A love letter to the Ibanez Universe

[MaxOfMetal]

What's the actual difference between RG7620 and UV7's? On paper they are exactly the same (minus the obvious pups guard inlays heel). I don't believe the cork sniffery. Why would UV magically be so much of a better guitar according to legions of forumites?

Different neck shape, frets, neck joint, pickups, body routes, etc. They also made UVs on average lighter.

I don't think they're "better" objectively, but they're definitely different enough to have a preference one way or another.

The cork sniffery is pretty new, as up until about 15 years ago you could barely give them away, but now that folks want real money for them all of a sudden we get this shit.

 

[Nightside]

I've never played a UV but I definitely love the necks on the old 7620/7621/7420/7421s. It's a 7 that you can still easily thumb over when you need to.

 

[_MonSTeR_]

I think it's over appreciated and so are JEMs.

LOL.

No.

 

[_MonSTeR_]

I honestly believe it's hard to find a guitar that is objectively better than a JEM and by extension the Universe. If that search is restricted to production guitars, it gets even harder. There are plenty of others that are equal, and orbit each other in terms of a mixture of features and functionality, but to be markedly better, I don't think I've ever found a guitar that is objectively "better".

There are guitars with slightly tighter neck joints, there are guitars with more traditional wood choices, there are guitars with glossier finishes. But nothing objectively "better".

Happy for others to disagree, happy to have my mind changed, but I'll be over here enjoying my morning coffee whilst folks try to come up with a good argument.

 

[odibrom]

I honestly believe it's hard to find a guitar that is objectively better than a JEM and by extension the Universe. If that search is restricted to production guitars, it gets even harder. There are plenty of others that are equal, and orbit each other in terms of a mixture of features and functionality, but to be markedly better, I don't think I've ever found a guitar that is objectively "better".

There are guitars with slightly tighter neck joints, there are guitars with more traditional wood choices, there are guitars with glossier finishes. But nothing objectively "better".

Happy for others to disagree, happy to have my mind changed, but I'll be over here enjoying my morning coffee whilst folks try to come up with a good argument.

True, and that is simply because the "better" for some is not the same as for others... and again, a guitar is only as good as its setup suits the player needs...

 

[Jon Pearson]

By the time I was even remotely interested in 7 strings, Universes (and RG7620s), were already old (this would have been around 2008). I missed out on the initial wave, and they were old news and not particularly sought after. My buddy had a used RG7420 that was his first 7 string - he and his father held so little regard for it that they sanded it and did a cheap home paint job over top of the original, pristine finish.

UVs were a little more precious because of the Vai association, but they were like, $600 guitars all day long around here.

Just funny how the times change. I think the nostalgia is strong here, because objectively many more modern Prestige guitars are better built. Not to say original UVs aren't super cool, and they did get a lot right, but progress didn't end there.

 

[SalsaWood]

LOL.

No.

Compelling opinion. I shall file it under the same heading I file the things which I hear in traffic from other people's radios and that farting sound Keurigs make when they run out of water.

 

[Asdrael]

Different neck shape, different fret size (of my memory serves me right, 7620 are 6100 ish and UV are 6105 ish in UV) and the pick guard mounted pickups which make quite a difference I find.

 

[_MonSTeR_]

Compelling opinion. I shall file it under the same heading I file the things which I hear in traffic from other people's radios and that farting sound Keurigs make when they run out of water.

yep, no probs, I'll just move that other post of yours that I quoted over a bit and you can stick my equally compelling statement next to it.

 

[_MonSTeR_]

True, and that is simply because the "better" for some is not the same as for others... and again, a guitar is only as good as its setup suits the player needs...

Agree 100%, Setup plays so much more of a role in what makes a guitar "good" than so many people realise.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

What's the actual difference between RG7620 and UV7's? On paper they are exactly the same (minus the obvious pups guard inlays heel).

Other than the differences in aesthetics and pickups, the neck profile (dimensions & carve) and neck joint (cutaway vs. AANJ) are unique for the UVs. Whether that's "better" is subjective. I suspect that plenty of people who prefer a UV / JEM neck over an RG neck simply prefer what they got used to in the first instance - same goes for people prefering the necks on the old RG550s over Prestige models (despite Prestige necks being better finished).

 

[Neon_Knight_]

I honestly believe it's hard to find a guitar that is objectively better than a JEM and by extension the Universe. If that search is restricted to production guitars, it gets even harder. There are plenty of others that are equal, and orbit each other in terms of a mixture of features and functionality, but to be markedly better, I don't think I've ever found a guitar that is objectively "better".

There are guitars with slightly tighter neck joints, there are guitars with more traditional wood choices, there are guitars with glossier finishes. But nothing objectively "better".

Happy for others to disagree, happy to have my mind changed, but I'll be over here enjoying my morning coffee whilst folks try to come up with a good argument.

If we're ignoring any newer Vai models with AANJ, then the neck joints are objectively better on Prestige and (even more so) J. Custom RGs. Improved ergonimcs = better. If some people weirdly prefer the older, less ergonimic joints then good for them.

 

[_MonSTeR_]

If we're ignoring any newer Vai models with AANJ, then the neck joints are objectively better on Prestige and (even more so) J. Custom RGs. Improved ergonimcs = better. If some people weirdly prefer the older, less ergonimic joints then good for them.

Don't forget that JEMs have had the ANNJ for over 30 years now. I can see that some folks would prefer an AANJ over the block heels on the older JEMs but I don' t know whether that's objective or subjective. If it was truly objective, would people "prefer" the old school ones.

 

[Jon Pearson]

If the word "objective" means anything, then yes, the AANJ is objectively better.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Different neck shape, different fret size (of my memory serves me right, 7620 are 6100 ish and UV are 6105 ish in UV) and the pick guard mounted pickups which make quite a difference I find.

Pre-98' UVs are closer to Dunlop 6140 wire, and made by Jescar. Regular Japanese stuff of the same period got either 6100 or 6120 Jescar equivalents. The wire was made OEM for Hoshino, as well as Warmoth at the time.

 

[odibrom]

Pre-98' UVs are closer to Dunlop 6140 wire, and made by Jescar. Regular Japanese stuff of the same period got either 6100 or 6120 Jescar equivalents. The wire was made OEM for Hoshino, as well as Warmoth at the time.

... nothing a refret / leveling won't send to space... meaning: to correct or wreck the fret reference... Personally, as long as frets are leveled and the guitar plays well, I don't complain about fret sizes...

 

[jaxadam]

UVMC is best UV. I mean MC. I mean both.

 

[Shawn]

UVMC is best UV. I mean MC. I mean both.

I would've loved to get my hands on one when they weren't so expensive.

 

[Emperoff]

Why would UV magically be so much of a better guitar according to legions of forumites?

Internet hype, pretty much. They're basically fancy looking RG7620s. You might prefer one neck shape or another (as Max pointed out, wildly inconsistent), but they're by no means better guitars.

I got one recently and it was a cool guitar, but I opted for the money people were paying for them instead of the actual guitar

 

[MikeH]

Pawn shops and guitar stores around me still consider the 7-string a "fad" and price 7s at $100-$199, regardless of the brand. I picked up a Cherry Fudge RG7421 for $99 a bit ago, so don't go ruining that now lol

You wanna make 200% profit on that bad boy?