RGT42DXFM, JS-100, Opinions?

[jachon04]

I've recently decided to switch gears and play a different type of music, basically the "shred" type stuff ala vai, satriani..etc. Since I've decided so, my strat (crappy one at that) simply will not do so I'm looking to get a new guitar.

I've done a fair amount of research and I've narrowed it down to these two.

The RGT42DXFM:
http://www.ibanez.com/guitars/guitar...odel=RGT42DXFM

Or the JS-100:
http://www.ibanez.com/guitars/guitar.asp?model=JS100

I like them both and am not sure which one I should go with. I like the feel of the JS, and the weight of the wood, but I'm it reminds me a lot of a strat and thats sort of a turn off. As well as the lacking of 24 frets, which isn't a huge deal, but still.

I like the 24 frets of the RGT42, the neck through, but it's a bit uncomfortable because I'm not used to it's thinner neck, but everytime I play it in the store, it's gets better and better. It also might be capable of more shred type stuff because of the thinner neck, but I really have no clue about that stuff. This is one the I'm leaning towards right now.

I have read through a bunch of the posts here but I don't feel I got enough info so I'm posting this.

So if you're still with me after all of that (sorry it's so long!), here are my questions.

1) Obviously: which one do people recommend? Any arguments for or against these?

2) I've been told by a friend the Edge Pro II has a lot of problems when setting up the string height and is not to user friendly. Anyone have a similar experience? Are they good?

3) If you have a suggestion for another ibanez model, I'd like to hear about but these are what I'm looking for:

A) I'm looking for something like these guitars. Basically they are (i'm assuming) pretty decent guitars in the $7-800 range. I'm obviously flexible, but i don't want to be going very far outside that range.

B) Must have a locking tremolo system, and be a solid body.

C) Must have a single coil pickup or coil splitting configuration. I *think* all Ibanez's have this, for example I know the middle positions of the RGT42 spilts the humbuckers, but I could be completely wrong.

I think thats it.

This would be the first guitar I've bought that Ibanze, or locking system. Any guitars I've used in the past have all been fenders, with a fixed (or blocked) bridge.

Any/All advice would be VERY VERY appreciated!

Thank you in advance!!!

Cheers,

J

[Bluestreak]

Unless you're attached to the idea of a new guitar, go looking for a used RG 5xx/7xx. Some say the newer Ibanez guitars are of a higher quality than their older, similar counterparts, but from my personal experience, I beg to differ.

A mid-90's RG will blow most of the low/mid price range guitars you're looking at out of the water in performance, stability, and quality of parts. And if you shop around and are patient, you'll get a deal on it, too. I've acquired a couple RG5xx guitars for under $500 in the not-too-distant past, in great condition, and because they have a few years on them, they're stable, hold their tune well (after applying a little love and care to the locking trem system) and are easy to adjust.

But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong...

[lyconxero]

Personally, I don't care for either of those guitars. If you're looking to spend $700-$800 then I would suggest checking out an S470 and using the extra money to upgrade the pickups or do like Bluestreak suggested and get a used RG5xx/7xx off of evilbay or somewhere like that.

[jachon04]

Originally Posted by Bluestreak

Unless you're attached to the idea of a new guitar, go looking for a used RG 5xx/7xx. Some say the newer Ibanez guitars are of a higher quality than their older, similar counterparts, but from my personal experience, I beg to differ.

I'm a *little* attached to the idea of a new one, but not undeniably so. I have been keeping an eye on the used market but the problem is I have seen very little as far as ibanez are concerned around here (though I don't use evilbay for guitars as I want to touch the thing before I buy it). Maybe I'm being to picky. I've been looking/thinking for the last month and a half, so I don't know how much more patient I can be, and I know it probably takes more patience than I've got.

But thank you for the response, this way I at least now know what to keep my eyes open for.

Originally Posted by lyconxero

Personally, I don't care for either of those guitars. If you're looking to spend $700-$800 then I would suggest checking out an S470 and using the extra money to upgrade the pickups or do like Bluestreak suggested and get a used RG5xx/7xx off of evilbay or somewhere like that.

Thank for the response, but do you think you could tell me why you don't like those guitars..feel, pickups, action...etc? Or is it just a personal preference?

Why do you suggest an S series? What makes them a better guitar at least as far as you're concerned?

What makes it harder is I have yet to see anything but JS and RG models in the stores here. Doh!


Thanks again!

[Bluestreak]

The JS-100 is out of the question; to me, it's analagous to the Jem555. A decent guitar for what it is, but if you want high-performance, you've got to look to a better model JS than that.

The RGT is out of the question for a few reasons. First, it's got a finished neck. Painting a neck is a huge no-no for my personal preference. Second... it's neck-through. I've never understood what the attraction of a neck through guitar was - I find that sustain is hardly enhanced by it. Neck-thru guitars have little advantage over bolt-on necks over a more comfortable heel, and the AANJ takes care of that. And if you ever have problems with the neck, more power to ya... a bolt-on AANJ is a better bet in my book. Finally, the cheaper hardware. The Edge Pro II should not be on any guitar costing over $500 new. I've seen it, I've played it, and I don't like it. It's Lo-TRS all over again.

And as I said, new Ibanez guitars aren't what they used to be. I took a chance and bought my first new one in over 12 years in February. I imported an RG2770FM from Japan. It has been nothing but trouble and refuses a good setup despite my efforts and the efforts of two highly skilled luthiers I know. I've stuck it in the case for now and there it will sit until such time as I feel like pulling it apart to fix the problems. I'm probably going to end up tearing the neck apart, removing the fretboard and straightening out some mild warpage in neck. How it left the factory in this condition is mind-boggling. I shouldn't have to tear apart a brand new guitar... let alone a high-end RG700 series... but if Ibanez's quality control has slid so far that the RG700's aren't what they used to be, how good of a quality do you think a new RG400 series will be?

I know where you're coming from - I used to have a problem with the idea of buying a used guitar for a plethora of reasons that when you boil them down, don't mean a thing. Once you get past the stigma of the guitar being pre-owned, what you realize is that you're getting is more guitar for less money. And with age comes stability - the guitar has had time to "settle". It takes quite literally 60 minutes maximum with a good condition used RG500+ guitar to get it 100% setup and ready to be played.

Just some more things to think about.

-Roger

[jachon04]

Originally Posted by Bluestreak

Whole Post

Man, that was a great response, thank you. You gave me alot to think about and fleshed everything out nicely.

I hear what your saying about used, and I think I'm goin to start looking in that are more in the next week or so. I just need to find one close enough so I can get my hands on it before I buy it.

Two more questions for you:

What are some of their better bridges? Edge III? Edge Pro? Is it AT ALL dependent on the guitar/bridge combo? Or is a sucky bridge just a sucky bridge? A friend of mine had a horror story with the Edge Pro II and having an extremely difficult time lowering the action. Then again, he liked the Lo TRS.

I'm just now learning about the different bridges.

And you say a mid 90's RG500+ I should look for? Any idea (in your opinion) what a cutoff should be as far as year? I know thats extremely subjective, but anymore opinions you have would be cool.

[Bluestreak]

Bridge... I love the LPE. Stable, stood the test of time, and is obviously guitarist approved by all the folks here who use them. The Edge Pro? Well, as I said, my only guitar with an EP is laid up waiting for me to tear it to bits to fix it. I do like the design and the feel of it, though. If you're set on a tremolo, get either an LPE or an EP equipped RG.

As for what years you should look to? There are folks here like Rich who've been dealing with Ibanez in much more detail that I have who believe the guitars to have improved over the years, but as it sits right now... I'd personally place the "Golden Era" of the RG between about '92 and 2000. But, if you can tolerate the old neck heel joint, you could go back as far as 1987~88 to pick up a nice RG. I personally wouldn't go back any further than 1991, because as I said, I prefer the LPE tremolo on my guitars. If you want AANJ, I'd go anywhere between about 1992~2000 or so. I don't think you can go wrong - even site unseen - with an RG in that age range. Especially if you get one from a Jemsiter, you're likely to pay a smidgen more than you might from a store used, or from EvilBay, but ... you're also a lot more likely to get a guitar that's been well loved. A guitar that is loved is a happy guitar.

Things to look for... look for cracks in the AANJ/heel joint. People say they're common, but I have never had an RG with a crack in that area. I treat my instruments with kid gloves. They are pampered, babied and kept in a room that's closed off in my house, with a humidifier so I can control the humidity of the room. They do travel, every one has been gigged with and I don't care who plays/handles my guitars when I'm around, so it's not like they're not played... they're just very carefully maintained.

Another thing... in basswood bodies, which are extremely common to RG500+ guitars, the tremolo posts can become "wobbly" - what happens is the tremolo post hole becomes oblong from string tension. This is easily fixed with some 2500-psi epoxy you can get at any hardware store. If it comes down to it, and you find a nice RG but this is a problem, the fix is really simple. And you might be able to bring the asking price down for this reason, too... then take it home and for $6 worth of epoxy, eliminate the problem forever and ever. You can probably find descriptions of how to do the fix on this forum, or PM me and I'll be happy to tell you how to do it if you find such an afflicted RG.

Other than those two caveats, as I've said... you can't go wrong with an RG500+. Probably the best thing you can do is call a buddy who has an RG, play his, then go to GC and play one of the models you're thinking of buying new. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised, and you'll run screaming from the store.

-Roger

[lyconxero]

I just played a JS100 today and I've gotta say that it was a pretty big letdown. The stock pickups are pretty crappy on it and the Edge Pro II was less stable than the Edge III that I have on my RG370DX. If you're going to spend that kind of money and you want a new guitar, then once again I say to get an S470 or really any S that suits your fancy. They come with the uber cool ZR trem (a vast improvement over an EPII) and to me it's just a better guitar. With the JS100 you're losing some money simply because an artist' name is on it.

As for the RGT42DXFM, my major gripe with it is that I'm not a big fan of neck-thru construction in that they usually paint the neck so it's not as smooth and also the wizard II neck doesn't feel the same as it does on other RG's.

If you get an S series guitar, then I know that you won't be disappoint (except maybe by the pickups, but that's true of even prestige models). And if you're looking for something with 24 frets and you want to buy new then I would suggest going to GC and playing the different floating trems because they're all a little different and really that'll be the major deciding factor on the guitar (or atleast it was for me).