How to spot a 7621 from a 7421

[JoDa]

Hi all.

My first post here, as I am picking up a '99 RG7621 later today. My first journey into the world of 7-strings :-) (But my 3rd RG...)

The last couple of days (while searching the net) I've noticed a lot of people having a hard time distinguishing the 7621 from the 7421 and vice versa. I've seen ads claiming this/that model, which actually is the opposite. (Well if you thought you were buying a 7421 and got a 7621, good for you! But the other way around is probably not a pleasant surprise...)

This excellent site share some information, but really not enough to spot the difference (at least not for me):
http://www.jemsite.com/ibanez/spec_ib7.htm

It doesn’t really help that most models are black and was produced in overlapping years either :-) (You could of course remove the neck and check the printing in the neck pocket, but by then you probably have bought it anyway).
BTW: I'm not including the 7321, as this is a Korean model and will easily be recognized by its serial number - letter and first two numbers (production year).

There is (as far as I know) three main things you could look for distinguishing a 7621/7421 in pictures:

1. The 7621 has triangle looking routs/cavities to fit the "ears" from the pickups. The 7421 have a bit larger rectangle ones.

2. Pick-ups. The two humbucker models have some visual difference, in that the 7621 has hex poles on both coils, while the 7421 has one coil with fixed poles

3. Tail bridge: The 7621 has flush surface (the hex adjusters is not raised from the block) and rectangle holes for the strings to pass through. The 7421 has a raised area in the front where the adjusters are, and a teardrop shape for the strings.

Here are some good links to see what I mean:
7621 - http://www.ibanezregister.com/Gallery/RG/gal-rg7621.htm
7421 - http://www.folkofthewood.com/page2556.htm

Well, hope that clears up some confusion and debate. And sorry if this is "old" news and should have been put elsewhere.

Be gentle, I'm a newbie here. And being Norwegian, my technical English could probably be better :-)

Regards, John

[The Euphor]

Hoo! God post! Og vælmømmin' te gards.

Hoo! Great post! Welcome to this humble forum.

[guitman1]

aside from slightly cheaper pickups and the shape of the saddles there isn't a big enough difference for ibanez to charge an additional $200. i have a 7421xl (27 inch scale) and it sounds much more well defined than my buddies 2 7621's. plus the gray nickel it came in is much more spectacular than black. either way they both were very cool guitars for the short lived run of decent 7string fixed bridges.

[540s]

Good post!! I've recently been getting into the 7620's & 7421's myself. Thank you!

[Vision]

Great post! Helped me confirm my 7621. (Of course, it is white... that should've clued me in)