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11K views 68 replies 39 participants last post by  Ke^in 
#1 ·
1) We already talked about the lack of maple fretboards on the other post.

2) Lack of colors, stop spending time on stupid new body shapes and stick to making your bread and butter guitars better. If you have blue, red, white black, bodies on some guitars why not offer eack color on most the models. Now it's like, "Hope you like black because it's the only color you can get this in".

3) 20th Ann. model limited issue. Nuff said.

4) Crappy Indonesia models with crap trems, stop already. What's the point of 3 friggen trems. I'll bet the cost between a Edge III and Edge II is less the 10-20 dollars. Get rid of your crap trem, it just make people who happen to play one think Ibanez blows if they don't know about better models.

I love Ibanez but they need to get with it. Prices are going up as well. Focus on the RG/S series and offer options for eack model instead of the take it or leave it mentality.
 
#35 ·
Yeah, I don't see what all the fuss is about. There are a good handful of new colors and some great body styles. There's something for beginners, intermdiate, and advanced players. I think they're doing just fine catering to general public.

My only complaint is the fact that there is no Wizard I option on the 'S'. I know that has been beaten to death, but they could make at least ONE Prestige with the original Wizard, even if it means using a different trem.

Other than that, I think Ibanez did a FINE job this year.
 
#37 ·
Bah. Could it be that anyone who witnessed and played Ibanez at their peak feels differently to how the younger generation who missed out on all the good sh*t feel about the 2007 range? I think it could.

If you're liking the 2007 Ibanez range, you ain't old-school!

:p
 
#40 ·
The new catalogue this year is a small step in the right direction but, unfortuantely it seems the negatives outweigh the gains in positive.

It's good to see some X-series back. I'm not a huge fan of these BUT many people are so it's nice to see Ibanez breaking away from the (effectively) 2 body shapes.

Yes, it's good that there are some new finishes available BUT no where nearly enough. To my mind, every model (within reason) should be available in any of the finishes (like Fender seem to do). Plus, yes, although I *like* black guitars I don't like that, on some models, that's the only option. Or even with the nice new thru-neck S... nice guitar but if you don't like the colour then, well....

Speaking of S's it's nice to see a few new models (and a 7string AT LAST again) but again, where are the options? Most come in two colours if you're lucky; there's no neck options (Wizard I / II); no fingerboard options; no pickup config options.

.. and yes, they really missed the DragonForce opportunity. Even laying aside the signature guitar, surely there's been a lot more interest generated in the S-series from that band - why not tap into it and expand the range? (Or is that the reason they're chucking out more low end S's to attempt maximum cash-in with minimum outlay?)

Probably the biggest issue though is quality. I can understand economics and how it's much better to move production of many models to Korea BUT I don't understand why it's acceptable for quality to suffer.

It's true to say they now have a good spread onto the beginners market (I wish there were those options when I started playing all those years ago), but what of the more mature player?

Many people say "if you don't like the new models just buy used", which is no argument at all. If I want a new guitar then I want a NEW guitar. I've picked up a few from a well known auction site (including an original S7420) and what I've found I like, BUT I'd rather have the option of going to my local store, pulling one off the wall buying what I want rather than having to trawl through well known auction site endlessly until something comes up (not least to say that really good old guitars come up very rarely because, surprisingly, no one wants to part with them!).

Don't get me wrong. Ibanez hasn't "lost me", but I am disappointed.

Admittedly the plans for this years guitars started a while back so, maybe if they are listening to us, then we may see some improvements in 2008. I'm just sad that such a fantastic company had to get to this low ebb in the first place.
 
#41 ·
The color thing really confuses me. I am a huge Ibanez fan, but I also love and play Fender. Fender seems to be able to make a successful guitar line here in the USA (which undoubtedly has to be the most expensive place anywhere to make anything)... and yet, they are able to offer 4 or 5 different finishes on every guitar model with some of them being the more difficult and time consuming bursts. And most of these offerings are right at a street price of $1200 or less.

I just find it hard to believe that Ibanez can't paint some guitars a different color. Even if they paint 1 Desert Yellow for every 5 black there would still be something for us who like color to grab.

Ryan
 
#56 ·
I agree. People from the Ibanez world come in here or other places (and I read their quotes on here), and I just read excuses, excuses, excuses.

They can talk business and economics all they want - all I have to do is tell them to take a look at the Fender and Jackson line. Those companies don't seem to be making excuses for colors - because they're already doing it.

As another said in this topic, when I "convert" friends to Ibanez, the ability to get a new Ibanez without getting the same one as myself or someone else I know (or they know) is very difficult, especially when they're trying to go for the bare minimum of $750 to get a 1570...there's only two colors and I've never met anyone who says they liked the MR (or at least liked it more than the MB).
 
#45 ·
USA is not the only market that matters. Reason Ibanez are concentrating on the low to mid end market more these days is because in other larger parts of the world (Asia), the cheaper stuff outsells the the MIJ Prestige on a ratio of like 10:1.

The Ibanez dealer here told me the reason why they are bringing in loads of the MII and MIK stuff but very little MIJ stuff is because those they can barely move one MIJ Prestige per month. Forget about the signature model, the K7 and PGM301 have hanging on the wall for years. On the other hand, the MII and MIK are flying on the walls and each shipment will be mostly sold out within a month.

Fact is, in other parts of the world, the majority do not have the buying power of a typical American. They can only afford the low to mid end stuff. It is a huge market there and Ibanez realized that.

That said, I am excited about the 2007 lineup. Biggest addition since 2003. I am definitely getting the V.
 
#52 ·
i for one am happy to play a black guitar, as long as it's an ibanez.


but it does suck that my friend (who i finally converted into an ibanez fan) chose 3 different ibanez's in one shop before he picked one i didn't have.

if they made atleast 2 colours per model this wouldn't have happened
 
#54 ·
The 2007 lineup ain't bad. But there still isn't anything there that I'd personally want. Aside from the RG8427-BX and possibly a RG8470-BX(just to match my RG8670's), there's anothing else this year they have that really makes me want to buy anything. (Now a RG8570M in BX would kick @$$).
 
#60 ·
1) I'm fine with this. I hate maple fretboards; they don't start to feel good until they've been played for a decade or two. Plus, I prefer the look of darker woods. I know some of you will disagree, but that's my personal preference.

2) Agree 100%. It seems like they forgot how to mix the primary colors.

3) They're special editions and reissues, of course they'll be in limited release. Sure, they could make more money by building more, but the point of them is that it's a special release and should have some exclusivity. Did people complain about the original JEM777 being limited to 777 pieces? Or the limited numbers on the 10th and 90th anniversary guitars?

4) Nothing wrong with making guitars at all price points. Not everyone can afford a Prestige model, and Ibanez's cheap models are a hell of a lot better than the competition.

Prices are going up, mainly because the value of the dollar is going down. While there are things I would change about their line, 2007 is a good step forward for them.
 
#64 ·
if ibanez wants to please its customers it should give us all free 550 reissues! lol. no i think ibanez would be doing better if it kept its edge tremolo and lo pro standard instead of edge pro. it might cost more for production because of the rights to the patents but i would pay the extra money on a guitar for an edge or lo pro
 
#66 ·
It wouldn't cost them A PENNY to use the Original Edge, because that patent rant out. It's their design, free and clear. It would cost them exactly the same amount of money ($14 each, I think) to use the Lo Pro instead of the ep. I'd gladly pay an extra $50-$100 per model for an Original Edge, or Lo Pro Edge.

It's too bad Ibanez couldn't change the current ep tremolo routes so that the Edge and Lo Pro Edge could be directly swapped in. That would be a solution that almost everyone would agree on. --Jason
 
#68 ·
Even with locking studs, I want nothing to do with the ep. Been there, done that. If Ibanez could change the routes to accomodate ANY of the three tremolos, then everyone could decide for themselves which tremolo they wanted on their guitar. I really don't care either way. All I really want is a nice MIJ RG hardtail. --Jason
 
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