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tjon901 « The best hardtail RG on the market »
Published on 05/15/11 at 12:00The RGA121 is an Ibanez RG model with some unusual features for an RG. The guitar features a Fixed bridge on a mahogany body with a maple top. It has an figured maple top which makes the guitar extra comfortable. It has the wonderful Ibanez RG prestige neck which is a 5 piece neck. A 5 piece neck means the guitar neck will be stronger and less likely to warp, which is important when you have a neck as thin as the RG neck. The neck has a rosewood fretboard with 24 jumbo frets. The guitar features two humbuckers with a 3 way toggle switch in a Les Paul style switch configuration.
UTILIZATION
The playability of an RG prestige model is second to none. The bridge is smooth and comfortable. They used a unique hardtail bridge instead of a Fender style hardtail like they use to use. The Fender style hardtail bridge had some sharp edges that may scratch your hand when palm muting, but this guitar has none of that. The deep cutaways allow access to all the frets and the neck is ultra thin and playable.
SOUNDS
This guitar fixes many of the problems I see in most Ibanez RG models. The mahogany body gives the guitar a full heavy sound while the maple top keeps it from getting muddy. It is a perfect wood combination. Many Les Pauls use the same wood combination for the same reasons so you may consider this guitar a Les Paul that you can shred easily on. The wood choices are so good it manages to make the pickups not sound awful. I would still recommend a pickup swap on any Ibanez that carries Ibanez brand pickups but on this guitar the wood helps it get by.
OVERALL OPINION
This is one of my favorite guitars in the entire market. I am not a big fan of tremolo systems because I like to change tunings so I have problems with most RG's and this one fixes that. I also dislike the wood they use in most RG's. Basswood is a cheap wood companies use to save money. It doesnt sound very good and its not very strong. The mahogany and maple combination in this guitar is a time tested wood combination that has been used in guitars for decades and for a good reason, it sounds great! I wish Ibanez made more models like this, if they did i would buy them all!
UTILIZATION
The playability of an RG prestige model is second to none. The bridge is smooth and comfortable. They used a unique hardtail bridge instead of a Fender style hardtail like they use to use. The Fender style hardtail bridge had some sharp edges that may scratch your hand when palm muting, but this guitar has none of that. The deep cutaways allow access to all the frets and the neck is ultra thin and playable.
SOUNDS
This guitar fixes many of the problems I see in most Ibanez RG models. The mahogany body gives the guitar a full heavy sound while the maple top keeps it from getting muddy. It is a perfect wood combination. Many Les Pauls use the same wood combination for the same reasons so you may consider this guitar a Les Paul that you can shred easily on. The wood choices are so good it manages to make the pickups not sound awful. I would still recommend a pickup swap on any Ibanez that carries Ibanez brand pickups but on this guitar the wood helps it get by.
OVERALL OPINION
This is one of my favorite guitars in the entire market. I am not a big fan of tremolo systems because I like to change tunings so I have problems with most RG's and this one fixes that. I also dislike the wood they use in most RG's. Basswood is a cheap wood companies use to save money. It doesnt sound very good and its not very strong. The mahogany and maple combination in this guitar is a time tested wood combination that has been used in guitars for decades and for a good reason, it sounds great! I wish Ibanez made more models like this, if they did i would buy them all!