dilema, strat or rg? all pls help & give opinion

blahblah

New member
im caught in a dilema. i cant decide between a strat and an rg. i'm thinking of selling off my classic 70s series strat MIM to get an rg 5 series, the old jap ones. i love the clean sound of my strat but i also like the rg. i know they're 2 different guitars but i like both so should i sell my strat and get the rg or keep my strat? ok dont tell me to get both, not enough cash. so i's hopin u guys could gimme some opinions.
 
If you like the feel and the tone of your current guitar, don't change. The feel of the neck of an RG and a strat is completely different. But of course if you like the feel of the RG better, then by all means get it. Don't get a guitar just because it looks cool or your friends think it's cool, it will be a bad mistake.
 
well IMO ... a strat is ALWAYS useful... being one who started with a cheap strat ..moved on to les paul...then went to ibanez for a few years... now im back to a strat.

ibanez is GREAT for metal..shred... even funk is cool on an ibanez... but it simply doesnt sound very authentic... not alot of soul in its sound ... a strat will always have that...

having said that...

i think you need to keep your strat..save like a bitch .. and get a vigier strat.
best of both worlds man.
 
imo, it depends largely on whether u want the strat "quack" sound. you'll never get it with an RG.

having said that, most RGs have floyd roses... if u prefer that go for the RG.
 
.

The general (and I mean general) classifcations of brands with associated sounds as follows:

Twangy: single coil strat/tele
Fat tone: Gibson LP
Crunchy: Ibanez

Of course, ultimately what sound you want is what you come up with from your head to your fingers to the amp. And how it complements the sound of the band, that's impt.
 
Hmmmm...
Ok, RGs are towards the metal side....heavy rock stuff....

But one thing to note..

Most RGs have Wizard necks... thin necks... feel is definately a factor here... one more thing is that, since the neck is so thin, its more likely to warp,... If you are keen on ibanez, my advise is to save up, get a prestige RG... they have diff neck that have more reinforced woods.... up to a 5 piece neck! Or, if you can, get a guitar with the Jem neck... its slightly thicker, but that thickness makes all the diff when playing for hours... the neck will stay in tune better.

And its also true that rgs have this... kind of soul-less tone... I hear Marcel Conen play his rg on a video and the tone was sucky compared to his JEM... same setup throughout...

IMO, save up and get the prestige mahagony body RGs or a JEM. :)
 
the RG is for metal, strat has the best quack, yada yada yada...

i own both Ibanez & fender, it's best you own both really, if fender can replace ibanez entirely, the Ibanez company would have closed shop & maybe sell sushi instead.

IMO the 'RG for metal' association has to stop. it would have been a valid reference if we were all trapped in the '80s, but that's not the case. there are many uses for the RG, it's just that we are more exposed to the metal orientation eg: Mick Thompson recently endorses Ibanez.

the RG also offers different neck profiles for various models, 'thin' is a summary for those who can't differentiate these profiles. i wouldn't classify the 'Ultra' neck (RG 2620) as 'thin'. also, neck profiles has got to do with personal preference most of the time; Paul Gilbert has big hands but he won't play anything else but ibanez.

i'm not here to offend anybody but Ibanez/ Fender/ Gibson/ etc are offering tools for you, you choose...

blahblah: your '70s strat has a nice ash body yes? i'd rather you keep it & save for an Ibanez instead... if you choose to sell it off, then no RG would be able to pull off a typical, strat single coil tone- zilch. unlesss you are sick & tired of single coils of course...

why RG5XX & not any of the current offerings? Prestige Ibanez?
 
well firstly, because im pretty low on cash and the 5 series only cost like 500 plus and they're the japanese ones that were later made into the prestige series. secondly, im beginning to feel that my strat dosen't pack enough punch although i love the clear sound, and yes its ash body.
 
haha, u like my rg right? nw also wanna get ah? go for it man.

but still, if have cash, get both. cos i still keep my godin for single coil blues tone
 
a well-maintained used RG5XX would command at least a $680 price tag. there are also various incarnations like the LTD/ EX finish so the asking price would vary accordingly.

i'm advocating for the RG470/ 450 because it differs from the Prestige 1550 just by the neck. it's a well-playing guitar & it features the new Edge Pro vibrato, a std fitting on the Prestige range. the price package also includes a hard case, all for like $750+/-
so what say you my friend?

if you read around, the US players are a little frustrated because this guitar didn't make to the dealers there. the Prestige 1550 would not be offered there too, come 2005...

RG450
RG450LTDBC-00-05.jpg


RG470
RG470CA-00-05.jpg
 
$1,060 for an RG450 is a little too much... if they sold you the pre-2003, WORSE! where did you get yours from- Guitar Gallery/ Swee Lee?

the RG470/ 450 is currently available @ swee lee... make sure you ask for the hardcase.

Artcore Ibanez definitely available @ swee lee- AF75/ AS73/ AM73/ AG75/ among others. LIST: $600
 
THe artcore series is apparently quite a good series... even though its made in China, its quality is outstanding....

Best suited to rock, jazz and blues kind of stuff...
 
blahblah said:
secondly, im beginning to feel that my strat dosen't pack enough punch although i love the clear sound, and yes its ash body.

You can make single coils pack a punch too you know, if you know how to set up your rig properly ;) Technically the difference between humbuckers and single coils is that humbuckers have a higher output level than single coils, so if you raise the output level from your single coil or increase the gain at your pedal/amp you will basically get the same effect. Some artistes swear to the method of increasing the level of single coil pickups by using a booster pedal, like malmsteen. But of course sonically there are other differences, and it boils down to preference, but you seem to like the tone of your guitar.
 
Back
Top