I saw this guitar on the internet yesterday morning, went to the shop in the afternoon, tried it, bought it, took it to the pub and then brought her home...err...
It's a 1989 Ibanez 540R which was the basis for the Satriani model, there are quite a few differences between the two though, most obviously the tilted headstock and position of the controls. The neck is really comfortable and has some interesting patterns in the maple, some birdseye and flame but there's a big streak that appears to be a part of the flame but looks like the neck has been broken and glued! It hasn't though, the grain runs through it and its perfectly smooth. Maybe just an anomaly or poor quality timber? Perhaps some of the guitar builders/wood experts here can explain it.
There is some corrosion on the metal but I plan a few upgrades including BKPs. the pups in there now are DiMarzio 'IBZ' F1s which are supposed to be similar to The Breed. The bass is huge and fat, much more than my Nailbomb Charvel, but lacks the clear articulation in the mid and treble. It sounds good for a non BKP guitar though!
