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MGR/Ben Hamilton « Ibanez RG440 Roadstar II »
Published on 01/10/04 at 15:00I bought this guitar second-hand through the Australian trading post. I got it off a fellow out in the country who had inherited it from his uncle or something similar... The guy didn't play, so this guitar was in excellent condition when i got it. I paid AU$400 for it, which was not too bad all things considered.
The feel of the neck is excellent, it is narrow, but doesn't cramp your style. The frets are a lot lower than on many guitars i've played, particularly the majority of gibsons or epiphones. I don't know if this was due to it being a bit older (its a 1986 model) and thus the frets a little worn down, but it plays nicely. The higher frets give an excellent sound, esp. with the pickup selector switched to the humbucker. The neck and middle single coils are ok, but nothing outstanding. Like all ibanez's, (except the newer low-end ones maybe... :P) when overdriven it sounds crisp and drives really strongly. I have a cruddy amp system at home, but on a decent amp it certainly beats a lot of other 'rock' guitars.
In one word, the Floyd Rose bridge and tremolo system. I know these are tempermental, and i know they are fiddly, and i know you have to invest a lot of time and effort in getting the hang of it but DAMN, its a pain at times! If you've never had to deal with a floyd rose before then i reccomend you avoid them unless you are prepared to spend many many hours fiddling and adjusting. I have had this guitar for almost a year, and despite two or three 'professional' setup jobs done, it still will not sound right. Tuning it takes about 10 minutes, and restringing takes at least an hour. The sound quality suffers as well; you have to decide where you want it in tune. I set it up for mid to low range power chords (i play a lot of rock) and thus when clean, open chords sound horriffic. Maybe i'm doing something wrong, but i've talked to an awful lot of people and this problem will not go away. (i have replaced springs, tried different string gauges, tested and adjusted the intonation about 30 times, cant seem to solve the problem).
All in all it is very solidly built. It is weighted well, and doesnt pull your shoulder off after half and hour of playing with a strap. The finish has been resistant to a fair bit of bad treatment, and only has a couple of small scratches to show for it. The hardware is still shiny and bright, with no nasty rust patches or darkening spots.
Basically it is not a bad guitar, but floyd roses are not everyones cup of tea. I wouldnt reccomend it as a first guitar, particularly a first guitar with a floyd rose. Despite my difficulties it has a certain charm and plays very well even with the tuning problems. If you have the time and patience to learn about floyd roses, or you already have a lot of experience with them, then you would probably go well with this guitar.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
The feel of the neck is excellent, it is narrow, but doesn't cramp your style. The frets are a lot lower than on many guitars i've played, particularly the majority of gibsons or epiphones. I don't know if this was due to it being a bit older (its a 1986 model) and thus the frets a little worn down, but it plays nicely. The higher frets give an excellent sound, esp. with the pickup selector switched to the humbucker. The neck and middle single coils are ok, but nothing outstanding. Like all ibanez's, (except the newer low-end ones maybe... :P) when overdriven it sounds crisp and drives really strongly. I have a cruddy amp system at home, but on a decent amp it certainly beats a lot of other 'rock' guitars.
In one word, the Floyd Rose bridge and tremolo system. I know these are tempermental, and i know they are fiddly, and i know you have to invest a lot of time and effort in getting the hang of it but DAMN, its a pain at times! If you've never had to deal with a floyd rose before then i reccomend you avoid them unless you are prepared to spend many many hours fiddling and adjusting. I have had this guitar for almost a year, and despite two or three 'professional' setup jobs done, it still will not sound right. Tuning it takes about 10 minutes, and restringing takes at least an hour. The sound quality suffers as well; you have to decide where you want it in tune. I set it up for mid to low range power chords (i play a lot of rock) and thus when clean, open chords sound horriffic. Maybe i'm doing something wrong, but i've talked to an awful lot of people and this problem will not go away. (i have replaced springs, tried different string gauges, tested and adjusted the intonation about 30 times, cant seem to solve the problem).
All in all it is very solidly built. It is weighted well, and doesnt pull your shoulder off after half and hour of playing with a strap. The finish has been resistant to a fair bit of bad treatment, and only has a couple of small scratches to show for it. The hardware is still shiny and bright, with no nasty rust patches or darkening spots.
Basically it is not a bad guitar, but floyd roses are not everyones cup of tea. I wouldnt reccomend it as a first guitar, particularly a first guitar with a floyd rose. Despite my difficulties it has a certain charm and plays very well even with the tuning problems. If you have the time and patience to learn about floyd roses, or you already have a lot of experience with them, then you would probably go well with this guitar.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com