[Soloistthree]

View attachment 21276

View attachment 21277
Only one model of each produced!
https://ibanez.fandom.com/wiki/JCRG-PROTO-01
https://ibanez.fandom.com/wiki/JCRG-PROTO-02
They will be exhibited and sold at the Fukuoka Guitar Show which will be held from 14th to 16th October
Ibanez JCRG Prototype エレキギター【福岡ギターショー展示モデル】｜島村楽器 イオンモール筑紫野店
They will also be available online at Digimart starting from 12:00 on the 14th. Today! Run to grab your favourite!! @Soloistthree are you going for it? 😄

Man you got my number, I was trying like all hell to get the blue one...maybe it sold really quick? Anyone with more info?

 

[Soloistthree]

They were both probably gone as soon as the Fukuoka Guitar Show opened.

They price was $3,696. Just around $200 more than a PIA. Not bad at all for a unique model with only one single unit produced, and without the Vai stigma. I would have grabbed the blue one without hesitating.

I tried to get in on this but never even saw an option to buy, so my guess is that it sold instantly. That blue one was absolutely killer. Though it definitely saves my wallet from taking another beating, lol. Would have been great to see what all the fuss was about as far as Sugi goes. I've never even held a Sugi, I'd love to own one someday, and that blue color and feature set was damn near perfect. Definitely a FAR better color than the Sapphire Blue of the RG8520, which I just recently held/saw in person and was very much disappointed by.

 

[Soloistthree]

Replying to myself at this point, but still, figured someone might read this. I did send a few messages to the store and got a hold of some peeps that might be closer to the "action" in Japan. We'll see what becomes of this; I mean, I don't mind selling one of MRG17's to grab the blue one, I mean a Sugi would be a great addition to the collection, but again, me thinks the blue one is long gone

 

[Soloistthree]

You know where to find a buyer for the MRG17 🤠

You're at the top of the list 👌

 

[Soloistthree]

Shimamura exhibited a bunch of Ibanez "prototypes" at this show. Including a pair of Premium RGs: RG1270FM (flamed maple top) and RG1270K (koa top) and some SA models like the SA460SM (spalted maple top) and several SA460QMs in never seen before finishes. Serial numbers on some of these SAs date back to 2018 & 2019 and the RG1270 pair were made in early 2021, but are apparently one-offs that haven't been seen until now.

Anyone know what's going on with all of these? I've never known Ibanez to sell anything labeled as a "prototype" before, at least not through an established retailer. It's like someone at Hoshino let a Shimamura rep clear out their warehouse.

- K

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if most of all of these are from 2018-2019. I was thinking about this for some time, and I remember Rich and I talking about a blue Sugi just like the one pictured, and that was last year (and the pic dated a few years prior to that). Considering I own at least one prototype, it's not unprecedented but yeah, definite

the Proto 2 looks exactly like the 2018 R7131E22J4, if someone’s bummed they missed out you can look one of these beauties up
Ibanez RG J Custom R7131E22J4, JCRG Sugi

Yeah, the more I dig into this, the more it appears that these were some sort of leftover prototypes or custom build one-offs, or VERY limited runs based on a custom or retailer's specs from 2018-19. I've seen that R7131E22J4 MANY times before, on Reverb, and I've also seen another of the blue one, with arguably a much nicer top as well, though there was even less info on that one back in 2019. Rich and I were talking about it last year, and the pics were already old at that point. Either way, still pretty rad, but I don't think they are anything new, or, any indication that it is to be become a new model.