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MGR/The Battousai « Ibanez RG550LTD »
Published on 09/06/03 at 15:00I wanted to buy an electric guitar for a long time but it took a while to sum up the money for it.Anyway i gathered about 900 euros and hit the stores.I found my self at the official importer of ibanez guitars in greece,a guy named Trimis,and I tried out the S-series first,as i really liked the slim body.Then the salesperson(who was much cooler than his boss!)said that he thought an RG model would suit me better because I'm more into hard rock&heavy metal,so he brought forth the 550LTD,black with the mirror scratchplate, and i must say it was love at first sight!So after trying it out a bit i was sure it was the guitar i wanted(which proved to be a mistake actually!).Cost?Around 900 euros or 300000 greek drachmes,as I bought the guitar 5 years ago.
The thing I like the most about my guitar is that it's probably one of the coolest looking guitars I've seen.Of course I also think it delivers a top notch tone from clean to filthy distorted sounds,considering the fact that it's relatively not too expensive.I particularly like the bridge pickup both in rythmic parts and solos.The fretboard is like a dream too.I have never played something more comfortable and the jumbo frets seem to work really well with hammer ons,pull offs and right hand frettings(ala Van Halen!)
The problem with the thin super wizard neck is that it's not sturdy.if you yank the whammy bar you can see it moving along with the strings,which is something that bugs me.Also I'm having buzzing problems which are a total pain in the neck,especially when you like low action.I've refered to technicians but these problems seem to be very persistent.I even considered changing the neck with a new one but Ibanez doesn't sell necks seperately,which kinda pissed me off.However I mostly put the blame on me as I think i should have tested the guitar better when I bought it in the first place.
Again i have in mind that this is no 2000$ Gibson.So I have to say that generally the RG550LTD is well constructed and of fine quality.I think that the finish is probably as good as it gets.I have tried much mre expensive guitars and I can't say that they were noticeably better.Also I think that the electronics used are of impeccable quality and durability.
To sum up I'd give the guitar two thumbs up and recomend it to beginers and more advanced players who like rocking the house!However,and I think this goes to anyone wanting to buy a guitar,thoroughly play and examine any guitar you like before buying it!
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
The thing I like the most about my guitar is that it's probably one of the coolest looking guitars I've seen.Of course I also think it delivers a top notch tone from clean to filthy distorted sounds,considering the fact that it's relatively not too expensive.I particularly like the bridge pickup both in rythmic parts and solos.The fretboard is like a dream too.I have never played something more comfortable and the jumbo frets seem to work really well with hammer ons,pull offs and right hand frettings(ala Van Halen!)
The problem with the thin super wizard neck is that it's not sturdy.if you yank the whammy bar you can see it moving along with the strings,which is something that bugs me.Also I'm having buzzing problems which are a total pain in the neck,especially when you like low action.I've refered to technicians but these problems seem to be very persistent.I even considered changing the neck with a new one but Ibanez doesn't sell necks seperately,which kinda pissed me off.However I mostly put the blame on me as I think i should have tested the guitar better when I bought it in the first place.
Again i have in mind that this is no 2000$ Gibson.So I have to say that generally the RG550LTD is well constructed and of fine quality.I think that the finish is probably as good as it gets.I have tried much mre expensive guitars and I can't say that they were noticeably better.Also I think that the electronics used are of impeccable quality and durability.
To sum up I'd give the guitar two thumbs up and recomend it to beginers and more advanced players who like rocking the house!However,and I think this goes to anyone wanting to buy a guitar,thoroughly play and examine any guitar you like before buying it!
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com