Ibanez RG560

1988 Ibanez RG 560, serial #F917580, USA. Rosewood fretboard. Transparent red paint body so you can see the wood grain, I've never seen another one like it. Floyd Rose tremolo. Pickup configuration is S/S/H.

I got this guitar in 1989 when I was 13, played it until I got a Gibson Nighthawk in 1994 because the look became outdated, too heavy metally. But now I have a new appreciation for it. Still in great condition, the only flaws are a small paint chip on the inside corner of the top front flare and the metal knobs have calciumated, but I should just CLR those. Still have the original whammy bar, little tremolo locking tool, Ibanez case.

I used to play it through a Fender Pro 185, which are ferking loud amps. It had a nice clean sound and could get really crunchy, perfect for my Metallica / Anthrax days.

No flaws, I've never needed to adjust anything, not the action, not the neck, pickups, etc. Just that some of the hardware erroded, but can be cleaned up.

Like I said, some of the hardware erroded, but can be cleaned up. It was definitely last. The tuning heads are much better than my 1994 Gibson Nighthawk, those things always get jiggly, really ticks me off.

Original Japanese model (well built like all things Japanese)
I won't repeat all the technical specifics as it seems everyone else likes to do that, despite the fact that the person before them filled in all the blanks...I trust by now if I mention it again there will be a lot of hairless people out there very soon!
I bought this guitar about two years ago now, second hand (you think? Duh!!) Has all the obvious and expected signs of maturity, i.e; finish crack in upper horn body to neck area, a few chips in the finish. It is a metallic blue, body and headstock, with all black hardware. Great guitar overall, and totally incomparable to the new rubbish Ibanez is now contracting out to China, I paid NZ$400 bucks for this, and it is easily in the same league as a 2-3000 dollar japanese built Jem.

I never understand people that harp on about how the stock p/ups sound soooo bad, and nothing like the ones their "idols" use and endorse,etc...etc.. so they rip them out, spend wads of cash, and put in these "star" p/ups and lo and behold they are mostly beginners, with hardly two chords to rub together! They learn a 3 string arpeggio and believe they are the next yngwie, and they are suddenly endowed with all the wisdom and experience of a veteran player who CAN tell the difference between p/ups. For these people it is generally not about sound than it is about their "image" they simply just have to have what they deem in their infantile experience to be the best. Let me tell you this....Vai, EVH, Slash, to name a few will always sound like Vai, EVH, and Slash Despite whatever pickups they use...be that $2 ones or $200 ones. A bad tradesman will always blame his tools for a bad job...the same applies to musicians, a bad one will always blame his instrument, when he simply cannot accept that he has bad technique and is too impatient to spend half their life getting there. The Pickups on this guitar sound great when you can play great, just like any pickups on any guitar, and they will sound like crap if your playing is crap (rushed). It is great that this guitar has two single coils as it gives an infinate palette of sound possibilities. Played well through a good amp with NO effects except the dirty channel on amp this guitar is a good as it gets! Sweeeeet!

Again, as above..it galls me to hear people harp on about the superfast neck or action of their guitars! A fast neck??? But the neck does not move..You Do! If you can play fast, you will play fast on a thin, medium, or a thick neck! A thin neck offers better playing comfort for those with spall hands and stubby little fingers, with the hook the thumb over the top of the neck playing style, which incedentally is very poor technique. The Wizard neck on this guitar is nice but I prefer a fatter neck..only because it feels more substantial, it makes no difference whatsoever to my playing. Do you drive your car better when you put a steering wheel cover on the steering wheel which makes it fatter? If you took one off after many years, would your driving be worse? or better? This whole thick/thin fast neck stock vs artist endorsed thing is cliched and just so wrong. Anyway...despite the age of this guitar there is simply nothing wrong with it.....except it is a hell of a job restringing it without a trem block of some type. This is also true for all guitars with floating floyd type bridges anyway, so does not detract from this guitar at all in my opinion. Everything about it is smooth and sweet, well aligned (it takes a bit of effort to drag E-strings off the fingerboard) which can only be a good thing and mean that some thought has gone into this guitars design (something you don't see much of these days...it's details guy's...the little things that matter)

It's lasted this long...Need I say more? God only knows the stories this guitar could tell before it came to me, she has the scars and despite everything feels and sounds as though she just rolled out of the Hoshino production facility yesterday! Oh...I did remove the stock strap buttons (there is nothing worse than those old man style push on pull off vinyl or leather straps) I rewarded this guitar with only the very best... a DiMarzio cliplock.

Why do other people refer to their relationship between themselves and their guitar as "Abuse?" Is that really how they see their playing? as Abuse? or abusing their instrument? That must be where Grunge, Emo, and this teenage angst two chord guitar masturbation music comes from, as the up/down motion of their wrists without any degree of true technique suggests. Hmmmmmmm....

Like apples to oranges... you simply cannot compare the Ibanez of the past to the Ibanez of the present.

Warranty? The warranty is how well you look after it isnt it?

This is the "wow! let me tell you all what I can do and all the cool stuff I have" part is it?

Why put a time limit on your playing? Who really cares how long etc... one has been playing? What difference does it make if you are enjoying yourself and you sound good. Have fun, play for the reason(s) you chose to play and go for it.

My only other guitar is a 80's Kramer (a real one...not music-yo knock-off rubbish)

If someonme stole this 560, I would get another...even if it took years to find one...I would NOT buy a model later than 1998

End conclusion....A very very nice guitar, most guitars could only dream to be this good in every way.

Why pay ridiculous amounts for a Jem? This is a Jem, just without the "Monkey Grip" What the heck do people do with a Monkey Grip anyway??

Japanese made, in 1993 I think.
24 jumbo frets on a Wizard neck.
Black Licenced Floyd Rose tremolo.
Gotoh tuners. V2 Ibanez Humbucker, two S1 Ibanez single coil.
The body (basswood) is red with a red headstock.
The neck is maple with a rosewood fretboard.
I've bought this Ibanez RG560 used at in 1999, I paid 250$ at the time it was an amazing price, since it also came with custom Ibanez road case. I'm not crazy about the color and I always planned to eventually strip the paint to give it a wood finish. But I don't know how's the wood underneat the pain. Maybe one day I'll do it...

I can't say I'm a big fan of the stock pickups, I plan to eventually change them for some EMGs maybe. But the sustain is good, you can feel the guitar underneat all the hardware. This guitar has a lot of potential if the pickups were changed. I'm giving an 8 but I can truely feel how crazy the sound would be with better pickups and would possibly deserve a 10.

This is where the fun begins. The Wizard 1 neck is just amazing. So much better than the Wizard 2 neck they're making in korea nowadays. I'm not exactly sure what's the difference between the two technically, but I feel a major difference and my playing is greatly enhanced with this neck. I play Death Metal mostly and for shredding, this is the neck you need. The action is very low without any fret buzz. Once I played with a Wizard 1 neck, I realized that's the only neck I want to play on. And also, this guitar just doesn't go out of tune. You can play with the trem as much as you want and it just stays in tune. Since 1999, I basicaly tuned this guitar only when I changed the strings. Many times I tuned it stayed in the case for a month got it out and it was still in tune. I even left it the trunk of my car for week, in winter, got it out and it was still in tune... that tells a lot.

This guitar would definitely withstand live playing without a backup. Of course having backup guitar in case you break a string would be a smart thing to have. But otherwise I would trust this guitar completely. Also, every time I broke a string, it always broke just beside the saddle, and since you need to cut the ball on the string to clip it in trem, all I needed to do is unscrew the neck lock, give some slack to the string, cut the broken tip, and stick it back in the saddle. No need to put a new string on.

I've abused the trem so much that now, one of the pin that old the trem in place is starting to pop out of the wood. I would need to have this look at. But otherwise, this is a very strong guitar that can take years of abuse before it finaly needs some fixing.

Never Had to deal with them, I now own six Ibanez, I hope that when the day comes, it will be a good experience...

I've been playing since Metallica's And Justice For All came out. I started with a Ibanez EX360 and became an Ibanez fan since the beginning. I barely play on anything else. I totaly recommend this guitar and if you can upgrade the pickups that should be your main guitar for years to come. Now I mostly play on a Ibanez DT250BK but I wish it had the same trem my RG560 has. Overall, buy this guitar for the neck mostly and because it basicaly never get out of tune.

Trying to add a bit new.....the pickup configuration makes this guitar extremely versatile. I re-loaded PUPs with a Duncan '59 (?) in the bridge, a Texas Special in the middle, and a Duncan JB Jr. HB in the neck. These PUPs with the 5-way selector switch gives me a wide range of sounds. Locking Floyd-style tremelo has settled in nicely and works great. Guitar is light which helps on those 4-hour gigs.

I like to play heavier rock with a touch of shredding. My live rig is pretty simple, plug the 560 into a Mesa DC-5. My cover band gigs quite a bit and this is my #1 axe by far. I have other "nicer" guitars (Clapton Strat and a UV777 to name a couple) but this is the go-to guy. It's great that I can haul it out to the clubs and not worried about it getting tipped or even stolen because they are so inexpensive. I'm thinking about buying another 560 as a back up and just take 2 with me to the gigs. I'd probably set up the new one the same as the original.

I tried to do a setup myself but the Floyd posed too many subtleties so I took it to GC a few years back. The next is lightning fast. The high E may be a bit too close to the edge of the neck because I sometimes pull/push it off but that adds some flavor right? It's a good fit for me as I have fat hands with short fingers. The finish is pretty boring but OK...mine is red metallic of sorts.

Like I said, I play with this guitar live about 8 nights per month. I recorded a CD with this a few years back (prior to PUP switch though) and it was great even with the stock PUPs. It seems like everything is pretty solid. I've banged it around but the paint hasn't chipped off (yet). I put straplocks on it. I absolutely depend on it. I would never play any gig without a backup but you really need a backup if you have a locking tremelo guitar like this because if you break a string, you are so hosed. There is no chance of playing in tune with 5 strings.

N/A

I've been playing for quite a long time; for fun, live shows, studio work, and I also teach. My other guitars would be Fender Clapton Strat, Ibanez UV777, Hamer Vector, some old Washburn double cut electric, Taylor 710CE, PBass, Jazz Bass, and some other stuff laying around. Main amp is Mesa Boogie DC-5 for gigging; small, loud, versatile. I have some other modelers and such as well.

If it were stolen, I'd be crushed because it was an anniversary gift from wifey. I would definitely get another one and may do that anyway as I said. I love the feel, weight, tone, versatility, whammy bar, looks, it's all good. I'd just hate to take something more expensive out to the clubs and risk damage or theft.

Mine has an F7NNNNN serial number which I believe means it was made in Fugijen Japan in 1987. I got it in '95 and I think my wife paid less than $300 new.

Solid white finish on solid basswood body. Ibanez Edge Tremolo, Super strat style body with 5 way switch, volume, tone. SSH pickup configuration. Bridge pickup changed to Seymour Duncan Full Shred.
Hard Case. 1989 Made in Japan, maple neck, rosewood fretboard,
All the features you could want in a rock/metal guitar.

I use this guitar for Hard Rock/Metal styles. It is also very verstaile and shines on fusion and classic rock. It could even do blues if you tighten up the tremolo springs. I keep this guitar tuned to Eb and use it mostly in my studio for songs with heavy tremolo work or lots of harmonics, as the locking tremolo will add some false harmonics if you use it right. I used this guitar exclusively on the song "Jonah" on my first CD. Go to itunes or napster, seach for Sid Mack - Jonah and check it out. This guitar can make some cool sounds. It also does a great job at copping early EVH Tones and nails the RATT sound. I play it into a Marshall 30 watt combo or 50 watt head/cab with a blues driver for overdrive and a Morley Wah and Volume pedal. This guitar is meant for Marshall or similar amps. These guitars have a unique bright but fat sound due to the midrange of the basswood, plenty of lows too. The 80's would have never happened without the Ibanez RG guitars!

I bought it used and it needed a major setup. But once these guitars are setup they tend to be pretty stable. I think the white paint with the black parts is very cool. These Ibanez guitars from Japan are some of the best rock gutars ever made. They play really easy and I can't find any major flaws.

These guitars are built to last, just go watch Steve Vai play. His JEMs are just hot rodded RG560's. The only downside is the Edge tremolo in case your tuning goes out on you. The finish and hardware are top-notch and will last a long time.

N/A

I have been playing 34 years and have several guitars. Strats, Tele, Wolfgang, Les Paul, acoustics. If you only had one guitar and were a rock/metal player this is the one to have. It is also very light and comfortable to play. If I could I would collect these things because they are just so darn cool to play and look at.

Mine is a 1987, bought new in 1989. Made in Japan, the good factory. 24 frets, solid basswood body, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. HSS, volume, tone, 5 way switch. Changed the pickups to DiMarzio Breed bridge, Fast Track 1's in neck and middle. Push/push vol pot switches Breed to single coil, push/push switches other two pickups to single coil. Sanded the finish off and brushed on a coat of PolyShades, looks very unprofessionally done, but not too bad. Medium natural finish now! Originally some gunmetal blue. Best whammy unit ever made, original Ibanez Edge with locking studs. Best neck ever made, IMHO. Thin, flat and fast. Wish I was.

I play lots of styles, and this guitar can do them all. Used with Peavey stereo chorus 400 at first, then Fender Blues DeVille 410, now Marshall DSL401. In all humbucking mode, rocks. Breed pup screams, almost too much hand noise amplified. Both pots up and it's a hot Strat. Perfect. Very versatile.

Had the frets levelled once since I got it, and that was 2 months ago, which was 16 years after I bought it, and I play the crap out of it. Neck has not been adjusted, hasn't needed to. Guess I got a good piece of wood. No flaws.

Recorded, live, all original except strap buttons and pups. Finish was replaced because I let some guys use my place on SuperFootBallGame Sunday, and they dinged it on the front, else it'd still be blue. I put StrapLocks on it, made it jackson, Tn by Bandstand, inc. VERY DEPENDABLE, never has failed me.

Never needed them.

Been playing for 30 years. Got a Les Paul Custom, Samcik Tele, various acoustics and a bass, and I always reach for the Ibanez RG560 when I want to play. If I had more money, I'd buy more and sit on them, they are great guitars. Solid, plays great, look at how the necks are selling on auction sites! Sick low action, effortless to play.

I bought mine off Ebay for the ridiculously low price of $170.38! I was told it is a 1992...but it doesn't have a serial number on it...its the real deal though...absolutely perfect shredder! It has the original Gotoh tuners and Edge Trem System which is in great condition and works perfectly...it was tuned when it came in the mail and I haven't tuned it since I got it!!! Not sure which neck is on her...the headstock is black and the Ibanez logo is still on it...rosewood fretboard and basswood body...which feels great! She's slightly heavier than the Ibanez S-Series...from the moment I pulled her out the box I couldn't stop smiling...She is gun metal grey that has green/blue overtones...something that age has produced...I was told...and the pickups are orange...as is the volume knob...and the tone knob is yellow...the trem has no pitting...I've never seen an Ibanez Edge in better condition...the guitar looks gorgeous

Well I was lucky enough to get one with upgraded p-ups...It has a Dimarzio DP151 PAF Pro humbucker in the bridge and two Dimarzio HS-2 DP116 in the middle and neck positions, 5 way switch, tone and volume controls, black chrome hardware and Floyd Rose tremelo...the Sound? Just think SuperStrat...which is what this guitar is...in every regard...the single coils give strat like bell tones without the buzz...and u can drive em nicely too...they're not whimpy pickups at all...and the PAF PRO in the tail mixes very well with these pickups...its got plenty of juice...basically sounds like the nicest vintage PAF with a lot more ummph...not a death metal pickup...but a musicians pickup...overall...with the possible exception of the Tom Anderson Strat...I've never played a strat that played or sounded better or played better than this guitar

The neck is probably the nicest feature of the RG560...I can't emphasize enough how incredible this neck plays...its fast fast fast...and bending strings is a joy...anyone who says these guitars aren't made for country or jazz etc has a closed mind...well...the industry has a closed mind and ur merely buying into it...I've played Bach violin pieces on this guitar and it sounded incredible...I play everything from Hendrix to Eddie on it as well...this is a great all around guitar...the action is PERFECT...who ever did the ad-on work was a real pro...the pickups are set up perfectly

Well...its 2005...the RG560 was discontinued in 1993...I have no idea what this guitar went through...but here it is...and its suddenly my favorite guitar...she does have that little crack behind the neck that all the older RGs get...but this effects NOTHING...don't let anyone tell u any different...I've seen more than a few RGs with that crack and it NEVER had ANY effect on the instrument

Never dealt with them

I've been playing for 20 years...I have GAS -Guitar Acquisition Syndrome- so I've owned or played many many guitars...I have 3 Steinbergers...a Tom Anderson Drop Top...a Yamaha SBG1300TS...a 1977 Ibanez Artist...a 1993 Ibanez S-Series 540FM and a Yamaha AES620...The RG560 is everything a Strat tried to be...it is a SuperStrat...no...it is THE SuperStrat...it does everything a Strat can do...but better...and the Humbucker in the tail makes the guitar as hot as a LesPaul...I love the fact that its got 24 Frets...and the neck is just made for speed...it has to be experienced to be believed...bending strings is easy and there are no dead spots on the instrument...the frets are jumbos and feel great under the fingers...all in all...if you can find an RG560...jump all over it! Buy it before people catch on and the price goes up...For $170.38 I bought a guitar that looks cooler than a Strat...Plays faster than a Strat...is easier to bend strings on than a Strat...and...is WAY more powerful than a Strat

My baby was made in 1991 and still retains the classic 80's setup of H/S/S configaration.Ibanez stopped making this model in 1993 due to the unpopular pickup configaration of two single coils and opted for the RG550 setup instead, shame really.A basswood body, 24 fret wizard neck (bolt on with old ibanez style back plate, Ibanez edge tremelo, 1x volume/1x tone and 5 way selector switch

I first go this guitar from a friend of a friend and it was in a mess when I got it. But a little TLC and it lived again like the phoenix from the ashes. These guitars should still be made today. The original pickups were a little lame but then again so are most stock pickups in guitars unless your paying megabucks. I stuck in a dimarzio fred (bridge)and a SEymour Duncan JB junior in the neck to liven things up a little and boy what a winner they turned ouy to be. I prefer the RG560 to any RG550 of today. They have a more unique character. Some notable differences are the back plate which nowadays is an all access cut out affair on modern rg's improves the tonality a little and the original wizard neck is class and quite rare these days (real quick and super slim)Also the lack of a scratch plate sits the pickups in the wood of the guitar ala EVH style so your pickups arent floating around in a plastic straight jacket. Aagin this helps on the tone front a little too. All in all you can get a wide range of sounds out of these guitars and should not be labelled as a rock guitar only. Brilliant flawless.

The action was a mess when I got it. I set it up the best I could at the time which was ok but I had it resprayed a couple of years ago and the shop re-set everything up nice and low for me. One thing I was mistified by was when I got my body resprayed I found that the front face of the guitar had had a thin layer of plywood glued to it! I guess to harden up the face due to the lack of a scratch plate. I had this removed and the tone of the guitar changed quite a bit. It gained some extra life and sustain. Anyway so pretty good on the action front. I think the flat wizard neck helps there too. I like the floyd rose on these models they seem pretty solid and you can abuse them without too much fear of destruction. My friend once snapped his floyd rose on his aria pro guitar which supposedly was a licenced FR model so go figure. My only moan on that front is that Ibanez original Edge systems aint cheap to replace (about #200) and I think standard Floyds are a lot cheaper.

This baby has survived my last band which is a miracle as they damaged my other two guitars in transit alone so I would say pretty dam hard. I think the people at Ibanez forged these models from the fires of mount doom! Very reliable and can take a beating without any noticable change in playability or sound. I have gigged with this little fella for the last couple of years and it even survived my mother leaving it next to a hot radiator once. I have one problem only with my 560 and that is the selector switch is begining to crackle and bitch at me when I change pick up now. But apart from that. Nails.

I found that trying to find parts like the little plastic bushells on the trem arm and the selector for my guitar a bit of a nightmare. Not so much as getting general bits like selectors but finding proper original Ibanez parts. Maybe because I'm in the UK who knows. The Ibanez site has no offerings for replacement bits which is either a very bold statement or just a bit thick if you ask me.

I think these are a rare treat if you can find one. As good as any RG550 and have the luxury of being rare enough to be a collector guitar as they have been out of production for nearly 12 years!
I am the happiest guy in the world to own one and I fell on it by pure chance, I would say that the neck may be a little unfamiliar to you gibson style players but is very easy to play once your used to it. In fact it can be too easy to the point that any other guitar seems like hard work after some time playing it. I must admit that the floyd rose thing can get annoying when changing strings as they are a pain to tune (floating bridge) but once it's in just try to get it out again, without smashing it over a chair its pretty bloody difficult. I can only say like any guitar its personal taste but as playability and sound go these are a great guitars if you can get your digits on one try one out and see for youself. Remember thet the eighties is back too so don't feel too embarassed with a full shred monster either. Nuff Said

Made in Japan - 1991

Black, Basswood body, 24 jumbo Frets, Goth tuners, no pickguard, humbucker at the bridge and 2 single coils (s/s/h). 1 volume, 1 tone knob, 5 way selector switch, Floyd rose licensed tremelo, very thin bolt on neck, rosewood (looking) fret board, standard dot inlays.

I have been playing a Taylor 410 for a while, I decided I missed playing electric. I did not want to spend a lot of money, I found this at a local shop for $240. At first I didn't think to much about it, then I saw the word Japan on it and knew it was a solidly built, I headed into the amp room and pluged it in, about 15 minutes later I said, I'll take it! The previous own took very good care of this guitar, besides some fret wear and a few small scratchs it was as good as new. I love the neck of this guitar, I have small hands so this is a dream come true. This guitar is 13 years old and the neck is as straight as an arrow! I tuned it a week ago when I brought it home and it's still in tune, how great is that! I used to tune my MIM Strat every 1/2 hour! As far as I know the pick ups are stock, the sound is descent, the bridge Humbucker sounds nice with some distortion on it and the singles sound good together clean with some reverb. What more do you need for practicing anyways?

I bought it used - set up was good from the shop I bought it from. I can really comment on how it came from the factory. Finish has some minor wear, everything else looks and works great

solid as they come - 13 years old and still kickin

never used

If your looking for a low budget axe, have a look at one of these. It's a steal for the $200-250 range. I have a lot of new respect for Ibanez.

I bought this guitar used in 1991 for CDN$150 from a Long'n'McQuade fall clearance sale, and it already was *ahem* well used and abused. I suspect it was made in 1988 or 1987. It really is one of the first generation RG series guitars.

Ultra thin 24 fret wizard neck with jumbo frets, H/S/S passive IBZdesign pickups with 5way selector, volume and tone control. Floyd Rose licensed trem (original ibanez edge style, not lo-pro) square-ish heel joint, gotoh tuners, locking nut, and RG style basswood body.

When I got this guitar, it was mostly stock parts, the sound was punchy, but a bit on the thin side. I suspect it was the floyd combined with the stock pickups. The single coils are a bit noisy and not as thin sounding as modern ibanez powersound style single coil pickups. The humbucker was lame-oh.

I yanked out the pickups, plopped in a set of hot rails in the neck, a fender lace blue in the mid, and a duncan distortion in the bridge. I also put a wooden block in the back cavity to stop the floyd from being raised and cranked the springs tight.

This improved frequency response 100 fold. It is no longer thin sounding, but is not a les paul or one of the fixed bridge Ibanez S series guitar with mahogany body. I think the basswood body and thinness of the neck does limit the lows and lower mids a bit. The main culprit was the floating trem system.

Now the guitar is nice and crunchy with overdriven amp using the bridge pickup. I wired the humbuckers to be out of phase in switch positions 2 and 4 for classic strat type tones. The neck pickup is almost a bit too hot, so I lowered the rails a bit.

It's definitely a shredder guitar, and is the only guitar I can use to get an authentic king edward tone on the eruption patch on my podXT.

The duncan distortion pickup has lots of mids, so this guitar has plenty of midrange punch, but if you are into playing bone crunching baritone riffs, move along.

I also like the strat type sounds I can get. It's not a dead ringer for a real strat, but then again, that was never my desire anyways. I like it cause it's got a tight funk tone when using switch positions 2 and 4.

I like the guitar a lot. Can't give it a 10 'cause it's just not a perfect guitar. But it is my beater axe I use mostly for playing live.

When I bought this geet, I already had another Ibanez, a lowly EX360, not bad, but not great. At the time, I loved floyd trems and lusted after the ultra thin, ultra comfortable neck of the RG line.

This guitar was bought very used, hence the price. It was all intact, but the previous owner took a bandsaw to extend the lower cutout and drilled a hole in the headstock to fit his cigarette. It was originally white.

The neck was fine, although needed to be set up and a bit of fret wear. The neck was sanded tone and oiled and well broken in. This is why I bought the guitar, for parts and was eyeing the neck to be used on a new body. It needed a lot of work, but it was $150 dollars for an instrument that I saw had some potential but needed a bit of coaxing.

I took it home and looked at it, and on a whim decided to clean and set it up. I played it and it had a monster feel to the neck with the extended cutout. I blocked off the trem, plopped in some new pickups and took it to practice. Everyone loved the sound. It had a real wild look about it, like van halen's own franken-geets, then I painted it royal blue and started drawing all over it with a white marker. Boy it was ugly. It actually let me feel not so concerned about the finish so I would do crazy stunts with it on stage.

I've dropped it on ice after a gig in its shoulder bag (the locking strap buckle was smashed, which still worked!), dropped it on stage, spilled beer on it, and has been through crazy tempurature and humidity changes. It not only has taken all that abuse, but I think has added flavour to it. ;) It certainly looks the part of a working musician's instrument.

I still play that guitar to this day, although the trem bar doesn't get the use it once did. Speaking of which, it is the one guitar I can dive bomb the trem with abandon and have it return to pitch perfectly. Just have to make sure the strings are stretched properly.

Since then I have refinished my prize with a new bird eye maple top, and matching headstock. I plugged the ciggy hole in the headstock and tone control hole in the body, and also filled in the lower cutaway a bit and smoothed it over. I stained the body and headstock with a nice burgundy wine colour and finally gave it a gorgeous satin finish.

Sanding off that aweful looking ibanez logo one the headstock was one of the best looking enhancements done for this guitar.

I took apart the trem system and cleaned all the dust and crap away, rewired all the electronics with a new fender switcher and fresh volume pot.

People who didn't know I refinished it, thought I had bought a new custom RG. It's like a new guitar, the only thing that gives it away is the well worn neck, which is my old friend. State dependant learning theory says I play this guitar best when slightly tipsy.

Never had to deal with ibanez. ever.

I bought this guitar in 1991, and at the time was playing for about 4-5 years. It was an excellent guitar for me to grow on, and has never let me down once! I can count the times I've broken a string live on my hands in over 10 years of gigging with this axe! I've always gigged without a backup, since I lug my own equipment to shows and events (sometimes on the bus) so bringing doubles of anything is just cumbersome and offers theives a tasty target. Plus I'm a lazy bugger, even with my car nowadays.

I never had to worry about it going missing, because it was meanest, nastiest looking instrument, and looked like it had no value to a pawn shop owner.

If it did go missing, I would buy another ibanez, but probably an Ibanez sca220 (the type with the mahogany sabre type body and hard tail) and sand it down to a natural wood and give it a satin finish.
I have nothing but respect for ibanez guitars. They are good value, and extremely robust. What normal schmoe guitarist is going to take their pride'n'joy $2-3G PRS McCarty to a drunken road house jam night?! Ibanez make good sounding and extremely well playing instruments for realworld guitarists who want to have fun playing music for people.

10 - for fantastic value.

24 frets, Floyd Rose, s/s/h. Now the first thing that made me pissy with this is that it didn't even have the tremlo arm on it when I got it. (It was a present) Tone knob does next to nothing to change sound in the slightest. Wizard style neck. That's about it.

The sound is weak and thin, though it could be used for some brighter leads, it's useless for all else. The low end muds up under distortion. I play neoclassical and death/black metal. I can't do either, the Nu-metal kids might like it though, it's weak enough for them.

Well action is the best thing about this guitar, the neck is thin and fast. The wood is of rather poor quality, but after all this time it still works.

Rusts fast, though it can take a FEW beatings. I'd not use this live, no way. The strap buttons are of good quality The finish is poor and has not lasted. Gone through a few tremlo arms.

Haven't dealt with them.

I've quite a few other guitars, this is honestly the one of the guitars I pick up and play the least.

Mine was bought from Guitar Center in 1989 and it's made in Japan. 24 jumbo frets and a thin neck make this a lead players dream! Mine is metallic red with a maple neck and rosewood fretboard. The body is bass wood. I left it totally stock with the single/single/humbucker configuration. It has a Floyd Rose licensed whammy bar and I'll say right now it stays in tune along with the locking nut. I bought a case 6 months later from the same Guitar Center in Torrance, CA which has many gig stickers and such.

When I bought it, I was an inspiring up and coming rock musician raised on a desire to play like Jimmy Page and Rhandy Rhoads. Of course, today I still have the desire but haven't got there! This is a rock guitar for sure. When I bought it, rock music had plenty of lead guitar work in it such as Dokken, Ratt, GNR, Yngwie, Scorpions, Motley Crue, etc. Coming from Los Angeles, I wanted a rock guitar to learn shred on.

This guitar became a one trick pony for me as I found the humbucker sound to be beyond excellent. The neck pickup is okay, but the humbucker in it really rocks with a full, rich sound. The guitar is light, so it has a slightly brighter sound but the sound comes from the wood and you can really hear it through the amp.

Then there's the whammy bar. Man! This puppy just can't go out of tune. It's very reliable once you strings are streched properly. When I restring the guitar, I keep the locking nuts off for a day or at least an afternoon. I pull,then tune, pull then tune, then play, tune, play tune, etc. Also, with the whammy system, tune from high E to low E. I found that if you tune low to high, by the time you're done, the low is out of tune again.

This was my only guitar during the time I bought it and into the late 90's. I since then graduated from college and have a job. I now have other guitars to round out my tone arsenal. I kept this guitar because it has the whammy bar. I notice that when I take it out to play, people really dig the dive bomb thing and all the tricks I can do with it. Besides, it's very easy to play, looks cool and sounds great.

This guitar is versatile as well. I only play rock stuff with it and use the whammy bar for a gimmick. I have other guitars better suited for my blues jams and such. But, you can bring this out as well too! It plays itself as the neck is to nice and easy to play. I can really cook on this fretboard and so can anyone trying to find one of these!

When I bought it, it went out of tune after a year. By bandmates complained I was playing lead out ot tune but saw my fingers in the right place on the higher frets. I brought in in to a technician and he did a full set-up and tross rod adjustment. It made a difference and to this same day, it's the only adjustment I ever had done to it. I have some oxidize volume and tone knobs as the the black paint wore off somewhat. The body has a couple of chips in the paint, but not too bad. Since this guitar has sharper edges than a strat, this is to be expected.

I had this guitar stored under my bed for a year in it's case. When I took it out it had rust on the tremelo system. I took it apart and sprayed everything with WD-40 and the rust was removed. I store it in my closet now. No further problems here.

I never used a backup with this guitar. Knock on wood, but I never broke a string on it. I feel this guitar will last me my lifetime. A little lube here and there on the mechanisms, wax for the body, a cloth everytime you finish playing on the neck and fretboard and this guitar will serve you further.

I've been playing 22 years now. I also play two strats, one with lindy's and the other with EMG DG-20 in it, and a Les Paul deluxe. I bought the others for more tone options. I use a Dr Z Maz 38 2-12 combo amp. I still rock out with this guitar and it's the only whammy bar system around Portland! I can't believe how people forgot about them here!

I've always been happy with Ibanez. I would buy another one in a heartbeat if this one where stolen. Heck, at $300 or so, it's a steal!!! Mines 15 years old and still rocking. That's a great value for sure.

Soundwise, I like the humbucker a lot. I lucked out because mine just sound great at the store I bought it from. The tremelo bar is a neat feature too. It's not the Les Paul or a strat, so it I want those sounds I need one of them. In general, you can use the Ibanez for anything if needed.

This guitar is a great secret and if you love playing lead guitar, then it's a great guitar and easy to play good with.

Japanese, 24 frets, single(Ibanez s-1)/single/hum(ibanez V-7) configuration (Passive), Don't know much about wood, but the fingerboard is rosewood. Sharp strat shape, Floyd Rose locking and an incredibly thin neck! It is the slimmest i have seen, pure delight to play! I think i would like a split-function on the humbucker to obtain single coil sounds in bridge position, also, individual tone controllers would be nice. Lovely Jumbo frets!

Its good for hard rock, but not smooth or extreme enough for dark metal or smooth Satrianistyle music. The single coils are tame,and noisy of course, and I consider replacing them with Fender or something. Good sustain. Bright/medium sound. Somewhat thin sound, but not too much. Would like individual tone controllers, and single coils with more personality.

Bought it second-hand, nothing to complain about. I love the Jumbo frets and the easy, fast handling. Some people don't like Ibanez because of the fact that the top and bottom strings tend to go off-course by slipping if you are unprecise. This problem is eliminated by simply getting used to the instrument. Takes little time. Nothing to complain about. Very basic, but solid, Finish.

I have never had any problems. Finish seems Good. Very solid strap buttons, I use it without backup.

Playing for 3 years, this is a decent instrument for someone at my level. Not too expencive. I love: Floyd Rose, Locked Tuning, Jumbo frets, ultra-slim neck! Would like Individual tone controllers, maybe other pickups. Don't think I would buy it again, I bought it mostly because it was a very good deal. I think I will buy something more advanced later, like something with 7 strings and sustainer or something. Good for people that have played for a couple of years and doesn't want to spend all their money on flamed finishes an boutique pick-ups.

I/m not shure when this guitar was made, but i'm guessing around '89. i bought it in a local guitar shop were it was traded in. when i bought it, it looked awful. the paint (white, yuck!) was in a very bad condition and there was a sticker on it saying "super 7" or something (haven't got a clue if this was done it the factory as some kind of limited edition idea, or by the original owner, if anyone knows: please tell me!)anyway, i spraypainted it myself, and it didn't looked bad at all, but i decided to have it redone by a proffesional some time ago. it's now cherry red.(and a lot more atractive to look at...)it has black hardware lo-pro edge locking bridge, (lot better than the original FR bridges in my opinion)H-S-S configuration and a wizard one neck, wich is - as stated in other reviews - far superior to the necks ibanez used after the 80ies.
as far as i know this is the only RG with a single coil pickup in the neck position.
all hardware is top notch stuff: gotoh tuners, great bridge and as far as the neck is concerned: you won't be able to get one thinner then this. for fast playing, it's the best.

when i got it, the sound was not bad, but it had to much "middle" in my opinion. i ordered some new pick-ups (seymour duncan hotrails for the neck pos., vintage rails for the middle pos. and a dimarzio super distortion for the bridge) and now it sounds amazing. full, thick sound with lots of attack and yet it stays very clear and bright. it's very versitaile, but ofcourse if you want a real les paul sound, you have to buy a les paul. it comes pretty close though.

i use it with a rathamp retro 80 solid state amp, a crybaby and some pedals, and it sounds pretty good. i'm planning on buying a marshall though.

since i bought it used, i'm not shure how the factiry setup was. by all acoounts it's ok, like most ibanez products. it never hurts to fine tune it yourseld though. as i said, the guitar was in horrible condition when i bought it, so i just stripped it completely and rebuild it again.

this is were the ibanez products kick major ass: they're real workhorses. even this one, wich is almost 15 years old, is unbreakable. you can play it, smash it around, drop it on a concrete floor and bake an omelet on it, and it won't go out of tune. never broke a string in 5 years. the only problem i had was a loose wire. but that's not due to ibanez; i replaced the wiring once and hadn't attached it properly.
this is the major reason why i love ibanez products in geeral and RG's especially: the will never let you down on stage. ofcourse i always carry a backup guitar on a gig, but that's become more of a symbolic gesture since i have this baby..

never dealt with them. i ordered a whammy bar once trough the importcompany, and that took pretty long, but i guess that doens's have anything to do with the ibanez customer support..

I've been playing for 8 years now, and i own a couple of other guitars.'i bought this one because i wanted to move out of the cheap crappy guitar range, but didn't have any money. i invested another 250 euro's and for a grand total of 430 euro's i am now the proud owner of the most beautifull, versitail and top quality guitar i've ever played on. i've played on everything from custom jacksons to prs's and from les pauls to gibson's but i the only thing i would trade it in for would be a VERY high end ibanez model (an s 2020 or a JEM 7vwx or something) the only thing i missed on it was a little power in the neck position but the Hot rail pick up settled that.
all in all: a very good and pretty rare you don't see too many 560's nowadays) guitar that has served me very well.

I got my 560 in 1989. Quick features overview: made in Japan, rosewood fingerboard, Ibanez pickups, Floyd-Rose licensed Ibanez floating trem w/ locking nut, "hum-sing-sing" pickup combo w/ 5-way toggle switch.
As far as I know, this is the only RG series model with the HSS pickup configuration. Perhaps that's why it's held its Blue Book value more solidly than other RG models.
IMO, the most pleasing feature of the 560 is the Wizard style neck. Since the early 90's the Wizard II has become standard on most RG's, but the original Wizard is ridiculously flat and slim. I love it. With its fat frets and thin neck, this is truly a performance machine. It's built for playability at all costs.
The body style is patterned after the notorious "Jem" series. If you play jazz, country, or blues this could cause an image problem (assuming you care); but given the fact that the RG560 doesn't have a fat neck pickup (as you would need for most Jazz) and doesn't facilitate twangy pedal steel-like phrases (because of the FR tremelo), Jazz and country guitarists are barking up the wrong tree if they're considering the 560 anyway.
The tremelo is a FR licensed Ibanez Edge. I've heard other players assert that the FR is inferior to the Kahler, but my experience with the FR has been nothing short of superb. It holds its tune quite solidly, and with some wear has developed a delicate flutter for special effects. Of course, I could have just gotten lucky with this particular unit.
I didn't like the weight and slipperyness of the volume knob, which is almost identical to a tele knob. I like to be able to make lightning quick adjustments with the side of my hand, so I replaced the knobs with Knobease, then finally switched to Strat-style knobs. I like them for their feel, but I have to admit they look pretty classy too.
Because there are no cool features over and above what you'd expect, such as a bound fretboard or a coil tap, I can't give the instrument a perfect score. But the RG560 is an exemplary specimen from the "shredder" period of the late 80's, so it's above average for that reason.

There's nothing special about the RG's overall sound, but it doesn't suck either. In the thirteen years I've had mine I've never replaced the original pickups, even during a busy local performing career. The single coils are nice and quacky. With some creativity and a good rack system, I've been able to coax just about any type of sound I've wanted out of the guitar. I believe that 80 percent of tone comes from the amp, anyway. The single coils might hum just a tad more than they should, but it's controllable under most circumstances.
The HSS pickup configuration is a must for gigging musicians. You can't find an RG today with that setup, which is why I haven't thought of replacing this guitar yet.

As I develop as a musician, my taste for a particular setup changes. Therefore it's difficult for me to say whether I would like the original action if I travelled back in time to when I first bought it. All I know is that it's been adjusted every which way since then and I've always been pretty satisfied.
There might be a slight burr in the saddle where the first string lies (hey, that sounds like a cool line for a song!), but I change strings once every gig and rarely encounter breakage. The pickup selector has gotten noisy a few times during the last decade, but a little WD-40 is a good contact cleaner.
Big points for the super sleek compound-radius neck. It's the ultimate rock instrument as far as action goes. I'll stop one point short of a perfect ten only because I am aware that slightly more comfortable necks exist, like those found on the Parker Fly or Hamer Artist.

I didn't have much faith in the light materials and bolt-on neck, but this baby has held up through more than a decade of intense gigging, even under crappy conditions like crowded frat parties and rainstorms.
Some small pieces of hardware have been replaced.
The finish is not unlike that of an auto. It's essentially a thick plastic sleeve. Regular wear and tear can't dig into it all that badly, but my finish has chipped off in spots where I have slammed the guitar into a doorjamb or dropped a tool on the guitar while changing strings.
I have used it on just about every gig w/o a backup, but I have had to borrow an instrument at a couple of gigs where I broke a string. As you all may know, string breakage completely incapacitates the Floyd Rose-fitted instrument.
Plus points for durability; minus points for the lack of a fixed bridge, which eliminates any chance of playing five-stringed.

I have not dealt with Ibanez.
Luckily, the RG has become such a standard model that parts are available cheaply in any store that's worth a damn.

I've been playing for about fifteen years. My other guitars have included a Barrington archtop (that's right, a BARRINGTON archtop!) and a Garcia classical. I play both jazz and rock through a Hughes & Kettner preamp, Digitech TSR24 effects unit, Randall solid-state stereo power amp and Rivera 2X12" stereo cab.
If this guitar were stolen, I'd be very, very pissed off because I've developed a relationship with it; but luckily the old RG's have depreciated enough that it wouldn't be difficult to fill a room with them in short order.
Best feature: playability. Easily one of the most comfortable guitars ever designed. Worst feature: If you're looking for a solid plank of wood with great sustain and rattle-free handling, forget this one. It's got way too many moving parts to give you that satisfying, "chunky" feel that you'd get from Hamer, Heritage, Gibson, or others.
After growing out of my "I wanna be Steve Vai" phase, I really would like to see a guitar just like this but with a fixed bridge and perhaps a humbucker on the neck with a coil tap. The closest equivalent I've seen to my ideal is the Washburn Sonic 6 (which is hard to find, so if you see one, I saw it first!).
If you find one of these for under $200 used it's more than worth it, assuming nothing's broken.
Although the RG560 isn't necessarily the best instrument for the currently popular styles of music, like roots-rock (which has no place for FR-equipped sports models) or new metal (which requires a low B string), it remains the quintessential rock instrument of an era when guitarists really cared about being able to play.
I'm still considering replacing the pickups, but other than the pickups there is nothing worth noting that begs for alteration.

She was sculpted in the Early Ninties, with 24 Frets. The switchgear is simple, 1 volume, 1 tone, and a 5 way selector switch. I threw in a small DPDT microswitch between the Volume, parallel with the 5 way - it allows me to bring the neck pickup online with the bridge, a la Les Paul config. I threw in all new pickups, the standard ones weren't up to much. In both the neck and middle positions, there are DiMarzio DP181 Fast Track 1's. These are humbuckers in a single coil size body, and can be tapped for single coil use only. That gives me 4 pickups between the bridge and middle. At the Bridge, I chose a DiMarzio Multibucker, which looks the same as the Fast Tracks with those incredibly beautiful rails instead of pickup poles. This essentially looks like 2 Fast Tracks sideby side in a standard humbucker size, giving me another 4 pickups. Needless to say, DiMarzio Pickups are just extraordinary. The finish was poor until recently, when I stripped the body work, and got a pearlesce metallic white finish sprayed onto it. While she was stripped, I put a handle into the body, just like Steve's JEM guitars, its something I've always wanted. The neck is as soft as silk to play, and only half an inch thick, all guitar necks should be this good. I'm giving this 8/10 because of the poor pickups fitted as standard.

I use a Roland VGA-5 Modelling Amp for recording and performing. The amp is outstanding, if you haven't got one, get one. Its over 12 amps, and 12 speaker configurations in one, along with its own multi effects processor onboard, and remote pedal bank to launch the effects. My guitar has a symbiotic relationship with the amp. Both are equally suited to one another, and with the 8 pickups on my Guitar, it allows for a very versatile sound spectrum when recording.

The action is so so, partly because I need a refret. When I last had it refret though, I'd have rated it 10/10. At the 24th fret, I was only 2mm above the board with the strings. Incredible. The finish as stated before has been renewed with an enveable paint job. This guitar turns heads on stage.

Reliable? Most definitely. I fitted a white DiMarzio cliplock strap, and would recommend it them to anyone, solid as a very solid thing.

Never dealt with Ibanez, but by all accounts, their support, like all other Manufacturers is woeful.

I'm playing classical violin and guitar since the age of three. Rock guitar for the last 10 years. If it was lost in the morning, the only thing I could replace it with would be a JEM 7VWH. I wouldn't like to think about not having it. Its a beauty on stage, recording, and just like my ducati bike, its a work of art to look at.

bought new in 1990 for about $700
24 frets
Had bridge and middle pickups replaced in 1996(Duncan Screamin' Deamon and Cool Rails)
Silvery Blue
Floyd Rose Black
Came with hard case
The inside of the backing plate was signed by Megadeth in 1999!!!

It has all the necessary features but no real gimmicky things

I use it for blues, rock, and metal. It's a touch thin sounding but I can't afford anything else.
I use a Line6 Ax2 and it drives a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
WARM sound

I got my first setup just last year along with a fret dressing.
Just today the plugin jack went out. The tab going to the hot lead isn't making full contact to the plug.

The neck has been arrow straight for 12 years.
The hardware is starting to show some wear
The finish is chipped, cracked, discolored
Very dependable

Never dealt with them, but I've tried to find online material regarding this guitar with no luck

I've played for 13 years
It's great for rock but not so great for blues

JAP MADE, BOLT ON 24 FRET, ROSEWOOD BOARD. 1HB/2SC'S. BASSWOOOD BODY 4-PIECE LAMINATE.

VERY BRIGHT. TOO BRIGHT FOR MY NEW BAND- PICKUPS ARE GOING TO BE REPLACED BY SEYMOURS SOON.

PLAYS LIKE A DREAM. LOCKED DOWN THE BRIDGE AS I'M USING10'S ON IT NOW.
I HAD IT REFINISHED YEARS AGO COS LIPSTICK RED PAINTJOB WAS FADING INTO PINK. ITS NOW PETRO GREEN WOODSTAIN WITH CLEAR CELLULOSE LAQUER ON TOP.

BEST VERSION OF THE FLOYD-ROSE, EVER. MINE'S 10 YEARS OLD & I'VE NEVER CHANGED THE PLASTIC WASHERS. FLOYD TRICKY TO SET UP, BUT IT STAYS IN TUNE ALWAYS. BUILT LIKE A BRICK OUTHOUSE. MY MOST RELIABLE GUITAR OWNED EVER, OVER FENDER/YAMAHA'S ETC.

NEVER HAD TO

PLAYING 18 YEARS. IRREPLACABLE. CONSIDERING ITS A MASS PRODUCED JAP GUITAR- I HAD A SECOND ONE FROM 91, IT WAS THE SAME, BUT NEVER FELT RIGHT SO I SOLD IT TO A GUY IN A DEATH-METAL BAND. STILL MY FAVOURITE GUITAR, ALTHOUGH ITS REALLY UNFASHIONABLE. ITS DONE 100'S OF GIGS & NEVER LET ME DOWN.

great guitar. Ibanez edge trem, which has a far superior feel to a traditional floyd rose...much smoother. It originally had an H/S/S configuration, but due to my playing style I didnt need a middle pickup for my sound and I found that it got in the way of my thumb, so I filled it with wood putty and made it H/S. I put an EMG 81 and an EMG single coil in it and it screams!

super full sound. very quiet before and after the mods I made. with the single coils you can get good bluesy tones as well as metal tones with the pickup. the original pickups were hot, but I like the sound of an 81 better. I use mine to play everything from Brother Cane stuff to Death metal music. I even used it in a Jazz band setting, as well as my 9-piece blues band.

action is superb. I could have it just barely off the frets if I wanted, but I prefer to have a more medium action.

reliable. very reliable. This dude has been to hell and back and hasnt quit on me yet.

never dealt with Ibanez....do they speak english?

god, if I could find em, I would buy 10 more of these. They rule! I just cant say enough of them. They are the last of the good Ibanez guitars. everything after these started sliding downhill.

I think it was made in 1990 (or so a guy in a shop told me). When I bought it it had a h/s/s con fig but I changed this latter. I found the locking trem a pain so I had it blocked.

The sound when i bought it was thin and very 80's. I ripped out all of the pickups and replaced the only the bridge with a duncan custom custom. It sounds ace now.

I hated the colour so I got my uncle to respray it in silver/blue.
The action wasn't that low but I set i as close to the fret board as possible. The neck is nice for fast playing but I don't do to much of that.

Now that I've got the guitar as I want it it's great but if you're playing live and you snap a string you'll be ages replacing it, but that hardly ever happens on this guitar.

Parts are hard to get cause it's a jap guitar i was about six weeks when ??I needed some.

If you can set it up right this guitar is great but if you want a great guitar straight away try something else.

I think this was made in 1990, but I bought it used so I'm not sure. It was made in Korea with 24 frets and a nice glosy black finish. It has volume and tone knobs, with a 5-way selector. This is the first guitar I've had with the S/S/H configuration, and I love it. I'm not quite sure what the woods are but they're perfect, not to heavy yet still real solid. This cutaway body has a Floyd Rose bridge, which gave me hell the first time I re-strung it, but now I love it. It's a dual locking guitar, and it came with the wizzard neck which is only about a half inch thick. All in all I think this is a great guitar.

When I was playing it in the store I noticed that it sounded a little different than normal. I had one of the people that worked there open it up so I could look at the humbucker. We found out that the previos own had dropped a Duncun Sceamin' Demon in there. This pick-up does what it says. It's nice because the difference between the single coil and the Duncun are so drastic you can get some prety rich sound coming out of it.

After I bought it I had to do a complete overhaul. Now that I screwed with I really like it. With the exception of a few minor scratches on the body(no pick gaurd) it is in perfect condition. I play a very wide range of styles:blues-metal and it works great for everything.

This is at least a ten year old guitar and it's still perfect. It can handle a lot.

N/A

I've been playing for eight years. I have an epiphone Special II plus, an old peace of crap Samick, an Ibanez A/E, Line6 POD, Marshal G30, an old Fender amp, and some Boss pedals including the MT-2(if you don't have this pedal, GO BUY IT). IF my 560 was stolen I would definetly try to find another one. Basicaly this guitar kicks-ass, and I think you should check it out.

Japanese made ca.1990.
24 easy access frets
Finish is gloss black and is excellent except for a few dinges and scratches
Pickups are all Dimarzios H/S/S.The humbucker is a super distortion and the single coils are both dual rails.The humbucker is tapped and there is a switch that allows me to mix the bridge and neck pickups.
The neck is a wizard and is one of the best I have ever played
Bridge is an Ibanez Edge and tuners are Gotoh.
The guitar came with the Dimarzios a hardshell case and a dinky little Ibanez stand and cost 350 punts(Irish)second-hand

My first love is metal and hard rock and this guitar fits the bill.
It is an animal with my Boss metal zone and Marshall VS102R.
I run the guitar through a GT3 also and the clean sounds are superb,
especially some of the acoustic sounds with the tapped humbucker.
Tapping the humbucker gives that crisp clean "Fenderesque" sound and there are also some great in-between tones.The humbucker on its own is amazing with no microphonic feedback whatsoever and great sustain for feedback effects

Action is extremely low after I set the guitar to my specs
I heightened the pickups to gice slightly more output
The bridge is excellent for divebombing and harmonic squeals and generally making weird noises.My only complaint is that sometimes the screw in housing becomes loose(after excessive wanking) but this is a fairly regular occurance on this type of bridge

This guitar will probably be still around after I'm gone.
The finish is good considering I bought the guitar second hand and my main concern is that it sounds good and all the hardware works properly.
The strap buttons are very good. Not once have I dropped the guitar due to the strap slipping off
The guitar is very reliable, I haven't even had any string breakages.
It is my main gigging guitar and I've only ever brought a back-up once,which I didn,t even use!

I've never needed it,I'm into D.I.Y. anyway, but I've had any serious problems with the guitar
Personally I've never dealt with Ibanez but they do make good guitars

I've been playing guitar for 6 years now and consider myself extremely lucky to have found this guitar so soon into my "career"
I'm planning on eventually buying a high-end RG or Jem and this guitar is totally responible for my decision, it is just a fine example of what a good (rock/all round) guitar should be.The sounds are versatile, its a dream to play ,its lightweight and it bloody rocks.

H/S/S pickup config, one volume, one tone. floyd rose licensed trem w/locking nut. 24 frets, carved body to allow easy access to all of them, a blueish-gray color. all black hardware. gotoh tuners. 5 way switch, rosewood fretboard. all of this is extremely high quality, and the craftsmanship is very good. the guitar has a very slim neck, and the body fits just right when sitting or standing. this is definitely a metal guitar, and it's built to do the job.

i play metal, punk, and industrial/coldwave. this guitar is damn good for this kind of stuff. it's like a tone dream come true! i run it through a marshall shredmaster pedal, then my rack with an alesis MEQ-230 and an alesis 3630 compressor, then into my hughes and kettner vortex half stack w/ matching 4x12 and marshall 2x12 extension cab. this guitar is killer! it feels perfect, and it just makes you want to let loose with your riffing - the guitar does not hold you back!

well, we all know how floyd roses are. but like most of them, once you get it tuned, it stays in tune, and mine is not an exception. the neck is perfect for low action (and i'm sure it was designed for that anyway). the pickups are good the way they are (i only use the bridge) but i may try swapping a dimarzio evolution in just to compare the sound. i bought the guitar used so there were some scratches, but nothing major. i totally scored at only $250!!

this guitar seems very sturdy and i'm quite sure i could tour with this without worrying about a thing. all the hardware is very tough and industrial grade - very very precise feeling. the RG500 series kicks ass, and i love my 560! the strap buttons are VERY solid (i don't even feel like i need strap locks on it like my other guitars). yes, i would use it without a backup.

never needed it. i hear it sucks though, like any big company.

if this guitar were stolen, i would definitely get nothing less than it - i might look at the JEMs, but i would never settle for anything of lower quality than the 560. i don't know how much variance there is between the different guitars in the same series like there is with fender, but my 560 is exactly the tone and feel i have dreamed of for a long time, and i am 100% satisfied with it

This is a 1990 model Ibanez RG560. Pretty funny story: a friend of mine had it, put EMGs in it, driled a large hole out next to the tone knob which damaged the tone knob hole, covered with stickers and duct tape. He bought a messed-up Jackson, and took the electronics form the Ibanez and put them in his Jackson. He gave me the Ibanez, and I put a Duncan at the bridge, an Ibanez single in the middle, and a single-sized rail-type humbucker in the neck. It has the best tone I've ever heard. Great neck, the bridge is in a great position (I palm mute alot). Great guitar.

The sound is very full. It has great sustain, and the harmonics are very good. The neck pickup is great for lead work. The middle is just kind of there. The bridge has high output, and is great for metal.

I got it used, and as you can guess, the body damage was a pain. But epoxy makes great body filler! A sticker over the damage makes it unnoticable. Alot of dings and chips in the Grape Ice finish, and the blond neck was stained and had to be bleached. The bridge had slight surface rust, which came off with a brillo pad and was covered up with a black magic marker. The only plate on the back still there was the plate over the bridge springs.

I'd say this guitar is worthy of taking out on a gig. The finish seems to be in good enough not to chip any further. I would always bring a back-up for fear of a broken string. The strap buttons are locking strap hooks, and the hardware seems like it will last.

If this guitar were stolen, I'd track down the theif. I have two other Ibanezes, and this one is the best of the three.

Super strat body H/S/S style , stock Ibanez USA pickups.. USA made 1 tone , 1 volume. 5 position switch. frosted pink finish (like Andy La Rocque's) Floyd Rose Edge brdige , gotoh tuners - locking THIN THIN THIN and wide neck... perfect for shred , came with hih bag pickups aer passive, did I mention it's bound and has mother of pearl shark tooth inlays? GORGEOUS!!!

I play metal/neo classical/shred so the guitar is a dream come true (actually it's my second 560) I use a DOD G7 rack processor via Peavy 80 watt amp with a traynor cab , the guitar plays and looks like a dream .. I can get ANY tone imaginable... from clean to dirty to overdrive to hard thrash... it's all there I love it

umm...let's just say I can't put 3 pieces of paper between strings and frets (I use Ernie Slinky's 9-42's) and it DOESN'T buzz anywhere the neck join is SOLID thick steel , the binding is exquisite as are the mother of pearl shark tooth inlays , the controls are smooth and well geared as is the pickup selector

the hardware is solid, as is the guitar... everything is well crafted and assembled.. the strap buttons are tight and well placed, If I had one axe to depend on live it would be this one , in fact I've started using it instead of my S540LTD during jams and shows

I haven't dealt with the company...there was no need to , the guitar is flawless..

I've been playing 7 years, 5 in bands.., I use mostly Ibanez guitars: S540LTD , RG560 , 2nd RG560 , RG custom , les paul copy , Yamaha classical , custom V , I use DOD effects through peavy amps. if the guitar was stolen I'd try and hunt down some more, I just love the 560 series... the guitars are pefect...

about a month after i bought a used Japanese Jackson(good guitar, but you could tell it was not from the "real factory") i traded it to a friend for an 87 Ibanez RG560. What a smart move! Its an odd metallic green with h/s/s and 24 rosewood frets. pots are volume(a bit too close to the high E) and tone with a 5-way switch. pick-ups are stock and the bridge is a recessed ibanez rose. the neck is VERY thin and wide(i checked out some new rg's with the wizardII neck and lemme just say that the 87 rg560 makes a new rg feels like a piece of furniture!)

my style is buckethead(www.bucketheadland.com if you call yourself a shredder and dont know buckethead, well go get schooled) spliced with balsac(gwar) and ron thal so i want as much bottom and high with as little midrange as possible. i play through a digitech 2120 to a alesis quadraverb to a carvin power amp. now with this set up i can even get my $30 global to rip, but the rg560 provides and awesome range in tone. for the purpose of being fair i will say the rg560 w/ stock pick-ups offers a wide range of sound.

the previous owner let this guitar sit out in his room with the window always open! this played a little havoc with the neck, but after a good strobe,fade an intonation i could bend into outer space and get harmonics from fret 1 to 24. the pick-ups had corrosion on the magnets and the trem had a bit of rust, and for $60 i got the magnets buffed and the trem stripped and powder coated. action was hideously high when i got it(soon fixed). once this guitar was given about $100 of tender loving care it rivaled and new rg(ok maybe not an rg7621)

i bought this guitar because it was a classic 80's shred ibanez first, but second because it had never been dropped, dinged, scratched, or anything similiar. i havent broken a string yet(i change strings about every 3 weeks), and since having it tuned up have not had any tuning problems. i have fallen too deeply in love with this rg and could not take it to a gig, but im sure it would be a champ and a half

my first guitar was an ibanez ex-series(korean) which was a decent beginner axe. this was around 91 and an 87 rg560 would have run me about $400. since picking up this rg560 for $200(trade) and investing another $100 i have not picked up my carvin, and hardly play my rg7621! i wouldnt mind replacing the hummer with something active and bassy, but other than that its a shred machine!

basswood "superstrat" body, S/S/H config (i got two dimarzio single coils and an EMG81 in the bridge), was all passive (got with dimarzio in bridge but i changed to get more output and treble). maple neck, rosewood fretboard, dot inlays. 24 jumbo frets. Ibanez floyd rose edge tremelo, gotoh tuners (black). Thin thin thin wide neck (like i like it), i got with a case.

I play neoclassical shred-type metal. It sounds really good for that, but i think i would replace the pickups with EMG-85/EMG-SA/EMG-SA if this guitar wasn't 11 years old (I don't want to spend the money on it right now). I use a Peavey Ultra stack and a digitech RP-20 and that's it. It has like a bright punchy tone with the EMG81, and I can get a good metallica sound like on And Justice for All, but I tend to boost my mids a LOT so I get a fatter smooth sound. I like smooth!

When I got it the action was too high and it had .08s on it (i use .10-.46). everything else was adjusted okay though.

it's 11 years old and i put it through hell and back (dropped about 35 times, fell over from a stand, an amp, fell out of the case, etc etc) and it's pretty fucking good. One thing though is the neck joint is all cracking now and the frets are worn down really good.

pretty good. a little slow!

I use a Schecter 7-string as my main axe (see review), also a Ibanez RG-570 (see review). If it were stolen or something, Id probably get a custom ESP. Honestly I didn't compare it to anything when I bought it i just bought it because I wanted a guitar with a tremelo and humbuckers and my old guitar sucked (an Epiphone special).

This is a 1990 RG560, made in Japan. It has 24 frets, bolt-on neck, standard Ibanez deep cutaway and Gotoh tuners. The hardware is black. This guitar has a kind of hybrid Edge tremolo(about a year before the lo-pro shit came out) It's not as high as a standard edge, but it's not as low as a lo-pro... Pickups on a 560 are S/S/H, making it just slightly different than a 570 (same guitar, but H/S/H) There's no pickguard, and no gay binding. The color claims to be "Grape Ice" but it's like metallic purplish thing -- pretty cool, I've never seen another one like it. It came with Ibanez pickups, which promptly saw the screwdriver and wire cutters. It currently has a DiMarzio Humbucker from Hell in the bridge and two DiMarzio Fast Track II's in the middle and neck positions. The Fast Track II was designed to be dropped into a single-coil strat bridge, to get Humbucker sounds out of the space alotted, but the things sound massive in this guitar, especially the neck pickup. The body is basswood, neck is maple and fingerboard is rosewood.

This thing is a hotrod. The DiMarzio pickups can get any combination of sounds, from baby soft to metal screaming mad. There's no noise and it's a perfectly balanced sound. I generally play with more bottom end, so I crank the resonance & low knobs on my 5150, but this guitar just drives that amp perfectly (makes me wonder how in the fuck EVH makes it sound so gay when he uses it...)

Action has been fine from day one. It spent two years in a case and the last six in and out of my hands. The neck is perfectly straight (and it's an Ibanez Wizard neck -- so perfect they won't sell you one unless the guitar is attached.) The stock pickups are somewhere in the dump, but they really didn't sound bad, a little noisy (from what I remember) but okay. (I just had DiMarzios in the box already...)

I am mean to things. I break stuff easily and generally tear shit up. This guitar has withstood the test of time. Sure it's got nicks and dents (dropping a microphone on it does that...) and the edges are a little chipped but there aren't any cracks, despite the weak spots that have developed. The volume knob (once black) has worn away to a beautiful gold dome (makes me wonder why gold hardware costs more...) but it's kind of neat, so I'm not planning to put a new one on. I could play this guitar forever without a backup. It only breaks strings when they are old and it never goes out of tune.

I called after I got it and gave them the serial number so I could find out when it was made -- I got in 1992, looking at a '92 catalog, and this guitar DIDN'T have the lo-pro edge like the one in the catalog. Turns out this one was in the back somewhere, forgotten since 1990. I think it came with a year warranty, but I probably voided that when I surgically removed the pickups.

This and my RG7620 are it. I recorded my last album mostly with the 7620, cuz the B string adds so much, but I had to go in with this guitar to add parts and make it feel right. If this guitar were stolen I would kill myself. I've never seen another 560, and certainly not in Grape Ice, and certainly not with Pink and Green pickups. If I could find one, I'd scoop it up immediately (even if I still had this one.)