Ibanez RGA7

The Indonesian Ibanez RGA 7 is a modern and streamlined seven string guitar that is one of the company's more recent offerings. It features many common traits with standard RG 7s like the 7321 or the upper tier 1527, but it also features some updated features such a carved top, updated electronics and the very cool Gilbraltar hardtail bridge. At it's core, it features the standard compliment of a mahogany body and maple neck, the infamous Wizard neck profile, a bound rosewood fretboard with 24 frets and dot inlays. As stated before it has a Gilbraltar bridge, as well as sealed tuners. The electronics consist of a pair of Ibanez LZ7 humbuckers wired to a single volume control, a 3 way selector switch as well as a boost switch.

UTILIZATION

I definitely prefer the updated carvetop design of the RGA series as a whole here. Even setting aside the fact that it looks classier, but the feel is easily superior and at first I thought I was holding a Prestige model Ibby. The general design of the guitar makes it more player friendly to me than the flat top RGs. This is likely due to the fact that my picking hand has a good and comfortable resting position due to the sloped surface on the body. Otherwise it feels like a standard Ibby - very light, slick, fast and agile. The upper fret access is excellent as always, and getting to the 24th fret is no problem.

Getting a good tone out of this guitar is a tad bit difficult to me. Mahogany can be a very dense sounding wood and as a result I found lower notes and rich chords got lost in the mix, especially with distortion applied. The LZ7 pickups do an adequate job in this guitar, but I still can't say I'm a fan per se. They're a bit too buzzy and compressed for my liking and seem to lack definition on the lower strings.

SOUNDS

Plugged in this guitar has a decent set of tones available considering the price point. I've never been a fan of Ibanez pickups and these don't change my opinion, but they do a decent enough job for a set of OEM pickups. They remind me a lot of EMG HZs - very compressed and gainy. This is great in theory, but when coupled with the seventh string and low tunings it doesn't work nearly as well as I'd like. The clean tones are fairly generic and uninspired to me. There's not a lot of chime or sparkle and overtones don't ring out all that well on some of the more shimmering chord tones. The drive tones are passible if you're into a very modern and compressed tone with a tonne of gain. I don't mind the guitar for jamming at home levels, but in order to cut through in a proper live mix I would swap these pickups ASAP.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the Ibby RGA7 is a good value for the dollar. The craftsmanship and hardware are quite good for the price point. The electronics are not my bag but I've never much dug their pickups anyway... oh well. For $575 new I think this guitar is definitely worth looking into. Even with a pickup swap factored in, it would still be a great option for a killer seven string under $1,000.

THe RGA7 is a newer 7 string model in the RG line and it is just what everyone wanted. Ibanez is really listening to their cutomers. It has what a lot of people including me want in a 7 string guitar. The RGA7 has a mahogany body which is rare for Ibanez which has an arch top contruction. It has a wizard neck with a bound rosewood fretboard. There ar 24 jumbo frets on the neck. It has the great Gibraltar bridge Ibanez is using on their hardtail guitars now. It is a lot comfier than the old Fender style hardtail bridges they were using before. This guitar also comes with active pickups, something I always recommend with extended range guitars. These are Ibanez active pickups but they look a lot like EMG's they dont sound as good but they sound better than most Ibanez pickups. Plus they are oversized so you can install a set of EMG 7 string pickups without chopping your guitar all up since they fit in the same size route. The controls are a bit different. There is a 3 way switch and a master volume knob. The final switch is an eq cut switch that cuts out the mids of the single for a different type of tone.

UTILIZATION

This guitar feels great like all Ibanez guitars. This guitar is extra nice feeling due to the arch top body. It does not dig into your body like most flat top Ibanez guitars do. The active pickups are nice and they installed a battery compartment for them so you can easily change out your batterys. The Wizard necks are super easy to play. They have a super thin profile with large frets and a flat radius fretboard. This means you can really slam down your action and make it easy to play. The body is an updated RGA shape so the cutaways are a bit different. They have more sculpting to them to make them a bit fancier and more comfortable. The flat top Ibanez guitars the cutaways can sometimes have a sharp uncomfortable feel to them. The hardtail bridge means you have ultimate tuning stability and can tune to whatever crazy tuning you want without having to worry about string and spring tension.

SOUNDS

With the mahogany body and the active pickups this guitar sounds really good for a stock Ibanez. The mahogany body gives you a really thick tone compared to the basswood junk they make most of their guitars out of. The mid cut knob is a joke. I thought it was a kill switch when I first saw it which would have been cooler with active pickups. They should rename the knob the tone suck knob instead of the eq cut knob. The active Ibanez are pretty decent. They are pretty much EMG copies. You can get nice high gain tones from both of them. You can get a good high gain lead tone from the neck position but it will get muddy if you pour it on too much. The bridge position has the nice high end sizzle you expect from active pickups. This keeps it from getting muddy in the lower frequencies.

OVERALL OPINION

Ibanez is on the right track with the RGA7. It has a mahogany body and an arch top which are great for tone and comfort. The Gibraltar bridge is rock solid and lets you tune to whatever as quick as you want. Ibanez is still at the top of the heap when it comes to 7 strings and this guitar helps solidify this standing. If you are looking for a mid level hardtail Ibanez guitar this is a great example. Mahogany body and active pickups are what you want in a 7 string.

The manufacturer's site describes it perfectly.
I put 9 on condition that you change the pickups for something you like.

UTILIZATION

Handle ergonomics and very pleasant. All of the notes is fully accessible. Possible settings are fine and allow all the desired precision. Tested with large and less large drawing. (60, 58, 56) for the worst. Nikel in all cases a condition to choose according to the tuning (normal & no surprises) Lutherie General impeccable (high quality for the price of the guitar)

SOUNDS

The micro base, I have not tried at the same time, why?
Bought used with EMG-707 mounted on it. That's all I wanted (a small craft provide in order to return the block of the stack that is deeper. With gentleness and love that passes only)

OVERALL OPINION

Around 1 year. Combination that gives a very good guitar for a price that simply does not exist. Rather slight and more. I hesitated with the ESP LTD MH-417 BLKS (taken by the other guitarist) The two differences to note are the weight: a little lighter LTD; Handle: Ibanez more accurate and comfortable.

Model 7-string entry from home IBANEZ manufactured in Indonesia ...
The bridge is fixed Gibraltar standard type: the holding of the agreement is quite good, no need to agree every 5 minutes.
Manche Wizard II 24 cases
2 pickups Ibanez LZ7
A selector 3 positions + 1 Boost Treble / Bass digging mediums

UTILIZATION

the handle is very fine and pleasant ... wider than 6 strings of course, but not destabilizing.
The guitar is super light, much more than my ESP Horizon.
You can access easily to the 24th box without any worry.
Well actually

SOUNDS

original mics are not extraordinary, but with a bit of stuff, it sounds the same ... (I have a TC Electronic Nova System + 1 Fender Hot Rod Deluxe)
In clean with a little effect you get sounds nice, but missing some teeth ...
With a good distortion pedal (MXR Fullbore Metal), we arrive at sounds really nice, but the pickups a little drool ... much less accurate than my Seymour Duncan ... (I just ordered a pair of SD Blackout pickups to replace the original)

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a few days and frankly I am satisfied; For a 7-string less than 400 € new, we still quality Ibanez ... ok mics are not great but with a little material was generally not rendering evil.

What I loved most: his looks, light weight, its ultra thin neck
what I like least: microphones that lack precision and aggressiveness