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James... « Metal machine »
Published on 12/24/11 at 17:23While this is clearly a shred machine and geared towards the serious metal crowd, it can be used for about any genre given the right player. It has a very impressive feature set given the price point. Japan made. Edge pro trem. Basswood body. HSH configuration. The big calling card here is the Prestige line quality at a low price. For those of you who don't know...the prestige line is comparable in quality to some of the best American made guitars out there.
UTILIZATION
The wizard neck is very comfortable. I'm a fan of Ibanez necks and this version of the Wizard is one of my favorites. I really like the wide radius. Great for solos. If you like a more Fendery radius you might have trouble with this one. The playability is amazing. Great fretwork and excellent action if you know how to adjust it. The edge trem by the way is arguably my favorite trem of all time. It's comfortable and the design in really ergonomic. The whole guitar just feels very playable overall.
SOUNDS
Here's the bottom line. The IBZ pickups are okay, but they try to cover way too many bases. A pickupe stradling the line between metal, pop, and rock is just too much to ask and the IBZ's have a lack of unique voice as a result. It's almost mandatory to get a pickup upgrade. I happen to like Dimarzios with Ibanez guitars but other brands are fine if you know what sounds you want. I put a Tone zone and a Breed neck in mine to cover hard rock stuff. Sounds great. Everyone seems to have their own favorite pickups they put in these but the consensus is that a pickup change is a great upgrade.
OVERALL OPINION
The bottom line is, aside from the mediocre to decent pickups, this is the best shredder guitar you can buy for under $1800. And i've played enough to know. Everything on it is solid. The hardware, electronics, and craftsmanship is amazing. See if you can find a deal on one of these. At the end of the day you get a top notch metal (or other genre) guitar for 1 k.
UTILIZATION
The wizard neck is very comfortable. I'm a fan of Ibanez necks and this version of the Wizard is one of my favorites. I really like the wide radius. Great for solos. If you like a more Fendery radius you might have trouble with this one. The playability is amazing. Great fretwork and excellent action if you know how to adjust it. The edge trem by the way is arguably my favorite trem of all time. It's comfortable and the design in really ergonomic. The whole guitar just feels very playable overall.
SOUNDS
Here's the bottom line. The IBZ pickups are okay, but they try to cover way too many bases. A pickupe stradling the line between metal, pop, and rock is just too much to ask and the IBZ's have a lack of unique voice as a result. It's almost mandatory to get a pickup upgrade. I happen to like Dimarzios with Ibanez guitars but other brands are fine if you know what sounds you want. I put a Tone zone and a Breed neck in mine to cover hard rock stuff. Sounds great. Everyone seems to have their own favorite pickups they put in these but the consensus is that a pickup change is a great upgrade.
OVERALL OPINION
The bottom line is, aside from the mediocre to decent pickups, this is the best shredder guitar you can buy for under $1800. And i've played enough to know. Everything on it is solid. The hardware, electronics, and craftsmanship is amazing. See if you can find a deal on one of these. At the end of the day you get a top notch metal (or other genre) guitar for 1 k.