Matthew from Forest VA
Subject:
Pretty Good but Deceiving
Quality:
Aside from the mis advertisement with the bridge type and the neck being unfinished (no varnish)... its great... the neck is extremely straight and sturdy making the action SUPER LOW which in awesummmmm! and its mounted to the body perfectly which keeps it in tune when diving.
Sound:
It's okay tone wise... for clean picking using neck and middle it is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL... but for shredding and metal (august burns red type stuff to steve vai bad horsie).. its not the greatest... but an emg 81 or seymour in the bridge would completely turn that around. (All in all good quality wood, which gives a great foundation to build your own tone with... just be ready for a new bridge pick up (neck too if your ocd with stuff matching like my self).
Reliability:
Awesome here. Stays in tune like a champ, plus is high quality! (the case it comes with is super protective and nice!)
Overall:
Its pretty sweet; however, the neck does not have finish on it... (not what i expected for a prestige model). Apparently they thought it would also be cool to put the edge zero bridge (way better than edge pro) only on the white model... and then advertise that it had a zero... in which i had to find out after i already received it from ibanez that it should have been listed with edge pro unless it was the white model... what the heck? Other than that the guitar is great... neck isnt quite as thin as the 1570 but its sure is straight and very sturdy. Its extremely reliable and even with floating bridge didnt give me much problem de-tuning to C. All in all i still wish i would have moved up to the rga121 prestige, but this is still pretty good.
Playability and Feel:
fast fast fast
Tone:
smooth for clean, a little muddy for shred (just the pick ups)
Finish:
Good on body, no finish on neck though which isnt cool at all for a $1k guitar.
Action:
Pretty stinkin good! I lowered it a little but thats just my preference.
Do you own this product?:
yes
Tyler Barnes from Delaware, OH USA
Quality:
The quality of this instrument is impeccable! I have two other Ibanez guitars that are Indonesian built and I was surprised at their high quality for their low price, but this Japanese-made Prestige guitar is outstanding. The electronics are solid and high-quality. The finish is flawless. The Mother Of Pearl logo inlay is stunning. I am simply blown away at the quality of this instrument!!!
Sound:
The stock pickups sound pretty good and have sufficient power. I am going to live with them for a while but anticipate installing a DiMarzio Evolution set within a year.
Reliability:
I have only had this guitar for 5 days and used it on one gig after setting it up with .010s and tuning it to Eb. It stayed in tune like a champ! It maintained a consistent, powerful tone throughout the night.
Overall:
I am absolutely LOVING my new Ibanez RG1550MPBL!!! I am so glad I decided to spend the extra money and get this instead of the RG350M.
Playability and Feel:
This guitar is so light and well balanced! I was stunned with how light the body was! The neck is very fast and with the slight exception of the roughness on the back it is super easy to play. I like the thickness of the Wizard Prestige back contour. The controls are very accessible and smooth in operation.
Tone:
The pickups are fairly hot. They are V7, S1, and V8 so they are classified as "vintage". I think the bridge pickup (V8) is very well-balanced and the neck pickup (V7) is creamy; I switched to it for the solos of "Comfortably Numb", "Sweet Child O' Mine", and "Simple Man". I have used the Bridge/Middle pickup combo once and it gave a very faithful Strat "in-between" sound. The S1 was smooth in the middle position for the clean, crispy intro to "Cumbersome". I didn't modify the tone control as I don't generally use Tone controls. Lowering the volume to "fade out" parts in "Cumbersome" and "Gone Away" proved that I need to find the travel in the pot as it seemed to be strong for quite a while.
Finish:
I think the Phantom Blue color is awesome but I would have liked a brighter blue, honestly. Regardless, the finish is FLAWLESS on the body and the face of the headstock. I did notice a bit of roughness on the back of the satin finished neck but I am sure that will smooth out over time. I didn't notice any roughness during my gig, so it may have already started smoothing out.
Action:
The action out of the box was pretty good but slightly high for me. I feel like the action should be ultra low with these nearly flat compound radius fingerboards. After I changed the strings to .010s, I lowered the action and the guitar doesn't fight me at all!
Do you own this product?:
Yes, I own the Phantom Blue version of this guitar and got it with Easy Pay from AMS!
Date submitted:
12/5/2010
brandon from concord,NC
shear_erb@hotmail.com
Quality:
seems extremely well made
Sound:
Stock pickups aren't horrible. Ill need to swap em eventually but they dont seem as bad as some reviews say.
Reliability:
Only had it 3 days now but it seems extremely well built.
Overall:
This thing plays like a dream.
Playability and Feel:
super fast. super thin and flat neck...its an ibanez!
Tone:
Pickups are not as bad as the reviews say. Ill have to swap em but its not crucial. I do like the S1 clean tone though, ive always played Les pauls up till now and i love that single coil blues sound. The other humbuckers are nothing special, definetly the only downside of this guitar..but an easy fix and worth it
Finish:
The white plaster is beautiful. I was iffy on the textured finish but once i got it i love it, very high quality
Action:
Very, very low. Easy to play, i actually raised it a bit but thats just my preference. no buzz at all
Skill Level:
Intermediate
Do you own this product?:
yes
Date submitted:
7/11/2010
Derp from Portland, OR
Quality:
Very nice quality. Bought an Ibanez because I know they have a much better reputation for quality than other manufacturers.
Sound:
The pickups are very "meh" However I'm sure most everyone who buys a guitar ends up replacing the pickups. The pickups are nice, just not up to the standards of a SD or Dimarzio.
Reliability:
Guitar stays in shape (and in tune) no matter how hard you bang on the strings.
Overall:
This guitar is ready to play right out of the box. I didn't even have to tune it, adjust the tremelo, or anything.
Playability and Feel:
Would have been nice if the Volume and Tone knobs had a bit less resistance to them, for if you're trying to fiddle with them on the fly.
Tone:
Stock pickups... definitely not as good as what you can get, however I've definitely heard some MUCH worse stock pickups. The single coil in the middle is very nice for a clean sound.
Finish:
I bought the WHP, the White Plaster. In case you were wondering, there actually IS a plaster texture on it. IMO better than other finishes since it doesn't leave visible smudges and handprints. Has to be seen!
Action:
Action was pretty much perfect. Right out of the box it was just all around comfortable to play
Skill Level:
Intermediate
Do you own this product?:
Yes
Kevin Pickell from Tabor City, NC
Subject:
Prestige quality is incredible!
Quality:
Prestige quality. Enuff said. These are made by Ibanez in their Japanese factory. This is the hi end stuff.
Sound:
The pickups are waaaaay better than I expected. I may swap them for some Dimarzio pups but I'm in no hurry. These sound pretty good to me.
Reliability:
Have not had this guitar very long but she looks well constructed.
Overall:
So glad I bought this. Incredible pro level guitar for a pretty good price.
Playability and Feel:
Plays like butter....as if it was made just for me.
Tone:
Very nice tone. I'm happy. You can hear the wood of the guitar coming thru in the tone. It has a nice signature tone. The minute you start playing it you know you are playing a nice guitar.
Finish:
Very nice paint job. Shiny. Flawless. Looks like they put on several coats of paint and then a few coats of clearcoat. They didn't skimp or cut corners anywhere.
Action:
Perfect. Nice quality control by the factory. Didn't have to adjust anything other than tune it up.
Skill Level:
Intermediate
Do you own this product?:
Yes
Date submitted:
10/31/2009
Swag guitarist from Brazil, Indiana
Subject:
AWESOME MACHINERY!!!!
Quality:
This is top Quality!!!! Very dependable.
Sound:
A little thin, I think that's my only complaint about it, I've had plenty of Ibanez's in the past and most w/the v7 and v8's and for some reason these v's are a little thin. But not awful!! there still clear, and crisp.
Reliability:
So far it's got the job done w/out incident.
Overall:
This guitar is just out of this world. Smooth playing neck, sturdy tremelo,light weight and just plain awesome.
Playability and Feel:
I still believe Ibanez RG's are the most comfortable guitar to play, easy acess and light weight. The necks are awesome. The only thing I wish I could change is the Volume knob, it needs to be down a little further, I tend to turn myself down where it's at now.
Tone:
Like I said above a little thin, even the neck is not as warm as I'd like.
Finish:
Other than lack of color choices the finish is great.
Action:
Action was perfect right out of the box! not too low not too high, just right.
Do you own this product?:
I own it!!!
Date submitted:
10/06/2009
Mike from Tecumseh, MI, USA
maestro1023@gmail.com
Quality:
this is a well made product; worth the money.
Sound:
I replaced the pickups with dimarzio d activator x and x2n in the neck and bridge respectively. the neck pickup is going to be changed again to the liquifire when it comes out. the x2n is super and super quiet as well. I changed the pups because the stock pups dont seem to have the power or response I like. I am picky I guess.
Reliability:
I am certain this will stand the test of time; I have had prestige guitars in the past.
Overall:
this is a great guitar; a little on the pricy side but believe me; you get what you pay for. I played lower level guitars and there is a difference.
Playability and Feel:
Nice feel, not light but not les paul heavy either. Feels great.
Tone:
I like it now that I have changed the bridge pup as I mentioned above. It is not a bluesy toned guitar nor do I think it is a wise choice for country but prog metal, rock, jazz, fusion; it is super.
Finish:
Looked good; like the pics I guess. If it came in wine red with a black guard that would be way cool.
Action:
super. I had it set up as should be the case with all guitars and it is the best action on the planet.
Skill Level:
Intermediate
Do you own this product?:
I do.
Brian from Pikeville, KY USA
oneadam30@hotmail.com
Subject:
More bang for your buck
Quality:
I was impressed with this guitar out of the box. I knew the Ibanez reputation but didn't expect to get THIS quality for the price I paid. The finish was flawless and the picture really doesn't do justice to how great this instrument looks. The maple fretboard looks great! EVERYTHING feels very solid.
Reliability:
No way to tell since I just got it today, but I have no doubt I'll still be playing this guitar years and years down the road.
Overall:
As I said before, I'm impressed. The details were all paid close attention to. This is my first Ibanez, but most definately not my last. I don't see how anyone could be disappointed with this instrument. The one and only issue I have is that the locking nut wasn't tightened and one of the plates and bolt was loose inside the case. No big deal.
Playability and Feel:
It feels well balanced and has a little heft to it, but not back-breaking heavy. The neck is unfinished and very smooth. It makes you want to play very fast. Easy access to the upper frets. The volume and tone knobs are very smooth but not loose, so inadvertantly hitting the volume knob while playing didn't turn it down unless I meant to. The vibrato arm fits snugly and the bar stays where you want it for easy grabbing. Speaking of the bridge, I couldn't put it out of tune once I stretched the strings and locked the nut down. You can dive bomb all day with this. This guitar begs to be played as soon as you pick it up.
Tone:
The maple neck and fingerboard give it a nice bright sound without sounding thin. Smooth sound overall. The pickups were much better than I thought they would sound. I wouldn't say they were 'hot' but they certainly pack a nice punch. Pretty responsive to differences in picking (hard and soft)
Finish:
Looks great. The picture on the computer doesn't do the instrument justice.
Action:
The action was very good. All I had to do was tune up a bit and start playing. I prefer the action to be a little lower than it was, but that's just a personal preference. The action was MUCH better than a LOT of guitars I've played in the music stores.
Do you own this product?:
Yes
Date submitted:
04/01/2009
Scott Tascarella from WV
Quality:
This is a quality instrument from Ibanez. I really wanted to try it before i ordered it off the website, but ive owned and played a few lower line Ibanez guitars and was always suprised at how high quality they were at such a low price.
I was VERY pleased when I opened the case. The Quality is amazing! This "prestige" UNBELIEVABLE!!
Reliability:
I havent had it long, but it seems solid.
Overall:
This guitar is like a fender on roids!
I've been playing for about 12 years and Fender has always been the cream of the crop for me...but i gotta say "Ibanez" is becoming my new favorite brand! It also came with a crazy hardcore solid case.
Playability and Feel:
The neck is very fast! flattest neck ive had on any guitar ive owned..I played an RG770 at a guitar store and that neck was a little flatter, but almost a weird, uncomfortable flat.. The neck on the RG1550m is Perfect. I'd say it's inbetween a wizard 2 and the RG770 neck (whatever that is)The trem is Very nice...well made ...Dive Bomb City..
Tone:
For the tone... I was prepared to switch out the pickups for something better whenever i recieved the guitar. Rumor says Ibby pickups suck...Well, I can't see myself ever swapping these pickups out. I'm very impressed with the tones im getting from them.
Another thing is: This guitar is made from basswood. From my experience, basswood is really toneless wood used on the cheapest, crappiest guitars you can buy. Well Ibanes must use some kinda super-mutated basswood cause this guitar has a great wood tone. Does sound more fenderish than gibbyish.
Finish:
I got mine in the "poison pumpkin" I really like the color. The guitar has a smell too......oh how i love smelly guitars.......
Action:
The action out of the is pretty good...I may lower it just a bit to see how it feels...
Do you own this product?:
yes