Ok, I've had this guitar for a while now and feel like I can say a word or two about it, maybe even do a full review.
Sound wise it is very focused and heavy. The EMG pickups have caused some controversy and I gotta admit, it took a while to get used to them and find the correct tone. Once I did, I was rocked. This guitar is a serious metal machine that begs to be tuned atleas a halfstep down. And while the bridge pickup puts out a growling, chrunching tone perfect for aggressive riffing, the bridge position delivers a piercing lead tone for solos. I like to play slower melodies on the middle position of the threeway switch. The active pickups maintain a good tone even when volume and gain are turned down and feel very responsive even then. And when you crank the volume and gain, this guitar really shows what it was meant to do. Together with the thick sound of mahongany body, it sounds PHAT. I've still to find a good clean tone though...
This guitar is more focused than say a jem that has quite the versatility tone vise, but that was one of the reasons I chose just this model, as I allready own a UV777BK and a RG750 I wanted something different from th dimarzio line and sure enough got what I wanted. If you're looking for a versatile multitool or a vintage sounding blues guitar, you might be better off with something else, for metal of shredding, look no further this is a very serious contender for anything else on that field.
The neck is jcustom quality, very light and very fast. In fact, with the pickupselector on the neckposition, I think this is the fastest guitar I have ever laid my hands on. The overall build quality is good, the fretwork is great, the neck joint is perfect and the top looks stunning. I was priviledged to be able to hand pick mine from Japan (the Ochanomizu guitar street is SICK, although this was bought from Shibuya). I saw some examples of the same model where some minor flaws were evident. Most surprising was the amount guitars that had a very visible seam on the top like on the one that's in ibanez website picture here
http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/pag...&series_id=191
A minor detail, but enough to make a stunningly beautifull guitar fall from being perfect. Colorwise, I chose the purple amethyst because I felt it gives the best visual impact when compared to the black and the red model available.
Then the part that causes even more controversy than the pickups; the Edge Zero tremolo. I for one like it. But on the other hand I'm not really a big fan of tremoloes and don't use them a lot. I actually thought that I wouldn't buy another guitar with a trem but here we are. Fortunately the Zero has the least issues and drawbacks of other tremoloes I know of. It stays in tune really nicely, the intonation screws are placed so that they are accessible with ease (why didn't they just put them like this to begin with, I wonder) and together with the mahongany body it has a good sustain. The trem feels stiff, much like the one on my seven string guitar. Some would call this precise, some boring. I quite like it, and have started using more trem after buying this guitar. But still, it doesn't flutter and feels rather stiff, so when I need sick whammybar tricks on a song I just whip out the RG750 with the original Edge Pro. A matter of preferences I'd say. It is also possible to remove the ingenious Zero point system and float it completely, but I haven't bothered to try this.
Sorry about my shaky english. This was a short reviewish glimpse on this guitar, maybe I'll write more sometime.
More pictures and answers to potential questions may be provided.