Giving up on current Ibanez?

[Fang]

I'm not really sure I'm such a big fan of my RGT42 anymore. The neck thru construction really just isn't doing it for me tone-wise (stiff/bright). I made a poor choice thinking neck thru = orgasmic tone. And also, the Edge Pro II bridge isn't really my thing, and I swear the locking nut only adds to the "stiff" sound. When I unlocked it, I swear my guitar could BREATHE. Anyway, so I started looking around what Ibanez has to offer in my budget range of about $700, and I'm not really liking my options (black guitars/cheesy inlays). Could you guys offer me some other guitar manufacturer suggestions, with the excellent playability/quality of an Ibanez? (It can be another Ibanez I'm just overlooking)

I like Basswood and Alder tones (Neil Zaza, Malmsteen, Satriani, Bumblefoot etc.) But also some mahogany (Andy Timmons!)

EDIT: I've got an Evo2 in the bridge and FRED in the neck, that might be a problem too?

[Ki swordsman]

depends on your options, sounds like you don't want a locking trem anymore.. (checked out an rga121 maple/mahog?)

as far as ibanez go, i think you're better off building a body with the woods and features/design you want then slapping on a high end ibanez neck with the playability you like

[Jemwielder]

Try an SZ, they're great bare bones instruments with great tone, IMO

[Ibateur]

or switch out the EVO to reduce the brightness.

[Andelusion]

RGA121!

[Repner]

If you want a good neck thru, you should try the Japanese RGT320Q. That's what I'm playing now, and I love it. The sustain is great on mine, and the body is mahogany. You may need to pay a lot for it though (mine was around £1349 GBP)

However, if you are looking for something other than Ibanez, i've heard really good things about Carvin. You can get great guitars custom shopped for really good prices if you live in the US

[Big Red]

Jackson DK-series.

I bought two (DK2T and DKMGT) of them since August. Alder, bolt-on neck, string-thru design, made-in-Japan, good stock pick-ups (although I changed one of the sets), and lots of colors to choose from. They cost less than $850CAD/USD at my local dealer. Their quality is in between a MIK Ibanez RG and a MIJ Ibanez RG. My only real complaint is that they have noticable neck-pockets. They are an excellent bang for the buck.

http://www.jemsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69888



Cheers

[DannyB819]

If you're looking outside of Ibanez - take a long hard look at Carvin. The DC models are neck thru and shorter scale, but the C66 and Bolt+ are bolt-on and 25.5" scale.

If you're looking for the fancier of the two, the C66 is your choice, as it comes with a flame-maple top. The Bolt+ is the more economical choice as it comes with a standard alder body (but you can always option up).

The heel on the Carvin bolt-on guitars kinda stinks, but it isn't very prohibitive to higher fret playing.

If you hate the locking nut, Carvin give you the option of getting your Floyd with locking tuners instead of the locking nut. You can also get a Wilkinson if you're "over" the whole Floyd thing. They also have options for string-thru bridges or a fixed bridge.

I spec'd out a Bolt+ with a Floyd and added a mahogany body, maple board, mahogany veneer for the reverse headstock, and black hardware and it came out to $898.00 with the case.

If you're used to Ibanez, you may want to spring for the flatter 14" radius, as Carvin's standard is 12".

Go to Carvin.com and price one out. They're great guitars, I own two of them (an AC 175 and a DC135 with no middle p-up, so it's H-S - a custom option).

Cheers,
Danny