[Timbr3Wolf3]

Has Anyone ever seen this finish,RARE 1989 RG570 rarest finish I've seen, so far one

Any help from some experts, I've been an Ibanez player and collector since my first Blue flamed RT650 in 2000, but had played many friends' late 80's and 90's Ibanez up until I got my first Ibby. Fast forward 20 years I've bought and sold through nearly 100 guitars mostly Fujigen Ibanez'. I have had many rare specimen of Ibby's, IMG2020 & MC1 midi guitar full setup, an RS1400, XPT707fx, all of the original 1998-1999 Fujigen production 7 string models. But this First year 570 has me stumped. I've always been able to find some sort of proper info on any Ibanez I've had or been curious about and searched about. Not when it comes to this guy. It has an orange-red burst almost pearl paint job and from taking it all apart it seems very much to be the original factory paint job. It chips and checks just like paint from this era and also looks just like the paint that was on my Silver Smoke RS1400 with just an orange-red burst over it. It also has almost like a tiger-eye type of color shift with the pearl type of undercoat it has. You can see the color of paint in almost all of the cavities of the body and you can see the stain over strokes in the neck pocket photo. It has the 570 sticker on the headstock and the RG550M stamp on the neck, which would make sense as the maple necks were a special order non-catalog option. It's electronics are a YM-50 5-way switch and what look like original pots and wiring, the pickups are completely blank unbranded or labeled what looks like Seymour Duncans. It still has the original black tape to block off the overrouting of the electronics cavity that is exposed if you have the trem backplate off. But so far in COVID-19 imposed time off, I've searched and searched and searched for many many hours only to find nothing even close. I have a feeling this was like a prototype, or a special endorsee custom ordered or something I don't know, but in my 20 years of loving and searching out old MIJ Ibanez beauties I've never needed help so here is my call! Thanks in advance for any and all help regarding this guitar.

 

[Timbr3Wolf3]

More pictures

 

[KennyV]

Wow that is beautiful.
Don't think I've ever seen a 570 like that!

I do know that between 87/88 Ibanez was really testing their colors out a bit.

I just came into position of an Road Flare Red from 87.

This guitar has signs of Alot of different paint application (all factory) to achieve it's color. They definitely didn't have their recipe down.

It was painted with a gray primer, then white, then shocking Pink, then candy red, then an orange mist. All visible in the neck pocket.

I had a suspicion that it was meant to be a cantenen orange neon because of how tangerine looking it is compared to my other road flare red.

So I contacted Ibanez and they told me that every single red guitar from 87 or 88 was classified as a road flare red if it was a 550.

He said that anything from pink to orange neons were on that spectrum of road flare in their catalogues.

But he did mention that towards the end of 88 they had finally separated the catalogue once the colors were more consistent and they began to market some as cantenen orange, shocking Pink, five alarm, candy apple, and of course the road flare.

Perhaps yours was a one off test for a cantenen to road flare burst?

I know you mentioned it looking pearl, but it looks more metallic flake to me at least in the pictures.

Outside of that, these pickups look like the stock V1/S1/V2 pickups to me.

My 87 and 88 are both plane unlabeled pickups too, and they look and sound identical to my 90 with the white labled (with the lable being the only difference)

I don't think they cared to mark or lable them untill into the 90s.

In the 80s they just wanted to crank them out.

 

[KennyV]

You also mentioned that it had to be a special order cause of the maple 550 neck, perhaps they also custom ordered a cantenen to candy apple burst?

 

[Rich]

Re: Has Anyone ever seen this finish,RARE 1989 RG570 rarest finish I've seen, so far

There is no hint of paint transfer on the neck heel, usually you get at least something, but not always. But in the end it's a used guitar and that neck could have been put on 2 weeks before it was put up for sale. It could be original, it might not be. the paint absolutely looks original, but oddball colors, like has been said. They'd spray samples, doesn't fly with marketing, they'd still sell it. Lots of stuff went out the door that doesn't conform to any factory spec of production models.

 

[KennyV]

The fact that it's a 550 neck on the 570 is definitely odd.

It could be like rich said, it may be original and with the goofup/custom order color.

On the other hand, my 87 neck on second inspection does infact have a slight hint of the red transfered to it.
My 88 black doesn't tho.

@Rich

Do you happen to know what the E on the neck means?I know m/l means maple lefty but I've got no clue on the 'E'rg or the purple spot behind the model name stamp.

 

[Rich]

Re: Has Anyone ever seen this finish,RARE 1989 RG570 rarest finish I've seen, so far

E's and U's are inspection marks.

 

[KennyV]

Interesting. Any thoughts on the purple for behind it?

Also.
My road flare was most likely a cantenen orange recipe that faded into a pinkish coral. Here the head stock against a white wall.

Compared to my Genny, it's super orange, but the cavities show more dark red.

 

[Rich]

Re: Has Anyone ever seen this finish,RARE 1989 RG570 rarest finish I've seen, so far

Purple?

 

[KennyV]

There's like a purple sharpie blot at the end of the model stamp on the heel of the neck.

 

[Rich]

Re: Has Anyone ever seen this finish,RARE 1989 RG570 rarest finish I've seen, so far

You see all kinds of marks, right now you'll see black sharpie lines under the springs in the cavity. Same difference, just says something was finished or approved or whatever. Until somebody from Japan specifies what everything means, it really doesn't matter one bit. You'll see them with no inspectors marks.

 

[Formerly Given To Fly]

Re: Has Anyone ever seen this finish,RARE 1989 RG570 rarest finish I've seen, so far

They'd spray samples, doesn't fly with marketing, they'd still sell it. Lots of stuff went out the door that doesn't conform to any factory spec of production models.

Guitars rejected by marketing that do not conform to the production models seems like what people would be more interested in buying. It is irrational but we tend to want what we can't have, especially if "the man" says we can't have it. Unfortunately, that creates a bit of a Catch-22 situation because marketing would probably have to be in on it which would ruin the whole idea. If there were a way around that though...8O

 

[KennyV]

I doubt they would ever be wise to the mistakes people found over.

If that were the case they would just been making multiples of everything.

 

[Timbr3Wolf3]

Closer looks at the neck appear to have the paint transfer marks around the edge, and as far as I’ve searched all the early 570Ms with photos of the neck, all have been labeled RG550M. Thank you all so much for so much info so quickly, bravo 👏 👏👏 seriously though, thank you!

 

[KennyV]

As long as you enjoy it that's all that matters!

I'm working on restoring my 550.
I bought it from a pawn shop of a company that claimed it was in perfect shape.

The frets were green, dents all over the fretboard, and about 5 little dents on the body with 1 big chip off the back.

I took it to a "professional luthier" and they fudged the chip repair on the back up bad.
It went from a pinky nail chip to a giant pink smudge bigger then my thumb.

I've been mixing paints for 3 weeks trying to dial in an exact match for the repair.

I've been putting packing tape ontop of the guitar to drop paints on the tape. Gives me a better idea on how the mix is looking.

It's pretty much impossible.
But i've gotten close enough to fade it out though.

 

[stratoskier]

Re: Has Anyone ever seen this finish,RARE 1989 RG570 rarest finish I've seen, so far

I actually have a 1989 540S in the same color as the OP's RG570. I've tried to get good pics of the color but it never transfers correctly.

Many years ago, I asked here to try and get help IDing the color. The only thing anyone came up with was SR for Sunset Red: check out the 540S Jennifer Batten is holding on page 11 of the 1989 Ibanez catalog (available on Rich's Ibanez Rules site). That image is the closest I've seen in the Ibanez official literature, but it's still a bit dull as compared to my 540S.

As you said, the color is almost like a shifting pearl or metallic. Very unique and apparently rare.

 

[Timbr3Wolf3]

Holy **** Stratoskier, spot On!!!! Excellent eye! I’ve gone through those catalogs so many times too. I have a good video of how the color shifts but I need to upload it to YouTube, I’ll link it when I do. I love the finish and it now might be my favorite finish, maybe to be attempted to be recreated by a luthier/paint specialist. It’s the exact same style of metallic/pearl that my RS1400 had which was just gorgeous. In keeping in line with the names of all of my guitars, which are named after Marvel comic characters, I call this axe Phoenix, I’d call this finish Phoenix FlareBurst. It’s easily the best, fastest playing guitar I’ve ever played. I don’t have a backstop right now and it’s so flutter buttery!! Before this I never really utilized or knew how to really use a FR, I’m a believer now, perfect tune after just completely abusing the strings with dives, Dime squeals and heavy flutter. I’d love to get a Lok-N-Roll nut on here if Greg ever makes one for the 430mm radius of the Wizard necks.

 

[stratoskier]

Re: Has Anyone ever seen this finish,RARE 1989 RG570 rarest finish I've seen, so far

Yeah, this is definitely my favorite color for any Ibanez, and like you, I have quite a few.

I found the 540S in a pawnshop sometime in the mid 1990s or so in absolutely mint condition with case. And guess what I traded for it? Ha, ha -- a Roadflare RG550! I should have held on to that one too, but the neck was starting to get a mild twist (as many of the early Wizard necks did) and at that time, there was no easy way to get a replacement.

Maybe someone else with a Sunset Red will chime in, but I haven't seen many around over the years.

 

[Timbr3Wolf3]

WINNER, it 100% is Sunset Red, I found these photos of a 1989 540S, and these are the closest to what my photos show and they look like almost a “perfect” match. I can’t thank all of you enough for the research, and experiences, and thoughts and opinions you have all shared. Thank you 🙏 🙏🙏. I should have joined this forum back in Highschool!

 

[Rich]

Re: Has Anyone ever seen this finish,RARE 1989 RG570 rarest finish I've seen, so far

That's H&S so that was painted in LA.

Never heard of the color or seen one. Probably seen but I scroll right past anything I don't handle. There are much wiser encyclopedia's on here than I when it comes to golden era 500's/700's, and you've met a couple in this thread. If there's more than one then there was a spot run, Summer NAMM release you won't find in catalogs, something similar, they wouldn't do a run of samples [I don't think] and across several 500 models, sounds like a Summer special.