Guitarists
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- created by mrsun57
Ibanez
Return to DiscussionsAnyone have any thoughts on Ibanez guitars? It seems I have won Paul Gilbert's Signature Series PGM80P. The very one he has toured with. He is the guitar instructor for the ArtistWorks online rock guitar school and I was lucky enough to submit the 4000'th Video Exchange of me playing one of the lessons for him to offer help on.
He will also sign the guitar. I was going to say sign right on the front of the body so I can hang it in my office, but I want to play the guitar, too. One option is for him to sign the routing cavity plate which I can then replace with a spare one and keep his signed one in a safe place. Would you just have him sign the front anyway and if the signature doesn't last, it doesn't last?
First of all... AWESOME. Free guitar. Pro-guitar. That's all kinds of awesome. I'm not an Ibanez fan, but I hear their pro-level guitars are very nice... obviously they must be if some of the top virtuoso guitar players play them exclusively. The down-market guitars I have played are not good, however.
For the signature... I'd play it man! Have him sign a spot that gets little wear, like under the strings between the pickups, behind the bridge, the headstock, the top horn. There are sealants you can apply over the signature to preserve it. If he signs the access panel on the back, then that would be easily swapped to another guitar and sold, thus wouldn't help your value any. Plus you wouldn't be able to show it off in the moment.
Congrats. Post pics of it!
I have an Ibanez bass. It's pretty nice. They are no Fender...but good for the money.Personally, I would never buy anything because of a signature or name associated with it. I want something to use...not to say..."look who owned this". But that's me.
I have an Ibanez bass. It's pretty nice. They are no Fender...but good for the money.Personally, I would never buy anything because of a signature or name associated with it. I want something to use...not to say..."look who owned this". But that's me.
Thats the beauty of this deal... I'm getting his guitar for free. And since he is a pro endorser of their gear, he gets all of his routine maintenance at the Ibanez LA endorser shop. So this guitar should be well cared for and set up nicely. I'm sure the DiMarzio pickups will be much better than the basic ceramic ones in my MIM Strat, as well as the 63 year old ones in my '53 Telecaster.
I have an Ibanez bass. It's pretty nice. They are no Fender...but good for the money.Personally, I would never buy anything because of a signature or name associated with it. I want something to use...not to say..."look who owned this". But that's me.
Thats the beauty of this deal... I'm getting his guitar for free. And since he is a pro endorser of their gear, he gets all of his routine maintenance at the Ibanez LA endorser shop. So this guitar should be well cared for and set up nicely. I'm sure the DiMarzio pickups will be much better than the basic ceramic ones in my MIM Strat, as well as the 63 year old ones in my '53 Telecaster.well...if you don't like that Telecaster, I would be glad to take it off your hands :)
I have an Ibanez bass. It's pretty nice. They are no Fender...but good for the money.Personally, I would never buy anything because of a signature or name associated with it. I want something to use...not to say..."look who owned this". But that's me.
Thats the beauty of this deal... I'm getting his guitar for free. And since he is a pro endorser of their gear, he gets all of his routine maintenance at the Ibanez LA endorser shop. So this guitar should be well cared for and set up nicely. I'm sure the DiMarzio pickups will be much better than the basic ceramic ones in my MIM Strat, as well as the 63 year old ones in my '53 Telecaster.well...if you don't like that Telecaster, I would be glad to take it off your hands :)
Blackguards are like old Ferraris... You know newer sports cars will have better performance, but the new stuff can't match the combination of performance plus classic looks. Plus, it was my dad's guitar so it's sentimental value outweighs its appraisal value (which is still pretty high even after the drop from the peak values around 2006).
I only use Ibanez. The quality of the work and the material is better. Yeah, you can buy a cheap gutiar, but you pay what you get for. The wood they use is excellent. The new one now are lighter. I think what stands out the most for me is the neck. Your hand glides better on it. I had others and the Ibanez is a smoother feel when playing. I have an electric acoustic and an electric. Ibanez has new styles on gutiarcenter.com and i was going to get one around $299.
I had been looking at an Ibanez RG450EX, which uses components roughly equivalent to a MIM Standard Strat (other than Ibanez's locking tremolo), but costs $399 vs. $599. Now I can put that cash into getting better pickups and bridge for my MIM Strat instead.
I have an Ibanez bass. It's pretty nice. They are no Fender...but good for the money.Personally, I would never buy anything because of a signature or name associated with it. I want something to use...not to say..."look who owned this". But that's me.
Thats the beauty of this deal... I'm getting his guitar for free. And since he is a pro endorser of their gear, he gets all of his routine maintenance at the Ibanez LA endorser shop. So this guitar should be well cared for and set up nicely. I'm sure the DiMarzio pickups will be much better than the basic ceramic ones in my MIM Strat, as well as the 63 year old ones in my '53 Telecaster.
Everyone's set up is different. You may hate this guys set up. Pros are usually much stronger players, so they use high action and thicker strings for fatter tone and clarity. But us mortals try to play their guitars and it's not at all as pleasant as you'd think. So don't hesitate to make it your own and comfy for you. Don't just play it and say "well this is Mr XYZs set-up, so it must be right." It's all personal preference.
I have an Ibanez bass. It's pretty nice. They are no Fender...but good for the money.Personally, I would never buy anything because of a signature or name associated with it. I want something to use...not to say..."look who owned this". But that's me.
Thats the beauty of this deal... I'm getting his guitar for free. And since he is a pro endorser of their gear, he gets all of his routine maintenance at the Ibanez LA endorser shop. So this guitar should be well cared for and set up nicely. I'm sure the DiMarzio pickups will be much better than the basic ceramic ones in my MIM Strat, as well as the 63 year old ones in my '53 Telecaster.
Everyone's set up is different. You may hate this guys set up. Pros are usually much stronger players, so they use high action and thicker strings for fatter tone and clarity. But us mortals try to play their guitars and it's not at all as pleasant as you'd think. So don't hesitate to make it your own and comfy for you. Don't just play it and say "well this is Mr XYZs set-up, so it must be right." It's all personal preference.I actually was a pro in my younger days. Personal preference is the key. I never used thick strings though, nor did most of the guitarists I played with. The thicker tone thing really isn't that noticeable. If anything, I tend to lose clarity rather then gain it with thicker strings. Look at the Reverend Billy G...he used ridiculously thin strings, and has fantastic tone. BB King was the one who turned him on to thinner strings. Why work harder than you have to, is what he always says. Then look at SRV...the opposite. That guy played cables, but make them sound so sweet. I watched him one show where I was just a few feet away from him. How he could play like that and make it look so effortless I'll never know. But it was what suited him, and I'm sure it took him years to come to that setup too.I have one Strat that likes a bit thicker strings, and I will tune that one down a half step. Or if I use 9's...just have standard tuning. I do personally like my action a little higher, as I find I can bend easier. But all my setups are after decades of playing...and it varies occasionally. Just like some guys like me love Strats, and others like Gibsons, or other kinds. Everyone is unique. Find something that really feels a part of you and that is the key.
I find the Stratocaster a little easier to play for some older
Beatles stuff. The neck is just a little thinner in width and
probably in height as well, since it is a one piece maple rather
than maple with a rosewood fretboard. It makes it just a little
easier to get my thumb over the top to mute the low E and A when
playing an open D chord. I like the setup, except that Paul had the
middle pickup lowered all the way down to the body and there is a
noticeable volume difference in the 2 and 4 position that include
it. I bought a Fender foam backing kit so I can raise the pickup
the next time I change strings.I ended up having Paul sign
the Tremolo cavity cover, which you can see is now hanging on my
wall:
The Telecaster is in the picture, but it is too valuable to keep on
the wall so I keep it in its case and now have the Stratocaster in
its place next to the Ibanez.Paul also sent this letter with the
guitar, which I can use as my documentation for the guitar's
authenticity:
Also, being a custom shop guitar maintained for one of their
endorsers, I'm sure Ibanez has plenty of documentation on this
guitar's serial number.
EDIT: you WOULD be able to see the pictures, if the site's link and
insert image features weren't still broken. I went ahead and posted
them to the group page, so if/when a moderator approves them, they
can be seen there.
I have an Ibanez bass. It's pretty nice. They are no Fender...but good for the money.Personally, I would never buy anything because of a signature or name associated with it. I want something to use...not to say..."look who owned this". But that's me.Thats the beauty of this deal... I'm getting his guitar for free. And since he is a pro endorser of their gear, he gets all of his routine maintenance at the Ibanez LA endorser shop. So this guitar should be well cared for and set up nicely. I'm sure the DiMarzio pickups will be much better than the basic ceramic ones in my MIM Strat, as well as the 63 year old ones in my '53 Telecaster.well...if you don't like that Telecaster, I would be glad to take it off your hands :)
Here's that '53 Telecaster sitting in "The Circle" on the Grand Ole Opry stage. I ended up selling it to a Nashville pro last year and he invited me up to see his (and the guitar's) first performance at the Opry.