Bongoscot Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 So this guy offered me a trade of an Ibanez RG920QM in shiny new condition for my Fender Classic series Lacquer strat. I like my strat but I haven't bonded with it like I have my Les Paul and my Melody Maker even gets more play so I am thinking about accepting the trade. I was wondering if any of you fine folks have any experience with this Ibanez or have any warnings against this trade. They both sell new for about the same price. Along with the guitar he offered new pickups as well, a Dimarzio anniversary PAF and SuperII. I think this guitar would make a nice addition to my collection and I am not particularly fond of the 7.25 fret board radius on my Strat and I have kind of wanted to try owning a locking tremelo. Thanks for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Don't know enough about either guitars but I'd say check what each of them are worth. Always trade up, never down... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bongoscot Posted October 27, 2013 Author Share Posted October 27, 2013 I does have Dimarzios in it and he has the other Dimarzios that are different models as well. It is not Japanese. It's Indonesian. It is priced at Sweetwater for a hundred more than the Fender Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bongoscot Posted October 27, 2013 Author Share Posted October 27, 2013 Thanks. I guess I'll just have to sleep on it. It's not really a matter of which is a better guitar because they are 2 different beasts. I am just having trouble with deciding if it is actually a worthy trade. Financially with the RG being from Indonesia rather than Japan it seems like it might put it in the same category as my strat being from Mexico instead of USA. No one looking at used guitars seem to get much past the made in Mexico part when it comes to resale value. Even though it is a nice playing guitar with quality parts and a Nitro lacquer finish that sells new for twice as much as your typical Mexican Strat, to any used buyer it gets narrowed down to being just a Mexican strat. I know much less about the comparable relation between the Japanese RG and the Indonesian RG, though it seems to be a very nicely crafted guitar, as is my strat. Am I even making sense? LOL Maybe Ill just keep the strat and get a shredder later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 As a player the Ibanez could be very good indeed...good brand and many top endorsees For snob value rightly or wrongly Indonesia is regarded as a bit down market Mexican Strats have a good reputation and many owners regard them as near US quality at a lower price Ibanez do not have a factory as such, but seem to do very nicely at all price points by sub contracting... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueblooded Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 I had an Ibanez Joe Satriani model and it was a fine guitar. Also had a few mid level ESP LTDs that would be similar to the RG you are considering and they were very good too. I also currently have US and Mexican Fenders. The US is great and the Mexican is good. If it were me, and I didn't play the Mexican Fender because I didn't like the fretboard radius, I would go for it as long as I liked the way the Ibanez felt and played. And as Donny said, make sure it stays in tune after using the FR. It is going to have a very very flat radius and really thin neck. They are very comfortable. With the right pickups, they sound very good. Make sure you go to the DiMarzio site and match the pickups with the wood in the guitar as they provide really good advice on choosing pickups and which position they work in (I learned from experience). You are getting a good selecton of good pickups with the trade so that is worth something too. Over the years I've tried to bond with Floyd Rose trems but just never use them. I don't know what market you are in, but here in Detroit we're flooded with Mexican Strats and it is actually easier to sell an indonisian Ibanez on CL these days. And that one is very good looking!!! DO IT ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 I don;t like that small Fender radius either. I swap in a heartbeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 The fretboard radius of my Fender Stratocasters is 9.5" - just saying... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzoboy Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 The Ibanez is more of a shredder's guitar,especially equipped with those DiMarzios.Personally the locking Floyd trem or whatever it is would be a deal breaker for me-I can't stand the things because they negate the possibility of doing behind the nut bends etc. for starters and then I don't like the feel of them and the operate.The Strat is a much more versatile guitar but it all boils down to what YOU want in a guitar and not what myself or anyone else would recommend. after all you're the one who's going to be playing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 The fretboard radius of my Fender Stratocasters is 9.5" - just saying... And the Ibanez is about 15". It's also wider. Much nicer neck to my hands than a Strat neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 The fretboard radius of my Fender Stratocasters is 9.5" - just saying... The Ibanez is more of a shredder's guitar,especially equipped with those DiMarzios.Personally the locking Floyd trem or whatever it is would be a deal breaker for me-I can't stand the things because they negate the possibility of doing behind the nut bends etc. for starters and then I don't like the feel of them and the operate.The Strat is a much more versatile guitar but it all boils down to what YOU want in a guitar and not what myself or anyone else would recommend. after all you're the one who's going to be playing it. And the Ibanez is about 15". It's also wider. Much nicer neck to my hands than a Strat neck. My personal likes are on the Stratocaster side for pickups and tone, and on the Ibanez RG side for the vibrato. My 1986 Ibanez RG 430 came with three ceramic-loaded Ibanez Super 7 F (they are six string pickups despite of their name) single coils with very Strat-like coils, midrange and treble, but much more lows. My RG also had the Edge vibrato stock which still is one of the best Floyd Rose units. Fender makes Ibanez Super 7-like pickups since decades, and they come stock as the misleadingly called "Classic" single coils in the MIM Strats. I have six of them on the shelf which I replaced with Fender Noiseless ones. Different fretboard radiuses don't matter that much to me. The 9.5" on my Floyd Rose Strats feel neither better nor worse than the much larger - can't say if it's 15" - radius featured by my RG 430. They do play any well as the 12" radiused Gibson Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess does for me which also features a Floyd Rose system. But this is a personal thing - I just feel lucky to not be that sensitive to fingerboard radiuses. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aster1 Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 I'd keep the Strat if it were me. It took me a while to warm up to my Fenders and after some playing time & setup time, love them both. The big thing that would keep me from trading is "IT'S AN IBANEZ" and that's enough. Not into shredding as a guitar style but that's just me. Didn't see any photo's of the Strat. Is it a MIM or MIA version. Love my American made Strat & Tele bunches and both play extremely well. That's my nickles worth. Aster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aster1 Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Thanks for the heads up!! Always live by the motto: "Better late than never" I guess. Aster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bongoscot Posted November 17, 2013 Author Share Posted November 17, 2013 I appreciate the responses and I went ahead and made the trade. The Fender was very nice but I just wasn't feeling it. I have no regrets at all. I really like the Ibanez. It is very playable and comfortable and it is already getting more play than the Fender did. My Les Paul is still the clear ruler of my guitar collection. No matter what guitar I play, when I pick up my Lester it makes even really nice guitars feel and sound inferior. No regrets at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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