So I tried an Ibanez guitar.....

Tremonti

Fractal Fanatic
So I tried an Ibanez guitar.....and really really loved it. It was a Prestige RG66 or something. Did not open up to look, but looks to have had a Fernandes Sustainer pickup in neck with mini toggle for harmonics. I am a guitar tech on the side and did not think about getting info on this until after client picked up. Side note: I cannot believe that I may prefer super thin necks(don't tell ALL my other guitars with '59 roundback contours).

Question: What model am I referring to? I cannot find this online and must be going about this wrong. Thanks!
 
I wasn't very fond of the thin necks either when they came out. But over the years, I collected guitars with all kinds of neck profiles and also a couple of Ibanez thingies. The first being a UV777BK sevenstring. Now I got my hands on a 90th HAM model and I really like it.
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Almost all my favorite necks are ibanez (or warmoth), and I have almost 100 guitars!

Super playable, well done necks with great fretwork and finishes too. Plus if you're into shredding well they're about the fastest necks you will come across - which is why so many shredders love 'em!

I also LOVE warmoth necks, best in the business!
 
I thought for years that my JEM neck was perfect for me until I got an Ibanez SZ, which has a more C-shaped neck that's thicker, but not nearly as wide. There's stuff I can do on the C-shaped neck that I can't do as well on the JEM, mainly the Jimi-like chord sliding, especially if my thumb is involved. I've got decent-sized hands, it's just that the JEM neck is so damn wide. It's also thicker than a Wizard neck, I think they're most comparable to a Wizard III neck. I've got a Wizard III on an old RG470 and it's almost identical to the JEM.

There's also that feeling that comes along with playing a different guitar that's really different from what you're used to, sometimes it's that "Whoa! What have I been missing?" and sometimes it's "Oh wow, I cannot do this" (Yngwie Strats were like that for me until the last year and now I'm considering a light-scalloped neck down the road) and sometimes it's in the middle, "There's stuff I can do on this that I can't do on that and I really love them both."
 
Even though I don’t own one, I’ve tried a few Ibanez and hold them in high regards. They are very well crafted instrument and not very experience across the range.

I have recommended them to a few of my friends who were starting to learn playing a guitar. They naturally were gravitating towards the brand pull of a les Paul or fender as their first guitar. I know 2 people who, once they tried the Ibanez, bought it over a similarly priced fender.
 
This is 100% just me, but while some Ibanez guitars look great on paper, when I've tried them they felt soul-less to me, for lack of a better word. Well made, sensible features (except the monkey grip). Maybe I don't care for their pickups maybe?
 
This is 100% just me, but while some Ibanez guitars look great on paper, when I've tried them they felt soul-less to me, for lack of a better word. Well made, sensible features (except the monkey grip). Maybe I don't care for their pickups maybe?

You'd be surprised how many times I've used that monkey grip in reasonable situations!
 
I like their thin necks, as I can't stand fat necks. And the Ibanez Edge Lo Pro is my favorite floyd rose trem. I have two of them on my guitars and will install a third one. . Its just that visually I can't stomach Ibanez guitars. So they are not for me. Other then that there is nothing wrong with them.
 
I like their thin necks, as I can't stand fat necks. And the Ibanez Edge Lo Pro is my favorite floyd rose trem. I have two of them on my guitars and will install a third one. . Its just that visually I can't stomach Ibanez guitars. So they are not for me. Other then that there is nothing wrong with them.
Yeah, not a fan. For me it's the mostly flat tops with very little rounding at the edges. It's like a plank with guitar hardware, cheapest and least graceful design possible.
 
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So I tried an Ibanez guitar.....and really really loved it. It was a Prestige RG66 or something. Did not open up to look, but looks to have had a Fernandes Sustainer pickup in neck with mini toggle for harmonics. I am a guitar tech on the side and did not think about getting info on this until after client picked up. Side note: I cannot believe that I may prefer super thin necks(don't tell ALL my other guitars with '59 roundback contours).

Question: What model am I referring to? I cannot find this online and must be going about this wrong. Thanks!
Hmmm... Some of the JS models have a Sustainer in them.

Not aware of any RG with one but that doesn't mean much.

You can check here:

https://www.ibanez.com/na/products/model/rg/
 
This is 100% just me, but while some Ibanez guitars look great on paper, when I've tried them they felt soul-less to me, for lack of a better word. Well made, sensible features (except the monkey grip). Maybe I don't care for their pickups maybe?

Some guitars are soul-less, even the most expensive. I guess it depends on each particular piece of wood

My #1 guitar since 1994 has been a RG550LTD. I have played hundreds of gigs with it. I have swapped pickups multiple times since then; my favourites: Dimarzio Gravity Storm and Suhr Doug Aldrich.

I have owned more expensive Ibanez, like a S5570Q, J-Custom RG8550MZ or a Joe Satriani JS2450, but they didn't had any added value over my old RG550LTD. Perhaps they were soul-less or maybe their soul was not a match for me, so I've sold them all and returned to the RG.

I don't know if all the RG550LTD are built like mine or if I have been fortunate to get a lucky piece of wood with mojo and duende.

RG550LTD.jpg


Even though I am happy with the RG550LTD I still wanted to have a JEM, so last week I got a JEM7V. I am happy with this purchase. The comparison is not like day and night. I could have survived with the RG550LTD, but I love the feel of a new guitar. Both have an special vibe and unbeatable playability.

RG550-LTD-JEM7-V.jpg
 
This is 100% just me, but while some Ibanez guitars look great on paper, when I've tried them they felt soul-less to me, for lack of a better word. Well made, sensible features (except the monkey grip). Maybe I don't care for their pickups maybe?

I've felt the same way. My first Ibanez was a 1985 RG440 with the duck bill head stock. Japanese made. I had that thing for close to 20 years. Great neck, played great, good tone, solid tuning. Tried many of the newer ones and just couldn't bond with them. Most were a pain to set up, fretwork was bad, unless you went the Prestige route. Hardware finish would flake off after a while. They got cheap when they moved most of the build out of Japan. They seem to cater to the shredders now so they don't make a guitar that I'd buy. They're dead to me now. :D
 
The only models shipped out of Ibanez with a Sustainer were the JS’s and a Japan-only release of the JEM7VWH. I haven’t even seen someone import the JEM with a Sustainer as of yet. I would have to assume the Sustainer in the OP is aftermarket.
 
I'm old, I started playing in the late 80's and wanted to learn to shred on an Ibanez SO bad like Satriani and Vai. I learned on acoustic, then my first electric was a used Kramer Baretta. After much lusting I finally I got my own Ibanez and soon realized my hand can't even deal with that super thin neck. Nothing at all like my Kramer which was also a shreddy type thing.
 
I always want to like Ibanez electrics, but the super thin necks just don't agree with my hands for extended playing. I feel like their basswood bodies give them a certain characteristic resonance. They almost always have good fretwork on them though.
 
I always want to like Ibanez electrics, but the super thin necks just don't agree with my hands for extended playing. I feel like their basswood bodies give them a certain characteristic resonance. They almost always have good fretwork on them though.
There are plenty of Ibanez guitars that are not basswood. Most of mine are mahogany.
 
I've felt the same way. My first Ibanez was a 1985 RG440 with the duck bill head stock. Japanese made. I had that thing for close to 20 years. Great neck, played great, good tone, solid tuning. Tried many of the newer ones and just couldn't bond with them. Most were a pain to set up, fretwork was bad, unless you went the Prestige route. Hardware finish would flake off after a while. They got cheap when they moved most of the build out of Japan. They seem to cater to the shredders now so they don't make a guitar that I'd buy. They're dead to me now. :D
The Japanese era is definitely the golden age.
 
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