Ibanez MMM1 Mike Mushok Baritone

Made in Korea, it has 2 Humbuckers nice and shiney with a 3 way selector. 28" scale but it can go longer if you adjust the bridge.

Sounds great, play this with a marshall tube amp and you'll get taht CRUNCH that Mike Mushok got.

When I first got it, it was smaller than I thought it would be. Really the thing is that the strings almost go all the way end of the guitar and thats how it has a 28" scale.

The wood is really good, you won't scratch with a pick, like some people say. You can scatch it if you have a tool, but thats really the only way. if you do scratch it it won't really leave a mark just a "dent".

When you tuned the top sting of the guitar to Ab. It will buzz a little bit, to take care of this problem you need a set of small allen wrench to adjust the bridge. There are 2 holes in the bridge. Every string uses the first hole. Unscrew that and put it in the second hole. And tune it back, this will give it a longer scale and put more tension on the string. Like I said you can adjust it a little bit, I don't think you can put thicker strings on it uses a 74 gauge and the holes for the tuner fits very very tight, I don't know but this is what it looks like.

28" scale neck, string thru, awesome bridge, nice pickups, neck thru body,

sounds excellent, downtunes incredibly low without buzzing or getting muddy

action was set too high, but that can be fixed, neck was comfortable, has a beautiful wood grain finish

seems rock solid

not neccasery

this is the best baritone guitar i have ever played, not that thats saying much

Very quickly here are the features...

string-through, neck-through, 28" baritone scale, mahogany body, 22 jumbo frets, and a kick-ass gibraltar bridge.

I bought mine used and it was refinished darker than the original light mahogany. I prefer the darker finish so I was okay with that. Also, the Super 58 pickups were replaced by a duncan distortion in the bridge position and a duncan jazz pickup in the neck position. This combination is great because I can use the distortion for my overdrive and when I want to dial back the signal a bit and get a great clean signal, i just use either a combo of the two pickups or just the neck pickup. Also, on the back of the neck near the headstock is a heel that is a subtle feature that makes playing some open chords a bit more comfortable.

I play a variety of styles including doom metal, drone/ambient, and black metal. I used to use a Gibson SG tuned down to A and the strings had absolutely no tension on them and there was a considerable amount of buzz. Now with the increased tension from the 28" scale length, I can tune to A standard, Open A, G Standard, or even an octave down from the normal EADGBE when I want to sit halfway between a bass and a normally tuned guitar...

I plug straight into a Sunn Model T Reissue into a Sunn 4x12 and let's just say the neighbors aren't very happy about that. If you're searching for the brown note, this guitar is a good starting point. I can get a very clean tone (although the sunn's clean channel is nastier than most other amps overdrive channels) by using the neck pickup into my clean channel. Or I can turn on the bridge pickup and switch on the overdrive to get some of the creamiest, ballsy, baritone distortion I've heard in a while. The neck-through design makes every note ring out forever. I've also tried plugging it straight into my boss br600 digital 8 track and it sounds beautiful through some compressors, choruses, reverb, delay, and other modulation effects. I love this guitar, its exactly the guitar I needed for my doom/drone project.

I bought it used, but the action is perfect for me. The scale is long enough for me to tune down to G if I want to while still maintaining enough tension for me to get perfect pinch harmonics and intonation throughout the scale. It stays in tune very well. The finish on this guitar is note very forgiving as we all know. It scratches and dents easily, so if you're looking for a guitar to beat on, don't expect it to look new for very long... Eventually I may replace the volume/tone knobs and pots because they occasionally make some noise.

This guitar was someone's backup before I took it off his hands. I imagine he used it during a few gigs and even though it has the expected amount of dings and scratches for the wood finish, it still looks great. The bridge, tuners, and all other hardware looks like it should last the life of the guitar. The strap buttons probably need to be replaced, but that's something i'm used to... I would use it without a backup.

n/a

I've been playing for over 10 years. In the past i've played through an ibanez rg470dx, a fender 60's reissue stratocaster, a gibson SG, and a 6 string fretless bass. This guitar puts all the others to shame. When I brought it home, the first thing I did was tune it up, warm my amp up, and turn it to almost full volume to see what kind of volume I could produce. Everyone in the room's jaw dropped when I started playing. This thing is low and loud, the perfect guitar for anyone who wants to play some downtuned metal or jazz. For live settings, I plan on splitting the signal and playing through the sunn model t and a soldano lucky 13 each into its respective 4x12. I will have to invest in some earplugs before then...

If it were stolen, I'd find whoever did it, cut their eyelids off, cover them in honey, and bury them up to their necks in a red ant pile somewhere. Then I'd kick their head in.

My favorite features are the neck through/string through design, the nice bridge, and the way the heavy wood makes the important bass notes ring out for as long as possible. Again, this guitar is perfect for ultra high-gain situations, harmonics and controlled feedback sound better than ever...

I'm just going to say that I have no opinion about what "features" this instrument comes factory equipped with. What initially drew me to this instrument when I was researching baritones online is the simple basics of it. No bells & whistles, no gnarly paint scheme or goofy death metal graphics. Just a normal, tunable, adjustable, one pot o'volume & one pot o'tone, easy-to-find-without-looking 3-position switch-equipped 28" scale baritone guitar.

I've had this little red headed beauty for about 3 years now. And even though I own a couple of big $$$ acoustics (Goodall, Collings) It's become my primary gigging and recording guitar. I was in the market for a baritone but couldn't afford the $5-6,000 a high-end acoustic normally runs, so I took my measly $2k and went shopping. I can't tell you how many music stores with hundreds of guitars hanging on the walls where I would stroll up to the counter and ask if they had any baritone guitars, only to be answered with a "huh? wha?" I actually had one guy who works at a major retailer tell me that there was no such thing as a baritone guitar. I was fortunate that I found a store where someone had ordered the Ibanez thinking that it would sound like a Danelectro (he was looking for a Angelo Badalamenti-like sound, but the store didn't have access to Danelectro and sold him the Ibanez on special order).

It was exactly what I was looking for. I know that it was primarily designed from the jig out for metal application, but it really works surprisingly well for my jazz/folk/new age pieces. My style is primarily chord-based arpeggiation and I have no problem reproducing tone clarity across all six strings. After trying different string sets and sizes, I discovered that (for me) D'Addario XL157's work just fine. It was set up perfectly at the factory, and I haven't had to touch the intonation yet, and I live a half mile from the ocean.

The one piece of gear you will have to get is an EQ pedal, especially if you go direct to the board of a PA system. And beware of sound men. It is their natural instinct to try to remove all the bottom end out of the guitar signal. They can't help themselves. Tell them to set the guitar line(s) (I send a stereo signal out of my reverb) to -0/0+ on the channels you're plugged into and use the pedal or a rackmount EQ to control your tone.

I'm an old geezer and can't haul amps around anymore (it will happen to you, too), so I've re-tooled my traveling rig down to just:
Alesis Midiverb4
Boss ME-50
Boss EQ-20
Boss RC-20

With the inclusion of a pair of Danelectro 8" bass amps where amplification of only the guitar is required. (I play a few art openings, etc.)

I was concerned that the tuners would be El Mondo Cheapoz and I'd wind up having to swap them out for a set of Schallers, but someone at Ibanez did their homework and the stock tuners work just fine for the set gauges I string the guitar in. They also paid attention to the instrument requiring jumbo frets. I would imagine that anything thinner would wear down to the fingerboard in no time, depending on how much Stevie Ray Vaughn you're playing.

Look. The instrument is a one piece, neck-through mass manufactured hunk of redwood for under $1000, so expecting it to have no variations in the fit and finish is foolish to expect. I bought an $800 guitar. I got what I paid for. You will hear no squeaking out of me about how it could be better.

(tip to the folks having trouble stringing it...tilt the guitar up on it's side and look through the hole as you are passing the string from the back to the front. Sight along the string and you will see the exit point on the other side. Easy breezy.

As I don't use my instruments to customize the mic stands or antique speaker cabinets during performance, I would expect this instrument to suffer the same rate of unavoidable doinks and bruising that my more delicate Goodall and Collings suffer every time I take them out of the case.

One of the most attractive things about this instrument is the esthetic simplicity of it's finish. Being primarily an acoustic player, I'm a big fan of seeing the lumber on my instruments and the lack of any lacquering on this guitar just adds to its uniqueness.

I have never had any appreciable anxiety about wondering if that when I take it out of the case, plug it in and open up the volume pedal, that it won't be there for me, in tune and ready to sing.

Ah...I earnestly tried to get someone at Ibanez to give me some information about what the string set size and manufacture it came factory equipped with, as the customer who ordered it before I took it away from him had the store change the strings to a set he thought would give him the idiosyncratic sound he was looking for, only to discover that the instrument did not particularly enjoy being strung with them.
No one at Ibanez bothered to return my numerous emails and/or snail mail correspondence. I'm sure they're very helpful folk if you can ever manage to get their attention.

I solved my string problem only by buying every stock set of baritone strings available and trying them one set at a time.

For my style, D'Addario XL157s work just peachy. .014, .018, .026, .044, .056, .068.

I bought my first guitar, a Guild D-40 dreadnought in 1963. I picked up a banjo shortly thereafter, and slowly worked my way through every "folk" instrument there was, but found that the guitar was the only instrument that gave me the kind of variety of voicing that my developing "style" required. As I got older and more proficient, I tried to expand my palate by going electric, but I didn't like the way the fingerboards felt. I play chord-based finger-style guitar and most electrics I bought, were eventually sold simply because I didn't like the way they felt in my hands. Even the big jazz archtops felt clumsy and didn't lend themselves to helping me make a smooth transition and I inevitably gravitated back to an electrified standard acoustic guitar because it was comfortable and familiar.

This baritone and I negotiated for about a month before my right hand finally figured out how the instrument wanted to be addressed and we began to have a real dialog between us.

There are few things in this world that are worth the money you pay for them. This instrument is one of the rare exceptions to this. If I lost it, I would buy another as quickly as it could be ordered. If you are in the market for a baritone guitar, no matter what style you play, you owe it to yourself to seriously consider this one.

Finish: made in Korea (don't remember the year); solid mahogany body wings with a mahogany/wenge neck-thru ("wenge" is an african mahogany). All in a "mahogany oil finish" wich is invisible and makes wood grain shine through. Unfortunately this is the weak point, because this finish gradually elapses.
Body style: Ibanez SZ body (see Marty Friedman's guitar)
Neck: 28" baritone scale mahogany/wenge neck-thru with 22 jumbo frets and no inlays along the rosewood fretboard.
Tuners: chrome Schaller-type tuners. The 6th and the 5th tuner pots are larger than the other four to accomodate massive string gauges.
Bridge style: Ibanez Gibraltar Custom bridge (similar to the Gibson's Tune-O-Matic but stronger and with more settings available) with a stainless steel block, under the bridge saddles, that goes straight into the wood for a longer sustain. Strings run through the body and the string holes can accomodate bass strings with large ball ends. So you can put strings from 0.09 plain to 0.80 wound.
PickUps: two Super 58 Custom humbucker pickups; one in the bridge, one in neck position (medium/low output)
Three controls: 1 volume, 1 tone, one 3-way selector (bridge/both pickups/neck)
The one I bought came with a hardshell case. But i think that now they will give you only a gigbag.

I play modern jazz, rock, metal and funky. I've bought this guitar just for my pleasure and not for my needs. But this babe rocks.
I've tuned it Bb Eb Ab Db F Bb (Low to High) and the first time I 've used with my band was very difficult to transpose. But this improves your creativity and now the other guitarist and me we have two different instruments while playing the same song.
It suits rock, metal, country, modern jazz (that doesn't require an archtop).
I've used it with my Yamaha Dg60-112 (1x12 combo) and Fender FM210 (2x10 combo) in stereo mode and it's great. But the best is using it straight into a Mesa/Boogie Single Rectifier head and Marshall 1960 4x12 cabinet.
The sound is BIG,FAT and full of harmonics. No much variety in sounds but there is just what you need for the music styles above. For example you can't use it for pop songs that require a typical strat sound (obviously).
But you can play a lot of jazz stuff with it. Imagine that you are a saxophonist that changes from Alto to Tenor sax for two songs and then come back to Alto; same way you can change from electric (or semi-hollow) guitar to a baritone for some songs and come back to original.
There is nothing I dislike on that monster. The only recommendation is: use it in the right music context and you'll be satisfied.

Horrible set-up from the factory: high action, low pickups.
But no flaws. No noise from the pick ups or the selector.

I've made the set-up by myself. If you are a little experienced you can do it easily in half an hour. Now has a mid/low action (as I prefer) and perfect intonation. The Gibraltar Custom bridge is made for professional set-ups. String gauges: custom set 0.14pl/0.18pl/0.30w/0.44w/0.56w/0.68w tuned Bb Eb Ab Db F Bb (Low to High).
Two points off for the poor factory set up.

This guitar it's a tank. You don't need a backup 'cause you are playing downtuned bass strings. I haven't changed them in one year and I use it for studying and giggin'. The only thing you have to do is cleaning well the strings and the guitar after every use. This will make them last for a long time.

And now the two weak points: strap buttons and volume/tone pots cover.
Replace them as soon as you can.

Tuners seem like cheap stuff but they aren't. Strings stay in tune for weeks. After a gig they loose only a 1/4 step.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing for 18 years. I've owned Ibanez, Fender, PRS, Gibson, Squier, Washburn.
This is the best baritone on the market. If you prefer a higher output simply raise the gain knob. Don't change the pickups. The EMGs have destroying output but no personality. When you hear someone famous using them don't forget that probably he has a great amplifier that warm the original cold sound of an active pickup.
Super 58s are great for any kind of music. You just have to work on EQ parameters and find the tone right for you and for the style you're playing.

Blah...blah...blah...the specs for this guitar are as listed by others on this page as well as the Ibanez website. While it's kinda subjective to talk about "features", what this guitar has as far a compenents is pretty damn good, functional and works well. With that said, I give the MMM1 a 10 for what it has...no extra unnecessary shit. For those of you who are checking out this page to gather more information before you take the dive from your "regular" standard guitar to a baritone, yes...do it. This guitar is from the ground up all baritone, so you won't be dealing with the crap that you are from simply detuning your standard guitar to that of a baritone. In other words, no slnky rubberband sounding chords/notes when you play them...the longer neck on this guitar takes care of that by basically taking up the slack of the lower tuned strings. The tuners have more "torque" to them, and yes...this guitar will stay in tune. As you've already read, the MMM1 has specially wound pickups that accommodate the lower notes...a big plus over your standard guitar. Again, everything about the MMM1 is pure baritone. Strap on a pair and do the right thing. If you're going to detuned your guitar completely as opposed to drop tuning 1 or 2 strings, do it the right way..buy this guitar.

One more thing. If you're under the assumption about "If I want neck and back problems, get a Les Paul", forget about it. For some reason, there are a lot of people that think Mahogany is an extremely heavy wood in regards to weight. Constructed of mahogany, this guitar isn't heavy.

I own 2 of these guitars...1 in stock form and the other with EMG actives. They obviously have different sounds. I'll typically use the EMG loaded one for heavier stuff since it has an edgier grind to it and the cleans are an entity unto itself (not necessarily a good thing). Sound quality is subjective...I personally love them through MY setup.

In any event, the combination of wood and being neckthru make for a beautifully resonant and sweet sounding guitar...very full...amazing. The stock pickups suit it well and between the neck and bridge, they're very nicely distinct. You can go from very warm to buzzsaw.

(Another note for people doing research: No, your floating bridge with the notes vibrating through the springs isn't resonant.)

For a guitar made of mahogany, the wood seems to be VERY soft. I play the shit out of my guitars and don't baby them...they're begining to look like Seal.

My gear has been paired down from multiple Triple Rectifiers to:
Bogner Uberschall + Mesa Rectifier 4x12 cab (Std)
Mesa RecPre + 2:100 Recto Stereo
Line 6 POD Pro
TC Electronic G-Major
BBE 882i

*Extras*
GCX + Ground Control Pro
Monster Power MP Pro 2500
Korg DTR-2000

No info on the setup from the factory since I had it reset at the store. The only thing I've really done on my number one MMM1 (the one with the stock pickups) was drop the neck and raised the bridge pickups. The string gauges have been changed from stock sizes.

I like the raw wood look on this guitar. Again, my one scrap is the softness/hardness of the wood.

The hardware is solid as hell and it stays in tune for me. I punish the guitars, but they stay true to form. Finish of the guitar? Yeah, right. If you want a guitar that has umpteen layers of protective coating to protect the graphics, you need to get yourself a Daisy Rock guitar. If you play a guitar like a real musician, it'll definitely show. I take each dent I've made with a grain of salt and convince myself that it adds to the guitars character. Face it, it's going to happen.

Although I have two of these things, they're setup as two different guitars. As for having backups...not necessary it all. My experience is that they're constructed well and will survive whatever you throw at them.

Strap buttons. What's the point. I have Dimarzio clips on all of my guitars.

n/a

I've been playing for over 20 years and have gone through a lot of gear...a lot of which people assume are elite pieces of equipment. I've found that you should try different things since a so-called "non-exotic" piece of gear might suit you best. A good example is Eventide Harmonizers. I owned one and sold if off...I never used a fraction of what it could do and was just money in a rack.

I had a few Triples just because. What a waste of money. While i LOVE Mesa stuff, the Triples were overkill. My gear has been pared down with a little more thought and usefulness:

-Rack Setup-
Monster Power MP Pro 2500
Korg DTR-2000
Mesa Recording Rectifier Preamp
Mesa 2:100 Stereo
Line 6 POD Pro
TC Electronic G-Major
BBE 882i
DMC GCX
DMC Ground Control Pro

-Head-
Bogner Uberschall

-Cabs-
2 Mesa Rectfiers 4x12 (Std)

korean made 2003 neck thru baritone
one volume, one tone, three way toggle
super 58 pickups, gibraltar custom bridge
nothing fancy really

this guitar...it rules all other baritones ive owned and played. its tone is very warm and natural, and sounds great. i play rock in drop b with this guitars through a mesa triple rec w/el34s and use a 4x12 trace elliot bass cab inve converted into a guitar cab(older vintage solid wood cabinet, cloth grill) with two gt12-75's and two vintage 30's wired in mono. this setup sounds exactly how i want it two, very beefy and clean, and through the distortion channel it sounds out of this world. the only guitar mods ive done are sperzel tunes and a locking strap. this guitar sounds completely different from any other baritone, given its very natural tone. simply irresistable.

the guitar was set too low from the factory, and the strings were a little big for my tuning. i raised the action, dropped some d'adario 13-68 baritone strings, and its great. the custom bridge/ string through assembly makes this guitar stand above rest, although one huge complaint* the string through gromets or whatever where the string goes through, is a huge pain the get through the hole and kills me every time i restring. the finish is beantiful, but very weak, you can scratch it with your finger nail and leve permanent dents. ive gigged many shows with jmine, and its pretty ripped up already. still my favorite guitar ive played to date.

the hardware is great, the finish is the only thing that seems it wont hold up, although i belive the finish has a lot to do with this guitars amazing tone, so its worth it.

i tried ordering some of the 58's for my other baritones, but ran into tons of problems. the techs told me there was no difference in the 58's winding from the origals, and i think due to the techs laziness in the local store, they talked me into a seymour 59 which sounds horrible in a baritone les paul.

overall, this guitar is kind of a preference guitar, not jsut a guitar to jam on. although its is my preference, and i will have ibanez be building me my own model in the near future hopefully, although that can be spendy. i love this guitar, ive been a gibson man since i started playing, but this guitar is a truly supereior guitar to others in its price range.

- 2003 (if I'm interpreting the serial number right) made in Korea
- 28" scale neck through with mahogany body wings, bound rosewood fretboard with no inlays (I LOVE that), and a mahogany neck that has what Ibanez calls "purplewood" down the middle. This wood is actually called "Purpleheart"
- Passive electronics
- 2 custom Super 58 humbuckers tailored to the low-end
- 1 volume, 1 tone, 1 3-way pickup selector switch
- Custom Gibraltar bridge
- Through-body string installation
- Chrome hardware
- Oil finish
- Mike Mushok's signature in the control cavity cover

All in all, a nice set of features. It pretty much gives you what you need, nothing you don't. I just wish it had coil splitters, that's about it.

This axe delivers the goods in abundant chunky spades. It is incredibly crunchy, yet defined, when you kick in the overdrive, and the clean tone is nice and full, but still clear and is also well-defined. If you want to play hard and low, this is the way to go. Mike Mushok's tag line in the Ibanez catalog is exactly right - this thing goes to 11.

I have to say, this thing was well-built. The guitar came set up pretty well from the factory. The action was a little TOO low, and made for a tiny bit of buzzing, not really too much of a problem. Chalk that one up to the fact that 1.) it probably sat in the warehouse for quite a while, and 2.) The UPS guy left it on my doorstep in 110 degree Phoenix heat, and shortly thereafter it proceeded to rain for about 15 minutes (as it tends to do during our monsoon season). I think it's a testament to how solid this baritone is to withstand that so well!

Overall, this instrument will withstand punishment. Unfortunately, the finish will not. As has been previously stated, it does tend to rub off with playing. This is kind of to be expected for an oil finish, but tung oil would stay put a lot better than whatever they used. A tinted sealer coat someone else said, and I think they're right. I'd use it without a backup, because string breakage is the ONLY thing you'd have to worry about with this beast. It's a tank!

Never dealt with Ibanez directly. I'm not sure what the warranty period is, but I doubt I'll need it anyway.

I've been playing off and on for over 12 years now, and I've played all sorts of gear in that time. I wish I could say I've OWNED more gear though, hehe! In addition to guitar, and now baritone, I also play bass, 4, 5, and 6-string in fretted and fretless varieties. I can't really say that there is anything I hate about my new baritone, just wish that they'd have used tung oil for the finish and added coil-splitters. I do, however, LOVE the tone, playability, and looks of it. When I took it into Guitar Center, the staff and other customers (even the bass players) were practically falling over themselves to check it out, seeing as how no one has them in stock - it's pretty much special order only locally, or get it from a place like Musician's Friend. A nice touch is the fact that they inlaid the Ibanez logo into the headstock instead of just slapping a decal on. Another one is the fact that Mike Mushok wanted his signature so obscured on the instrument; it's black writing on the black control cavity cover, something no one will see while it's being played. The man's not an ego-freak, and I really respect that. Wanting the price kept down is another admirable thing. This is a solid instrument, for a reasonable price.

Same features as stated in other entries - all are same. Must say it is a good bargain for a signature model guitar at a retail price of arournd $800. Not a lot a variety in sounds, but does offer some good variations in tone with 3-way selector and dual humbuckers, which are stock Ibanez customs. Should sound even better with some hotter pickups, but these are fairly high-output.
For a baritone, this really plays well - close to a standard 6-string, but with much "beefier" strings.

If your looking for that "Nu-Metal" or "Alt-Metal" tone, but don't want to change over to the 7-string (and almost re-learn how to play with that extra string), this will give you "the sound" - provided you have a decent amp. I currently use it through a Peavey XXL head with matching cab, and on the Modern setting (Boogie Rectifier sound) it kicks! Granted this rig is not the ideal pro setup, it's not a cheap modeling combo either. It's fairly quite even with high distortion, and gives a good bottom heavy sound with lots of thump and clarity. This guitar does what it was designed to do, and does it very well. And for that, I must say I like it.

This is where I had a small problem. I ordered mine through a Sam Ash Music Retail Store. I traded a Gibson Les Paul Studio (which I loved) for this because the band I'm now in played extremely low tuned (drop A), and the Paul couldn't pull it off without major modifications. Anyway, after waiting for 3 weeks, it finely came directly from the Ibanez factory. I was in the store when they brought it in from the warehouse - still wrapped and all. They opened it for me right on the spot and began to inspect it. On first glance it is a beautiful finish and some fine craftsmanship (for an import). But after checking it out for about 3 seconds, we found a small but very noticeable dent in the front under the tone knob. What made it worse was it looked like they had tried to fill in the dent with superglue(?) and then buff it out, creating a light spot in the finish about the size of a quarter! What the!!?? I can't believe Ibanez would allow such a screw up to pass right by their "inspection" - especially on a special order direct from their factory! On the bright side, the action and other details were superb. But this flaw really knocked Ibanez a few notches down on my list for craftsmanship - I mean I paid retail for this ($800) so I could have it new!!!
I must say that the salesman at Sam Ash made it cool by getting me $50 knocked off of the difference.

This guitar does seem to be reliable for live playing, but shouldn't just about any guitar? I'm not sure how well the finish will hold up after very many live shows, but guitars were made to be played in my opinion (unless you have some rare '63 Paul or Fender or something...) and this one should last for a while. My only other complaint here is that you would think some higher priced guitars would come with strap-locks or something because you definitely don't want this thing falling off and hitting the ground. My complaint here comes from the fact that I bought strap locks for this, but the strap button screws are huge on this thing, and the ones with the strap locks are too small to fit - so I'll probably have to fill in the holes with wood filler or something just so I can use them.
Other than that, I'm sure I could depend on this guitar in a live situation, but would still have a backup just in case of string breakage...

Ibanez support may be very good - I don't know. Haven't dealt specifically with them, but my past experiences with customer support for musical instruments has been pretty below par at best. I guess I'm saying I wouldn't expect much better from them, seeing as how they sent a defective guitar straight from the factory after signing off on an inspection with an obvious flaw on the body!

I've been playing for over 16 years - mostly in metal and hard rock bands. I've owned several guitars - Gibson, Jackson, Charvel, Epiphone, Peavey and some others I can't remember, alone with a couple of others by Ibanez. I've been in some serious bands and feel like I know something about guitars by now, and would give this one a mostly positive review. In all fairness, I really couldn't say much bad about it if it weren't for the obvious flaw in the body that was poorly "repaired" at the factory. I would buy another one if it were damaged or stolen and must say I recommend it to those looking for the nu-metal tone, but dont want to go the 7-string route.

I traded in my Ibanez RGT 42FM for this guitar with $85 as the balance. The guitar was originally $550

2003 made in Korea

Electronics cavity plate has Mike Mushoks signature on it

Mahogany neck and body with a strip of purple heart in the center

22 fret bound rosewood fretboard

1 volume, 1 tone, 3 way selector switch

string thru bridge

baritone scale

pretty basic, but it's worth the money.

It has a thick, warm sound. This guitar sounds great for all the different genres I play.

The action was great considering the guitar was sitting in the music store I got it from for 2 years, but after I tuned it down to A (it was originally tuned to B), the first fret of the 5th string started to buzz. I fixed that after getting it set up.

This guitar stays in tune great and would most likely be able to withstand live playing without a back up. The only thing I don't like about it is the body dents easily because of the oil finish.

never delt with them

I have been playing for 8 years and I have never owned a better sounding guitar. My current guitars are: '84 B.C. Rich NJ Warlock, 2005 Ovation Celebrity, '80's B.C. Rich NJ Eagle Bass. I would definitely buy it again if it was stolen or lost.