Do Suhr and Tom Anderson have patents on this wood combo? It seems like all the high-end stuff are either all American basswood or mahogany/maple. I've perused both the American and Japanese website and found no example of this combination (no, the Premiums do not count; those are just veneer).
Has Ibanez ever ventured into this configuration and found that it wasn't profitable or are they loth to try it?

You must've not noticed this : http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/u_e...235&color=CL01

I must concede: I was only looking at 6 stringed RG-shaped guitars.

Well I have this...
Although I can't verify the basswood back. That's what I was told when I bought the body but it is really heavy for basswood. I think it might be ash... I don't know. I love this guitar. I built it out of the RG570DX I had. I used that neck and mounted it on this body I found on Ebay, and used an Edge III tremolo. Then I had the EMGs put in it.







They are-
Bridge EMG 85
Mid EMG SA
Neck EMG 60

The picture really can't do it justice. Quilted maple top, 3 piece maple/walnut (or maybe bubinga), shark tooth inlays, and fully bound (head, neck & body) It is just a pleasure to look at. And it sounds just brutal! Super Quiet. No noise until you touch a string. But when you do, Look out. It just screams "METAL!!!"

you must be pointing out the 'real' maple top with basswood combination, am I correct?

in the past, they did it. I saw some RG570 for japan market with real maple top and basswood back.

yeah, don't you think it's time bring back one of those, ibanez?

Well yeah... I can tell you I looked at an rg the other day with an exotic wood veneer. Although it looked good, if you looked closely you could still see the seam where the veneer was glued on. I dont know if they were all like that or if this one just slipped through QC. Im sure if it had binding around the body I wouldn't have known the difference. Like I said before. The weight of the guitar is what im goig off of. I will never know for sure. But yes I am all for maple top rather than veneers but if veneers are all I can get (cost reduction and all) then I will take it.

I always thought veneers added nothing of any value to the sound just a nice way to make cheap n nasty guitars look good!

Solid maple top affects the sound just compare a Les Paul with a Les Paul Custom

It's kind of an unusual combination - it's one, as you note, that Suhr and Anderson like quite a lot (and for good reason - it's very even and balanced, but with better attack than basswood alone), but I think it's one thats probably logistically challenging for Ibanez.

Consider that 95% or so (I made that up, but it feels right) of their guitars are basswood. Basswood has, wrongly, but also in part due to the huge number of Japanese import Ibanez guitars in the 80s that were well made but often cheaper than a Strat or a Les Paul, a reputation for being a "cheap" tonewood, so when people want a "high end" Ibanez, they're looking for a different tonewood to differentiate itself from their normal RGs and the like. So, you'll see a lot of maple/mahogany guitars, and occasionally an alder or an ash, but your typical Ibanez player looks at "maple top, basswood body" as simply a RG playing dress-up, rather than a legitimate tonal choice. I remember when I first heard Anderson and Suhr advocated that combo I thought it was weird, too. Now of course I know better, but I'm also not really the Ibanez target audience these days, anyway.

I think it's just a matter of buyer preconceptions, really.

Essentially, yes. I think PRS SE's do this right, by the way - they use veneers, but they glue the veneer to a non-flamed maple cap to give it enough thickness to impact the tone. It's actually a rather elegant solution to the desire to produce an attractive looking maple-topped guitar at a better price.

What size of cap is the best to have? Would a 50% cap be better than say a 20%?