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Hatsubai « Figured maple version of the RGA-121 »
Published on 04/23/11 at 17:34The RGA-121 and RGA-321 were introduced awhile back as arch top Ibanez guitars. The RGA-321's main difference is that it has a figured maple top instead of the plain maple top as seen on the RGA-121. This guitar features a mahogany body with a very thick figured maple top, maple neck with rosewood fretboard, 24 frets, two humbuckers, a volume knob, a tone knob and a 5 way switch. It also features a hardtail bridge that a lot of people have been asking for.
UTILIZATION
The RGA series is one of my favorite series ever released by Ibanez. Even though I'm a trem guy at heart, the hardtail bridges on these guitars are absolutely wonderful. They feel nice in the palm of your hand, and they sound good too. The arched top on this guitar feels very nice when resting your hand on it, too. It's almost like a Les Paul in a way with the way the guitar's body feels. Upper fret access on this guitar is awesome thanks to the extreme cutaway in the lower horn and all access neck joint.
SOUNDS
This guitar sounds absolutely massive thanks to the mahogany body and hardtail bridge. However, it's not muddy at all. This is mostly due to the maple top. That helps really balance out the entire guitar while still making it sound much bigger than a regular model RG. I'm a huge fan of these guitars for metal as the brightness of the maple and thickness of the mahogany seem to work perfectly with high gain sounds. The stock pickups are pretty weak, so I recommend replacing those.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're in the market for a nice hardtail RG, your choices are fairly limited. I highly recommend checking this guitar out. If you find you can't afford this, check out its little brother -- the RGA-121. It's the same guitar but without the figured top. Once you swap the pickups in this guitar, you should be good to go.
UTILIZATION
The RGA series is one of my favorite series ever released by Ibanez. Even though I'm a trem guy at heart, the hardtail bridges on these guitars are absolutely wonderful. They feel nice in the palm of your hand, and they sound good too. The arched top on this guitar feels very nice when resting your hand on it, too. It's almost like a Les Paul in a way with the way the guitar's body feels. Upper fret access on this guitar is awesome thanks to the extreme cutaway in the lower horn and all access neck joint.
SOUNDS
This guitar sounds absolutely massive thanks to the mahogany body and hardtail bridge. However, it's not muddy at all. This is mostly due to the maple top. That helps really balance out the entire guitar while still making it sound much bigger than a regular model RG. I'm a huge fan of these guitars for metal as the brightness of the maple and thickness of the mahogany seem to work perfectly with high gain sounds. The stock pickups are pretty weak, so I recommend replacing those.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're in the market for a nice hardtail RG, your choices are fairly limited. I highly recommend checking this guitar out. If you find you can't afford this, check out its little brother -- the RGA-121. It's the same guitar but without the figured top. Once you swap the pickups in this guitar, you should be good to go.