Ibanez RG321WB

Ibanez RG321MHWB
List: $680

When the RG421 debuted 3 years ago, it was instantly revered as the fixed bridge RG to acquire, its Japanese make further bolstered its status as a fine player. However, it was superseded by the Korean 321 only a year after its debut, much to the dismay of ardent fans but the less snobbish among us would still hold it in high regards because the fit, finish & overall tone easily exceeded its asking price. This 2005, the 321 goes one up by being mahogany in all finishes offered. FYI- the 421 didn`t even make it here…

Finish & body wood type aside, this year`s 321 also has different default pickups on offer, the (dreaded) Infinity pair but don`t let that bother you a single bit. Do read on…

Build/ Playability
The Wizard II neck of the RG321 isn`t the skinniest on offer in the Ibanez range, it`s what I refer to as a `just right` neck; neither too thin, nor too fat. You get 24 Jumbo frets on this guitar, a single volume & tone control but a 5-way pickup switching configuration for a more expansive tonal palette. The out-of-the-box action is fairly low but very bend-friendly, there were no choked notes either, implying good workmanship on the frets on offer. The neck is also very straight & the binding here is simply top class, no frayed edges near the nut area too- thumbs way up. The 321 weighs considerably lesser than its vibrato bridge equipped siblings but this isn`t a demerit in any way because…

Tone
…the sustain speaks for itself. IMO 3 factors contribute to this: 1.A complementary neck mass 2.Through body stringing 3.The pickups. Yes you didn`t read wrong my friends, the Infinities are more than decent offerings. However, please do not expect PAF-like clean tone from them, these humbuckers were not conceived to be that immaculate in the first instance. However, you would definitely hear lots of midrange warmth from the mahogany body, just the way I like it. The RG321 would be a winner for those cutting edge shred & heavy tones.

Last say
My only complain here would be the tuners, which aren`t equal tensioned across the headstock. Some were too stiff, others, too slack. Initially, I attributed the tuning instability to a badly cut nut but a closer inspection revealed impressive incisions, so the tuners are exclusive culprits. It`s nothing player unserviceable, just get your screwdriver out & rectify accordingly. Done.

Yes, I bought this guitar after an extended audition. It was thoroughly impressive despite the tuners setback. It covers rock & high gain metal effortlessly. For a more impressive clean tone, it`d perform better with a supplementary chorus pedal. If you are after a non-vibrato bridge solid body, I`d still stand by my current recommendations: the SZ series & definitely this RG321. I`m really glad that the 321 treaded the mahogany path, it didn`t out-tone the previous basswood incarnation, it simply gives the guitar a different voicing, which many of us here would fancy.

i own 1 of it. this guitar kick ass man haha.. 1 thing i like about it is the finish. weather black looks good .. i saw this video on youtube.. this guy upgraded his pups to emg active pups.. the tone / sound is very good for metal playing.. i give it a 9/10 for this guitar .

the new list price for the RG321 is $640

UPDATE

for 2008. Ibanez has chosen to include headstock binding which IMO adds visual appeal.


Thanks to Swee Lee (BB branch) for letting me take this photo

Subversion i got a few questions for u there were several finishes for the rg321 but from what i seen i think the royal blue finish is the most durable among all and theres are 2 types of rg321 the rg321mh and rg321wk
do state the diffrence in both has from my source i have heard the wk model is made in indonesia and the mh model is korea but im still not sure from my resources.
And i realised that the neck was a 3 pc wizard II neck.

1. when it comes to finish types, it isn't exclusive to the brand name performance. we must undestand that all satin finished instruments are less durable in terms of its ability to withstand knocks (due to the absence of the lacquer overcoat). this is why Fender's Highway1, Music Man's SUB1 & Gibson LP Std faded edition (among others) are all less accomodating when it comes to durability in general, not just the RG321 weathered finish models.

2. of late, the guitars from this series have shifted production to Indonesia, inevitably, there would be purists who would be advocating a korea=good, indonesia=bad stance. i've played the Indonesian made Ibanez models (not just the RG321) & must say that production QC is above average, i'm not one to champion a brand name per se (because i don't get guitars from the nanufacturer for free...) but the current Indo crop is good (the reason i bought the RGR321).

Hi Sub,about this topic,due to your vast experience with Ibanez.Do you say that Made in Indonesia=Made in Korea?I thought Everybody wants to know.

surprisingly, the Indonesian units have a better feel than the koreans, which would be attributable to the finishing (you can cradle a well-finished guitar but the final feel may not be enticing). also, the koreans do display some inconsistencies when it comes to binding (especially the SZ models), unlike the indonesians. even the Chinese Artcore models are superb when it comes to binding.

hmmm the headstock binding is another thing to consider

just that indonesians are known for not doing the job has good has japan or usa thats why i would prefer korean made or japan made but the rg321 is either korean made or indonesian made and i love the new headstock binding available right now at sweelee

don't bother so much about where it's made la. just try the guitar for yourself, and do your own QC

HideX_X said:

just that indonesians are known for not doing the job has good has japan or usa thats why i would prefer korean made or japan made but the rg321 is either korean made or indonesian made and i love the new headstock binding available right now at sweelee

Click to expand...

care to highlight which authority relegates made in indo instruments as second-rate? i'd say to potential buyers: judge the instrument as it is, regardless of where it's made. we are too blinded by snob appeal sometime.

binding, flame tops etc are cosmetics which should be secondary to the instruments tonal performance. we should pick a good playing instrument first & foremost, the fact that it looks good, is a bonus.

Its a great guitar