to be convinced.
Further inspection - the heel is interference fit (its a bit curved in the tops so its kind of hard to tell by looking) and the crack is totally superficial.
Looking forward to getting it strung up and set up. I'm half way through a fret dress at the mo, just taking a break
-
Does it have the Bensalem plate on the neck joint?
You can tell a bit more from that based on
They are easy worth around £300+ second hand if in good nick. I looked in to these before I got my 540 (wish I didn't have to sell that guitar a while back)
-
http://www.ibanezrules.com/catalogs/reference/dating.htm
Found that. The bensalem plate is blank, which is consistent with MIJ + sn on the headstock.
-
Unless there was a marked difference in brightness and attack I wouldnt be convinced anyway. I reckon the variation in tone between bits of maple and basswood is capable of imparting as large a difference. They would have to be different in exactly the predicted way for me to be convinced.
yeah, possibly :)
-
Well, frets are dressed, fretboards micromeshed and oiled, setups done-enough-to-play-test
and
Wow...this thing grew some balls. Its taken to low tuning really well,lots of big chunky tight low end, lots of clarity in the top. I can see it taking well to a C-bomb bridge....it'll have to wait a while though.
I'm happy though - acoustically this challenges my custom dean and if anything beats my trusty DX1. Its no legra, but then I've yet to find anything that is...except...another legra! (4 or 5 more weeks!!)
-
Oh, I'd forgotten what a shredding dream the wizard 1 is.
-
Warning nerdy question:
Is the open harmonic on the 17th fret a bit dead?
I have found this to be the case on several old ibanez guitars
-
I'm happy though - acoustically this challenges my custom dean and if anything beats my trusty DX1. Its no legra, but then I've yet to find anything that is...except...another legra! (4 or 5 more weeks!!)
wait wait wait, I know all about you having a Legra on build but what was your reasoning for going and just buying some random guitar!?!?!?!? Btw mine is going to the paint shop on thursday!
-
Havent amped it up, but no not terribly. Its not as clear as on my dean or legra (both top quality gutiars), maybe a shade less than the jackson (which is a fairer comparsion). Same harmonic is almost non-existant on my warmoth mockingbird. I'd call that harmonic within expectations.
-
I'm happy though - acoustically this challenges my custom dean and if anything beats my trusty DX1. Its no legra, but then I've yet to find anything that is...except...another legra! (4 or 5 more weeks!!)
wait wait wait, I know all about you having a Legra on build but what was your reasoning for going and just buying some random guitar!?!?!?!? Btw mine is going to the paint shop on thursday!
My reason?
I wanted it *shrugs*. It was cheap, I like old RGs (new ones can be pretty good too).
I've bought, technically 3 guitars between ordering the aurora and now - a warmoth off stevepage, this RG and a really cheap westfield to butcher, I mean, mod. Practice modding.
Good news on your legra! Simms were really slow with my paint last time though - they delayed the MDV602 by about 3 weeks iirc :( Hopefully they're faster now!
Edit - wait, no...I bought three guitars and part-exed one for one I used to have. So 1 out 4 in.
-
... I have a grey RG760 which has similar specs to your 560 except it has sharkfins... F9xxxxx serial number with Bensalem plate so it's definitely an 89 as this color was only offered during that year. Got it $150 US @ 6 years ago; It was missing the bar and locknuts but everything else was sweet. Got DiMarzio's for it pretty much for free. It recently got"dead spots" on the high 23/24th fret, not sure what it exactly needs... otherwise, I love these old school wizard necks :)
Reg
-
this thread needs pics, especially of the famous wizard neck
-
anyone remember which neck john petrucci had on his ibanez signature?
google doesn't like me today
-
anyone remember which neck john petrucci had on his ibanez signature?
google doesn't like me today
Apparently it's a more rounded Strat-like shape, unsurprisingly called the JPM. Some say that it's the same as the Ibanez Viper neck but according to Jemsite the JPM is 19mm-21mm whereas the Viper is 19.5mm-21.5mm.
Check it out http://static.keebali.com/jemsite.com/jem/necks.htm (http://static.keebali.com/jemsite.com/jem/necks.htm)
-
anyone remember which neck john petrucci had on his ibanez signature?
google doesn't like me today
Apparently it's a more rounded Strat-like shape, unsurprisingly called the JPM. Some say that it's the same as the Ibanez Viper neck but according to Jemsite the JPM is 19mm-21mm whereas the Viper is 19.5mm-21.5mm.
Check it out http://static.keebali.com/jemsite.com/jem/necks.htm (http://static.keebali.com/jemsite.com/jem/necks.htm)
ooo cheers, now if only I could try a musicman john petrucci signature model, I heard it has an asymmetric neck so I'm really curious how it compares to the thin neck on the JPM, although I've never played that either but I'm curious to why he changed and what the benefits are
-
I've bought, technically 3 guitars between ordering the aurora and now - a warmoth off stevepage, this RG and a really cheap westfield to butcher, I mean, mod. Practice modding.
Good news on your legra! Simms were really slow with my paint last time though - they delayed the MDV602 by about 3 weeks iirc :( Hopefully they're faster now!
haha, I bought an eggle while I was waiting for my Legra V... :lol:
mine was delayed a load by the paintshop, i think it was because of NAMM or something like that. :)