Decisions decisions...

[Ben_W]

Hi guys, due to me having played only a tiny number of Ibanez guitars, I thought it best to see if anyone here can give me a hand!

Here's the story.

Been gigging, a lot over the summer, and have saved up for a few months, and am now in a dilemma.

My plan was to get a PRS Custom 22 (it's just so pretty!), but not really sure I want it now. I have an Gibson SG, a 52 reissue tele, then a couple of old guitars that I really should add a bit of life to again.

Now, i've been pining for an Ibanez for years now, just never been sure which to get. I want a Super Strat style guitar. I don't really mind too much if it has a Floyd Rose, but if it does, i'd be willing to pay a tad more to get better quality hardware.


So atm, it's between a JEMV7, an RG3270 and an RGA321F.

My range is anywhere from 500-1,500 really. I haven't really had a huge amount of experience with Ibanez guitars, I want a nice guitar I can play rock and metal on (nothing particular at the moment), not fussed on clean sounds, and have heard good things of those specified, and wandered if anyone would be so kinda as to give me a slight bit of guidance on which (if any) of these would be a good overall guitar. I have 2 guitars for my band, which suit it well, but want a nice guitar for me, so something versatile-ish would be good. :)


Thanks,



Ben.

[dave_mc]

i haven't tried the rga321, but as far as i can tell, from the specs, the rga121 is more or less the exact same thing (minus the fancy flamed top and slightly nicer pickups) for about half the price.

jem7v... pretty nice, but very much a shredder, and sounds very much like vai. you need to be sure you'd be comfortable with such an "obvious" signature guitar.

to be honest if i were willing to spend £1500 on an ibanez i'd be looking at the j-customs... they can be hard to find, but they seem to be a step-up from the prestiges. or else go with either the rga121 or rg1570, upgrade the pickups, and you'll have saved a bunch of money.

at the £1500 mark, i'd be looking at vigier, suhr, etc. etc. (or a custom from e.g. legra, feline, wez v etc.)...

these are my opinions of course, you may disagree. :)

[Ben_W]

Yeah, I looked at the rg1570, but was slightly put off, as someone (can't remember who) said there was no point getting a locking trem unless you spend like 800 quid or more, as the floyd will be rubbish, apparently, which kinda put me off. But then if that's untrue, I may aswell get a cheaper one, and whack some BKPs in it. :) Also, i like the idea of the HSH. That'll be nice. :)  This is probably a silly question, but would a calibrated humbucker set be ok if I have a single coil in between them? Or will that deplete the point of a calibrated set? Of course, I would get them asa calibrated set anyway, as it's cheaper, but just a thought.

[JamesHealey]

the 1570 is the same trem as the JEM7 series..

Personally i'd suggest getting the RGT220Z.. stunning guitar my friend has one and it's clearly the best ibanez i've ever played and i've owned about 3 JEMs.

[dave_mc]

Yeah, I looked at the rg1570, but was slightly put off, as someone (can't remember who) said there was no point getting a locking trem unless you spend like 800 quid or more, as the floyd will be rubbish, apparently, which kinda put me off. But then if that's untrue, I may aswell get a cheaper one, and whack some BKPs in it. :) Also, i like the idea of the HSH. That'll be nice. :)  This is probably a silly question, but would a calibrated humbucker set be ok if I have a single coil in between them? Or will that deplete the point of a calibrated set? Of course, I would get them asa calibrated set anyway, as it's cheaper, but just a thought.

as james said, the trem's the same as on the more expensive ibanezes. that's more or less why the rg1570 is probably the best value guitar in the ibanez range (if you're after a shredder with a trem, of course!). it's rarely wise to put a black-and-white figure on anything- that £800 is probably playing it very safe (plus just because you pay £800, it doesn't necessarily mean the guitar will have an amazing floyd, as some companies offer better value for money than others...). probably redundant to say so, and apologies for saying something so obvious, but judge the quality of the trem on the quality of the trem, not the price (or anything else). with the 1570, you'd want to try it to make sure you get on with basswood; some do, some don't.

regarding the calibrated: i don't think it matters. it certainly wouldn't do any harm to get them calibrated- just with the stock ibanez wiring, you won't be able to have both humbuckers on at once (though you could probably change it to that if you really wanted it). but calibrated should mean that switching from bridge to neck (or vice-versa) should sound more "matched", if that makes sense. you'd also want to make sure the single coil (if you swap it too) roughly matches the humbuckers (unless you're after a completely different tone from the single)...

[Matt77]

Get an early Japanese 90s ibanez in good nick. S540, 540S, RG550, RG 560 (if you don't mind HHS pickup configs) or RG570 would do it.
They have the original Edge trem or the lo-pro Edge trem which is good.
I just picked up a 1990 540S for £350, with case delivered to my door. It can hold its own well against my other guitars and I have some really high end guitars.
Check out the pics on the thread I posted a few days ago in this section

[Ben_W]

Cool, thanks guys, i've never played or seen a RGT220Z, but by looking at the specs, do seem pretty nice. I will try one out, and if I like it, i'l get it! :)

Thanks,


Ben.

[JSHRED]

RG 1570. Wizard 1 neck is the fastest on earth. And it has 24 frets which should be required by law.

It also has the same trem as the JEM without all the wannabe-power that goes with it. I play a JEM, but mine is 100% custom so it's not like I'm standing there with my white JEM like look at me, I have Evo too.

The Prestige necks from Ibanez have an appreciable difference in craftsmanship and playability, and the fretwires are like buttah.

Go for it. A Prestige RG will make you very happy. The S-series are also cool, especially since they finally have 24 frets now, but all things considered I like the tone and neck on the RG's and JEM's. And playing an S series can get you mistaken for the wannabes in Dragonforce.  :D

[Ben_W]

Hmmm, I like the look of both of them. RGT220Z is gonna be like £1,150 or so, but is very nice, or theres the RG 1570. I was drawn to it initially because of the Wizard neck, and it doesn't seem to have a fault. which is remarkably cheap, at around £475, and I can't see why it's so cheap... If I got that, I would whack some BKPs in, and should hopefully not sound too bad. :) . Although I would have to try one, i'm not sure what i'll think the basswood.