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Hatsubai « Very similar to the RG570 »
Published on 06/24/11 at 02:05The RG550 has gone through various different changes throughout the years. The guitar I'm going to be referring to has a basswood body, a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard, 24 jumbo frets, an Edge tremolo, a pickguard with an HSH configuration, one volume, one tone and a five way switch.
UTILIZATION
These guitars are amazing. The necks on these are really something you gotta try to believe. They're incredibly thin and flat, and this allows you to slam your action like no tomorrow. One thing to watch out for is the nut being over tightened in the rear. Too many people crank down on these things, and because the necks are so thin, it can really cause some issues. The Edge trem on this is absolutely glorious. It can hold tune for days without any issue, and they last forever. On top of that, there are locking studs to help make sure nothing ever moves during whammying.
SOUNDS
The sound is pretty polarizing on these guitars. I tend to find these a bit more resonant than the RG570s and other direct mounted versions, and a lot of that is due to the chambering that occurs underneath the pickguard from the pickup and electronics cavity. The guitar sounds warm and has lots of mids, but it seems to lack bite. Some people really dislike that, but I love it for lead tones. The stock pickups in these are pretty crappy, so I recommend replacing them with some really nice DiMarzio pickups. Those seem to blend in the best with Ibanez guitars for whatever reason.
OVERALL OPINION
I prefer the 550 to the 570, but they're all great guitars. Since they're so cheap, there's no reason you should go without at least one Ibanez guitar. Be sure to watch out for the rear nut cracks, and you might want to change the pickups once you get it. The necks are thin, so also be sure you like thin necks.
UTILIZATION
These guitars are amazing. The necks on these are really something you gotta try to believe. They're incredibly thin and flat, and this allows you to slam your action like no tomorrow. One thing to watch out for is the nut being over tightened in the rear. Too many people crank down on these things, and because the necks are so thin, it can really cause some issues. The Edge trem on this is absolutely glorious. It can hold tune for days without any issue, and they last forever. On top of that, there are locking studs to help make sure nothing ever moves during whammying.
SOUNDS
The sound is pretty polarizing on these guitars. I tend to find these a bit more resonant than the RG570s and other direct mounted versions, and a lot of that is due to the chambering that occurs underneath the pickguard from the pickup and electronics cavity. The guitar sounds warm and has lots of mids, but it seems to lack bite. Some people really dislike that, but I love it for lead tones. The stock pickups in these are pretty crappy, so I recommend replacing them with some really nice DiMarzio pickups. Those seem to blend in the best with Ibanez guitars for whatever reason.
OVERALL OPINION
I prefer the 550 to the 570, but they're all great guitars. Since they're so cheap, there's no reason you should go without at least one Ibanez guitar. Be sure to watch out for the rear nut cracks, and you might want to change the pickups once you get it. The necks are thin, so also be sure you like thin necks.