Prestige necks

superhairycamel · #1 09-02-2005, 09:23 PM

Hi everone,
i recently played a few japanese prestige rgs in a music shop and i was very impressed with the necks. these were the 5 piece necks. i was looking on
E B A Y and noticed they were selling a 2003 model prestige wizard 2 neck. However, this neck did not have five pieces judging from the picture, i could only see the one!, please clarify, heres the link, http://cgi.****.com.au/Ibanez-RG-157...QQcmdZViewItem

GTR-MAN · #2 09-02-2005, 09:54 PM

As far as I know is that they just started using the 5 piece necks on the 2005 models, so I'd guess if it's a 2003 it's probably not a 5 piece, though I really can't tell for sure since the link didn't work for me.

lyconxero · #3 09-03-2005, 12:59 AM

There's no such thing as a "Prestige Wizard 2 neck" to my knowledge. The Wizard II neck is what the regular series RGs and S series guitars have and is NOT Prestige in any shape, form, or fashion.

machinediva · #4 09-03-2005, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superhairycamel

However, this neck did not have five pieces judging from the picture, i could only see the one

it's not necessary to be built in 5 pieces to be a prestige neck... usually the opposite is true, prestige necks are made of hi grade quartesawn maple, thus not requiring the bubinga skunkstripe for more solidity

Ibanez-Mag · #5 09-03-2005, 06:59 AM

The neck on the picture is, like most other Prestige necks, a three piece maple neck.
Thing of it as having one piece of maple that is shaped like a guitar neck, then you slit that in three pieces along the length of the neck, the turn the middle one so the grain in the wood goes the opposite way to the other two. The reason for this is tat it makes the neck more stable to changes in weather and so on.
And this is just one of the ways Ibanez makes necks.

This process has nothing to do with it being a Prestige neck or not, there are Prestige necks done with loads of other techniques too. So Prestige doesn’t stand for five piece neck, three piece necks or anything like that.
It means something completely different, but too much to write down.

/Magnus

eviltwin · #6 09-03-2005, 08:09 AM

there *is* a prestige Wizard II, just not on the RG:

2005 Prestige necks:
Wizard 5pc maple/wenge "neck-thu" (RGT)
Wizard 3pc maple/maple (RG, RGA, PGM)
Wizard II 5pc maple/bubinga (S-series)

JEM 3pc
UV 5pc maple/wenge (7 string, UV and K7)
Ultra 5pc maple/wenge (7 string RG1527)

SA 5pc maple/walnut "set-in neck"
JS neck (one-pice, quartersawn, straight headstock, also on AT??)

2005 non prestige:
Wizard II 5pc maple/walnut "neck-thu" (RGT)
Wizard II 3pc maple/maple (RG,S)
Wizard II-7 5pc maple/walnut (7 string)
SA 3pc "set-in neck"
SA,SZ 3pc etc.etc.

King Knall · #7 09-03-2005, 08:11 AM

Actually, Ibanez didn't state that the Wizard II hasn't been used for the Prestige series. It's just a neck profile after all, just like the Wizard, Ultra, Jems, JS etc...

damo7v · #8 09-03-2005, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eviltwin

Wizard 3pc maple/maple (RG, RGA, PGM)

JEM 3pc

i believe for 2005, all prestige rg's and jem's have the 5 piece neck (if you consider those little slivers pieces as such)

superhairycamel · #9 09-04-2005, 04:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damo7v

i believe for 2005, all prestige rg's and jem's have the 5 piece neck (if you consider those little slivers pieces as such)

thats what i thought, as i had played 3 or 4 prestige 2005 models (RGs) and they all had the Bubgina stripe and i presume the walnut stripes? so i wonder if the 5 piece are much better for ibanez to start using them so often.

eviltwin · #10 09-04-2005, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damo7v

i believe for 2005, all prestige rg's and jem's have the 5 piece neck (if you consider those little slivers pieces as such)

Well, I don't and neither do Ibanez themselves, a five piece neck is something completely different.
this is a 3pc maple/maple/maple neck:

In some specs this is referred to as a 5pc maple/walnut nack, I presume those slivers are walnut. I don't think they are enough to qualitfy the neck as 5piece.

this is a 5pc maple/wenge/maple/wnge/maple 7string neck:

this is the 5pc neck-thru:

Ibanez don't currently use bubinga, but it could look something like this (flamed maple&bubinga on my HAM):

damo7v · #11 09-04-2005, 10:47 AM

yeah. hmmm. well.

perhaps we can agree that for 2005, there has been a change in the spec of the RG Prestige neck. they are now 3 piece with 2 slivers, as opposed to the 3 piece of 2004 and earlier.

markg5150 · #12 09-04-2005, 11:12 AM

Please excuse me if I'm being thick.

The neck on my 7DBK looks similar ti Eviltwins's HAM.

Is this a 3 pc Maple/Bubinga/Maple construction?

Another question, why is the headstock , made from a separate piece?

Thanks for the enlightenment

red5 · #13 09-04-2005, 04:30 PM

Three piece is fine though.

lyconxero · #14 09-05-2005, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markg5150

Please excuse me if I'm being thick.

The neck on my 7DBK looks similar ti Eviltwins's HAM.

Is this a 3 pc Maple/Bubinga/Maple construction?

Another question, why is the headstock , made from a separate piece?

Thanks for the enlightenment

Well if I had to guess then I would say that the headstock is made from a separate piece because the headstock is angled and to cut it out of one piece of wood would waste a WHOLE lot of wood.

eviltwin · #15 09-05-2005, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markg5150

Please excuse me if I'm being thick.

The neck on my 7DBK looks similar ti Eviltwins's HAM.

Is this a 3 pc Maple/Bubinga/Maple construction?

Another question, why is the headstock , made from a separate piece?

Thanks for the enlightenment

Yes the DBK, HAM and DNA all have maple/bubinga/maple. I think the HAM was the first, the DBK followed quickly, as did the DNA. After that they may have had it on the VBSL. I don't know about other Jems, check the spec sheet.

The headstock is spliced to the neck using a very common manufacturing technique, also for classical luthiers, if you have a tilted back headstock. If you try to make the headstock in one piece with the neck you end up wasting a lot of wood. On a straight headstock (JS, str@t) it can be done.

The newer three and five-piece necks use a volute, similar to the J-customs (which started using them already in 1997). The volute adds thickness at a critical spot in the neck, where the lockingnut is mounted using two screws.

With a multi piece neck construction you can make a tilt-back headstock without a splice AND without wasting too much material.