It's not that one is good or bad it's just different. Look I think it's more in the sustain department than anything. Yes, my guitar sustains longer than an AANJ RG as far as I can tell.

This makes since physically since sustain comes when the strings' energy is not spend vibrating the wood so much. More mass at the heel would make it more dense at one of the most important junctions ion a guitar and harder to vibrate. Thus the energy is not spent. The more dense a guitar the better the sustain. It's true. They've even made experimental guitars out of graphite, acryllic, granite, alluminium and so on to increase sustain as well as have an alternative to wood. They've even tried rock, which isn't practical or desireable at all.

It's also why trem and full floating trem guitars don't sustain as long, usually, as a hardtail guitar. The energy is spent on the springs and the gap between the wood and the trem.

That, however, does not equal tone. Of course we all know that tones come from how a certain wood vibrates. So vibration is necessary to have good tone. It's all about balance on a guitar, vibrating enough to have good tone but not soo much that the sustain is overly absorbed but the wood. So no balsa wood guitars. So I don't think any of us honestly can say that it has more tone.

Dude first of you don't have to resort to name calling so back off! second I seriously doubt you or anybody can substanciate your loss of tone claims on account of how the neck joint is shaped! but if you want to believe that then the more power to you...

First, get your ass off your shoulders. I was just pointing out that you are getting yourself all worked up again over nothing. You really should relax more.

Second, "different" does not mean "good or bad". The older joints do sound different, and that is pretty well accepted. However, no one is saying that the AANJ guitars sound like "crap" or anything. I own both styles, and am quite happy with both, but there is a difference.

personally guys I can only tell the difference when the two differnt styles are not amplified. once they are plugged in I cant hear any difference at all.
then again I dont have golden ears... I have a customer who does have golden ears, it must be a real pain because he is on a constant tone search and is very very particular about the woods on his guitars.. to the point where he will request that I make a certain side of the body the bass or treble side because it responds differently acoustically when he tap tests it !!!

having said that, he uses AANJ guitars.

I can totally agree with this.

of course i meant that. i never try or compare plugged guitars. but then, if a guitar sounds better when unplugged, it helps the pickups and the amp sound better, or get a great sound without messing too much with settings

Wow, some people get touchy over the strangest things !! Anyway, let's get this straight, the neck JOINT is the important thing, not the contour of the heel, density is not the same thing as resonance, and sustain is affected by a lot more important things including the human body actually touching the guitar.

the problem that I have with the square heel is I cant get enough of them!!! I have over 20 of them my favorites being 750s 770dx and 550s, I sold my aanj models, 517, 1570, and a dbk and vwh jem. I really dont like the profile on the aanj necks except the 3120, 7620, 670 and lefty 470 that I kept. I also have some Vandenburgs that I like... but nothing beats a good square joint 550... even if they are beat to hell like my 87 RFR that is USED... but is among my favs. So if anybody wants to unload their square neck joint Ibanezes let me know!!!

MPX

I've got both, but my Orig heel feels like home.
aanj is nice, but I started on the original heel.

I thought it was a matter of personal taste.
Now I'm finding that you can only be in one side of the barricade!



So, funk you all, I stand in the middle!!!



I wouldn't immagine my J-Custom with a square-heel. And I wouldn't figure a JEM/UV *MC or BK with an AANJ!

To start with... I guess you can't just compare them, because every guitar is different. So AANJ is more ergonomic to me... but I also have no problems with the sqare-heel!
It's a matter of exploring tone on each guitar and adapt to its features.



I guess nobody is quitting a Ferarri just because it hasn't electric windows!

I hear a major difference on square heel vs. AANJ guitars. I like them both, but I definitely prefer square heel on my 7 strings.

I never have any difficulty with the block neck joint. For one I do have big hands, but I learned how to play on a classical guitar(neck joins the body at the 12th fret) so I had to learn not to rely on my thumb being glued to the back of the neck. Also when I was younger I entertained the thought of "what would happen if I lost my thumb?" So I practiced occaisionally playing without my thumb on the back of the neck, soloing, chords, tapping, etc. So block heel neck joint has never been an problem for me.

I have no problem with either one, my 1570 has the aanj, 20th has the standard block. I guess it depends on hand and finger size.

I like them both but prefer the solid feel of the block joint however, the joint isn't a determining factor when picking out an Ibanez, just a bonus.