Just got an RG560

[MDV]

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.

[MDV]

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.

[dave_mc]

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.

[MDV]

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: )

[dave_mc]

: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...

[MDV]

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.

[dave_mc]

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?

[MDV]

Yeah I realised my dumbness about the 89/91 thing...

Its a rosewood board.

[dave_mc]

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...

[MDV]

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.

[noodleplugerine]

You two make a nice pair.

Now make out.

(Staying out of this thread untill we have proof MDV isn't a dirty liar!)

[shobet]

£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?

[MDV]

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.

[Dr. Vic]

I'll know more when I dismantle it later.

Good God ! Will she stay still alive after that treatment ?

[MDV]

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