So i bought the blue one, but returned it one week after testing it. Here is why (excuse my englisch):
I first saw the guitar on the ibanez site and then some vids on Youtube. The specs where unreal, so i had to have it!
The first thing i noticed when opening up the case, was the very dark fade on the bodom. This was not a smooth transition from light to dark like on the pictures, but rather light--->super dark.
So that's a bummer, and i know pictures from the Ibanez site are not the ideal way to "see" the guitar, but i saw way better pics of the model online.
Anyway, after that "let down", i grabbed the (very heavy) guitar and felt the neck. Now the neck feels really good! Smooth and a little chuncky (which i like). The SS frets are amazing, and the rolled of edges are the cherry on the pie! In terms of playing feel, i have no complaints.
After plugging in the axe, i tested out all pickup configs, and i must say that i really don't like the TZ TV AN combo. Why? Because it's all mids, pumped up to the extreme with no subtle sounds. Just like a tone knob is down on the guitar. Now i know tone is subjective, but i really can't stand the ****** sound of those pups. I was thinking of replacing them, but strumming the guitar with all the combinations of woods robbed the guitar of any sort of "identity" or mojo. The whole thing sounds too "wooly" and muffled for my taste, and didn't have an attack with some shizzle (little like a strat). So combine that with the "muddy" pickups, and it just didn't click for me soudwise.
Now the trem feels really stiff, but since i don't use it i don't really mind. I have the same trem on other Ibanez guitars, but because it was new, it felt even more stiff. I know u can pick out the springs in the back to make it feel easier.
Is this guitar bad? No! It just wasn't for me. I think that lately i'm leaning more to strat sounds, and this guitar is the total opposite of that. But i also compared this premium to other ibanez guitars, and the basswood RG's still have a little bit more "strat -shizzle".
Anyway, the bad things vs good things didn't balanced for me.
The good:
-The feel of the neck.
-SS frets are rolled of very nice.
-The glow in the dark dots are a nice bonus.
The bad:
-The colour was not what i was expecting (no subtle transitions from light blue to dark blue).
-The pickups where a high gain soulless mudfest (again IMO, if u like it that's fine).
-The weight
-The overall tone of the guitar.
There u have it! It just wasn't the right guitar for me, but i'm sure it will make a lot of people happy! I wrote this little review because there is not much information the web (besides sale vids).
Thanks for reading!
I first saw the guitar on the ibanez site and then some vids on Youtube. The specs where unreal, so i had to have it!
The first thing i noticed when opening up the case, was the very dark fade on the bodom. This was not a smooth transition from light to dark like on the pictures, but rather light--->super dark.
So that's a bummer, and i know pictures from the Ibanez site are not the ideal way to "see" the guitar, but i saw way better pics of the model online.
Anyway, after that "let down", i grabbed the (very heavy) guitar and felt the neck. Now the neck feels really good! Smooth and a little chuncky (which i like). The SS frets are amazing, and the rolled of edges are the cherry on the pie! In terms of playing feel, i have no complaints.
After plugging in the axe, i tested out all pickup configs, and i must say that i really don't like the TZ TV AN combo. Why? Because it's all mids, pumped up to the extreme with no subtle sounds. Just like a tone knob is down on the guitar. Now i know tone is subjective, but i really can't stand the ****** sound of those pups. I was thinking of replacing them, but strumming the guitar with all the combinations of woods robbed the guitar of any sort of "identity" or mojo. The whole thing sounds too "wooly" and muffled for my taste, and didn't have an attack with some shizzle (little like a strat). So combine that with the "muddy" pickups, and it just didn't click for me soudwise.
Now the trem feels really stiff, but since i don't use it i don't really mind. I have the same trem on other Ibanez guitars, but because it was new, it felt even more stiff. I know u can pick out the springs in the back to make it feel easier.
Is this guitar bad? No! It just wasn't for me. I think that lately i'm leaning more to strat sounds, and this guitar is the total opposite of that. But i also compared this premium to other ibanez guitars, and the basswood RG's still have a little bit more "strat -shizzle".
Anyway, the bad things vs good things didn't balanced for me.
The good:
-The feel of the neck.
-SS frets are rolled of very nice.
-The glow in the dark dots are a nice bonus.
The bad:
-The colour was not what i was expecting (no subtle transitions from light blue to dark blue).
-The pickups where a high gain soulless mudfest (again IMO, if u like it that's fine).
-The weight
-The overall tone of the guitar.
There u have it! It just wasn't the right guitar for me, but i'm sure it will make a lot of people happy! I wrote this little review because there is not much information the web (besides sale vids).
Thanks for reading!