The RG is just a little sharper, a little meaner. But are Ibanez Guitars any good? We are going to look at the different price tiers, history, and quality of Ibanez guitars to see if one would be the right fit for you!
Ibanez is known these days for being a very innovative Japanese company, known for attention to detail. Ibanez also likes to take some big risks! For instance, Ibanez made the very first production 7 and 8 string guitars! But Ibanez did not start as a Metal guitar company at all! Ibanez started making Spanish Style guitars in the , and the name was inspired by the legendary guitar luthier, Salvador Ibanez.
The guitars Ibanez produced were pretty far from being traditional, and were not as popular as other electric guitar companies. This is when Ibanez started making original designs, and began gaining attention. One of the first adopters of the newly designed Ibanez guitars was Steve Vai.
But are Ibanez guitars any good? Well, Ibanez has a lot to offer when it comes to different price points, and runs the gamut from expensive to very affordable. This is the absolute top tier quality that Ibanez makes for any production models. These Made In Japan guitars are made by some of the best-trained luthiers and wood-workers in the industry. Every minute detail is carefully attended to.
Are Ibanez Guitars any good? Especially if you start with these prestige models. The quality is outstanding, and you get a professional instrument that is impeccable. While the prestige Series is the pinnacle of quality, it is also the top-tier when it comes to price. But in the world of guitars, you get what you pay for most of the time. These Prestige Models are meant to last a lifetime of gigs and practice. Ibanez makes a few different Prestige Models every year.
These usually come in custom finishes, and have high end features. Prestige Models also come with a molded hard shell case! Perfectly-designed for virtuosos, this innovative and modern take on the traditional T-type design promises sublime playability and performance without losing that unmistakable "twang".
While the former comes equipped with a Gotoh tremolo and an Alder body, the latter has a more old-school bridge sporting "In-Tune" saddles that guarantee pitch-perfect intonation across the fingerboard and consistent string spacing. The AZSH also boasts a tasteful control plate with an elegantly-shaped pickguard, as well as an Ash body that harks back to '50s and '60s "golden era" electric guitars. Developed from the ground up, these cutting-edge instruments feature "headless" necks, ergonomically-shaped bodies and versatile electronics.
This makes them hugely appealing to modern and progressive players — those who seek compact and comfortable guitars that can keep up with the increasingly technical and flamboyant styles spreading across modern rock and metal music. Apart from their ergonomic allure, these forward-thinking models also boast a number of additional unique elements in order to maximise tone, performance and playability.
This includes proprietary pickups, 'dyna-MIX' switching systems, highly-adjustable 'Mono Tone' bridges and custom string-locking mechanisms that accommodate almost any brand of strings or gauge — unlike some headless instruments made by alternative brands. While the Ibanez Q Series will satisfy any headless guitar enthusiast, these models make players of all disciplines question the full scope of their creative potential.
The standard Q Series guitars are the most accessible, with their straight-fret fingerboards offering a familiar feel for traditionalists. The QX sub-series allows more adventurous and technically-proficient guitarists to make full use of their skills — featuring flat-radius, 8-degree slanted-fret fingerboards that accommodate the natural inward tilt of your fingers.
Fitted with super-charged pickups and featuring a wickedly-thin neck, the FR delivers the goods sonically and feel-wise.
Coming with either Mahogany or Nyatoh bodies, these materials are similar in terms of their density and grain; yielding deep and rich tones that accentuate low-end frequencies and boost mid-range punchiness. Topped with either Ash or Quilted Maple, these woods not only look fantastic but they also introduce some crucial top-end brightness. Mostly made from Maple with strips of Bubinga or Purpleheart in the middle, this layered effect improves stability while offering a premium look. Ibanez FR guitars come armed with high-output humbuckers that emit the most intense, fire-breathing tones imaginable.
Made by the likes of EMG and Dimarzio, these pickups can handle copious amounts of gain should you wish, yet remain articulate and detailed with clean amp settings too. These deadly instruments also come equipped with aftermarket Gibraltar Standard II hardtail bridges. With their high-mass design ensuring optimal string vibration transfer for piano-like sustain, their smoothly-machined saddles also provide great comfort for the picking hand. Ibanez AR guitars feature the timeless tonewood combination of Mahogany and Maple, for their bodies and necks respectively.
Clearly influenced by the Gibson Les Paul, Mahogany offers a warm low-end and a thick mid-range, while Maple introduces lots of high-end sparkle to give notes and chords some essential cut in a mix.
This makes the AR Series fairly unique within the Ibanez range, considering that the majority of their models adhere to a bolt-on construction. A set-neck joint yields more sustain as there is more contact between the neck and body.
Ibanez AR Series guitars feature dual humbuckers for a powerful yet balanced sound, making the AR Series a surprisingly versatile instrument that can cover plenty of styles. A classic tune-o-matic-style bridge is fitted to Ibanez AR Series models, in-keeping with the traditional aesthetic and offering players a way to easily adjust their action and intonation.
With the exception of their LA Custom Shop and j. With all models crafted in Indonesia rather than Japan, these guitars are still made with excellent attention-to-detail and feature high-quality pickups and hardware to meet the demands of even the most fastidious of players.
This includes Seymour Duncan and DiMarzio pickups, Gotoh hardware and even 5-piece laminated necks on selected models. Producing semi-hemispherical fret ends, this process completely eliminates sharp frets and allows your fingers to glide super-smoothly over the fingerboard without any painful snagging. Encompassing a number of RGA and RGD guitars, these particular instruments boast extravagant finishes, multi-scale necks, powerful aftermarket pickups and even 7 strings.
Even with their amazing specs, including Fishman, Bare Knuckle and DiMarzio pickups, Gibraltar bridges, Gotoh locking tuners and Schaller strap-locks; these guitars remain attainable for most musicians. We absolutely love them! We said it at the start - Ibanez guitars are most synonymous with metalheads. However, the company definitely has a softer and more traditional side, with its Artcore Series made up of classic semi-hollow and hollow body guitars.
Most Artcore guitars adhere to a semi-hollow construction. The majority of Artcore series guitars that follow this design will feature humbuckers, as they can counteract the hum that often occurs with hollow instruments.
These particular instruments are far more suited for jazz as their larger bodies can produce rounder, more acoustic-esque tones. Ibanez ensures that all players and budgets are catered for with their huge instrument catalogue. The GIO Series is their entry-level line, featuring affordable no-frills guitars that are perfect for inspiring passionate beginners with their cool looks and features.
In the 21st Century, guitarists that are keen to find their first proper instruments have never been so lucky. Ibanez have played a huge role in diversifying the beginner guitars market, offering a number of attractive models that are well within the reach of players starting their musical journeys.
With such an established presence in the guitar community, it's not surprising why so many renowned players rely on Ibanez guitars to carve their own sounds. The company is proud to support talented musicians with their incredible instruments, and those that are lucky and loyal enough have been graced with their own custom signature guitars!
Ultimately, the Ibanez Signature Series allows fans to purchase the exact same guitars that their heroes use. Steve Vai and Joe Satriani have officially endorsed Ibanez for over 30 years, and really helped in putting the company on the map back in the day. The courier will contact you to arrange payment of these fees.
If you are a guitar player, there is a very high probability that you have heard of Ibanez guitars at some point. Ibanez has such a huge range of acoustic, electric, and bass guitars you can choose from, and they cover a wide range of price points as well. As a company, they have built a reputation for producing quality instruments at an affordable price. However, viewing Ibanez as only a budget-friendly brand would be a great disservice to the company since they have more than a handful of outstanding high-end models that can go up against any premium guitar brand.
Over the years our team at Guitar Lobby has tested and owned dozens of Ibanez guitars, and in this article, we share our favorites at each price point. Check Amazon Price. For most of us, it was the dream guitar. If you aspired to become a shredder, and you did, this Ibanez was your only option.
Remember, this was the era of the Superstrat, and the RG came out in Which was a real shame, since this guitar sounded great and was much more versatile than anyone gave it credit for.
Fortunately, somebody at Ibanez had some common sense to introduce it again in , keeping everything that was great about the original model, and adding just a few modern touches, and making it more affordable. The original aggressive design is still there, and thanks to the thin, contoured body with double cutaways, the RG is incredibly comfortable and easy to play.
But, arguably the most important feature of this electric guitar is the thin Wizard Neck, which I found incredibly fast and fun to play. While the proportions are there, this new neck is different from the old one, since the original neck was one piece of maple, whereas the new one is a 5-piece neck made up of maple and walnut. The single-coil S1 pickup, of course, is in the middle, while US-designed V7 and V8 pickups are located near the bridge and the neck of the guitar, respectively.
The RG has biting mids and just the right amount of compression when you opt for higher gain settings. Sure, that makes this guitar just about ideal for metal, hard rock, prog metal, and other heavy genres where fast playing is required, but we think that the Ibanez RG is versatile enough for playing in other guitar-oriented genres, save for jazz maybe. Who Will Use This Most: Metal players will love it because of the fast, as well as the extremely strong nostalgia factor.
Despite the phenomenal price point, this is a guitar that will be desired by professionals as well. What Sets This Product Apart: Apart from the decent price and expected Ibanez build quality, the RG has a ton of character, as well as the legacy that most metal guitars can only dream of. Bottom Line: All things considered, the Ibanez RG is just about the best that the company has to offer. And since this is Ibanez, that is a lot.
Any guitar player would be happy to have one of these in their collection. My Review: As we have pointed out before, Ibanez has a huge range, and yes, a lot of the guitars are aimed at shredders and metalheads. However, there is more than meets the eye with this brand. Just like they have their own line of hollow-body jazz guitars, they also have something that is a lot more classic. And the prestige reflected in the price tag, too. For that kind of money, you can get yourself a USA-made Fender Elite Stratocaster, and that is just about as iconic as it gets.
However, the AZ can go head to head with any Elite Strat, because Ibanez has used premium materials all throughout and has done a wonderful job in terms of craftsmanship. The body of the AZ is made from alder, which is a standard for all premium Strats. However, this guitar also comes with a roasted maple neck.
More specifically, all the Prestige models the S-tech wood, which is a patented technology that enables the wood to resonate better and to have a more uniform appearance. There plenty of other details that might not stand out at first, such as the rounded fretboard edges, as well as the side dots that are luminescent. The body is more contoured than on the Strat, making the AZ more comfortable to play. Since this is a high-end model, Ibanez has equipped it with Seymour Duncan Hyperion, which is exclusive to the AZ series of guitars.
The HSS combination of pickups is not something that we usually see on Ibanez guitars. You can pretty much dial in any kind of tone you want, which means that the AZ can sound both vintage and modern. The only problem we really see here is the price. This is not the actual guitar that Steve Vai Plays. Obviously, as soon as we tested this guitar, one of the first things noticed was that some of the hardware and materials are different from the original signature model, which is to be expected.
But, if you decide to get the JEMJR, you will be getting a lot of stuff that makes the original so impressive. At first glance, their appearance is quite similar. Another great thing about the JEMJR is that it features that recognizable Ibanez Wizard III maple neck, which is incredibly thin and fast, and therefore ideal for fast players and shredders. In terms of configuration, you get the familiar HSH layout, with a 5-way selector switch enabling you to find just the right combination of pickups.
Finally, I loved the double-locking bridge which helps players stay in tune even when doing deep bends. Who Will Use This Most: Obviously, Steve Vai fans should line up to get this one, but also anyone who is looking for a capable, versatile, and well-made guitar. Also, the level of detail and build quality on a model that costs this much is almost unparalleled. Highly recommended. My Review: If you are looking for an affordable, entry-level electric guitar, then you definitely need to look at the GIO series by Ibanez.
These guitars will go easy on your wallet, but will also offer a lot more than their price tag might suggest. Now, of course, some corners have been cut on this guitar to keep the price budget-friendly. However, we have cheaper tonewood choices here, such as poplar for the body of the guitar instead of mahogany, but that is something that is expected in this price range.
Most budget electric guitars also have a pretty basic appearance, so we have found the looks on this one really refreshing. The neck, on the other hand, is maple, which is really nice to see. In terms of playability, the RGX70QA gives you what you would expect from a hard rock- and metal-oriented brand like Ibanez.
The fretboard is made out of treated New Zealand Pine. Contrary to the basic price, you will be able to coax a wide variety of tones from the RGX70QA, thanks to the HSH pickup configuration, which gives it an edge over its competition, such as the Schecter C-6 Plus, for example.
This pickup layout is supported with a 5-way selector switch which enables you to find just the right sound, and the sonic palette is even wider thanks to the presence of the FTA 6 tremolo bridge. Yeah, you can perform dive bombs with this entry-level guitar, which is something we have found really impressive, but which might cause some tunning instability. Who Will Use This Most: Mostly beginner players, as well as those who want to try their hand at faster, more aggressive genres without breaking the bank.
We are thoroughly impressed with its build quality and versatility. We have already named the RG as our top pick due to it being a jack of all trades, but if you want an Ibanez that is aimed at metalhead players, then you should definitely check out the RGHPAH, which is just superb. Just like its full name indicates, the RGHPAH is designed with speed and dependability in mind, but it also features numerous premium specs and details that make it stand out head and shoulders above similarly priced competitors.
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