So, Andrew, how do you like your Ibanez?

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I've been looking at expensive guitars and the Ibanez seems most appealing to me for some reason, yet I am afraid it may be toneless metally sounding shit with a ridiculously impossible bridge and tuning system... this is based on my experience with friends' cheaper models back years ago.

I've never played an $800-2000 Ibanez. But, I am still suspicious of that tuning system / bridge. My guitars go out of tune all the time as it is...

I wonder if the zero point system is good or bad for me. I'd prefer a fixed bridge but I don't know if they make such great guitars with a fixed bridge. Also, to some people this may sound like a contradiction, but I love the sound of Vai and Satriani's guitars, which is why I started looking at Ibanez more seriously.

― the Adversary (but, still, a friend of yours) (Uri Frendimein), Tuesday, 3 October 2006 16:27 (eighteen years ago)

Just play one.

The ZR acts like a fixed bridge until you move it.

They make several great guitars with Fixed bridges.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Tuesday, 3 October 2006 19:05 (eighteen years ago)

I'm afraid of those guitar store guys when I grab a $1000+ guitar. They are annoying pressure salesmen. And all my clothes have zippers so I scratch the guitar and I'm a klutz so I break the guitar. Better to just get Andrew's opinion and buy it sight unseen, sound unheard.

― the Adversary (but, still, a friend of yours) (Uri Frendimein), Tuesday, 3 October 2006 20:28 (eighteen years ago)

Sounds like you're going to the wrong guitar stores.

Still, just don't wear something with a zipper and you should be OK.

What Ibanez are you talking about?

― John Justen, the tap-dancing spirochete in your zesty chicken fingers. (johnjust, Tuesday, 3 October 2006 21:26 (eighteen years ago)

I was talking about one of the high end Jem's (or the Universe thing) or a high end Satriani model.

....

I was also looking at the slenderish artcore designs (not the big fat ones) because it looks kind of the famous Trey Paul Languedoc guitar (which I assume is very versatile). But, artcores are not high end and most likely sounds nothing like a Paul Languedoc guitar.

compare

http://media.musictoday.com/store/bands/840/product_medium/PHAM52.JPG

(well that's a refrigerator magnet, but it looks enough like the real deal)

to:
http://app.infopia.com/img/image/fp/vpid/2331831

that artcore thing is beautiful, though I probably wouldn't choose red or a whammy.

― The Adversary (Dick Butkus), Tuesday, 3 October 2006 22:54 (eighteen years ago)

Do metal dudes still play these?

http://media.zzounds.com/media/brand,zzounds/fit,325by400/quality,85/05_Fly_Mojo_NM-5c68535ce0c886c976e98483aecb0aca.jpg

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 00:26 (eighteen years ago)

To me, that just looks stupid. And always has. I didn't know metal dudes ever played them.

― Butt Dickass (Dick Butkus), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 00:57 (eighteen years ago)

parker flys are so light you almost put it through the ceiling picking them up off the wall. not like anyone ever picks them up.

― awesome little blues monkey (awesome little blues monkey), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 01:40 (eighteen years ago)

But they play better than almost anything, and sound great.

SESSION metal players did.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 02:49 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.theshredzone.com/images/artists/boo-vernon.jpg

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 02:53 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.lodimeijer.com/pictures/pain6.jpg

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 02:54 (eighteen years ago)

Is it me you're referring to? I enjoy my Ibanez RG series 7-string a lot. It plays really well, and I think it sounds great (but I'm not some full-on guitarist so I can't give you a well rounded opinion of it). Mine was one of the more expensive ones (although I bought it second hand in Japan quite cheaply). I've played a couple of friends' cheaper Ibanez guitars and they sound pretty average, but a little better than your standard cheapie. The best advice has already been said - play it in the store, ignore the pushy salesmen, and buy it only if it feels right.

Here's what I have, but in silver:

http://www.ibanez.com/guitars/models/RG1527RB.jpg

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 09:52 (eighteen years ago)

I think the ones with f-holes look really, really stupid. If you want a fucking metal guitar, make it look like one.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 09:53 (eighteen years ago)

(Like my Jackson, which looks like this but in dark purple!)

http://image.i-soldit.com/images/0212/102120001368/102120001368_01_01.jpg

(sounds pretty average though)

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 09:56 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah.
Buy a t-shirt, no zipper, play guitar.
Tadaaa.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 15:47 (eighteen years ago)

I had a strange and pretty serious operation. You see, my skin is held together with zippers. It's sort of like those suits in the Fantastic Four movie.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback (woah, get the pun there?). I don't really consider it a metal guitar I am considering purchasing, but yes f-holes would look pretty silly on a metal guitar. I don't even think of Vai or Satriani as metal. More like adult contemporary easy listening.

― the Adversary (but, still, a friend of yours) (Uri Frendimein), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 19:13 (eighteen years ago)

....
What?
I mean, what are you getting at?
What do you want out of the guitar?

I'm confused.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 19:19 (eighteen years ago)

I want a lot of great tone, playability and perfect intonation, if possible.

― the Adversary (but, still, a friend of yours) (Uri Frendimein), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 19:26 (eighteen years ago)

DAER NUDE SPOCK - don't troll this board. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt for now, but I'll ban you if needed.

― John Justen, the tap-dancing spirochete in your zesty chicken fingers. (johnjust, Wednesday, 4 October 2006 19:31 (eighteen years ago)

I wasn't trying to troll. I don't think I could think of enough things to be stupid about with instruments, actually. this was a serious question. I thought Andrew had the Jem guitar. In my memory, I saw a picture of him looking very happy holding what looked like the white Jem Ibanez. Turns out it was a silver Ibanez of the RG series. I was looking at the RG's too and wondering, so I'm glad I asked (and I have periodically compared them to Jacksons in my head, which I am also not familiar with). So, yep, I'm glad I asked.

― the Adversary (but, still, a friend of yours) (Uri Frendimein), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 19:46 (eighteen years ago)

OK, that's cool...never mind then. Carry on.

― John Justen, the tap-dancing spirochete in your zesty chicken fingers. (johnjust, Wednesday, 4 October 2006 19:47 (eighteen years ago)

What you ask of a guitar is NOT hard to fin above $300.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 22:32 (eighteen years ago)

And John, you've forgotten MANY people are emigrating from, and not starting to go to Harm-Central.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 22:32 (eighteen years ago)

I don't feel like I can trust a darn thing on Harmony Central. Plus, I know most of the IL- crowd wouldn't, for instance, get into idiotic turf wars about guitars based on some ridiculous image they've built up in their head of what's "real" and what's "right" in music. Most of the reviews I tend to see for guitars elsewhere remind me of the old "I'd rather push my Ford than drive a Chevy" debates. One guy says "every Ibanez is thin and cold and you need a ton of effects to change the sound" and another guy says "we chose to use my friend's cheap Ibanez over the Les Paul and the Strat we had in the studio because of it's warm crunch and creamy tone" and if you want to just get to the bullshit in the middle, you really have no idea what to make of such contradictory statements.

― the Adversary (but, still, a friend of yours) (Uri Frendimein), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 23:35 (eighteen years ago)

Aww, I only wish it was a Jem. The decoration on the fretboard is so lovely.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 4 October 2006 23:43 (eighteen years ago)

Well, you could scrounge ebay looking for a real one and then watch 27 of them and somehow luck out.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Thursday, 5 October 2006 02:35 (eighteen years ago)

...but I love the sound of Vai and Satriani's guitars, which is why I started looking at Ibanez more seriously.

I was going to say something about Ibanez making the dorkiest guitars of all, but I guess you already know that and don't care. </Captain Obvious>

― Shoes say, yeah, no hands clap your good bra. (goodbra), Thursday, 5 October 2006 04:21 (eighteen years ago)

What's dorky about Ibanez that isn't dorky about every other guitar?

― the Adversary (but, still, a friend of yours) (Uri Frendimein), Thursday, 5 October 2006 18:25 (eighteen years ago)

I just want to play like this kid
http://youtube.com/watch?v=rIfquztcB6g&mode=related&search=

― Butt Dickass (Dick Butkus), Sunday, 8 October 2006 02:20 (eighteen years ago)

"What's dorky about Ibanez that isn't dorky about every other guitar?"

I just cannot get into those horns on the body that go out so thin like on those RG guitars. I don't like that look on any guitar or bass, not just Ibanez. There are some basses out there with those kind of horns that I find ghastly to look at.

I also don't like those superthin style necks or bodies. I can see why some people like to play them, as they are built for speed, but those necks feel really unconfortable to me for anything but playing slew runs of notes.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Sunday, 8 October 2006 04:14 (eighteen years ago)

I don't like the way some Ibanez guitars look, but that doesn't affect how I feel about the other ones that look pretty classy and classic, in my opinion.
Here's some of the models I like. Do you hate these?

Pretty neutral (comes in more "classic" finishes, but I'm a little bored of tobacco sunbursts, etc)
[img src="http://ibanez.com/guitars/models/SZ4020FMNTF.jpg"]

Pretty retro
[img src="http://ibanez.com/guitars/models/NDM2BK.jpg"]

Pretty Stratocastery
[img src="http://ibanez.com/guitars/models/JEM7VWH.jpg"]
[img src="http://ibanez.com/guitars/models/UV777BK.jpg"]

Pretty Mosritey
[img src="http://ibanez.com/guitars/models/JS1200CA.jpg"]

I have little hands, so I've always been partial to non-traditional necks. My Fender Bullet has a weird neck that is Eric Clapton's prefered style, but is not typical. It's skinnier width-wise but has a deeper curve which feels really good on the palm of your hand and is very easy to play. I can't remember the name of it offhand, but it's nonstandard, anyway. The other option for me is the wide yet thin necks. The seemingly standard in-between on most guitars is just really hard for me to work with.

I also like all those f-hole blues fatty guitars, but I don't think that's ultimately what I want.

― Butt Dickass (Dick Butkus), Sunday, 8 October 2006 14:51 (eighteen years ago)

I think I'm really starting to like this one more and more:

http://ibanez.com/guitars/models/UV777BK.jpg

But, I really want a white guitar!

― Butt Dickass (Dick Butkus), Sunday, 8 October 2006 14:56 (eighteen years ago)

OH shit, I didn't notice it had 7 strings before. Forget it.

I like the Jems, then. The white and gold is real perty.

― Butt Dickass (Dick Butkus), Sunday, 8 October 2006 15:00 (eighteen years ago)

Don't want to tackle the neck width on the UV?
It's not that bad, and the increased range realy gives you some great options.
You can now play an E chord higher up the neck if you need to. Hell, lower notes higher up the neck gives you some really ineresting options ofr solos, and can make things go alot faster.
Plan an E chord with a low Ab in it.

In any case, don't think that it's so hard, it's just another string you don't even need to use.
It's another string you GET to use.

― The GZeus (The GZeus), Sunday, 8 October 2006 18:21 (eighteen years ago)

I'm just not into drop tunings, so the 7 string thing doesn't appeal to me. I suppose it would be neat once in a while to go lower than E, but I think it would quickly become normal to constantly utilize the 7th string and then next thing you know everything is deep and dependent upon 7 string guitars. And, like I said, I don't even really like that ultra deep sound.

― Butt Dickass (Dick Butkus), Sunday, 8 October 2006 18:34 (eighteen years ago)

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