IBANEZ 2013 (who has the inside scoop)! What will be new,,what to be expected for us ibanez fans who just cant wait. anyone know post here
I fully agree here.The fact is many love these Premiums. Some of you [including me] want to quibble over the QC or cosmetics, while the ones that accept them are enjoying playing the guitars instead.
And the quibble about hardware always was - they won't stay in tune. Well that's what these guitars do very well with the new EZ and 2 knives and studs, they stay in tune as they're supposed to no matter what abuse you give them.But if you're willing to pay for a pro setup on top of the Premium, then you're into a grey area. A fully prepped Premium is probably a better instrument than an out-of-the-box MIJ for possibly less money. All you're missing at that point is the hardware.
Exactly!I honestly think that if some of you guys transfered your time away from bitching, moaning, complaining, and crying about, literally, 1mm differences in neck dimensions or microscopic differences in quality and instead used that time to play and learn the guitar you would've surpassed even Vai himself more than 10 years ago.
It used to be that there was a huge difference in Japanese vs. Korean/Indonesia, but now that Ibanez has released the Premium line and they're puting fantastic trems like the ZR and Edge Zero 2 on some of the lower Ibanez guitars, that difference is thinning. If you were to take a Premium and Prestige and set them up amazingly I'd have a hard time believing you wouldn't be enjoying both guitars for their own separate merits.
Take a chill pill and relax. Things we're so much worse in 2006. These past handful of years Ibanez has been seriously listening to us and I think they're doing a good job so far. I played a Premium and it felt really similar to my 1997 RG570 and I'd have no problem buying it! Plus all the awesome colors they've released... remember when every model was available in BLACK only? And check out those maple fretboard models that were non-existent 4 years ago! Seriously those new RG920M's with the maple fretboards are BEAUTIFUL!
Let's give Ibanez a round of APPLAUSE! WOOT WOOT!
OMFG I'm about to piss my pants from excitement thinking about that! A fully white Ibanez Road Star Guitar, including a white head stock, with a maple fretboard. MMMM.I'd like to see a Premium RG921 in a solid color that isn't black. White might be cool though.
Two words, Paul Gilbert!Let me put it another way: can a great guitar player make a beginner-level guitar sound great? Of course! But can he make it sound as great as an EMBB Petrucci (or whatever his ideal guitar of choice is)? No way.
There's a good point in here which I think is that folks need to remember to differentiate between how good a guitar is and how good its set up is.Okay I have to chime in on this. IMO both Premium AND MIJ Ibanez guitars often require much of the same major setup tweaks and pickup swaps to get them to where they need to be, for me. Even the J-Custom and some of the other MIJ models I've purchased new needed major TLC to get them to what I'd consider "pro level". Bridge and/or nut shims, fret-leveling, upgraded electronics, etc. It's just part of the deal if you want your Ibanez to perform to the best of its ability.
I am (obviously) a huge Ibanez fan, but the reality is many other high-end Japanese guitars like ESPs or Caparisons tend to come in good to go out of the box. Everyone knows Ibanez guitars typically need some work when they come in.
They all require some work to get them on par with a Japanese ESP or similar high-end guitars in my experience.
Dude I love you and also agree with you.I refuse to spend any more than 1500 on a guitar.
If we're talking about value here then you should never pay more than $1200 for an Ibanez because you can get a fully custom USA made and built Carvin guitar with any wood choice, color choice, body type, headstock top, and any bridge type you could ever want for around that price. For me, a hobbyist who records and plays in a band every now and again, it's hard to justify dropping more than $1200 on an Ibanez.And this conversation isn't about playing ability or snobbery; its about value. Value exists at every price point. I've been arguing for years that the low end Indo stuff is the best bang for a buck from pretty much any manufacturer. I suppose we disagree on the value of Premiums as, at their price point, I would rather go to the used market. But hey, that's me.
I went to that site, www.gear4music.com , but couldn't find the link or anything on 2013 Ibanez models.Gear4Music tells us some more news ...