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Hatsubai « One of the best hardtail RGs »
Published on 04/21/11 at 17:02The RGA-121 was a short lived hardtail arched top version of the RG. It features a HUGE piece of maple on top of a mahogany body, a very nice Gibraltar Plus hardtail bridge, maple neck with rosewood fretboard, 24 frets, two humbuckers, a 5 way switch, volume knob and tone knob.
UTILIZATION
Given that it's a Prestige Ibanez model, the fretwork on these models is generally pretty good. Ibanez did an awesome job at the arched top, and resting your hand on the body feels great. The Gibraltar Plus bridge is an awesome bridge that I wish Ibanez would bring back, too. The All Access Neck Joint and sculpted lower horn allows you to get to the higher frets with total ease, and the switching setup allows for some great versatility.
SOUNDS
With the stock pickups, it's kinda flat sounding. However, once you put in some real pickups, this guitar really sings. The combination of the maple top, mahogany body, maple neck and rosewood fretboard make this guitar sound awesome for heavier styles such as hard rock or metal. Clean tones and midgain tones can be a bit hit or miss depending on if you like the mahogany/maple combo. Some people don't, but I've never had an issue with it before. The 5 way switching allows you to really get the most out of the pickups, so great clean and midgain tones shouldn't be too hard to get when the pickups are in split or parallel mode.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a hardtail RG, this is really the guitar you should be looking for. It's also a mahogany bodied guitar with a maple top, so I find it's even more appealing for the hardtail crowd. I just wish they wouldn't have discontinued these guitars. Also, the difference between the RGA 121 and RGA 321 is the figured top/colors. Aside from that (and price range), they're pretty much the same guitar.
UTILIZATION
Given that it's a Prestige Ibanez model, the fretwork on these models is generally pretty good. Ibanez did an awesome job at the arched top, and resting your hand on the body feels great. The Gibraltar Plus bridge is an awesome bridge that I wish Ibanez would bring back, too. The All Access Neck Joint and sculpted lower horn allows you to get to the higher frets with total ease, and the switching setup allows for some great versatility.
SOUNDS
With the stock pickups, it's kinda flat sounding. However, once you put in some real pickups, this guitar really sings. The combination of the maple top, mahogany body, maple neck and rosewood fretboard make this guitar sound awesome for heavier styles such as hard rock or metal. Clean tones and midgain tones can be a bit hit or miss depending on if you like the mahogany/maple combo. Some people don't, but I've never had an issue with it before. The 5 way switching allows you to really get the most out of the pickups, so great clean and midgain tones shouldn't be too hard to get when the pickups are in split or parallel mode.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a hardtail RG, this is really the guitar you should be looking for. It's also a mahogany bodied guitar with a maple top, so I find it's even more appealing for the hardtail crowd. I just wish they wouldn't have discontinued these guitars. Also, the difference between the RGA 121 and RGA 321 is the figured top/colors. Aside from that (and price range), they're pretty much the same guitar.