Members les_paul Posted September 2, 2012 Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 Hey everyone, new to the guitar forum here. I am looking at 3 guitars right now. They are the Ibanez RG1XXV, RG3570Z, and an LTD Snakebyte. I'm going to pull the trigger on the 28th. I'm extra curious about the RG1XXV but I'm not sure about the quality on newer Ibanez guitars. Since they've moved from Korea I'm a bit leery on consistency. I know what to expect out of Korean LTD guitars. I am also fairly confident in the Ibanez Prestige line. The Prestige line has it's price tag, though. The Snakebyte isn't much more expensive than the RG1XXV and has an ebony board plus ships in a case. So what does everyone think? Any input on any of the models is greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Floyd Rosenbomb Posted September 2, 2012 Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 They have been making guitars in Indonesia for quite some time. Ibanez is known for good quality in the $300 and up range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Help!I'maRock! Posted September 2, 2012 Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 i just bought a used RG2EX1 and it's alright. it does it's job for a $150 instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jhorne Posted September 2, 2012 Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 The ones I tried were their 'Premium' models, and I thought they were pretty much 'meh' and ridiculously overpriced ($900+) for what they were. YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members les_paul Posted September 2, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 My current #1 is a Korean RGT42. I remember when those got slammed because they weren't from Japan. If they've been manufacturing reliable guitars for more than 5 years I won't even blink about it. I just want an obnoxious neon guitar to shred on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted September 2, 2012 Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 I don't know about the current Ibanez models (my experience with them is all MIJ and it's all good) but Yamaha makes some very fine guitars in Indonesia - especially when you factor in the reasonable prices. I would be confident that Ibanez will not disappoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jds22 Posted September 2, 2012 Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 I have 2 newer Indonesian Ibbys. An S420 and an RG350M. Both are solid guitars with no quality issues at all. The pickups are not as bad as people claim either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members docjeffrey Posted September 2, 2012 Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 I have an LTD bass made in Indonesia and it's exceptional, but it weighs a freaking ton! Great tone and excellent attention to detail though. 4 piece ash body, one piece maple neck: My son has an LTD KH602 made in Korea. I would say that the two are pretty much equal in terms of build quality and component quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Canadian Jeff Posted September 2, 2012 Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 Buy cheap, invest in a setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members petersenb9 Posted September 2, 2012 Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 I have an Ibanez Prestige RGA 121 that I am thinking about selling on here for $475 shipped. Great guitar, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members les_paul Posted September 2, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 Buy cheap, invest in a setup. Kinda wondering about the RG3XXV then. There doesn't seem to be a $500 difference to me on paper plus I don't really care for the shark tooth inlays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jds22 Posted September 2, 2012 Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 Buy cheap, invest in a setup. This is good advice especially if you can do your own. Since I recently learned how to do fretwork I can make most any guitar a good to great player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members les_paul Posted September 2, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 I have an Ibanez Prestige RGA 121 that I am thinking about selling on here for $475 shipped. Great guitar, Not very obnoxious but a great deal. If you still have it on my buy date I'd give it some consideration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grunge782 Posted September 2, 2012 Members Share Posted September 2, 2012 Bought a real nice Ibanez Prestige RG for $1,300 some years ago. Played it for a year and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had a friend with a simple Indo RG 3EX1 that he installed dimarzio's in. I played it a few times and was amazed how nice it played and how it sounded. The guitar sustained really well. I kept trying to convince myself that the Prestige RG I had bought was better, but in the end I just knew that I liked the RG3EX1 more. Finally I offered to buy the RG from him and eventually I just stopped playing my Prestige. I then later sold the guitar and now that Indo RG is still my #1 and I have been through a LOT of guitars. Maybe I just got REALLY lucky with the wood they used or something, but it definitely opened my eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BushmasterM4 Posted September 3, 2012 Members Share Posted September 3, 2012 I rescently got turned on to the G&L Tributes and they were fantastic Indonesian made guitars right out of the box. But after setting them up to my taiste, they are my go to guitars now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vintage clubber Posted September 3, 2012 Members Share Posted September 3, 2012 I'm pretty sure my Jet King was made in Indonesia. I like it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members les_paul Posted September 3, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 3, 2012 Well now I'm looking even harder at the lower priced one. Fluorescent pink here I come! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IbanezJon Posted September 3, 2012 Members Share Posted September 3, 2012 The name Indonesia doesn't inspire confidence but certain brands like Yamaha, Ibanez etc.. have heard a lot of good things about the quality of instruments. That applies with any country I guess. I'll be getting an Indonesian made S570 or S770 in the near future.. mainly for the ZR trem but it wouldn't surprise me if I end up liking this guitar more than my upgraded Japanese RG470. Gotta gotta upgrade pickups etc. Think I'll be putting a Norton/Pearly Gates in mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Canadian Jeff Posted September 3, 2012 Members Share Posted September 3, 2012 This is good advice especially if you can do your own. Since I recently learned how to do fretwork I can make most any guitar a good to great player. I got shown by someone who used to build and so now all of my guitars play equally well. It's cool when you don't have to put up with {censored}ty playability for the sake of the tone you want. Edit: lol@talking about guitars based on what country they're from. I've worked on guitars from everywhere. There is no guitar golden land, {censored} comes from everywhere. Buy whatever guitar has the features and general feel you like and then invest in a setup. For instance: if you have $500 to spend on a new guitar, buy one for $300-350 and spend the rest on a proper setup from a real luthier/tech. There is no guitar I've ever bought that didn't need work put in - nuts are almost always too high on production guitars and neck relief normally needs to be reset. Invest some of your money in the potential, and the rest in reaching that potential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted September 3, 2012 Members Share Posted September 3, 2012 It's all about quality control. Having travelled extensively through Indonesia, they have some of the finest wood crafters I have ever seen. The question is, are they working in the factory and does the factory give a {censored} about what is coming out of there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Canadian Jeff Posted September 3, 2012 Members Share Posted September 3, 2012 It's all about quality control. Having travelled extensively through Indonesia, they have some of the finest wood crafters I have ever seen. The question is, are they working in the factory and does the factory give a {censored} about what is coming out of there? Do they care? Not very much, I'd imagine. If someone told me, living in Canada, to build them a guitar when they live in India, I'd discount them a couple hundred just so they could get a local setup done. Environmental impact on a guitar cannot ever be factored out of the resulting final product. That being said, if you've got a body with paint and neck with frets, you're 95% of the way there - your guitar is only a single set of loving hands away from being a killer player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knotty Posted September 3, 2012 Members Share Posted September 3, 2012 These bloody foreigners can't build guitars like murcans. Why would a Fender worker care more about the output from the factory than an Indonesian? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knotty Posted September 3, 2012 Members Share Posted September 3, 2012 It's all about quality control. Having travelled extensively through Indonesia, they have some of the finest wood crafters I have ever seen. The question is, are they working in the factory and does the factory give a {censored} about what is coming out of there? I think they may have machines, its highly unlikely they rounded up some wood crafters to whittle them by hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jds22 Posted September 3, 2012 Members Share Posted September 3, 2012 . Buy whatever guitar has the features and general feel you like Once again you are spot on. I don't buy a guitar because of the name on the headstock but for the features I'm after and how comfy it is for me to play. That is my starting point and I can tweak from there. Oddly enough when I look back at all of the electric guitars I've owned, Ibanez seems to be my go to brand. I'm not a shredder by any means but they just seem to have the feel and features I like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members les_paul Posted September 3, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 3, 2012 Some of you guys glossed over the part where I said if they've been building them there for a while I don't really care. It's not about where they're built. It's completely about how long they've been built there. Its like anything else: on a new line there are going to be problems. If the line isn't new, odds are the problems have been worked out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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