SeriesIbanez RG

The Ibanez RG550 was pretty much the archetypal shredder's guitar of the late eighties, so when I had a chance to rescue an abandoned one to add to my stable... I couldn't say no! This one was a 1991 with the pre AANJ 4 bolt neck heel. It was made in Ibanez's Fujigen plant in Japan. The features are as follows: *Basswood body *Maple neck and fretboard *Ibanez Edge double locking tremolo *H-S-H pickup configuration *Volume/tone controls and a 5 way selector switch *The famed uber-thin Ibanez "Wizard" neck profile The pickups were made by DiMarzio for this particular guitar (as has been common for a long time with Ibanez) and they were definitely eighties in their tonal nature. The bridge was a double locking Ibanez tremolo, so you could very easily go nuts with the vibrato unit and it would still hold perfect tune. It's definitely a guitar that was designed to push the limits... especially for those seeking a killer shred guitar! UTILIZATION The guitar was designed to be like a Japanese weapon... light, stealthy, and deadly. It's an extremely light guitar (due to the sculpted basswood body) and fitted my (smaller) body frame like a glove. It was very easy to hold and play (even for extended periods of time) because of its light weight and the ergonomics of it were obviously a key point to the designers. The Wizard neck profile is definitely something that is meant for fast, fast playing. It took me a little while to get used to because it was MUCH thinner than any Ibanez or other guitar that I'd owned previously. The biggest issue I found with the neck was that it would occasionally start to give me hand cramps (after long periods of time) simply because I wasn't used to a neck that was that thin in diameter. Reaching the top frets was a non-issue because, again, the design was made so that you could get to that top 24th fret without a problem. In addition to the cutaways being very deep, the neck plate was angled slightly forwards so that the guitar had an easier grip when you were up higher on the neck... definitely great for shredding on. I found it very easy to get decent tones with the guitar. When I was given it, the guitar was in rough shape and had been left outdoors and in wet conditions... so I was shocked that the pickups/electronics even worked! However, I didn't even need to touch up any solder joints... everything worked great! The tones were very fitting of a guitar like this. It didn't excel at anything but the high gain thing, but that high gain thing why it was marketed in the first place! SOUNDS When I got the guitar, I was using a rig centered around a Mesa Studio Preamp (Mesa Mark IIC+ head in preamp form.) into a 4x12 cabinet. For comparison, I also had a 1987 Ibanez 540R, a 2010 Charvel San Dimas USA HSS, and a 1997 Yamaha Pacifica 604W that I was using as superstrats around that time. I found the 550 to be the most modern sounding of any of them... The clean tones were not bad. Certainly not as good as a Strat or Tele, but considering that it was a basswood guitar with high output pickups and a locking tremolo, I thought they were decent! There was a nice chime to the clean tones when you split the coils using the 5 way selector switch, which sounded very good for that processed, wet eighties clean sound. It's not the type of clean tones I'd recommend for jazz or country type sounds though... There was really no middle ground as far as low/mid gain tones went. The pickups were quite high output and really just sounded weak to me at lower gain levels. That might have had to do with the woods or bridge as well. The high gain tones of this guitar were definitely its strong point. The neck pickup was great for solo tones ala Jason Becker or Yngwie, and the bridge humbucker went from that more processed sounding L.A rock tone to the more modern chunk tones of more recent times. It cut through very well in a band mix and I thought that it was a very nice complimentary tone to my Gibson LP or other superstrat guitars. It was more modern sounding than my Ibanez 540R and had a much tighter sound than my Charvel San Dimas. Staccato shred runs ala Paul Gilbert could be pulled off with ease as the tones stayed tight even at higher volumes. OVERALL OPINION Overall I thought the Ibanez RG550 was a great sounding guitar for that eighties shred/guitar hero vibe. The Ibanez guitars of old are killer players that really push the limits of us as guitarists. My biggest caveat was the Wizard neck... as my hands just cannot get along with one after playing a Gibson Les Paul with a baseball bat '50s neck for some time before getting this guitar. The tones are very eighties in nature like I said. The guitar might have benefited from a pickup change at some point... but I'm not usually one to modify my guitars so really I base my opinions for these reviews on what the guitar WAS, not what it COULD have been. If you want an eighties sounding guitar that can get into some modern chunk tones and allows you to fly over the fretboard, I'd give the 550 serious consideration. Many players have used them over the years and Ibanez certainly built a serious reputation on these guitars. They're very well crafted instruments... and you can usually pick them up fairly cheaply used as well, so it's definitely a cool guitar to look into if you want a shred 'samurai sword,' so to speak.

One of Ibanez's most popular guitars ever made was the RG550. For whatever reason, they discontinued that guitar, and they refused to bring back maple fretboards. Why, I have no clue. Thankfully, however, they brought it back with this model. The guitar features a basswood body with a smoked pickguard, a maple neck with maple fretboard and outlined sharktooth inlays, HSH configuration, one volume knob, one tone knob, a five way switch and an Edge Zero tremolo. UTILIZATION Finally, they brought back both Desert Yellow and a maple fretboard! A lot of Ibanez fans have been waiting for this for quite awhile. The fretwork on this guitar is top notch thanks to it being built in the Prestige factory. The neck is nice and thin, so it works great for shred licks. The fretboard's radius is also fairly flat, so you can get super low action and bend to the moon without worrying about fretting out. Access to the higher frets is a breeze thanks to the All Access Neck Joint. SOUNDS Not only did Ibanez bring back a guitar inspired by the RG550, but they also included real DiMarzios in this! This guitar comes equipped with an Air Norton in the neck, True Velvet in the middle and Tone Zone in the the bridge. The Air Norton delivers an awesome, fat, round neck tone that is just to die for. It's one of my favorite DiMarzios. The True Velvet is a nice, clean single coil that sounds great in positions 2 and 4. The Tone Zone is a fat, strong midrange pickup that really kicks an amp into overdrive and helps make this guitar sound huge. OVERALL OPINION I absolutely adore this guitar. It's one of the guitars that Ibanez should have been making for years in their standard production line. For years, you had to buy a J-Custom or special edition guitar to get real pickups, but they finally included a nice set of DiMarzios in a production model guitar. On top of that, it has a maple fretboard! If you're looking to buy your first Ibanez, I highly recommend looking at one of these. In fact, I'd probably take this over the RG550.

(Originally written by AlanDay/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Assembled in Japan by the J.Craft Team. It has 24 jumbo frets, IBZ/Di Marzio HSH pickups (made by DiMarzio for Ibanez or made by Ibanez under DiMarzio license? I don't know...) Great Edge Zero tremolo on knife edges with locking system that works like a Swiss clock. In the factory setting it's half-floating but you can adjust it so that it floats completely (remove the point zero system)... Volume and tone controls plus 5-way toggle switch. Extra flat and wide Wizard neck that feels nice. You'll get used to it after a few hours. UTILIZATION Very good access to the upper frets, it's an Ibanez! Strat-type shape but with a more aggressive and sharper look. It weighs almost the same as a Fender Stratocaster. Well-balanced instrument, superb finish. The sound is quite powerful. Once you adjusted the pickup height, you can play with the volume control for more sound versatility. The versatility is also enhanced by the 5-way toggle switch and the HSH pickup combination. You get a monster but accurate distortion. The clean sound is clear and well-balanced. The only problem is that the pickups tend to produce too present mids and highs. SOUNDS I bought it to play melodic heavy metal and it's great for that sort of music. But it also allows me to play jazz or blues stuff. I tested it with a Fender Twin amp and a Peavey Triple XXX. The sound is always clear and precise (however a bit more crystal clear with the Fender)... I like the fat distortion of the neck pickup, it reminds Vai, Satriani and Petrucci. OVERALL OPINION I bought it about one month ago. I had to bring it to a luthier because the tremolo generated too much vibration noise. He adjusted it properly and changed the strings. This problem seems to be quite rare on this guitars. I've had plenty of guitars including an Ibanez Saber. When I tested the RG at the store, it was love at first sight. The guitar is bit too expensive... I don't know if I would buy it again because it's still too new for me.

First, I’ll mention that I’m not a professional guitarist, so please take this review as that of an average player. I’ve used this guitar in my home studio for composing and demoing (direct in, with no amp). I bought it for that purpose as it had been recommended to me as a guitar suitable to play all kinds of styles (I’ve tried several models in several shops and opted for this one). It is equipped with two humbuckers (bridge and neck positions) and a 5-way switch which allows various combinations to find the adequate sound for the style you’re after. You can play ballads with the first neck pickup, good ol’ funk with the mid switch position and heavy metal using the bridge humbucker. As for how it’s built, I’ll just say erfect (the paint isn’t lacquered though, so beware in case you’d knock it). The finish is flawless, the Ibanez shape and woods used make it an original model, unlike the classic rock guitar models. It’s rather small and light. The neck is a real highway, a real pleasure to play! Pros: + Value for money + its sonic versatility + Playing comfort + Design Cons: - For a player of my humble level, there’s none that i can think of I bargained it at a good price with a great and sturdy flycase with a velvet interior - a perfect case for a jewel of a guitar.

(Originally written by Kazuyo/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Made in Japan 24 frets, DiMarzio Tone Zone (bridge) and PAF Pro (neck) pickups. Ibanez Low Edge Pro tremolo 5-way toggle switch, volume and tone controls Wizard Prestige neck (excellent!). I give it a 10 for the excellent pickups, the good lutherie and tremolo system. And... this guitar looks beautiful, it has a perfect finish and absolutely no defects. UTILIZATION Very nice and fast neck with easy access to the upper frets. Ergonomically shaped body for comfortable playing while sitting or standing. Well-balanced guitar. - Is it easy to get the right sound? You can't go wrong if you combine DiMarzio pickups with a good lutherie.... Nothing to criticize so I give it a 10. SOUNDS The PAF Pro produces very good clean and crunch tones. Switch to the Tone Zone for high-gain distortion and you'll feel its power! I plan to upgrade to a 2nd PAF Pro because I find the Tone Zone sounds too aggressive. I give it an 8 because the crunch sound could be better. OVERALL OPINION I've been using it for 1 year and it was well worth the money I paid (normal street price is a bit too high). Based on your experience, would you buy this product again? Yes if I still play heavy metal. But my taste is changing a bit and now I would probably buy a US Strat. And watch out for new Ibanez models which have no resemblance to older ones. In the past you got real DiMarzio pickups but now you get "DiMarzio/Ibz" models which they say have the same sound, and the lutherie is worst while the price remained the same! Overall I give it a 9.

I bought this guitar just before christmas 2001, about 6 months ago. It cost me about €1400 (US$1300) (i live in Ireland so guitar prices are high). My old guitar was a Yamaha Pacifica 112 and in many ways, the Pacifica was better. The colour. It's described as "silver sand" in the Ibanez catalogue and this is not traditional paint as usually seen on a guitar. What theyve done is sprayed slightly purpley-silver sand on the guitar and put a "very" light laquer over it. This adds an extra bit of class to an already beautiful guitar. BUT, this proves to be a small problem. My nice new shiny guitar has a habit of chipping. I imagine there must be a magic pixie with a chisel that hides in my guitar case (complimentary of Ibanez with the 550 EX) who likes to add little dents whenever he gets the chance. Replacement paint cant be bought or replicated because every mixture of the "sand" is "unique". Damn! The neck. For the price I paid, i expected the best, and the best is what I got. The super slim Ibanez Super-Wizard neck is one of the slimest on the plannet. Its easy, fast and long (24 frets) The action. After I brought it to my local dealer and had it fully set-up (for €65) its almost perfect. The strings lie very close to the frets without buzzing. Where to start... I traded in my old cheap Yamaha Pacifica 112 for my nice shiny new Ibanez RG550 EX. I now wish id kept it as a second guitar. Floating Bridge. The 550 comes with a Floyd Rose, Lo-pro Edge Tremolo system as standard. (this is apparently Ibanez's best system) I first thought this was a good thing. I could push the bar to the body, letting the strings drop completely and pull back a 5th of an octave... not bad u say... This might sound cool but it has some major drawbacks. If you bend a string, the other 5 drop slightly. The more you bend it, the more they drop and sound out of tune. This leads to problems with bending 2 notes at the same time. Its complicated, but once you get to know the guitar, youll understand. All 6 strings are linked to each other at the bridge. This means that when they are in tune with each other, the bridge will float on E. Its not too difficult to tune, but dropping to D is not possible. All 6 strings must be Retuned if this is done (and it wont be exactly D. Hard to understand again) Ive heard some horror stories about tuning and restringing the floyd rose systems but in reality they're not so bad. The ball at the end of the string must be cut off and then locked in place at the bridge. 1/2 an hour max to change strings and tune which is nothing near the 2 or more hours ive heard of. A nifty neck locking system keeps the strings in tune. About 2 months after i bought it, it developed a really anoying buzz on the 14th fret, 3rd string mostly. This is one of the most used notes in the E-blues scale. I had to spend some money getting the frets filed. (i dont think this was ibanez's fault.)Also, the bridge was off centre (i've had it fixed) which meant that the guitar was never perfectly in tune with E. It chips very easily. A pity, because the paint job is very cool. Built delicately using very high quality materials. The paint chips (i can't stress that enough) The three piece neck is nothing less than perfect and stays in tune. Actually, necks are what Ibanez do best. When I first opened the hard-case for my sister, she gasped. Its a jet black furry lined case made for Ibanez guitars, and the silver beauty sitting snuggly in its groove was shining out. Perfect. To look at, at least. Its a great guitar, it plays well, but the tremolo is just too frustrating. There are better guitars out there for less. Later this year im going to buy a Fender Stratocaster, something i should have done in the first place. Nothing beats a fixed bridge. any Q's, email me at iwasneutered@hotmail.com This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Ibanez is really known for their overdrive distortion pedal called the tube screamer. It is one of those pedals that is so iconic with the music industry that it is almost hard to see anything other than that pedal for this company. However Ibanez is also quite known for their inexpensive and budget friendly guitars. Many of the hard rock and metal guitar players tend to lean towards the Ibanez guitars primarily because of their very comfortable neck shapes as well as their actions and frets size which is very conducive to shredding and soloing. So a lot of lead players and metal players will gravitate towards the Ibanez guitars because of their comfort ability and their overall look and feel. This is one of those guitars that feels right from start to finish and has an appeal to sound fantastic in any setting. UTILIZATION Basswood body 3-piece bolt-on maple neck Wizard II neck profile 25-1/2" scale 24 jumbo frets Rosewood fingerboard Dot inlays Fixed bridge IBZ V7 neck and IBZ V8 bridge humbucker Tone and volume controls 3-way pickup switch SOUNDS Generally the Ibanez guitars feature humbucker pickups as the main pick up to choose. Sometimes they can get a single coil pickup but generally it's a two humbucker setting. This guitar doesn't have what you would call soul like you would find in a Fender Stratocaster or a Gibson Les Paul guitar. You're not really going to feel to tone under your fingertips as you play this guitar but you will feel a nice fluid motion as you roll your hand across the back of the neck. This is one of the most comfortable necks that you would find straight out-of-the-box no matter where you buy it from. All guitars in my opinion need a professional set up done as well as an intonation set. OVERALL OPINION These guitars are quite easily accessible and Ibanez does have a vast array of different model sizes and series. If you can't find one guitar from Ibanez you surely can find another that will almost fit the bill for whatever you're looking for. They do have quite a few different models and series but all of them really have the same feel and tone that you would find from the Ibanez company. These are great guitarist for the budget and musician in mind and they are a nice instrument for anyone is into the hard rock and metal music scene.

General Specifications: Made in Indonesia SPECS Neck Material: 3pc Maple Neck Type: WIzard III Body: Basswood body Frets: Jumbo frets Fingerboard: Maple Inlay: Black dot inlay Bridge: Edge Zero II bridge w/ZPS3Fe on RGM & Edge III bridge on SLB, YE models NeckPU: INF3 MiddlePU: INFS3 BridgePU: INF4 HW Color: BK Finishes: RGM, SLB, YE NECK DIMENSIONS Scale/Length 648mm/25.5" a: Width at Nut 43mm b: Width Last Fret 58mm c: Thickness 1st Fret 19mm d: Thickness 12th Fret 21mm Radius 400mm PICKUPS Bridge Pickup Name: INFINITY 4 Model No: INF4 Construction: Humbucking Magnet: Alnico Description: Brilliant lead pickup. Warm sounding with good harmonics. Middle Pickup Name: INFINITY SINGLE3 Model No: INFS3 Construction: Single Coil Magnet: Alnico Description: Traditional sounding yet high output. Designed to work with humbuckers in the split position. Neck Pickup Name: INFINITY 3 Model No: INF3 Construction: Humbucking Magnet: Ceramic Description: Provides the dynamic sound for chording and rhythm. SWITCHING SYSTEM UTILIZATION I'm usually pretty impressed by Ibanez guitars, but this one left me a bit cold. The Edge Zero tremolo system, in my opinion, is junk. It is made from cheaper metals, it is a poorer design, and it doesn't function and perform like it should. It doesn't take to divebombs and up-pulls as well as a regular Edge system. The neck is fantastic, the pickups are not bad, but the trem system is just not good. SOUNDS The pickups are good. Nothing terribly special, but better than most. They get the job done with nearly any genre/style/technique, but they can lose some of the finer nuances of subtle playing. OVERALL OPINION Overall, this guitar is just ok, which is disappointing, because Ibanez usually rocks. And this color is so loud and in your face, the guitar should be able to perform! But unfortunately, the tremolo system is just not up to snuff. At this price, I'd just look for an older RG from Japan with the Edge system.

A lot of people are looking for ways to explore music differently, and Roland has a pretty cool system for enabling MIDI with guitars. The problem is that it requires a lot of fabbing for the thing to work, so buying a guitar with it already equipped is probably the better idea. The guitar has a basswood body with a maple neck, rosewood fretboard with 24 frets, dot inlays, an Ibanez Double Edge Pro tremolo, HH configuration, all access neck joint, one volume, one tone, one balance, two mini toggles and a five way switch. UTILIZATION The guitar's fretwork was really good. I was able to get some super sick action with the thing without any issues at all, although the neck did need to be shimmed a touch as the trem was a bit too sunken in the cavity for my liking. It was a simple fix, though. The ends were nice and round, so no issues there. The bridge on this is a very good tremolo, and I especially like the extra features that came with the guitar. I'll describe those more in detail in the sounds section. SOUNDS The guitar had some bland pickups in it. They're the standard pickups that Ibanez puts in most of their guitars, and they kinda suck. They're good for lower gain things, but once you start adding a good amount of gain, you start to lose clarity. By installing some nice DiMarzios in this, you'll get much more bang for your buck overall. The coolest feature about this was the versatility once you hook it up to one of those Roland Synth module things. I was able to get all kinds of wacky tones out of this thing. OVERALL OPINION I really hate heavily modifying guitars, and I would never install a Roland MIDI device into my guitar. Thankfully, we have companies like Ibanez that are willing to install them in their guitars, so it's much cleaner. This is the guitar you want to buy if you're looking to do that crazy Roland Synth stuff. Just be sure to replace the stock magnetic pickups as they're pretty bland and weak. Aside from that, it's a crazy solid guitar.

This really isn't any different from any of the other ibanez guitars that they've released. The main differnece is that this guitar has a very striking finish on it that lends itself towards standing out of the crowd a bit more. The guitar has a basswood body with a maple neck, rosewood fretboard with 24 frets, dot inlays, an Ibanez Edge Pro tremolo, HH configuration, all access neck joint, one volume, one tone and a five way switch. UTILIZATION The first thing you notice about this guitar is how nice the actual finish is. It was flawless when I was checking it out. There were no drips or scratch marks from the sanding process. Everything was like glass, and it really popped out at you. The fretwork on this guitar was great, and I was able to get super low action without any issues. The necks on these are fairly thin, but they're not quite as thin as the old school Wizard necks, so some people might prefer them a bit. All in all, it was a very solid guitar. SOUNDS The guitar's stock pickups were pretty weak sounding. I was never a huge fan of the stock pickups that Ibanez puts in their guitars, and this is no different. The bridge sounded kinda bland overall, and it was just uninspiring. It can work for some tones, but it's not nearly as organic as a normal DiMarzio would be. The neck was much the same, and I find the neck to be a bit too bright for my liking. I tend to prefer darker, smoother neck pickups, and this wasn't getting what I normally go for unless I turned down the tone knob a bit. OVERALL OPINION If you replace the pickups in this model, you'll get a great playing guitar at a great price. The finish helps make it stand out from the rest of the crowd, and it's a pretty cool guitar overall. However, it's not THAT much different from other Ibanez guitars out there, so you might be better off buying an older model on eBay or from guitar forums.

A lot of people always beg Ibanez to release hard tail bridges of their models. Generally, these are lower quality guitars, and this is the same case with this. It's a more budget model when compared to the MIJ series. In fact, this is made in Indonesia in their new plant they have. The guitar has a basswood body, a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, 24 jumbo frets, dot inlays, a hard tail bridge, two humbuckers, one volume, one tone and a three way switch. UTILIZATION The guitar itself is made decently. The frets aren't quite as nice as the Japanese guitars, and you can especially notice that around the edges where the frets end. They're sharper and not nearly as rounded as the Prestige line up. The nut on this wasn't cut for the gauge strings that were on it, and it caused a little bit of a problem. The finish on this was decent, but it was nothing too spectacular. All in all, it's about on par with what you'd see from the Indonesian factory around this era. SOUNDS The guitar had EMGs swapped into it. Originally, these came with EMG knockoffs that sound pretty awful, but the real EMGs in this guitar helped give it some life. The guitar had two EMG 85s in it. The 85 in the bridge is very nice for that super fat and chunky rhythm sound. It can work nicely in basswood, but I find it can sometimes get a bit too bass heavy at times. I also find the 81 records just a touch better when in the bridge. The 85 in the neck is awesome for super fat and warm high gain leads. You can do legato for days. The downside is that the guitar sucks when it comes to clean tones. OVERALL OPINION The guitar is decent if you want a backup guitar, but I don't think I'd get one of these as my main guitar. The bridge on this isn't exactly my thing, the pickups need to be swapped, the fretwork can be iffy and there are lots of little things that I just seem to notice after all these years of playing.

The RG-1550 was made for a couple years in the early 00's. It was one of the first reissues of a RG-550 type guitar. Maple fretboards are coming back and the guitar companies are rushing to meet the demand. Maple fretboard Ibanez guitars were popular in the 80s then they kind of faded away, but now they are coming back and the 1550M is the top of the line Ibanez with a maple fretboard. The guitar is essentially a 1570 Prestige model with a maple fretboard. It is made in the Ibanez Prestige factory in Japan and the quality really shows. Like most Ibanez RG's it features a basswood body with a maple neck and maple fretboard. The prestige models get a 5 piece neck for extra stability. This means the neck is made from 5 pieces of wood to help prevent warping. This is important when you have a neck as thin as an Ibanez RG neck. The Edge Pro tremolo system is one of the best on the market and once setup it holds tune perfectly. It has a set of Ibanez pickups in an HSH configuration and a master volume and master tone control with a 5 way switch UTILIZATION A superstrat body with deep cutaways connected to a super thin neck makes playing everywhere on the neck a breeze. Ibanez gives special care to the fretwork on the prestige models, this is the greatest difference between the prestige models and the normal models. Like many of the new Ibanez RG models the 1570 features the all access neck joint so you can comfortably play in the high registers of the neck. The maple fretboard feels smooth and the great prestige fretwork means all the frets are lovely. SOUNDS The Ibanez pickups are also not very good. The neck pickup provides an okay sound. It can be smooth for solos and leads and clean stuff. The bridge pickup is too weak. I had to check if my volume knob what up all the way when I plugged it in. Coming from a guitar with high output pickups to this shows you how bad some factory pickups can be. Their guitars match up well with aftermarket pickups. Most people only put Dimarzios in Ibanez guitars but other brands work well too. A pickup change can help get a heavier sound out of the basswood. With the single coil in the middle you must remember that the single coil will produce much more ambient noise than the two humbuckers. So keep this in mind when you are switching pickups. If you are looking for a straight metal tone a set of EMG's could make this guitar a monster. OVERALL OPINION A few years after they discontinued this model they came out with the 1550M which is exactly the same except it has M in the name. These guitars are made to be played. The Ibanez RG Prestige is one of the premier metal guitars on the market. The guitar does not compromise in its playability. Every part of the guitar is designed to help you play better or faster. For anyone looking for an easy playing guitar I recommend they look at the Ibanez RG, and the best RG's are the prestige models. With a pickup swap this guitar can run with any guitar out there.