That fret board with the orange inlays... Awesome! At a certain price point I kinda feel like fret dressing should be a in store issue. Buying a 1k instrument at a brick and mortar store that has QC issues isn't going to keep customers returning and spending hard earned $$$
Agreed . I've guitar center plenty of times about adjusting or improving the set up on a $1,000 guitar. They nope, you have to pay for a setup regardless .
Phillip! Thank you so much for the love in the video. I am thrilled to know you enjoy the guitar. If you ever need anything in the future, feel free to reach out to us. - Tye @ TJ's Music
Now that's pretty cool. I'll have to check out your shop the next time I've got some money to burn. I think that you're one of the first shops I've seen in the comments.
Your store is a rare breed in todays market...Thank You for being that way. If I find a product that's more expensive from their competitors. But their customer service is great. I'll always go back to the store (that it cost a bit more) for the excellent customer service. The manner in which you run your store. Is how you get repeated customers. Too many retailers have forgotten how to treat their customers.
Great video you did on the intheblues channel. You´re really my favorite channel on youtube. Thx for the videos and most importantly the knowledge. UR the man Phil
Man, I just found your channel. I have been playing casually for a long time, but I have been making a conscientious effort to learn more about the technical side of things and you are fantastic. I love how well you communicate your knowledge and how you seem to have fun teaching! Awesome stuff!
I had to shed a few tears over this. In 1991, I bought one of these guitars. Blue. I put a Dimarzio Fred pickup in it and it was a beast. It survived many gigs and I grabbed it before I kicked the door in and escaped a hotel fire that could have ended me and the guitar. Damn. It survived the fire but the Pawn shop monster eventually got it. So sad. I got a USA Strat and it was cool but not the same. My enthusiasm for guitar was gone. My guitar heroes were disappearing and I couldn’t stand Nu metal. Eventually, I got a Jackson and my heroes came back too. The fun of playing is back!!!! I do miss that Ibanez though.😢😢😢
It’s simply glorious…..I can’t say it will be the last guitar I’ll ever buy, but it can definitely break my non buying streak if the price is right. Love the craftsmanship you exhibit.
Since I discovered tele's one year ago I've built three now.,the fancy floyd rose and bright paint aren't so attractive to me anymore...and I tell ya I've been playing for around 40 yrs on and off and just discovering the telecaster I can't go back..ever..! Thanks for all you have taught me bro...much appreciated. .
Phill after watching you fine tune the Ibanez it got me wanting to ask your advice, being in lockdown here in the UK and totally cheesed off I recently bought one of the Genesis collection RG55ODX's with a floating bridge being a true noob it was a stupid thing to do obviously I should have gotten one with a fixed bridge, but if you don't mind I'd like to ask you if it's possible to overtighten the locking nuts? Thanks. Strey.
I love Ibanez , had one for years. Disappointed a $1000 Ibanez had that problem. I just got a ESP M1007 LTD Deluxe a few months ago. Was $1300, frets were perfect. Love it more than any guitar I've had in my 51 years of playing.
I’ve just received mine today. The quality is really great. The pickups are quite good, the outputs are not as high as tb-4 but with an od808 in front they are great to play 80’s heavy metal
I just want to say that it's awesome that Ibanez is doing a proper Japanese re-issue of the 565. Some of us have been asking Ibanez to make this for quite some time, it's pretty cool that they finally listened. The colors are great, but I do miss the Laser Blue though.
Thanks for the vid on this guitar! It's so ironic because I've been wanting one of these for a few weeks now and this gave me some good insight on it being that I'm more than likely going to have to order one online before actually playing one. So thanks again!
Thanks Phillip. Watch your vids all the time. Just saw TJ's music, such a small world. 2 of my children take lessons there (Fall River Arts Academy) and I purchased the RG421msp from them as well.
I played one the Genesis guitars a while back. The craftsmanship was amazing, especially for the price. Ultimately I decided they weren't for me due to the tone and neck joint, but they're such a great deal.
I live near TJ's and I'm not at all surprised that you had a good experience with them... Great place with excellent, knowledgeable employees that enjoy talking music... Great store...
Phil , great video, purchased a rg550 genesis, purple neon, but ouch 🤕, you are 💯% correct, unfortunately I got a small paint chip on the belly cut, wish I new this before, yes guys buy a case... Do they even use paint anymore..???
Thanks for the detailed review. This was on my short list of purchases. I love Ibanez guitars and have multiple RGs, was impressed with the 80's look and made in Japan. I'm not sure it price competitive enough, my recent Charvel San Dimas was $130 less, came with Seymour Duncan pickups, beautiful fretwork and zero setup needed. By the time you get the work done and upgrade the pickups you are not that far from a Prestige model. Though the color and H-S pickup layout still makes we want to get it.
This pretty much IS a prestige model, it just doesn't have name brand pickups. Back in 2003 they got rid of the RG5xx series and replaced with the RG15xx series, and they were pretty much the same as before in all the ways that mattered. "Prestige" referred to a fret end treatment that doesnt apply to maple fretboard guitars. If you buy a Prestige Ibanez with a maple fretboard, it doesn't get the rounded fret ends like other fretboard types will.
@@KyleP133 Didn't realize you don't get the Prestige fret edge treatment on maple boards. It does look like many but not all Prestige models have stainless frets though for those dig those. And I was exaggerating on the price difference, the closest I could find, RG652AHM is still $600 more.
Hilarious, pretty sure Misha from Periphery calls the neckheel the "handshake" as well hahaha thanks for the thorough review, I'm looking forward to getting my EG565, hopefully it'll ship in sooner than later!
Phil Awesome review. After watching your fret sprout fix video I bought required stuff from Stew Mac and now doing it myself. I feel exactly same about the necks of new and 80s Ibanez. My old ones have a thinner, smaller ,more comfortable feel. New guitars are also mostly on the heavier side. New Edge fine tuners are really not as smooth as the old ones but stability is much better than other brand of Floyds available on similar priced brands. Stock pickups are really not that bad specially in clean. Not necessarily needs an emergency replacement for average players. The wood of the neck and body (judging from weight and resonance) feels freshly cut (Not seasoned enough). I don't know how to explain that in words. Fret works and finish on the neck is definitely not like what they used to make 87-93. But over all It is a very good buy as you said. Thanks again for letting me share my 2 cents.
Hi Phil, I just got a RG5550DX Genesis MIJ the other day myself-and it has the same fret end issues as yours, maybe a bit worse as I've felt them digging my hand/fingers while playing. The guitar itself is almost perfect and plays great, but the fret ends on both sides leave a lot to be desired... I wasn't expecting the "prestige" fret treatment at this price point, but these edges are awful-all of my other guitars fretworks from Korea put this to shame. I'll be breaking out the painter's tape, fret leveler, and file as per your "Stop playing with sharp fret ends! Sharpen My Axe" video. Thank you for that video BTW-it's fantastic info and directions on easily correcting these issues for us repair novices!
I'm a diehard Gibson guy and I have a bunch of them but the one Ibanez prestige rg 655 I have is the best guitar I own. Sound, playability, feel and most importantly tuning stability is absolutely superior. I hate that I have to say that but it's true... Lol! Nothing but respect for Ibanez guitars.
I have two S series from the early 90's.. One is like a 91 and the other a 92 I think.. They are both very very nice guitars.. The one has a low pro edge trem and I love it.. s series are so nice because they are so lightweight and I love it.. I actually like some of the newer cheaper Ibanez guitars with fixed bridges. I think I'm going to buy a new S series and set it up to my liking.. I use finger nail file and do the ends of the frets on guitars with fret sprout.. I've only had a couple that I did for friends that bought cheaper new guitars.. Great video's as always from you sir. Tim
The thing with fret sprout is that to an extent, the manufacturer can't really guarantee that it won't happen due to different climates. It's a different issue with roasted maple, where one of the selling points is that the wood of the neck itself is more resistant to temperature/ moisture changes. I bought a Charvel Pro Mod DK24 (roasted maple neck) that had slight fret sprout, but it was so minimal that I decided it wouldn't be worth sending it back and potentially getting a guitar that didn't feel as good as this one. Like you said, fret dressing is max a 1 hour job and it isn't difficult as long as you do your research and know the proper technique. Loved the video and love these "Genesis" guitars that Ibanez has been putting out! I would totally KILL for a "Genesis" Iceman!
Hey, Phil, great review! What is up with companies and fret sprout? I've got a few Ibanez, ESP, Fender, and others from the early 80s to the early 00s and they all have great fret dressing. The two most recent guitars I've had were '05 and '12 Fender Custom Shop Strats and those frets were hanging off the sides! Why is something that was part of MAKING A GUITAR no longer part of the deal? Anyway, wound up selling those Strats because, ya know, money. Great video as always!
Thank SO much info Phillip, great video and love the content. Found the same fret issues on my MIJ Ibanez Genesis Collection RG565. Used your link, bought the Fret End Dressing File and now have a happy Pumpkin, ha ha!
Problem is that people expect EVERY MIJ Ibanez to have what was once known as the "Prestige Fret Treatment" or those perfectly dressed frets that Japanese Ibbys used to come with out of the box. However, the new RG565 ISN'T a Prestige, it's a Genesis-- a line, which, like the Japan-only J-Line, are made to hit a price-point (Low $1000s now), and having to do that means skimping on some of the more time-consuming features (like the Prestige Fret Treatment) in order to hit that price point. It's unfortunate, but seeing as how the lowest-end Prestige models are hitting $1800 or so, it can't be helped. Might inspire some people to factor in an additional $40 or so for dressing fret ends, just makes me want to shop for a used Prestige or older 90s RGs that either had that stock or had someone else take care of it in the intervening 20-30 years.
Always love your videos, but I have to comment on this. I've had a Floyd Rose for 30 years and have never ever used a trem block. I guess it would help, but it's not needed. I can use one hand on the bar when loading strings, and the guitar will come into tune on its own when the strings come to proper tension once installed. Keep up the good work!
Cool, I have the original spot model of that guitar, the 1989 RG565R-CA. It's been estimated there's less than 200 made of these. The candy apple red guitar was the number one guitar of the seller who was the original owner so it's well used and abused. Aside from the electronics refreshing and pup swap, the frets themselves need to be replaced. I'm gonna put in SS extra jumbos. What I really love about my guitar vs the current 565s is that it sports rosewood fretboard with sharktooth inlays which I think looks better than the colored dot inlays. It's also only one of two guitars I have that has reversed headstock (the other being a 2000 Squier Stagemaster HSH Deluxe) AND HS pup configuration (the other being an ESP LTD F-10-BK). Thank you for the review on your guitar, as this gave me an idea on what to do with the electronics. My guitar still has its original single coil neck and humbucker bridge pups with the 3-way switch, 1 master tone and 1 master volume pot. I'm going to put in a set of custom shop Seymour Duncan pups with a Triple-Shot on the big humbucker and upgrade the Ibby 3-way to an Ibby 5-way to give me the same options with the single-coil sized humbucker that's going into the neck position. I was originally gonna just install the new pups and reuse the original electronics and replace as needed. PS: Of course as it's a rare guitar, I'll keep all the original parts in a ziplock and store them (altho I have no plans on selling this guitar). I love Ibanez, I have 6 other guitars from them.
Don't worry fellas for the high end Gibson and PRS guitars Phill will use a fancy pair of thigh highs for the fret test to match the guitar price point (industry standard). On a side note Phil have you seen the video by Herman Li about adjusting a floyd rose in the playing position a few weeks ago? He had a really good demonstration of different brands and the ability to hold tune on the floating bridge.
Nice review! I was thinking about ordering a 565 but I ultimately decided to go for the 550 because I could potentially modify it better. Both models have the same neck anyway. My 550 should arrive this week and I'm already expecting it to have fret sprout since Henning (EytschPi42) and now you had the same issue with your guitars. It's not a big deal. Your tip about getting a shop credit for compensation is great, thank you for that. I didn't think about that. If my guitar has fret sprout I will try to get a credit as well. :)
Have a look at the heel of the neck, Phillip - the fretboard doesn't overhang with a lip. It's solid maple from where the neck meets the body, all the way past the 24th fret. This is assuming they built it the same way as the Genesis 550s. I LOVE my Genesis 550 - is is not the same beastie from the 80s. Far superior, I would say. Congrats on the RG565!!
Hey Phil, have you ever heard about Ibanez resoncast "wood"?, do you believe that paying 500-800 usd for guitars made of that material is fair? I mean we all know that Basswood isnt really an expensive wood but somehow with the resoncast I feel kind of robbed. Always thanks for so much great content. cheers!
I was gonna add that the neck and fretboard wood shrinking also causes fret sprout, but you covered it, thank you!! I did want to ask how the tuning held up after using the trem? Also, if you asked Guitar Center for credit, you would have most likely had to talk to corporate to get anything done. Just my opinion, having worked there for over 2 years in the past (glad I closed that chapter). Thanks for the video, it was entertaining!
The nylon test is a great idea, good work phil! I'm surprised this guitar isn't a bit nicer out of the box for an mij, but i have to say it looks pretty great
Obviously tuning takes longer on a "floyd" style bridge because of the springs in the back of the guitar. Each string therefore effects the other strings while turning the tuners/fine tuners. Oh man I want this guitar so bad. I have a major GAS the last couple of years regarding Japan made Ibanez. Especially the 5000 series
Great review. Curious if you’re ever going to feature bass guitars? Particularly interested in the Sire M2 Marcus Miller and your impressions of it. And BRING BACK RALPH!!!! 😀 Thanks for the entertaining videos Phil.
Phil - Thanks for the great review of the RG and walk-through of the fret filing and polishing. How does the neck quality and craftmanship between this RG565 and the Fender HM reissue compare with each other? Thanks.
Phil, I've got an Ibanez Prestige RG, and this harsh MN winter sprouted its stainless steel frets. I have the fret end dressing file you use, and I still can't seem to get the frets perfect. They're merely okay, but on a $2,000 guitar, I want the frets to be perfect. Do you have any recommendations?
It takes more work and time with stainless. I would do it again. With each pass you will catch the spots your missing. The file wants to glide over the fret and not catch the material. Its what is great about stainless, but its what sucks when you work on it.
That's so funny. I ordered that one too and it was on backorder. FInally they let me know it was cancelled because Ibanez is too far behind and can't fulfill. So instead I ordered and ESP/LTD Eclipse which you ALSO just bought. Great minds...
When the stock action set up is so high on a shredder my nose twitches and I smell a lemon! I buy my guitars from Richards Guitar's in England, you get a free set up with every guitar, and it's a proper set up to your liking
