Hi from Norway! Thanks for the good review! Im seriously considering this axe, and your vid really convinced me! I've had Ibanez RG's before, and this looks absolutely stunning! 👍🏼
Hello! I’m happy about your review with the clean tone. I’m picking up my new RGA42 in two weeks and look forward to it. Is it sustainable with the tuning? I’ve seen a few reviews on the axe and most are positive, but some dwell too much on the negative thoughts about it I think. Can’t wait to hold my new guitar. 😎🎸
For its price point it is an amazing instrument. It’s got no tuning or stability issues that I’ve seen. And is a great workhorse guitar! Hope you enjoy it!
It's a good guitar. It has a wizard neck. If you're used to playing a normal neck, it'll take some getting used to. I love mine. My channel has some videos of me playing it.
The model number is the one on the video title so you’d be able to find it online on a retailer in your area if they stock them or on eBay. Cheap recommendations depending on what kind of style you want to play. I’d say see if you can go to your local guitar shop, and speak to the staff, when I got my first guitar they were really helpful in the shop. Hope this helps
Personally I think the pickups do need upgrading but I don’t have any experience with those pickups, my choice would be something bare knuckle, perhaps the silo
Nice review! I'm thinking of buying that guitar, and with each video-review I become more convinced. By the way, your sound is very good, what amp did you use?
Thanks so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it! It’s a great guitar! So I use a Line 6 helix with a bunch of different presets. I give a run down of all of my base tones in my helix update video. I show my patches and talk about what I make them with. Amps wise
I bought this one used a week ago. Cost only 280 euros so it's definitely worth the money. I already swapped the plastic nut to TUSQ and the tuning stability improved 110%. The bridge has some nasty sharp screw ends so I just quickly filed them down. I'm changing the bridge anyways to Hipshot. The fingerboard is very nice wood. Almost like ebony. Although I'm staining it to black.
Wow! Lots of mods!! I’m really sad actually about mine. So after I made this video a few weeks later I changed the strings to my preferred gauge Hybrids so the truss rod needed a quick tweak. Unfortunately I discovered it has totally seized up and won’t move at all! Congrats on the guitar man, I do still love mine despite the problem, I’m considering selling as is (I got my money back from the supplier) or I might see how much it is to fix it.
@@jamesmcdonaldmusic1783 I reckon the truss rod swap won't cost much although you have to consider is it worth the money to do anything excessive repairs to a guitar that costs under 300 dollars/euros/pounds used. The hardest part is removing the fingerboard itself. I think I would get an Iron Label RGA less than 600 euros used, but I really do like this guitar. All my mods will include a Hipshot bridge, locking tuners, maybe new white pickups to give it some bright colors with push/pull pots and staining the fretboard black. I did some calculations and all the mods will cost about 300 euros. Less if I find the pickups used.
Yeah exactly, I’m going to get a quote on it and see whether it’s worth or not. Sounds like it’s going to be a fire breathing beast! I think I’ll end up selling and saving up and getting an abasi Larada or something
@@jamesmcdonaldmusic1783 Oh and I also noticed the neck is very loosely in the neck pocket. You can clearly hear the neck moving if you just slightly push it. I'm going to shim it tight so it wouldn't move ad much. That also improves sustain.
I think with Far Eastern made guitars there’s always a little bit of something niggly that needs sorting or at least in my experience it is anyway. Hopefully it’s a quick fix for you!
@@jamesmcdonaldmusic1783 WHAT!!!! 😂🤣🤪😆. Man... I had a girlfriend like that..Missed her when she wasn't there...couldn't stand her when she was! It's funny, for me, because I'm "this close" to buying one in EXC condition for $300. Well, so many guitars in the world..so what did you end up getting??? And Best Regards/Best Wishes friend! 🙏🏻
I bought one recently. Can't stand it. Payed to have it setup and it feels terrible. So far have put a couple hundred dollars into it and tried 8's, 9's, and 10's. What gauge are you using? Is there a place I can send this to that can set it up right?
Depending on where you are in the world absolutely. I must say the wizard neck is a little bit of an acquired taste to be honest. If you’re really struggling maybe try setting it up for a drop tuning maybe drop C or something, it’s got a great scale length for it.
I like the wizard neck. I live in nowhere U.S. The closest shops are 2hrs away and they can't do a good setup although they can do wiring. In this price range I was expecting it to be off, just not this far off. I was wondering where I could send it to to have a good job done on the nut and setup. I feel like the guitar has potential which is why I'm keeping it but finding someone who can do it right is something else.
Yeah the guitar has a hell of a lot of potential, I agree about the nut. On mine I used hybrid slinky’s 10-52s. Are there not places that you could send it to by mail for a good setup? Best thing I’ve always found it to find a private luthier maybe rather than a shop? A Facebook search might find you someone. I sold my one as I was tight for money at the time, but if I’d kept it I’d have got some new pickups in it, something like Barelnuckle Warpigs or similar for my taste. They’re good pickups but they aren’t amazing and with a high end set in the guitar I think it would take it to the next level. Only other thing you could try is to watch some sharpen my axe with Phillip McKnight and some of his videos about making a cheaper guitar better
I could send it someplace but I don't know where to send it. So far I've sent it to a couple of luthiers out of state but I don't know which one is dependable.
@@DunderHead.5000 Yeah I get that, maybe look up reviews for them online or on facebook. also message them and ask how they would sort out the guitar for you, might give you more of an idea
Nice demo and review. I’m still debating if I should get the RG 350DX or the RGA 42FM. Although, I may be leaning towards the RGA bc of its Mahogany wood body.
Thanks so much. Well the 350DX also has a flloyd style tremolo so there's also whether you would like that or a hard tail. You also get the killer looking burst on the RGA. I can see why you cant decide though!
Good review! Seems like a great guitar for the price tempted to get it I just feel like the two halves of the guitar looking uneven would really bother me visually
Thank you! I thought that but actually it didn’t end up bothering me as when you look down at it to play you can’t really see a difference, but I’ve seen better matched tops than mine
Hey thanks so much for the comment! So I’ve never played a 421ex BKF but a google search shows is around the similar price point to the RGA. To me the RGA has that bit of special something with the gorgeous flame top on it so personally I’d have that, but if you’re looking for something more understated going for the rg421ex BKF is the right option, both are Ibanez so will play well
Hi from Norway! Thanks for the good review! Im seriously considering this axe, and your vid really convinced me! I've had Ibanez RG's before, and this looks absolutely stunning! 👍🏼
Fantastic! You’ll be very happy with it! And thank you for the kind comment!
Hello! I’m happy about your review with the clean tone. I’m picking up my new RGA42 in two weeks and look forward to it. Is it sustainable with the tuning? I’ve seen a few reviews on the axe and most are positive, but some dwell too much on the negative thoughts about it I think. Can’t wait to hold my new guitar. 😎🎸
For its price point it is an amazing instrument. It’s got no tuning or stability issues that I’ve seen. And is a great workhorse guitar! Hope you enjoy it!
It's a good guitar. It has a wizard neck. If you're used to playing a normal neck, it'll take some getting used to. I love mine. My channel has some videos of me playing it.
Picked one up for $250 USD. Sweet unit. And the flame maple top and playability are way beyond the price. Magic happening in Indonesia.
They’re a great guitar for the cash, their playability is insane
Your sound is good, 💯 I bought the same guitar from Sweetwater!
What guitar is that? Do you have any cheap recommendations? I live in Australia too and prices are bonkers here
The model number is the one on the video title so you’d be able to find it online on a retailer in your area if they stock them or on eBay.
Cheap recommendations depending on what kind of style you want to play. I’d say see if you can go to your local guitar shop, and speak to the staff, when I got my first guitar they were really helpful in the shop.
Hope this helps
Just ordered mine! Looking forward to it!
Amazing! You’ll be very pleased with it I think!
Hello from germany great choice of guitar, I got the RGA42HPTQM-BIG and understand your fun
It’s great fun to play. Thanks for watching! And hello to Germany from the UK!
Great video! I want to do a upgrade in the pickups for Tonerider Alnico II, but I'm no sure, so what do you think about it?
Personally I think the pickups do need upgrading but I don’t have any experience with those pickups, my choice would be something bare knuckle, perhaps the silo
@@jamesmcdonaldmusic1783 alright, thank you!
Sweet guitar and great playing i just bought one second hand in blue hasn't arrived yet cant wait
Thank you! I hope you enjoy the guitar 🥳
Nice review!
I'm thinking of buying that guitar, and with each video-review I become more convinced.
By the way, your sound is very good, what amp did you use?
Thanks so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it! It’s a great guitar!
So I use a Line 6 helix with a bunch of different presets. I give a run down of all of my base tones in my helix update video. I show my patches and talk about what I make them with. Amps wise
Nice guitar and great review ! Keep up the passion
Thanks man! Glad you enjoyed it!
I bought this one used a week ago. Cost only 280 euros so it's definitely worth the money. I already swapped the plastic nut to TUSQ and the tuning stability improved 110%. The bridge has some nasty sharp screw ends so I just quickly filed them down. I'm changing the bridge anyways to Hipshot.
The fingerboard is very nice wood. Almost like ebony. Although I'm staining it to black.
Wow! Lots of mods!! I’m really sad actually about mine. So after I made this video a few weeks later I changed the strings to my preferred gauge Hybrids so the truss rod needed a quick tweak. Unfortunately I discovered it has totally seized up and won’t move at all!
Congrats on the guitar man, I do still love mine despite the problem, I’m considering selling as is (I got my money back from the supplier) or I might see how much it is to fix it.
@@jamesmcdonaldmusic1783 I reckon the truss rod swap won't cost much although you have to consider is it worth the money to do anything excessive repairs to a guitar that costs under 300 dollars/euros/pounds used. The hardest part is removing the fingerboard itself.
I think I would get an Iron Label RGA less than 600 euros used, but I really do like this guitar.
All my mods will include a Hipshot bridge, locking tuners, maybe new white pickups to give it some bright colors with push/pull pots and staining the fretboard black. I did some calculations and all the mods will cost about 300 euros. Less if I find the pickups used.
Yeah exactly, I’m going to get a quote on it and see whether it’s worth or not.
Sounds like it’s going to be a fire breathing beast!
I think I’ll end up selling and saving up and getting an abasi Larada or something
@@jamesmcdonaldmusic1783 Oh and I also noticed the neck is very loosely in the neck pocket. You can clearly hear the neck moving if you just slightly push it. I'm going to shim it tight so it wouldn't move ad much. That also improves sustain.
I think with Far Eastern made guitars there’s always a little bit of something niggly that needs sorting or at least in my experience it is anyway.
Hopefully it’s a quick fix for you!
What fun! Looks great :). Love my Ibanez guitars and Wizard necks. Hated them at first, bur once it took, they are all I play. Best Regards!
I ended up selling it! I don’t know what it is I just can’t seem to get on with the wizard necks I’ve had 2 of them and not liked either 🤔
@@jamesmcdonaldmusic1783 WHAT!!!! 😂🤣🤪😆. Man... I had a girlfriend like that..Missed her when she wasn't there...couldn't stand her when she was! It's funny, for me, because I'm "this close" to buying one in EXC condition for $300. Well, so many guitars in the world..so what did you end up getting??? And Best Regards/Best Wishes friend! 🙏🏻
Well I ended up getting something else but I’m not letting the cat out of the bag yet. Going to be posting a video very soon with the new axe 😏
@@jamesmcdonaldmusic1783 👍🏻 Looking forward to it. Best Regards and have a great weekend.
@@jamesmcdonaldmusic1783 What did you get and when do we see it?
I bought one recently. Can't stand it. Payed to have it setup and it feels terrible. So far have put a couple hundred dollars into it and tried 8's, 9's, and 10's. What gauge are you using? Is there a place I can send this to that can set it up right?
Depending on where you are in the world absolutely. I must say the wizard neck is a little bit of an acquired taste to be honest. If you’re really struggling maybe try setting it up for a drop tuning maybe drop C or something, it’s got a great scale length for it.
I like the wizard neck. I live in nowhere U.S. The closest shops are 2hrs away and they can't do a good setup although they can do wiring. In this price range I was expecting it to be off, just not this far off. I was wondering where I could send it to to have a good job done on the nut and setup. I feel like the guitar has potential which is why I'm keeping it but finding someone who can do it right is something else.
Yeah the guitar has a hell of a lot of potential, I agree about the nut. On mine I used hybrid slinky’s 10-52s.
Are there not places that you could send it to by mail for a good setup? Best thing I’ve always found it to find a private luthier maybe rather than a shop? A Facebook search might find you someone. I sold my one as I was tight for money at the time, but if I’d kept it I’d have got some new pickups in it, something like Barelnuckle Warpigs or similar for my taste. They’re good pickups but they aren’t amazing and with a high end set in the guitar I think it would take it to the next level.
Only other thing you could try is to watch some sharpen my axe with Phillip McKnight and some of his videos about making a cheaper guitar better
I could send it someplace but I don't know where to send it. So far I've sent it to a couple of luthiers out of state but I don't know which one is dependable.
@@DunderHead.5000 Yeah I get that, maybe look up reviews for them online or on facebook. also message them and ask how they would sort out the guitar for you, might give you more of an idea
Nice demo and review. I’m still debating if I should get the RG 350DX or the RGA 42FM. Although, I may be leaning towards the RGA bc of its Mahogany wood body.
Thanks so much. Well the 350DX also has a flloyd style tremolo so there's also whether you would like that or a hard tail. You also get the killer looking burst on the RGA. I can see why you cant decide though!
Good review!
Seems like a great guitar for the price tempted to get it I just feel like the two halves of the guitar looking uneven would really bother me visually
Thank you! I thought that but actually it didn’t end up bothering me as when you look down at it to play you can’t really see a difference, but I’ve seen better matched tops than mine
hello can you tell me which is better this or the ibanez rg421ex bkf? thanks for the review
Hey thanks so much for the comment!
So I’ve never played a 421ex BKF but a google search shows is around the similar price point to the RGA. To me the RGA has that bit of special something with the gorgeous flame top on it so personally I’d have that, but if you’re looking for something more understated going for the rg421ex BKF is the right option, both are Ibanez so will play well
Hey what's the guitar you show at 6:55 ? It's really beautiful
That’s my Fender Partscaster.
I got it free from a friend then upgraded the pickups, scratch plate and put some cool moon inlays on it
@@jamesmcdonaldmusic1783 thanks for responding!
Guitar looks sick!!!!
If only it had double locking trem
Noooo! Hard tail all the way!
It’s great to see someone review this guitar with clean tone, sound great my friend. Do the pickups require 9v battery to sound?
Thank you
No problem! Glad you enjoyed it! They don’t the pickups are passive not active!
@@jamesmcdonaldmusic1783 thanks for reply my friend 😃
Nice
Obviously name it Smaug...
Not bad not bad, I’ve sold on the guitar now but a good shout
Is it 2020 model?
It didn’t actually say on it. So I’m not sure but they haven’t made any changes to this guitar for 2020