Ibanez RG550

I think this one was made in 1989. 24 frets etc. This one is black with a rosewood fingerboard, black scratchplate etc. It had the original Ibanez pickups in it when I bought it so, I changed those for a complete set of Dimarzio Evos. That changed the guitar sonics quite a lot. A vast improvement I think. Bridge is the original Edge bridge. I think these are the best bridges Ibanez have made personally. I bought this one second hand on ebay for ??200. You can pick them up for about this price (maybe bit more) and, trust me, they are worth every single penny. If I'd bought this guitar with the Evos installed, It'd have a 10 rating

With the Evos, this is every bit as good as my 2 Jems and the PGM100 I have. I'm not sure what the neck configuration is but its fast and slim. I prefer the neck on my PGM but, this one is similar to the JEM BRMR I have. That has a prestige neck I think and the RG and the JEM are very similar in this respect.

No comment, bought 2nd hand

This guitar was made 20 years ago and is probably just as good as it wwas when it rolled out of the factory (better actually since it has a set of Evos in it)

Never dealt with them despite owning 5 of their guitars

This is a very solid, professional instrument. I was looking at buying a new RG anniversary thing but, when I saw how much these old ones go for on ebay, I thought I'd get a better guitar than the anniversary if I changed the pickups. All in all, I've spent 400 pounds or thereabouts on this guitar (200 for the guitar and 200 for the pickups) and, I think this guitar is easily as good as the JEM BRMR I have.

It's an Ibanez RG 550ex sd, made in Japan, Fujigen factory in 2002. it has 24 frets, H/S/H pickups (V8,S1,V7), 1 tone and 1 volume knob, 5-way switch, Edge tremolo system, Gotoh tuners, Superwizard neck, basswood body.

Just because the crappy stock pickups (mostly those humbuckers, because single coil is quite good) I can't give it a 10.

I play all kind of music (all kinds of metal, hard'n Heavy, folk, medieval, rock, experimental, etc) and it definitely suits some of those styles (there is no instrument that suits everything!)

I'm using Peavey bandit 112, bunch of pedals (Boss DD-6, Boss DS-1, Boss MT-2, Behringer US600, Danelectro Milkshake Chorus, EHX Metal Muff, Dunlop Crybaby Classic, MXR Dynacomp, MXR EVH 117 Flanger and some more not worth mentioning)

This guitar is great!the guitar itself sounds so rich and nice, that I'm wondering why Ibanez chose these pickups - they're muddy and sound just poor. Even Infinity pickups sound better (try them - Inf4 in neck position shines! and infs1 has got great vintage tone). But that isn't a problem - buy some Dimarzios and put them in - you've got a brilliant guitar! I think that is the reason why Ibanez chose to put those crappy V pickups - because otherwise RG550 is built just like prestige guitars (and they sound just like and even better then the newest models) and would cost at least double as much as now.

Back to the sound - I wasn't expecting so "dark" sound of basswood - it definitely is a metal axe. Comparing with my previous owned basswood guitars this one sounds much better and has got much more variety of sounds. I can achieve brutal distorted tone and get a bluesy, jazzy tone just turning down the pots a bit. And also clean it sounds great and definitely not "thin" as some Ibanez guitars do.

I give it a 10, because it is a great guitar. the stock pickups are crap, but they can be removed any time I want - the most important is how the guitar sounds itself.

This guitar is made like a tank and is finished without blems. Although it has more than 7 years, it still plays and looks like a new.

Fretwork is great - no buzz at all.

everything is the TOP quality.

This guitar is one of my main guitars and that says all. I can always trust on this baby - it has never let me down. the hardware is still in perfect condition.

I couldn't gig without at least 3 guitars no matter how good they are, because if one string breaks (which is not guitars fault), I don't want to loose even 5 minutes of the show, while replacing the broken string. Second thing is that most of the time I gig with at least 2 different tunings so the guitars need to be set up differently.

the finish is great - it has got just few scratches (not like most of my other guitars). It has also 3 small dings made by the previous owner, but you cant blame guitar if you throw the guitar in drumset while on stage or you let it fall of 2 meters high.

I have never dealt with Ibanez customer support - that is definitely a good thing. I haven't had any reason to do that. I can say that I have never seen a bad Ibanez guitar! everything works perfect everytime I get one of them.

If I haven't had any reason to contact them, that definitely is the best customer support!

I've been playing for a while and I own and have owned a LOT of guitars. I sell them and also repair and make my own instruments.

I knew that this guitar is GREAT, so I was very happy to get it and since then it has been one of my favorite guitars. I will never sell it and will try to get some more.

The Edge trem keeps in tune for ages, Superwizard neck plays incredibly great, the tone is wonderful - what more could you wish! just throw there a pair of Dimarzio pickups and you've got the best guitar in the world!

The Ibanez rg550 is a fantastic guitar. I believe mine is a 89, but lets get to it. 24 frets, 5-way selector volume and tone knobs, Passive pickups, basswood body, floyd rose, and a very thin neck. I bought mine off of ebay with ohsc

I currently play through a mesa dual rectifier, with only a phaser, tuner, and the pedal belonging to the mesa. This guitar sounds incredible, i play progressive music, a lot like Dream Theater, and it is perfect for this style of music. For some reason i do get a very quiet ticking nose about every 2 seconds, but it does not affect the sound and can not be heard if you are playing or standing outside of 10 feet of the amp. Although the original pickups are not the best, they are very good, clean, full sound and very versatile. However, i will replace the pickups for the hell of it. Also, this guitar is very versatile, and can be played with many styles and achieve a bunch of sounds.

The guitar was set up very well when i got it, the only problem is that it had a few fairly big dings on it from the last owner. But the finish is still very tough, for me it has worked like a tank. I have bumped it into just about every thing and have not added a ding to the list.

Thsi guitar definitley will withstand live playing, it has for me, ad im sure it will for you. The hardware is very well made and installed, it has lasted almost 20 years without problems so im sure it will go on a lot longer. Another nice feature is it has huge strap buttons that are very nice especially when playing live, no need for strap locks. Even after all this, i dont think i would play it without a backup, but i wont ever play a shw without a backup, any guitar can have something go wrong.

have not had any problems-.

I have been playing for about 9 years, i also play a ibanez pgm, epiphone les paul standard, and a ltd dave mustaine signature, and i probably like and play this guitar the most of all of them. If it were stolen or lost, my guitar collection would have a hole in it. I would definitley buy it again.

1987 RG550, I emailed the serial number to Ibanez a few years back for verification. It's still all original, 24 frets, stock H/S/H, Edge trem, 5-way switch, 1 vol, 1 tone. White finish (now more of a nicotine color) black pickguard with a maple fretboard.

I purchased this guitar in 1988 after eyeballing it on the wall of a local music shop for about 10 months. There were 2 of them, the one I own now and one with blue finish and a black pickguard. I flipped a coin.....turns out a friend of mine bought the blue one a few weeks later.

The stock p/ups have never let me down, I know that there are better choices in the world, but these work fine for multiple styles of music. Everyone says that this is a great shred guitar but it's good for so much more beyond shredding. The bridge p/up screams, the neck p/up is creamy....there are a few sweet strat-like tones in between. Cleans up nicely with the roll of the volume pot.

It's a rather boring standard white finish, but the years have aged it and given it a lot of character. There's some hairline cracks in the clearcoat and of course there's a lot of dings and scratches that I put in it over the years. I was 16 when I purchased this beauty, I was a lot more wreckless then and put this guitar through a shitload of abuse.

The thing that I love the most about this guitar is the neck. The Wizard neck......slim and smooth but a little wider than most necks. My drummer says that switching stings on this guitar is like crossing the street......he's exaggerating of course, but I see his point.

Like I said, I was 16 when I bought this beast so I don't remember how good the factory set-up was.....I'm not sure that I would have know a good set-up from a bad one at that age. I'm lucky enough to live close to what you would call a "guitar guru"....it's been set up by him many times over the years and plays like a dream every time. It holds a set-up well too, this guitar doesn't need to be pampered.....it's a work horse.

It sports the Edge tremolo.....a finely balanced and very stable unit. One of then best locking trems ever as far as I'm concerned. The only problem that I've had with the trem is breaking the arms......I'm on my 3rd and I don't use the tremolo that often!!

Very fast, low action. easy to play

Will this guitar withstand live playing? YES

Does the hardware seem like it will last? YES

Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing? It seems to wear slowly but age quickly (if that makes sense)

Are the strap buttons solid? Yes....I replaced the originals with strap locks....I have the originals in a zip-lock in the case (the case is also original)

Can you depend on it? Yes.....I've depended on it for 20 years and plan playing it for 20 more.

Would you use it on a gig without a backup? NO.....the edge trem seems to break strings at the saddles.....most locking trems do that. It's easy to fix a broken string but you'd be better off bringing a back-up....fix the string on your set break.

never had to call. I ordered new trem arms from the local music shop.

I've been playing for around 25 years. I'm a Strat man, I own 4 of them, but this RG550 was the first "good" guitar I bought so it holds a place in my heart that NO Strat could ever fill. I saved for a long long time to buy this axe by washing dishes, waiting tables and cooking at Ponderosa. Ahhh....to be 16 again....not that I miss working at Pondo...I miss not having anything to worry about besides saving for my new guitar.

This is my favorite guitar for sentimental reasons.....I'll never sell it. If it's ever stolen I'll be devastated.

I love everything about it except the fact that it LOOKS like an 80's hair-guitar. I out-grew the hair metal many many years ago but I still play this guitar despite the looks because I love the way it feels.

Standard black finish, stock V7/V8 pickups, standard maple fretboard, standard 3 layer b/w/b pickguard, standard edge tremolo, etc etc etc etc. everything does what it's supposed to, and nothing less.

my other main guitar is an eighties fender strat, made in japan. when i first got this ibanez, it felt tinny and weak in comparison, but the more i played it the more i realized that it was more sonically even than anything i had played before - completely transparent, in other words, in regards to the personal style of the guitarist. amazing! my fender makes even the freshest of amateurs sound like they know what they're doing, but it is sort of a one-trick pony. the ibanez's tone is so evenly balanced that nearly any sound imaginable - les paul, tele, strat(obviously!) - can be instantly had with the proper picking technique and pickup combination. of course, it definitely helps to have a good overdrive pedal and amp to plug into.

low action, perfect intonation, everything can be easily and precisely adjusted if you just take the time to do it. frets and such are all flawless, minus the obligatory wear and tear that comes with used instruments. no noisy pots or switches, no buzzing except for the single coil middle pickup. but they all do that. the top of the guitar has a couple of huge wounds where it hit pavement when i forgot to lock up the case. :( always make sure your instruments are secure.

it has not failed me yet, aside from the occasional broken string. my playing style directs a lot of abuse towards the edge tremolo, and it never goes noticably out of tune during a jam session. over time strings will drift out a little bit, but that's what fine tuners are for. on average, i unlock the nut and fully tune it about once a month. all those people out there who complain about how hard floyds are to maintain are full of it!

never dealt with them.

considering the price i paid for this guitar, i would have had to've been completely insane to pass it up. ownership has no downsides whatsoever, except for putting up with my bandmates making fun of me for playing with an eighties shredder machine. but this is a classic guitar of the future, and only a fool wouldn't be able to see its charm.

Got this baby in '92 or so (can't remember exactly) new at a local shop. Slightly embarrassing but, the LOOK of this beauty is what initially attracted me. It is the (rare & now-coveted) 'purple neon' finish with matching headstock & purple mirror pickguard. Its actually a 550DX model officially and came with the high end ibanez pro case (better than my Jem 7DBK)...

Ever had an experience where you see the axe hanging on the wall and you just say 'OH MY GOD'? Where you pick it up for the first time and just KNOW that it's destiny and yours are one? That's what happened with this one (and I've NEVER regretted it for a second - I still feel like I STOLE this beauty @ a little over 500 bucks).

Finish was INCREDIBLE! The purple neon changes colors in different lighting conditions & combined with the mirror purple pickguard, it's truly something to behold IMHO. I also love maple fretboards so that was also a huge plus. This guitar truly means the world to me and has remained my main axe for years.

Feature-wise, nothing to be desired...

I could just go on and on but there's more to type...

I'm still floored by the sound. Typical V7, V8 pickups are the best I've heard in the stock RG lineup. Using it through high-end Mesa's and line-6 vetta help alot as I'm a firm believer that even a crappy guitar can sound great through the proper amplification (doesn't usually work in reverse though, just my opinion). I'm a rock guitarist and this axe has done everything I've asked it to tonally. No gripes about the pickups at all and never had the urge to change them. In fact, the only thing I added was a trem stabilizer (which it didn't need but being an engineer professionally, overkill/overbuild is part of my credo). Sustain for days especially from a bolt on, but again having proper saturation at your amp is key.

Action was set up adequately from the shop. I've made small tweaks here and there over the years but haven't needed to mess with anything for the better part of 10 years. This guitar is a workhorse and is obviously made to be played (although very easy to admire as well). One very small chip, almost unnoticeable inside the trem cavity was the only flaw cosmetically. No flaws in function and the action is still perfect for me after many years of playing it.
The edge lo pro is complicated for the average player, but so are all floyd's...Once you learn it's ways, its quite simple to deal with. It's VERY stable especially with the stabilizer I added. Again, once you learn it's ways it easy to use. If it DOES go out of tune (rare) after the dive-bomb or pull-up, I've found that just manipulating the arm in the opposite direction will usually pull it back closer to pitch. This takes some finesse and feel and after using it for awhile, it's very predictable and repeatable. A solid unit.

Gets a nine only because the finish has faded (fairly gracefully) over the years. The paint has lost some of its shimmer and prismatic quality but still looks quite good. The hardware is great and the typical oxidation on the top trem and neck plate (AANJ) are apparent here. It's not bad considering the usage and age and I can live with it. Can I depend on it? I have and it's served me very well. Strap buttons are solid. But no, I would never use this in a gig without a backup. If you break a string on stage with ANY double locking trem, you're screwed, end of sentence...

Have contacted Ibanez customer support a long time ago with questions (not service related) and they answered them knowledgably and professionally. No experience with service level stuff, never needed it (a testament perhaps to the instruments they build?)

I have been playing for over 20 years now. I've either played or owned everything that I have ever desired. Gibson LP's, PRS (Not a fan overall), Fenders, Carvins (now there's an awesome company!), Kramers, McNaught (if you don't know, then you just don't know...), Hamers, Jacksons, Charvels, Schecters, Parkers (I don't like these either), Guild, VHT, Mesa/Boogie, Peavy, Line 6, Marshall, Bogner, Engl, Fender, Hughs&Kettner, Carvin, Soldano, Randall, Roland, Rivera (I would buy the 'right' Rivera)...

My current lineup that never changes is 2 Fender strats, 2 Ibanez (soon to be three) RG & Jem strats, Carvin Claro Walnut TL60, Guild Acoustic cutaway and a bang-up Ovation acoustic. Amps are Mesa T-verb, Mesa Mark4, Mesa 2X12 & 4X12 recto cabs, Line 6 Vetta (unbelievable!), Carvin AG1000D acoustic/PA, and an original vintage Fender Deluxe Reverb.

My RG is truly one of the best guitars I've ever played, at any price point. The only thing I've played that actually plays better is the Carvin (their neck-throughs are incredible!). The Carvin can't hold a candle to the RG in terms of usage - it's much heavier than the RG and therefore much more fatiguing to play for long periods and the electronics (particularly the knobs) are very stiff comparably. The RG550DX is a pleasure to play, it's ultra fast, ultra light, and sounds great with lots of sustain for a bolt on axe.

For the money, I don't know if there's a better value than the RG line for heavy rockers. If you're a strat kinda dude especially, you should own one of these and it's pretty easy to find one that suits you. I'd rather buy American, but in this case...Go Japs!

If it were lost or stolen, I would weep profusely. Then I would grab one of my Glocks & go find the prick who stole it and end his/her miserable life. For REAL! Bullets are still cheap enough...and I have PLENTY.

make: Japan RG 550-A(?)
neck: 25.5", 24 fret, thin, maple (fret/fingerboard), dot inlays, jumbo frets
body: JEM type, 1pc basswood
finish: red, 3layer black pickguard
pick-up: Ibanez stock, bridge(H, split-type), mid(S), neck(S)...yes, you read it right. its a single coil neck pick-up
hardware: black, gotoh tuners, Edge trem (the arm was missing..*@#^!)
controls: 5way selector, volume, tone (push-pull)

With this guitar I play everything from rock, jazz to metal. The single-coil at the neck and the split-type humbucker allow me a lot of flexibility in terms of style.

Its an old guitar so the neck and body have aged..magnificently. You can get a very warm sound with the correct settings. SWEET. I love the tone of the stock neck single coil.

I got this second hand and very batterd so I had to have it reconditioned and it underwent a major makeover. And I mean MAJOR as there was even a crack at the headstock joint. Thank God for my luthier Jun Castro (roadtone<DOT>tk). He's heaven sent.

Im sure this baby would drop my pants if I saw it brand new. I have no doubts about it.

Simly beautiful.

There were battlescars all over the guitar when I bought it. After the repairs it went through, I cant imagine what else this baby cant withstand.

SOLID. SOLID. SOLID.

Ive used this guitar on so many gigs without back up and never had any problems. But i'd rather bring a reserve tho. Its just me.

Duh?

I love the way the volume and tone controls are located on the body. It gives me easy access to the pick-up selector especially on very fast songs. My picking hand doesnt have to jump over the volume knob which I do with my Jackson DK2. Also I love it that the output jack does not protrude from the body.

I wish I had it brand new.

I wish they carved it a little at the bottom cutway for better access to the higher frets.

I wish this model is still in production. I'd definitely buy it again..this time BRAND NEW. :D

Its An RG550 , bought 1989 and owned by me from then to now , white finish with black pickguard , still totally standard

I play mostly 80,s shred and heavy rock , vai , malmsteen , ozzy , etc , the stock pickups are ok but id love to replace them with something more hi-gain maybe Dimarzio tonezones but at the same time this is almost a classic guitar now and id hate to spoil her

Gotta set it up yerself aint ya , if yer not a dummy lmao

Whole things held togeher well , the finish has suffered over the years but im more carefull now than when i was a young gun and shell not suffer anymore , a few minor chips are all that shows the abuse i gave her in years gone by ..... all that matters is she still plays like new

Theres Support?

Owned several superstrats over the years but nothing compares to an early edition RG550 , if it was stolen id find another one or go and steal someone elses , the stock pickups arent great but thats an easy fix , if youre sick of todays shit music and want to join the ressurection of shred youd be hard pressed to find anything this side of a 1000 dollar jem that would play better

Finish-Gold
Hardware-Black(Gotoh Tuners,Lo-TRS trem)Locking bridge
Body-1 piece Basswood
Style-Superstrat/JEM ><'
Paid AUS$550 inc.case(A BARGAIN I reckon!!!)
Built-Japan( around early 1990s)
Neck Profile-Maple and Rosewood Frets/RGprestige(but its seasoned so it feels even better)
i think the older necks have a smoother feel but its just personal

Pickup:H/S/H
selector:Strat 5 way
Tone and Volume Pots<<<the easiet config & my favourite

i'm a fan of Satriani, Vai, PaulGilbert,Eric Johnson other shredders so u get the picture

very bright and pleasant tone in my view thats the way i like mine
it has a good balance of bass and treble but not chunky enough for chording like LP or YamahaAES series cause of body shape and wood choice but it does satisfy me cause i'm a balance of lead and rhtyhm player but prefer playing shred

after changing the crap V7 and V8 to Dimarzio PAFPro and FREd, the sound is near perfect. the new pickups gave me the sustain and clarity i need (credits to Satch's choice. this combo in my view is the best, it allows the guitar to play almost all types of music inc. blues,jazz(not the best but ok), rock,progressive and shred metal>>this PUP combo is not for heavy metal(try DiMarzio EVOs instead)


Amps used for it Peavey Blazer15w, Marshall JCM2000, Yamaha hybrid100w(solid state and Tube combo)

i got this 2nd hand so u get the picture
it's ok >>just minor dings and paint cracks but the chipped neck was frightening
as soon as i got it i sent it straight to a technician for setup+installation of DiMarzios

i love bending with it>>easy and stays in tune pretty well thanks to Gotoh tuners and the neck is a dream(wax smooth back and seasoned rosewood, what more can i ask for)the whammy bar is the best!!!smooth and 90% pitch perfect after abuse. Ibanez did a great job with Lo-TRS but sadly they not in production anymore

after having MODs in it, it's my dream guitar(till i get a JS1200)
i wish the finish wasn't gold though

Gigged, Jammed, abused and still rocking!!
i played it often in church and my own instrumental band

just don't follow Vai's footsteps or it moight end up like EVO(vai.com)
light abuse is ok>>i really treasure all my guitars

pretty tough considering it survived 3 owners before me and its almost as old as i am!!!! just don't chuck it around like VAI. not worth the irony of a guitar slowly coming to pieces

always have backup guitars u wankerz!! unless u play punk/indie(which sucks anyway)

Ibanez are slow in this area despite their achievements in guitar construction

they really should invest more in this area

Been playing for 3 years but ppl think i've been playing for 6 years LOL
other gear is BossME-50, and Ibanez RG320FA<i retired this after getting the RG550 cause its got Satriani's signature

90% of all i wished for in a guitar is in this baby>>love it to bits><' but i'll still look 4ward to my JS1200

if stolen i think i'll go into depression cause she brought me so much joy in just 5 months owning her>will cherish her unlike her previous 3 owners
compared with RG prestige and found them inferior hahahaahh!!/gg(><)

probably wish i had a whammy bar with it but the owner lost it and thats y i gave Ibanez a 3 or 4 for their customer support

if anyone's got more questions regarding this guitar and my thoughts about it, just e-mail me

I bought this used off of Ebay and I'm not sure exactly what year this model was made. It is definitely an older one, at least 10 years old.

-24 Fret Maple Neck
-Floyd Rose/Edge Tremolo
-H-S-H configuration
-5 way p/up selector
-One volume, one tone knob

I bought this so it could be my "beater guitar", but I got a little bit more than I thought I would for $300. The pickups are not Duncans or DiMarzios, there's no real sustain to speak of but for me they will do fine for now until I replace them. There doesn't seem to be a huge difference in sound between the bridge and neck pickups, they both sound pretty bright, maybe even harsh. Not bad though. I'm currently playing in a metal cover band, so this includes Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Metallica, Guns 'n' Roses, Ozzy, etc...this guitar gets the job done! I like the split position with the neck/single coil for my clean tones, very sparkly and full.

I have a Duncan TB-4 neck p/up and a DiMarzio Evo single coil that I would like to install at some point, I will update my review when I do so. Once I get the good pickups in there this will be an awesome axe!

It was used but the setup was good for me - low, not buzzing, with the bridge floating just a bit so I can raise notes with the whammy bar as well as dive. The intonation is excellent all over the neck, and it stays in tune very well.

I am not a fan of the "pop in" whammy bar, however. I would like to replace that with one comparable to a Jackson Soloist for a more sensitive tremolo.

I liked the look of this guitar, even though it was beat up, which is why I bought it. The body is a light blue and it has a blue-ish mirror pickguard. I plan on replacing that and also the volume/tone knobs to get a little wild color-coordinating thing going on here. :) I'm thinking neon yellow or green...

I've only had it a couple months but it's seen several 2 hour nights at gigs and held up far better than I thought it would!

I am really surprised at the overall quality and playability of this guitar. It's no secret that the pickups aren't top of the line DiMarzios or something to that effect, but they aren't noisy and they have a pretty decent bite to them. Like I said, this was to be my beater guitar, but it's replaced my USA Jackson Soloist (SL2H!) as my MAIN guitar! Yeah!

I can't wait to customize it with the pickguard (maybe a nice swirl will do!), volume/tone knobs, good pickups and improve the tremolo system...it's going to be a killer axe! :)

01' Japanese RG550 by Ibanez
24 fret Maple Neck and Maple Finger Board.
Solid Basswood body
H-S-H Pickup config. (Five way Switch)
Black Finish with a three ply Black Pickgaurd.
Ibanez Edge Tremolo (The best around)

This is the best cheap guitar I have ever played, It very much rivals my expensive ESP.
I put a DiMarzio Evolution in the Bridge position. This guitar have so much attack that when you are playing fast every thing stays very clear and concise.

When do guitars ever come setup good from a factory?! Ha!

I had to do some tweeking, but there were no flaws.

I expect this guitar will last until I get bored with it in approx. 3 years.(I go through guitars like people go through shoes)

Ibanez has always been good to me, their support staff is very friendly.

I have been playing for 13 years. I prefer playing through Carvin Legacy Amps and JCM800's. I have a few other guitars: Fender Strat, ESP Mirage, Gibson Les Paul, Schecter Blackjack (that's getting returned today!).
The thing I hate most about this guitar is that Ibanez doesnt make it anymore. I want another one.
My favorite thing about the RG550 is the bridge. The Ibanez Edge Tremolo is hands down the best tremolo out today. I think its much stabler and more comfortable then the Floyd Rose.

1990 Sangria Japanese model with the usual specs. I wont get all technical on my review because everyone has already said what needs to be said in regards to specs .Ok here comes my story lol, I was a professional muscian for about 10 years have had so many guitars and equipment and done so many gigs I got burnt out. Sold all my stuff didnt even keep 1 guitar. Fast foward 6 years later I walk into a pawn shop see a guitar behind a bunch of shitty guitars
wasnt even looking to buy a guitar, but the RG550 caught my eye didnt like the color at the time asked the sales guy to let me see it and then BAM instantly with out even playing I felt the electricity run threw my fingers LMAO Believe or not this RG550 ressurected the guitarist in me and guess what, got it for $190.00 lol

I dont know what people are talking about when they say its only for heavy metal and rock, I was a teenager in the early 80`s when the Heavy Metal Guitar Godz ruled the music scene and those of us who were influenced from that era know how to shred, but this guitar is versatile my tastes in music have chnaged so much from those days and Ive done every kind of gig imaginable I only wish I would of had this guitar back when I played professionaly.

My Action is a little high for an RG and need to get it set up Ive had for about 3 years now but I have no complaints I got is used but I can still shred on it.

The Paint is chipped and cracked in some places, I think whoever owned it before me didnt really take care of it but to me it has character I was thinking about having it repainted but the color is so unique Im gonna leave it as is.

wouldnt know

I would give this guitar 9 1/2 I will admit it doesnt have signature sound like a Fender strat,Les Paul or a PRS but yet its a bit of a chameleon and can be used for alot of different situations. I know own a couple of other Guitars such as a Fender Strat Deluxe and a Fender American strat but the RG550 is the one dearest to my heart and if it got stolen or it got lost I would be devistated. Im definetly gonna get my hands another one I usually play on necks with rosewood fretboards and my rg550 has a maple neck thats the only thing I wish I could change other then that this Guitar is going to the grave with me :)

I've got an Ibanez RG550 which I bought new in 1989. I'm pretty sure its an '89.

I have heavily modified it over time - it still is basswood, is jet black, Indian Rosewood fretboard/maple neck, Floyd Rose which I have blocked with some Brazilian Mahogany so it only goes down (and doesnt $%^& itself when you break a string), I have installed a DiMarzio FRED in the neck pos and a Seymour Duncan SH11 Custom Custom in the bridge which along with the standard single coil I have mounted directly into the basswood body. I have sanded the satin finish off the neck and oil it with lemon oil (like my woflgang).

Im about to create binding on it after seeing this dudes axe at projectguitar.com, by sanding down to the wood.

It came with a custom hardcase which has seen unbeleivable amounts of stuations as it has been giged thousands of times in Melbourne and in London. Its had beer spilt on it, its survived the baggage handlers amazingly (ive had a guitar destroyed by those arseholes), its been knocked over by a drummer, Ive hit cymballs with it, the floyd has been worked so much I broke the whammy bar, the list goes on. The case now understandably is now held together with gaffer tape. I really need to replace it, but as I am now 9-5, married with kids it doesnt really matter.

It suited me for well over 10yrs, now its is enjoying the good life and being rested, hanging in my guitar room.

I use a Marshall JPM1, ART DXR Elite delay, and a Laney Linebacker 100w. The delay is in the effects loop of the jpm which runs directly to the effects return on the laney. This setup rocks. I can dial in almost any era marshall, and the ibanez delivers the goods. The SH11 is great.

I can do a good earthquake on this, look, on this axe you can make any sound you like. It doesnt have a good single coil sound unless you really tweak your amp, so it falls down there, but I really dont care!

Sound is like a slightly suped up vintage distortion and has incredible character.

Perfect now, but requires constant adjustment if floating trem is not blocked

Neck is too thin! It increases fatigue. The board is flat, which is fine but a compound radius 12-18 would have been perfect.

Trem is superb, stays in tune even when abused. No flaws, Ibanez are proud and do it right.

Say no more.

10/10, as I got my replacement whammy in 14days.

Unfortunately for the ibanez its competition is my Peavey Wolfgang EVH Standard, flame maple top, birdseye maple neck, stop tail (i love that bridge). The EVH is one of the best sounding guitars that I have ever heard, bar none. The ibanez holds its own, but the neck irritates me. Its too skinny, I have big hands and it actually tires me out. The evh neck is SUPERB and I will be replacing the neck soon. I am also raidiusing the board (which will be put on the new neck), so really its almost not an ibanez its a simonez :)

24 frets, volume and tone control, 5-way selector for h/s/h (Ibanez v8s passive)
Basswood body, maple neck and finger board, black superstrat body, lo pro edge vibrato system (slight nusiance in this being older model with the pegs behind the fine tuners) with locking nuts . Has all the features i require in a guitar.

Sounds fantastic. Zero noise - first time in a long time. I can get wicked vibrato from this guitar. This neck plays better than any rock guitar I've tried (although only on a par with jems) although of course this is subjective. I play metal and shred a lot, but like the 'feel' and tone of the vol rolled off for raunchy blues stuff. Probably seymour duncan or emgs to replace pickups may improve metal sound slightly (maybe even dimarzios). I also like to jazz up by playing clean with tone control rolled off to 3 or less - sounds lovely although jazzers may despair at the thought!
I practice and teach through a bandit 112 (old model with out the scoop features) - lovely response to transistor distortion. Live i play through a mesa boogie triple rec. Superb sound.

Set up was fine. retuned immediately to Eb and swiched from ernie ball super slinkys to hybrid slinkys. Seems the extra tension of these strings counteracted the overall reducd tension caused by de-tuning and remarkably the intonation remained perfect too. Won't have to set this up for a while!
Lowered middle pickup for picking purposes.
Everything was mint, only needed to lossen tuning pegs a little.

Used twice live. Difficult to judge durability at this stage but am optimistic.

I NEVER use a guitar without back-up. Its a pain keeping two guitars gig ready all the time, but you can guarantee you'll snap a string on the gig you don't!

n/a

This guitar may have been the last brand new Ibanez rg550 on sale in the uk! If anyone now different let me know - it was purchase dec 15 2005. The 1550 is the newer incarnation (I don't like the new metal vol and tone pots on these newer models. In fact i switched back to the old style plastic one on my Jem SB aswell). However it is exactly the same spec otherwise. I believe they don't do a maple fingerboard anymore for 1550s, so I was glad to find this. I'd love to get hold of another and see what they're like scalloped.

I had a try of an RG550 which is currently advertised on Ebay. It is a Black one with a Maple neck WOW, it is the best playing guitar I have ever handled. better than my Jem!!! Trouble is, the guy who is a pro musician with a studio wants about #500 for it, I just cant afford it. If you want a 550 forget the shops buy this one, it's AMAZING.

Cant believe the tone, not a crackle just pure rock.

Perfect set up, has been done by a professional. A proper Pro's guitar

Cannot see this guitar EVER going wrong it is too right, a 1993 without a mark on it!

He has great feedback, I met him and he is solid, he goes under the name malaki, on E-bay he is backingtrax, his website is cool too www.malaki.org

Been playing 20 years, I am a professional, I would buy another one of these if I could find one as good! I have tried a lot of the modern ones, theyare not a patch on this one.

I recently aqquired this RG550 from eBay. It was made in 2001 by the Fugijen factory in Japan.

- Basswood superstrat body with All Access Neck Joint (AANJ)
- 3-piece Japanese Wizard neck
- 25.5" 24-fret maple freboard with jumbo frets
- Sangria finish (dark red, metallic, glossy finish)
- Ibanez Edge trem
- Cosmo black hardware
- H-S-H pickup config, Ibanez V8/S1/V7 (bridge/center/neck)
- 5-way blade pickup selector, 1x volume pot, 1x tone pot)

I guess the features are rather basic. Just a regular superstrat, although the features are a bit more advanced than your average 80's Charvel (OFR bridge, single H pickup). So I'll give it an 8.

I play mostly shred (Racer X, Vai, Cacophony, Satch, Gilbert, Lane, etc etc). The stock pickups aren't bad for shred, I guess, but they aren't particularily good either. The IBZ V8 bridge p/up is very harsh, too much treble, and a bit muddy for my style. The neck pickup is pretty much the same as the bridge pickup, just slightly nasal in comparison, a bit more mid range too. I haven't tested out the center pickup enough to come to conclusions though. I am playing through a Laney GH50L loaded with a JJ/Tesla E34L matched pair, and hi-gain matched 12AX7's. The electronics on the RG550 are very quiet, though, the pots and selector are nice and clean. Swapping the pickups for a DiMarzio ToneZone/BlueVelvet/AirNorton combo helped the sound alot. The tone is still a bit bland though, must be the basswood, which is standard issue on most superstrats. Surely it wouldn'tve cost Ibanez much more to use alder. But that's what you get with a production RG. If you want exotic woods, you'll have to go for a J-Custom.

With the stock pickups, I give it a 6. They are versatile, but aren't to me liking really. With the DiMarzio's, it deserves an 8. With a more toneful body wood, it would get a 9. Although I would never give it a 10, since a floating trem kills off all of the sustain, and chokes the tone. I'll go with the DiMarzio score, and give an 8.

I don't know how the factory setup was like, since I bought this second hand, but I own 2 new Ibanez guitars (an RG1570 and a JEM), both of which had a decent factory setup, it was more than playable. But being a perfectionist I redid the whole setup to get everything just exact.

The setup it had when I recieved it was awful. The pickup height was completely off, and the trem angle was unusable. Plus, the trem posts threads had been stripped. The previous owner probably attempted to set it up himself, without any knowledge and slowly damaged the threads with over tightening. After I sorted out the setup, everything was fine. Plays really well now. The finish had a couple of small chips on the corners, but nothing compared to what I have on my other guitars. The routing was superb. All of the hardware was perfectly mounted too, Ibanez' Fugijen (Japan) made guitars are superb quality (I own 3 guitars from that factory, including the one in question).

With the setup I recieved it in (NOT factory setup) it deserves a 1 here, but with my setup, it deserves a 9. But I'll base my score here on the factory setup of my other 2 Japanese made Ibanez guitars. 8.

The RG550 is pretty durable. It's survived 3 gigs with me now, no problems yet. I put a change of strings on the morning of the gig and stretch them out all day to get them ready. On stage, it never goes out of tune (unless I do something stupid). I have an Ibanez Backstop tremsetter installed anyway, so if I break a string pissing around with the trem, it stays roughly in tune, enough to finish the song. Although, I do worry about chipping the finish, it seems rather thin, but I've yet to chip it, and I've been using it heavily for weeks now. I use it for gigs without a backup, all the time. Even if the bridge goes horribly damaged on stage, I'm a trained tech. I've replaced entire trem units on stage during songs when things have gone wrong with my other guitars.

The thin finish aside, it deserves a 9.

Never dealt with them.

If it weren't a Sangria finish, I probably wouldn't care if it got stolen. Besides, RG550's are for sale 2nd hand all the time. But this finish is quite rare, and the guitar already has some sentimental value. So if somebody stole it, I'd hunt them down and castrate them with a rusty chainsaw and brutally murder them shortly after. Except from a few picky things (the choice of body wood, the stock pickups, the fact that the finish chips easily), it's perfect. I've been playing for over 13 years, own many expensive guitars (Ibanez RG1570, Ibanez JEM "Bad Horsie", Customshop 2003 Jackson USA Soloist, and a few others), yet the RG550 is still my favorite guitar. The neck is frictionless, perfect for shredding. The trem is one of the best availible (it sure beats an original Floyd, and kicks the crap out of the new Edge Pro bridge). And the finish is certainly unique, it's kinda cool. It deserves a 9. With fixes to the above mentioned dislikes, it would easily get a 10.

No idea the year of this one... But it's a Japanese made, 24 jumbo fret, volume, tone, and 5 way controls. The big selling point is the Floyd Rose Trem. That thing never goes out of tune. Once it's set it's set!

Sounds great for metal and soloing if your into the maiden sound! Not bad for clean sounds. A little low end hum, but god knows how old the pick ups are. I'm a third generation owner and the thing still sounds great. You can bend the strings right off the neck if the mood hits you and it comes right back into tune. The floyd rose set up is kinda tricky to set up (took me 2 1/2 hours the first time). I switched out my strings for .009 Fender bullets (they make a VERY clean set up.. just string the bullets through the neck and trim them to length) It helped alot with the hum. I use a Crate amp and a "crap" pedal. The between the 5 way and the amp you can get almost any sound you like without having to pump a whole lot of money.

This thing is nearly bullet proof. I can't lie... This one is my battle guitar. It's probably seen more abuse than I would like to imagine. Lots of scars but is still straight and the controls are tight. In fact I do believe that the volume knob is one of the most sensitive ones I've seen. I can't say enough about the Floyd Rose... Just have to adjust your playing so you don't go sharp if you rest your hand on the bridge.

I can't say enough about this guitar. I don't believe I've seen a more durable guitar. If you could see some of the chips in mine you wouldn't believe how thick that finish is! The oversized strap buttons are very nice. I still suggest locks though. Unless you break a string you can't bust this one. It plays every time! Always in tune. However... If you change your tuning during a show I would suggest taking another one to switch out with. It takes a bit of time to set this up!

I've never had a problem with it and from the looks of the finnish no one else has either!

I've been playing off and on for about 8 years. I got in the Army and moved about 3500 miles away from my others. This is one of my favorites! If it were stolen I would get another RG! I'm kinda looking into the RG2550EGK (it sounds/looks outstanding! I think it's about $1200... If it's as good as this one I'd buy it in a heart beat!). Ive got a Skynnard 30th annaversary Epiphone (low cost Fender, best for clean sounds), a Harmony electric (my first back in '85), Epiphone acoustic (got it from my dad). Nothing shreds solo's like the Ibanez.

Insanely orange(yes, I've shocked a few) with black pickguard, maple neck. You all know the details by now... It has got everything I need.

I play through a Marshall avt50/YJM-308 pedal - setup, and it rocks! It took a while to find the right settings, but now I know how to produce any sound from Zeppelin to Malmsteen, and I mean it. Well, actually I'm limited to the 60's-80's, my setup doesn't sound very modern, but I can get any sound I want. The pickups can be a little noisy sometimes, but that is not that big of a deal. How should I describe the sound? Quite twangy, jangly and funky clean on the middle pickup, jazzy, but not very thick/deep clean on the neck, With full distortion it sounds like... Iron Maiden actually, wich means what, slightly middy?

I've just bought it, but it's over 15 years old, and still, there are no greater flaws. Few chips and scratches have appeared on it, other than that, it hasn't been used that much over the years, so it's a bit of a find. It's in better condition than my 2-year-old Jackson Js30, wich is nice:)

I bet, that with proper maintenance, this guitar will last forever. Apparently, the previous owner's kid had run into it once, and it fell from its stand and all the strings flew of. After hours of inspection, I couldn't tell that something like that had happened.

I have no idea about this.

What can I say... I came, I saw, I fell in love. This guitar is fantastic, and it fits me perfectly. Actually, I like it so much, that I'm no longer interested in any other guitar, no matter what the price is. If it was stolen, I'd kill myself!:D Now this doesn't mean it's a perfect guitar, I just love it. For instance, I might change the pickups someday, probably the middle one first, because it's noisy.

1990 Japanese made model , standard RG550 but with seymour duncan humbuckers, neck+bridge added

great variety of sounds from this guitar, as always dependent on the quality of amp/effects unit your using....i use marshalls and BOSS GT6 effects so no problems for me whatsoever

bought this second hand in 2005 ....15yrs after it was made.... it has been re-fretted, and still no other problems

ive been playing guitar for 17yrs and used to own a RG550 years ago which i foolishly sold due to buying a Les Paul.....nothing wrong with the les paul but after a month i regretted getting shot of the RG550, coz you always need a dive bomb or two when the mood takes you !!

Early nineties, made in Japan. White with black pickguard. V1, V2, and S1 pickups. Edge tremolo. Gotoh tuners. Wizard neck with jumbo frets.

Capable of convincing Metal, Classic Rock, and surprisingly Country sounds. Have thought about upgrading pickups to Dimarzios or Duncans, but I'm afraid I'd lose the nice, ratty distortion that the stock pickups are capable of.

Incredible playability with the jumbo frets. Intonation is more precise over the whole neck than any Fender. Stays in tune forever. The neck does not move.

Bullet proof.

For the money a used RG550 is hard to beat.

1999 USA, 24 FRET, Ibanez design pickups, blah blah.

It's an Ibanez! Full locking, low-profile, Floyd Rose trem system.
Jumbo frets, shallow neck, sounds more like a laser gun than a guitar.

I was given an amazing offer on purchasing the guitar, spend #500 on this guitar-shaped lump of butter and get an Ibanez hard case for only #90. Where's my wallet.

Forget brands and small names which make things better, this isn't a guitar, it's an Ibanez.

It sounds like a laser gun battle when playing lead, using any effect you want because the pickups are super high gain, and there is little resonation to speak of. Less wood means faster playing, and that's why you want one isn't it?
The guitar can make 2 sounds, 2nd rate Satriani lead or scratchy, tinny......deadness.
Guitars are guitars, I know. But good pickups, nice resonance and sustain, and a good solid sound do matter.

Action, as low as you can get it - It's for Satriani and Dream Theatre fans (nothing wrong with a bit of Satch, but you're not him. Stop it.)
Very well made, well put together, but for #500 I want Semour Duncans on there, not Ibanez S8 or whatever they are.
If you don't know how to setup a guitar (action, intonation, truss) don't get one. Ibanez guitars like the RG are expensive hobbies. If you exhale whilst using the Ibanez, the heat from your breath will melt it. Then you'll have to spend a couple of hours re-setting everything and getting rid of the buzzes. If you take it back to the store, they'll take it away, set it up, file down the frets (every time I took it back because I did have time to fix it, they said, "Oh, the frets need filing down.") which will cost up to #30.
I spent more time getting it set up than playing it.
This is what will happen, I guarantee. But of course, action, fit and finish. Perfect.

If you manage to keep the guitar set up with no buzzes, in tune, for more than 2 hours, yes, you can play a gig with it.
You could keep your Ibanez for a hundred years, they are very well made and have excellent parts. They also feature oversized strap pegs so your strap doesn't fall off, causing the guitar to swing to ground and break it's brittle neck.
The paint is very thin. I had to recover a patch on the edge of the guitar where it had rubbed against various cotton shirts.

Ibanez are a very friendly and helpful company (in my opinion). It is very costly to get the guitar repaired if it's not under warranty.
If you have spent a lot of money on the guitar, when you come to ask for spare parts they'll send them for free (even a tuning head!) or at least, they did when I sent for them.

I bought this guitar as a young, foolish, lead guitarist.
Ibanez do make great guitars, but this isn't one of them. I have an Ibanez Performance Nylon strung electro-acoustic classical guitar which is beautiful, and I've just got rid of an Ibanez Artist (I regret) which was one piece, solid mahogany, vintage semour duncan humbuckers, fantastic chunky tuning heads, great sustain, solid as a house (a really good house), sounded amazing. I want it back. Buy one like that, not a Vai looking super guitar. You'll regret it.
Hey, I almost forgot the best part! The guitar comes with a little booklet showing you how to adjust your guitar (if you're learning from the booklet, you can't do it, don't do it) and a couple of Allen Keys, but if you use them and try and do it yourself (as instructed) they'll try as hard as they can to void your warranty. I had to get a fucking letter from Ibanez before the store would touch it....again.

yr2000 made in japan.
24 Frets
it has a volume and tone knob, and a 5 way pickup selector
H/S/H pickup config
Ibanez S1 single coil and V7 and V8 Humbuckers
Ibanez edge trem bridge
its got a maple neck and fingerboard
basswood body.

this guitar sounds great, especially clean, overdrive is pretty good too, just a tad muddy, im thinking of replacing the stock bridge pickup with a dimarzio
I love basically everything about the sounds (I generally use a clean tone)
Its got a great variety of sounds, due to the pickup config.

the finish seems to be tough and durable, ive hit it against stuff by accident and it seems to still stay in perfect shape.
pickups were adjusted great when I got it, no need to change the position
everything seemed in perfect condition, and no need for adjustment.

This guitar is very tough so i think it would
the hardware, if treated correctly would last.
the finish is great, nice and thick
the strap buttons are one of the many high points on this guitar, they're really big in circumference so your strap stays on really well.
I could depend on it
I would use a backup definately, regardless of what guitar I used.

Never dealt with ibanez

Great guitar for rock/heavy rock, if it were stolen id get the police to find that moron and get it back.
It compares well up to my fender deluxe plus telecaster usa , just lacks a little on the overdrive front.
I wish it had a non-locking bridge, which I am going to get.
Great guitar.

I have a black left handed Ibanez 550 custom. Originally bought as Ibanez RG560 in 1991 in London. I had it customised with a humbucker in the neck position and a scratchplate built, so I believe it qualifies. It may well be one of the first batch shipped over to the UK. It's pretty much perfect as a rock guitar and has served me extremely well over the years. Sure the pickups aren't as responsive as Evolutions, but they're very powerful and produce that unmistakable Jem-like sound. Nothing has ever stopped working.. the Floyd Rose licenced whammy has never lost pitch.
My only reservation with these guitars is that they're so closely associated with Steve Vai (which was the idea at the time!) that they take something away from your own presence on stage.
Nowadays there's far more choice if you want a precision built rock guitar, but the 550's hold their own with some of the best mid price axes out there.
But if money was no object, you might want an Ernie Ball MusicMan, or one of todays Fender Delux Strats. I think the 550 is a young man's instrument. I'm 34 mow and since I bought my Delux Strat in 2003, I hardly play my 550. Nevertheless, it's a fine instrument and I cherish it.

Bought 2nd hand so I cannae be sure how old it is, though the guy who sold it to me said he'd had it about 10 years from new. Everything standard, Floyd Rose Tremelo, locking nut, etc. Body and headstock in royal blue and in good order - no scratches apart from a couple of knocks around the cutaway underneath, nothing off putting unless it's going to be decorative instead of fun. Maple neck with interesting grain patterns. Given 8 'cos I don't really use the tremelo too much, though everything else is superb.

Sounds great. Bright and crisp through bridge pickup, can thrash the hell out of it without losing any sound clarity. Lovely soft tones through the other pickups Good bluesey stomp with the tone and volume low through the neck pickup.

When bought it hadn't seen any attention for ages (from the look and feel of it) and the bridge had jacked itself up too high. After I'd changed the strings, used a little fast-fret and set the tremelo springs up it felt very comfortable. I also have a Fender Tele and the action is as good. The finish is excellent apart from the previously mentioned blemishes. Tuning stability is good and when I do use the wammy bar (not too often and only to piss off the missus) it holds its tune well. In fact I last tuned it 2 weeks ago and I play it every day, so not bad.

Never been gigged but it've never had to retune whilst playing it, even when practicing string bendy solo's for ages. The pickup selector was a bit unpredictable when set to the bridge pickup but some cleaning soon sorted that out.

Never had anything to do with them.

Been playing 8 yours and this is the best guitar I've played. I've also got the tele and an Ibanez SA160. They're both quality guitars too but this one for the age, price and quility is wicked. If stolen I'd consider getting another, though as I don't use the trem I might use the insurance money for that Epiphone Les Paul Standard I've had my eye on. Maybe that's just greedy?

Mine is from 1987-1988 production, made in japan. has a basswood body, V1(NECK) , S1 (MIDDLE) AND V2 *BRIDGE) PUP. IBANEZ EDGE BRIDGE, Orange finish (the original finish is PINK but it had changed onto orange ), Black hardware (GOTOH TUNER) and pickguard, matching painted headtsock. wizard neck (17mm). because i got it only spend 100USD then i give "10" to this rating =))

the souhd i heard from this guitar is more warm than the usual RG because maybe its maple fretboard or the V1-V2 PUP. i dunno exactly. and i've allready changed the pickup with seymour duncan distortion neck-bridge (SH6-TB6) . the sound is still warm but more muscular especially in mid and more bass.

i did some re-action to match it with my hand and playing. then the guitar is very comfortable. low action and still no buzzing.

i think the ibanez RG (esp. japan RG) is the very reliable guitar. 17years after used it still looks very "gentleman" and more "mature" because of its age . =))

my country has an ibanez distributor, but i think that ibanez costumer service is OK. very friendly with the costumer :)

i've benn playing guitar for almost 10years. i had a fender 70's strat which i already changed the pickup with seymour hotrails and dimarzio chopper.
my suggests for u all :
if u want the very comfortable guitar for playing shred, just buy IBANEZ RG-JAPAN

Rosewood fingeboard, maple neck, 24 fret, basswood body. Strat-ish.
All black finish, exept for neck (natural)
Floyd-Rose licenced trem.
97' Japan model.
Pickups as fitted, V7,S1,V8, neck-to-bridge, (for now).
5 way selector switch.
Came complete with new alligator hardcase and hex keys.
Only one volume ant tone control. For me this limits it's usefullness.

I use it for metal, rock, and plenty loud with distortion. Use thru pod at home, and pod/marshall gigs, with Digitec multi-fx.

The bridge pickup is a bit muddy and undefined at the low end, sort of 'wooly', and lacks real sparkle at the top end. You can't really use this for drop tunings, it sounds a bit too floppy. Palm muting is tricky, and not terribly satisfactory. Probably the V8 is not the best match for the basswood body. Which is a shame, cos' it looks like you should be playing it like that. I am hoping that putting an Di-Marzio Evoloution in the bridge will tighten this up.
The other pups are not too bad, and you can get quite a reasonable range of sounds, but as with the bridge pup, used clean they lack charachter, and with lots of distortion they 'muddy-up' a bit. But I don't use the other pups much anyhow, maybe I would if they were nicer. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that they are terrible, just not really quite there.
Having said all that, they are very quiet. Even with a lot of gain, the only noticable hum I get is when using the middle single coil pup, which is kind of expected. I think that the way the pickup swithing is arranged, for the 'mixed' switch positions (2 & 4) uses a single coil out of one of the humbuckers in a hum-bucking arrangement with the single coil, so not much hum there either. When using the bridge or neck pup I really have to get very close to hum sources before it gets nasty. It's a pity that the sound of the pups lets it down a bit.

Dunno about factory setup I bought it second-hand, but it was in very good nick when I got it. In fact it still had the plastic peel-off film on the scratchplate. (Mind you even with the case 'thrown-in', at the asking price, it would have to be pretty near perfect.)
I certainly can't say that I could find any obvious flaws at the time, and still haven't spotted any in two years. The action is as low as I can get it allowing for tremelo travel, and I get no annoying fret buzz, anywhere. The frets appear to be very well 'dressed', smooth and even all the way.
If that's the way they all leave the factory, then I have to say very good indeed good. I'd give it 10 if it was a fancy figured lump of wood, but it's jus plain black. (Shiny tho')


Overall I think the build quality is very good, only it's let down by that pesky trem.

Depends what you do with it. Drop it on its head, you willprobably crack the neck. That will happen with all wooden necked guitars.

Maybe the previous owner did'nt play it much, I don't know, but I still can't find any chips or scratches in the finish after playing it nearly every day for two years now. (And I do wear a buckle on my belt!)

The rosewood fingerboard might suffer a bit if you continually drip sweat all over it, but if you look after it, I can't see any particular problem there.
The finish seems to be tough enough. Like I said I can't see any marks on it, although right now it could probably do with a good polish.
The strap buttons are bigger than most. In fact I have had to cut extra slack into the leather of the new strap I got before I could get it on. Even now it can be hard work getting it on and off. I don't see that it is going to fall off in a hurry.
I would use it without a backup if a had to, but because of the floating trem, I would make sure I put new strings on it first. otherwise, I don't think it is likley to break under normal gigging conditions.

Never tried. I have had to replace the trem arm bushes a couple of times, but I can get those at my local music shop. (GAK in Brighton.) (The bushes I mean, make your own mind up about the shop.)
I got this guitar second hand from a shop in Crawley, so I only got the shops guarantee.

I've been playing for some 20 years or so now, and have owned quite a bit of stuff in that time and, this is one of the better guitars I have owned, or used in that time. Currently I have a Gibson Nighthawk, and a couple of Fenders, but I have in the past owned a couple of Les Pauls (not at the same time), the last one of which got stolen, and some other stuff (Rickenbacker, Sheregold etc.)

I dont like the snap-in trem-arm. It sits in a plastic socket, and after a short period of use becomes very slack. This is after renewing the little plastic bushes twice. I like the trem to stay where I left it, not swinging about. What's more, this makes it 'knock' when you waggle it, or gargle the trem, which at high gains is quite audible. I have resorted do wrapping a couple of turns of dental floss under the bushes to keep them snug. I would have preferred a locknut on the trem to alow this to be adjusted.

Also I would have liked more knobs to fiddle with, it would be useful to be able to set the level of the two 'buckers separatley.

I think the pickups let also lety it down a bit. Now that's really a matter of taste, someone else may think that they really rock. But I find that they don't have enough 'character' to use clean, and haven't got the tight 'punchiness' to use heavily overdriven. They're not quite one thing nor t'other. They're not the hottest pickup I've come accross either. (But what the hey, just turn the gain up!) On a different guitar they might just decide what they want to be, but not this one. I am going to try fitting an 'Evo' into the bridge position to see what happens, just as soon as they can get me a purple one. (Hey, it needs something to set-off all that black!) I think that one of these might do the rest of the instrument justice, we shall see. If it does, then the neck pup might get changed-out too.

I would be tempted to give this an overall 7 the price tho, and given the exellent condition, setup, and finish (Ok shiny black isn't particularily hard.)I will go that one more than that.

Well,this guitar was made in Japan.Has 24 frets(Jumbo frets)
It has a volume and a tone and a 5-way selector.pickups r cool: H/S/H they are Ibanez V8/S1/V7 passive pickups
Body is made of Basswood.Dont know what the neck is made of!!
It is a Start.The bridg rocks i:its a liscenced Floyd Rose bridge.
I got this guitar used and it came with a case.

I play thrash and Death metal.This guitar is good for these styles but not the best!I dont have an amp but I use it with a Zoom 707 II.
The guitar aint noisy in fact I use it with lots of gain and boost and has no noise!The sound of Ibanez is a uniqe sound especially the Rg series because they are very versatile.somewhat rich but not very bright.It gives a good palm mute(not a great one because I like Jackson more!)But generallt i like the sound.

My guitar was a used one and didnt have any problems!

The hardware seems everlasting!The finish is good and lasting.The general thing is good but I wont use it with a gigbag!!

didnt have trouble!

I have been playing for 3 years and I owned an awfully stupid guitar.But if this one is stolen I would definitly go for a Jackson or ESP.I love the bridge it really rocks.I compared this to a Jackson Rhandy Roads and Rg370.The Jackson whad great pickups but 22 frets and Rg370 simply SUX!I wish it had EMG or Seymour Duncan pickups.

I have two of these guitars. You know all of the features. The two things that make this guitar THE SHIT are the maple Wizard neck and Edge trem. The first one is a 1989 Desert Sun Neon Yellow, the second is a 1990 in off white. Both are identical except for the pickups. Both have 100% stock pickups, but the 1989 550 has slightly different text printed on the pickups. The '89 reads IBZ V2, IBZ v1 and IBZ S1. The 1990 doesn't have the "IBZ" on them, just V1, V2 and S1. That's the only difference. I'm sure they just did this to mark the change over to a new decade in 1990. They're still the same pickups, just with a newer look. These pickups aren't the greatest, but they're fine if you're playing through a lot of effects. I'm purposely keeping everything stock on both of these. These were considered decent pickups back in the day, and I'm sure quite a few good shred guitar records were recorded with this guitar back then, stock pickups and all. I have EMG'S and Dimarzios on my other guitars. I want these 550's to remain completely un-fucked-with 100%. They were both made 15 years ago, and they still destroy all of the shit that's on the market today. I'm keeping them "frozen in time" so to speak.

Like I said, the stock pickups are still on both. I would compare the sound of these original pickups to today's "Duncan Designed" pickups. They're both in the same boat. They won't blow your mind with the greatest sounds on Earth, but they're definitely not total shit. I only play these 550's at home in the practice room, I currently use an ESP LTD Horizon with an EMG 81 with my metal band Enforsaken (www.Enforsaken.com shameless plug :),at home I play the 550's through an old Crate practice amp and a Boss ME 30 processor. Sounds good too me. I don't gig with the 550's, so I can definitely live with the sounds I get out of the stock pickups. After 15 years, the electronics/pots etc are still tip top. No scratching, dropouts, excessive noise etc. Compare that to the crappy out of the box "made in India" Jackson's you'll find in the stores today. They're fucked before you even get them home. If you want to define crappy stock pickups, get a new mid price model BC Rich or Jackson. Schecter too. Some use the Duncan Designed, but the ones with "BC RICH" Or "JACKSON" stamped on them are PURE SHIT. 2 conductor cheapness. The stock rg550 pu's are much better. I heard they're based on Dimarzio's anyways, so I'm cool with them.

My Yellow one is a little beat up, so I will base this review on my white 1990 model. The action is super low. Nothing compares to the nect on these guitars. Beautiful. It's got 11-49 guage strings on it, tuned to E flat. Very little fret buzz. The action is ultra low. Ridiculously low, actually. That's the only way the action should be on these. Having High or medium action on these defeats the purpose of this guitar. If you don't know how to properly set up a guitar yourself, try to find an experienced guitar repair shop that will set it up for you. You'll be happy you did. Both of these are used, i'm not the original owner. All of the hardware/electronics has held up just fine over the years. Well built in every way....except the paint. I do agree with the people that say it chips easy. Very thin coat on both. Not really Ibanez's fault...I'm the one who scraped up against a wall with it. It wouldn't of chipped off by iteself.

Solid as hell when set up correctly. I would play them live without a backup any day. I never play live with a backup anyway. Always fly by the seat of my pants. I just make sure to have new strings on my guitar before a live show. Haven't ever had a problem. Too lazy to be carrying around tons of guitars becuase I'm insecure of my main guitar. That's no way to live. ;-) If you break a string playing a Creed cover at the same dive bar you've been playing for the past 10 years, maybe it's a sign? Maybe you should take that broken string and just hang yourself with it. Haha!

Never had the need.

I can honestly say that I HAVE HAD THIS GUITAR STOLEN. I got a Desert yellow 550 off a friend in 1999 or 2000. I was trying to get him to sell it since 1995. He wouldn't do it...until he was broke one day. I can't remember what I paid or traded him for it, but I was happier than a pig in shit the day I finally got it from him. The first thing I did was take all of the hardware and neck off to repaint it. I was repainting it in a locked storage room at my dad's apartment complex. I would go in, put a coat on. then come back in 15 minutes tops. I always kept an eye on the door to make sure nobody went in and stole it. I went into my dad's apartment (25 feet away from the storage room) to take a leak before the 4th coat of paint was applied. Upon my return to the storage room, I found that my fucking RG 550 body was long gone. I was gone for two fucking minutes. I know who did it, but was never able to prove it. This was a locked storage room that nobody could get into without a key. Nobody ever went in there. A perfect place for a painting project if you live in an apartment. FUCK WAS I PISSED! I tried to get that guitar off my friend for 5 years, then not two days after I get it it's gone. I eneded up selling the neck and edge trem on ebay...So anyways, since that day I haven't had a 550. I've recently bought two new ones. I missed the low action, even though I'm not a fan of Floyd Rose's. One in desert yellow just like the one that was stolen, and a super mint white one. these two aren't leaving the house. They won't be stolen this time. I'm older and a little wiser than I used to be. Smart enough not to leave a guitar out in a storage room even for 1 minute unattended. Shit, I probably would have stolen it too back then myself. This guitar is worth the jail time.

I've got a laste eighties model(Japanese), left handed... I'm not sure what colour it used to be, but someone refinished it and did a horrible job, so it will soon be purple. the pickboard is black. I have to say the thign looks horrible, but that is due to the previous owner, so I'm not going to dock anything for it. The action was great!!

I've only got one of the original pickups in it, the Ibanez V1 right underneath the neck. I've got a fender single coil and an emg to fill in the other spaces. The EMG is greta for distortion, and the V1 plays great for clean, So I'm really happy with the sound.

Wow. when I first bought the instrument, it had first come into the store and one of the pickups didn't work. I brought it back and the owner of the shop put a new one in for me (the EMG) and replaced the singlecoil too, since that was apparently also not working. The action is fantastic, And everything else on it is good except one of the knobs fell off:)

Hah. If it lasted through the last person that owned it, it will ast through anything.

I <3 this guitar, my other one was bought new and I'm fairly afraid to bump it, so its nice to have one that I can smash up without being scared of hurting. Awesome guitar overall, I'm glad to have it :)

A fine 24 fretted instrument with 2 v7 v8 humbucker pickups and a s1 single coil. Flyod rose licencd trem. The cream fret board is an excellent touch which screams class and dignity.

A fine sounding instrument but lacks slightly when playing in a heavily distorted effect, best sound is acheived when played clean.

When i bought my guitar the tremlo was set slightly to high, this was easily ajusted by resetting the springs at the back.

This guitar can take quite a beating but the springs have a tendancecy to release the strings when the tremlo is being used excessivly but lets face it we cant all play like Steve Vai and those of us who can are more likely to own Ibanez Jems.

I have been playing guitar for four years and have found that the RG550 suits all my needs, my overall rating is 8 out of 10 due to the lack of quailty in distorted sound and the set up of the springs. A fine crafted instrument which will suit anyones needs.

I am the original owner of a 1990 white RG 550. The previous reviews have beat the specs up so we'll skip that. This was the first guitar I Purchased new. Being a beginning player, I didn't have a huge backlog of cash. I sat at the House of Guitars in Rochester, and must have played 25-30 guitars of all different makes and models. Many over $1000 dollars, out of my range. When I first felt the neck on this guitar, I had come home. I bought it the next week. One down side of any floating bridge guitar is changing string guage or tunings is a half day job.

The basswood bodies on these guitars sound big and warm without being mushy. The stock pickups, well that's another story. I upgraded to DiMarzio Evolutions, as soon as they came out, and the volume and sustain I get out of this axe is great. This guitar run the gamut from metal, to blues, to reggae, and responds well to all.

The guitar played great right out of the box, and stays in tune with very little tweaking. The neck on this guitar is what made me an Ibanez player from word one. It's fast, narrow smooth, and I love the unfinished maple fretboard, it's just silky for doing big in tune bends. The finish WAS flawless (it's got some mileage on it now).

13 of beating the piss out of this axe has not taken it's toll on the sonic end of it. It plays and souds as good, or better than it ever has. The knife edge pickup select tends to break knobs occasionally and needs to be cleaned frequently, but then I have that same problem with my Jems. Currently I string it with 11s, and use it for my half step down guitar (SRV, Aice in Chains, VH, etc.) and it sounds fat with the bigger guage strings, great sustain.

N/A I've never had a problem with this axe. I bring it in for an annual setup/checkup, and that's it.

13 years down the road and 4 guitars later ( RG470(Traded) Jem7VWH, UV7BK, Gothic Explorer) this guitar fits like an old pair of shoes you don't want to get rid of. I thought about upgrading to another Jem, but didn't want to get rid of the RG. So instead, I am shipping the old girl to Herc Fede for a facelift. The swirl paint job will hide years of abuse at my hands, and I will keep this guitar for a long time.

My axe of choice is a purple neon RG550 with a maple neck.A friend of mine picked it up at an auction for R600.00(South African currency).He swopped it with me for an acoustic(sucker).It has a maple fretboard, no skunk stripe and outfitted with standard h/s/h v7-v8 pickups.The neck joint is angled, pre all access design, thinner at the high "e".Made in Japan and doesn't have the RG logo on the headstock.Trem system is definitley "lo-pro edge" as i've owned a Jem.Purchased in ibanez case with all tools included.

I play in cover bands and the sound is tops. In a midi based band I use a Roland GP-100 and with a live band a Marshall V200 combo.My favourite clean tone is definitely the front humbucker and most rock tones come off the rear humbucker.

Well it's all been said before but the playability of this guitar is stunning.I had to set it up myself but when I got it I could not get it to feel good until I noticed that it had a factory installed shim under the lock nut. Once removed the "beast" softened up nicely.I find that the distace between the fretboard and bottom of the string at the nut should not exceed 1.4mm, if it does the guitar will never function at it's full potential.

This guitar is well up to gigging conditions but just look after it, nothings gonna last if you drag it to gigs behind the van. The "pots" are still very smooth. My only complaint is the wearing out of the chrome on the "e,a & d" bridge saddles.

Would like to replace the saddles and knife edges at some stage,but no-one seems to be able to assist me.

I've been playing for 15 years and this guitar does not take second place to either my E series American Strat or my Ibanez S1670FM Prestige except for the new ZR trem on the Prestige.

What could i say that hasnt been said before, you all know the features to this bad boy! I have a Ibanez RG550 Lake Placid Blue with a blue mirror pickguard and this thing is a monster. The only thing is the stock Vintage pus are a little weak but not enough for me to replace them.

Its night and day really, I was playing a tele for regular tuning and this thing ate its shit and soared over the fender. Like i stated before the stock pus allow a lot of sounds, but it lacks a little presence. But this guitar doesnt have any extra humming or anyting. Real quiet guitar

I have played a Gibson Les Paul Studio guitar, and in my opinion this thing kicks its ass if you know how to set the action. The edge trem gets down and dirty. The only thing i see in these guitars is that almost all of them begin a crack in the body where the neck bolts on. Yes, all of you check your guitars and stop that crack. But the finish on this guitar (if taken care of) is rock solid and very tight.

I ve been having problems with the bottom strap button. but other than that these guitars could take care of you. I m finally buying another back up now. its another Rg550!!

too old!!!

Final note: if you want an awesome guitar for your money, but an rg550 and nothing else, look at the prices, they sell cheap and these guitars use to sell for 700.00!!

Best guitar ive played , no contest. With a few mods... this guitar could be the best on the planet!!

1997 RG550BK,You all know the specs....Original pickups V8,S1,V7...Black finish,Original Edge Tremolo, Cosmic Or Cosmo black or smoke finish, what ever they were calling it back then...All acess neck joint Super Wizard neck with Bubinga reinforcement.Cam with Aftermarket Hardshell case that weighs a ton empty..and a $4.99 ErnieBall strap...HOw decadent...LOL

Works for the music I playe, Rock, to Metal, with influences of Jazz, blues and Clasiical...Works well with My Boss ME33 wich between the pickup selection and the FX I can get any sound (within reason...Still love the Edge, but I really love the LOPro edge on my RG 570...The 550 will get one of those soon ....

Guitar was used, and "Posed" with as far as I can tell, the frets and the neck are like new, seemes the previous owner was a open tuning I dont want to learn to ACTAULLY play type of guitarist...Its apparent that the guitar was assembled properly from Ibanez, OS thats not an issue...This was however teh period of time taht I beliee Ibanez got cehap on their paint jobs and the paint has not fared very well, lots of nicks and scuff all of which do not effect the payablitiy of the guitar at all...Bad paint give mes the excuse to get it painted in the color I want anyhoo..LOLTypical Bubbling of the Tremolo, PU selector works perfect, and guitar guts are quiet..

The guitar will withstand just about any abuse dished out to it, thats what most Ibanez RGs are known and loved for, besideds the good looks and grat sound..Hardware has many years of use left..Finish is rough, but Has no bearing on the sound or the play of it..Strap buttons are in original place, and are tight..DEPENDABLE AS ALL $%%$ (well you know)I NEVER GIG with out a back up...To do so is asking for a red face of humiliation...Now DO I thin the guitar would perfom and not leve me high and dry, YES...But there must always be a back up , even during Studio time, You gots to have reinforcements...LOL

Never needed them, but Im sure they would do what they need to if ya have a new or still waranteed instrument...

Playing since 1985.Knew waht I was buying , no questions asked..Would always rather replace and Ibanez WITH an Ibanez...NO comparison needed..Previous Ibanez RG ownership...Favorite features of the Ibanez..The Ibanez Edge and LoPro edge..Best tremolo setup EVER MADE!!!!!

Hello, I think we all know the main features here from great trem to wizard neck etc.My main one is a 92 model purchased from the music store I worked at.I have owned many right from the start of their production.Japan of course. The others are no better or worse than other off shore models.

As far as tone goes the original pickups in my opinion will cause high end hearing damage.Sorry guys.However if you spend some money on Duncans or EMGs you will be more than happy with this instrument.There is no question if you set this guitar up correctly it smokes most others for playability.It's hard enough being proficient without fighting the damn guitar.I can play all night without experiencing fatigue.By the way I am a touring musician see..thejdproject.com...so I have put these guitars through their paces.I play Jazz/funk/fusion and work with some heavy cats.This is not to brag but to lend some legitimacy to this review. note(6) is prior to changing out the pickups.

This guitar is now famous for it's low action and playability see:Satriani, Gambale, and Vai etc. My two main 550's are canary yellow believe it or not.My jazz buddies think I am nuts but it has become somewhat of a trademark.If they don't remember me they certainly do the guitar.Only major complaint...high fret access is hampered by the neck joint. They have since solved this but I like the old ones.

These guitars are bullet proof.From stupid me letting people use it on jam nights in the past to broken stands and clumsey roadies they are still ticking so to speak.Local gigs are gig bags and planes are road cases and they have withstood both modes. (excuse the spelling here and there as I skipped that class for guitar practice)I just played a huge outdoor festival in Michigan as a headliner and used only the yellow beast all night. Quick story....when these instruments first hit the market I sold them.I bought one right away after years of out of tune trems struggling. Once I became really good at setting them up I used to hand them to the customer while holding only the trem system bar.(don't try this at home,the bar is a pull out)The customers could not believe this guitar would play in tune right after this display of seemingly disrespect.Anything for a sale huh lol.

When I was in retail I had no major problems with the Canadian distributer. They were great. As a player I have never had a issue come up so I can't really speak to that one.

Overall this is the ultimate workhorse guitar for me.

Everybody knows the specs on this guitar by now, for Gods'sake; it's been in the lineup for years now! The only diffrence between this model( a 2002 ) and the original ones from the 80's is the "All-Access" neck joint, and bubinga reinforcement in the neck itself.
Everytime I look at this guitar I get a woody, and I haven't even done any mods on it yet! Seriously; it's the best-looking RG Ibanez makes! I love the maple fretboard; maple just feels better to my fingers than rosewood. I also seriously dig the pickguard because I'm SOMEWHAT a traditionalist when it comes to instruments. Plus; you can swap out guards and make a custom look for your Axe with only a few dollars investment!

Acoustically, the sound is great; it resonates in your hands and fingers as you strum. God, there is a MAJOR diffrence in quality between the guitars Ibanez makes in Korea and the ones that are made in Japan! I will NEVER own another Korean-made Ibz again; I'm spolied now!
Of course; the stock pickups completely suck, but that is just normal fare for Ibanez unfortunately. I use EMG's exclusively now, and I believe my usual setup will work great in this guitar.

Even from MUSIC 123, the guitar arrived set-up good, and the intonation was spot-on. THAT is a MAJOR testament to the quality of Ibanez guitars. I made a string-height adjustment, set the trem even, and I was ready to jam!
Everybody knows that the EDGE Trem is just "The SHIT" when it comes to locking-trem systems, so I won't go on and on about how cool it is; you already know!
The pots are smooth and have no audible "gritch" in them, so that's cool. You can just tell that this guitar was put together really well, and the paint job is superb( Glossy Black! ).
Fretwork is tight as well with no rough edges. Maple neck feels like Buttah'!

It feels solid as a rock, and I've seen a TON of old 550's that are still in service to this day. A lot of touring guitarists swear by the RG, so I think it's safe to say that this guitar will stand up to just about anything that's thrown at it.
NEVER gig without a backup kiddies( jeesh, why was THAT question included? )!

I've owned a couple of other Ibanez guitars before this, and I never HAD a reason to deal with customer support. If I need something done though, I go see my local tech( he kicks ass!!! ).

I've played and owned too damn many guitars! I finally figured out what works for me( thank God ), and this guitar fulfills the requirement in spades. Once I replace the pups and do a few minor mods, this will be my main guitar.
By the way, you simply cannot beat this guitars' Price/Performance ratio; ther's just nothing else that comes close.
FINAL NOTE:
The regular RG 550 has been retired from the Ibanez line and has been replaced with the RG 1550. It's basically the same guitar, but with a "Prestige" neck. It's still a bargain though. You can get one new for about $470.00 to $500.00 depending upon the dealer/whosaler.
I plan on making my 2001 "S" series stock again and trading it in for the Prestige 1550; I'll be GLAD to see that Korean P.O.S. go!!!
LOL!!!!!!!!

I must review my baby here. I have an ORIGINAL, 1987 Desert Yellow RG550 with a Maple Fretboard. That's old enough that the v7/v8 pickups don't have v7/v8 on them... (of course, they are long gone, replaced with DiMarzio Tone Zone and PAF pro). This guitar is 16 years old and plays just like always. Original Edge Tremolo, same black chrome gotoh tuners, angled neck joint, not rounded...
I picked it up at Starving Musician in San Jose about six years ago, and it has been my main guitar ever since. At the time it was the best bang-for-the-buck guitar around. EVERYONE has imitated it, but none have stood the test of time FEnder HM Strat, Yamaha Pacifica, Charvel and Jackson korean and jap models galore, Fenders Heartfields - man, talk about your knock-offs... Anyway... It's the "poor-man's JEM, and yet it's so much more!

I'm 34 - grew up in the age of shred: Vinnie Moore, John Petrucci, Vai, Satriani, and most cool metal bands are my still my line of work... The original pickups are okay for garage rockers and woodshedders, but Ibanez clearly means for the gigging/recording musician to replace the pickups (Tone Zone/PAF Pro are mine on both m RG's -I have a new RG1550, too.
With stock pickups, I give it about 6 or 7 for sound... with replacements of your taste, it rates a big fat 10... it even gets a decent clean tone at the neck pickup... Since the world clearly understands that RG needs pickups on purchase day, I will rate it a 10 for sound because every 550 fanatic has their own...

It played really nicely at Musicians Friend - unscratched with a a little oxidation on the back of the neck plate. Neck and frets were fine - 6100 gauge jumbos, not the 6105 medium jumbos like my 1550...
The Wizard neck is THE neck... Fast, furious and comfortable.
Who cares about set-up? we all do it our own way - I use Ernie Ball .008's and a pretty darned low action. Everybody who plays my 550 (and my 1550 now) fall in love...
The stock pickguard is gone - in its place, a PEARL GREEN Chandler replacement ($36 I think I paid for it.)The maple fretboard is all dark and stained from years of playing it (that's how it's supposed to look......)
My pick up coils are colored gre-yellow-green-yellow-green from brdige to neck, and I have yellow strat numbered knobs and a yellow thingy for the selector switch. It looks... well... beautiful... custom... sweeeet.....

1987-2003... Enough said. Plenty of live music....

Who Knows? Don't need it.

In my 20th year of playing - I'm 34 - I have owned tons of expensive guitars - Kramer Pacer Imperial, Stagemaster, ESP Mirage Custom, Fender Strat, a Peavey Vandenberg Neck thru - I loved all of them very much - but NONE comes close to my RG550(s). I plan to pick up another used one - in hot pink when I see it - and one in that cool lavender metallic, and a green one with the mirror pickguard - all w/ maple fretboards, of course - oh, and a white one w/ black pickguard to offset my 1550 with the custom white chandler pickguard, and a metallic blue one with white pickguard, and with a black pickguard, and with... and with... and with... but THIS 550 will always be my BABY.... The only guitar I ever need again is an Ibanez RG550 - I hate to be so ga-ga over an instrument, but Ibanez has something special with this model - that's why it's endured for 17 years virtually unchanged.
I wouldn't sell this Ibanez - not een for $2000 - not even for $3000 - it is BEYOND VALUE - A PRICELESS guitar. -----word.

2000 model, black, basswood body, maple fretboard, 24 jumbo frets, ibanez v7 v8 s1 pickups, Ibanez edge tremolo, super thin neck profile and gotoh tuners (not great but it's a locking tremolo so it doesn't really matter you only use them when restringing). Pretty much your standard super strat style made in Japan.

Iv'e had this guitar for 3 years bought it from my friends music store so got #50 knocked off the retail of #600 and got a cheap hardcase a strap and some cables thrown plus free setups for life. Iv'e playeds this guitar through many amps. A laney TF700, Marshall AVT 150H, Marsahll DSL 100 and a Marshall Mode Four Head. I had same trouble though slightly muddy tone on all pickup selections and I couldn't dial it out using the amps controls. I recently rectified the problem by putting a Duncan TB4 in the bridge position I can now cut through any mix. I don't really use the other pickup positions in my band but I use the neck pickup when playing bits of jazz at home it sounds great clean. Before the pickup change I give it a 7 now I give it a 9 (no guitar gets a ten)

Japenese made so amazing quality. It's getting a bit beaten up now though but it has held up extremely well.

I trust it. The finish has a few chips in it but this guitar has been dropped many times and still keeps going. I Have plaet waves locking straps to all my guitars for safety though.

never dealt with them

Iv'e been playing nearly nine years and have owned alot of gear. The RG is my main guitar I also have a schecter C1 which I gave to my Fiance but still borrow as a backup and a Gibson SG special which I am in the process of fixing up.

1989 aquamarine/maple, you know the rest, 24 frets, the full meal deal

rapes any guitar

fantastic...only a fool will say this guitar can't play EVERYTHING...how can anyone dislike this thing?

setup is perfect from factory, as always with this model...flawless...but really who cares about all that, it's an RG550 after all...this is the greatest guitar of all time, period

as solid as the day I bought it. As with any guitar, if you are careless and smash it into a doorway it will get dented, if you drop it something might break, but even then you hear so many times how solid the crasftmanship is, and that's just a fact regardless, but you will really want to baby a beauty like this...just plug it in and it's earth-shattering perfection time and time again

never had to even try, that's why I give a 10, it's such a good product there will never be a need for customer support

I got this sublime creation 12 years ago, played for a few years without ever getting serious about it, then didn't play for ages, and started dabbling again in late 90's without any passion, then quit till early 2002, and now pretty much full-fledged again. This guitar will run circles around absolutely anything else you will ever find in your life. Checking out new guitars in shops make you realize what utter shit anything else is...everything else is just a slop twang module by comparison...don't waste your time.

This thing won't get stolen, I'm not showing it to anyone, taking it anywhere. It's my greatest possesion to say the least. There's nothing to hate about it unless you can't shred and are jealous of those who can, this is the one and only choice if you can really play. My first and last guitar, I don't need another one, but I might get another RG550, or another classical guitar, but I don't need to get anything else really.

it rips...the only limitation that concerns this piece of perfect machinery is your ability to unleash whatever you may upon it...it will take anything, and beg for more...feed it, it's hungry...and I have gone over a year numerous times without changing strings...I don't pick hard, I barely skim the string, my picks never ever wear down, so my strings don't either unless I bend too far on a high fret, but otherwise it's smoother than fuck 24/7, the ultimate conception...

White body, black pickguard,floyd rose licenced trem & the best maple neck I've ever played... ever! Bought it in 89 used from a guy at the music store who wanted a JEM, I played the JEM after he got it and if you close your eyes you can't tell the differece (unless you are playing over the scalloped frets on the JEM777, better pickups on the JEM also. oh well, for $1,500 more it better!)The olny reason I gave this an 8 is because of the pickups. (see sound category)

I changed the lead pickup to a Duncan Custom-Custom and I can't remember what is sounded like without it so I'm giving it a 9, it's a 10 with the Duncan! The rythem sounds great the middle seems a little useless unless combined with one lead or rythem. Overall, awsome sound.

Action is absolutely awsome, the best, I have an American Strat that can't hold a candle to the action on this Ibanez (but you can't make this sound like SRV henceforth the Strat) I haven't played a new one (mine is late 80's) but if you get a chance to try a late 80's maple neck one, you'll want to buy it.

It's 15 yrs. old and holding up well, I'ts needed a couple of tune ups, but with the use it gets it is holding up like a trooper!

Never dealt with Ibanez, who knows?

Playing for 20 yrs. 9 guitars: 2 Ibanez, 1 Yamaha, 1 Gibson, 1 Fender, 2 Gretch, 1 Samick, 1 Washburn and If I had to pick I'd say this is my favorite. Some people would call me nuts, but it is just a great playing, feeling, sounding, looking guitar. I may get the frets re-done and have the upper frets scalloped.... maybe. I may change the neck and middle pickups also..... again..... maybe!

New 2002 model. 24 jumbo frets, HSH PU's, Edge locking trem, Basswood body, Maple/Maple Wizard neck. 5 way PU selector. Included tools and manual, warranty card.

I reviewed previously in this category(RG550) for a 1991 model. I bought this new because I wanted one with an AANJ. I was disapointed however. One of the frets in the upper register was dead on the high E string. I returned it because of that. It wasn't set-up for low action. The Edge trem bothered me. My '91 has a LoPro. 2 very interesting points. #1. I compared the neck thickness to my 1991 and the 2002 model was 1/16th of an inch thicker. #2. Comparison of the frets showed the 2002 frets were smaller. I didn't measure the height but the width was smaller. I've been told by a luthier the '91 frets are equivelent to Dunlop 6100's so the 2002 frets must be somewhere in between a 6105 and a 6100. I was disapointed with these findings. The AANJ surpringly didn't wow me. It was alright. I did like that the neck felt unfinished. It definitely wasn't stained like my '91, the maple was very white in comparison.

Playing 25 years. I returned this guitar. I'm still somewhat in the market. I'm looking at possibly the new, revamped 550 for 2003, the Prestige RG1550. The trem is low profile, a big plus. And with the neck being Prestige perhaps it will be to spec. I mean, the dimensions of the Wizard neck have been the same, 17mm 1st fret, 20mm 12th fret forever. And the 2002 catalog SAYS it's a Wizard. So they both, my 1991 and the 2002, can't be right.

The Guitar was made in Japan at 1998, it cinsists of 24 jumbo frets.
Solid Top, has 1 volume knob, 1 tone knob and a 5 way selector.
Pickups are H/S/H all Ibanez V7 S1 V8
Basswood body and maple neck.
Black cosmo powder finish.
Shaped like a sharpened strat.
Original Floyd rose for great sounds with great stability.
Double locking system with Fine tuners on tremolo side.
Slim, Easy, lightning fast neck for fast and precise playing.

The guitar suits all kind of music styles, at has a fat warm sound on all 5 positions, but if it's the fender jumpyness your looking for just add some compressor with high gain and some treble and you have the fender sound and feel.

I use it with a Marshall Valvestate amp 40W with a Korg ax100G floor effect processor. sounds great, endless possibilities.

The guitar is quite on all states.
I Like everything about it.

I bought t used so it must have been reset so i can't really say how it came from the factory, but again the possibilities are endless.

Greatly built.
Will survive anything!!! from my own expiriance.
I would defently depend on it, just throw a 0.10 string gauge pack and they will never snap or loose the tune no matter what you do!

Not for me.

The best thing there is for satriani's style!

Go get!

IBANEZ 550 EX. Made in Japan, 24 frets, white metalized colour, looks, a little bit purple in the dark and white in the light. 1 volume, 1 tone, and 5 way selector. Two Humbuckers and one single coil. Pickups are Ibanez. The body is not too heavy. Floyd Rose bridge (Very cool) The guitar come with the tremolo arm, some allen keys, etc. I also bought mine with the Ibanez case. Beautiful exterior.

U can play almost any style with this pickup configuration. Mi equipments is: Ibanez 550 > Behringer V-Amp 2 (COOL machine) > custom amplifier made by a friend (450 w UUUOOO!!!!). Well, the pickups are not Dimarzios or Seymour Duncan, but they do the job. If you are interested in a better sound you can replace, for example with two Dimarzio evolutions and a HS-2 (Ibanez JEM sound style) Maybe in the future I'll do this pickup change, but no for the moment. maybe it can sound better, but I like the sound right now.

The guitar set-up from the factory was OK. One thing I EXTREMELY like is the action... VERY LOW ACTION!! If you are into shred (like me) you can apreciate this fact. Thin neck, trustme, you can fly in this neck. My previous guitar have a high action... what a shit! But with this guitar you can do whatever you want. What I mean is: if you can't do something on this guitar is not the guitar fault, the problem is you!

I heard that Ibanez guitars are delicated machines. I have the guitar since a couple of months, and NO problems... delicated? It seems to be solid and well constructed, maybe is delicate but for sure ANY guitar is. This is because I have bought a solid case. For sure I will use this guitar live.

I don't know :)

Playing for about 2 years. My favorite players are Vai, Satriani, Petrucci, Paul gilbert, Vinnie Moore... They all play Ibanez... I love the low action, Ibanez guitars are great, if were lost or stolen I would buy another like this one. I hope this guitar will stay with me the rest of my life (ouh, can I marry the guitar? HEHE) THIS GUITAR IS GREAT, trust me.
P.S: I'm from Malaga, Spain, sorry for my bad english :)

This is a left-handed RG550 with H/S/H configuration. I replaced the bridge pick-up with a George Lynch "Screaming Demon". This also has a maple neck and a "like" Floyd Rose tremelo.

I play through a Mesa Boogie Mark IV. I use TC Electronics Chorus-Flanger/Boss Super Phaser/Guyatone Delay and a Cry Baby Wah pedal. For the money this thing rocks! The Japanese make great guitars for less money. The sound is great in all pick-up selections and I doubt if it has anything to do with my amp...yeah right! The sound is excellent.

Set-up is a ten too. The action is perfect. I use 9's. The guitar is flawless.

I've had this thing for 10 years now and had no problems whatsoever with it.

Never had to call them. N/A

I have been playing for 25 years now. I have a Les Paul, Telecaster, Strat and two Dreadnaughts. This rates on par with any of them.

24 frets, made in japan, maple neck in a lovely two-tone magenta finish. I bought it secondhand and it needed a bit of a
clean-up. Ibanez Edge tremelo (the best) and a H-S-H configuration.

Superb low-action....plays like an absolute dream.

I play all types of things on this. From Hard Rock to Blues to Heavy Metal. This thing can do it all.

The H-S-H setup is very versatile. The sound is warm and the output is pretty high. Because it is thick and warm sounding, it does not have brilliance or presence of more traditional strat/single coil sound. Anybody interested in getting this guitar should know what this guitar is good for.

Got her setup professionally by my guitar tutor.

She plays like an absolute dream - say no more!

Built like a tank on steroids. Reliable for live settings.

This thing will never break!

Have not dealt with them.

I have never played a guitar like it. Go get one now.

If it got half-inched i would kill the person who did it!

Easter 1990 was when i bought this baby!
24 frets, made in japan, maple neck in a lovely bright orange finish(the shop had no canary yellow in stock). Ibanez Edge trem and 2hbs and 1 sc. I added an EMG 81 in the bridge in 1996 and it is AWESOME.
A wide thin neck which now feels great since the laquer has come off the back of the neck over the years. Nice low action, it plays like a dream.

I play Rock/Hard Rock and this axe is perfect for this type of music.
For less rocky stuff i use a US Standard Strat(Kent Armstrong Hot Rails bridge p/up) and my old 1989 Squier strat tuned to open G(Yes, we do play Stones tunes). The 550 sounds great it is primarily a ROCK MACHINE. The only thing is the EMG 81 is not suited for clean sounds which is why i use the strat.

Set Up ok but i have lowered the action over the years. When purchased it had no flaws but now it has since it has been dropped god knows how many times. After a couple of years i got a crackly p/up selector but a quick squirt of WD40 soon did the trick.

Very reliable and durable. I would recommend either replacing the strap buttons with strap lock or clip locks.
I would stake my Goolies on this guitars reliability. It's a solid workhorse of a guitar that has never let me down onstage or off.

Never needed to contact 'em.

I have been playing on and off for 15 years. If it was stolen i would be gutted and would do my best to get my hands on the bugger that nicked it!. I am still on the lookout for any late 80's early 90's 550's because i don't think these guitars can be beaten.
It's a dream to play it's like a part of my body, it was my first "Proper" guitar and i want another one please!!!!!

It's a 2002 japan model. Black- 24 fret, V and S stock pickups H/S/H - like most 550's right? Great neck, only the best I've touched. The Edge bridge is and has always been unbeatable. This is a very modern guitar as far as playability and feel goes, but for those old schoolers like me, dot inlays and that face plate keeps it honest. The best of both worlds.

As with most H/S/H configured guitars, a variety of sounds can be accomplished.You cannot get much better than the stock pickups. I play everything from country to rock and all points in between and this guitar, seriously, is all that I need. The 550 can put you to sleep with it's clean and bright tone or it can scare you. Okay I guess I was a little too verbose here but ya it sounds great.

I never really played a guitar in a music store that was set up as perfect as this one. First impressions are important to me and it just goes to show you that they care a little bit more than the competition, well at least the guitars I've tried out. There are NO flaws here. I love the two-tone hardwear and the finish looks great but, come on Ibanez, there are still 550 freaks out here that would like more color options...I can't complain, black is cool.

This is a very well made guitar. I've owned several Ibanez's and they've all been quite faithful to me. It's a tough guitar and definitely can handle live gigs and as far as a backup, I always have one only for the simple issue of possible string breakage during songs.

Honestly I've never had to get an Ibanez repaired...so I have no clue.

I've been playing for 15 years and owned many types and brands of guitars- Jackson, Charvel, ESP, Fender and throw in about five RG's in the mix and overall- Nothing compares with the RG550's. It is set apart from most newer Ibanez models with the face plate, which gives it a little bit of a classic look. With amazing playability and somewhat modern features, makes for the perfect electric guitar. As long as they make them, I will buy them.

I have the Japan Model
24 Frets
floyd rose is a bitch to tune but once its locked it never goes out
You know the rest

Metal!
excallant for rock or jazz though, although i dont play those as often
sounds great clean as well, not muddy at all

The action is so easy to adjust and sounds great when set real low like most shredders want it

I give it a 5 for finish(if this category were only for finish). It is horrible. Scratches extremely easily, but it doesnt matter how it looks as long as you can play right?

Once again the action is great, and nothing is faster than a wizard neck, not even a jackson soloist.

It is annoying how the pickups are right near where you are picking and your pick will hit them if you dont get used to it or adjust. I suggest going to a guitar shop if you have this problem. I can still play faster on this then any other guitar in existance. Definately for the shredder!

Seems like it will last pretty well, although i have only had it for four months. The straps got loose on mine but that could be because i was using a bad strap.

Dont know bought it through ebay

If you want to play fast and shred this is your guitar. It may feel awkward when you first get it but after a week or two of play your old guitars will feel slow. While you may think its the player not the guitar that makes someone fast, this guitar might change your opinion. If it were to get lost, i would go buy a jackson soloist but if i didnt have the money i would buy another one of these. Best guitar for the money. Look on ebay by the way, lots of good ones there.

Purchased this bad-boy in Jan. 1988. I am the original owner and let me tell ya, it's been worth every penny. Made in Japan,it's solid black body w/rosewood fretboard, black pick-guard and pick ups. It's the DarthVader of my collection. 24 fret with a volume & tone with a 5-way selector switch. It came standard with the dimargio's pick ups. The bridge and neck were humbuckers and the center was single coil. I changed the bridge pick up to a EMG85 active pick up. Had alot more highs. The body is basswood, very light. The neck is maple with a satin finish. A strat style body yet more sharper and defined. It has the floyd-Rose tremalo that can dive several octaves and never fall out of tune. The best I have ever seen. The wizard neck is slim and very easy on the hand. I love this neck! Purchased the deluxe case with this guitar.

No matter the syle of music I play, this guitar always fits. I use it at practices & gigs about 50 percent of the time. I play mostly 50's thru 90's Rock-n-Roll, Rythm-n-blues. I also play a Fender Jimmie Vaughn strat as well. This Ibanez has been played thru a Peavey chorus 400, Carvin X-60 tube, and now a Fender Princeton Chorus. Sounds great thru anything. I use a flange-blues overdrive & EQ pedals. It has a bright sound with the EMG pick up. The single-coil does well. I don't use the neck pick up all that much. With the action set so fine on the neck, this guitar sustains notes and chords like no ones business. There's not much I don't like about this instrument.

This thing was perfect from the factory. Purchased from a local music store. At the time I was looking at guitars, it came down to three models. This RG550, a Kramer "Sricker", and a Charvel. The RG550 was the best choice. Stock set up was better than the other two models. No flaws in the unit.

I have played this guitar for 14 years. It has held up to anything I thrown at it. The only problem I had was the neck developed a crack in it about 4 months after I bought it. The music store ordered a new neck and replaced it under warranty. Took about 3 weeks to get the neck. Since then, never had a problem. Everything else is original other than the EMG pick up. I have gigged with it without a back up several times and it never failed me. It is truely dependable.

Never dealt with Ibanez directly, but the music store has always been there for me. It has been repaired under warranty as stated above. From what I have read in this review, seems like Ibanez customer service is worthless.

I been playing since 1987. I also own a Gibson Les Paul Custom Lite, Fender Jimmie Vaughn Strat, and Takamine acoustic. If this guitar was stolen, I would definetly replace it to as close of this model as I could. It is my favorite guitar of all!

My RG550 in black finish with black pickguard, maple neck, an amazing edge bridge, H S H pickup configuration, Ibanez stock pick up.

The sounds is great, no buzz, the factory setting is just perfect to my personal taste, the pickup is quite surprise to me, its sounds close to the Dimarzio PAF Pro. Sweet tone from the neck pick up and cutting teeth tones.

Thx Ibanez for making the Super wizard neck, its extremely fast and not too thin. the body is light weight. the floyd is extremely keep in tune and born to play Vai and Satch's stuff.

I will bring this guitar as my main weapons from my arsenal of axe. I dont feel tired even I play this guitar for 6 hrs non stop playing. This Guitar is born to shredd.

Never deal with Ibanez

This is a serious guitar for shredder, and acceptable price, Closest things to Vai's JEM (550 is the original of JEM, right?) If I lost this guitar I will get another one, in Desert Yellow Finish (I love this color, I am old skool) I own about 20 guitars include Gibson, MusicMan, Jackson, Yamaha, Fender, etc. I enjoy my EB John Petrucci before I meet this RG550, This guitar provide more sound that i could choose than the Petrucci. honestly, I love this guitar.

Double locking blocked LO pro edge Floyd Rose, stock IBZUSA pickups (H,S,H) manufactured by Dimarzio. The humuckers are equivalent to a souped up PAF Pro, and teh Single coil is the same as the HS-2. Excellent neck. Very low action. Unbelievable.

It can be used to play anything. Mostly metal and instrumental solos, but is pretty versatile. With my cheap Johnson acoustic amp, it even sounds great. These pickups are awesome. Now that I blocked the tremolo the sustain is much better and it stays in tune for the rest of your life.

Action is low and awesome. Pick ups are awesome. Excellent look. CLosest thing to the JEM, if not the same thing just without the monkey grip.

Reliable and durable for anything, anywhere, anytime. Hardware is high quality, finish is long lasting.

Never dealt with them

Its really a JEM without the monkey grip. In Fact, Steve Vai built his JEM based on the RG550 platform. I have two rg550's, one with stock action, and the other with slightly lower action and a blocked tremolo(awesome). Both really are shred masters!! If any one of them were stolen, there will be a big war between me and the thief. To put something into consideration, www.warmoth.com with make any custom guitar. I will have them build me a JEM7VWH.

This is an ibanez RG550 jap guitar. It has 24 jumbo frets that leave room for options (fretless...). strat figure bit a little sharper with a pick shield.
It has a volume and tone knobs, a 5 way switch.
H/S/H.
It has locking on the edge of the riff and double locking with a floyd rose tremolo on the bridge.
It has a super wizard thin neck maple made.

I like all kinds of music, from rock, blues, jazz to eastern off scales music.
The guitar gives great sound on all configurations, clean or not.
i'm using a crate 60W amp, it is really bright, i like it. and a korg ax100g multieffect.
If you turn the gain up to full and use the single coil s1 pickup it might sound a little buzzy but noone really uses that pickup like that.
It has amazing sound with soft dreamy effects like chorus and reverb.
It has amazing feedbacks and screming posibilities.

If you like soloing and different types of melodies she is for you.
You can easly get the joe satriani sound out of it and more.

The super wizard neck came perfectly fit to my needs low profile action with no buzzing. It's fast free and easy to play it with those jumbo and flat frets.
The floyd rose tremolo with the double locking keeps the guitar always in tune. you can bend 2 tones and raise an octave do a dive and it's perfectly in tune!!!!!!!!!1 unnormal!!!

The guitar is just diamond solid! i would use it on any ocation.
It has great finish to last for years. I got myn used from a second jand guitar shop and it was in perfect shape no complais.

never used ibanez.

iv'e been playing for 5 years. i started with a old samick classic guitar and moved to a start fake by discovery electric guitar that had 21 frets on humbucker and two singles. roundy frets and noise g string. so i think moving up to this RG 550 made my life easier. it gives you space to improve. i would go up the rg ladder to a prestige model after all you have to advance.

I have 2 Ibanez 550DY Desert Yellow - black pickguard.
1984??? I think and 1994 I think?
Both have FREDS in the Bridge pickup.
double locking EDGE Trem keeps these in tune for ever!
Old I bought used. And the New one I bout off Ebay.

They both sound great!
The FREDS make them scream on solos. and they have a very heavy thick and bright. The newer 550 does sound a bit thicker.
I use 10's on the new 550 and 9's on the old one.

I play so much on the old 550 I have acquired a nice buzz when I play the second fret. But It's almost 20 years old!

Action - Low as can possibly be.
Extreamly Fast.
I adjust everything my self since I put my own pickups in.
there was no flaws on the New 550. They look great as long as you like yellow! :)

Live Playing - hell yeah!
Well it's almost been 20 years on the old 550 and It's been throuhg one fret Job and needs another and the phone jack is starting to loose connection. Few Nicks and dents. Paint cracked at Neck Joint after someone droped it but the paint is still looking fairly new. I have never tighted a strap button.
the new 550 is still mint. 0 flaws.
I use both live. The phone jack on the old 550 is driving me crazy but that can be easily fixed!

never!

I have been playing about 20 years.
I wish I had asked if I would have been addicted to yellow after I bought this. ha!
I love the sound the speed and percision I can play at. I hate that after 20 years I have to retire it and the fact that they seem to only come in Black now.

Hello Ibanez I want another new one but I don't want it black. I like yellow! Actually I wish they would build this guitar. basicaly a 550 with the shark tooth inlays. Or can I buy the EDGE trem and put it on a guitar with the shark tooth inlays? I could Care less about the pickups because I am going to put a FRED on it!



I love playing this damn thing.

I think anyone who is serious enough about guitars knows what features this one has :)

From metal to jazz, anything is possible with this guitar

I only got mine about three days ago, new for only $375 and it's very well set up, very low action and it sounds great.

Hopefully this guitar will last ages. I use to have an ibanez jpm1 model and it was a dream. After selling it back in 2000 I've pretty much been without a guitar since. The reason I bought this one was mainly becuase it sounds and feels very similar to my old jpm. A few things I like about his guitar in particular, compared to some older and more expensive ibanez models, such as the old jems and jpm models would be the newer neck joint for easier access, and also on the newer ibanez range, most of them have the babinga reinforced neck which is very reasuring. This is certainly a rock solid guitar for the serious player; now if only I was good enough to fall under that phrase "serious player" hehehe

Not sure, never had to contact them. Only if I'm putting in an order; I work for a large music store back home in England www.vibesmusic.co.uk

OK I dont know if I've got the right model here, but it is an RG. Bought it second hand. Don't know where it was made. It is a dark purple colour (almost black). I haven't changed the pickups H,S,H. 22 threts. Floid Rose trem, locked tuning, 5 way switch, 1 tone, 1 volume, pasive pickups. I like the metal nobs on this, as they seem alot sterdier than those plastic Fender ones.

This is definately a rock/metal guitar. As that is what I play most of the time through a Marshall Valvestate, it is the business. The sound isn't particularly bright, not like say a Les Paul. However, it is powerful especially the neck pick up which has a warm bassy sound and the whole set up is very responsive. On clean tones the Humbuckers are very fat and flat sounding.. You need to fiddle around with the EQ to get a nice clean tone. That may be different on other amps. Marshall are known more for the overdrive.

The action is realy low and the neck is fast. This is a confortable guitar to play quickly. I like the weight and general shape. It's pretty light and and pointy. One problem though is the Floid Rose. The bar wobbles in the nut. Also the tuning does slip especially the G. However, it was second hand so I wouldn't blame Ibanez for that.

Considering this is second hand and I've played it pretty much every day for the last 7 years, it's stood up realy well. However, I do take care of my guitars and don't chuck them around or drop them. I can feel confident in playing this live.

I've never delt with Ibanez. The only work done on this is the occasional service. I change strings every few weaks. I had to get one of the locking nuts replaced as when I first had it I put the lock thing on round the wrong way and chipped off some of the metal. Dummy!

If some one stole this, I'd beat them to death with my old strat copy. If I lost it I'd cut of a hand. I haven't tried the newer Ibanez RGs but if there still the same quality I'd definately get another.Although I admit I'd be torn between replacing it or saving up my pennies to get a PRS, )lots of pennies that is)

Mine is a 1989 made in Japan 24 fret standard rg 550. Standard H-S-H pickup config. Super thin and fast Wizard neck. the color is a very bright orange. Still has original pickups.

I play everything from blues to progressive rock to jazz and my 550 does all of them superbly. I play through an array of effects too numerous to mention but the highlights are an analogman comprosser, original 808 tubescreamer, vox wah (modded to true bypass), voodoo labs sparkle drive. I've been meaning to replace the pickups with some newer dimarzios but just haven't gotten around to it but the stock pickups aren't bad considering that they're stock.

I bought this guitar used a few months ago and had to have it set up since the person who had it before me played extremely light strings. Once the guitar was set up for heavier strings it plays wonderfully. the neck is very flat and thin. The edge tremolo stays in tune extremely well and has a very fluid range of motion. The body shape is also very comfortable to play and allows for excellent access to the upper frets. It does have several dings and scratches, as most 13 year old used guitars do. but other than that it looks great.

This guitar is extremely well built. the hardware does show some signs of wear but like I said its 13 years old. This guitar is a workhorse that was designed for night after night gigging. I would definitely depend on it but I would never play a gig without a back up.

Can't really say much about this Ive never tried to contact Ibanez. General opinion seems to be that they are pretty useless. no such thing as a warranty on a used 13 year old guitar.

I have been playing for over 15 years. I own several other guitars and too much gear to list. If it dissapeared I would be dissappointed but not destroyed. I love this guitar but finding another on ebay doesn't appear to be to difficult. I would most definitely replace it. I wish that it came with better pickups but for the price it's hard to find another guitar that plays that smooth and is this comfortable in my hands.

Bought mine new in 1989. Atlantic Blue color; never seen another in this color. I bought it because it was one of the first mass produced guitars with H-S-H pickup configuration, 24 frets and a recessed Floyd.

Original V1 and V2 humbuckers are OK, but I shoulda replaced 'em years ago with something better. Good guitar for metal, though.

No complaints here

Replaced the p'up switch a few years ago. Everything else has held up pretty well, EXCEPT(here we go) the neck. Early RGs had deeper holes drilled for the Floyd Rose nut, making for a very unreliable headstock. Mine has cracked 3 times. The first two it was repaired easily, but the last time rendered it unrepirable.

HORRIBLE!!! I've tried to get a replacement neck through Ibanez directly and through 2 dealers, all with no success. Yes, I offered to pay for it, not turn it in on the warranty. Now I have a guitar that is totally useless until I can find a used one to rip the neck off of!

I've been playing for 20 years, and also own an SRV Strat.I liked playing my 550 and miss gigging with it,but next time I'm guitar shopping, I'll make sure I buy from a company that actually CARES about their customers. Anytime you can't decide between an Ibanez and some other guitar, pick the other one!!!

'92 Japan, in the Fujigen Factory! 24 frets, solid top, standard H-S-H. I bought it off some guy on ebay and he'd replaced the pickups with a Dimarzio Air Norton in the neck and a DiMarzio Evolution in the bridge. Mine also came with a Lo Pro Edge, although I'm aware most of the 550's come with the Edge. Don;t know if the orignal owner did the mod himself.

I'll give it an 8 without my mods, a 10 with them.

I won't give an opinion of the sound since I've nvere heard the stock pickups. I still have the S7 single coil and it sounds like $hit, though I'm not sure how the humbuckers would sound.

Do yourself a favor and swap in a couple of DiMarzios. I'd give it a 10 with those upgrades.

Simply incredible. If you have not had the chance to play an early 90's RG 550, you're missing out. No problems at all with fret buzzing or misalignment commonly assoicated with Korean guitars (my JS-100 and SA-160QM can attest to that).

It just feels incredibly solid. The neck on this guitar is better than most Fender Strat USA necks. Very smooth and the high quality maple. Even the newer Japanese necks don't look this good. I've seen a few JEM 7VWH with necks that don't look as good as this. My guess is that Ibanez eventually scaled down on these guitars to save costs. My two Korean Ibanezes don't even come close, and my Korean JS cost twice as much!

Veteran collectors will tell you, most early 90's Japanese guitars are superior to USA made guitars(e.g, Ibanezes and Fenders) I can't vouch for the validity of that, but I will tell you this guitar plays and feels better than any US Strat I've ever played.

The Ibanez Lo Pro Edge is the most amazing Floyd Rose i've ever had so far. A far cry from my Lo TRS II equippeed JS-100. I have yet to go out of tune with this thing, and I set this up myself, not professionally!

Pickup adjustment is as easy an on any guitar. I've busted this open on a few occasions to swap pickguards.

I did this really funky thing where I put an Evangelion Japanese Anime graphic image onto a custom black design-a-guard pickguard from Jeannie pickguards. It just looks incredible. Since the guard is clear, it really looks like a custom paint job I had done, unless one inspects it closely and discovers the paper cutout ^_^

The owner also had straplocks installed so this thing is a marvel of modification ^_^ The hardware has some oxidation and wear after 10 years in existence, but that's to be expected I suppose.

Never Gig without a backup, that's a golden rule! That said though, I probably wouldn't need a backup, but I keep my JS for that purpose nonetheless. Its funny that a signature guitar plays second fiddle to a mid-priced guitar, but that's how it is.

Dunno. Heard it was pretty bad though.

I've been playing for 10 years. I do stuff from Vai to Metallica, and Stevie Ray vaughan. The RG is really a Rock guitar. It sounds incredible for that type of music.

Some people claim this guitar has absolutely no tone when played clean. Unfortunateley I must agree. If you're looking for a bluesy Strat tone, you won't find it here, nto even with the pickups replaced.

If it were lost, the heavens would weep(or at least I would) ^_^; i would probably buy another one or a 570. Probably the nicest Ibanez guitar you can get short of getting a Prestige or JEM, or Universe(jeez who has the money for these?). The fact that it resembles those guitar shapewise doesn't hurt either.

2000 model made in japan,24 frets,black with black pic guard (scratches very easy )volume tone 5 way selector switch h/s/h pickup conf,basswood body,maple neck,locking floyd rose bridge,wizard 2 neck.

sounds great played through my marshall avt 20 very rich full sound when using the neck p/u (v7). I like classic rock above all and this guitar gives me all the tone I need for this.personaly I dont have a problem with the p/u sounds v7 s1 v8

this guitar was set up great with low action and no fret buzz.as with many reviewers here my strap buttons were loose also I bought a Daddario strap that is supposed to fit all guitars, it has plastic locking ends that ratchet in place (cool idea)but this is not made for the RG 550.AFTER MUCH STRUGGLE TO GET THE STRAP ON I CHIPPED THE PAINT ON THE GUITAR.all leather is the only way to go for this guitar.that aside, everything about this guitar feels good and i realy love the neck.

i dont play live so i cant comment on that. the hardware seems very solid and i wipe everything down after playing,i also use some lemon oil on the neck to keep things like new.i think this guitar will last a very long time if looked after.the strap buttons came loose on me again and i think i will try adding some wood glue to the threads

never delt with them.

I havent been playing this guitar for very long but i love it.if it were stolen i would indeed buy another,or atleast an rg 570.then i would hunt down the person who took it and shove a cattle prod up his but and drain the batteries on it.I will soon buy an effects processorto finish off my gear.

Great Liscensed Floyd Rose, Beautiful thin profile, flat 24 fret maple fretboard/maple neck. Locking nut, H-S-H pickup layout with 5-way strat switch. Position 1 & 5 is your humbuckers, 3 is the single coil and 2 & 4 give you that awsome in between Strat sound. This guitar is a nice ballance of Van Halen shred machine and Fender Strat.

Don't let people tell you that the trems on these won't stay in tune, these are just people that have no idea how to set up a floating trem. I set this up following the instructions in "Guitar Player Repair Guide" (great book BTW) and I've stayed in tune for 4 weeks and counting now with moderate trem use (a dive bomb here and there too :-)

The humbuckers are pretty raunchy, but you can get a nice clean sound with the 5-way in positions 2,3,4. This guitar is a hard rocker/heavy metal, but you can squeeze some nice strat sounds out of it too.

Nice low action, beautiful finish, excellent apointments. Great purple finish :-)

This sucker is a tank! It's a 1992 model and It was used by the kind of guy who put stickers all over it and didn't take great care of it. A couple of hours of cleaning and setup and she was ready to rock for another 10 years.

Ibanez doesn't seem to reply to their emails and the one Ibanez dealer I tried to get parts from were useless knobs :-( So, who cares, learn to fix 'em yourself and scour eBay for parts like I do
;-)

I've gone through around 30 guitars in my near 30 years of playing and this sucker is the most fun versitaille guitar I've EVER picked up! This is hands down the best bang for the buck I've ever gotten on a used guitar!!! If I ever lost this guitar I wouldn't hessitate to run out and buy another one (or 2).

2001 Made in Japan
Black basswood body with black pickguard and maple neck.
Ibanez V7,S1,V8 HSH Pickup configuration
Edge Double locking tremelo
Hardshell case

As someone already stated, this guitar has a very defined purpose...playing hard rock/metal. Technical playing and shredding. It does that well. The pickups are not very clean, the neck pickup is very muddy. The bridge pickup doesn't have as much bite as I would like. I am definately going to trade out the pickups, but keep a HSH configuration. The pickups seem to hold this guitar back.

The wizard neck is no surprise, thin and fast. The action is very low, fretwork is great. The neck in general gets a 10 plus. The Edge bridge is the only "non-original" Floyd Rose that I've tried and the only one that I've wanted to try. It stays in tune well, but I have to make fine tune adjustments more regularly than I did on an original Floyd Rose. The fit and finish of everything was flawless, top-notch. Setup was done professionally at a guitar store, and a good one at that.

I bought this guitar used. Only 6 months old and obviously not used very much. But, not a scratch, ding or paint chip anywhere. It seems very solid, although very, very light.

From what I've seen and heard, Ibanez doesn't have customer support. Their website even falls short in product information. With one exception, the online help pages offer some useful information. Just don't need anything not covered.

I bought this guitar because I wanted a strat-style guitar and got a great deal. 6 months old, hardly used, no scratches or marks, new condition with hardshell case for $400. I wouldn't have paid more, guitar stores are asking $550 plus 60 for the hardshell case. If stolen I wouldn't buy it again unless I found as good of a deal on a used one. Even at $400 in new condition I kind of wish I hadn't bought it. Not because it is a piece of crap, it isn't. It is a nice guitar with some excellent strengths, especially the neck and the Edge bridge. Just too limited for my taste and the pickups are near worthless to me. Once I get a good combination of pickups in it, it may be my favorite guitar.

Its a stock (and one of the original) RG series.... great basic guitar... bang for buck they are the ducks nutz! They stay in tune... they sound great and are a piece of piss to play! What else do you need? Maybe a JEM77FP or JS1 :-) They're finish is excellent!

Sounds like a gibson les paul and a Mark Knoffler strat on steroids.... no FX required... just straight into my JCM800 50 half stack... or for small gigs a Trace Elliot Supertramp 2x12 amp! There is a pommy guy in one of the reviews saying they have no natural sound... yet he was putting it through processors, power amp and then into a quad.... if he didn't have all that shit in the way of the guitar's signal he'd be able to hear the fuckin guitar! Excellent single coil rhythm sounds and shit hot bridge pickup for rock solos :-) I use it for blues, rock and bloody hard rock!

Action is low and smooth... feel like I haven't played after four hours of gigging! They are excellent! I always tickle the guitar to just how I want it regardless of factory settings... plus I bought this second hand... so that questions pointless! No flaws... excellent finish! No wrinkled paint like on Les Pauls next to the neck on the body.... no knobs hitting screws that stick up like on US strats.... no necks built like logs on PRS's..... AS I said before... bang for buck... these are extremely excellent value!

I picked mine up secondhand about 1990... and have gigged all around the central australian desert.... Adelaide.... Sydney and the south coast of NSW.... recorded on a soundtrack for a film (To the End of the Earth... crap movie :-) and this guitar has survive one theft attempt! Can it take it... yes it bloody can! Everything is still orginal.... it goes on and on and on and on etc. You get the idea!

I vist their site every blue moon just to perve on some the of new gear.... asked a couple of questions which they answered... got some bridge saddles for my JEM77FP!

Been playing since Pink Floyd put out Dark Side of the Moon... or just before... play RG550 (workhorse), JEM77FP when I get socially excited... and a JS1 when I want to get a groupie :-) MArshall JCM800 50w halfstack, JCM900 50w 2x12 combo and Trace Elliot Supertramp 100w 2x12 combo.
They are simple and sweet... no bullshit... just keeps on working! They will be a collector in the future! Like the 750's etc!

You can see how popular they are by the number of reviews here!

My RG550 was made in 2000 and was built in Japan.
It has 24 xj frets with a Maple neck and fretboard.
It has 1 volume and 1 tone with a 5 way selector.
The pickups on my RG550 are Ibanez,s own pickups. H/S/H
Super Strat shape with a solid black finish.
The tremalo is a Edge and uses Non Locking tuners.

The sound of this guitar is near perfect for the style of music I play (Rock,Metal,Blues).The pickups don,t do the Blues sound very well but with the gain cranked up these pickups come to life.I will be changing the pickups soon as these pickups can sound muddy.If you want a Steve Vai sound with out the price then the RG550 is just right.Im using a Laney Tube amp with a Boss MT2 Metal Zone and Ibanez Delay/Echo pedal.
The is capable of so much but due to my taste and the fact im a tone freak I feel that a pickup change would boost my sound and make the guitar that much more versatile.
Other then my personal tastes, this guitars sound is perfect for shred and other types of Rock and Metal.

When the guitar was taken out of the case the action was spot on and the spring tension for the trem was just right.
I play with 10 gauge strings so after I took the 9 gauge striges of it onley took a matter of minutes to change strings and set up.
The pickup height was also perfect for me.
The finish was in black and felt it was perfect and found know problems with it but I still feel that the finish is to weak as iv already put a few chips and marks in it.But this could just be my bad luck and not the guitar.

This guitar can definatley do the job both live and in studio or in your bedroom.The feel of the guitar is amazing and playing this guitar in a live situation could,nt be easyer. The hardware is very strong and strap buttons feel strong but the screw keeps coming loose on myne but shows no risk of falling out.
I can depend on this guitar and can see my self useing this same guitar in 10 years from now.

Iv had know troubles and Im very good with building and rebuilding guitars with out having to call Ibanez.

Iv been playing guitar now for 11 years and Im a true lover of guitars and feel that this guitar is perfect for my styles of playing.
If the guitar was stolen I would buy it again.
I will be putting new pickups on soon,although theres nothing really wrong with the pickups, Im just finding my tone and sound.
If your in to fast necks and jumbo frets with Floyd Rose Type trems and a tone that could scare your parents then this guitar is for you.

THIS IS A JAPANESE MODEL PROBABLY MADE AROUND '96 OR SO. IT HAS A MAPLE NECK/FINGERBOARD WITH 24 FRETS. IT HAS A 5-WAY SWITCH, H-S-H CONFIGURATION. I BOUGHT IT WITH DIMARZIOS IN IT. IT ALSO HAD A COUPLE OF SWITCHES THAT WERE PHASERS OR COIL SPLITTERS THAT I HAD DISCONNECTED. THE HARDWARE IS A DARK CROME, COSMO BLACK I THINK THEY CALL IT. THE BODY IS BASSWOOD WHICH SOUNDS VERY GOOD, BUT DAMAGES EASY, SO DON'T PULL ANY CURT COBAIN ANTICS WITH IT. THE FRETS LOOK LIKE JUMBOS AND THE FINISH IS A PURPLE NEON 2-TOME COLOR WITH A PURPLE MIRROR PICKGUARD-PRETTY COOL. THE TREMOLO IS A LO PRO EDGE WHICH IS A VERY GOOD AND SENSITIVE TREMOLO.

THE BASSWOOD BODY NOT ONLY MAKES IT LIGHTWEIGHT BUT RESONANT, AND VERY GOOD WITH "WHAMMY BAR" SOUNDS. IF YOU LIKE HARD ROCK OR METAL THEN THIS IS A GREAT GUITAR. IF IT HAS IBANEZ STOCK PICKUPS THOUGH, YOU MAY WANT TO REPLACE THEM.

THE FINISH IS VERY UNIQUE AND PUT ON VERY WELL. BASSWOOD DINGS EASILY THOUGH SO BE CAREFUL. THE SET-UP(FROM WHOEVER HAD IT BEFORE) WAS SO GOOD I'VE MADE VERY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS SINCE BUYING IT. THE FINISH ON THE HARDWARE DOESN'T REALLY RUST BUT WILL SPOT UP PRETTY NASTY IF YOU DON'T CLEAN IT OFF REGULARLY. THE ONLY OTHER GRIPE WOULD BE THAT THE GREENISH COLORED GLUE UNDER THE FRETS COULD BEE SEEN.

I USE IT LIVE ALL THE TIME, THE HARDWARE LASTS, THE FINISH WILL LAST BUT DING EASILY AND IT IS VERY DEPENDABLE. THE STRAP BUTTONS ARE LARGE AND SOLID. HOWEVER I ALSO BRING ALONG MY RG570 BECAUSE EVEN WITH NEW STRINGS, AGRESSIVE PLAYING ON THE TREMOLO CAN BREAK A STRING BEFORE YOU KNOW IT.

NEVER DEALT WITH THEM.

I'VE BEEN PLAYING ABOUT 9 YEARS AND HAVE AN RG570. I HAVEN'T BEEN DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS GUITAR AT ALL. I WOULD BUY IT AGAIN IN A HEARTBEAT IF I HAD TO. I LOVE THE EASE OF PLAYING, THE ACTION, THE TREMOLO, THE COLOR, BUT I PREFER THE ONES THAT ARE FLUSH TO THE BODY. MOST PEOPLE LIKE THEM TO PULL UP ALSO. I WISH IBANEZ MADE A SUSTAINER MODEL THOUGH.

Made in Japan. around 95'. 24 frets maple neck/fingerboard (not very pretty looking maple, looks like reject maple. the grain patterns are ugly) H-s-H. V2 bridge pickup, V1 neck pickup, S1 middle single coil pickup. Basswood body. Aqua blue/green finish (a shity color).Black pickguuard. Floyd rose bridge. I love Ibanez floyd rose bridges. They do bar flutters really well. The neck is the thinnest i've ever played. I wish it were a bit thinker. I think its a wizard II neck. really fast

I bought this particular guitar for stuff like Steve Vai (u can get real close to the Whitesnake slip of the tongue with this guitar), Paul Gilbert, Dream Theater, (any other artist who uses an ibanez for that matter) and all other metal stuff. It really does those kinds of sounds well. The bridge pickup was hot enuf for Steve Vai, Dream theater. it cuts on the highs. The middle pickup is sounds like a strat. high output single coil that produces solid tone. you could play SRV, Hendrix, CLapton and still sound decent with this guitar. The neck pickup is round and creamy without any muddiness. Great for Vai leads. Just listen to Whitesnake's Slip of the Tongue album and this guitar sounds exactly like it. This guitar sounds solid and fat like any other ibanez. This guitar gets a 10 for both Rhythm, lead and clean tones.

The overall playability and tone of the guitar is splendid. My only complaints are with thwe finish and cosmetics. The maple chosen for the neck is ugly. it would actually pass for reject wood. but it still sounds great. its just the looks. I consdier the sound as more important

I think guitars dont really encouonter problems like amps. Basically all guitars would last through a gig except when strings snap.

I've been playing for 8 years. I also own a Fender strat plus with lace sensors for Clapton, Hendrix, SRV, Yngwie, and Deep Purple. I also have a Washburn Nuno Bettencort model which i use for anything(its my most versatile guitar I own). I got the RG550 for playing technical/shred music which this guitar was built for. This guitar is really versatile but it really aint for blues. It would sound alright i guess but the feel of the neck (really fast), Jumbo frets, the floyd rose bride just counts it out. If it were stolen I would b\buy another because it the best u can get at its price range. I wish the neck were a bit thicker. other than that, its perfect

dont know what year it was made. made in Japan. maple neck/fingerboard. H-S-H. Metallic blue with black pickguard. Stock pickups. Floyd rose locking trem.

For this guitar, I play metal, shred, NOT BLUES. This guitar was built for shred and technical music. The pickups are great. real hot. The neck is smooth and creamy. great for steve Vai leads. The middle pickup is hotter than the regular single coil. u can play Van Halen and Vai stuff well though

I've never played Ibanez guitars before and it felt really 'edgy'. I've used strats exclusively for 8 years. These guitars really feel like metal/shred guitars. This guitar is for ala Paul Gilbert, Gambale, Vai, Jason Becker type of stuff. I think u need big hands to play this guitar well. I dont't.

I dont really like the feel of RG's in general. Too edgy.

I own 5 rg 550's ranging in years from early to late 90's with the original heel joint and the all access joint, two black, one yellow (signed by steve vai), one natural finish, and one that I personally painted like EVH frakenstien. All guitars with maple necks (if it's not a maple neck/fretboard then it is not an rg 550). Edge tremolo (the best).

Sounds great for my musical taste (vai, halen, satch). V1, V2 and V7, V8 pickups are all alike, drop a screamn' demon in the bad boy and watch out! I collect guitars and recently purchased the stevie ray vaughn fender strat. Guys, dont buy it. Fender sucks with their cheap trash, the sound blows also, I wouldnt let that guitar wipe the ass crack sweat off my rg 550.

Action action action. I love the action super low and you can obtain it with this guitar. Easily adjusted. Super thin necks, jumbo pickups, nice set up. I would recomend a different color than black however (this guitar has been discontinued by Ibanez)

Super reliable. I throw the thing around, pound on it, drop it, they all take abuse well. HOWEVER, the early EVH frankenstien painted one was purchased with a cracked neck at the head, and hasnt broken off with over 5 years of constant playing, divebombs and misuse. Just be weary of that head/neck joint.

Never had to deal with them. Ive been playing for 17 years, and all warranties are scams anyway.

I just happened across the first guitar by chance. I owned a couple of les paul standards, but didnt like the quality. I mean if I pay 2,ooo for a guitar it better have a vagina. Go out and get this guitar, it has all the features you are looking for, low action, maple fretboard, all access neck joint, jumbo frets, the edge tremolo with the trem arm that stays in via friction and not the bull sh/t screw in type (all other guitars) so it never strips out! This guitar out performs the wolfgang (no floating trem, fat neck), the JEM (same guitar with a monkey grip, scalloped frets, marginally improved tremolo, and vine of life inlay).

Not sure what year my guitar was made. It's Japanese, 24 extra-jumbo frets, Floyd Rose bridge, Gotoh tuners. Bolt-on neck. Volume and tone knob controls. It came with stock passive pickups: bridge and neck humbuckers and a single coil in the middle position. Came with five-way pickup selector. Neck is rosewood, body is basswood. Guitar is laminated, black, with a black pickguard. Strat-style body, pointy Ibanez headstock.

Anyone who has ever played an Ibanez can tell you how thin and fast the necks are: this guitar is no exception. Probably one of the thinnest necks I've played, yet incredibly strong. Stock pickups, however, were horrible - a perfect recipe for tonal mud. The first year I had the guitar, it frustrated me because I could hear a better tone struggling to make its way through shitty pickups. So I eventually tore out all the stock pickups and replaced them with an EMG 85 in the bridge and an EMG 81 in the neck. I left the single coil out and still have a gaping hole where it should be - Page Hamilton style, kind of. To install the EMGs, I had to shield and completely rewire the body cavity. I also installed a new toggle switch and input jack, since the stock ones are pretty sub-par. In effect, there are no original electronics left in my guitar. But I do that will all my guitars anyway.

So, I would give the guitar a 5 on its original features and a 9 when I made all the changes.

I play through a Marshall JCM 800 2205 and a 4x12 cab. I like to play with many different tones, so besides going straight to the head, I use: a Boss Blues Driver, Boss Metal Zone, Big Muff, Proco Rat and Turbo Rat, a Vox Wah, a Crybaby Wah, a Boss Octave, an Ibanex FL9 flanger, a Boss DD5 delay, a Digitech chorus/delay/flange, a Digitech Space Station and a Boss Noise Supressor.

I've had my RG for about nine years now. It has carried me through many different styles of playing. When I first bought it, all I played was metal. Since then, I've used it to play jazz, blues and now experimental free jazz/noise.

The RG550 is an incredibly versatile guitar. With EMGs, it produces one of the best "heavy tones" I've ever heard. It's naturally a very bassy guitar, which I augment by tuning it down a full step. For about two years I played with 13-guage strings, and the tone was tremendous - alomst a baritone. Only problem was, the clarity of low chords would get lost, so I went back to 11s.

I think of the RG550 really as two instruments in one. Clean, it produces a very unique, full and booming tone when using the bridge pickup. My only complaint here is that things can get a bit too bright-sounding. I prefer to use the neck pickup when playing clean. With heavier strings, you can get an almost piano-like tone, which I love.

Distorted, the RG550 is a beauty. It may be one of the most well-designed rhythm guitars, bar none. Chords roar and yet are clear and defined; single notes are just as powerful. And of course, this guitar was designed for shredders. Play fast and this guitar can handle it - things don't turn to sonic mush (you do need an amp that can handle this, however). The guitar has amazing sustain, especially on the high notes - sometimes it's almost like using an EBow.

Complaints? Not many in the sound department. This guitar is not the right choice if you're looking to play jangly-chord, clean kind of stuff. It has a dark overtone that really works well for the kinds of sounds I like. If I could improve upon the sound, I would want a bit more "thickness," like with a Les Paul. But overall, I can't ask for much more than I've gotten out of this guitar. It is definitely not a one-trick pony, and its many realms of tonal grey have been a joy to explore.

Bear in mind that my 9 rating is based on my current setup. With stock pickups and electronics, the RG550 sounds medicore at best. Muddy lows, piercing highs and not much in-between. I'm a dedicated EMG user, and one of the reasons why is based on how my guitar sounded before and I after I put EMGs in it.

My guitar was set up like shit when I bought it, but I think a lot of guitars are set up that way on purpose. Many music stores set guitars up with very low action. Nine times out of 10, they don't intonate them properly when they do this. The logic behind this is as follows: kid picks up the guitar in a store and starts to play. Most people, I find, that own RG550s play heavier, faster style of music. So when they pick it up and zoom all around the fretboard, they're immediately impressed at the guitar's ease of playability. They don't notice that the low E is buzzing and that the higher strings also buzz on the higher frets.

I'm fanatical about properly intonating my guitar and having the action and pickup heights just right. I take it to a professional at least three times a year to have my guitar set up and maintained. When I bought it, it was a mess. The action was too low, intonation was fucked up, and the pickups were sunk too deep in the body. I changed all that. I like my action was low as possible - but WITHOUT buzzing. And yes, this is possible to achieve.

The guitar's finish is great, as is the nut, saddles and hardware. As I mentioned, the pickup selector and input jack sucked and I quickly replaced them.

All in all? Original guitar I give a 3. After the work I had doen to it, an 8.

I have sweat, bled and had beer sprayed on this guitar for nine years. I have put it through hell by play prepared guitar pieces with it - playing it with screwdrivers, throwing stuff at the strings, ripping the strings out mid-song, etc. It's never let me down. Every once in a while I'll break a string - and that's where having a Floyd Rose sucks, mid-song - but when I do it's usually because I was doing something stupid.

Several reviewers have discussed the fragility of this guitar, but I disagree. I've played whole songs where I do nothing but beat on the bridge springs and I've never had a problem.

I personally don't give a shit about finishes or looks. My finish is cracked here and there, but that's because I knocked the guitar into something. Otherwise it still looks fine.

As far as strap buttons go, I installed Strap Locks. Wouldn't go on stage without them.

Can I depend on it? Without a doubt, yes. I can pound on the thing and it won't go out of tune. I've never needed a back-up. In fact, this was my only guitar for eight years.

Now, bear in mind: Ibanez necks are thin. Someone accidentally knocked my guitar off its stand when I first had it years back, and the impact cracked the neck, causing some deep hairline fractures. Replacing it was a bitch, but I learned the hard way: always keep your guitar in a case and out of harm's way. My roommate once dropped his $6,000 Gibson hollowbody - and it was in a case! - and broke the neck. He came home crying. Point? The RG550 is not a Kramer. You have to take care of it. Live, you can bash the hell out out of it, but within reason - it does have a thin neck. It is strong - two steel truss rods - but it does have its limits. Invest in an SKB case and you won't have to worry about much.

Do these people even exist? When I cracked my neck, I frantically tried to contact Ibanez to see what my repair options were. Eventually I got some schmuck who told me it take like a month to get a new neck, and that it would cost me around $400 for one. I paid $500 for the guitar! Asshole.

Apparently other people have had this problem. Ibanez should wise up.

I've had to get the guitar repaired - one of my band's noise experiments went awry and I fucked up the bridge - and I didn't even think of bringing it to the manufacturer after the neck incident. I brought it to a professional who I know and trust.

So was it ever under warranty? Who knows? Even if it was, would I trust those people with the guitar? Nope.

I've been playing for 11 years now (I'm 24). I also own an Epiphone Special - cheap little Les Paul knock-off that I like to seriously abuse.

If someone stole my guitar, or if I lost it, I'd be a wreck. My guitar playing, over the years, has been shaped by my RG. I could never replace it, after all the work I've done to it. I would want to, of course. But it's like when Sonic Youth had their gear stolen - after your hands have played a guitar so much that you've stained the wood, you just can't go out and buy a new one.

I love the guitar for its unique voice and its ability to respond to many levels of dynamics, subtle or blunt. I've hated it for some of its limitations. But you can't expect everything to sound like a PRS.

This guitar is poorly designed in that the neck is too thin and develops cracks from just holding the tension from the strings. For a replacement neck these hucksters wanted 350 clams...now why dont I just save another few bucks and get a new guitar--and I mean ANYTHING BUT an Ibeenhad. This is not an isolated problem, just go on the net and you'll see just how many ppl have been had.

sounded ok, very generic, nothing special

major flaw in the neck, that's all

do i have to tell you more?

unsympathetic money grubbing company...350? yeah right

1989 model RG550.. Body is pinkish with white pickguard, Wizard maple neck w/ maple fretboard.. Pickups came stock V7, S1, V8. Only visible flaws were a few shallow chips on fretboard that did not affect playability. standard "Edge" tremelo (better than a real Floyd in my opinion)..

You can see the modifications I've made to mine in a few pics at www.dreamwater.org/rockguitar (first 2 pics)

I mostly play rock influenced / instrumental music, ala Jason Becker, Greg Howe, George Lynch, Paul Gilbert, etc. In my opinion the RG550 is the STANDARD for technical rock guitar music - the stock pickups are OK until you hear what others can do - I replaced the neck pickup with a Dimarzio Air Norton (AWESOME for really clear sweep-picking) and replaced the bridge pickup with a Dimarzio Super 3 (ala Greg Howe - gives smooth mids similar to a Screamin' Demon, but with a little extra upper end 'bite')

guitar was used by action was nice and LOW, just the way I like it... This guitar was VERY little trouble to setup to my taste.

well it's already over 10 years old, and I think it's the best guitar made. Edge trem works like it was new (the only thing I reccommend for them is adding a little teflon tape to the little plastic washers every few years to make the bar fit 'tight').. Finish is still great

I've had to deal with Ibanez once... I bought an RG450 new from an Ibanez dealer - I was convinced the fret buzzing was a defect - Ibanez happily replaced the neck within a few weeks at no charge... However, I've heard that are hard to get in touch with, and not timely in most cases.

I've been playing for nearly 14 years, the same style of music.. I have yet to see a guitar with this high of quality features, especially at the price you can find one on eBay.

Usa made. 24 frets. 1 volume 1 tone.You know guys, it's the same guitar you all have!!!!

I play metal, rock, pop, blues, nu metal, grunge.... whatever comes to my mind. The guitar sounds great for metal sounds, but for clean is definitely not good at all. Bad tone. Still a great choice.

It came prefectly well.

Great for live gigs. I recorded an album with my band with this guitar and definitely the sound was killer.

I have not tried it.

It's a great guitar, very easy to use and very comfortable. Great metal soundssssss

My latest axe-quisition (HA!) is a 1989 Ibanez RG550. Made in Japan out of basswood with a 24 extra-jumbo fret maple neck (w/maple fretboard) attached by 4 bolts. Pickup configuration is H-S-H (Ibanez stock passive V7,S1,& V8) controlled by a single volume and single tone controls. Mine is a green (with matching green headstock) model with a black Ibanez Edge whammy bar. The original green mirror pickguard was replaced by the original owner with a proper Ibanez style white pearloid job. Body style is strat with some improvements. Tuners are Ibanez grover-style (non locking). The "Wizard" neck is extrememly thin.

I play hard rock guitar-based music in the style of Vai, Satch, Gambale, Van Halen, etc... and this guitar works just fine for my tastes. Good Ibanez guitars have a sound all of their own...they're a different animal altogether from the Strats/Les Pauls that everyone and their brother are buying these days. I had originally planned to replace the stock pickups with some PAF-Pros like my Ibanez Jem had, but the V-series pickups don't sound that much different. The Ibanez sound isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I sure enjoy it.

This was purchased used and while it was in excellent playing condition, the finish had some damage that I really don't give a shit about. It's a player's guitar. I can't comment on the factory setup and finish, though.

This guitar is a veteran of many live performances. I don't play live so that's not really a concern. Everything is professional grade and of high quality. No worries.

Bought used. Ibanez doesn't give a shit about it and probably shouldn't.

I've been playing 20 years. My other guitars are an '84 Japanese Squier Stratocaster (a victim of another review on this website), a Danelectro reissue 6-12 doubleneck, a Tacoma DM-9 acoustic and a Jay Turser 5 string bass. I had owned a Jem previously that had collectors value and because of that, I was scared to death to play it for fear of damaging it. This guitar is almost as nice as the Jem and I don't have to worry about dinging it because it's "Pre-dinged". HA! If it were lost or stolen, I'd buy another one. These guitars are a super bargain on the used market right now...they aren't the flavor of the week guitar at the moment, so it's easy to find a good deal. I would avoid the Korean made Ibanez guitars and stick to the Made in Japan models.

2000, Japan, 24 Frets Maple fingerboard, Solid Bass wood Black, H/S/H,
Edge Trem, added birdseye maple pickguard, and replaced stock bridge pu with Bill Laurence XL 500, wizard all access neck

This thing sounds GREAT... very versital. I mostly play Very Hard Rock,with the XL 500 I can get all kinds of pick harmonics, controled feedback, and a GREAT CRUNCH.....it really has a distinct voice all its own.....love the maple fingerboard. The maple board gives it a little more bite and is able to cut through the mix VERY WELL. Roll back the volume and or tone and and I can blues it up, and clean up well too.

Well I was the first to open it out of the box straight from the factory. It was pretty much in tue! The high E was a little flat...but it was set very nice. I have since tweeked it more for my needs ie set up with 10s and set the action just a little higher. When I took this thing apart...all the routing was percise...the wireing was clean, and the finish was flawless. Frets, fingerboard and neck are all well done.

So far so good.. so what... Yea I can't see why this wont last a very long time. I would not want to drop it though...the very thin neck and glued on head stock might snap????

na

Ok this is the second one of these that I have had. The first was an ealry 90's and a lot of people say those were beter. I would have to disagree! I loved the old one ...and missed it until I was able to get the new one...well it blows the old one away. First off this has an all access neck that is satin finished. The old one was very hard to get up past the 15th fret and it was finished in a poly that was thick like my old Fender. The trem is more heavy duty and is a dull mated gray color VERY COOL! I have been playing for 21years now. WOW. I have had all sorts of gear..but have settled to keep what I have now..the above mentioned 550, an 88 Les Paul Standard(now collecting dust) PRS CE 22 and a guild D4. my amp is a Mesa Boogie Tremo Verb with a matching 4x12 cab. various pedals and recording gear...these days I pretty much my 550 or PRS straight into the Boogie...and of course a WHA. Yea if were lost or stolen I would want to replace it ..I really do love everything about it...my friend made me a custom birds eye pickguard to replace the stock plastic one..(I hated the b/w/b stripe it had) I feel the wood pickguard and xl 500 pu are the perfect match. I can't think of anything I don't like about it. Looks cool, sounds great, and STAYS in tune. I would very much like to add a good strat to my little collection...but they don't stay in tune for me....maybe I will splurge someday and get a Melancon!!!!!!! Can not beat the Ibanez RG 550 for a Metal/Thrash guitar in this price range!!!!!!

1998 Black basswood Japanese SuperStrat, 24 Jumbo frets, 'WIZARD' Maple neck and fingerboard with Bubinga strip, HB-S-HB and 'EDGE' Floyd-Rose licensed tremelo.

After I changed the HB's for Breed's then it totally changed the sound of the guitar. It really is such an all round great sounding guitar.

Super low action straight from the factory, no finish flaws. A sexy looking guitar.

In all the time I have had this guitar I have done nothing but change the strings, clean it and a few small minor adjustments. It has never caused me any problems. I depend on the guitar as I dont have a backup and it has never let me down.

S H O C K I N G ! ! ! Don't even bother trying too get in touch with them, you will probably be dead and buried before they bother to get back to you.

I could not live without this guitar. I dont think there is a guitar availabe today that offers better value for money than an RG550. Th RG is a quality guitar and offers such great versitility. My playing has improved beyind all recognition since I bought it.

Bought it in a pawn shop, standard RG550, red, black hardware, maple neck. Dont know the age but I've had it for 6 years so its quite old.

With the HB/S/HB combination I find that I can get any soun I want. I play a bit of everything and find the RG very versitile.

The thing was a dog when I bought it but after a couple of hours of major surgery it was set up the way I like it. That was 6 years ago and I havent done anything apart from change the strings and clean it since then.

I dont know how many people have owned this guitar before me but it is great, stays in tune no matter what I do. This has got to be one of the most rugged guitars around.

bought it S/H so I dont get any

I used to change my guitars all the time but since I got the RG 6 years ago I have not bought another guitar and have no intention too.

1990 Jap Shocking Yellow Metal machine..........Basically a standard RG550

The best Metal guitar available for under $500

Ibanez have got outstanding quality control. My RG was setup amazingly well at the factory and I played it straight out of the box

11 years old and still going strong. My No.1 guitar

Never had to contact them

I will never part with this guitar. I have bought many a guitar since I got the RG but I always go back to the RG. I think it is one of the greatest guitars ever made. The wizard neck is just so slick. You have not lived until you've tried an RG550

24 fret, fire alarm red, floyd rose, sharp cut away 1991 rg 550.

I bought it NOS -- im not sure the rg550 is manufactured anymore.

Really hot brige pickup. Very low noise, nice pick up set up -- 2 h/b's and a single coil. Great unfinished maple neck. Managed to get a great low-action setting with no fretbuzz. Very fast neck - too thin and narrow a neck for my tastes, but I have huge hands.

Great light weight, very dependable floyd rose tremolo. Dive bombing done fearlessly. Locking nuts are all the same to me, and this one did the job. Great technical versatility in performance.

Again, very hot rear humbucker. Looked at upgrading (just cause I had the cash and I could), and my guy at musicplex said Id have to spend a pretty penny to get anything hotter. Left em stock. Used it with my marshall mosfet half stack (one of the best non-tube amps ive heard), and would like a little more warmth and bottom end, but thats usually lacking from Ibanez guitars, and solid state amps alike.

Ibanez's tend to be sharp 'shreddy' guitars with not a lot of thickness. You have get some kind of over-the-top boogie rectifier to get ballsy low end out of these guitars. I pick up this guitar to screw around with overkill modal soloing, but when i want to do something with a little soul, its over to my strat or my Gibson LP. Twang, pop, crispiness or sizzle on the strat, Balls, thickness or cool smoothness on the Lespaul. These two have sound versatility. For my clear, hot, fastfingeredfretboard, pinch harmonic, squealing solos, nothing beats the performance of my Ibanez. But sound versatility? Absolutely not. Anyone who thinks Ibanez is versatile is usually doing Creed style stuff -- cranked up, then clean. Thats not sound versatility -- thats just distortion all on or all off. Versatile is giving you voices on settings inbetween. And i never turn to the Ibanez for that.

The fastest, low-action guitar ive ever played. Awesome. Cant think of a thing id do to improve the handling except maybe binding the fretboard. An unfinished neck is a little slower than laquered i find, but I hate the feel of rubbing my fingers against laquer. I wanna feel wood.

Technically brilliant guitar for the price

Never a problem. I kept taking it to the shop for a professional set up, cause I hate setting up floyd rose tremolos. But otherwise a trouble free guitar.

Never contacted them

If you want a metal guitar for technical noodling, few guitars offer the performance and value of Ibanez products. PRS is offering guitars of the same wieght, better sound, and better playability, but for double the price. This is a great low/intermediate priced metal guitar.

But dont delude yourself into thinking it can do anything... NOT a versatile guitar like most kids leaving their 2 cents here. You gotta pay into the thousands for versatility and performance level. Only PRS and such will do many sounds well. Ibanez does one/two sounds well.

1998 model made in Japan.Black Basswood body, Maple board, H-S-H, Edge trem, 24 Jumbo frets

Immediately stuck in a couple of EVO's and it sounds MEGA, play it through a Legacy amp and use a variety of BOSS pedals

I set it up to perfection when I got it. Mega low action and Buzz free

The thing seems as if it will last for ever its as good as new

Do Ibanez have any ? ? ? ? ?

OUTSTANDING GUITAR. I COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT IT. I'D GET RID OF THE WIFE BEFORE I'D GET RID OF MY RG!

Go to Ibanez.com and click on RG 550 and they can describe it better than I ever could

The RG sounds immense and it is so versitile. I though it was a pure METAL machine but I can get anything from a great clean sound right through to deathly mega distortion

I dunno who set it up but it was perfecto!
Ive never played a guitar with action this low and buzz free before

Its been bounced about and hammered senseless and still looks great. I totally depend on it as Im too lazy to cary a backup to gigs and It has never let me down

I dunno never contacted them although I have heard that they are pretty invisible if you need to get in touch with them

For some reason I always used to HATE Ibanez guitars even although I had never played one. It probably had something to do with tossers like Vai, Gilbert, Petrucci and Satriani using them. But then I won the RG and my opinion totally changed ( I still think Vai, Gilbert, Petrucci and Satriani are tossers) This guitar is so good to play and sounds totally immense. I would DIE without it

1998 Jap SuperStrat
Basswood body
Maple board, superfast wide unbelievably skinny WIZARD neck
24 Jumbo Frets
Ibanez Edge Trem
H-S-H Bridge:V8, Middle:S1, Neck:V7 (Stock Ibanez PickUps)
Gotoh machineHeads

I got this Guitar with an Ibanez GigBag,Lead,Tool Set and Ibanez Strap

I play Metal and this guitar suits me and my style perfectly. I play it through Zoom effects and a Soldano amp. MEGA Sound, it blows me away when I listen back to live recordings.

I have to comend Ibanez on there factory setups. This guitar was perfectly setup when I took it out of the box.

I have owned this guitar for a couple of years and it looks like new. The only signs of wear are the black finish has worn off the pickup screws and there are very slight pick marks on the scratchplate nothing considering I have played it constantly since I got it. Basically there are no signs of worrying wear and tear at all.
I gig it at least twice a week and have never requires a backup. This guitar is rock solid and has never once let me down.

This is an absolute stunning guitar. I have not been able to put it down since I bought it. Compare this to any other guitar of a similar price and it will blow them all away.
I have played every guitar out there and barring a JEM7VWH this is the best guitar I have played.

1989, Maple fretboard, 24 jumbo frets, black body w/ black pickguard. It has the H-S-H pickup config. It had the original pickups when I got it. I think the body is basswood but I'm not real sure. It has the ever popular edge trem that most Ibanez guitars have. Typical double locking setup.

I played it in the store on a shitty amp but when I brought it home it sounded much better. Still, I hate the original pickups that were in it. I forget what they are at the moment, but I did not like them. Since then I've completely rewired the guitar. I put a Dimarzio Tone Zone in the bridge, which sounds really good. It makes this guitar very versitile musically. I kept the original neck pickup but that will be going also... I hate the sound of it. I rewired it with a stereo output jack. I took out the tone pot and put in a push/pull pot that I use for the neck p/u vol and the push/pull part I use to route the neck pickup to either the pickup selector switch or directly out the stereo output. I replaced the 5 wayt selector with a 3 way and disconnected the middle pickup since it always gets in the way and I never use it anyways. I also installed a kill switch. In stereo mode running through 2 different effects units you can get some really awesome tones out of this thing. I've even gotten a tone real close to Eric Johnson. This guitar definitely has a good natural tone to it. I am giving it a 9 now because I don't like the neck pickup. If I were rating it stock I'd say 6.5.

Well it was really screwed up. The bridge was all out of wack and I had to install a 4th spring in there. I then redid the action and still have yet to do intonation but since all of the strings are somewhat sharp and I have yet to do any real recording with it I never bothered with it yet. The fretboard was excelent. The neck was perfectly straight. I believe that it had a fret level and polish shortly before I bought it. I took off the 9's that were on it and put on 10's and they definitely make it VERY playable now.

I think so. Its built like a tank and now that I've gone through it with a fine tooth comb I feel comfortable with its construction. Still, its no US made Jackson King V.

never had to deal with them... the guitar was to old to bother and I wanted to customize it anyways.

I've been playing 2.5 years now and I definitely have realized that I absolutely hate most Ibanez guitars. I've played tons of different types, brands, and styles of guitars now and out of all of them I mostly prefer Jacksons. Even with that said, the RG550 definitely stands out of the pack. I think it has to do with the maple fretboard since every guitar I've played with a rosewood fretboard feels reall "cheap" to me. The natural tone of the guitar is pretty good and with my modifications it definitely sounds really good and is extremely versitile. Considering that I mostly play thrash/speed metal in a band called Last Will, I don't really NEED the versitility, but I wanted a guitar that I could hack apart and not care about. Overall I prefer my US Jackson KV over this guitar but if it were stolen I would be one ticked off mofo. I've grown used to it and I really enjoy playing it. I would definitely say get one of these if you can. They're a really good bang for your buck.

Made 1992 Japan, 24 Jumbo frets, Cherry red w/ black hardware
5 way selector with HSH pickups (factory INF1, INFS1, INF2)
Maple/Mahogany neck w/ swamp Ash body (so sez skuzzbucket at store)
Ibanez lo-pro trem floaty bridge
SOOOPER thin neck. I'm suprised 11's don't break it.
I have to truss it 3-4 times a year, but I'm in a Canadian basement...

My buddies say I'm a wanker, but I play alot of stuff that's not VAI
Very versiatile sounds from squealing distorted harms on the bridge
to FAT FAT THICK tones on the neck. Not all that noisy. My volume dial came out of the factory kinda messed up. Later I went at 'er with the electronics skills and cut the POTS in 1/2 (a la STEVE VAI) and added a resistor somewhere to make the VOL dial like a noise gate type of thingy. Putting vol to 0 is like an "off" switch otherwise it's very subtle. I reccomend all people who play VOL at 10 all the time to do this. Use the dial for SOMETHING.

...Like I said, the Volume dial was funny, but the finish and set up was great. I was very impressed.

My outlet has gone on me 3 times. It pisses me off. I'm tired of fixing it and one day when I got 80$$ to blow I'm gonna get one of those dimarizo power source active outlet thingys with the batteries, but for now it's ony caused frustration and time (and about 4$ worth of silver solder) I've dropped it and my nephew peed on it, and it seems very durable.

N/A

Overall I would like to say this guitar rocks and contrary to popular beleif the stock pickups DO NOT suck and it was not made SOLEY for wankers, although they seem to like it. Fruity "Hootie and the Blowfish" type people and old, smelly "Eric Clapton is GAWD" people and sullen intellectual "Jazz is happenin'" people and unwashed, trailer-dwelling "Krokus and Winger will tour again" people will enjoy it. It is truly a guitar for all seasons (...ROSEBUD...)

2000 Japanese Ibanez RG 550. Black solid Basswood body, black scratchplate and hardware, maple wizard neck with maple fingerboard and 24 jumbo frets, Licenced Floyd Rose trem (Ibanez Edge), 2 Ibanez Humbuckers (V8 & V7) and 1 Ibanez single coil (S1), Gotoh tuners.
Gig bag, lead, set of allen keys and full instruction manual included.
What more can you ask for?

With the HB/S/HB arrangement and the Ibanez split-5 switching system I can get any sound I want out of this guitar. I play it through a Marshall 100w combo and I use Digitech effects. I play mainly heavy rock music and this guitar is perfect for this genre of music.
The Ibanez pickups sound great and are not excessively noisy. They really suit this guitar. One of my friends has an RG as well and he has tried Di-marzios and Seymour Duncans in the guitar but he has gone back to the original picups as they sound much better and give the guitar more variety.

I played the guitar in the store and it felt great. The factory set up was fantastic (as every Ibanez I have ever played has been). Super low action with no rattles or buzzes. The pickups were properly adjusted, the tuners were smooth and tight, the Edge trem was set up well, locking nut cut and seated well and the frets were perfect in fact I'd go as far to say that the fret job was the one of best I'd ever seen. Ibanez must have very good quality control.
The finish on the guitar was Ok and still is although it could have done wih another couple of coats. The hardware has not rusted or oxidized yet and shows no signs of doing so.
The wizard neck has got to be one of the best guitar necks around today. It is so fast and easy to play.

I have had no problems at all with this guitar. I have played this guitar constantly since I got it and it shows no signs of wear and tear. I have giged it since I got it and it has never ever let me down. I dont own another electrice guitar and with this guitar I dont need too. I gig it all the time without a back up.

Never needed to get in touch with them.

I have played guitar for 5 years and have owned a Charvel, a strat and a B.C. Rich but I have played most popular guitars out there and the RG 550 blows them away.
If it were lost or stolen I would definitely get another one but I would try hard to get this one back. If I were going to buy another guitar I would DEFINITELY buy another Ibanez. They are very well made, great looking and sounding guitars. I dont think there are many other guitars out there that are as good value for money as an RG 550. Ever since I got this guitar I have played a lot more than I used too and my playing has got so much better, It is a pleasure to play.

Typical RG550, exactly the same as all the other RG550's reviewed here
As far as features go an electric guitar can't really have anymore than this guitar

MUSIC STYLE: Metal
AMPS USED: Anything and Everything
SOUND: The widest range of sounds on any guitar I've ever played

ACTION: Low
FIT: Perfect (For me anyway)
FINISH: General wear & tear but nothing out of the ordinary

INDESTRUCTIBLE!

N/A

I got my first guitar in 1971 and have owned enough guitars to fill a large shop since then. You name it I've owned and thi guitar tops them all. Anyone out there looking for the most versitle and playable guitar out there then get an RG550.

1989 Japanese built RG550, vomit yellow/green in colour with maple neck and fingerboard, 24 Jumbo frets (25.5in scale length). Solid Basswood body, Ibanez Edge locking Tremelo, 1 volume, 1 tone, Gotoh machine heads and split-5 way switch.The pickup configuration is H-S-H, Di-Marzio PAF Pro in the bridge and neck and standard Ibanez S1 in the middle. The neck is the ultra slim wizard style which joins the body with an all access neck joint system.
How can this guitar or any guitar have any more features?

K I L L E R S O U N D ! ! ! I play minly Heavy Rock/Metal. I have played nearly every popular make of guitar and this guitar would blow them all away. The Di-Marzio pickups sound fantastic, I don't really use the single coil very often. With the Di-Marzio's this guitar is so versatile. I cant really comment what it was like with the original Ibanez pickups but as it is just now it can be used for anything from a nice mellow clean sound right to the ultimate metal distortion.

The first thing I did when I got it was respray it. I could not handle the vomit coloured paintjop. I rubbed it down and sprayed it metallic purple and if I say so myself it looks rather good. I spent a long time cleaning the hardware when it was removed for the body painting so it looks nearly new. The person who had it before me obviously either never use it or really looked after it.
Once I put the guitar together I set the action, the pickups and the trem so it suits me down to the ground. There are no rattles or buzzes and the action is as low as it possibly could be.

I have owned this guitar for over 2 years and I have never had a problem with it. I have gigged since I got it and there have been no problems so far. I totally depend on it! I don't have a backup guitar and have never needed one so far. I just stick the Ibanez in its gig-bag and off I go. I painted it two years ago and the finish is still in great condition. The thing stays in tune no matter how much abuse I give it.

I bought the guitar second-hand so I don't now and probably will never find out.

I have been playing the guitar for nearly 10 years. I have owned so many guitars I can hardly remember half of them but they include ESP, Charvel, Kramer, Gibson, Fender, Hamer, B.C. Rich and Westone. I currently use a Boogie combo and use a variety of BOSS pedals and a Jim Dunlop Crybaby Wah-Wah.
If anything happened to this guitar I would be well pissed off! I have been looking around for about 6 months to get another one the same as back-up just in case anything does happen and I haven't managed to find one yet but I'm going to keep looking. At present I can not see myself moving away from the RG550, it is perfectly suited to me and to my playing style, the neck is lightening fast and so slim. A lot of people probably won't agree with me but this is the best guitar I have ever owned and I don't think I would ever sell it. It's most definitely the best #200 I have ever spent.

I'm not sure when it was made but I bought it new so it can't be that old. Basically the same shape as Steve Vai's Jem series minus the carry handle. The guitar was manufactured in Japan.
Solid Basswood body, wizard skinny neck with a maple fingerboard and 24 jumbo frets.
Ibanez edge floyd rose licensed locking tremelo.
Pickup configuration: H-S-H. Ibanez pickups: V8(bridge)-S1-V7(neck)
Passive electronics with one master volume, one tone and a 5-way selector switch.
Black body, Black scratchplate, Black hardware and Black headstock

I play anything and everything - Classical, Blues, Rock, metal whatever sounds interesting and catches my attention.
I play the guitar through a Marshall JMP-1 Pre-amp and I sometimes use my BOSS GT-3 multi-effects box thingy but not very often.
The guitar sound great! I am really happy with the overall sound and the variety of sounds I can get.
The guy in the shop said that it would be difficult to get a decent clean sound from the guitar but I have had no problems so far.
The pickups are not noisy and initially I was tempted to stick in some Di-Marzio's, I'm not going to bother now.

The guitar seems to have been set up quite well from the factory.
The action was VERY LOW which is the way I like it and there are no annoying buzzes.
Factory fitted with 9-42 guage strings.
The Edge tremelo and the pickups were also well adjusted.
The neck is absolutely unbelievable, it is so fast. I'm not sure what finish if any is on the neck but it is very well manufactured.
The frets are well seated and filed very evenly.
IF ONLY Ibanez would spend as much time painting the guitars. Every Ibanez guitar I looked at in the shop had a dodgy paint job! Mine could have done with another couple of coats of paint at least. There also seem to be some marks underneath the paint work as if the body was not finished properly prior to painting and there is one spot right on the bottom horn where the paint has reacted very slightly.

This guitar is indestructible. The guitar will withstand nearly anything.
I carry it about everywhere in a gigbag and have never had any trouble at all, its been on planes, boats and cars and still stays in tune.
I have gigged it since I got and I depend on TOTALLY, I don't have a backup guitar at the moment and it has never let me down. I have not even snapped a string.
The paint job is still in pretty good nick and has not deteriorated at all.
The hardware is still black! and working perfectly

Never had to deal with them.

I have been playing seriously for 16 years and presently own a couple of YAMAHA APX acoustic guitars, one nylon string and one steel string.
I have managed to work my way through just about every type of electric guitar and the IBANEZ RG550 in my opinion is head and shoulders above the rest.
I didn't even intend to buy it. I went to buy an Epiphone Les Paul Standard and for some unknown reason had a shot of the Ibanez and it was love at first play.
I probably would not have bought black if there had been a choice but seemingly that is the only colour they produce that model in and I really liked the maple fingerboard.
I played nearly every guitar in the shop and none really matched up to the RG for overall playability and sound (In that price range anyway). I played Epiphone Les Pauls, Jacksons, other Ibanez'z, Fender Strat's, ESP LTD's and a YAMAHA Pacifica.
The colour has grown on me now and If it were stolen I would definitely get another BLACK RG550.
My favourite feature has got to be the neck. It is the fastest and skinniest neck I've ever played.
The Ibanez RG550 is outstanding value for money and if I were going to buy a backup giotar I would buy another one.

Re-issue of the classic late 80's super strat. Ibanez 'Edge' licensed Floyde Rose locking tremelo system, HB-S-HB (with 5-way switch)the pick-ups are standard Ibanez V8 in the bridge, S1 and V7 in the neck.One volume control and one tone. The neck is a ultra slinky wizard neck with maple fingerboard (it has a bubinga skunk stripe ont the back which is meant to strengthen the neck) and 24 jumbo frets. The body is solid basswood and has a glossy black finish and a black three-ply scratchplate. The hardware is all black as well.

I play mainly rock/metal, anything from Slayer and Sepultura to Stuck Mojo. Basically anything I like the sound off. Prior to buying the guitar I had read a lot of reviews stating that the stock Ibanez pickups were crap but I really like the sound I get from them. I use a BOSS ME-8 through a Marshall JCM900 (fitted with Boogie tubes) and I love the sound I get. My other guitar I regularky use is a Patrick Eggle Berlin Pro fitted with Seymour Duncans and I rather the variety of sounds I can get from the Ibanez.
With the HB-S-HB arrangement it is very easy to get a wide range of sounds. I would say this is a very, very versitile guitar.
I have had no problems to date with pick-up noise or from the 5-way selector switch.

The guitar was set up perfectly from the factory (or by the Shop). Normally I fiddle about with a guitar when I get it home but with the Ibanez I didn't have too.
The action was super low and there was no buzzing at all. The neck was straight and the frets were well seated and expertly finished. The tuners were fine, the selector switch worked perfectly, the nut was cut and seated well and the Edge tremolo was perfect.
The only gripe I had was the finish (I am a perfectionist) They could really have done with spending a wee bit more time sand the body prior to painting it as there are a few marks I can see under the paint. But only if I look closely. Although saying that no one else can even see the blemishes.

I have gigged this guita regulaly since I got it and I have had no problems whatsoever. I have not gigged my Patrick Eggle since I got the Ibanez (It has turned into an expensive ornament!). I have never snapped a string on this guitar and it stays in tune no matter how much abuse I give it.
The hardware is still in good condition. The hardware is all still black and there is no sign of rust or the black finish wearing off. The Edge tremelo system is the best Floyd Rose type system I have used.
The finish is still in excellent condition. I really try to look after my guitars and try to keep them out of harms way! The strap buttons are still solid.
I have got really lazy lately and have not taken a backup guitar to my gigs and the Ibanez has never let me down.
This guitar is so reliable and durable. I have played this guitar solid since I got it and there are no signs of fret wear at all or for that matter any wear anywhere.

Ibanez have a pretty band name when it comes to customer support but I have never had to contact them so I wouldn't know. What I have been told is that the British distributors of Ibanez are HEADSTOCK and they seem very helpful indeed. But since I have had a need to contact either myself then I can not comment.

I have been playing for nearly twenty years and have owned a lot of guitars in that time . I have owned strats, les pauls, an ESP M-1 (one of the very first ones) etc.etc. and I currently also have a Patrick Eggle Berlin Pro which has been put to the side a lot lately in favour of the Ibanez.
The Ibanez RG550BK is a stunning guitar, the neck is a dream and it sounds great. I can honestly say that this is probably my favourite guitar of all time (at the moment anyway!!!). It has the best neck I have ever played, it is so fast. If it was ever stolen I would be GUTTED. I would head straight down to the nearest guitar store and buy another one.
This guitar is a classic and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Guitarist magazine (in the UK) voted it No. 8 in the 10 greatest guitars of all time feature thst they did recently!!!

Japanese-made. 24 Fret. Single tone control. 5-way selector. H/S/H Pickup combination. 1-peice maple neck - TRULY GORGEOUS! Fairly broad, but about as shallow as it gets. Jumbo frets to make up for the lack of natural sustain beautifully. White w/ black Scratch & Hardware. Genuine USA Floyd Rose Double Locking trem (not Edge or Lo-Pro as most 550s have).

Believe it or not (and you probably won't), this guitar is simply stunning for my hybrid of Aerosmith/G'n'R/Bon Jovi style rock (proving that not all RG players simply plug into the biggest distortion pedal possible and go chugachuggachuggaRAAAAAAA!!! I WANT TO BE PLAYING A BASS!!! RAAAAAAchuggachugga etc in the way that only those most anal of metal bands can do.). On the bridge pickup and put through a 100-watt Fender Stage and a Marshall Guv'nor Plus with the gain on max and the deep and midrange conrols down I get a warm, roaring distortion without sounding thrashy and nonsensical, or horribly under-driven. With the right compressor it can be good for clean, funky rhythm too (I work with a lot of other musicians, so I have to be sonically versatile).

I bought the guitar second-hand and can't really comment on the factory settings, but the shop I got it from had tweaked it to perfection. Against my usual on-stage attire of flowing black leather trenchcoat, black t-shirt and black combats, the white body stands out beautifully. It's a nice chance from the black w/ white scratch scheme that Clapton has made so cliched. The guitar's action is pretty flawless. alowing for both flawless bends and high-speed legato playing. The neck hasn't aged very well from an asthetic point of view, and much heavy playing has worn off all the varnish and left a dirty look (although this means that it is even more wonderful to play!!). Not at all impressed with the plastic tone and volume pots. Even my old Blazer (yes, it's official, I'm an Ibanez endorsee) had better ones than that (gold plated).

Apart from the plastic tone and volume post, this guitar seems to be built like a tank! I've been happilly bombing around the floyd for ages now, content in the knowledge that it can go all the way to the scratchplate and suddenly up again without the tuning going even slightly out. The original DiMarzio cliplock strap has been excellent, but was a butt-ugly shade of green so that's gone (now black), but I have no doubt that it would have lasted if I was into the whole 'bogeyman' look. I have no problem in using this guitar without a backup - in fact I occasionally do spur-of-the-moment guest numbers with bands I know around the pub & club circuit, and simply whip the RG out, plug it in and go. It's flawless every time (even if I'm not after a few too many).

Ibanez customer support is simply terrible from all I've heard, so I wouldn'y even bother trying. HOWEVER, the shop I frequent (Imaginatevly named 'The Guitar Shop' offers absoloutely wonderful, freindly service. That's not credit to Ibanez though - DOWN YOU GO!!!

I would have no hesitation in buying this guitar again, but next on my hit list is a JEM of some kind (those monkey grips are simply essential - ok, so what if I'm an egomainac! lol). The only real other feature I would could ask for in this guitar would be METAL POTS!! I mean, it's a killer guitar, would it really do Ibanez THAT MUCH HARM to just put on some decent pots? I doubt it. Thrash metal sucks. Vai is an anal, nonsensical asshole. Paul Gilbert is the new god, after Stevie Ray (may his memory live forever in the fingers of those he inspired). Richie Sambora rules, Jon Bonm Jovi is a pompous dickhead.

1987 model, 24 frets v7/s1/? pickups in H/S/H configuration, Edge tremolo, Gotoh tuners, maple 1-piece maple wizard neck, basswood body. Desert yellow finish (I've never seen a desert like that colour)

I bought this second hand and the guy had taken the v8 bridge pickup out and put something else in (even worse than the v8). I popped this piece of crap out and dropped an Evolution in, and it sounds great. I have used various effects with it and it always sounds sweet, except with the neck pickup (v7) which is much too noisy. Single coil is a waste of time.

The action has been spot on from day one even though the previous owner abused it. All the flaws were caused by the guy's cigarettes and the odd drop. I'll have to give it a nine just because of the quality of the neck. Amazing!

I have had this guitar for 7 years and it's the best #250 I've ever spent. I hate the colour and I wish the guy had treated it better, but then I'd have had to pay #350 for it. This is my first guitar. I probably wouldn't own two at once, but I think I'll always own a 550.

Never needed it.

I've been playing about 13 years and this guitar has served me well for the past 7. When it finally dies I'll definitely buy another, but in a better colour. The neck is fantastic, but the stock pickups are pretty ordinary. Some day I'll swap the neck pickup for a PAF Pro.

I'm not sure of the year, I'd guess early 1990's. 24 huge frets, Wizard neck, hum-sing-hum configuration, V7(neck), V8(bridge),S2(??middle), maple neck/fingerboard, purple-ish/pink metallic finish with purple mirror pickguard, Edge Lo Pro tremolo. I got a gig bag with it but I carry it to gigs in an SKB case I have.

I have an Ibanez Universe and I've always wanted one of the RG style 6 strings. I play pop rock. I use a 50 watt Marshall JMP head and Marshall 1960A 4X12. Rat distortion. The V8 bridge pick-up is somewhat noisy which has been my experience with alnico magnets but it's managable. The guitar itself, acoustically is very bright and thin. That doesn't translate through the amp, though. It actually has a bit more low end than I like because I get a sort of low "whoooo" feedback sometimes. I can get all the sounds I need like leads : bridge or neck; jangly rhythm : bridge and middle; cleaner sounds : middle. I guess I'm not in love with the bridge pick-up (V8) but it's not as bad as I've heard. I was expecting to immediately go out and buy a DiMarzio but now I'm putting that off until I play with it some more. The middle and neck pick-ups are fine.

I bought this used and it was in sorry shape. Missing 2 clamps at the nut, no knobs, trem jacked way up, bent switch, bridge saddles all forward. It looked worse than it was, so I bought it and within a day of fiddling it rocked. The startling difference between it and all other guitars I own is the thin neck. My Strat feels like a baseball bat when I pick it up after playing this. It has a lot of chips and dings in the finish but from a distance you can't tell. I wanted this as a stage guitar I can beat on. It's visually striking with the purple mirror pickguard and the finish which seems to change color depending on the lighting. It at various times looks purple, hot pink, or maroon. I love the way it plays.

Like I said, I bought it to be my main live guitar. I always have a back-up guitar just in case I break a string.

I've been playing about 21 years. I've got a Universe, Warmoth "Strat", Fender Stratocaster, Ripley custom, Gibson Flying V, and couple of Marshalls. I think I got a killer deal on this guitar, I'm glad I bought it. I'm looking for more of them, (used) or JEM's. What I like the best is the neck. That's the only thing I prefer about it compared to my other guiatrs. 24 frets are fine but if I'm up near the top my fingers get so cramped together I can't really play cleanly.

usual ibanez design
mettalic blue
maple fretboard

i use boss gx700 marshall 9000 poweramp with jcm 4x4 cab
powerful trem pickup - good sustain
bridge is waste of time
great if you want to 'SHRED' dude- with lots of distortion to hide the tone
clean - on trem is loud , scratchy and hard
on bridge is shit sounds dead and ugly
it was my first fairly pricey guitar
and i was happy with it for a few years
dont really like it now
gonna give it to my brother for a few bob
got a patrick eggle berlin pro now
which pisses on it for tone
lets be honest these type of guitars have had their day ay they
no one in england really wants to be steve vai anymore

action was very good
minimum freat buzz
volume and tone knobs are plastic crap

good for live playing
gave it a good kicking
played a gig in the park and dropped it on the concrete in the bandstand which kind of messed it up
dont break many strings which is more than i can say
for my little eggle

never found out really

if your buying a first guitar
dont bother just get a strat
they shit on these
and you look a kok playing one
ok if your in korn or limp bisket or summut like that

This RG550 is pretty rare in that it is a YellowGreen (more green than yellow) Color with a gold undercoat and has snakes painted in the Maple neck. It has a gold pickguard. I yanked out the Ibanez Pickup and Stuck EMG 81's in the bridge and neck. I left the single coil in the middle but I disabled it. It has the LoPro Bridge. I use only a volume control and a 3 way switch. The wizard neck on this is awesome.

I have modified the guitar to suit my needs which range from thrash to ambient jazzy stuff. I sounds killer. I can get the clean tones and the death grind easily. The chords ring out with great definition. You can hear all the notes in a chord even at high gain levels. The maple neck adds to the brightness of the tone.

Most of the guitar stores have that one guy who thinks they know how to set up a trem system like the LoPro, but they always get it wrong. I set mine up so that is the bottom of the trem is just parallel to the body so if you turn the guitar on it's side you can see that it is flat and even from the front of the trem to the back in relationship to the body of the guitar. Over all when I bought the guitar it was New. I was looking for one and happened to come by this one. My only gripe is that either the paint cracks at the heel joint of the guitar or the wood. Not sure unless I strip the paint. It seems consistent with most Ibanez Guitars. The overall construction is great. Which is why it plays so well.

Live this guitar rules. I have even loaned it to a few shredders for thier gigs. Onstage I have never had a problem with it. It never breaks strings and as hard as I play it holds up well. I have used this guitar without a back up for years. I now have 2 7 strings so this one stays in the studio. Extremely Dependable guitar

never needed em.

I have been playing for 16 years. I have owned a few guitars (Kramer Baretta II's, Fender HM Strat, Gretch (24 fret weirdo)) other than Ibanez Brand but have ended up with having almost all Ibanez guitars two 7 strings, an RG550 and the acoustic GX-90. I really dig this guitar. The best thing is that I don't know anyone that has one and everyone that has tried it wants it. Imagine a fretless wonder Les Paul (has frets feels fretless) that seems like a strat but rages like a beast. I would like to hear from people who have this particular model with the snakes painted in the neck (just to see if more were made). If they made a new one like this (not korean) I would buy it over and over again.

I bought this new in 86, 24 frets made in Japan H/S/S Original edge trem ect ect. Used to be neon orange, I refinished it blue to avoid the headaches the neon caused me. Built very well, this was my main guitar for many moons

I used to me a pure metal guy so this guitar was perfect for me. I put in a Tone Zone and an Air Norton a few years back and liked the way those pickups sounded. It's got a bit of edge in its tone due to the maple neck/fingerboard and bolt on neck. Thanks to the 5 way switch (I replaced the Ibanez switch with a switchcraft one) it can do stratish tones and heavy humbucking tones. The Strat tones are not terribly convinving however....thenagain this is not a "clean" guitar. The Edge is a great vibraato arm, stays in tune incredible well.

it was ugly orange new now its beat to death and blue. no probs with action ect however I have had this thing apart so many times I've lost count.

this guitar has been around the block and cone out shining. I no longer use it, I've replaced it with Brian Moore C-series guitars (A C-90 and a C-55) It was good sounding tough stayed in tune and reliable. Ibanez make good guitars.

never had t contact them, I used to work at a store that dealt with Ibanez and their customer service was TERRIBLE. If you want good service go with boutique guitars

Was good for me when it was my main guitar, now I find it's tones one dimensional and feel....well it just doesn't feel proper anymore. The Brian Moores have changed me. Still I willnever say anything bad about Ibanez, they are VERY good and are (for the most part) affordable. Just for the record if you are looking high end Ibanez don't bother....get Music Man, Brian Moore Custom (not an iMoore) or PRS....you will be happier in the long run no matter what Steve vai says

It was japan made.And with 24 frets.The body is basswood and fingerboard is a great maple one.The finish is desert yellow.

I thing this one is for exactly ROCK,HARD-ROCK.Single coil is too much noisy.I thing bridge hb.is not very good too,but the neck hb is perfect for me

This guitars last forever!!

I've been playing this one for 5 years.I like the neck!!WONDERFUL!I have a music shop in Turkey for 2 years,I played lots of guitars here but RG550 have the best neck!I cannot imagine a neck better than this!It is impossible!Another thing y love is the lo-pro edge.This is the best tremolo ever made I thing!!I play blues and jazz,you may thing that this guitar is not avaible for this kinds of music,maybe you are right,but becouse of WONDERFUL neck and bridge I still use it.

This was made probably in the late '80's(it has old-style Edge trem,not lo-pro which convinces me of the age)and of course it's japanese.24 frets,solid-top,basswood body(thumbs down to that),pickups were some kinda trash,who cares about them,they're gone now haha,thin-ass neck and those glorious sexy JUMBO frets(Ibanez 550's have the BEST necks out of anything including high-end Jackson's),nice weathered-down maple neck/fretboard(rosewood bites),THE very best trem available on ANY guitar(I notice that Floyd Rose does not sell a Lo-Pro trem that is worth a shit even though they are "made in USA dude" so forget that)blah,blah,yak yak.

First off,this guitar kills but Basswood really bites weenie man! Choppy and percussive but no sustain.Oh well,who wants to sound like some old blues dork with a "58 Les Pual Goldtop I can't even let leave the house".The trem and neck on this is way way sexy.I traded this plus some cash with a Jackson Dinky Reverse and this guitar of course killed that one.I tuned it to B using GHS Low-Tunes and it's great for that.I can do those sick-ass whammy dives and pull-up's like Peter Tagtren(Hypocrisy)on Obsculum Obscenum.My style is progressive death metal(Pestilence,Nile,Death,Cynic,Cephalic Carnage) and NOT KORN?SLIPKOCK/LIMPDIK/TRASH PASSED OF AS METAL but real shit,this guitar plays way better than any other under a grand.With EMG's it's too brigh so I'm gonna stick in a Dimarzio X2N(Chuck Chuldiner of Death's pickup)and PAF-PRO setup and it will be much warmer.I can play jazz chords on this guitar(and do)and it sounds great for that also.You can get that Police-Andy-Summers-Tele sound perfect with these.Very versatile.I also painted this guitar in textured grey-stone color(looks craazy)becuase original paint was boring.Great guitar,just wish the body was either alder or swamp-ash.

I got this at Squid's music in Tustin(great store)and it was setup tuned to E but he set it up real nice.When I set it up for B it took a while,but now it plays great,I'm gonna pick up 2 more of these(pawn shops have them for under $300 usually)and have one for backup,one tuned standard.These are industry standard but no one admits that(I've seen a lot of death metal guys using these).Great action,fit,all dat s#$t.

VERY reliable,becuase it's easy to replace! The trem never ever goes out of tune(not even tuned to B)and the neck is thin and easy on the hand.Finish I did myself so no rating there.Would use without backup if I was into embarrasment when my high-e breaks(always screwed with a trem)so any trem-equipped guitars should have backup.very roadworthy I'm sure.I've dropped it before.Still works.Neck is good.Everything alright man.

Don't have a clue about this.I can fix most things myself,so no rating(I hope I'm not "buttering my toast" here).

I have been playing for like 6 years and went through:Ibanez S-series mahogany-body-standard-trem guitar,Kramer Focus 2000,3000,Westone Strat-style w/Kahler trem,maple neck(also great guitar),Fender Strat w/Schaller-Floyd(sucky),Jackson Dinky Reverse(echh),Takamine electric and all kinds of other junk and this guitar is good enough.Ibanez has the best contours/thin-ass wizard necks and overall bang-for-buck of any other brand.If yer into metal/rock,these kill,if yer into blues;well,c'mon man you gonna keep singin' the same song by Albert King and have a REALLY bored bass-player or get some imagination? To each there own,but I play heavy junk and I need only what works(names like "Gibson" and "Marshall" don't mean shit to me),and this works.Wish body was made of better wood.Other than that,great guitar.

Ibanez, RG550, (USED) made in Japan, 24 1/2 frets, yellow body, made in 97. It came with dimarzio evolution bridge and dimarzio evolution neck. Body in basswood. Great pickups and guitar for the price i gave !!:)

basically playing metal, and progressive rock, but also blues and shit like that. these pickup configuration make this guitar suitable for almost any kind of sound. The bridge is bright and the neck is very warm and bassy :) very very very cool.

Perfect, for a used guitar it is perfect :)

well, like all other ibanez guitar, there's no more things to say :) I even didn't need to tune the harmonics, and the guitar wasn't in action from a year...

what ? i don't need that f*cking shit.

if you are a fast type guitar player, and plays roccccck this guitar is for u :)

h/s/h 24 frets maple fingerboard with BIG fretwire.of course the floyd-clone whammy.White with black pickguard.This guitar has the BEST neck ever!! just the best combination of width,thickness and fretwire size. The stock pickup (bridge) was a litte too tame for me so I replaced it with a Dimarzio megadrive.after that the guitar killed! Great high and low with no annoying mids.I kept the stock neck pickup it is quite smooth and is good for soloing.I do not use the single coil as ait is too noisy.I bought this guitar new in 1988 and have NOT purchased a new one untill this year (Ibanez rg7620)Through my ADA mp1 this guitar has super sustain and sounds wonderfull clean.The guitar is not super gizmofied but simple and effective.The edge whammy stays in tune no matter how hard I bash it.THIS GUITAR IS BULLETPROOF

Fantastic highs and lows either with distortion or clean.Has sustain to die for.The megadrive is a little too hot for clean playing but the stock neck pickup is nice and deep add a little delay and chorus and it sounds fantastic.The neck out of phase(#4position)IS super smooth with lower volume than straight neck pickup.The #2 position is awefull and i never use it it is very thin and too treblely volume is too low as well(was not nearly as bad with stock pickup in bridge sound I get with megadrive more than makes up for this)

After allmost 13 years of hard playing the white paint is turning a nice vintage cream color!!The black hardware is prone to discoloration I replaced all the pickgaurd screws 2 times and my bar on the edge is somewhat pitted.the neckplate has no finish left on it at all.THE paint job was ok alot of bubbles in the edge cavity(not that you can plainly see it)the paint is quite thin as well(I probably will have it repainted soon)NO GUITAR I HAVE EVER OWNED PLAYED ANYWHERE NEAR AS NICE AS THIS ONE!!it was set up nice and low in the store but after taking it home and fine adjusting it it playes PERFECTLY.All of my guitar students want to buy my guitar but I will NEVER sell it. One note of caution...The bar on the edge tremelo in hollow and if you get to crazy you can snap it in half!I did this several years ago and a replacement was 12$(unsure how much it would be now)

This guitar is a rock! I have giged and recorded with it for years and it plays and sounds as good as the day I first bought it. I did replace the strap buttons with a Dimarzio locking strap.Only problems I have ever had are dirty pots and 5 way switch easily fixed with contact cleaner

never have dealt with them however they need to update thier webpage