ibanez code meanings / good years!

fourmations

hi all

i looked this up but not much joy
(its all info on dating your ibanez)

does anyone have a rundown on
what the letters mean

I know the rg, s, sa, sz, etc etc
and the colours are at the end

I am looking out for a nice ibanez
and want to know what to search for

what i would really like is an s470 (i think)
so thats an s shape with h-s-h and a diving trem
what denotes the set necks and the neck thrus?
whats an rgt as well?

also on the the years:
someone mentioned that the recent ibi's are sh*te
what years are the good ones, are all the latest to be avoided?

lastly, if you had 600-800 for an ibanez what would you get

i like the h-s-h setup as it gives the single coil for variety
I have never had a guitar with a single on the neck
would a (s-s-h) setup give more variety

I like a good old shred, but play a huge range of music (incl jazz!)
(i have a jazzy guitar, but its a pretty crappy aria pro 2)

Sorry, if this is a old tired question, but its probably still valid
as the models change every year

thanks

4

Voodu Child

Lots of questions with no numbers, so i'll just ramble away:

Forget about a thru-neck S. They made very few, and were top of the line (expensive)

Dont buy a Korean S series (dont buy any Korean Ibanez for that matter). Apart from general poor quality, Cort (who make korean Ibanezs) havent been routing the neck pocket deep enough on ANY S-series guitar, meaning the fingerboard is very high off the body, and the pickups and trem must be set very high too. Also, Cort arent able to make the wizard neck profile - its too thin, and with their poor QC and poor wood stocks, it would warp like crazy. Cort Ibanez's have a serial number starting with C, Jap ibz have serial number starting with F. Generally stick with S-series at least 2 years old to stay away from Korean guitars. About two years ago, they shipped production of ALL S-series to Korea, even the expensive top-end models

RGT is a thru neck RG series.

600-800 would have got you close to my blue J-custom. Unfortunately, you wont buy another guitar of that quality for that price again. For that money, I would stick to 2nd hand models, I would keep a close eye on the ishi U-box. Honestly , i cant tell you which model to look at, its a personal choice. Im a RG man, I need 24 frets, but some prefer the sleek S shape.

Dont worry about musical style, most HSH guitars are versatile. Youd play Jazz on an RG if you wanted.

Karl Hungus

Ibanez model numbers are for the most part, incomprehensible.

When looking at Ibanez guitars, I'll just take note of things such as the bridge, wood, pickups and other such details. The numbers are essentially meaningless to me.

RGT = Neck-Through, RGA = Archtop btw.

On the whole, recent Ibanezes aren't sh*te, they still make incredible instruments, it's just that lower grade ones are being made in China and Indonesia. Aswell as all S models being Korean, but that's not so bad. The top end stuff is still Japanese made, and I think that ideally a Japanese made Ibanez is what you'll want.

All prestige RG models are Japanese made, as far as I know.

Now, something I might suggest would be an RG1820X, which has Piezo electronics, so essentially you can switch to an acoustic sound when you want. Aswell as that, the 5-way switch gives you coil tapping, so you get a single coil sound, without the need for a HSH or HSS setup. You'll pretty much get any sound you want from that guitar.

Anyway, Ibanez are excellent for any music really, it's all about your playing. For example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zl3g8seYy74

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsYfLjsHBDE

Good man Chris Broderick there, showing what can be done jazz style. He uses an RG1527, which is well within your price range. Have one aswell myself, and I have to say it's an excellent guitar, if you're into 7 Strings.

Anyway, hope all that helps.

fourmations

thanks for the feedback guys

karl: I am not a seven stringer, i have never even held one!
and i think "old dog, new tricks" would be appropriate here,

I am also quite into the single coil being an option
Basically I have an ancient squier ibanez s copy for 15 yrs
that is one of the best squiers made (1989 HM3)
(I may even refurb it instead, new pickups and all that)

I would be delighted to get a better made version of the same guitar
which (of course) is the ibanez s, as it is a copy of that

I really like the antique violin and natural wood versions
and the one herman li plays, s470dx i think

whats the deal with the prestige?
I figured they were all top end, but noticed a few are bolt ons
what is the main differences? woods, pickups?

on the rgs: i much prefer the look of the s
and i am used to the shape of an "s" already
I feel the S is less "metal" and a lot sleeker
I would like 24frets though, but i hear most people never use
them anyway

thanks all

4

Voodu Child

fourmations wrote:

whats the deal with the prestige?
I figured they were all top end, but noticed a few are bolt ons
what is the main differences? woods, pickups?

on the rgs: i much prefer the look of the s
and i am used to the shape of an "s" already
I feel the S is less "metal" and a lot sleeker
I would like 24frets though, but i hear most people never use
them anyway

thanks all

4

Prestige is Ibanez's label for their 'top end' guitars (not counting the J-Custom series obviously). Doesnt have anything to do with bolt on or not - a guitar can be top of the range and still bolt-on.

Unfortunately, Ibanez moved S-series production to Korea , but left the prestige label on them. So it doesnt mean a lot these days. All prestige RGs are still Japanese made, and have excellent fretwork in particular, but I expect that will change in a couple of years.

If an S is what you want, there are plenty of nice 2nd hand ones to choose from. Honestly, i'd just keep an eye on the usual places and you'll spot something nice sooner or later.

Edit - heres a good site for Ibanez guitars - http://jcustom.web.fc2.com/prestige/menu.html#frame

Sofaspud

I'm currently GASsing over this Hawt pice of ass. She's an RG with a single coil in the neck, which I would love. She'd be mine were I not so desperately poor

http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/u_box/ubox.cgi?T=syosai&sline=792&print=1&keys2=tsudanuma%40ishibashi%2Eco%2Ejp&tid=list3

(why can't I get HTML linking to work?)

Beecher

Karl Hungus wrote:

Now, something I might suggest would be an RG1820X, which has Piezo electronics, so essentially you can switch to an acoustic sound when you want. Aswell as that, the 5-way switch gives you coil tapping, so you get a single coil sound, without the need for a HSH or HSS setup. You'll pretty much get any sound you want from that guitar.

I really want to second that, heres mine:



Im feeding the magnetic pickups into my Laney/Marshall heads and the piezo's into my p.a so at a flick of my a/b switch I can go from high gain to acoustic clean. Its a stunning guitar and so supremely versatile

fourmations wrote:

lastly, if you had 600-800 for an ibanez what would you get

I got a brand new RGA121 off the bay for €650 today and there was more than one when available when I bought it. Look like really nice guitars. Could be worth a look if you can live without a trem.

vengeance52

dang thats tasty man

fourmations

hi all - thanks for the feedback

voodoo - thanks for that link, its really useful

I saw a 1999 S that was Korean on the web
What year did the S's move to Korea
or is it only the older prestige that are japanese

I had always assumed a set neck or neck-thru
were very desirable for tone and sustain

So is a prestige always a good bet?
rather than a set or neck-thru

thanks for your patience on this,
i havent bought an electric for 12yrs
so I havent a clue whats what

rgds

4

Voodu Child

Youre not going to find a neck-thru S (unless you move to big bucks), so dont be worrying about the differences.

PRESTIGE S-series moved to Korea in around '04/'05, check Ibanezrules.com namm report to be sure of which models moved in which years. Of course, lower end models were always made in Korea long before that - the point about them moving guitars to Korea was they moved the expensive, high-end ones over there on the sly, but left the prestige badge on the headstock.

The reason i suggested 2nd hand was to bring your budget into line with Japanese guitars. Most Jap S-series had model numbers starting with a 1 or 2 ie S1xxx (S1620, S1540..that kind of thing). Thats what you should be looking out for on eb*y, buy&sell, ishibashi and here of course.