Ibanez NAMM 2020

[c7spheres]

Don’t get me wrong, I love basically everything about this. It’s just annoying on a $2000 guitar, feel me? It doesn’t feel intentional, so hopefully the actual model has the top all the way up to the hardware.

You could easily just take a paint marker and color over it. I would have no problem doing that and did it on my pickup cavitys on my 7620's and other guitars that they always seem to forget about doing it on. These RGD's would be a lot nicer without bevels and that toggle where it is though, but this one is tempting.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Don’t get me wrong, I love basically everything about this. It’s just annoying on a $2000 guitar, feel me? It doesn’t feel intentional, so hopefully the actual model has the top all the way up to the hardware.

It's not that the top "stops" at the route, it's that the route is deeper than the thickness of the top. The top is as thick as it is to work with the bevels of the RGD body shape.

 

[trem licking]

The small amount of color difference showing in the route is a big deal? Yeesh

 

[ExileMetal]

The small amount of color difference showing in the route is a big deal? Yeesh

Annoying != big deal. Forgive me for wanting a solid color / top on an expensive guitar. I have a bunch of Prestiges already, so I’m allowed to be a discerning customer. Also pretty sure I won’t be alone in this criticism.

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

I'll take exposed wood over fucky cavity paint.

 

[Leviathus]

Tbh i'm surprised the brown/black combo isn't hard triggering the no-rosewood-on-black-guitars folks.

 

[trem licking]

Annoying != big deal. Forgive me for wanting a solid color / top on an expensive guitar. I have a bunch of Prestiges already, so I’m allowed to be a discerning customer. Also pretty sure I won’t be alone in this criticism.

I mean, it's just kinda nitpicky. Don't buy? You could easily remedy this if you like the other specs

 

[ExileMetal]

I mean, it's just kinda nitpicky. Don't buy? You could easily remedy this if you like the other specs

I’m confused, did I say I was going to buy it somewhere? I’m allowed to not like something on a guitar, this is sevenstring.org for fucks sake, the entire point of this thread is to discuss these guitars.

 

[Albake21]

That RGD is so badass! Also I'm very happy to see Richlite being used, I really wish more companies would start using it. I loved it on my Aristides and I loved working with it when I built my second guitar.

 

[trem licking]

I’m confused, did I say I was going to buy it somewhere? I’m allowed to not like something on a guitar, this is sevenstring.org for fucks sake, the entire point of this thread is to discuss these guitars.

A color difference in the trem route? Jeezus

 

[ExileMetal]

A color difference in the trem route? Jeezus

Hey, I like the bevels and where the switch is. Maybe you don’t, but that’s the beautiful thing about having preferences. It actually says a lot about the quality of the guitar that that’s the only thing I can point out as disliking (Fusion Edge neck is kind of ass, but can be fixed more easily)

 

[dlam_ivs]

Don’t get me wrong, I love basically everything about this. It’s just annoying on a $2000 guitar, feel me? It doesn’t feel intentional, so hopefully the actual model has the top all the way up to the hardware.

I like it too, I was just screwing around. It is definitely more in line with what I look for in a guitar than the previous RGD models they've put out.

There's a part of me that wishes they would do another run of the RGD7421 with different solid finishes. Those were money, especially with the mahogany bodies.

 

[couverdure]

I guess Ibanez wanted to make another Prestige RGD with a reverse headstock and Edge bridge since Dino left them for Ormsby last year. That has to be one of the nicest RGDs I've seen.

 

[A-Branger]

Tbh i'm surprised the brown/black combo isn't hard triggering the no-rosewood-on-black-guitars folks.

Im actually surprised Ibanez didnt stain the back wood body of the guitar red, or yellow, or something stupid like that. For once they let wood be wood

 

[A-Branger]

By 'choked' i assume you mean overtensioned? So for bass guitars with scales > 34" you just reduce the gauges of the higher strings to compensate and return to a desired tension. So it seems a gauge issue, not a scale issue.
The idea of longer scale is to allow reducing gauges while maintaining tension, which improves the B because it is more flexible due to being thinner, but also more flexible due to being longer, a double advantage which is a very significant benefit.
I often see bassists complaining about the high strings on longer scales, but oddly they often do not think of reducing the gauges.

Unfortunately bass guitar marketing is partly to blame, it usually promotes longer scales as being for 'tightening up the B', that is, using the same set of gauges, this is the wrong approach. Smaller gauges should be used for most strings to maintain the desired tension, then if the B was undertensioned keep the same gauge for that, or if the B tension was ok then reduce its gauge.
The marketing is, as is common, dumbed-down and popularist for commercial interest, and is focussing on the common complaint of undertensioned Bs, which is actually a gauge issue.

the theory is correct. You should go to a thinner string gauge on a longer scale. And that could work greaat for the low B, but on the high G string no so much. Basses change the sound characteristic too much with string gauges. Play the sme notes you do on the G string but on the High C of a 6 string. They sound way too "thin" (at least for me). Reason why I hate 6 string basses. They might add a factor of comfort while playing fast passages/octaves/licks, but the sound of it is not really good compared to using the same notes on the G string.

In other words, I wouldnt go for a thinner string on a G

 

[Merrekof]

but the sound of it is not really good compared to using the same notes on the G string.

Are you talking about regular basses or multiscale/fanfret basses? Because in my experience the multiscale basses make every string sound as good as the other without compromises. Slight differences in sound, yes but not necessarily worse. Just something to take in account when creating a certain "mood" in your music. With regular necks my low B often sounded boomy and dull, the E,A and D were louder in the mix and the high G sounded thin and basically unusable for me. The active on-board preamp was making the best of it but had to cut corners somewhere. Fanned fret basses solved this issue for me. Also, I'm talking about 5-string basses, I have no experience with 6-strings but I guess the same applies for 6'ers.

 

[LordHar]

New 2020 Premiums

 

[c7spheres]

 

[dirtool]

That's what I'm talking about, a paper top just meaningless aesthetically and sonically, why don't just paint it in solid colour(with or without bevel)?

 

[A-Branger]

Are you talking about regular basses or multiscale/fanfret basses? Because in my experience the multiscale basses make every string sound as good as the other without compromises. Slight differences in sound, yes but not necessarily worse. Just something to take in account when creating a certain "mood" in your music. With regular necks my low B often sounded boomy and dull, the E,A and D were louder in the mix and the high G sounded thin and basically unusable for me. The active on-board preamp was making the best of it but had to cut corners somewhere. Fanned fret basses solved this issue for me. Also, I'm talking about 5-string basses, I have no experience with 6-strings but I guess the same applies for 6'ers.

yup, Im actually agreeing with the fact that a multiscale bass is better, and even a 33-35" would work great. The original coment was someone saying that they dont like longer scales than 34" because it affects the D-G strings. then a reply to it saying tht he should change the string gauge for a thinner string so its not "overtensioned" and that it would help with a better sound as the string is thinner,

My coment is that for a low B yes, having a string thinner than 130 with the same tension would be great. But having a G string with a thinner string than a 45 (standard gauge), would sound too "thin" and would loose the low end IMO... giving the example of a 6 string bass with a high C, playing the same notes there than in the G string sound too "thin", sounds like a guitar string, not a bass anymore... So yeah, FOR ME I dont wish to go high up in gauge for the G string, so a multiscale is a good approach

Currently have a 34-37" bass, but its bit too much as I play in standard B and its a pain in the ass to find strings (I want to go to a store, not search in the internet for extra super ultra long string sets).... which they all come with a 130 either way.... plus I never had any dramas with my 34" and my 33" Ibanez basses.. so a 33-35" multiscale sounds great to me