MIJ RG550 question

[brassrat]

My first post.

Did the original MIJ RG550 guitars come in yellow finish and rosewood fingerboard? I looked at the 1987-1990 catalogs on ibanez rules site and didn't see it.

The serial number (F7xxxxx) says that it's a 87 RG550 but it has a yellow body with rosewood fingerboard.

The asking price is $275 which seems to be a very good price even if it's in beat up condition. I just want to make sure I'm buying the real thing.

Anything I should look for when I check out the guitar (like specific issues with the trem, etc.)?

Thanks for your help. Maybe I'll be a first time RG owner.

[hall]

The '87 price list shows DY (Desert Yellow), RF (Road Flare Red), and WH (White) as colors available for maple-neck models.

http://www.ibanezrules.com/catalogs/.../2_Jun/p01.jpg

[brassrat]

Originally Posted by hall

The '87 price list shows DY (Desert Yellow), RF (Road Flare Red), and WH (White) as colors available for maple-neck models.

http://www.ibanezrules.com/catalogs/.../2_Jun/p01.jpg

Yeah. Only the Black model came with the rosewood neck so I'm thinking the body must have come from a different model.

Does this kill this deal or is $275 for a mutt still a good deal?

[marianozz]

As long as the hardware is real (original Edge and Gotoh tuners, and if its not it should be easy to tell) it might be either a DY with a BK neck, or just a refinished BK... Id say for $275 its way more than worth it if its really MIJ...

can you post pics so we can help id the hardware?

[hiesenberg]

not sure if this is what you're looking at, but it is an 87 rg550, and the seller says its got the remnants of a sloppy do it yourself paintjob (so it's yellow now instead of black), as well as the rosewood fingerboard you were mentioning...

http://longisland.craigslist.org/msg/1037771023.html

i think its seems like a pretty good deal so long as you get to try it and play on it a bit to see how it feels for you.

best of luck with it!

[brassrat]

That's the one.

How's this compared to a RG370DX for $300?

[hiesenberg]

i guess it comes down to your personal preference on what one feels better when you pick it up.

personally, i would probably try for the 550 since it's got an edge trem on it instead of the edge III the newer 370's have on them (if im correct). but of course, being that its an '87 it could be rusty as all get up and need replacing, which would be an extra cost. i actually have a 550 w/ rosewood fretboard coming in this week and can't wait for it to get here, its pretty much the exact same as what you're looking at in the DY, just not yellow... but it's soon to be all natural

from a parts standpoint the 550 should be at least a small step up from the 370, but with it's age it could be in bad condition if it hasn't been taken care of so it really needs to be checked out in person or as best as possible before you make a decision
like i said though, i'd try and get a bit of time with both of them and decide which one feels better for you

[brothersnowgone]

I'd take a beat up, but playable 550 over a new 370 any day

[marianozz]

Originally Posted by brothersnowgone

I'd take a beat up, but playable 550 over a new 370 any day

Exactly.

Even if you have to replace a couple screws or electronics, or spend a couple days sinking every nut, block and saddle in WD40 it will be well worth it in the end.


That is, if theres no cracks in the wood anywhere. You should check out the back of the neck where the nut screws are.


If you have to pass on this one for whatever reasone, do not blow your $300 on a korean or worse axe... save a lil more and get something MIJ in better shape, the classifieds here have great deals all the time

[brassrat]

Thanks everyone. MIJ it is.

[mike570]

Don't buy into the 3xx series hating. I own two 350's and an RG3EX1QM and they're great. On the floating bridge 350's you MAY have to replace the locking nut because they have a tendency to strip. What's that? A few bucks?
Granted a good MIJ is better quality but if you handed me a rusted out, beaten up 500 from 1991 and a 370, I'd take the 370.
The 350 will have a thicker neck and you'll be wanting to swap out pickups, but you'd probably do the latter on an MIJ too. At least I would. That yellow guitar, which looks to be a 550DY with a different neck, may have V1's and V2's rather than V7's and V8 pickups, which IMO are the best stock pickups ever put in any guitar.
If this DY is in good shape I'd say buy it before a 370. There are other things to look for on older RG's, though that might ruin the deal. Neck joint finish cracks are sometimes there but are typically cosmetic. The one I see a lot, which is an instant dealbreaker IMO, is a leaf-shape fracture that tends to occur between the bolts holding the nut on on the back of the neck near the headstock. This is a weak point in the Wizard 1 and if enough pressure is applied, the headstock could snap off completely at that point.
Also, if this guitar is from 1987 you're likely looking at a severely rusted-out Edge. You could get a new one on the bay or from Rich, but you might be looking at an additional $200-300 for a good one. At that point you could probably save a few more sheckles and get a reissue RG550 or a late-model RG2550, which is pretty sweet!
Good luck!