Lets talk about the ibanez rga121

[aciek_l]

That's how you make a full circle...
Some years ago I was looking for a nice, simple, comfortable superstrat and I discovered RGA series. I've found perfect RGA121H, but later I decided to try something else, even more expensive, etc... After ca. four or five years and around 15 guitars, accidentally I've found, I believe most rare, NTF. It felt like a part of my body, not some kind of "thing" to hold in my hands. I refnished it with tru-oil, gave it to luthier to install new frets, I've put Hathor Pickups set (PAF and Zeppelin) and it plays awesome! I love the way it looks, sounds and feel.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Love the re-finish on the top, makes it look real nice!
Congrats!

 

[Power2theMetal]

I owned a RG121H in CDO, and I promptly sold it about a month after I had received it. The guitar played phenomenally and it sounded great within a mix, partly I believe due to the Lundgren pickups. Selling it was regrettable because when I look back on that guitar It truly was a sleeper, and I wish I had kept it. One of the two Ibanez guitars I wish I'd never sold, the other being a 770DX Reissue (I hate middle pups, but the neck on that thing was flawless).

 

[MiPwnYew]

I had a natural RGA121 for a few years and also picked up a CDR 121 for awhile. Ended up selling them both to fund some GAS, but eventually regretted it. Now I have an awesome RGA321 with SD Alpha/Omegas that I'm not letting go lol

 

[Metropolis]

That's how you make a full circle...
Some years ago I was looking for a nice, simple, comfortable superstrat and I discovered RGA series. I've found perfect RGA121H, but later I decided to try something else, even more expensive, etc... After ca. four or five years and around 15 guitars, accidentally I've found, I believe most rare, NTF. It felt like a part of my body, not some kind of "thing" to hold in my hands. I refnished it with tru-oil, gave it to luthier to install new frets, I've put Hathor Pickups set (PAF and Zeppelin) and it plays awesome! I love the way it looks, sounds and feel.

Super nice! Did you just sand the body and applied the oil, and exactly what kind of tru-oil? I would want to do this too, have pickups with covers, new bridge and fret change or at least fret leveling. Locking tuners too, nothing wrong with stock Gotoh tuners but they make string changes so much easier.

 

[kevdes93]

I owned a RG121H in CDO, and I promptly sold it about a month after I had received it. The guitar played phenomenally and it sounded great within a mix, partly I believe due to the Lundgren pickups. Selling it was regrettable because when I look back on that guitar It truly was a sleeper, and I wish I had kept it. One of the two Ibanez guitars I wish I'd never sold, the other being a 770DX Reissue (I hate middle pups, but the neck on that thing was flawless).

weird, that might have been my CDO. I had a mint condition one that I installed an M6 set in a few years back

 

[aciek_l]

Super nice! Did you just sand the body and applied the oil, and exactly what kind of tru-oil? I would want to do this too, have pickups with covers, new bridge and fret change or at least fret leveling. Locking tuners too, nothing wrong with stock Gotoh tuners but they make string changes so much easier.

Yes, that's exactly what I did. I sanded it by hand with 240, 320, 400, 600, 800 grit sandpapers, and I had some 1500, so used it in the end. It took some patience.
I used Beretta Tru-Oil (which is, AFAIK, exactly the same product as Birchwood Casey's). 6-7 layers on the body and a bit over 10 on the neck. I also used steel wool 0000 between some of the layers.

 

[Power2theMetal]

weird, that might have been my CDO. I had a mint condition one that I installed an M6 set in a few years back

Could have been, I picked it up from a guy who lives in TN off of a FB group. This was about a year ago now, I believe.

 

[Enter Paradox]

So I made this.. it burns red

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

So I made this.. it burns red

Wow that looks awesome! White pickups work with this finish so well.
Not a fan of the racing stripes but I get that you're channeling JB's vibe from ABR!

 

[Steinmetzify]

It’s time for this to come back around again. Scored one in the NTF finish thanks to SSO. Be here Tuesday; sort of bummed as I got into a savage auto wreck on Friday afternoon and separated my left shoulder; see if I can even play. Still stoked! And hey, Black Winters!

Photo isn’t mine, used the seller’s. @Jake let me know if that’s a problem broheem, I’ll take it down.

 

[Cheap]

It’s time for this to come back around again. Scored one in the NTF finish thanks to SSO. Be here Tuesday; sort of bummed as I got into a savage auto wreck on Friday afternoon and separated my left shoulder; see if I can even play. Still stoked! And hey, Black Winters!

View attachment 81084

Photo isn’t mine, used the seller’s. @Jake let me know if that’s a problem broheem, I’ll take it down.

Sorry to hear about the wreck but congrats on the rga! It will be ready for you once you're in playing shape and will be completely worth that wait if it comes down to it

These are still my favorite from Ibanez after everything theyve put out. Wish I never sold mine

 

[Steinmetzify]

Thanks @Cheap!

I also had one and sold it in the great GAS quest of 2014; I’m on a mission to reacquire the ones that that I let go of that were great.

 

[Deep Blue]

I was just googling pics of 121's this morning. Still love these things and it's on the short list of guitars to acquire someday. I was kind of bummed when JB's sig came out and didn't have the Gibraltar Plus, though I've never played a Plus or a Standard II like the JBBM uses, I just vastly prefer the looks of the Plus.

 

[Steinmetzify]

I was just googling pics of 121's this morning. Still love these things and it's on the short list of guitars to acquire someday. I was kind of bummed when JB's sig came out and didn't have the Gibraltar Plus, though I've never played a Plus or a Standard II like the JBBM uses, I just vastly prefer the looks of the Plus.

Grab one if you can man, that’s a seriously comfortable bridge plus like you said, it looks great. This’ll be my 2nd 121, they’re seriously great workhorse guitars, on par for me with the ESP Standard Series stuff I’ve had.

I might try and find a 321f as well, I’ve always loved the looks of that blue.

 

[Steinmetzify]

Showed today; shoulder jacked, could only mess around a few minutes, but feels solid unplugged. See if I can get some time to plug in tomorrow. Thanks @Jake!

 

[lawizeg]

damn that refinish looks good, aciek. i'll have to do that to mine eventually, i have a chip in the finish that bothers me at times (mostly because of how i put it there...).

View attachment 81214

Showed today; shoulder jacked, could only mess around a few minutes, but feels solid unplugged. See if I can get some time to plug in tomorrow. Thanks @Jake!

hope you make it to a full recovery m80.

 

[gunch]

Ibanerds tell me about the differences in body thickness between the early RGAs and I guess the 2nd revision??

 

[Jake]

Ibanerds tell me about the differences in body thickness between the early RGAs and I guess the 2nd revision??

I've owned 7 or 8 RGA121's and 4 RGA321's and they were all thicker than my JBM100 which I guess is the 2nd revision shape they used on the RGA220z and RGA420z. I believe the newer import RGAs are also a bit thinner than the older models.

 

[gunch]

I've owned 7 or 8 RGA121's and 4 RGA321's and they were all thicker than my JBM100 which I guess is the 2nd revision shape they used on the RGA220z and RGA420z. I believe the newer import RGAs are also a bit thinner than the older models.

And the 2nd version has the little cutaway scoops on the top, right?