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Hi, I'm thinking about buying a new guitar (but that's after I sell one of my older ones). I only play metal, and I have never used Ibanezes, so it was natural for me to think Ibanez when I thought it was time for a new guitar.
But I've heard some stuff about Ibanez guitars that... didn't impress me. First of all is all the crap about Edge 3 trems (i heard they were terrible), and some people even told me that Edge Pro trems were bad.
I was willing to spend $600 maybe $800 if i do manage to sell my other guitar, and I know that ain't going to get me a prestige.
What I want to ask you (TL) is, are those claims that Edge 3, and Edge pros being bad true? and what guitars would you recommend with my budget in mind? (would prefer RG, RGA or even S)
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been using RG series 7-string Ibanez forever. No problems with trems. Really love them.
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I have an RG350dx and I really like it. Not having to tune ever is pretty awesome. Sadly drop tuning takes a while so I just use a different guitar for that.
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I'm not super knowledgeable about guitars but I have an Ibanez RG5EX1 guitar (cost me like ~$330) and I do notice that the guitar can have trouble staying in tune when using the tremolo
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I own two Ibanez guitars. I have an RG321 with a basswood body, which is actually now discontinued. The current model has a body made of maple, if I remember correctly. I also own an RGT42DX, which is a fixed bridge, neck through model which is also discontinued.
I also had heard bad, yet inconsistent things about Ibanez's tremolos. I ultimately decided against getting the RGT42 with a tremolo and opted for the fixed bridge version instead simply because I didn't feel like putting up with those issues.
What I eventually read was that the issue with the tremolo is that you basically have to babysit the thing. Keeping the strings properly tuned and such requires a lot more attention and on a more regular basis than with other guitars.
With that said, I love Ibanez's guitars, and if you play metal you'll love the RG series. Really nice, slick guitars with thin necks.
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You should totally try a Epiphone Les Paul 100 HS Heritage Cherry Sunburst! It goes for only ~215€.
![[image loading]](http://animeted.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/konachan-com-47139-guitar-hirasawa_yui-k-on-red.jpg)
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On November 06 2010 05:15 enzym wrote:You should totally try a Epiphone Les Paul 100 HS Heritage Cherry Sunburst! It goes for only ~215€.
its not unheard of to use a lespaul for metal but i think ibanez guitars really suit metal more. mainly just because of the neck difference.
but yea i guess its all personal pref.
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On November 06 2010 04:58 spacemunkee wrote:
been using RG series 7-string Ibanez forever. No problems with trems. Really love them.
This is true from my experience. All other ibanez aren't very good, except the 's' series seem to be better then average but for 600-800 dollars ibanez is not the way to go as the quality of their guitars isn't very good.
This will sound very counter intuitive but I would recommend a fender, I have 2 and they play metal from black sabbath to gojira, lamb of god to born of osiris. They're very flexible the only problem is the lack of 24 frets. If you really want to play metal I suggest shelling out more money and actually saving up for a Paul Reed Smith.
However, in all honesty, you just need to find a guitar that you like, and have it set up. The most important for metal sound is getting an amazing amp.. Seriously. You can make most guitars sound metal through good amps with celestions. ;]
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On November 06 2010 05:12 LazyMacro wrote:
With that said, I love Ibanez's guitars, and if you play metal you'll love the RG series. Really nice, slick guitars with thin necks.
Yeah I've had 2 guitars (both really crappy btw) A BC Rich warlock and a Jackson Rhoads (one that I am selling), both pretty much the most basic versions. Now I realize comfort and playability is what really matters. So I turned to Ibanez, lightweight body, super thin/fast necks.
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On November 06 2010 05:15 enzym wrote:Get a 2500$ Gibson for 500$ because your friend is rich and owns the store
whaaa
to OP, my experiences with Edge and Edge Pro have been good, they keep the tuning pretty well.
the new ZR always seemed interesting to me but I never got to try it.
I used to have a old RG 505 or 550, can´t remember... the older model anyway and although the Edge in it was older than time it was just great. And the wizard II neck ( again not sure... 17 mm thick anyway) is just incredible for technical stuff.
(both really crappy btw) A BC Rich warlock
my first guitar was like 150$ BC Rich Bronze 2 warlock...
seriously that guitar was quality stuff, better than the almost 1000$ version of warlock.
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On November 06 2010 05:25 HwangjaeTerran wrote:Show nested quote +On November 06 2010 05:15 enzym wrote:Get a 2500$ Gibson for 500$ because your friend is rich and owns the store whaaa to OP, my experiences with Edge and Edge Pro have been good, they keep the tuning pretty well. the new ZR always seemed interesting to me but I never got to try it.
I've heard really good things about the ZR (and ofc the original Edge was said to be great). All guitars in the S series come with a ZR as far as I know so I was thinking about them, but Idk I'm leaning towards RGs.
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edge 3 is crap because it comes on guitars that cost 200 bucks.
the edge pro and original edges are widely considered to be at least on par if not superior to gotoh/schaller floyd roses. you really have to play an ibanez to be sure if you want it though; if you're use to jackson or esp necks the superthin and superflat wizard is a huge difference.
also don't buy new, buy used. get an RG5xx, RG7xx or RG15xx series. the old RG5xx and RG7xx have edge trems, and the RG15xx have edge pros. i've seen the 5 and 7 series go for less than 600 on ebay, which is an absolute steal.
also the pickups might not be to your taste; that's the most common complaint i've heard about ibanez guitars in general but my 1527 plays everything i want to fine.
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On November 06 2010 05:31 rauk wrote:
edge 3 is crap because it comes on guitars that cost 200 bucks.
the edge pro and original edges are widely considered to be at least on par if not superior to gotoh/schaller floyd roses. you really have to play an ibanez to be sure if you want it though; if you're use to jackson or esp necks the superthin and superflat wizard is a huge difference.
also don't buy new, buy used. get an RG5xx, RG7xx or RG15xx series. the old RG5xx and RG7xx have edge trems, and the RG15xx have edge pros. i've seen the 5 and 7 series go for less than 600 on ebay, which is an absolute steal.
Bought mine (505)with hard case for less than 500€, the guitar didn´t have a single scratch on it, absolute steal. oh god I should get a RG again, I only sold mine to get a Peavey Impact 1 from 1987.
no regrets btw...+ Show Spoiler +
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I've got a shitty $100 Ibanez guitar and it sounds good and plays better than many more expensive guitars. The action's surprisingly good for how cheap it is, and many people I know say they always love playing it.
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Vatican City State2594 Posts
On November 06 2010 05:21 `Zapdos wrote:Show nested quote +On November 06 2010 04:58 spacemunkee wrote:
been using RG series 7-string Ibanez forever. No problems with trems. Really love them. This is true from my experience. All other ibanez aren't very good, except the 's' series seem to be better then average but for 600-800 dollars ibanez is not the way to go as the quality of their guitars isn't very good. This will sound very counter intuitive but I would recommend a fender, I have 2 and they play metal from black sabbath to gojira, lamb of god to born of osiris. They're very flexible the only problem is the lack of 24 frets. If you really want to play metal I suggest shelling out more money and actually saving up for a Paul Reed Smith. However, in all honesty, you just need to find a guitar that you like, and have it set up. The most important for metal sound is getting an amazing amp.. Seriously. You can make most guitars sound metal through good amps with celestions. ;]
My friend plays guitar for some band (this isn't saying much nowadays but take my word for it that he takes it seriously) and he seconds the PRS assertion.
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yeah PRS is sexy but no where close to his range so I´d go with RG for couple of years, it´s better to have a good guitar to actually play with than having to save and wait for the best.
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If you haven't already see this, then it could help. This website is having some sales and you may find a good guitar you would like~
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/
(Sorry I don't know crap about Ibanez guitars. D
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Tremolos and floyds are a pain in the ass, especially on 600$ guitars. Do you really use it a lot ? If not go for a tuneomatic bridge.
Check out LTD, they make pretty decent guitars for 600$ but the necks are usually thicker. It's all a matter of taste and feeling.
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For your price range and genre, Ibanez's are really quite good, and you probably won't regret it. I agree with a lot of the posters saying that you probably don't want to bother with a floating tremelo if you don't need one.
I think the posts telling him to get guitar ______ are kinda counterproductive, though.
I say, especially for an Ibanez, choose your guitar based on the pickups you're interested in. Active or passive, first of all. I'm not 100% sure what they put in Ibanez's, though, so, you're gonna have to check and see that.
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But the problem is, anything that is really available here in Canada that I want has a trem on it, most RGs have trem on them except the RG fixed guitars (theres like one 6- string model)
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Vatican City State2594 Posts
On November 06 2010 07:15 Elegance wrote:
But the problem is, anything that is really available here in Canada that I want has a trem on it, most RGs have trem on them except the RG fixed guitars (theres like one 6- string model)
eBay? Is it absolutely necessary for you to have a brand new guitar?
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i would recommend getting a used guitar over a new one anyway.
used guitars have better tone/feel and are generally safer from neck warp and other stuff that would of happend already if poorly constructed.
make sure you always play a guitar before you buy it!
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On November 06 2010 04:49 Elegance wrote:
Hi, I'm thinking about buying a new guitar (but that's after I sell one of my older ones). I only play metal, and I have never used Ibanezes, so it was natural for me to think Ibanez when I thought it was time for a new guitar.
But I've heard some stuff about Ibanez guitars that... didn't impress me. First of all is all the crap about Edge 3 trems (i heard they were terrible), and some people even told me that Edge Pro trems were bad.
I was willing to spend $600 maybe $800 if i do manage to sell my other guitar, and I know that ain't going to get me a prestige.
What I want to ask you (TL) is, are those claims that Edge 3, and Edge pros being bad true? and what guitars would you recommend with my budget in mind? (would prefer RG, RGA or even S)
The Edge 3 only comes on a couple of Ibanez guitars if I remember correctly, one of them being the RG350DX. And yes, it's not that good. Apparently it gets worn easily (expect it to replace it within the year depending on how often you play) and tuning to a different setup is annoying. The Edge 3 is a huge letdown considering that all the other aspects of the 350DX are pretty good. I suggest modding it yourself if you can and take out the bridge for a different one like an OFR.. original floyd rose. It's gold so chuck on some Gotem? gold tuners and it looks great too..
Ibanez quality is usually very good otherwise though, just check out other Ibanez in the price range and watch demos on youtube and stuff. Go to a guitar centre and try it out for yourself. But don't forget to check out other popular brands like ESP (Ltd series), Schecter, PRS etc. Most of your sound will come from your amp though, you're essentially buying the guitar for its playability like fast neck, etc besides things like pickup configuration (which you can mod, anyways).
Personally I own an Ibanez SZ320 (it's discontinued though so its only available from private owners) which has a hardtail bridge and its really good. Comparing it to other big names like the LP, it does well.
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Note that you can always block a bad tremolo.
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Vatican City State2594 Posts
Honestly this is the best advice blog results I've ever seen lol props to TL
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On November 07 2010 00:25 Murderotica wrote:
Honestly this is the best advice blog results I've ever seen lol props to TL
Yeah I know haha. I think it's just due to a pretty broad topic which still has some specificity, if that makes any sense.
Loving the responses though! Though I would like to ask why all RGs are bolt on necks :/ (i think like one RGA is set-in neck)
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Ibanez guitars are actually made at the Cort factories so you should consider buying a cort since some of they're beginner/intermediate models are basically identical (and cort can be a little cheaper sometimes).
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the RG bolt-on neck heels are pretty amazing. i've played neckthroughs and honestly the heel on an RG isn't that much worse.
the ebay link is not an MIJ ibanez. actually if you look at the 6th picture it says "made in indonesia." quality control is different, and it's not a top of the line ibby. it's not worth the money just for a neck thru if you ask me.
i've owned a total of 3 ibanezes. one korean rgt42 (neckthru with edge pro 2 trem), indonesian rg7321, and japanese rg1527. the fretjob and neck finishing is incomparable between the japanese and the other two guitars. the tuners and bridge need to be replaced on the indo and korean ones, because they're crap. however, the wood in the neck and the body are equally crap, and if you're gonna replace those you might as well just buy a better guitar in the first place.
http://cgi.ebay.ca/IBANEZ-RG-550-RG550-DIMARZIOS-Worldwide-Shipping-/160500254812?pt=Guitar&hash=item255e8f885c
try that one instead. a ton cheaper, japanese quality, and you get that classic 80s look and feel. there's still like 18 hours left on it though, and i absolutely would not bid over 700 on that.
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Vatican City State2594 Posts
God the above link is so sexy
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you can't seriously compare a prs SE to a japanese ibanez.
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On November 07 2010 12:20 rauk wrote:
you can't seriously compare a prs SE to a japanese ibanez.
rg tremolo is non japanese. both are budget lines. have you played a prs se? they are great.
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i linked to an rg550. that's mij and when bought used is generally comparable to PRS SE in price.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://i56.tinypic.com/1zmo4uv.jpg)
