ibanez rg370 vs esp ltd m100fm

[fadetoblack82]

i had a few questions.
1. which of the two guitars in the subject line would you recommend? which one has hotter pickups?
2. whats the difference b/w rg370 and rg370dx, or are they the same model?
3. i keep hearing about problems with the floyd rose on the rg370, whats this all about? are they minor issues or something you can live with?
4. how do i find out what year an ibanez guitar was made in. i was planning on buying this model from a store and i just wanna make sure its new cause i heard that the 2005 models have different pickups than older models.. is this true?

thanks in advance for any help.

[damo7v]

1. No idea.
2. The difference in a DX model is usually a few cosmetic details... Sharktooth inlays as opposed to dots. Binding on the neck. That sort of thing.
3. There are bad Floyds and there are great Floyds. If you're buying a newer 370, you'll get either an Edge Pro II or an Edge III - both are fine.
4. Generally the first two digits will give this away. For most (all?) of the lower end Ibanez line, 2005 models received an upgrade from Powersound to Infinity pickups. An improvement. These models were all upgraded a couple years ago to Edge Pro II bridges from the crappy LoTRS II. Also, I believe all the 2005 models now have a 3 piece Wizard II neck with no scarf joint.

[buddroyce]

The LTD M100fm is a pretty decent guitar actually, but you may be better off with the RG370. The necks on the RG370 and the M100 are VERY different if you didn't try them yet. The RG has more of a u-shape neck where as the ltd has a soft V neck. Try 'em both before you buy them. I used to own a M350 and it rocked except for the trem (the trems on the LTD's unless they're an OFR are actually the same as the Lo-TRS trems).

[adamcbest]

i suggest going with ibanez.. but get a used 517 or higher for the better tremolo and hotter pickups (even though you should probably change any of the stock ones). i think i mentioned this to the same guy on guitarists.net forum. the price for a new 370 will probably be right around the same as a great conditioned 570 or similar

[gemm012]

I think that in almost any case, if you know what to look for, a used guitar or used anything really is a much better value than a new one. Just my opinion but I think alot of people would agree with me.
Galen.