Ibanez, if you only read one thread here make it this one !!

[Ploki]

are there any J.custom RGA's on the horizon? that'd be a blast, really. there's no fixed bridge j customs

[Eggy]

Originally Posted by ibanez777vbk

ibanez should reproduce the 777 jems.ie dy,vdy,lng.im sure this would be a great money spinner for ibanez.these were great guitars and still very much in demand

Wow it feels like a long long time ago when I started this thread.

On a very selfish note......

It took me a long long time to get hold of my 777DY and I for one would hate to see it devalued by a brand new repro being released.
However, It would be another step away from the 3 shades of black scenario. If the black guitars are aimed towards the metal scene as in "Black is the most metal of all finishes" then how come the Dean Razorback series is doing so well in the metal world at the moment?
The 07 catalogue is still full of black guitars and where the wet rose colour prestige does add a little excitement it fails for me on the grounds that -
A) It is an expensive Prestige model yet still doesn't come equiped with decent pickups.
B) The dot inlays are hardly an inspired design (The old shark tooth would've been cooler imho)
C) (and this is a personal hang up) Where is the Ibanez tick logo on the headstock? This was such a strong brand related image that Ibanez spent lots of time and money developing during the 80's only to be ditched. It's a bit like Nike selling you expensive tennis shoes without the famous swoosh logo on.

Anyway ,the fact is despite having a long way to go things are getting better from Ibanez. If things keep going the way they are then maybe in 3 or 4 years I can think about a new Ibanez again instead of looking at the ESP/Edwards/Dean etc.

Eggy

[MaVo]

Ibanez really needs to improve some things on their Prestige guitars.

First of all they should put back Brand Name Pickups in their guitars instead of the Ibanez/DiMarzio or Ibanez/Seymour Duncan pickups. A "real" Brand Name product has it's impact on the potential buyer. And by the way, they have a pretty good sound.

Next Point is the improvement of the Edge Pro Tremolo. Add the old locking studs to them, or whatever, but there must be something done against the tuning instability of this tremolo. It was all fine before the Edge Pro, there must be a way to continue this quality. That's something what I expect from Ibanez.

Next Point: Fretboards

Tak Hosono said once about Ebony Fretboards: "We are not able to find High Quality Ebony for the guitars." But why can ESP, Jackson, Framus and millions of other companies ? Same thing with maple. A wider choice of fretboards won't hurt anybody.


All these points worked out great before, why not continue in this way ?


What about a futuristic Prestige line with Carbon, satin stainless steel and LEDs ? This combined with the improvements shown above would be a great step into a better future.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by MaVo

First of all they should put back Brand Name Pickups in their guitars instead of the Ibanez/DiMarzio or Ibanez/Seymour Duncan pickups. A "real" Brand Name product has it's impact on the potential buyer. And by the way, they have a pretty good sound.

.

Obviously they need to do a better job ofmarketting because 2 years later somebody still has to say , Dimarzio/IBZ's - ARE REAL DIMARZIO'S!!!

[TheJazzTerminator]

Yes, even *I* realize that now. MaVo, DiMarzio/ Ibz pickups ARE real DiMarzios. They're made in the U.S. right in the same factory as all the other DiMarzio pickups. I don't LIKE them, but they ARE real DiMarzios.

[Nik_Left_RG]

First of all, Thanks to Mr.Hosono for his support. I would be obliged if you can answer this.

[Nik_Left_RG]

The question:

Mr.Hosono,
I am a lefty and i am definitely in love with Ibanez guitars.
I beleive i speak for all lefties when i say this, what is new for Lefties in 2008?
I beleive that the S series is quite famous now along with the new ZR trem.Can we expect a lefty S series with the ZR trem?

Thank You

[Zepp3lin]

Originally Posted by TheJazzTerminator

Yes, even *I* realize that now. MaVo, DiMarzio/ Ibz pickups ARE real DiMarzios. They're made in the U.S. right in the same factory as all the other DiMarzio pickups. I don't LIKE them, but they ARE real DiMarzios.

It depends on individual taste, dimarzio or SD got lots of models and not all of them are to your liking, but it is still Dimarzio or SD.

To me the existing Dimarzio/IBz pickups in prestige Ibanez guitars are so much better than those general unbranded pickups that often install in bulk manufactured guitars.
It was base on dimarzio Super distortion if I'm not wrong and it's a 4 conductor pickup where you can choose to split the pickup if you wanted to.

[TheJazzTerminator]

Yes, it is individual taste, of course. I was just explaining to MaVo that they are real DiMarzios. My opinion on them was simply a sidenote. They sound a little too dead for my taste.

[MaVo]

I know that those are real DiMarzios manufactured in the USA. But my point was, that Ibanez should use famous pickup models in their Prestige guitars as they did before. DiMarzio Tone Zone, Evolution,... and expand the series with SD Jeff Beck,.. and EMG 81. My opinion about the sound of the DiMarzio/Ibz doesn't differ much from yours. It is definitly not satisfying for Prestige guitars in my opinion.

[jim777]

OK, I think they get the point. It has been stated often in the past and doesn't need to be repeated ad infinitum. Assume that Ibanez has heard your request for better pickups and will take it under consideration.

jim

[MaVo]

Alright

[flokofjaklz]

Hi everyone! This is my first post, so here it goes. I have a 1990 USA Custom Exotic Wood quilt maple Ibanez, which I love. I've been looking for a newer model Ibanez that is similar to the one I own. While the J-Customs are awesome, I've only seen them online and have never seen one in person. In the Custom Shop pictures thread where Tak shows various guitars, there is a beautiful quilt top RG6. This is the Ibanez model I've been waiting for! Is there any possibility Ibanez produces this guitar? I will be the first in line. Thanks!!!!!

Rob

[Tak Hosono]

Mr.Hosono,
I am a lefty and i am definitely in love with Ibanez guitars.
I beleive i speak for all lefties when i say this, what is new for Lefties in 2008?
I beleive that the S series is quite famous now along with the new ZR trem.Can we expect a lefty S series with the ZR trem?

Hoshino USA and Hoshino Gakki will decide which model get Left hand version.
I don't think you will see the lefty version of ZR S anytime soon.

[Nik_Left_RG]

hmm.. Thats sad news.
But, 'Thank You' Mr. Hoshino for the reply.