New Ibanez Iron Label models

[KentBrockman]

I overlooked your signature before. I have:
2x RG2550Z (Galaxy Black & Galaxy White - with plain black headstocks)
RG652FX (Galaxy Black with Galaxy Black headstock)
RG655 (Galaxy Black with Galaxy Black headstock)
S2170SE (swirled ebony top with plain black headstock)
RG8520 (sodalite FM top with matching FM headstock)

What colour is your RG3120? I'd been keeping an eye out for one in Twilight Blue for years, because it's my favourite Prestige finish (blue is my favourite colour and FM looks incredible), but any I found looked more 'abused' than 'used'. Back in January, I caved and bought a J.Custom RG8520 in sodalite (dark blue).

I have two and they are both the Twilight Blue color. However, aging/exposure to light have turned them into this really neat. greenish-blue color (one more than the other). One of them had been beaten to hell by a previous owner but all the damage is to the finish only and I will get it re-finished...eventually.

Pictures are here

Essex Recording Studios have listed their on Reverb...for $3k. It looks like be in perfect condition.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

I have two and they are both the Twilight Blue color. However, aging/exposure to light have turned them into this really neat. greenish-blue color (one more than the other). One of them had been beaten to hell by a previous owner but all the damage is to the finish only and I will get it re-finished...eventually.

Pictures are here

Essex Recording Studios have listed their on Reverb...for $3k. It looks like be in perfect condition.

Thanks for the heads up, but that's more than I paid for my brand new RG8520 (with ability to choose my preferred FM top).

I miss being able to get a used Prestige in excellent condition for £400-500

 

[Br00tal420]

Reminds me of the Uppercut series. Me likey....

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Reminds me of the Uppercut series. Me likey....

Another run of Prestige models with BKP would be nice!

The last X-series (Xiphos, Iceman & Destroyer) was replaced by Iron Label, so this "Iron Label X-series" makes perfect sense.

 

[KentBrockman]

Thanks for the heads up, but that's more than I paid for my brand new RG8520 (with ability to choose my preferred FM top).

I miss being able to get a used Prestige in excellent condition for £400-500

Oh yeah, definitely don't buy it.

I found my 2009 RG1527 for $700 with shipping (~500 GBP at the time - in February of this year). Haven't seen many prices like that...hopefully things cool down a bit

 

[vilk]

Ikebe Osaka has a floor model of that 7 string xiphos. I haven't really been interested in 7 strings for a while but now I'm really into Revocation and if that guitar balances alright and doesn't neckdive I'm gonna buy it. Maybe I can still play Empty by Emperor lol
Actually even though I've owned a couple 7's in the past they were both baritone scale. This would be my first "normal" 25.5, maybe it will feel a little more playable to me.

 

[Oneirokritikos]

Ikebe Osaka has a floor model of that 7 string xiphos. I haven't really been interested in 7 strings for a while but now I'm really into Revocation and if that guitar balances alright and doesn't neckdive I'm gonna buy it. Maybe I can still play Empty by Emperor lol
Actually even though I've owned a couple 7's in the past they were both baritone scale. This would be my first "normal" 25.5, maybe it will feel a little more playable to me.

Please report back if you try it!

 

[vilk]

Please report back if you try it!

I promise I will... I just hope someone doesn't buy it first because I'm not headed to that area until the last week of the month.

 

[torchlord]

They've also tuned the 6-string version to D standard on a 25.5" scale...which is the same (minus the low A string). My old XPT700 (also 25.5") has been my D standard guitar for years, with lighter low strings than Ibanez is sending these out with (10-46 instead of 10-52). 25.5" RGs are very routinely used in much lower tunings than D, so I don't really see the issue.

If you play normal Korn-like riffs you likely wouldn't see a problem, but if you play speed metal having floppy strings will make it more difficult to play fast because the extra tension helps keep things under control when you go down a whole step in your tuning. If you go with 25.5 scale and and up the string gage to compensate you tone gets uber bassy which can be a issue to some guitarist.

You might eventually have issues with your guitar neck running large strings too, my Universe's neck according to the luthier said he couldn't compensate with the truss rod any more because the neck was fighting against and told me he had to heat set the neck in order to make things right again. I believe it was cause I was using big thick strings to make up for loss in tension.

 

[Neon_Knight_]

If you play normal Korn-like riffs you likely wouldn't see a problem, but if you play speed metal having floppy strings will make it more difficult to play fast because the extra tension helps keep things under control when you go down a whole step in your tuning. If you go with 25.5 scale and and up the string gage to compensate you tone gets uber bassy which can be a issue to some guitarist.

You might eventually have issues with your guitar neck running large strings too, my Universe's neck according to the luthier said he couldn't compensate with the truss rod any more because the neck was fighting against and told me he had to heat set the neck in order to make things right again. I believe it was cause I was using big thick strings to make up for loss in tension.

What gauge strings were you using when it became an issue? I've never used anything thicker than 12 gauge (for B standard on a 25.5" RG).

People have different definitions of "floppy strings". I play 9 gauge in E standard, yet it seems most of the advice on this forum for selecting string gauges for low tunings would give a tension equivalent to 11 gauge in E standard - massively overkill. I find going up a single gauge for each step down works well, with only very minor setup adjustments needed, on a 25.5" scale Ibby.
I really don't play Korn riffs. I was drawn to buying an XPT700 because of Necrophagist

 

[Vyn]

I posted this in another thread, however the Xiphos 7isn't 25.5", it's a fuck up on Ibanez's part. I have one and it's at least 26.5". I'll post some measurements.

EDIT: I'm completely fucking wrong, they are 25.5", I just measured 324mm from the nut to the 12th fret, x2 is 648mm which is 25.5" Nevermind. Felt longer than that though for some stupid reason

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I posted this in another thread, however the Xiphos 7isn't 25.5", it's a fuck up on Ibanez's part. I have one and it's at least 26.5". I'll post some measurements.

EDIT: I'm completely fucking wrong, they are 25.5", I just measured 324mm from the nut to the 12th fret, x2 is 648mm which is 25.5" Nevermind. Felt longer than that though for some stupid reason

Most of this stuff is based on our own perceptions and unconscious (and sometimes conscious) bias.

Which isn't to say there isn't a difference between a lot of stuff fundamentally, but it's importance is often weighed by the above.

 

[Perge]

What gauge strings were you using when it became an issue? I've never used anything thicker than 12 gauge (for B standard on a 25.5" RG).

People have different definitions of "floppy strings". I play 9 gauge in E standard, yet it seems most of the advice on this forum for selecting string gauges for low tunings would give a tension equivalent to 11 gauge in E standard - massively overkill. I find going up a single gauge for each step down works well, with only very minor setup adjustments needed, on a 25.5" scale Ibby.
I reall

I posted this in another thread, however the Xiphos 7isn't 25.5", it's a fuck up on Ibanez's part. I have one and it's at least 26.5". I'll post some measurements.

EDIT: I'm completely fucking wrong, they are 25.5", I just measured 324mm from the nut to the 12th fret, x2 is 648mm which is 25.5" Nevermind. Felt longer than that though for some stupid reason

Glad to see you tested it. Now it's just normal GAS

 

[Neon_Knight_]

I posted this in another thread, however the Xiphos 7isn't 25.5", it's a fuck up on Ibanez's part. I have one and it's at least 26.5". I'll post some measurements.

EDIT: I'm completely fucking wrong, they are 25.5", I just measured 324mm from the nut to the 12th fret, x2 is 648mm which is 25.5" Nevermind. Felt longer than that though for some stupid reason

If you mean the neck feels longer (rather than the fret spacing feels wider) I completely get what you're talking about, as that's how my XPT700 feels compared to my RGs when played sitting down. I believe it's because the "curve" in the body that sits on your leg (does it have a proper name?) is about 2-3" closer to the bridge on a Xiphos compared to an RG - resulting in the headstock being about 2-3" further away. An RGs curve is between the bridge and neck pickups - closer to the neck than the bridge. A Xiphos curve is roughly in line with the bridge pickup.

 

[bostjan]

Glad to see the return of this shape, even if there's no way I'd be in the market for something like that in the near future.

 

[THEBOTTOMLINE]

I just ordered a 7 string xiphos. I love my green 6 string and when I saw the new one in stock, i had to jump on it.

 

[vilk]

I posted this in another thread, however the Xiphos 7isn't 25.5", it's a fuck up on Ibanez's part. I have one and it's at least 26.5". I'll post some measurements.

EDIT: I'm completely fucking wrong, they are 25.5", I just measured 324mm from the nut to the 12th fret, x2 is 648mm which is 25.5" Nevermind. Felt longer than that though for some stupid reason

Could you pretty please do a NGD??

 

[Vyn]

If you mean the neck feels longer (rather than the fret spacing feels wider) I completely get what you're talking about, as that's how my XPT700 feels compared to my RGs when played sitting down. I believe it's because the "curve" in the body that sits on your leg (does it have a proper name?) is about 2-3" closer to the bridge on a Xiphos compared to an RG - resulting in the headstock being about 2-3" further away. An RGs curve is between the bridge and neck pickups - closer to the neck than the bridge. A Xiphos curve is roughly in line with the bridge pickup.

Yeah, I've discovered this comparing it to one of my extended scale V's, the V feels shorter because the inner part of the V is almost where the end of the floyd is, where on the Xiphos there is a bit more material.

Could you pretty please do a NGD??

It's on the to-do list, gig tomorrow which I'm madly practicing for, after that I can start catching up on NGD's!

 

[Neon_Knight_]

Yeah, I've discovered this comparing it to one of my extended scale V's, the V feels shorter because the inner part of the V is almost where the end of the floyd is, where on the Xiphos there is a bit more material.

Ah, I mostly play mine in standard position, not classical. Feels longer either way though