Ibanez RG421HPFM - Detailed Review Part 1
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- Опубліковано 24 лип 2024
- In this video: Ibanez RG421HPFM checked and tested. Everything you wanted to know about this guitar: what makes it stand out; its weight; tons of other measurements and numbers; and of course, what it sounds like.
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➤ Timestamps / Contents
00:00 Intro
01:02 In the mix
02:34 Price/Availability
03:18 Unboxing
04:03 Overview
10:18 Weight & Balance
10:43 Disassembly
11:41 Sound test
16:37 Noise test
17:48 Summary
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#ibanezguitars #ibanez #metalguitar
This is the best guitar review I have ever seen. Well done.
Thanks, Daniel
I agree.
I concur. I'm a gigging musician, 3 or 4 nights a week and I almost bought this beauty, but the noise floor issue on those pus you highlighted was kind of a deal breaker for me. But for real, incredible job, covering real things that guys out there playing every night need to know. Subscribed.
Once again...Great job! Best review and structure. Thank you!
I loved the part where you measured the guitar specs. Hadn't seen anyone do this before.
Thanks Sally!
Seems Someone could have some kind of engineering backround... so methodical. Wonder why theres not mor subscribers yet.
This channel has the best guitar reviews in UA-cam!
I appreciate the very in-depth review. I am currently looking for my 3rd axe that will be a well rounded guitar for recording. You are the first I have seen that actually measures the neck radius and profile and that was super helpful. Its nice to see a visual aid verse just seeing specs on a page.
Now this is a review. Great job thank you.
Thanks for the review, just bought one and am very happy with it. Good value for the money.
Very nice and informative review, thanks.
Great review! Ibanez RGs are my favorite. Love the wizard neck profiles. Looking forward to seeing the second part of the review.
Thanks Sean! The part 2 comes on Monday Jan 18
Very informative review with interest in the Ibanez 421 series. Thanks and regards!
Just rewatched the bits I missed in the premiere. Top review!
Thanks Saarang!
@@MaxSoloMusic I truly mean it! I've seen a lot of your other videos over time but the thorough nature of your review here is truly unique. Rarely does anybody talk about pot types (something I obsess over) or compare things like noise isolation with similar guitars, etc. Colour me impressed, mate.
high quality review here. subscribed!
Honestly, you are the ONLY guitar channel I subscribe to. You are completely invested in the guitar itself - not showing us how hard you shred. Thank you so much!
Thanks Eric :)
From South Africa🇿🇦
Musicman Luke
Got to your channel from a recommendation. Fantastic videos, info and tasteful playing!
Thank you!🤘🏻
Best review ever, have to subscribe
Great review 👍
La review mas completa que he visto, felicitaciones
Came for the review but get suscribed. Best video on the web.
Wow, thanks!
i so wanted to buy this guitar but with the loudness of the hum sound... i think i'll take another dig in the Ibanez store... Thank you very much for you honest and clear review...
Hey man I watched both parts and I just wanted to say that this was a fantastic review. You actually talked about issues you see with the guitar instead of the usual "this guitar is awesome, you should go buy it." I appreciate the hard work that goes into making a video like this!
So did you buy it.
@@accentontheoff I didnt get exactly this one, but I got a RGA42HPQM which is a pretty fantastic guitar. It play wells, looks beautiful...gets compliments whenever I pull it out of the case. The stock pickups are decent for an ibanez but can be just a touch thin sounding so I may replace at some point. I Also picked up 2 RGA42FMs one in 6 string and one in 7 for hard tail bridges that I can down tune and such. Note, do not get a 7 string with a floyd rose, you will regret it.
@@CommanderReplay Thanks for the reply. Are you advising to avoid the ones with the Floyd Rose altogether. Hard to set up?
@@accentontheoff Just for the 7 strings. With that extra string tension you'll literally never get the guitar in tune unless you a have a full time techie working for you. 6 String floyds are the same as always.
@@CommanderReplayGot it. I was worried about the 6 strings as well. Are the Floyd Roses hard to set up on those.
That mix had a very Bond mood to it, or perhaps the ending influenced my opinion. As always, very detailed review, looking forward to Pt.2
It's already public :)
Tone wise, they're not a huge distance apart. Excellent review
Great Job! Thank you!
This channel is gonna be massive one day!
I freagging hope so :)
@@MaxSoloMusic all the best kind sir!
Great review.
great video.. really great video .. thankyou!
Great video
Very informative
I was about to buy this guitar but after this video I changed my mind. Thanks for the vid 👌
Could you be more specific? What exactly has changed your mind?
The pickups don't sound well and the noise is annoying 🙂
The neck profile measuring is really important to me so thank you
Glad I could help!
Hi from Ireland. Very solid review as always. Thats not my type of guitar but I enjoyed the video anyway. My favourite guitat is my Butterscotch Mexican Tele.
Hey Brian. Thanks. I haven't had a Tele until recently. Now I'm looking for the perfect one!
Hi Max, I'm from Colombia and live in Belgium, I came across with your channel while I was looking at the fusion series of Harley Benton, i'm retaking the guitar after 5 years and I wanted an affordable good looking guitar, thanks for your video it helped me making my decision :)
Hi Miguel! I've never been to Colombia but Belgium was nice! Glad to hear my video was helpful!
REALLY thorough review!!! Excellent job! When watching a review, I appreciate the reviewer talking about the guitar and not just playing. If I wanted to watch someone just play, I could go to a music store and have a seat for the "show." Ha ha!
By the way, I clicked the link to Thomann Music. I had the guitar in my "basket" but the "Checkout-->" button did not work. I clicked and clicked and got nothing....
Nice detail review. Greeting frm Malaysia
Great review. Great guitar for the money
U r definitely a German, using tools, making standardized testing, mentioning every necessary details. Good job Man.. a great review as always in your page. You asked, I am from Turkey and like versatile guitars like Ibanez Jem. I currently have a fender stratocaster.
Rosja 👍
The Air Norton is great as a vintage-voiced humbucker with extra sustain, but Ibanez should retire the Tone Zone from their guitars already. It has such a dull mid-range and top-end.
There are so many better and more modern bridge pickups from DiMarzio.
Excellent review as always, Max!
Really awesome playing style you have I enjoyed the demo you played a lot
Thanks for this very good and entertaining video! By the way, I have the Ibanez High Performance RG420HPFM Autumn Leaf and it doesn't hum in that way like yours obviously does, not at all like that... 🤷♂
And ya, my favourite distortion pedal is Emma Electronic ReezaFRATzitz (Denmark boutique pedal) and I also like Wampler overdrive pedals. Kinda:)
Hi and congratulations on your channel: it’s awesome, man! Would you advise buying this guitar to play other genres than rock/metal?
Hi, thanks! Yes, definitely. This one is versatile enough for different styles. Check the Part 2 of this video where I talk about that with more details
Thanks for the review. Would be good if you could also check: fret level, nut height, fret ends (rounded or not, sprouts) in your reviews.
I do check that. That's what the part 2 of the video is about :)
thanks!
Awesome review brother. 🙏 You mention the RG421HPFM reminds you of the RG-550 in how it feels. In your opinion, which of these two is better suited to playing metal? Cheers.
Thanks. I'd say 550 works better for 80s stuff due to the tremolo. HPFM for modern metal
Nice track man!
Thanks. I'm still not 100% happy with the mix though :)
@@MaxSoloMusic just try the sound theory gullfoss plugin. Slap it On a track, on the master. Really helps when time is of the matter imho.Remeber the bbe rack maximizers? Gullfoss does what they were supposed to do: make stuff sound great again. Ups. No, they dont pay me ;-)
Hey, nice review. I am planning to buy this Guitar, and my only concern is how do i protect the body from scratches as it doesn't have a pickguard. Please help
Thank you for this great review!
👌🏼
First time I heard about type D pots. Have to check them out.
The middle sized allen key could be for humbucker with a double row of allen screws. If so, then it‘s a nice touch from Ibanez adding that tool.
Oh, right! It could be for pickups, indeed! Speaking of D-type pots, they're pretty uncommon. I understand that is something that Cort uses on the majority of the guitars they produce. I didn't see any other factories use them. I also didn't see them freely available, so I'm guessing they might be custom made for Cort just like the pickup switches they install on Ibanez guitars. After all, the tone pot is not such a big deal. Type A pots are so common and many people got used to them so much that they're considered a standard even though the actual curve is so dramatically unbalanced when used with passive pickups
@@MaxSoloMusic
Thanks for the reply! Had a quick look on the net for D type pots, they seem to be the inbetween A and B spec‘d....
I also prefer A pots, for vol. and tone. But if the value and function of the factory mounted B pots are ok, I stick with them.
I also find the CTS mojotone pots the best and most balanced in taper.
Cheers🤘🏻
Hi Max. Thanks for the work you do. Cool!
I’m from Ukraine and live in Canada.
My favourite musician is Steve and consequently my guitar is Ibanez Jem7v :))))
Hey Max. Awesome, I've been to Ukraine a few years ago, never made it to Americas though. I had gig in Canada planned for 2020, everything got postponed of course. So knows, maybe this year I'll get a chance to see Canada. As for guitars, I'm looking at a couple of JEMs but that's definitely not something to happen anytime soon :)
@@MaxSoloMusic welcome to Canada!
Hope to see you here :)
As for guitars, I’m looking for Ibanez RG8570MW-NT (j-custom 2018). It’s discontinued looks like and can’t find even used one in the Internet. But still full of hope :)
Stay safe!
@@MK-tj5bf You too! I believe when it comes to J-customs, there aren't many of them being built. Therefore hard to find
Exactly:)
What is the name of the computer program you used to create this movie? I mean displaying several windows on one screen at the same time
I was looking at that guitar used online. Im looking for a hardtail shred guitar as i have an sm 1 kramer love it but find the floyd rose to be unstable even after balancing it. In ib ca
Thank you so much for mentioning the weight! So many guitar reviewers mention all the obvious details and forget to mention the weight. I know not everyone has a back condition like me but the weight is just as important to me as the playability and tone! I mainly play headless guitars because I've got scoliosis and can't hold a guitar heavier than 3 or 3.5 kilograms. but would love to try this guitar.
I noticed that you said you didn't like the Di Marzio pickups, I've tried plenty of Di marzio pickups and really liked them. However i was shocked at the amount of hum.. if you have a noise gate is it possible to reduce the hum? Or would you recommend just geting a fret wrap?
I'm just wondering , if I bought this guitar would I need to take it to a luthier to fix the parts that are causing it to hum? Because if tha'ts the case I'll choose a different guitar. While i absolutely love the guitar tone, if there's problems with it. It's probably safer to not buy it.
Sorry for the complex questions, I really like the sound and the look and it appears to be quite well built to me. If I already own some Ibanez quest guitars, do you think this one is a step down from the Ibanez quest guitars?
Anyway thank your for your help in advance! :) . I enjoyed that you played a variety of styles by the way,! Excellent playing :D
By the way , I'm from Australia. My favourite guitar is either Ibanez Quest ichi 10 or my Strandberg boden NX7 . The quest is wonderful for cleans because it has three single coil pickups and it encourages me to learn music other than progressive metal and metal. I can play just about any style on the Strandberg too but because of the active fishman pick-ups I play it distorted most of the time. However the clean tone has a lovely resonance and compares to a high quality acoustic guitar ! The ichi 10 Ibanez is the opposite of what I usually play. it doesn't have humbuckers, it's not soley for metal and because of that it helps me break away and learn new things. I do like to dabble in calssical guitar when I have time :)
what name tools to measure neck profile.. want to have it also
The ones I'm seeing in the market have floating systems. This one doesn't? But I can't find this hard trim anywhere?
Anyone knows if the humm problem with the pickups can be fix in any way?
Hi Max!
I am English originally but living in the the south east of France and concerning my favourite guitar well I am working on it lol! So far I like a lot the previous Ibanez RG Iron Label and RG Standard’s and the AZ226PB the blue one!!
Hey Ben! South east of France is a very nice place! Been there years ago, really enjoyed it. AZs, oh I'm looking at them :) Hopefully will get a chance to check one or two in my lab this year
@@MaxSoloMusic yeah thanks you rock hard! Thanks I appreciate it you are the most thorough reviewer on guitars with Henning of course or eyptschi42 or whatever. Well done and cheers Keep it up. I suck lol I don’t even have the basics!! This so called Covid19 isn’t helping with a guitar teacher but on the other hand there are more and more options for learning via internet and stuff so it isn’t all black. 😀 I am thinking as a next guitar either the RG421HPFM you are reviewing or the AZ226PB or the RGD7521PB or maybe the new RGA42HPQM. There are interesting ones from ESP and LTD and Charvel and other brands but then they have different necks and as I haven’t tried them I am not sure if I will like them. I need to get a good Boost pedal too and some other accessories
@@MaxSoloMusic how about you what is your situation? By the way what software do you use? Riff station? Great sound man! Of course UA-cam annoyingly compresses which is annoying but hey 🤨 Are you part of a band? How did you learn? I will follow you up on Instagram and elsewhere and support you
@@Celicalover Thanks! I used to play bands. Many bands. Musicals too, like the official production of Queen's We Will Rock You in Germany. The bands and gigs business was pretty bad in the recent years and 2020 has killed whatever has left of it. Hopefully we'll be allowed to play shows this year but I don't think I'll ever be into the scene as much as I used to before. I do enjoy composing and recording tracks in different styles for these videos. I don't know what Riff Station is but I'm using lots of virtual synths from Arturia and Superior Drummer does a great job
@@MaxSoloMusic Ok wow you are legend then cheers! Which bands for example? Riff station is a software on pc for jamming and recording used by Rammstein for exemple, I know not the best reference but anyway... . Yeah I know right it is sad and also NAMM as well not what it used to be. That being said I haven’t been to one but I can imagine it doesn’t happen anymore or nowhere as many people as before.
Any locking tuners for this model ???
hi, very nice video! how does this ibanez compare with the kx300?
Thanks. Those are different guitars, from many perspectives
What is the black stuff at 7:34 ?
q how many frets? is it a good buy? yea too bad no floyd rose, maybe the comparable with floyd worth it more,,, not sure...
Sounds like a very thin tone to me Max, not my style and it´s a buzzer! I quite like the novelty colour but for how long? Always a great revue!
Thanks Chris!
Is this guitar any good for Dropc C ?
These pickups are difficult to change... the cavity is too small for standard PU plate (screw part). .....Good job review.
Yep, the routing is only Dimarzio friendly. That's a pity. I should bring people's attention to that actually, that's a good point
@@MaxSoloMusic Would Dimarzio fusion edge pickups fit well in this? Like their heavier sound. Thanks.
Макс, привет! Видео замечательное, спасибо! Подскажи, пожалуйста: владею Ibanez RG421-MOL, на что имеет смысл заменить датчики Quantum? Кажутся немного мыльными и 6 бубнящая струна. Кстати, из явных недостатков - облезла краска на бридже, рамках вокруг датчиков за полгода. Интересно, как будет на обозреваемой гитаре)
Привет. Там точно такой же бридж F106, его ставят на все от GIO до Premium. Если у него есть тенденция к слезанию краски, то вряд ли она будет слезать по-разному в зависимости от стоимости инструмента. Что касается Quantum, то практически любая брендовая замена вероятнее всего будет улучшением. Если в России, то имеет смысл обратить внимание на датчики Fokin
Hej Max
Have you tried the Ibanez RG 421 ahm ?
Regards
Danni from Denmark
Hey Danni. No, I haven't. Yet :)
at the moment i cant decide between any ibanez around 500-600€ or harley benton amarok 6. what would you say?
Most Ibanez guitars will usually be more versatile than Amarok.
in the sound test, I for some reason much prefer the 421 over the 10 tone RG, I feel like it has just the right sort of tone, and the more expensive one with the tones had too much power if that makes sense, (keyboard player not a guitarist, I play guitar tho) it felt almost like a metal tone that had lots of body and low end, I do prefer the 421BRG :)
Just put the gold dimarzio pickup covers on top and then...........WHAT A BEAUTY!!
I wonder how it would look with black or black nickel hardware
It would look nice as it will some what MATCH with the frets but for that all hardware including pickup switch cover and pots should be black nickel or just nickel and also the same colour pickup covers
Hey dear MAX SOLO MUSIC I was just looking into pots on google and found out A and B types which one should I use for volume and which one for tone
@@aaronanthony569 Usually you'll find B-type pots used for volume and A-type for tone. However, with passive pickups A-type pots don't really provide a linear response they're supposed to. Cor-Tek factory (Cort, Ibanez, PRS and many others) uses D-type pots for tone and they do much better job. At the end of the day, it all comes down to what fits your needs best and feels right for you. Try both and pick the type you like
Actually I already have two each of A and B pots and my project is a strat with 1 vol 2 tones so how would u use the pots if u were on this project
Question. Is it worth taking a 10 year old RG421QM and putting a Seymour Duncan Black Winter in the bridge? I want to make some upgrades but I can't afford a new guitar
I'd say yes. If the price is decent of course
That paint is beautiful, I might buy it , are the pickups any good for metal ? I hesitate between this guitar and another one with fishman fluence pickups
I don't know which is better
If anyone has an opinion on this I'm listening
Fishman fluence modern are great for metal and low tunning. But fluence classic not so much. Which ones are you talking about?
@@christiandominguez7876 the modern
Is there going to be a review on ibanez 1120 pbz
Yes! It's already filmed and is waiting for its time to be published
i am looking at the exact same guitar on sweatwater, and it says it has plastic nut. Whats up with that?
Sweetwater took it from Ibanez Wiki, and guys at Ibanez Wiki made it up. Official specs don't say anything about the nut. It might be that Ibanez never explicitly asked Cort (the factory) to use a certain nut for this model and Cort simply installs Graph Tech on all Ibanez guitars by default
Pickups sound dull , thanks for the review
In 6:16 there seems to be a quite bad tool mark on the last fret.
Oh, on the 24 fret? Right, seems so! Good point, I missed that
Max, I have no problem with someone who examines guitars, instead I welcome that.
But all in all you get a better guitar from Ibanez for a specified amount of money than from any other brand.
It's a tight race I'd say. Many brands are on top of their game today
Thanks for showing the negative points. But I would have liked to hear much more music styles and tonal variations in order to accurately judge the guitar's full quality.
Fair enough!
Please, review the schecter owen elite.
I talked to Schecter, they didn't want me to look at their guitars!
I own this guitar, bought it last year. For the price it definitely isn't worth it. Mine come with sharp fret ends scratchy frets and marks along the side of the neck from tools used to do the bad fret job. I returned that model to recieve another one that wasn't as bad but still wasnt great. Scratchy frets and 1 or 2 marks along the side of the fretboard. For the money paid there are way better guitars out there that cost even less.
Sharp fret ends are not fun! Where are you located? Those kind of things are often the responsibility of local dealers and distributors who perform the QC after instruments were shipped from overseas.
@@MaxSoloMusic I'm from the UK. Mine was made in 2020 so could of just been a bad batch. I bought it during lockdown so perhaps the lack of staff at the warehouse from the company I bought it from meant the checks got skipped 😅. Please review a charvel dk24 before I buy one please lol
@@no1gooner1989 I'm sure Ibanez UK and whatever company is behind it is responsible for the QC in the UK. Sharp fret ends is one of those things they must address. So it's not manufacturer's fault. I wish I could see more of these guitars, like randomly, to have a better overview. But all I had was this only sample and it was good. As for Charvel, it's hot! I've seen one at Muzlobor, the youtuber event i've organized in 2020, and it had my attention ever since. I've made a setup on a slightly older model for a friend a few months back and had a very good impression. If I ever get to do anything with Fender (they own Charvel), that guitar is definitely on my list
I’ve played this exact guitar at my local guitar store, and the neck felt like butter, and it they were willing to sell it to me for $400.
the offset E string hole wont make me sleep tonight! asymmetrical
Haha, right!
Are you sure it's a Graphtech nut? the site mensions it's plastic :O
The guitar in the video definitely had a Graph Tech nut
Can the gym be turned down or eliminated?
Most gyms are closed due to co*vid but yeah, gym can be torn down
This is Gear Porn, thanks.
Haha, it might be as close as it gets
Are u sure that is a graphtec nut if it was why would they list it PLASTIC??? Reply plz
They actually didn't mention it at all. I talked to Ibanez, they were never explicitly spec'ed it to the factory. It looks like Cort uses Graph Tech by default. There are multiple easy ways to distinguish between Graph Tech and other materials. Talked about that in some video, might be one of the "Tele on Steroids" episodes. I wouldn't say it was Graph Tech unless test results showed that
It is mentioned here
ibanez.fandom.com/wiki/RG421HPFM
@@aaronanthony569 it's not an official source
Oh...okay I thought it is a website made by Ibanez because it tells u more than ibanez does about their guitars
@@aaronanthony569 it is useful for sure! However, I doubt that whoever created the RG421HPFM page at wiki has ever touched this guitar. And you need to know what to look for to identify nut material. I knew and I was looking, that's a part of my job. Here are a couple of ways you can identify Graph Tech - ua-cam.com/video/EMiOnLNea0s/v-deo.html and here ua-cam.com/video/EMiOnLNea0s/v-deo.html
They raised the price and I'm pissed.
Price good online but too much noise
This guitar should get one more penalty because strings are 9-42 while on their website they lost 10-46
I was waiting for someone to notice that! The guitar I had was an early production or pre-production sample. I believe many other people and youtubers played it before me and I can imagine the distributor might have changed the strings. I know they perform some maintenance on those demo guitars from time to time
That missing gig bag probably would have added $60-$90 to the price and likely wouldn't satisfy the buyers personal style. Or even worse, some cheap gig bag with poor protection. Keep the gig bags out and let the buyer decide on their own gig bags.
nice job, for the money, there are better guitars out now. a bit of a letdown coming from Ibanez
and by the way you can't subscribe to instagram bro
Thats a lot of hum.
Wolume. xD
8:51 well made in indonesia 😒
That's why I'm not recommended
I feel old bcause i never getting into this ugly color fade from body to headstock. And even the colors are not my cup of tea. For old school i feel kind of left behind.
This particular guitar only comes with this finish. Although, all together there's at least 9 RG421 models with a good variety of colors. I'd never pick this finish myself neither
My god.....That gold hardware is absolutely hideous.
The gold hardware is questionable :)
Great review. Yes the top looks pretty average in terms of supposedly being a flame top. The finish overall is poor. I can also see poor painting around both the input jack and around recess in the neck bolts, This poor quality is common with Ibanez guitars, even the premium models (The exception is the Prestige models with are finished better) . My PRS SE flame tops look way way better. That hum is terrible and Ibanez should be called out for sending a guitar out that bad. Ibanez need to do better...