Need Help Spotting A Fake...

[Gunner4Life]

Not sure exactly how to spot one with with an RG550... Guy I'm trading with says it's a Late 80's RG. Are there fakes with the old traditional square neck joint?

Here's some pics. Thanks for any help.

[Jay777]

My laser blue RG550 from 1991 has a square neck joint so don't worry about that

[Homebake]

that's as legit as the sky is blue.

[IbanezDaemon]

Nice guitar. Legit of course. The AANJ neck joint didn't come in until '94 on them.

[Gunner4Life]

Thanks guys

[jaxadam]

Yup, looks completely good to me.

[Gunner4Life]

I agreed to trade an Edwards Les Paul for it. I've had low end Ibanez's in the past, just recently sold an SZ320, which was ok for what it was, to help pay for one of those new Charvel So-Cal's, that is nothing short of awesome, but I can't play the Edwards anymore since I started playing a higher quality superstrat with a thinner neck, and I just gave away my RG320, which was bought as a blemish in '06 and played 10 times cause it is a lemon. But I know what these older Ibanez are all about, my best friend was a huge Ibanez fan back then and I always liked his, particularly this very same model (his was AANJ though, bought it when they first started using it on the RG).

The guy says it's a late 80's, does that have the ultra thin wizard neck, or as I call it the "paint stirrer"?

[IbanezDaemon]

The serial number is a bit blurred but it looks like it begins with F9XXXXX indicating a 1989 model. Yeah it will have a thin Wizard neck on it. For me they are the most comfortable necks in the biz, probably the main reason in fact why I play Ibanez guitars. That guitar is also in amazing condition for a 20 year old instrument.

[Gunner4Life]

The guy told me there was a little touch up done on the top horn, but nothing else. I think it may have been refretted, it has some minor fingerboard ware but no fret ware? He says the pickups are new, taken from a new Prestige (probably gonna switch the humbuckers out for yellow Dimarzios lol). I know I'm NEVER gonna get the Les Paul sound out of an RG550, but I want something that sounds more vintage.

[devilbatz]

Originally Posted by Gunner4Life

The guy told me there was a little touch up done on the top horn, but nothing else. I think it may have been refretted, it has some minor fingerboard ware but no fret ware? He says the pickups are new, taken from a new Prestige (probably gonna switch the humbuckers out for yellow Dimarzios lol). I know I'm NEVER gonna get the Les Paul sound out of an RG550, but I want something that sounds more vintage.

ive got a seymour duncan pearly gates plus in my 87 rg550 and it sounds pretty close to a les paul

[jim777]

I've had an Edwards Les Paul and RG550 at the same time, still have the 550

Good luck with her, she's in fine shape