dlloyd Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 It's a long time since I lusted after anything with a pointy headstock. I used to go into guitar shops and try out all the guitars that were horribly out of my price range. Ibanez and Charvel were the ones I liked the most back then... More than 25 years later there's a budding shredder in the house. I'm thinking about buying something like an Ibanez RG550 to have in the house. Mostly for me. What sort of things do I need to look out for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 I mean what issues are these guitars prone to... are there any components that are particularly prone to wear, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Worn tremolo possibly, especially if the previous owner was an over-eager shredder! Is it worth looking at a new 350 - looks fairly similar spec, and guitar quality has been going up consistently in the mid-range price band, and you get the benefit of a warranty, and know the guitar hasn't been thrashed mercilessly in a previous life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnyboy Rotten Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 The nightmare that is a Floyd Rose bridge. Will take you a day and half to get the thing in tune especially after a restring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randythoades Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 I tried an RG570 off ebay for £320 and it was generally good, but tremolo was pretty worn. You can get still get the bits for them as they still are very popular. Mine had the obligatory knocks and chips out of the pointy horns but otherwise a great shredder. But in the end, the frustration in coping with the floating trem reminded me why swapped to a telecaster... They also do several fixed bridge models now which I do lust after... the new models have varying degrees of love/hate but I have had a recent ART Ibby (mid range LP shape) and it was very well made indeed but I didn't really get on with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted November 17, 2015 Author Share Posted November 17, 2015 Hmm... that's probably a good idea... I quite like the look of the S520. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted December 3, 2015 Share Posted December 3, 2015 Look for cracks at the back of the headstock - especially if there are bolted nuts... the thin nature of the volute (if it even exists), especially if coupled with bolts make for a vulnerable area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted December 4, 2015 Share Posted December 4, 2015 If you can live without the term and go hardtail, I'd recommend an RG(R)421 or RG(R)321 - the (R) bit is the alternative model number for a reverse headstock which I am very partial too! I have a limited edition 321 known as a 'Ninja' and I love it! Look out for a build thread soon as I'm working on an absolute dream of mine - an Ibanez model which I don't think exists. Very excited for when that arrives! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted December 4, 2015 Author Share Posted December 4, 2015 [quote name='dood' timestamp='1449260923' post='2922110'] If you can live without the term and go hardtail, I'd recommend an RG®421 or RG®321 - the ® bit is the alternative model number for a reverse headstock which I am very partial too! I have a limited edition 321 known as a 'Ninja' and I love it! Look out for a build thread soon as I'm working on an absolute dream of mine - an Ibanez model which I don't think exists. Very excited for when that arrives! [/quote] How are these, other than cheap? http://www.gak.co.uk/en/ibanez-rg421-mol-mahogany-oil-finish/85523?gclid=CKyR5syOw8kCFSf4wgodpMkExw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 Those sharp edges look like they will dig in to your legs after a while if you play sitting down. Unless you are buying a top end model, you will not be getting an Ibanez made in Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 (edited) There are some amazing deals out there for late 80's/early 90's superstrats. I used to have a RG550 but found the wizard neck just too thin. Coming from a chunky bass neck to something like the wizard shape and back again just didn't work for my hands. There are other shred style necks which are much easier to adjust to - MIJ Charvel/Jackson in particular are very nice. MIA Hamers from that era can be had cheaply too. Amazing guitars. As for Floyds, they get a lot of bad press but that's usually user problems. They're very simple to set up and use but, if you don't take the time to understand them and set them up properly, you will find grief. I love them. Once you set it up well you'll find it hard to put out of tune. Change strings one at a time and it's a ten minute job. Easy peasy. If you do pick up an old one, try to get one with a genuine or Schaller made Floyd, they're beautifully engineered. Count on buying a new pair of stud posts - they're cheap and cure most tuning woes on older guitars. Edited December 5, 2015 by Doctor J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted December 5, 2015 Author Share Posted December 5, 2015 [quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1449276241' post='2922262'] Those sharp edges look like they will dig in to your legs after a while if you play sitting down. Unless you are buying a top end model, you will not be getting an Ibanez made in Japan. [/quote] How big a distinction is MIJ vs MIK? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 [quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1449263575' post='2922148'] How are these, other than cheap? [url="http://www.gak.co.uk/en/ibanez-rg421-mol-mahogany-oil-finish/85523?gclid=CKyR5syOw8kCFSf4wgodpMkExw"]http://www.gak.co.uk...CFSf4wgodpMkExw[/url] [/quote] For the money, they're nice actually! - Out of the box they might need a little set up. Sometimes the action is a wee bit higher than I would personally like. That said, any good tech can have a set up which will make you think the guitar is worth twice as much. Even I can manage that [quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1449276241' post='2922262'] Those sharp edges look like they will dig in to your legs after a while if you play sitting down. Unless you are buying a top end model, you will not be getting an Ibanez made in Japan. [/quote] Gosh no - not sharp at all. I use mine all day every day for teaching and I think the last thing on my mind is sharp edges. True, they're not made in Japan, but then again, there are plenty of instruments that aren't that are really good. The Dingwall Combustion is made in China but is easily worth every penny of it's price tag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 [quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1449318871' post='2922536'] How big a distinction is MIJ vs MIK? [/quote] Well, the Japanese custom team are churning out some amazing guitars - but at £250 for an indonesian model, you can often end up with a great guitar for the pennies. Caveat Emptor though - as with any, try before you buy if you can. Played a £9k bass once. Very pretty but it fought me all the way back to the guitar stand lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted December 5, 2015 Share Posted December 5, 2015 [quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1449263575' post='2922148'] How are these, other than cheap? [url="http://www.gak.co.uk/en/ibanez-rg421-mol-mahogany-oil-finish/85523?gclid=CKyR5syOw8kCFSf4wgodpMkExw"]http://www.gak.co.uk...CFSf4wgodpMkExw[/url] [/quote] For really cheap, I had a white GRGR121EX (a GIO RGR basically) and although I had to try three out, mine ended up being a super fantastic little guitar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naetharu Posted December 13, 2015 Share Posted December 13, 2015 [quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1449263575' post='2922148'] How are these, other than cheap? [url="http://www.gak.co.uk/en/ibanez-rg421-mol-mahogany-oil-finish/85523?gclid=CKyR5syOw8kCFSf4wgodpMkExw"]http://www.gak.co.uk...CFSf4wgodpMkExw[/url] [/quote] The lead guitarist in my band uses one of these paired up with a cheap Marshall amp. It sounds pretty massive and from the little I can tell (I'm a bass player all the way) it feels really good quality - I was actually stunned to find out how much it costs after following your link - I would have guessed more around the £500 mark given how nice it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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