Ibanez RG550MXX 20th Anniversary

I have been playing guitar for 37 years,West Coast Jump Blues, Fusion, Funk Jazz Rock , and even some Alternative styles. I have owned some axes in my time. In 1987 when the Ibanez Jem first cames out I was in Santa Clara in a Guitar Center jamming away on one with a didtech Lengend, oh ya thosae were the days when a lot of new stuff was hitting the stores. Delay 4 dayz. I loved that guitar and for some reason didnt buy it. It was that new thin flat wizaed bneck, Bubinga Maple, faster then a speeding bullet.

I went back and recently bought the last Road Flare Red RG 550 XX exactly note per note identical. It is awsome. You can only find the black one with the Ebony Fingerboard, not the same, On ebay theres a few floarting around that people want big bucks for. The RG 550 is a sweet sweep picking machine.

The neck, the neck, the neck.

Ok, not much to report negative nut two things. The Edge pro system for some reason is maybe responsible for the guitar not holding the 440 on my Korg 1000. Am I worried not according to my luthier it shpould be fixed with an adjustment.

Yhe pick-ups are the rea; problem. Keep them for authenticity in case you need to restore it back, but for my style its a Fred, an Evolution and a Noisless Strat center single. Strings, slinks @ 009 or regs at .010. Frank gambale was right about this guitar.

The neck makes other models from companies that are charging 3 times as much look rediculous. I played a PRS the other day that was 4000.00 it was a beautiful piece of furniture but I wasnt clocking the speed I need occasionally in my playing compared to the eaze of The RG fret board. The finisg on the fret board, the guitar weight and feel, is perfect.

I own alot of guitars and by far Ibanez has always been my favorite, for Quality workmanship, Service and playability

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Made in Japan
Slim, fast Wizard neck
Maple fretboard
Jumbo frets for easy leads and chording
Lightweight basswood body with upper edge sculpted for comfort
Floyd Rose-licensed Edge tremolo with die-cast saddles
Pickups include Vintage 7 and 8 humbuckers framing a high-output single coil
5-way switching for a full range of instantly selectable sounds
1 volume, 1 tone
Special RG20th hard shell case


UTILIZATION

This instrument screams SHRED ME from the get-go. The bold styling brings back images of the guitars of the hair-metal, solo technical heyday of the 1980s, and it delivers in both sounds and playability as well. Ibanez's original Edge system is prominently featured on this guitar, and I feel like it's the best trem system Ibanez has yet made. It can do up-pulls of a fifth on the G string if properly setup, and it can also divebomb down into the depths, and then come back up to pitch with no problems. The 24 fret neck is easy to play on, from the first fret all the way to the last.

SOUNDS

Most Ibanez guitars feature Ibanez brand pickups. They usually are not that impressive, but they get the job done decently. These pickups are actually pretty nice - I was surprised. I didn't want to replace them, and that's saying something, because I have a lot of spare pickups laying around, and I've gotten to where I can change a whole set of pickups out in a guitar with string change and all in under 15 minutes, so it's no hassle or problem for me to do so. The fact that I didn't want to means that these pickups really work for the sound of this guitar to my ears. The 5 positions are very versatile, and one can find good Strat-like in-between tones, as well as singing solo and raging rhythms inside.

OVERALL OPINION

For anyone doing anything that is heavily 80s metal influenced, this is a perfect axe. For any modern guitar instrumental shred, this is a perfect axe. It can do other styles, but the looks of the guitar might get people to look sideways at you at a gig. I highly recommend this guitar.

Guitar Japan, 24 frets, floyd original V1 & V2 pickups
Channel original Wizard
Lutherie the handle impeccable touch Rabl.

UTILIZATION

The neck is wonderful, the best I've ever tried,
The era of good microphones, but more my opinion NEWS limit the noise performance of the guitar although it sounds of thunder.

SOUNDS

To play the Hard Rock is the IDAL, the precision is the is built for technical! with the original mics, we get a distorted sound like "dry", these pickups are plutt "medium", it would interssant to replace the bridge pickup with a fred or evolution, most existing micro .. .

OVERALL OPINION

This guitar does MRIT than 10, it is a small jewelry size for fast games.
Customization microphones could still improve the performance of the violin bte.La REPRESENTATIVES my opinion 95% of the cost of this guitar. The hardware is not part of NEWS.

Personally, I will change the floyd Khalli a ball bearing, I will change the mic acute by evolution and the nut head, I replace it with a carbon.

It will be the best of the best ....

Manufacturing Japan (team J-Craft) This is a limited edition reissue of RG 1987.
microphones v1, v2 and s1
prestige wizard neck style 1987 5-piece, reinforced by a titanium rod
maple fingerboard, 24 jumbo frets
heel provided with a mounting plate and 4 screws
Back Plate 20th Anniversary
edge floyd (early model)
Mechanical Gotoh
volume, tone

colors available: red, yellow, black

UTILIZATION

The neck is ultra thin, ultra fast, the varnish is brushed over and the key is maple (rare these days)
access to acute super fastoche
ergonomic top, as usual on a RG
the sounds are varied, with the 5 way switch and good violin and fittings of good behavior.
hands fall naturally where they should and the weight light enough not to hinder the use, even very prolonged
the guitar is well balanced for the game sitting or standing

SOUNDS

Sounds more metal,
quite versatile in all
used with a boss distortion MT 2, was the sound!
the pickups are IBZ, I do not want to change them because they sound good, always arch specific sounds typed above medium, the more gain is added, the more they are singing, very "Di marziesques". Some of you would like to change them, but since this is a reissue of the flagship model of the great era of Ibanez, ...
the sound is warm on the microphone near the handle but not as much as my JS 100, the micro saturates very acute, the harmonics come out easily, the micro environment provides simple you need versatility. It's not a Start, but doing well.

OVERALL OPINION

I bought last week is a fairly exclusive guitar (1987 copies in all and for all) my mine is the number July 1419
I have a js rg 100 and is even better, the ergonomics are top and the handle as it does today, it's so late at the beginning it is believed that they forgot to do some ! but the handle faster than the + to be found. Perfect for an academic position.
The guitar was sold a bit expensive, but it excluded yanaura not for everyone! bonus, it comes in a case of top quality the same color as the guitar, so I regret it because it is very endearing and color (bright yellow) is coooool ....

26/07/2008:

on balance, it would be to change the micro shrill tone an area perhaps the original is a bit garish, compared to L500 Bill Lauwrence example

13/09/2008:

Micro Acute changed now one month (Steve Di Marzio special, its crystalline clear, and dug distos modern, high output), a new arm vibrato Schaller, perfect .....