Plz help- Severe neck issue with my RG 550EX

[Fifu]

Hi guys. The issue with the neck is that it seems to be bent outwards (ie away from the bridge) at around fret number 3. The curvature is not over the entire neck and this isn't a general truss rod adjustment issue. This produces buzzing on all strings from open to frets 1,2 and 3. If you adjust the truss rod to have this section sit properly with the rest of the body, the action is terribly raised and the neck is curved inwards past fret 3, which of course is the wrong setting. If I adjust the neck (frets 3 - 24) to sit properly with the body, frets 1-3 start to buzz making the instrument completely unusable.

I've been playing guitars for 18 years and always adjust my instruments myself. I've never had a problem with any other instrument. My other Ibanez guitar is the seven stringer RG 7420 which has been a breeze to set up/maintain, never any issues. Other guitars are Fernandez and I've owned a washburn electric. I've set up the instruments of my students as well. Never an unsolvable issue.

I've known Ibanez instruments to be top notch in quality and workmanship, which is why i'm really surprised and hoping that there is something i'm missing which someone here can suggest. It was an expensiv-ish instrument (at least for me). Its a shame i can't set it up for any kind of playability.

[andrewgosline]

sounds like a tough setup. Are you detensioning the strings when adjusting the truss rod? Do you have a good straight edge and some feeler gages? Have you considered taking it to a pro?

Sounds to me like somebody leveled frets 4-24, and forgot to do 0-3, leaving them very high. (that's sarcasm) I'd try to level out the board as much as possible, then evaluate if it's the frets that are uneven, or if the board has a weird hump down in the 0-3 fret region. Bolt on guitars are known to develop 'humps' where the neck meets the body, but I don't think it's common to have humps that far down the fretboard.

[Rich]

This didn't happen overnight. Did you recently buy it, or recently take it out of the closet?

Sounds like it's got either stored neck disease or scarf-joint-itis.

[andrewgosline]

what are those things??... coming from strats, I'm not familiar with scarf-joint-itis. I suppose I'm lucky I haven't had stored neck disease, too

[Inanimate]

I recognize your issue. When I bought my RG550 this summer, it was in really good condition (albeit dirty as hell) but was set-up like ****. The Edge was tilted down, the action was sooo high much thanks to the radical banana bend on the neck. it also had this little twisting thing going on by the third fret or so. I adjusted the guitar over the course of a couple of days (didn't want to risk breaking anything. Now the neck is straight, the action is like a Vai guitar. There is no buzzing to talk of really, but that depends on your playing style I suppose. Just a little fiddling with the springs and truss rod.