Anthony Couch talks you through his thoughts on the incredible reissue of the notorious RG550 by Ibanez. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE VIDEOS Follow Anthony on INSTAGRAM anthonycouchgtr TWITTER anthonycouchgtr
Just got the desert yellow last week. I am gonna buy the purple and the red one as well. They are that nice. I have three grandsons that will one day own them.
I’ve been playing for thirty years. I don’t know how to shred. I don’t know how to tune a guitar with a Floyd rose style bridge. I know for a fact I will break a string at a show and not have an Allen key to work the locking nut. And yet I totally want one of these for some reason. Maybe it’s the color.
This Edge was Ibanez first in the Edge series, I think it debuted on the RG550 and JEM! Then came the lo-pro edge, edge pro, edge zero etc. Original Edge all the way! I'm waiting on one of these bad boys and it's excruciating! Cool video my man.
Adam Dallas brilliant thanks! Now I know!! :-) Now I just need to double check what bridges all my RGs have so I can rank them in order of best to worst. I may make a video on that.
Great job mate.... I have the same guitar and color and it’s my favorite Ibanez. They got it right at the beginning and then started messing with it to make a plethora of variations for more sales! It’s probably their most versatile RG in the range. I also have a Schecter super shredder and it has that same retro vibe and it also sounds amazing ! Thanks
Yeah when the video started I was like those arent cheapos those are gotoh! lol thanks for the vid dude, I might buy this in red. You said you hadn't had to said it up when you took it home, its a year something later now or two, have you had to make any adjustments to the guitar or is it pretty much as you got it from the store? Just wondering how much maintenance the trem system takes
You should totally do a video with all your ibanez's.that'd be sick man.and telling all about them.when you bought it how you got it and playing all them.love your vids brother:)
I'm a proud owner of an RG550(EX) since about 17 years now and I simply love it! Nice to see some improvements like the cutaway on the neck joint. But one thing I recognized with the wizard 2 neck a while back: when you have big hands like me, it's acutally NOT that optimal because you don't have enough to hold. As a result, the gap between your hand and the neck becomes large, which leads to some issues with vibrato especially. You need too much strength to "stabilize" your hand to do a controlled and even vibrato. I've tried another guitar with a "medium thick" neck and suddenly that was much easier. So I think, the next guitar I buy, will have a thicker neck. But anyway, it is a great guitar! (Changed pickups to DiMarzio Evolutions though).
i have played a load of guitars from fender strats to gibson les paul custom which i love and from affordable guitars to "fancy" guitars. after all the guitars i have played around, i have two guitars that are my favoute - the rg550 is one of them and the other is the parker fly (the high end ones). they are the two best, well designed, well built, and comfortable guitars that i have played. the 550 genesis reissue is one of those guitars that if its in tune you can pull it off the shelf in a guitar store and walk on stage with it. i think they are one of the coolest looking guitars out there and they just do the job and hold it together. if you like using the whammy/vibrato bar the edge tremolo is definitely one of the best options. very solid and stable. when it comes to a six string electric guitar this is the one for me. i keep my 550 on a stand close to the main area where i sit at home and basically everytime i glance at it, the very sight of it makes me want to play. it sounds great as mentioned in the video but if anyone has a different sound preference they can always swap out the pickups fairly easily. personally i have kept the stock pickups because they seem to do what i want fairly well and so far ive no complaint about them. definitely worth trying one of these out for anyone who hasnt played one.
Thank you for this video - it helped me decide to buy one of these lovely guitars! I agree with you on the V7 - it sounds ok on clean but I rarely feel the need to use it with distortion. The V8 is surprisingly good though - I thought the JB in my Les Paul had some balls but V8 has much more of a punch! Are you sure the knobs are removable just by pulling them out? I want to remove the annoying pieces of foil, I used some force but they didn't move at all :S
They do pull off as I've just done it on mine. I really did expect them to shatter as they are a very tight friction fit. Once off, I found that the protective film is also under the nuts too. Good luck.
Thanks for this review man, good playing too! I need to agree with you when it comes to the "neck is the most important" thing! I choose guitar for it's playability, sound can be tweaked afterwards with pickup upgrade and, of course, amp :) talking about pickup upgrade - do you think this guitar would be worthy even of some Bareknuckles? also, have you switched yours already? one more off-topic question: where are you from? I am guessing New Zeland because of your accent, haha
Juny1spion thanks for stopping by! I've not changed anything yet on the guitar. But I will put some new pickups in it especially the neck. Would you recommend the bareknuckles? I've never tried them. And I'm from North West England. :) So my accent is a bit different to the southern English accent that Brits are more known for!
Anthony Couch oh alright. Also one more question - have you tried dropping the tuning? Would you say the guitar is suitable for that kind of thing ? I actually haven't tried BKPs, but from what I've heard they sound great and especially extremely clear. That's why I want to try them out... either that or Fishmans
Juny1spion really sorry I only just saw your last question!! I haven't down tuned this one but I imagine with some tweaking of the trem springs there shouldn't be a problem!
don't worry the same happened to me now haha. Yeah I already have this monster right next to me, downtuned to drop C with no problem :) (had to adjust the floating bridge of course)
Are the humbuckers good for 80s high gain glam rock & metal? (Poison, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Dokken....etc) Or would I have to replace the pickups to get that 80s sound? The guitar looks great and has some awesome features, but I'm not sure I can justify spending $1000 USD on it if I don't like the pickups. Currently my favorite humbucker pair is the Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB in the bridge and SH-2n Jazz in the neck. If the stock V8 & V7 humbuckers are similar enough, I'll probably buy this guitar next month.
MartinaFan64 I love the bridge pickup in the guitar. I don't find the neck pickup is high output enough for what I'd like. Do you have a local guitar shop with them in stock? The best thing to do is try one out if possible.
Unfortunately none of the local music stores have the RG550 in stock yet. But maybe I can find a store that has an Ibanez with stock V7 & V8 pickups. If I don't like what I hear then I may decide to get a cheaper S Series like the S520 and replace both pickups. It'll be either a DiMarzio Super Distortion or Seymour Duncan Custom Custom SH-11 in the bridge, and I'm still undecided on the neck pickup.
I love that the headstock matches the paint of the body! It is Japanese made with edge trem I hear great reviews..I wonder if seymour Duncan's would be better? Distortion 59's, jb's or hot-rails?
Is this guitar as neon/road flare/bright as it looks? Because I like it I’m thinking of getting one in a few weeks and it’s road flare or desert yellow , I really like the road flare if it is as bright as it looks it looks like it could sear a steak at 200 yards
Anthony, First i wanna say you killed it in this video. I'm torn between buying a Dean V Select or the RG550 your playing here. I'm looking for a versatile guitar that plays really smooth but can also play some heavy metal. Any suggestions?
I bought the original RG550 in 1987 in that same red color and with in a year it turned from red to a hot pink color. One of the guitar instructors at the music store I bought the guitar from was their when I bought it and warned me that his three month old red RG550 had already started changing to a orange/pink color. Although he admitted that he had left his guitar in his car during the day time uncovered for a few hours on two occasions and didn’t know if that short amount of time had something to do with it. My RG550 never seen any direct sunlight and lived in an Ibanez case when not in use. I believe the paint they used back in 1987 was obviously prone to change color unfortunately. Thirty three years later the guitar body is still flawless, besides some substantial fret wear (due to heavy usage) it has proved to be a very durable shredding machine but the hot pink paint is just not my thing. The only guitar I enjoyed playing as much as this guitar is my Jackson Pro Soloist SL2Q.
Thanks for checking out the video. The short answer is yes! But you may be interested in my latest video about this guitar where I pit it against my prestige. (Spoiler: the genesis wins) 😀😀
Tomasz L hi Tomasz, thanks for watching! I couldn't tell you about the neck comparison with the originals as I've only played an original 80s 550 once many years ago. I can tell you that there is no case though. I think that's how they keep the cost under £1000
Hey Anthony, 2 years almost passed by since you reviewed this guitar. May I ask the edge tremolo if still ok and you don't experience the problem of losing tunes after driving the tremolo
This remains my favourite guitar. 🤘🤘🤘 The bridge is totally fine, although I must admit I don't go crazy on it, at the most I'll use some light vibrato and the occasional dive bomb.
@@ryant3600 I agree its the best trem ever made, if it goes out of tune it hasn't been set up correctly. I abuse the fluck out of mine and I only have to fine tune a few times in week of real abuse, I mean I use it like I'm gonna break the fn thing. Best Locking trem ever !
@@ryant3600 Yeah Im the same , you do have to have them set up correctly though, so the people who don't use it hard out of fear of it going out of tune is an example of it not being set up correctly. Steve Vai Used an Edge on passion & Warfare so that alone speaks volumes.
I just recently got a rg550 20th anniversary edition.and I love it!!!all my guitars are ibanez.ever sense I first seen satch and that headstock I fell in love with ibanez and been a fan for 25 years now.can beat ibanez!!ibanez fan boy haha
Anthony Couch I do love the rg shape.I have two of them but I also love the s series.they're so comfortable.if you haven't tried one I highly suggest it.
Love these guitars..i had an original one from '87 ..great neck but i love the newer super wizard necks a little more ..wider and more comfortable atleast for me..and they dont crack like the old ones used to ..think im gonna get me one again..the road flare red is too sexy
Hi mate, I have owned the ibanez jem 7vw and that had led lights installed and then added Zak wyld emg 81-85 actives and sounded amazing but wasn't versatile so l regretted selling my evolutions then l sold the guitar in the end and l sold my silver pewter prestige which I hated it that had air Nortons pups and personally did not stay in tune but it had the pro edge trem which l learnt later isn't a great trem o er the mighty edge trem itself, I'm now thinking of getting the ibanez rg550 because l love the super wizard neck and the edge trem is superb so listening to your demo of the rg550 has intrigued me to go buy one and see for myself, I'm a metal person so it's great for me anyway plus I love and miss the single coil to es produced on this rg550 is great and hendrix feel but better than the Fender single coil its a lot more tinny and twangy which l love a lot. Keep rocking
rg2027x it's funny you should ask this. I just spent the weekend with a couple of my guitars and a spray can of Servisol trying to get their volume controls to loosen up. I'm really fussy when it comes to the slipperiness of volume controls. I don't mind the tone being a bit sticky. But yes, this guitar does suffer a bit from scratchy feeling controls! I may swap the vol control for a smoother one.
hey Anthony, thanks for the 411! Yeah my RG 20th did the same thing. Felt like sand in the potentiometer! Total suckage. This was back in 2007, when I first bought the guitar (which I still have! roadflare red!) It was definitely a necessary upgrade, those volume & tone controls. I put a YJM 'speed pot" on volume with Fender no-load tone, both 500k. Made a world of difference...and I felt brought the sound out more pronounced, less pinched sounding. No more scratchy feel. The speed pot makes it a cinch to play "CATHEDRAL" heh heh. Enjoy your 550 man they are great guitars! ✌
One thing is true. is not the same to see it through a computer screen than is to see it real on front of you. it look different. The yellow looks greeny and the red looks pinky.
Frank Destroso that's a good question. My quick answer would have to be the RG, but I can definitely see myself doing a comparison video in the future!
FYI....I was in the same dilemma. I ended up getting a Schecter Sun Valley Shredder in Seafoam Green and switched out the pickups with Seymour Jb in the bridge and Seymour Jazz in the Neck. Wait for a holiday sale at Guitar Center and you'll be around $550 for the guitar and another $150 for new pickups. I own the original RG550 from 1987 as well as a 1986 Charvel. The Sun Valley Shredder has a 24 fret neck that fits right between the Charvel and Ibanez for thinness. I love it.
Bluesrain cancun it's not too bad actually. I never go too crazy on it though. The locking nut does a decent job in keeping it in tune. It may not be the case for heavy whammy abuse though!!
I know it's a bit late, but I have one of these and I do a lot of Poison and 80's glam stuff which is notorious for whammy abuse.. stays in tune better than any other locking trem i've ever had, including the original Floyd. I promise you, the Edge is the best trem ever created.
I want one of these very much. I think for the $$ and being made in Japan, it's a no brainer. Can you tell me if the trem arm stays tight, unlike the floyd 1000 series and alike, where they have play and squeak like cheap as they are. I am really hoping this trem is secure!! Thanks !!
Von Prater I've since gotten one of these in white. Purchased I. early January, and yes, you were right about the trem, very solid. Overall the guitar is amazing it really is built exceptionally well I couldn't be more happier! I just may get another one.
I have both. The San Dimas is considerably louder but the whammy is not as nice. Having both covers any guitar sound you'll need except acoustic or twelve string.
Adam Fiedorczuk hi Adam, I'm not sure about the pro mod, but if you check out my channel I compare the RG in this video to a San Dimas. Thanks for watching!
I’m pretty sure the same builder that makes the prestige ones is putting rg550’s together on the exact same work bench … so in my eyes it don’t say Prestige it it sure is one
Michael Anthony Mangoni it isn't, Michael. It's road flare red. It's definitely got an orangeness to it which is brought out by my camera but in person it's red.
I have an indo rg421. Leaves my prestige for dead. Doesn’t matter where it’s made as long as it has a good neck to start with. Fret level and bang your In the zone. 421 has upgraded pickups. I just bought this 550. Can’t sleep till it gets here. Rg6pcmltd indo premium model is also a sweet guitar. Stainless frets.
Anthony Couch definitely modding. Might go with the evolution set in one, and Seymore Duncan JB in the the other. No idea when the yellow one is coming so I got a little time. I have an old RG 570 with active EMG's, my RG655 Prestige is bone stock.
Don Prater sounds good!!👍 I need to test out a few different pickups in my guitars. They all cost quite a bit though to replace!! Which are your favorite neck pickups?
Anthony Couch I'm a huge fan of the Seymore Duncan jazz pickup, the SH-2. I have one in my Les Paul. I think the Dimarzio Air Norton in my prestige RG655 sound pretty good also. (My RG655 is the only guitar I have that isn't modified in any way, love it the way it is)
Japanese Quality from FujiGen factory. Whats not to love. I want one (Firehouse Red) just to have on the stand to show off, and I may even try to fit into my tight spandex pants from the 80's and my Xsmall black t shirt ....possibly with my beer gut hangin out and over my belt.
it's not Mexican its Spanish (From Spain) the name of the company came from Hashino Gakki. He started out importing guitars from Spain which were called Salvador Ibanez. Then he later on shortened it to just Ibanez this was way back in like the early 30's. He started with Classical guitars, much later started in with electrics. Took some decades to come up with and master the greatest super strat of all time. So, this company has been around a very long time in Japan.
I like the way you explain some specs about the guitar, but you talk tooooooooooo much! Well playing, nice comparison with others Ibz. Rock N’ Roll and Keep Playing.
José Pérez hi José, believe it or not I edited the footage down from 50 minutes with even more talking!! ! ;-) but seriously thanks for the constructive criticism.