GEdwardJones

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Avoid Jemsite like the plague. All the time you'll spend wading thru the elitism makes it easier to just figure it out yourself.

Which will cost as much as just replacing the bridge on the 555. A used 555 will probably run you a little less than a new RG550. It really depends on how much you want "Jem" on your guitar. Personally I'd get an RG, but you'd pretty much have to pay me to get me to play any Jem to begin with.

I really wish I had the facility to play one of those things, but realistically I don't have the money to buy one or the time to put in woodshedding on it.

Scott Ian has played Jackson or ESP for the entire history of Anthrax.

Which is a shame, really. If I read one more person talking about the perfection of the Edge trem I might wash out my eyes with lye soap.

It's played with two hands like a Chapman Stick. I think they're quite tasty.

This comment was a faux paux in the Ibanez catalogue's, the 7620 didn't have dimarzio blaze pickups in it, it has the standard Ibanez 7 pickups in it that the 7420 was supposed to have. there were a couple different versions of each, but a phone call with hoshino told me that the RG7's never came with dimarzio's in them. Just a little FYI based on what I was told. (which could still be wrong ) To clear this completely up. The Ibanez catalog for the first couple of years identified the pickups in the RG7620 as "Blaze 7", the same pickups that are in the Universe. The pickups in the RG are NOT that pickup, they are a similar, but quite different pickup that I've seen referred to as both "New Blaze" and "Blaze II" *I think the consensus is that "New Blaze" is their proper name). They *ARE* DiMarzio sourced and branded OEM pickups, tho. The 74 series guitars (7420 and 7421) both came with Ibanez branded (but I believe DiMarzio designed) V7-7/V7-8 pickups, which are 7-stringe versions of Ibanez's standard pickups. Trust me, if you play them side by side there's NO WAY you couldn't tell hte difference. Mostly because the DiMarzios sound like crap.

I got it for Christmas along with another book that does contain plans. The Hiscock book is great.

MARS Music stores used to have those in every store, so you might want to see if you can track down one of those old teachers.

Oh, I'll agree with you coming to the thread just to say "I don't like it" seemed goofy. But whenever you display something in public that's the risk you run. For my part I dig figured tops more and more in my old age. I'm not a huge sunburst fan, but I might be sending a body to you for a sunburst (irony of ironies. I need a paintjob repaired).

Be nice. I don't know the guy, but it's possible to like multiple things. I hate swirls, like graphics and love transparent finishes with highly figured tops. just not all on the same guitar.

Alex, I actually think it looks BETTER more beat up. before it looked like a guy who tooka a new guitar and tried to beat it up (some of the dings were too "perfetc"). Now it looks like a beat up guitar.

Or you can just go to your local well stocked book store and pick up a Debbie Travis home redecorating book. She has a finish in there for tables which sounds incredibly similar to what you're talking about. there's no earon it couldn't be done on a guitar. Lots of other cool finishing techniques, too.

Heh, if I was still single I'd move to Canada in a second. Canadian women love me.

It's not as good as our PR people make it seem. really.

I was one of the first people on the Jemsite forum. That place never seems to change. Ibanez numbering convention (1-2-3-4-5) has held that the 4 series guitars have been produced in Japan for a while now, literally since before there was a Jemsite forum, but the people there still get it wrong. The funny thing about giving a judgement on a subjective thing such as "pickup sound" is that it IS subjective. For instance, I detest the sound of Ibanez S1/S2 pickups, however a buddy of mine (Ibanez endorsee even) loves them to death. I prefer the sound of the S7-7 and S7-8 pickups to the New Blaze pickups, which I think are trash, and the old IBZ USA pickups are my favorite pickups in the whole world. I had a TRS trem on my primary guitar for six years. Ironically enough that bridge has given me less problems than any of the Edge trems I own. My advice, whenever someone asks for advice about a guitar is "play it." Because, as you can see, no two people are going to agree.

It's good that you've played many a TRS. you'd be the exception, not the rule. Even then have you lived with one or played a poorly set-up guitar store model? 420 and 470 should come with the same level of equipment, the number refers to the pickup configuration, that is all. It's possible that some of them come with the TRS2. It's important to make the distinction, however. Generally speaking 4xx Ibanezes are loaded with the TRS, 3xx Ibanezes are loaded with the TRS2 Pickups are personal preference. Of the people I do know who play Ibanezes (myself included). Some people love IBZ pickups, some people don't care. Nobody really *HATES* them. I think part of this goes to a name-brand obsession by people "These have got to sound better because they say DiMarzio." Blindfolded I'd bet most people wouldn't care. The place of manufacture of Ibanez RG470s has been japan since 1996, it has not changed in *SEVEN* years and I guarantee you that if I went to Jemsite right now 90% of the people there would call it a "cheap Korean guitar." Since that place has a bias towards high-end guitars there isn't actually any reason for people to try to *NOT* be wrong about lower-end models because nobody cares about lower-end models.

I saw them on the Re-Load tour (my ex got me free tickets, box seats even. Ahhh, it was good to be me). They didn't do this. I saw them on the Justice Tour and they didn't do this. Oddly, this is on Live ****: Binge and Purge during The Black Album Tour, which I didn't actually go to. So I don't know if this is a regular part of their set or not.

I forgot to say this, if you can play the guitar before you buy it, do it (this goes for every guitar). The biggest fault I have with Ibanez guitars is their tendency to have itty-bitty "shredder" necks which can be uncomfortable for those of us with bigger hands. The S series of guitars also has that uber-thin body which takes some getting used to.

Ibanez started moving production of it's 4xx series guitars to Japan in 1996-7, so the country of origin may very well be japan. Pickups are a personal preference deal. I know more than a couple of people who are really into the sound of Ibanez S series pickups, at least two gigging musicians (one of them an Ibanez endorsee) that I know. Also the last two Pitchshifter albums were made using those pickups. Personally the Ibanez pickups in my RG7421 sound worlds better than the DiMarzios in my RG7620. I'm almost positive that the S420 came with the Lo-TRS not the LO-TRS2 which is TRS's "entry level" low profile bridge. Either way the TRS is a fine bridge which will treat you as well as you treat it. For $325 you can find a higher-end model used on eBay if you're willing to look for it. I'm assuming you're talking USD and you're in the states. Quite frankly, if you're looking for a low-to-mid level guitar I would avoid Jemsite like the plague. While they often have good information about higher-end guitars, there's an incredible bias against guitars with a sub $1000 MSRP that leads to self-perpetuating misinformation (all 4xx series guitars are made in Korea is one of the most common and easily disproven of these. The other is "everybody says the TRS sucks" when only, maybe 4 people had played the TRS and they're evenly divided) on anything that's not at least an RG5xx.

I'm lying on the couch surfing the site on my laptop. My wife is across the room she looks up and goes "Wow that's pretty" when she see's the red Tele. Change the Pickup/Bridge and that would be my dream Tele. As far as teh Explorer goes. Y'know Ed Roman might epitomize everything that's wrong with retail sales at every level, but LOADS of guitars on his site are incredibly pretty.

http://www.heatleyguitars.com/bensexplrr.html http://www.heatleyguitars.com/ChipsmodelT.htm http://www.heatleyguitars.com/bariT.html Me Want

Pretty much any quality double (and sometimes single) locking trem will hold tune extremely well. I'd suggest an OFR or similar trem. Check www.carvin.com they have lots of stuff

Y'know I haven't heard the CD, but the title track jut sounds like a band trying too hard The "production" is sub Garage Days, bad. The frigging "CLANG CLANG CLANG" ultra-reverbed piccolo snare is annoying. The starts and stops reek of "look, we can still do this!" Unlike a lot of folks I didn't really care if Metallica started to suck after the Black album (and I like about 3/4 of TBA). If they were doing what they want that's all well and good. They were good at what they did I just didn't like it. This, however, sounds like a bunch of middle-aged millionaires trying to recapture their youth and that *ALWAYS* ends up bad.

Or that if you charge the same price for a guitar as you would for a car people will laugh at you.