UPDATED WITH PICS! Mystery RG identified!

[Petie]

EDIT 1/5/03: It has the same finish as the Wine Red RGR570 on the Japanese Ibanez website, but with a rosewood, sharktooth inlay board. It seems the difference between an RGR570 and 580 are that the former is basswood and the latter mahogany. I'll hopefully know for sure tomorrow!

EDIT 5/5/03: Here she is!

Closeup of part of the body and fretboard - despite the rust, the frets are actually smooth, so someone's already had a go at them.
http://www.users.bigpond.com/ptodgekin/rgr1.jpg

Side view of the finish.
http://www.users.bigpond.com/ptodgekin/rgr2.jpg

The body. And like one of Darren's recent swirls, this photo also reveals a demon hidden in the finish - a Shred Demon.
http://www.users.bigpond.com/ptodgekin/rgr3.jpg

In all her glory.
http://www.users.bigpond.com/ptodgekin/rgr4.jpg

Serial number F609914. The neck will be coming off when I get back from work. The output jack seems misaligned because you have to jiggle the cord to get it to make any sound apart from SCKKRNNAAAAACCCCCHHHH, but it sounds really ballsy. Apart from the frets and the rusted Edge, the only noticable blemishes are a paint chip on the treble side cutaway, and a few little dings on the back of the neck, around the 11th-14th frets. If they don't give me any trouble while playing, they can stay I guess.

[vaijem777]

Sounds like and interesting guitar! For that price, I don't see how you could possible go wrong. There should be NO need to replace the frets- they're just corroded. #0000 steel wool and some elbow grease will take care of that in no time. As for the trem..it can probably be somewhat cleaned up, but that's an easy item to replace.

[Petie]

Hmmm. I'll see if it's still there during the week. Well if the frets are salvagable, the only thing that needs replacing is the trem: The part where the bar slots in is missing, leaving a gaping hole so you can see all the way though the body (the back plate is missing).

[little wing]

I did came across a mystery Jem before which was actually a few years ago... Well, it is yellow in colour and the pickguards are in black together with the termolo, pegs and stuff like that. The fingerboards maple.The very wierd things about this Jem is that:

1) Its back-side of the neck is painted! ( as far as i know, ibanez rarely or
doesn't have any guitars with painted necks at the back.) This cause a
viewer to unable to identify the serial no.
2) It's input is at the front at the side of the tone knob! ( something like a
strat)
3) A very mysterious termolo comes with that axe. Doesn't look like any
flyod rose kind of termolo.. But its double locking.
4) The truss rod cover is not the 'stone shape' which ibanez usually has
but its kind of more towards the likes of gibson truss rod cover's.

Wierd, but true.....

[Petie]

Hmm, that Jem sounds like a custom jobbie, maybe a modified RG.

However, the RG I found appears to be stock. Maybe it's a Japanese market model or something. It's basically an RGR580 with rosewood fretboard and sharktooth inlays.

I'm going to put a deposit on it tomorrow (yeah it's only $250 but I have a crapload of bills and rent between now and next payday). I'll get a closer look at it tomorrow and report back with more details, then post a pic on Friday when I get it

[Petie]

Here's a little mockup I made with Kisekae Jem and Photoshop... Rust not included.

[DirtyBird31]

There are some odd Japaneise RGs (as in sold in japan only) in some weird sunburst colors like that. Maybe it was supposed be a Japaneise only axe?

[Petie]

Well, I just put a deposit on it, and had a closer look.

The sunburst ring thing is metallic and is just around the edges - it doesn't actually extend from the front to the back - imagine fuzzy binding.

The headstock is black, not purple. Oops.

The frets aren't nearly as bad as I thought they were, but the trem is worse. It's blistered and bubbled.

A new Lo Pro Edge (figured I'd get that instead of an original Edge just cos they look cooler and I've never had one) will cost AUD$450, in black only, and will take six weeks from the time I place the order - I'll wait until I've cleaned up the rest of the guitar before I make that purchase.

It was made in Japan in 1996.

[cusplaya]

If you steel wool the frets, make sure to either cover the pups or remove the neck from the body as it's a real pain in the butt to get those little metal slivers off the magnetic pups as I just learned the hard way!!

[Petie]

Yes I'll be taking the neck off.

Since the guitar's on layby, and since work screwed up my pay this week, it'll be a few weeks before I pick it up...

[jono]

The nearest I can find is an RG 527RJBB. Introduced in the Fall 95 supplemental catalogue.

That had the same reversed sunburst effect but the outer ring is indigo/blue not purple and it didn't have sharkteeth inlays.

We had back in 1998/9 the RGR570 that DID come with a rosewood board and sharkteeth inlays, only here it was available in Iron Purple or Blue metal flake.

International discoveries are SO cool

Please keep us posted Petie

[Timanator]

Learn something new everyday here.

I did not know 570's were ever available with inlays, does that mean they had bound neck also? I looked at the US 98 and 99 catalogue, did not see any 570's with inlays. Was this a over seas model?

I must have more info damnet!!!!

[DeamoNtr]

it's rgt47dx made in korea
http://www.ibanez.co.jp/japan/el_gui.../rgrt47dx.html
list price 85.000 JY

[jono]

Originally Posted by DeamoNtr

it's rgt47dx made in korea
http://www.ibanez.co.jp/japan/el_gui.../rgrt47dx.html
list price 85.000 JY

Sorry but you're mistaken there. Petie says the guitar he's put a deposit on is a Japanese model from 96, not a brand new Korean one.

[jono]

Originally Posted by Timanator

Learn something new everyday here.

I did not know 570's were ever available with inlays, does that mean they had bound neck also? I looked at the US 98 and 99 catalogue, did not see any 570's with inlays. Was this a over seas model?

I must have more info damnet!!!!

Yep, the RGR570 was indeed an overseas model from the mid 90's. Yes it had a bound neck too. I don't think they ever made it to the USA, but Guitar center did a run of RG570DX guitars which had a non-reverse headstock and sharktooth inlays.