ESP vs Ibanez

[Clinically Deaf]

Screw both of them.

Jackson is teh

[Dropsix]

Screw both of them. Jackson is teh

Jacksons are almost as b04r1ng as Ibanez guitars

[Shiny_Surface]

I like (and hate) specific models from both companies.

[Chrisjd]

Jacksons are almost as b04r1ng as Ibanez guitars

I 2nd that.

[Les-Zombie]

Esp- i had a jem and it was a nice guitar and ive played some other ibanez that i liked but not enough to buy another, i love how my esp guitars sound and feel, i like the necks better also.

[DirtyBird]

2) ESP has Decent Kahler Floyd. Ibby has cheap chintzy Ibby Floyd.

Are you serious? The new Edge Pro's... I can believe that. But the original Edge and Lo Pro Edge are just as good as any OFR if not better.


I've got FOUR yes, FOUR RG's. One is a cheap plywood piece of {censored}. Plays nicely - it's my beater.

I've got an RG470 that had the Lo TRS piece of {censored} on it. Yanked it and put a real Edge in there and eventually I took that guitar apart because I didnt like the tone. (I blame the basswood)

I've got an RG520. I specifically wanted one of those because they're HH, they're made of mahogany, and they have the good hardware on them. All Japanese stuff.

And just recently I got an RG3120 and it's a fine instrument. Mahogany with a maple top, about as thick of a tone as you're going to get from an axe with a floyd.

ESP doesnt make as many guitars as Ibanez so Im sure they get access to better tonewoods (Buying nice woods is easier in smaller quanitites), but I prefer my Ibby's to anything else in their price ranges. The 470 I bought was a well built instrument, it just had a {censored}ty tremolo and I didnt like the neck or the tone compared to my 520.



I still dont think you can touch them for the money. Where else are you going to find a $300 axe made in Japan with a GOOD tremolo on it? Schecters can be had in that range, but they use the same crap pot metal trems as every other company does.
You guys are comparing guitars that cost far more money (Even new) to mid-line Ibanezes that are meant to be work horse guitars, IMO.

Im not a big fan of most Ibanez RG's though, the basswood leaves them a bit lacking if you ask me.


Edit: As a side note - I'd love to own a real ESP. But they're a bit out of my price range and I still maintain that for the money a Japanese Ibanez usually cant be beat. The high end stuff from both companies holds its own, IMO, but it takes a hell of a lot more money to get a good ESP than it does to get a good Ibanez and so, IMO, Ibanez wins on the value side of things, but that depends entirely on how much your money is worth to you. If you can afford an ESP and you think tehy're better then that's great, but Ibanez hardly pumps out junk in their lines that are actually comparable to what you guys are using for your ESP standard for comparison.

[9ball]

 

I could actually go either way. Both company has models I like.

 

 

this. and i own both. i'd like to have some more RG's actually for different p/u set ups. i like the wizard necks

[9ball]

Are you serious? The new Edge Pro's... I can believe that. But the original Edge and Lo Pro Edge are just as good as any OFR if not better.

 

no {censored}- the edge is a solid trem. - oh wait- i see 17 tubes posted that....that explains it

i think i've read the edgeIII is the worst of the bunch- but i have no complaints about my 8 year old edge.

i'd like to try one of those new ZR's- i think they're supposed to keep tuning stability better for when you bend a string

[Jakem]

Are you serious? The new Edge Pro's... I can believe that. But the original Edge and Lo Pro Edge are just as good as any OFR if not better.

 

 

Edge Pros are as good as Lo-Pro Edges except for couple of things:

-lack of locking studs (fixable)

-poor plastic inserts that lock the string to the trem.

 

Those two are the best floating trems available (harder to get LPE nowadays).

[Polaris20]

MIJ Ibanez and MIJ ESP

 

 

I'd say now that the whole Ibanez Japan is Prestige, the differences aren't as big as they used to be. I'd prefer Ibanez still, personally. but it's subjective.

[stringsNstuff]

I voted ESP because every one I lay hands on is pure sex.

....oh ya and I own one ^^

[MrVisual]

I voted ESP, but I may soon buy an RGA 321 at a great price.

 

 

I was just about to buy an RGA321, but then the idiots at Ibanez decided to add active pickups and make it more expensive (and uglier) than before. Now I have no idea which guitar I'm going to get.

[Polaris20]

I had an RG-550 (Purplish-red color changing- maple neck- oiriginal PUPS) I now have ESP-MII Deluxe I still have the ESP. Why would I keep the ESP and ditch the RG? Well, there's certainly a bit of a price difference...but in general they SHOULD be very similar guitars. It's a little less than double the cost but easily triple the "value". 1) Esp has Dimarzio's- Ibby has cheap chintzy crap 2) ESP has Decent Kahler Floyd. Ibby has cheap chintzy Ibby Floyd. Even the design of it was dumb, as the block screws didn't come out the back, but had to be gotten to in the middle of the trem. Dumb. Even the locking nut was cheap cheap cheap. 3) Overall construction MUCH better....more resonant, a better FEEL in hands and on body. RG feels like a toy in comparison. Even visually, the ESP LOOKS better Also had this for a bit....would buy the ESP again and again over either Ibby or Charvel (import)...no matter cost. I guess I should be posting in thinkpad's "maple/rosewood neck" thread?

A purple 550? You're referencing a guitar that hasn't been built in over 15 years. Try an RGT Prestige.

It's like saying Mustangs suck because you had a '79 that was unreliable.

[BerkleeBill]

ESP are nicer made, but Ibanez are easier to play.

[diavolo1]

i voted ibby, but i own and like both. my ibby is an old 540ltd, and i think it was made in japan. solid mahogany body, and it came with decent pups(that i still ripped out). very solid guitar. i've owned a couple newer indonesia made ibby's and they felt like junk to me.
i also own an older ltd ec, and love it as well, but the ibby is way more responsive to me.

[freehandarson]

Ibanez > ESP

because

Wood Guitars > Plastic Guitars

:cop::cop:

[mcr23]

I actually like ESP Good guitars, and far better than Ibeenhad's.

I drool every time I see an old ESP Explorer:cool:

[zbasstringer]

ESP. The Ibanez necks for me are too thin. The Ibanez hollowbody guitars are great. Not much beats them for the money. I was also never a fan of the soundgear basses.

[litzilong]

High end ESP are amazing and in better variety than Ibanez. It's like, I love the RG and all, but how many different colored basswood RGs does one need? That being said, the RGA guitars are definitely sweet. ESP just has a better variety, though they do make a few too many black EMG guitars.

[GodBlessTexas]

I like Ibanez far more for acoustics and semi-/hollowbodies than I do for the RG and S-series stuff.

 

 

Really? I love their MIJ electrics, but their acoustics have always sounded like utter crap to me.

[GodBlessTexas]

Guess... Here's my collection

 

 

[Jakem]

Guess... Here's my collection

SC500!!!!!!!!!!:love: Those are friggin' rare! I'd like to own one...

-Jaakko

[cobrahead1030]

i'm an esp/ltd guy, just because they've offered more guitars that are to my liking

ibanez has had some really nice offerings as well, just not as many that suit my needs

unfortunately both companies are guilty of discontinuing models that i wish were still available...like the esp maverick & ltd mv series, or the older mij 7 strings from ibanez (7621, 7620, etc.)

[Jakem]

i'm an esp/ltd guy, just because they've offered more guitars that are to my liking ibanez has had some really nice offerings as well, just not as many that suit my needs unfortunately both companies are guilty of discontinuing models that i wish were still available...like the esp maverick & ltd mv series, or the older mij 7 strings from ibanez (7621, 7620, etc.)

 

 

Ibanez is gonna introduce a nice updated 7 (RG1527):

-white body w. non-matching headstock (black)

-H-H pup config

-maple fretboard

-Edge Zero trem

[17 Tubes]

A purple 550? You're referencing a guitar that hasn't been built in over 15 years. Try an RGT Prestige. It's like saying Mustangs suck because you had a '79 that was unreliable.

 

 

Bull{censored}. It's not like saying that at all.

 

 

 

Age of a guitar doesn't mean jack {censored} to it's quality. I have a 20+ year old Hamer that will knock the snot out of you....excellent quality. Excellent performance....beat on and very little maintenance.

 

 

So now what?