View other reviews for this product:
tjon901 « Early reissue of the 550 »
Published on 06/26/11 at 11:55The 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.
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.