Hmmm as it's a semi-custom shop and not full it's basically just variations of the existing models so some compromises must be made. As such here's what I could live, happily, with:

Body type: RG, S.
Number of strings: 6, 7, 8
Body: Mahogany/Maple, Alder. Basswood
Neck mount: Bolt-on, Neck-through.
Neck profile: J.Custom.
Fretboard material: Rosewood, Ebony, Maple.
Fretboard marking: Dots, Offset Dots, Blank. Normal/Colour Matching/Reverse Sharktooth
Fretboard binding: Wood, Plastic, None.
Bridge: Edge Zero.
Pickups: a limited choice of pickups.
Colours: a limited choice of colours. As long as those limited colours include either Neons or Quilted tops I'm good
Headstock: Reverse and colour Matched


Honestly though, I thought those rare super high end Japan J-Customs were pretty awesome. Hell, I thought the normal ones were pretty awesome last year. The vine doesn't bother me.

glad you add reversed sharktooth !
all I want for my custom is exactly like this :

but with reversed sharktooth.

Ok, so everybody's proposing their own options. It's all good.

I'd be happy to have more options myself, such as different neck shapes, e.g. JC asymmetrical analogs of HP Super Wizard (current), HP Wizard, HP Ultra, different scale lengths (27"), body woods and styles (RGA, RGT), bridges, fretboard marking, unlimited choice of pickups and colors.

However, dare I remind you that we don't have ANY single option available at this juncture.

Having taken this into account, I deliberately proposed a very limited choice of options for the following reasons:

1). You can notice that nearly all options proposed in the original post have already been incorporated into J.Custom models at some point in time. Hence it won't be that difficult for Ibanez to do it from a technical standpoint. They have to start somewhere, and they can always add more options as it progresses.

2). Ibanez is more into mass production models these days. More low budget models than any time before. It doesn't seem to be a priority for the current management to invest into a fully custom shop that will most likely take years to pay off.

3). LACS offers fully customizable instruments to artists holding an endorsement with Ibanez. It's a huge attracting factor for the artists. Making every option under the moon available to the public may negatively affect the size of Ibanez's now vast artist roster and therefore diminish total sales rates.

4). Semi-custom instruments will likely take a few months to build, as opposed to years for fully custom instruments. Same goes for the price: allowing for a strictly limited number of options may not increase the price at all as compared to current RG8xxxZ's, or it may even help drop the price without sacrificing quality in the long term if the business model turns out well and currency exchange rate issues are promptly addressed by the management.


As for me personally, I'd gladly order more than one instrument (think RG8xxxZ, RG8xx7Z) if only I could ditch the vine and have wooden (flamed maple or perhaps some other species) binding/no binding option. I'd probably be interested in Ebony fretboard Neck-through's as well, as long as it's not a +JPY250000 option.

You do realise that, that quote is Elcid taking the piss out of people for posting threads like this one all the time.

Oh, now I do, thank you. Didn't pay due attention to the second part.

I'll sign

-Damien E. Marshall

But only to help out you guys. Personally, it means absolutely nothing. I can even afford a regular J.Custom so why would I want them to be even MORE expensive? Now, if they did it with indo stuff, I'd be a happy camper

Fix'd, I think.

I'd be for a premium CS as well! :yesway:

Great Idea! I'm in.

You seem to be admitting that you could never afford a custom shop guitar since it seems most of what you ask for are available here...

http://www.ibanez.co.jp/japan/jcusto...JCRG10-01.html

and it is JPY600000+

Sign me up if the Edge or Edge Pro are options.

You got it wrong, I've never admitted that. I pointed out that if they were to add a neck-through option they'd better not upcharge an additional JPY250000 for it alone.

And the actual sale price for the model you referred to was a little below 500000 w/o the Japanese tax.

BTW, I can not be sure, but it also seems that those JCRG models are made in a different shop than regular RG8***Zs. Perhaps somebody could confirm or disprove that.

In other words, "I want what I want, but not if I have to pay more than I want for it".

and THAT is why the "semi custom shop" is not a viable option

Wait, so if I order a batch of 6 they'll make me my own J-Custom...?

I agree that this would never work. In fact I would much rather have a limited run (whether it's 6, 12, 24, 100...) than an actual custom guitar built by Ibanez to my specs. I just want them to take some risks, give me something "crazy" to buy. That's why I've been buying the showcase guitars (only new Ibanez's I've bought...). 2010 was a "miss" year for me with the double neck Xiphos and the Darkstone, but I have the S's from '09 and the 30-fretter from '11. Here's to hoping '12 isn't a miss...

If the price stays at the current RG8xxx level/remains reasonable (there's a chance for you to nag at the word "reasonable", yet it's how the market works), I'll gladly buy more than one instrument, as I've already stated before. And I don't really see why would price be much higher for the same stock instrument MINUS the vine.

However, if there was a hypothetical +JPY250000 neck-through option available to an instrument that is JPY200000 worth itself, I'd think twice. And would much rather buy twice as much bolt-ons. And most people would.

I got you point. Yet Semi- and Full custom shops remain viable and profitable options for the most companies out there.

1). Yes.

2). Guess you wanted to say it'd not work for YOU.