Price paid: C$ 550
Purchased from: International Musicland Ottawa
Features: This is an Indonesian model, made in 2011. It has 24 jumbo frets on an extremely thin maple neck, rosewood fretboard, with sharkfin inlays. It has a mahogany body with a figured Bubinga top that has a Brown Burst Finish. It comes with the Edge Zero II Trem, with the ZPS (zero point system). It has 2 passive Ibanez humbuckers, a volume, tone, and 5 way selector switch. Tuners are also Ibanez. Features are nothing special. // 7
Sound: I really think this guitar can handle alot of music. I usually play metal, but also play punk, and mess around with some blues and classic rock sometimes. I am playing through a Peavey Vypyr 15 at the moment (Not the greatest) with no effects. It has some buzz, even though there's a layer of paint that's supposed to eliminate buzzing, I'd definitely shield this with some copper tape. Other than that it's got a really nice balanced sound, thanks to the mahogany and the bubinga. Pretty nice sounding, pickup upgrades (and a new amp) would help. // 8
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was about 1/4 step out of tune when I got it, not a big deal. Action and intonation was not perfect, but wasn't bad enough for me to change. The guitar looks really nice, but the mahogany scratches and dents very easily. The white neck binding has a small chip on the bass side at the 24th fret, but it's barely noticeable. The volume knob comes loose every once in a while, but I don't find that a big deal. The Cosmo Black hardware wears off after a while, but its only aesthetic, and I think it looks kinda cool. Could've been taken care of a little better. // 7
Reliability & Durability: The guitar would most likely withstand live playing, but I haven't gigged with it. The hardware does seem sturdy. I replaced the straplocks with Schaller ones right away so I wouldn't risk dropping this thing (but I still manage to drop it when I'm not playing it.) I would bring a back up to any gig, only because you never know what could happen, and it's time consuming to change tuning on a floyd equipped guitar. The top is very sturdy, but the back and sides are easy to dent and scratch. The Floyd is a hassle sometimes, and the back is somewhat delicate. // 7
Impression: I love playing on this guitar. The neck is an absolute dream and it's a relatively light guitar. I've been playing for about 2.5 years, and also have a Rocker Strat copy that I named Sh-t, and a Yamaha acoustic that I like. If this guitar were stolen, I'd probably contemplate getting a V, only because of the looks, but this thing still looks awesome. I played some other Ibanez guitars (Ibanez RG370EX) and a Kramer Striker 211. The only thing that could make it better would be some new pickups, and a thicker clear coat. Looks and feels great, not the best, but amazing for the price. // 8
