Ibanez NAMM 2020

[A-Branger]

New 2020 Premiums

actually Ir eally like that blue one. I love the fade they did and the colors used, plus in combination with the chrome cover pickups is sooo beautiful. AND Ibanez doing a BLACK back!!??!?!?! :O !!!! its not red???!!!! what happened here? is Ibanez finally learning?, between these two with a black back and that RGD with an actual natural wood body??

*mind blown*

hahahha

I wish they ditch the dots in the fretboard tho.

and as a good SSO tradition of "I love it but I wish it had:"
-no dots
-fretboard binding
-previous premium models neck... the one with the wenge one
-reversed headstock... although is not a deal breaker
-an actual bridge... dont see the point for a single sadle...wtf is with that?
-^^^all that but ona RGA body

so everything that the guitar is not hahah wish they did a fade colors like that ona bass... although the reason it looks soo cool in my eyes is the chrome/nickel/silver pickups

 

[LordHar]

I also find it 'interesting' that the gold frets are called 'evo'. Maybe it is a clue to what's to come with the new JEM, or maybe I'm reading too much into it.

 

[A-Branger]

I also find it 'interesting' that the gold frets are called 'evo'. Maybe it is a clue to what's to come with the new JEM, or maybe I'm reading too much into it.

they always been called like that, nothing to do with the JEM

cant find the definition of EVO, but thats the name because of the type of metal (if im not wrong)


also forgot to tell these ibanez come with EVO... of course they had to do something wrong in the color dept.... though the guitar looked too good to be true.... yup, lets put gold frets witha chrome/nickel covered pickups.... *facepalm*.... they already did SS frets, why not those?

 

[MaxOfMetal]

The frets are Jescar EVO, it's a proprietary material they've been using for decades now. It's nearly the same hardness as stainless, but is easier to polish than nickel-silver and work on. It was developed for folks who need hypoallergenic fret wire, and happens to be a brass color when new, it lightens up to a silvery-bronze with use.

 

[Sogradde]

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

I hate it. Don't worry.

 

[ExileMetal]

I wonder if there will be any Prestiges this year with different neck woods, or if they intend to keep that playground for Axion and Premium.

 

[ixlramp]

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

Many bassists would have this opinion. One of the reasons i do not understand most bassists =)
There is no 'loss of low end', just slightly lower volume and a different tonal character with more brightness and clarity. It is personal taste concerning the tonal character of smaller gauges.

 

[_Mick_]

I wonder if there will be any Prestiges this year with different neck woods, or if they intend to keep that playground for Axion and Premium.

It would be nice to see some of those 9 or 11 piece wenge necks on a Prestige model or two.

I actually really don’t mind that Richlite RGD, bit weird but pretty cool

 

[DEUCE SLUICE]

Many bassists would have this opinion. One of the reasons i do not understand most bassists =)
There is no 'loss of low end', just slightly lower volume and a different tonal character with more brightness and clarity. It is personal taste concerning the tonal character of smaller gauges.

I've used "light" 40-120's on my 34" five-string basses for a decade and a half, love it. And I *love* the character of the high-C string on a bass. (I just got my first sixer, it's strung with 25-120.) I've never been convinced that you need thick strings and 35"+ scale basses to have a good sounding, good playing B string.

But yeah, I think most multiscale basses get it right more often than not, and Ibanez did it right here. Extend the B out to 35", sure, but the main benefit you're getting is the shorter scale lengths on the higher strings.

 

[sunnyd88]

actually Ir eally like that blue one. I love the fade they did and the colors used, plus in combination with the chrome cover pickups is sooo beautiful. AND Ibanez doing a BLACK back!!??!?!?! :O !!!! its not red???!!!! what happened here? is Ibanez finally learning?, between these two with a black back and that RGD with an actual natural wood body??

*mind blown*

hahahha

I wish they ditch the dots in the fretboard tho.

and as a good SSO tradition of "I love it but I wish it had:"
-no dots
-fretboard binding
-previous premium models neck... the one with the wenge one
-reversed headstock... although is not a deal breaker
-an actual bridge... dont see the point for a single sadle...wtf is with that?
-^^^all that but ona RGA body

so everything that the guitar is not hahah wish they did a fade colors like that ona bass... although the reason it looks soo cool in my eyes is the chrome/nickel/silver pickups

I hate gloss black backs lol either match the color to the front or do a natural back. In the case of basswood, you could even color it brown so that it's more like mahogany or something roasted. Gloss black backs look super cheap and tacky. They show fingerprints and scratches like nothing else. I especially hate it when I see it on PRS's and ESP's that cost thousands of dollars. Just let me see the damn wood even if it's not visually perfect. On the topic of basswood, seriously how much more expensive would it have been to give it an alder body. Basswood dents like crazy and on alot of models I've tried with it, it's fucking heavy. It's a heavy soft wood.

 

[A-Branger]

I hate gloss black backs lol either match the color to the front or do a natural back. In the case of basswood, you could even color it brown so that it's more like mahogany or something roasted. Gloss black backs look super cheap and tacky. They show fingerprints and scratches like nothing else. I especially hate it when I see it on PRS's and ESP's that cost thousands of dollars. Just let me see the damn wood even if it's not visually perfect. On the topic of basswood, seriously how much more expensive would it have been to give it an alder body. Basswood dents like crazy and on alot of models I've tried with it, it's fucking heavy. It's a heavy soft wood.

aaaaaaammmm its basswood. I though it was mahogany, thats why I was sooo surprised as Ibanez tends to stain their mahogany red/brown/maroon thing

see the black RGA or the black to grey fade S they recently did... one of my main perks with Ibanez, ahving a "black" themed guitar, yet they trow red into the mix.... Same thing with basses from many many many years, they stain the back wood yellow...???

I dont mind black backs, I rather be stained than black paint, whicih is what it looks like it might be... but I will 1027017409172094times take a black back than a red stained wood

and agree.... just let wood be wood and let it be natural

Many bassists would have this opinion. One of the reasons i do not understand most bassists =)
There is no 'loss of low end', just slightly lower volume and a different tonal character with more brightness and clarity. It is personal taste concerning the tonal character of smaller gauges.

maybe because you arent a bassist and you coming froma guitar background?

but yeah "and a different tonal character with more brightness and clarity" is exactly the reasonw hy I dont want a thinner gauge... because thats the sound I hear on a highC string vs the G string, and its exactly the reason why I dont like 6 string basses.

I much much much much much rather play something higher on the fretboard on the G string than do the same on the highC.... because I have more "low end" to it (or less brightness).... same reason why I rather play F on the 1st fret of the E string vs on the 6th fret on the lowB, because I have more clarity.... and viceversa depending on the context of the song

for a guitar you might want to have more brightness, and its the "holly grail" on the low strings while riffing specially on low tunnings.... but on a bass, its not something Im afther.... I want clarity on my tone and I want my piano like definition... but once you go too high up, then the string stop sounding like a "bass" for me, and you stay with a note full of brightness spank and no meat to it

 

[Fierce_Swe]

Why don't they get rid of the crappy zero edge 2 bridge???

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Why don't they get rid of the crappy zero edge 2 bridge???

It's about as good as anything else available at the time. They're not going to throw OEs and LoPs on anything and everything.

They're a noticeable upgrade over the generic "Double Locking" and older Edge III units.

I'm surprised they don't make a Chinese LoP copy.

 

[Fierce_Swe]

The tremolo arm it's not tight. It's clicking and feels loose in the pocket. I love the real edge tremolos but the edge zero 2 that I tried felt didn't feel good. It felt crappy...

The guitars looks nice though...

 

[MaxOfMetal]

The tremolo arm it's not tight. It's clicking and feels loose in the pocket. I love the real edge tremolos but the edge zero 2 that I tried felt didn't feel good. It felt crappy...

The guitars looks nice though...

Don't worry, that trem arm on the "real" Edges will loosen up plenty.

It's sad the best arm assembly they've had was on budget trems.

 

[Lemonbaby]

I've never been convinced that you need thick strings and 35"+ scale basses to have a good sounding, good playing B string.

Exactly - guitarists tune significantly lower on 27" scales (which sounds crap IMHO). A 34" bass for B standard is nowhere near the critical range. I've even tried a 30" bass once where the low B sounded surprisingly usable. That thing's on my GAS-list ever since...

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Exactly - guitarists tune significantly lower on 27" scales (which sounds crap IMHO). A 34" bass for B standard is nowhere near the critical range. I've even tried a 30" bass once where the low B sounded surprisingly usable. That thing's on my GAS-list ever since...

B0 not B1

 

[Musiscience]

Ibanez is really airtight this year. By that date in 2018 most of the models had leaked.

Edit: just saw a video on youtube from a guy called Remi at Ibby headquarters who will post the entire lineup on Jan 01.

 

[trem licking]

Don't worry, that trem arm on the "real" Edges will loosen up plenty.

It's sad the best arm assembly they've had was on budget trems.

I know you don't care for the edge arm assemblies, I get it, but if you loktite the screw to the assembly tight and have spare washers, the arm stays VERY tight and there is zero play. Kind of sucks to have to replace washers occasionally or heat them up, but when they work, they work as good as it can get. I wonder if the edge zero assemblies just need some loktite too? The magik arm I'm gonna buy to try looks like a similar design and I'm hoping it's a bit better than the Schaller arm I have currently