Rg421

[JM5150]

There's a 421 out on you-know-where right now, and it got me thinking:

were these rare for some reason? I ask because 321mh models are plentiful, but used 421s rarely show themselves.

Just curious....

(I wish I had the coin for this one; it's modded with a TZ and AN)

[nightfiend14]

Could just be they never made a whole ton of them in japan like they do with the korean 321 one, but who knows. There is one siting at guitar center here with emgs in it.

[lyconxero]

I don't think that they are super rare, but since the model isn't made anymore and hasn't been made for several years then it makes since that you don't see a lot of them anymore. But seeing as to how the guitar was MIJ, then it is a safe assumption that there weren't nearly as many of them made as their Korean and Indonesian counterparts.

That being said, I got the chance to play on some of the newer model Ibanez guitars and I was a little surprised by what I found. I played the new Ibanez RG321MH in grey and the guitar freakin' smoked. I own an RG321MHMOL and it smokes but this is like the fourth one that I've run across and they have all smoked AND all been made in Indonesia. Also, I played a GRG170DX and it also SMOKED...minus the crappy pickups. The guitar was lightweight, had incredible action and playability (even though the neck was only a 1 piece, it felt just like a normal wizard II neck), and the only flaw I saw in the guitar aside from the pickups were some very noticeable imperfections in the rosewood fingerboard. All that tells me is that even though it's a decent guitar, you're still better off getting an RG321 if you're buying new. But if you're looking to buy used then by all means go for an RG421, but just know that the 321s of today are pretty kickass and IMO the best bang-for-your-buck guitar on the market today.

[rty13ibz98]

the rg421 was made for only 2 years and was replaced with the rg321. i had thought about getting a 421, but opted out because i don't like basswood. when the rg321mh came out, i was all over it. the mahogany closed the deal...although it is 3 piece mahogany and an "inferior" bridge. almost everything was the same spec-wise. the bound neck was a plus. i was going to swap the pickups anyway as all my rg's end up with air nortons and tone zones, so the pickups didn't matter. i really love my rg321. at the time i got mine i had not played one, but i knew what a wizard 2 felt like and the 421 had the same. the 421 seems only to be rarer due to the fact that it is discontinued, whereas the rg321 is in current production. also, the rg421 had a higher list on it and the rg321 is by far less expensive. the rg321, along with the artcores are just the best bang for the buck guitars i have owned in a long time. which ever of the 2 you get, though, you won't be disappointed. just right now, the rg321 would "make more sense".


rich

[JM5150]

Thanks. At the going price, it's hard to pass on a 321, even brand new.

[travis bickle]

here some more praise for the rg321mh. i seriously love this damn instrument. both of mine do have a bit of weight to em, compared to my older japanese rg470 that is. the rg321mh is not quite as refined craftsmanship-wise as the 470, but i still love the way it sounds and feels.

i a/b'd it with my esp standard viper with emgs (while recording in the studio), and i like the way the rg sounds way better. the esp sounded loose and muddy in comparison with the rg (which has a dimarzio x2n in it). the rg cuts through any mix like a knife. great instrument that will be taken with on the road.

[JM5150]

I guess my only concern is the Mahogany body, which I've never had. I would want to be able to get a sound with some nice tight bottom end that gets you harmonics (pinch, etc) fairly easily, and I didn't know what kind of pickup would "un-muddy" a mahogany guitar such as that one. Sounds like they're highly recommended though....

[lyconxero]

I can actually hit pinch harmonics fairly well on ANY Ibanez guitar, but they come very easily on my RG321MH. After experiencing the sound of a two mahogany-bodied guitars, I just can't go back to basswood. The sound is just so much fuller. But as far as pickups go, I'd have to know what kind of sound you're shooting for to give some suggestions. You generally can't go wrong with a TZ+AN combo but if you get the TZ too close to the strings then it may sound muddy. A pickup that I've recently tried in the bridge and just loved to death is the D-Sonic. It's definitely not muddy in the bridge and it sounds awesome. The only thing is that you MUST install the bar facing the bridge or you won't get the kind of tone from it that you want.

[JM5150]

Thanks for the recommendation. I like a tone somewhere in the VH/Nuno realm, but also like to slip into the Metallica "scoop" tone once in a while. Right now, I play through a Digitech Rp 80 straight to head phones. The last people I played with were set up with a PA so no amp was needed.

THanks again. I'm really starting to Jones for that new silver/nickel colored 321 that came out this year!

[lyconxero]

Dude, I JUST sold that exact guitar to the other guitarist in my band. And then the guy who was working at the store called his boss (whom I do business with frequently because there are only two guitar stores in my town) and he gave me two free packs of strings. I really like the look of it, myself. The grey would look PERFECT with some black decals.

As far as pickups go, I think the bridge pickup that's going to most closely capture that VH tone is probably the Air Zone. It'll go perfectly with the Air Norton in the neck and you definitely shouldn't have to worry about muddiness. Also, you can get that Metallica "scoop" tone with it but that'll be more on your amp or FX processor. The Metallica thing isn't so much a "tone" that you get from a pickup so much as a "sound" that you get from your amp or FX setup. I say this because I have several Ibanez guitars with different pickups and different configs and I use the same basic tones for all of them. Sure, they all sound different but since all of them have good pickups they all sound great and if I have a scooped amp tone then they'll ALL sound scooped. The differences really show up more in the dynamics of the pickups like exactly how pinch harmonics sound or what sort of overtones are given to certain techniques like heavy palm muting, tremolo picking, tapping, etc.