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Audiofanzine FR
Published on 03/16/09 at 01:10
(Originally written by Seth Rotten/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
I bought it secondhand in perfectly new condition to a friend of mine. He mounted a DiMarzio X2N pickup on the bridge position before selling it.
It's a pity this guitar has no Floyd Rose because I use it a lot with my Lag guitar... But the body-through strings provide an amazing sustain.
UTILIZATION
Excellent neck: it's an Ibanez. It's different from my Lag but I got used to it, it's very flat, wider and faster. It's very comfortable but I still prefer the neck of my Lag.
The guitar is a bit lighter than my Lag (both of them are pretty light). Good balance when standing up but it tends to tilt forward with my cloth strap (a good leather strap will probably solve the problem). The Lag is perfectly balanced but perhaps I shouldn't compare them because the Lag is twice as expensive. I like the shape of the body, the neck heel isn't annoying... And I don't play any solos with this guitar so it's irrelevant.
It's pleasant to play it standing up. Well-designed guitar!
SOUNDS
First of all, don't forget that the original bridge pickup was replaces with a DiMarzio X2N.
I play mainly death metal and brutal death from the 90's (Angelcorpse, Immolation, Incantation, Morbid Angel, etc.), thrash metal (Slayer, Kreator, Sodom, Sepultura) and black/death metal (Impiety, Bestial Warlust)... In short, furious music. This guitar was conceived for this sort of music but I recommend you to change the pickups because they are not powerful enough. It became clear when I tested the neck pickup (although for the music I play the neck pickup is useless). This information is for guitarists who want to play Steve Vai, Satriani or Malmsteen and switch a lot between pickups.
I play this guitar with a Peavey Studiopro 112 at home and a ENGL Powerball for rehearsals. When I play the Peavey, the difference with my Lag with EMG HZ pickups is not obvious in the beginning, but it is more than evident when I play the ENGL. The sound is very aggressive, sharp, heavy, distorted and a bit muddy! People who say X2N pickups don't sound good have probably never used them. With the original pickups this guitar has much less power and punch. That's why I recommend you to replace the original pickups if you want a more powerful instrument. I don't know what the clean sound of this guitar sounds likes because I never play clean.
I only play with a heavy distortion and I tune the guitar in B. Evil. There is no better tuning to play death metal. I think I will also down tune my Lag and change its pickups so that I can use it also for rehearsals. I've found the configuration I need I'm not looking for versatility.
The mark only applies to the guitar with my pickup configuration. With the original pickups I give it a 7.
OVERALL OPINION
I got it yesterday and I played it the whole afternoon.
I find the X2N pickup sounds very good. High distortion levels. I only need to set my tube amp right and I get a perfect sound without a sweat (I'm an Angelcorpse fan and I'm happy to get a sound close to Exterminate). With my solid-state amp, the sound is also good.
Besides my Lag, I also tested an LTD MH400, an LTD KH602, etc. And I also tried out an Ibanez SA-120, a BC-Rich Bronze Warlock, an Epiphone Les Paul, etc. in the same price range. The 321 sounds better than the BC Rich and certainly more interesting than the SA 120 for my music (but with the X2N pickup...) The sound is better than the Lag. The Lag has a much better manufacturing and finish, a better balance, etc. But that's normal considering it's a much more expensive guitar. However, the Ibanez sounds better than the Lag when I play with my band. That's why I will upgrade the pickups of my Lag.
Considering the price I payed for it (like new), I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. One of the best values for money I found. However, if I were to buy it new I would hesitate between the Lag and the LTD, and I would spend more time testing different models in this price range. As a summary, the value for money of MY guitar is good and I would buy it again, but the value for money of a new RG321 with the original pickups is only ok.
I bought it secondhand in perfectly new condition to a friend of mine. He mounted a DiMarzio X2N pickup on the bridge position before selling it.
It's a pity this guitar has no Floyd Rose because I use it a lot with my Lag guitar... But the body-through strings provide an amazing sustain.
UTILIZATION
Excellent neck: it's an Ibanez. It's different from my Lag but I got used to it, it's very flat, wider and faster. It's very comfortable but I still prefer the neck of my Lag.
The guitar is a bit lighter than my Lag (both of them are pretty light). Good balance when standing up but it tends to tilt forward with my cloth strap (a good leather strap will probably solve the problem). The Lag is perfectly balanced but perhaps I shouldn't compare them because the Lag is twice as expensive. I like the shape of the body, the neck heel isn't annoying... And I don't play any solos with this guitar so it's irrelevant.
It's pleasant to play it standing up. Well-designed guitar!
SOUNDS
First of all, don't forget that the original bridge pickup was replaces with a DiMarzio X2N.
I play mainly death metal and brutal death from the 90's (Angelcorpse, Immolation, Incantation, Morbid Angel, etc.), thrash metal (Slayer, Kreator, Sodom, Sepultura) and black/death metal (Impiety, Bestial Warlust)... In short, furious music. This guitar was conceived for this sort of music but I recommend you to change the pickups because they are not powerful enough. It became clear when I tested the neck pickup (although for the music I play the neck pickup is useless). This information is for guitarists who want to play Steve Vai, Satriani or Malmsteen and switch a lot between pickups.
I play this guitar with a Peavey Studiopro 112 at home and a ENGL Powerball for rehearsals. When I play the Peavey, the difference with my Lag with EMG HZ pickups is not obvious in the beginning, but it is more than evident when I play the ENGL. The sound is very aggressive, sharp, heavy, distorted and a bit muddy! People who say X2N pickups don't sound good have probably never used them. With the original pickups this guitar has much less power and punch. That's why I recommend you to replace the original pickups if you want a more powerful instrument. I don't know what the clean sound of this guitar sounds likes because I never play clean.
I only play with a heavy distortion and I tune the guitar in B. Evil. There is no better tuning to play death metal. I think I will also down tune my Lag and change its pickups so that I can use it also for rehearsals. I've found the configuration I need I'm not looking for versatility.
The mark only applies to the guitar with my pickup configuration. With the original pickups I give it a 7.
OVERALL OPINION
I got it yesterday and I played it the whole afternoon.
I find the X2N pickup sounds very good. High distortion levels. I only need to set my tube amp right and I get a perfect sound without a sweat (I'm an Angelcorpse fan and I'm happy to get a sound close to Exterminate). With my solid-state amp, the sound is also good.
Besides my Lag, I also tested an LTD MH400, an LTD KH602, etc. And I also tried out an Ibanez SA-120, a BC-Rich Bronze Warlock, an Epiphone Les Paul, etc. in the same price range. The 321 sounds better than the BC Rich and certainly more interesting than the SA 120 for my music (but with the X2N pickup...) The sound is better than the Lag. The Lag has a much better manufacturing and finish, a better balance, etc. But that's normal considering it's a much more expensive guitar. However, the Ibanez sounds better than the Lag when I play with my band. That's why I will upgrade the pickups of my Lag.
Considering the price I payed for it (like new), I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again. One of the best values for money I found. However, if I were to buy it new I would hesitate between the Lag and the LTD, and I would spend more time testing different models in this price range. As a summary, the value for money of MY guitar is good and I would buy it again, but the value for money of a new RG321 with the original pickups is only ok.