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bluediamond89 « Good quality instrument »
Published on 08/21/11 at 21:32It was made in japan, in 2008 .
This is the definitive rg prestige superstrat, with 24 frets, hum-sing-hum pickups, basswood body, 5 piece maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, and ibanez edge pro trem unit. The neck is wizard prestige, with 18mm thickness on the 1st fret, and 20mm on the last fret.
This guitar has the "suede" finish from ibanez. According to my luthier friend, this type of finish is more commonly known as "soft touch" paint, which often used in automotive interior. It's very unique, becuase it looks and feels like rubber to the touch. On the positive side, it wont reveal fingerprints or scratch marks, but on the negative side, this kind of paint is not easy to refinish, so if you managed to dent the finish, it's going to be there forever.
You may or may not like the look of the finish, its according to one's taste. For me, i really like it, because it looks kinda stealthy compared to regular glossy finish.
UTILIZATION
The wizard prestige neck profile is notorious for it's very low action and fast slim shape. Upper fret access is as good as its get for a 24 fret guitar, because the cutaway is deep.
Body shape is kinda ergonomic, because its highly contoured, its very comfortable for playing sitting down. The guitar itself is medium weight, maybe around 3 - 3.5 kgs, so it wont put strain on your back.
Overall build quality feels very rigid, and i do not notice any flaws.
The RG prestige is easily the benchmark when it comes to playability and precise japanese construction.
SOUNDS
Now this is the weak point of this instrument,
1. the stock ibanez pickups are not very good. For me they lack punch, and the top end is not focused, making the instrument a bit fuzzy and honky at certain amp settings.
The v8 bridge, is the better out of the 3, it has vocal quality that is quite similar to dimarzio paf pro, but still you have to be careful on your amp settings to make it sound good. The v8 is usable, but switching to aftermarket pickups will give you very noticeable immprovement on the sound quality.
The s1, is a single coil for middle position, and it lacks the brilliance and glassiness of other single coil, however its also more quiet than other single coil.
The v7 is simply bad, muddy with bad pick attack.
I have since switched the pickup to dimarzio evolution, and the sound improved considerably, but this is a review of the guitar in stock condition.
2. The body is made out of basswood. I hate to admit this, but i have played many instrument with various tonewood. The basswood just isnt the best wood for the body. It is a soft wood, which i feel also "soften" the vibration coming out of the guitar, which means the harmonics is a bit reduced. In my opinion, other tone wood like mahogany, alder, ash, etc offer more color and nuance to the sound.
3. The neck is 24 frets, while some people may like the upper fret access, but it really is a trade-off because it makes the neck pickup sound bad. I have yet found a 24 frets guitar which can do the singing neck tone of "still got the blues", or slash's "sweet child of mine" close to the original. Neck pickup sound from 24frets guitar is colder, less harmonics, less sweet, less glassy, and less noticeable pick attack. Usable for shredding, but not good if you look for that magical singing sustain sound.
OVERALL OPINION
I like the pointy body shape, very classy yet modern, also i like the flat finish which makes it looks like no ordinary iinstrument, also the neck shape is very comfortable, and the craftmanhip is flawless. The only setback is the sound, which i think is OK, but nothing great. If you willing to spend a hundred bucks you can upgrade the pickup and turn it into a good sounding instrument.
The value : for 350 bucks this guitar is a steal, this is basically the same guitar other people would pay 2000++ for only cosmetics differences (ibanez JEM, PGM, JS, etc.)
This is my project guitar, which means it will see many upgrades in the future.
This is the definitive rg prestige superstrat, with 24 frets, hum-sing-hum pickups, basswood body, 5 piece maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, and ibanez edge pro trem unit. The neck is wizard prestige, with 18mm thickness on the 1st fret, and 20mm on the last fret.
This guitar has the "suede" finish from ibanez. According to my luthier friend, this type of finish is more commonly known as "soft touch" paint, which often used in automotive interior. It's very unique, becuase it looks and feels like rubber to the touch. On the positive side, it wont reveal fingerprints or scratch marks, but on the negative side, this kind of paint is not easy to refinish, so if you managed to dent the finish, it's going to be there forever.
You may or may not like the look of the finish, its according to one's taste. For me, i really like it, because it looks kinda stealthy compared to regular glossy finish.
UTILIZATION
The wizard prestige neck profile is notorious for it's very low action and fast slim shape. Upper fret access is as good as its get for a 24 fret guitar, because the cutaway is deep.
Body shape is kinda ergonomic, because its highly contoured, its very comfortable for playing sitting down. The guitar itself is medium weight, maybe around 3 - 3.5 kgs, so it wont put strain on your back.
Overall build quality feels very rigid, and i do not notice any flaws.
The RG prestige is easily the benchmark when it comes to playability and precise japanese construction.
SOUNDS
Now this is the weak point of this instrument,
1. the stock ibanez pickups are not very good. For me they lack punch, and the top end is not focused, making the instrument a bit fuzzy and honky at certain amp settings.
The v8 bridge, is the better out of the 3, it has vocal quality that is quite similar to dimarzio paf pro, but still you have to be careful on your amp settings to make it sound good. The v8 is usable, but switching to aftermarket pickups will give you very noticeable immprovement on the sound quality.
The s1, is a single coil for middle position, and it lacks the brilliance and glassiness of other single coil, however its also more quiet than other single coil.
The v7 is simply bad, muddy with bad pick attack.
I have since switched the pickup to dimarzio evolution, and the sound improved considerably, but this is a review of the guitar in stock condition.
2. The body is made out of basswood. I hate to admit this, but i have played many instrument with various tonewood. The basswood just isnt the best wood for the body. It is a soft wood, which i feel also "soften" the vibration coming out of the guitar, which means the harmonics is a bit reduced. In my opinion, other tone wood like mahogany, alder, ash, etc offer more color and nuance to the sound.
3. The neck is 24 frets, while some people may like the upper fret access, but it really is a trade-off because it makes the neck pickup sound bad. I have yet found a 24 frets guitar which can do the singing neck tone of "still got the blues", or slash's "sweet child of mine" close to the original. Neck pickup sound from 24frets guitar is colder, less harmonics, less sweet, less glassy, and less noticeable pick attack. Usable for shredding, but not good if you look for that magical singing sustain sound.
OVERALL OPINION
I like the pointy body shape, very classy yet modern, also i like the flat finish which makes it looks like no ordinary iinstrument, also the neck shape is very comfortable, and the craftmanhip is flawless. The only setback is the sound, which i think is OK, but nothing great. If you willing to spend a hundred bucks you can upgrade the pickup and turn it into a good sounding instrument.
The value : for 350 bucks this guitar is a steal, this is basically the same guitar other people would pay 2000++ for only cosmetics differences (ibanez JEM, PGM, JS, etc.)
This is my project guitar, which means it will see many upgrades in the future.