Ibanez RT650

This guitar, from what I gather, is a bit of a rare bird. It's one of the USA made models from the mid nineties. It was designed to take the shred-tastic RG platform and make it a bit more vintage to suit the changing tastes of the time. These changes included the following:

*A thicker, more rounded "RT" neck profile.
*A 2 point, non-locking tremolo system
*Typical 4 bolt Strat style neck heel.

I believe they also had lower output pickups as stock as well. I can't confirm this since mine had all replacement pickups when I purchased it. I found it to be fairly cool for what I was doing because of the more vintage features. I find most of the recent Ibanez shredders to be hard on my hands/wrists because the necks are so thin, so this RT profile was a welcome change.

UTILIZATION

This guitar, like most Ibanez superstrats, is fairly ergonomic. It was definitely on the lighter side and the heel, though it was Strat style, was contoured, so it was easy to get up to the 24th fret without issue. Normally I have an issue with guitars that use a 4 bolt plate system and have 24 frets, but in the case of this (and many other Ibbys that I've tried), I've never had a problem with upper fret access.

As far as dialing in tones, it was fairly simple. When I got the guitar, the pickups and wiring weren't as stock (it only had two humbuckers as opposed to an HSH pickup configuration) so I was really working with the core sounds of the humbuckers. The only other thing of note is that the bridge humbucker had a coil tap, so I was able to retain some of the Stratty character that I like the tone of so much.

SOUNDS

When I had this guitar I was primarily using a Mesa Boogie Mark III head and a Basson Sound 2x12 speaker cabinet with Emience Legend 1258 speakers. The pickups that were in it at the time of purchase were an unlabeled Gotoh in the neck position and a DiMarzio Dual Sound in the bridge (basically a Super Distortion with 4 conductor wiring for a coil split). The middle single coil had been removed, so it was functioning as a dual humbucker guitar with a coil tap for the DiMarzio.

The tones were very cool considering how hacked the guitar was electronically. The neck pickup had a nice smooth tone (think Steve Vai or John Petrucci) for leads and jazzier settings. I didn't care for the middle position as it sounded rather nasally, so I won't go into detail about that. The DiMarzio Dual sound was a really cool sounding, high output pickup. It was great for hard rock rhythms or that classic LA eighties lead tone. Engaging the coil tap gave it a nice quasi Strat tone on both clean and distorted settings.



OVERALL OPINION

Overall I felt that this guitar was a killer find. It was extremely beat up (the flamed top veneer had been removed and there was a blue finish put over the top of the guitar. As I said before, the pickups had been changed as well. All this resulted in me getting the guitar for a screamin' deal. I used it for a few months in various rock/hard rock projects until I needed to make room for other guitars, so I parted with it. Last I heard, it was refinished in bright pink and was floating around my hometown... maybe I'll buy it back one of these days. They go for very reasonable prices used and they have some killer craftsmanship as well. I wouldn't mind trying to find a stock RT650 to mess around with at some point, but even though the one I had was hacked up, there is no doubt in my mind that it was a well put together ax by the folks over at Ibanez!

Country of manufacture: Japan
Basswood body, table Saddle flame with colored threads crme
Bolt stocky, 24 fret rosewood fingerboard
Configuring pickups: Ibanez MSM
Ibanez vibrato bridge knives
Gotoh Mcaniques oil bath
Rglages: 1 vol, 1 tone with push / pull, an inverter 5 positions
Channel C thin enough to other products on offer conformment
by manufacturer

UTILIZATION

The handle is trs end, a rgal VLOC for little fingers, it is quick and super comfortable. Guitar relatively lgre, trs good ergonomics of the body, acute dcoupe your checks to be perfect and well thought. Small hands may find the heel a little be pais, but hey, is seen.
Violin making of this instrument is excellent, empty and without plugging it dlivre lot of sustain, a guarantee of quality wood.

SOUNDS

The highlight of this guitar is its playability The grip is IMMEDIATE and ease of play dconcertante. You can do absolutely everything with whatever your style of play
If you play smooth and fast you will rgaler.
But as a excs amne in another, be aware that for the rest, not really. I found the sound of any microphone and really "made in Japan". No personality or plain, nor saturated. Cel is of course subjective and you can find everything that you got.
For my part I install three microphones Di Marzio Air Classic Neck / 2 HS / Air Classic Bridge and is the top.
For madmen, not you n'esprez dfouler the vibrato, he has a little trouble back in place. It must be said that the guitar
Premire is not a hand.
The Previous dtenteur this guitar to keep the original Gotoh mcaniques to replace them with Chinese-made PING. This means that they do absolutely Agreement ds abuses of vibrato. Difficult to comment objectively on this view, since I could not test it with the Gotoh.

OVERALL OPINION

I use this guitar for over a year. I bought it used for just over 400 euros. Given the quasi-mandatory appendices and transformations that I have couraging, it is certainly not the case.
First and on the advice of a luthier friend, I ask a Wilkinson tremolo and Sperzel and mcaniques.
Cot of opration: 160 euros as it took to manufacture the jig mcaniques + 110 euros. Then I replaced the original three microphones. I still transfer the push / pull switch and install three mini to replace the inverter 5 is dfectueux positions.
Only under the excellent stringed instrument of the DCID I make all these changes. It is clear that this investment is consquent, but I dsormais a scratch my hand and ringing.
Regarding the sound, the current configuration of microphones satisfies me, because I chose it based on my gaming CRITERIA I would not state either the sound quality of this guitar because the pickups do are the original ones. J'mettrais ultrieur a notice on the set of microphones that I install in another section.

Conclusion:

It's a good guitar trs condition to make some changes. Section block / vibrato / mcaniques review is totally unless You are not a fan or a tear of the utensil. As for pickups, it's really a matter of change and got foncirement is not an obligation.
J'enlve therefore a point for the vibrato and a second for the sound REALLY lack of personality. It's a shame because the violin is really Nippon quality.

Premire is my real guitar and it's been ten years since I have my cts s ​​and she never fails.
It is certainly an entry level guitar, but violin making it a good quality instrumment of trs.

UTILIZATION

The handle is typically an ibanez neck, very close to that of a row, we like it or not, but forced to admit that it remains fun to play ... trs

SOUNDS

I obviously customs in the bb plaant there a kit with a Seymour Duncan pearly gate position in acute and dual simple format in a central position, the micro serious as the rest home, I find myself well and truly with 3 humbuckers ... The original bridges are also missing to make way for a Graphtech saddles. We can plug it in n matter what, it sounds ... And it's very versatile (blues, rock, metal and even jazz into position with acute severe blows ...)

OVERALL OPINION

In short, a very good shovel, a pity that it is not listed here ... so if one day you come across a rt 650 of OCCAZ, treat yourself, you can make a deal!