Ibanez RG550

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.

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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!

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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

As I said this was the ONLY guitar for me until I played the RG7620 They both now are fighting for my attention!!If you play metal/hard rock/industrail hell anything but country of blues do youself a favour and pick this guitar up you will not be sorry!!

This is an add-on i guess to my earlier review. The worst case scenario happened. My RG-550 (along with several other guitars) did get stolen. It got stolen along with a custom made Les Paul (not a les paul custom...one that was actually made for me) and an early 80's american strat (62 re-issue). While the other guitars may have been worth far more, I miss the ibanez the most. Of course i have replaced it, with two similar late 80's 550 model guitars. I think these guitars are some of the best guitars ever made! I had a white one, and now i have an orange one and a yellow one. Both new guitars are totally stock, except i had to replace the trem on both of them. I found them at a pawn shop for $75 each, and both were missing large amounts of hardware. But, with a little TLC, they are both rocking again!! I think one of the new ones (the yellow one) plays even better then my first one, and scroll down to read the rave reviews I gave to it!!!

Made in 1990 at the Fugin factory in Japan, Desert Sun Yellow, with 24 frets, H/S/H (Ibanez V1, S1, and V2) pickups with 5 way pickup selector with the original Edge tremolo (not the newer Lo-Pro). I'd give it a perfect 10 except for the fact that the V2 pickup on the bridge SUCKS.

The V1 and S1 pickups are GREAT, but the V2 bridge pickup was really crappy, so I quickly replaced it with a Dimarzio X2N - problem SOLVED. This guitar will give you ANY sound you can possibly imagine. I've always been a heavier player, primarily using the bridge pickup for thrash, but I can get amazing single coil tones by splitting the bridge humbucker and the middle single coil (which the 5 way pickup selecter will allow you to do). And the bluesy tone of the neck pickup is stunning!
The hard maple fretboard gives a great twang, making it ideal for rock, metal, and jazz. The untreated fingerboard has a great feel to it, but it stains easily. After 10 years of playing my fretboard is pretty mucked up, but hey, some people like that "vintage" look :)
This thing has been played through every amp and effect combination under the sun and ALWAYS sounds great! I can give it a 10 with the bridge pickup replaced, otherwise I'd have to rate it a 7. The natural tone is beautiful, it's just spoiled with those junky V2's. Put a quality pickup in the bridge and this guitar kicks ass!!!

I had only been playing for about 3 years when I got this guitar, and it was my first locking trem. I really had no idea of how a guitar should be set up, but within minutes of taking it out of the case and playing it for the first time I knew that it was the best playing instrument I'd ever had the pleasure to touch.
The action was lower than I had ever played, with NO buzzing anywhere on the neck! The tremolo was the original Edge, which NEVER goes out of tune, even when you put the bar to the body and let the strings flap around in the breeze. Or you can pull the bar up until the tail of the trem system touches the body and it STILL holds it's tune - PERFECTLY, and it NEVER breaks a string!
The Desert Sun Yellow finish was AMAZING, not a single flaw. This thing will STILL stand out on a stage! And the MATCHING yellow headstock was just the icing on the cake. To this day I can't stand the sight of an ibanez without a matching headstock - this was SO COOL, why did they quit doing it??? A custom shop will match a headstock for 40$, so it wouldn't add that much to the list price. Sigh...
I played on it for about 2 years before I finally had the need to take it in to get set up, so I would have to rate this as a 10, as the guitar arrived in absolutely PERFECT condition.

Over 10 years of heavy gigging, studio sessions, and endless rehearsals I have literally beat the snot out of this poor thing. It's been dropped, kicked, beaten, BURNED, and even stabbed. The only maintainence has been trivial; tightening the input jacks and volume pots, etc. I've never had a single problem with it. I played this as my primary guitar for 6 years and I even toured with it. And I never had a backup, and never needed one. The only time the strings ever break is when they're more than 4 weeks old. Seriously. This thing was built to last!

Never had to deal with Ibanez, although I hear it can be pretty hairy. They don't even list a contact number on their web page.

I've been playing guitar for 14 years (since I was 12). I own several Ibanez guitars (2 RG-7620s, an RG-270, an RG-550, a UV7MC, and a UV777BK). I bought this guitar brand new when I was 16. I bagged groceries at the local Food Lion for 8 months until I had enough money to buy the guitar, and then quit. It's been my soulmate and a huge source of inspiration to me for 10 years now.
I've since become a solid 7-stringer and this guitar has been retired from the stage, but I still use it in the studio for solos and I just can't look at it without having to play it (which is a lot since the desert sun yellow catches your eye the second you enter the room).
This is a tried and true music machine, built to withstand the test of time. I hear that the newer 550's aren't as good, which is a damn shame :(