Hallo everybody, i've been reading a lot here but just registered cause i got a question that bugs me abit.
I got an Ibanez RG 550 '97 RFR, and just mesured the neck's width. It is 41, not 43 mm. Basically there is not other problems, but this bugs me cause a frind's RG550 seems to be 43 mm, cause i just feel it wider and unfortunately more comfortable. So anyway can someone tell me if this is due to the year 1987 as i said or is it pretty common or not? Thanks again in advance!
Really? I find that hard to believe. Everything I've seen in writing (and with my own guitars) suggests that they are all 43mm, regardless of fretboard material. Where are you getting your information from?
Because i have both 550s maple and rosewood....its a standard kind of thing.... Not ibanezfactory faulty....all 550s arelike that... Rosewood frets are closer and maple a bit wider frets
That makes no sense because the necks are cut the same regardless of the fretboard material. There were some guitars produced in 97-98 that featured a 41mm width at the nut. I can think of a number of scenarios that could explain how your guitar ended like that, other than the possibility of a neck swap later down the road.
Did you pull the neck off and inspect the stamps in the neck pocket and neck? It may help shed some light on this.
Well it's maple, so... it is not that, maybe i should've said it earlier sorry for that, but i thought that fretboard material is not important for that, and i still do. Anyway i guess it's just a...misfortune
No i haven't but I'm pretty sure of the guitar's origin and i know the previous few owners. Besides the neck is '87, no stamp only a sticker, and i don't think that there was a neck swap, and besides all that the color of the headstock is absolutely the same, you know faded, pinkish RFR. It's not a very big deal, but it's good to know that i'm not the only one. Thanks for the opinions, i'd be interested to see some more. At first i was disappointed but now i feel kinda special
Then the fretboard would be narrower than the maple neck it's attached to....
Let's not forget that these same necks were used on all 500 series RGs. Why doesn't a rosewood fretboard on a 570 shrink? It's the same neck.
I doubt that those pictures will help but anyway. Oh and I don't have the time and the will to disassemble the guitar. And now i see i need some more posts. Well hold on
By your tape measure, that would be just over 42mm. With tape measures being totally innaccurate, I would say you have a 43mm neck ( like all the rest). To get a correct measurement you need to use a caliper or micrometer.
Look i know that it isn't the most accurate way to measure it but believe me it is not 43, the same way i measured my jackson's neck - it is 43. And no none modified it.
Your Jackson has an 1-11/16" nut which equates to roughly 44mm. This makes sense as your tape is also showing your RG neck to be 1mm smaller than original. In addition to that, most of my RG nuts actually measure in the 42.87 range....not a full 43.
Your tape measure is inaccurate, that's all. You should be have a little sigh of relief about now.
Well, when i had my other RG (450) '93 Japan, it felt, and it seemed bigger. It was Wizard II, and i was thinking well you know thicker neck wider too. I sold it cause i had two similar guitars, at a time i had 3 with another RG 370 (Indonesian) and i wanted something new, anyway, i know my measurements are inaccurate but i really trust my hand. Soon i will try to find proper tools, or just go neck to neck with my friend's 550. To be honest i'm not bugged anymore, still love the guitar, plays great and comfy, best floyd ever, hate thee neckjoint tho. I still think that 550 with AANJ is the ultimate guitar.
The Wizard II necks, as you noted, are thicker, and a bit rounder compared to the Wizard neck, so this may be why it felt wider in your hand, since there's more neck there, even though it's not actually wider.
On a Stratocaster, for example, even though the nut isn't as wide as on a Ibbie, it's a much thicker, rounder neck (depending on the model) and with my small hands I have trouble hooking my thumb over the neck on a Strat for those Bluesy bass lines, while on the RG, even though it's actually wider, I have no trouble at all.
So; your perception of the neck feeling 'bigger' is dead on.
OK my bad. I used this tool, i don't know the english word for it. http://www.google.bg/imgres?imgurl=...133T8HQGsratAb53N3wBQ&ved=0CFoQ9QEwAg&dur=426
And metalhead and RGTFanatic were right. It is about 42,5 mm, so I'm the jackass. I still think my friends necks is wider, but this is not important, maybe a misleading feeling cause it's just not my guitar. Anyway thanks again to everybody!
Don't be so hard on yourself. It's still a great guitar. It may feel a little different because that maple neck is 1 solid piece of wood. If compared to one with a rosewood fretboard, that would be thinner maple with a piece of rosewood glued to the top of it.
Well my friend's RG is maple too, but this raises another question for me. Are all maple wizard necks one piece, cause i'm pretty sure that i have a glued fretboard. Sorry for these noob questions but i've always tried to be more into playing and less into gear.
Ibanez maple necks with maple boards have a separate piece of maple for the fretboard. Not like some Fenders that have the frets pressed directly into the neck.
Dude....your definitely not a Jackass.......believe me, I know plenty of them!!!!!
It's also possible that your friend has a 97-01 RG550 with a super wizard neck. The super wizard is thinner (fretboard to the back of the neck) along the whole neck. That may also be a reason that his "feels" wider.
I don't think I mentioned it before....but DAMN that's a nice RFR!!!!
Well thanks I guess . I believe my friends RG is 93-4 or something, i don't know, in better condition than mine, the finish have a few dings, not like mine which is pretty beaten up, but i like it that way, he offers me his guitar, now he plays gibsons mainly but i'm short on cash. I'd love to have his white beauty, to be honest i prefer the white ones better than RFR or DY or any other color. Well the purple neon is my favourite. I had it on my rg450, and now i regret selling it . Anyway a purple neon RG550 with AANJ would be gladly appreciated, if anyone wants to donate!!!
Took a close look at my '90 550 and is does indeed have a maple fretboard on the maple neck. I always thought it was 1 solid piece lke a Fender.
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