Ibanez RG550...utterly conflicted.....help.

RustySpanner

Due to unforseen circumstances, I may be in the position to buy a new guitar. 
Only ever owned cheapies, so time to scratch an itch.
Self imposed  limit of a grand. 

Love my  Squier Tele Custom II and Vintage SG copy.
Have a nice acoustic and Mrs Spanner  has a cracking  Japanese Paisley Tele and a stunning Faith electro so most bases covered there.
Not my fault she didn't  read the vows properly. 


Trip to Salford to pay for the new kitchen. 
PMT just round the corner, be rude not to pop in........

I'd convinced myself I needed something 335 ish. 
Love listening to other people play them,  but every one I tried including an achingly beautiful blue  Ibanez AS83 just left me cold. 
Nowt happening at all. Not even a twitch. 
Ah, well, I'll try something different. 

G&L Legacy sounded like I'd left my earplugs in. 
Gretsch? Didn't like the finish and don't  trust Bigsbys.
Only Fender that gives me the shivers is the Player HSH Strat in Buttercream, which they didn't  have in.

Love a Firebird but £1500 is a bit salty. 

Ooh, Ibanez. Might as well see what all the fuss is about, even though I spent most of the 80's laughing at people in Spandex. 

 Tried a Japanese RG550  Genesis. Oh god, it's wonderful.
The neck was a revelation, the Edge trem was so much fun and despite not being a fan of 80's rock it sounded wonderful through an Orange Crush. 
Versatile, but intriguingly different.
Flawless build.

However, I have a prejudice against Basswood, hate pointy guitars and shredding is something I do to lettuce. 

I'm 50. 
Only 2 guitars have made me feel like this and I bought both of them. 

Some questions.

1. Anything else ugly, tasteless but fun you'd recommend for under a grand?
2. I'm doomed, aren't  I?
2. Purple or Yellow?

Thanks in advance.

Garthy

Where is the conflict?

thegummy

Garthy said:

Where is the conflict?

No idea but I think that initial post had a delay pedal on it

notanon

thegummy said:

Garthy said:

Where is the conflict?

No idea but I think that initial post had a delay pedal on it

PMSL

RustySpanner

Apologies. 
Full post now up. 

I struggle with anything designed after 1969.

There were smileys and everything........you'd have loved it. 

DrBob

Yellow, definitely get the yellow one 

NelsonP

I have an RG750 which I'm never selling.  Bought it 30 years ago this year. That neck is amazing and it never goes out of tune.

It's a totally different vibe to my other guitars, which are much more 'traditional'. Beautifully made and much more versatile than you'd think. Even if it doesn't look like it should be. Doesn't bother me one bit that it has a basswood body.

Resale would probably be a little tougher than a more conventional choice, if it ever came to that.

I'd want to a/b it vs that hsh strat in your shoes. And possibly a charvel pro mod DK24.

Appreciate that this will not help to cure your GAS!

prlgmnr

The RG550 is a modern classic, your hands have already spoken to you and must be listened to.

Lesgrandepotato

Purple. They choose you. You don’t choose them.

vonLayzonfon

The RG550 also comes in red, blue or white but it'd be purple for me.

Have you considered the S series? Maybe an S670 would give you a similar buzz while being a bit less Steel Panther for you. 

ICBM

Buy the RG. You can use them for anything.

I probably should have bought the Floral Jem I was thinking of last year... in the end I decided to put some DiMarzio pickups in my old Aria, but I still kind-of want the real thing.

And my usual favourite type of guitar sounds are REM and the Jesus & Mary Chain...

I also once had an RG750, but I didn’t like the neck profile.

TheMarlin

Why prejudice against basswood? I though the tonewood discussion had been debunked and put to bed.

I played a 1980’s Japanese RG750 as my main guitar for over 10 years. It was a fabulous guitar, but looked confused next to my Gretsches ..! 

If you like it, get it. The paint is about a half inch thick, so that’ll negate any possible tonewood impact, as you’ll be listening to kilos of car paint along with the wood  

ICBM

TheMarlin said:

Why prejudice against basswood? I though the tonewood discussion had been debunked and put to bed.

The only issue I know of with basswood is that it’s quite soft, so if the guitar gets a bump it can easily dent under the finish, which then can crack and chip in an unsightly way.

TheMarlin said:

I played a 1980’s Japanese RG750 as my main guitar for over 10 years. It was a fabulous guitar, but looked confused next to my Gretsches ..!

I liked the idea of having a Jem and a Rickenbacker as my two main guitars .

Keefy

TheMarlin said:

... I though the tonewood discussion had been debunked and put to bed.

...

Oh my aching sides!

Schnozz

RustySpanner said:

G&L Legacy sounded like I'd left my earplugs in. 

Did you roll the tone knob up?

Road Flare Red or Purple for me.

Stevepage

Charvel DK24FR is worth looking at. I really like mine

mudslide73

I hanker after an old 550 even though I have pointy Floydy stuff already. RGs are quite brilliant. 

bluechargeboy

RustySpanner said:

Oh god, it's wonderful.
The neck was a revelation

My exact reaction the first time I tried an RG! An absolute revelation. My favourite neck profile, no question.

gusman2x

No brainer. And it's now as classic as a strat or an LP. 

I have a yellow one, but the purple is a lovely looking thing.

You won't get any (new) japanese super strats for that price. The other Ibanezes that will come in at at that price range will not hold a candle to the MIJ RG550 resissue. So much bang for your buck it seems almost criminal.

merciful-evans

I understand the conflict. Because I live under a rock I had no idea about 80's shred/superstrat/etc in 1995 when I bought a MIJ Jackson Soloist, but they were not only the best guitars I had ever played (I was using a 70's Strat) but the best by a longgg way.

Now? I too am turned off by pointy shred machines and FR bridges, but there is no denying the quality of Japanese ones. The RG series is reckoned to be bulletproof. Just dont wind up nursing regrets.

sawyer

Purple