Trouble deciding between Ibanez 7 Prestige vs Premium :(

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Speedy!

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Hi all!

I have been wanting a 7 string with stainless steel frets for YEARS.

Well, finally I have the funds to get one.

I also have wanted an Evertune for years also.

I can get the Ibanez Premium 1027pbf, OR, the Ibanez RGR5227.

Here’s my problem: no local stores carry these models, so I can’t try them out.
I KNOW the Prestige will have excellent quality, but will the Premium be good quality?

In addition, I want to do Evertune’s custom install program. This involves me paying Evertune, then the retailer sends the guitar DIRECTLY to Evertune to install it. This saves shipping costs, and Evertune also gives you a big discount doing it this way.

So, if I go for the Premium:
I’ll pay $1300, and since the guitar is in stock I’ll get it back in my hands in 3 weeks, BUT, the guitar might have spotty quality!
If I go for the Prestige, I’ll be assured of good quality, but I’ll pay $1900, and since the guitar won’t be at retailers til March 25th, I won’t get it back from Evertune til April 18-25th.

So that’s where I’m at.

:(

Do I go for the Premium, save $600, and get it in my hands in 3 weeks, or do I take the safer/more expensive route, and maybe end up waiting 2 months?

What would you guys do?
 

diagrammatiks

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Hi all!

I have been wanting a 7 string with stainless steel frets for YEARS.

Well, finally I have the funds to get one.

I also have wanted an Evertune for years also.

I can get the Ibanez Premium 1027pbf, OR, the Ibanez RGR5227.

Here’s my problem: no local stores carry these models, so I can’t try them out.
I KNOW the Prestige will have excellent quality, but will the Premium be good quality?

In addition, I want to do Evertune’s custom install program. This involves me paying Evertune, then the retailer sends the guitar DIRECTLY to Evertune to install it. This saves shipping costs, and Evertune also gives you a big discount doing it this way.

So, if I go for the Premium:
I’ll pay $1300, and since the guitar is in stock I’ll get it back in my hands in 3 weeks, BUT, the guitar might have spotty quality!
If I go for the Prestige, I’ll be assured of good quality, but I’ll pay $1900, and since the guitar won’t be at retailers til March 25th, I won’t get it back from Evertune til April 18-25th.

So that’s where I’m at.

:(

Do I go for the Premium, save $600, and get it in my hands in 3 weeks, or do I take the safer/more expensive route, and maybe end up waiting 2 months?

What would you guys do?

Is the difference really only 600 now. That’s crazy. Get the prestige.
 

Speedy!

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Yup, $600 difference.

Well, there IS a “scratch and dent” Premium at Sweetwater music for $1000, so I’d be saving $900 if I got that one.

I’m really torn, just because I read three reviews on the site here, where guys bought the same Premium model I’m looking at, and they said they liked it MORE than Prestige’s they owned. One other guy said the Premium he ordered had lots of fret buzz and uneven frets. So that means 75% said the Premium actually felt/played BETTER than a Prestige, and 25% thought that the guitar was mediocre.

Wish I could find more reviews, because if I saved $900, I could afford to buy myself a Helix LT or other gear.
 

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Hollowway

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Could you get a used Prestige and get the best of both worlds? Evertune might ding you for more, but you could still potentially come out ahead. (I know nothing about Evertune installations.)
 

Speedy!

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Yeah, I could certainly get a used one.

I’ve been having trouble trying to discover which models of Ibanez 7s have stainless frets, though.

I only want to get an Ibanez with a fixed bridge and stainless frets. I might go with a 6 string, instead of a 7, if I REALLY liked the features.
 

sezna

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Premiums are kind of random quality. I've gotten burned by a few but also gotten a few good ones. I would only get one if they have a decent return policy, and you're comfortable returning it.
 

Speedy!

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Yes, I could get a Premium from Sweetwater; they have an awesome return policy.
 

BillCosby

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The few premiums I've played have been great, maybe one was bad. I've played some bad prestiges, too. No experience with the newer prestige 5000 series since they just came out.

I do have experience with Evertunes and I personally do not think they are worth it, at all. It did exactly what it was supposed to, but the sustain was terrible on the higher frets for some reason. I tried different strings, gauges, set ups, etc... It didn't matter, I couldn't get sustain out of it.

It may have just been that specific guitar, but it really put me off from them.
 

Speedy!

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I actually DID have a Strat, which I had an Evertune installed in.

However, I believe the tech didn’t install it correctly, because the B and E strings wouldn’t stay in tune. I wanted to try the Evertune system AGAIN, because the other strings on my Strat would NEVER go out of tune, and that to me was more important than sustain. Also, it would be a huge benefit to me in recording.

I agree, it DID kill the sustain, but my style isn’t based on sustain.... so I didn’t mind the that the notes died more quickly.

I think I may get the Premium, and if I like it, then send it to Evertune for the install.

I’m not certain yet though.

:)
 

NoodleFace

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Premiums will always be hit or miss, however they are getting better. Prestiges and old MIJ Ibanez have a special quality to them that definitely is in it's own league .

Another option is to buy a quality older rg7621 or something and just have SS frets installed.
 
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Why just not get an out of factory evertune loaded guitar? Isn't ESp that has some of these? Sure, they are not Ibanez, but sure are alike... I'd just wouldn't do that to any of those guitars...
 

Speedy!

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Well, I considered that.

However, I want a really flat radius and passive pickups, and the ESP has EMGs and not as flat a radius.

I’m not concerned about “having a guitar carved up” to install it...
Even if I didn’t like how the tone or sustain would be, the guitar would be perfect for recording.
 

Strobe

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I would go for the Prestige. I own a MIJ ESP and a Prestige - and if you want the Ibanez neck, the ESP won't do it for you. The premium is probably going to be good, but it's just not the same level of feel to them at this point. The Prestige is at least as good feeling as the ESP. Fret ends are a little rounder on the ESP, but I think I like the feel of the Ibanez overall a little more. They make really phenomenal feeling guitars.

This is, unless you really prefer the looks of one or the other. In that case, go for the pretty one. :)

Also: Evertune is great. That is a smart way to do it.
 

mbardu

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I'mma go against the general consensus here and vote Premium. Sure you could get a lemon, but just go through someone with a good return policy and try a couple if needed. But out of my (admittedly) small sample size of Premium/Prestige in 2017 and early last year, I've only played one great prestige, a couple of good, and a surprising amount of bad ones (3 out of 6). The Premiums- I've played 3 of them and bought two of them on the spot they were so good (1070PBZ and RG6PCMLTD). And today they are still proudly within my collection among a bunch of Suhr or PRS. No Prestige (or even J-Custom) has lasted that long with me.

And yeah- the Premium higher end more often have the (very rare for Ibanez) stainless steel frets- not to mention the finishes are much more solid than the Prestiges.

Truth be told, the Premium feel a tad less "traditional" Ibanez (the finish doesn't peel off, the frets don't rust, and the neck isn't so thin it cramps normal hands within 5 minutes :D), so that's probably a bit why I liked them (way) more. But I'm sure I'm not the only one out there- maybe you're like that too!

OK, done with my 2 cents. I am now prepared for the fury of fanbois :)
 
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Type_R3387

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Im going to have to agree with mbardu on this one. I recently purchased an RG1027PBF, as their are a lot of specs that really appeal to me at that price point. However, I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t hesitant about investing in one. I’ve read multiple stories about botched fret jobs, poor quality tops, paint bleed and peeling Panga Panga, to name a few. So, with a very certain reluctance, I took the plunge and clicked “Place Order”...


Fast forward to now.....This guitar is fucking great! I scoured it from day one, searching for any imperfections and much to my surprise I couldn’t find any. The top and color is beautiful, Tight End bridge is to die for, dat 11 ply neck tho (with a terrific profile, I might add), Mother Of Pearl fretboard and headstock inlays, Luminlays, solid pots and the topping on the cake??? THE FRETWORK. I heard a couple of people stating that the fretwork on their premiums was better than Prestige’s they owned. I figured it was bullshit, but they were right. It’s fucking incredible. Perfectly rounded ends on the Stainless Steel frets with zero scuffs to the neck or fretboard. It blew away the fretwork on an RGR652AHBF I recently sold. In fact, the fretwork is reminiscent of my M8Ms’. Not quite the same, but VERY close. The only issue with the RG1027PBF was that the pickups weren’t my thing, but that was an easy fix.

I say go for it and give a Premium a try! The worst case scenario is you return it and buy a Prestige. Hell, the used market is teeming with Prestige models if you want to save a few bucks...
 
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Gram negative

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I ordered that premium twice. First one had stripped screws and two dead frets.

Second one had the same problems. I would just level the frets but I don't have the tools to work on Stainless. I was super disappointed. I switched to Schecter.

Get the Prestige.
 

Albake21

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If you're planning on modding the guitar, neither of your options are good IMO. Go grab a used prestige for literally half the price, have the Evertune installed, and if you are serious about SS frets then have those installed. I will ALWAYS insist on getting a Prestige over Premium any day. I've never played a Premium as good as a Prestige.
 

MikeH

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Prestige. Not even a question. I've played a handful of Premiums that were pretty good, and considered one for my most recent purchase. Ended up getting an RG652 and the level of quality is such a different beast. I'll likely never buy a non-J. Craft Ibanez again.
 

Adam Of Angels

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If you don’t absolutely need SS Frets, you could buy two used Prestiges (maybe even 3) or a Prestige and a Premium with your budget. That is 100% what I would do, no contest. Or, you could get a used J-Custom and never look back.
 

khm

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I have had plenty of Prestige and Premiums over the years. If I am buying online I will always go Prestige as I know I have an extremely high chance of getting a high quality guitar with great fit and finish. If I want to buy a premium I need to try it out first, as the quality seems very hit and miss. I Have tried several of the same premium model in the shop, and the quality difference between the models was crazy - from very poor, to on level with some of my prestige.

End of the day, if I am buying a guitar I have wanted for ages - the extra money or wait time would not bother me, there is a time and a Place to cut costs and save some bucks, something I am going to be playing every day and writing music on is not one of them.
 


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