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MGR/Magnetchrist « Ibanez RG550 »
Published on 06/05/02 at 15:00I bought this guitar off ebay.co.uk. Well kind of i actually saw it there then went to the guys house and bought it off him for £260 ($350 roughly??)
Originally I only bought this guitar because it was so cheap and I was going to sell it on to a friend for a lot more than I paid.. he isn't getting it though
The finish was black, black scratchplate with white binding and looked supreme (even though it was second hand and obviously heavily played) there was a "shock crack" on the point beside one of the cutaways but it was hairline thin and you could only see it if you got the light to reflect off it.
The neck was maple and although it had been played so much that the wood had worn through the frets were fine although I was told that it hadn't been refretted and it certainly doesn't need it. Continuing with the neck.. It is beyond comprehension, it is just too good, too fast too nice.. and because it looks "played" it looks even BETTER.
Ibanez make the best necks in the world bar none and I either own or have owned most decent guitars out there from Gibson Les Pauls to Jacksons.. It beats them all into the ground with a massive wooden stick in the shape and size of Delaware
The pickups in this guitar have all been changed with the exception of the middle pickup which seems to serve NO useful function whatsoever it just shouldn't be there, there is NO point. Although I must say the originals were most impressive anyway, indeed I feel I have lost out on some things by changing them, the bridge pickup is "too" treble-ly and has lost some of the crunch it once had
The neck pickup has been replaced with the much superior Ibanez USA pickup from a custom built RG570, The bridge pickup I'm not so sure about, it isn't original but I don't know what it is although it sounds like a Kent Armstrong..
In general appearence this is one of the most shockingly beautiful guitars i have ever owned, mainly because it looks played, it reminds me of the ESP KH2 they released for a while which was basically an exact copy of Kirk's own guitar he used on tour with the "beatupness" and everything. But also because RG's can't help but look good.
She stays in tune very well and the tone and volume controls have a big range, they don't just explode into life as soon as you touch them, it's more gradual which is nice for cleaning up the noise.
It is SO versatile, it can produce some cracking sounds and is superb for heavy rock and metal.
There's not a lot to dislike here but I'll be as brutal as I can..
The Floyd Rose, I hate them with a passion anyway and i never use the trem, it's a pain in the ass to restring this guitar, that isn't the fault of Ibanez though. However the spring tension can be a real balls to set correctly if you change your strings to another gauge.
The trem arm itself is also "lower" than most and you cant make the strings go "SLORKCHURGH" by pushing it right down as it touchs the body long before this, although to be fair the good old "SLORKCHRUGH" sound isn't exactly the most healthy thing to be doing to your nice new Ibanez..
The volume / tone controls... the original "plastic dials" really annoyed me, I don't even know why exactly, they are just "bad" i replaced them with metal "domes" which are easier to use if you want to do any volume swelling tricks or anything.
It doesn't have a great blues tone or country sound, well mine does thanks to the bridge pickup, even though I dislike country music more than straddling cheesewire and lunging with a fantasticlly large sense of purpose, but the stock model doesn't.
Supreme... the neck is.. "The good neck" and every other guitar neck ever made on every other guitar ever made is "The bad neck" it is as black and white as that, SHOCKING...
The volume controls suck, change them for the sake of a few bucks, they look cheap anyway..
The Floyd Rose is actually a Floyd Rose and not one of the Ibanez Low-TRS fake Floyd Rose things or a "Floid Rowse" this is good, even though I hate them anyway, as it is better than the alternative.
This guitar has been banged around and it has a few "dings" "scrapes" and "scorps" but it's no worse for wear although I nearly urinated myself with horror when i saw that the laquer around the bolts that hold the nut on had "cracked" thankfully the wood was fine though.
Quality Japanese made instrument..
Excellent guitar, It's my "first" guitar at the minute leaving my SG, Les Paul, Two other "lesser" RG's and Kramer in their cases. I don't want to give this guitar full marks because that makes this review seem pointless as "everyone gives their guitar 5 out of 5" if i could give it 98% i would but I can't so it's getting a 5.
Buy one, please...
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
Originally I only bought this guitar because it was so cheap and I was going to sell it on to a friend for a lot more than I paid.. he isn't getting it though
The finish was black, black scratchplate with white binding and looked supreme (even though it was second hand and obviously heavily played) there was a "shock crack" on the point beside one of the cutaways but it was hairline thin and you could only see it if you got the light to reflect off it.
The neck was maple and although it had been played so much that the wood had worn through the frets were fine although I was told that it hadn't been refretted and it certainly doesn't need it. Continuing with the neck.. It is beyond comprehension, it is just too good, too fast too nice.. and because it looks "played" it looks even BETTER.
Ibanez make the best necks in the world bar none and I either own or have owned most decent guitars out there from Gibson Les Pauls to Jacksons.. It beats them all into the ground with a massive wooden stick in the shape and size of Delaware
The pickups in this guitar have all been changed with the exception of the middle pickup which seems to serve NO useful function whatsoever it just shouldn't be there, there is NO point. Although I must say the originals were most impressive anyway, indeed I feel I have lost out on some things by changing them, the bridge pickup is "too" treble-ly and has lost some of the crunch it once had
The neck pickup has been replaced with the much superior Ibanez USA pickup from a custom built RG570, The bridge pickup I'm not so sure about, it isn't original but I don't know what it is although it sounds like a Kent Armstrong..
In general appearence this is one of the most shockingly beautiful guitars i have ever owned, mainly because it looks played, it reminds me of the ESP KH2 they released for a while which was basically an exact copy of Kirk's own guitar he used on tour with the "beatupness" and everything. But also because RG's can't help but look good.
She stays in tune very well and the tone and volume controls have a big range, they don't just explode into life as soon as you touch them, it's more gradual which is nice for cleaning up the noise.
It is SO versatile, it can produce some cracking sounds and is superb for heavy rock and metal.
There's not a lot to dislike here but I'll be as brutal as I can..
The Floyd Rose, I hate them with a passion anyway and i never use the trem, it's a pain in the ass to restring this guitar, that isn't the fault of Ibanez though. However the spring tension can be a real balls to set correctly if you change your strings to another gauge.
The trem arm itself is also "lower" than most and you cant make the strings go "SLORKCHURGH" by pushing it right down as it touchs the body long before this, although to be fair the good old "SLORKCHRUGH" sound isn't exactly the most healthy thing to be doing to your nice new Ibanez..
The volume / tone controls... the original "plastic dials" really annoyed me, I don't even know why exactly, they are just "bad" i replaced them with metal "domes" which are easier to use if you want to do any volume swelling tricks or anything.
It doesn't have a great blues tone or country sound, well mine does thanks to the bridge pickup, even though I dislike country music more than straddling cheesewire and lunging with a fantasticlly large sense of purpose, but the stock model doesn't.
Supreme... the neck is.. "The good neck" and every other guitar neck ever made on every other guitar ever made is "The bad neck" it is as black and white as that, SHOCKING...
The volume controls suck, change them for the sake of a few bucks, they look cheap anyway..
The Floyd Rose is actually a Floyd Rose and not one of the Ibanez Low-TRS fake Floyd Rose things or a "Floid Rowse" this is good, even though I hate them anyway, as it is better than the alternative.
This guitar has been banged around and it has a few "dings" "scrapes" and "scorps" but it's no worse for wear although I nearly urinated myself with horror when i saw that the laquer around the bolts that hold the nut on had "cracked" thankfully the wood was fine though.
Quality Japanese made instrument..
Excellent guitar, It's my "first" guitar at the minute leaving my SG, Les Paul, Two other "lesser" RG's and Kramer in their cases. I don't want to give this guitar full marks because that makes this review seem pointless as "everyone gives their guitar 5 out of 5" if i could give it 98% i would but I can't so it's getting a 5.
Buy one, please...
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com