Ibanez: RG2610

[subversion]

Ibanez RG2610
List: $2,400

The RG2610 is nothing too refreshing in Ibanez’s shred-type guitar fold; it’s simply another basswood, 24 fretted RG for the masses. Nevertheless, the peculiarity of this guitar is rather apparent; its solitary bridge humbucker is the only intermediary between the player & great tone.

Craftsmanship/ features
This isn’t a run-of-the-mill, mid-priced RG for your scrutiny; it’s the J-Craft’s team output so the quality in ‘quality control’ really speaks for itself. If there are any gripes at all with this superbly constructed guitar, it has to be the body-neck screw cavities which aren’t quite finished so at a single glance, the attentive player would detect the bare surface which breaks the elegance of this instrument.

Unlike its other Prestige RG2XXX mates, the RG2610 is an outcast as it features a Seymour Duncan (TB-10 Full Shred) humbucker as opposed to the preferred DiMarzio/Ibz counterpart. The minimalist aspect is further augmented by the lone volume knob; if you ever need to vary your tonal output, there is sadly no other manipulative here. New for 2007 are the silhouette shark tooth fretboard markers which add significantly to the posh factor.

It is inevitable that part of the purchase lure (for any guitars) would involve a significant visual attraction. Apart from its bound outline & those refined fretboard indicators, the single humbucker here might prove to be the failing factor of this guitar; unless the player consciously opts for a one pickup guitar, the RG2610 is more misses than hits

Rating: 85%

Playability/ tone
The guitar’s overall mass is comparable to its other siblings which feature more pickups in the body; there’s more wood here, less cavity. Nevertheless, this RG2610’s handling manageability lies with its basswood body. Please reserve your antagonistic conclusion on all things basswood elsewhere. Basswood is indeed economic by nature but it is something that works, even the pros acknowledge (just ask Vai/ Satriani/ Gilbert/ Petrucci et al). The irony of it all is indeed its non-inclination to the bass frequencies despite its name claim. It is neutral enough to propel your favourite brand pickups’ voicing, as in the case here.

The guitar in its amplified applications, display a strong midrange focus without being excessive in the upper frequency range. This would mean that you are able to propel bass notes with much clarity without the tendency to fall into ill-definition (sounding ‘muddy’ to the rest of us…). This is very much the nature of Seymour Duncan’s Full Shred humbucker; lots of useable midrange without losing focus on single notes. If you are too used to DiMarzio’s more polished top end, the Full Shred proves to be a departure which wouldn’t click with your preference. There isn’t much tonal variation (next to none actually) here with the absence of a TONE knob, the only colour you could administer is perhaps the reduction of volume which would invokes a convincing single-coil like nature. In the tone department, the RG2610 does magnificently with various drive settings (from crunch to all out metal) but the cleans here would do better with a dash of chorus. The Full Shred has this peculiar ‘air’ in its performance which makes it sound delicate & lacking the solid body snap.

The sheer prominence of a good Ibanez guitar is positively its neck. The RG2610 has a wonderful Wizard unit which would make you play all day; addiction is inevitable (not applicable for those with no appreciation for thin necks); thanks largely to the Prestige neck treatment but there’s something about those silhouette shark tooth inlays you should be aware of. These indicators are invisible at various playing angles (especially so during dark, indoor performances), so unless you are accustomed to an unmarked fretboard, your life depends on the side markers.

Is there a need to reiterate the brilliant performance of the Edge Pro, locking, dual-action whammy bridge? Perhaps its mobility is a little stiff to many of us Low-Pro Edge/ Edge purveyors, let’s hope 2008’s Edge Zero unit would provide a more buoyant action.

Tone test equipment:
• Amplifiers: Marshall JVM 410H + CRATE 4x12 cab (Celestion)/ Peavey XXL 212
• Effects: Ibanez TS7/ BOSS OD-3/ MXR GT-OD/ Rocktron Austin Gold

Rating: 90%

Last say
The RG2610 is treading a very dangerous tonal path here; it’s aimed squarely at those who are quite content with a singular performance without the compulsive need for variety. Unless you have made up your mind to embrace tonal limitations & rely on your technical prowess/ creativity to avoid being boring, there are other RGs in Ibanez catalogue which might suit your needs. The RG2610, despite its limited being, is a wonderful player & sounds well above average in terms of tone. Oh, how many pickups does Alan Holdsworth need to rule guitardom (not to mention he was an ex-Ibanez endorser)?

Overall rating: 89%

Product availability:
• Swee Lee Co

Likes:
• Superb craftsmanship
• The right pickup for the estranged job

Dislikes:
• A TONE knob is preferred
• Silhouette Shark Tooth inlays’ invisible act
• Available in black only…

Worthy competitor:
• Jackson RR24