My Ibanez RG 550 mods and why I LOVE this guitar!!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 25 лис 2020
- In this video I discuss the mods I've made to my Ibanez RG 550 and tell you what it is I love so much about this guitar. This particular RG 550 was made in 1990, the golden age of Ibanez guitars and was made in Japan at the fabled Fujigen factory. I've recently had it re-fretted with stainless steel frets, and in the video, I show you a few photos of the work in progress.
Learn more about my advancing guitarist's courses here bit.ly/37kLwUj
Learn Guitar Scales inside out bit.ly/366I1RH
Perfect your technique bit.ly/3nVkVnh
Skype, Zoom and Facetime lessons here bit.ly/3q2fzIM
For free lessons, articles, gear reviews and more follow here
gumroad.com/anthonygeorge/follow
That's some useful information on the re-fret. I'm considering doing a Stainless steel re-fret on an old RG of mine too. Cool video!
Glad it’s helped you Brian!! I think you won’t regret it. This guitar plays amazing now. Just make sure you have a good luthier do the job for you, unless you are skilled in this yourself. 🎸🔥🤘🏻
I've always been a fan of ibanez's. I never knew why. When I was 16 my dad gave me a guitar. I remember choosing a Premium 870QMZ in red desert. Absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, ibanez was changing the vendors or something at the time in my country and I would have to wait a year. I settled for a Fender Strat 60s classic, absolutely incredible guitar, but I've dreamt of having an ibanez for years now.
That model is incredible, sounds amazing
I really feel the love you have for that guitar.
Glad to hear it! Thanks for watching! 🤘🏻🎸🔥
What a super cool guitar. The mods make total sense. Wise to keep the bridge stock. It’s a total beast. Good work sir.
Thanks man. She’s just become even more important lately. I might share this side of the story soon. Thanks so much for watching 🤘🏻🔥🎸
Love the colour of this guitar 😍
really insightful video, pretty cool to see the whole process
Glad you enjoyed it bro 🎸🤘🏻🔥
Sounds great! Bright and full and seems to like you too! Nice work Anthony----shred forth!
Thanks for watching man. Yes this guitar has been very good to me over the years 😉🔥🎸
Super cool video. I watched because I'm considering buying one of the new genesis 550s, and enjoyed your story and sound demo. I have an old charvel that I restored and had redone with stainless frets also. The tech plek'd it and it plays beautifully. It will probably never need another fret job in its lifetime. Definitely a worthwhile investment.
Thanks for the kind words man
Found it. Sounds great man
The 550 originally came with V1 neck and V2 bridge pickups, which are killer. If yours is a 1990 it would have come with them. I have a 91 laser blue 👍🏻
Ahhhh. I stand corrected, thanks for that man! I do have the original pickups somewhere.....well, the ones I took out of this. Got me thinking now perhaps somebody changed them to V7 and V8 before I got it......lol. Need to do a right check up now. Thanks for watching and getting me intrigued by this dude! 🎸🔥🤘🏻
@@anthonygeorgeguitar No bother at all! Your guitar is sounding sexy with those PAFs in it, have never used them myself but might buy some now!
@@IbanezFan550 they are beautiful pickups man. Meaty, clear, articulate, cuts through, but not shrill or muddy. Little low output for a lot of people but for general rock, blues and fusion they’re amazing pups! 🎸🔥🤘🏻
I got an RG 450 Japan from 1992 that came with the V1/S1/V2. I don't mind the pickups but I was recommended many times to change the bridge and the neck pickups for DiMarzio The Tone Zone on the bridge and for DiMarzio Paf Pro on the neck. Do you know if there is much difference the V1 and V2? Is it worth it? Thanks
I love the colour. I've got a late 80's RG550, and the only original parts on it are the body, scratchplate, tuners, and neck plate. Everything else has been changed. M
Nice bit of vai/satch lydian shred there 🤩 love my 550 too
Cheers man! 550's are killer!
Had this guitar when I was 14 many years ago. Wish I never sold it
This is one guitar ill never sell! Thanks so much for watching dude 🤘🏻🔥🎸
Beautiful guitar Anthony! Ibanez is a great! I love my AZ model, it has the stainless steel frets on there and I do prefer them.
Japanese made Ibanez are a fine thing to behold for sure! Thanks for watching
Notice the density of the wood in the neck. Selected by people who took pride in what they were doing.
Yes, my luthier did say it was a nice piece of maple and now all of the moisture has worked it’s way out with it being 30 plus years into its playing life. That fact, combined with the stainless being glued in makes it the tightest neck I own. To say I love this guitar is beyond an understatement ha.
Nice RG! My favorite guitars. I have RG 581 and it is awesome. And this Ibanez is soooooo nice and cool. Color is really good. Upgrades is good too. Sounds amazing!
Thanks for watching dude. Glad you like her. I think the upgrades came out very well. Incredibly pleased!
I upgraded my RG too =) For now just put new gotoh bridge and tuner. Strap locks too. Planing to put new electronic and pickips.
@@I____HanS____I can’t go wrong with Gotoh man.
@@anthonygeorgeguitar yeah =)
Got me a desert yellow rg550 best guitar
Thanks for that info on the paf pro , I've looked everywhere for a good description and demo especially in a maple fret board, considered one for my strat hss, ended up with several others before settling on the seymour duncan cust 5 . Now I want to get this paf pro for a cort that has a maple board swampash body maple top , I have the screamin demon in the neck and JB in the bridge right now ,...so cool thanks for that
Glad to hear the content has been useful man! Thanks for watching 🎸🔥🤘🏻
Sounds a lot like the tone off Flying in a Blue dream.
Flying in a blue dream is the absolute blueprint for my perfect song. When asked what did I wish I wrote, that’s the song. My favourite piece of instrumental guitar. So, without knowing it, you’ve given me the biggest compliment there. Can’t believe somebody’s actually thought I sound remotely like that. So, that’s an amazing Christmas present for me. Thank you so much for watching and for those amazing words!!! 😀🎸🔥🤘🏻
@@anthonygeorgeguitar Yep, that was a blessing, in the comment !!🙏🙏🙏
excellent guitar! Genesis.
Dude, i had S1 for longest time but a very simple FS-1 is just so much better. had it put in one of my 550's. i use single now much more often and as a standalone it's a bit straty and just fun to use.
i love ur geetar too man....
me...rg2550....
I love that guitar 😍🎸
She’s a beauty man. Thanks for watching 🤘🏻🔥🎸
@@anthonygeorgeguitar yeah you're welcome ❤️
Pickup selector tip needs to be blue
Lol, I did have one once but I knocked it off on a gig....never got round to buying another haha. Terrible excuse I know 😂
That's one sick guitar ngl how much is it I'm looking at learning guitar?
Hey man. I think a modern day version is around £900. Ibanez call it the genesis model. You can pick up second hand ones like mine from £300 ish plus. Mine is heavily modded obviously so would cost a lot more.......and is basically priceless to me so not for sale haha
@@anthonygeorgeguitar I got a lotta paper round to do
@@alexhd252 😂😂😂. You don’t need to start with a 550 man you could get a GIO to start with and upgrade as you go along! 🎸🔥🤘🏻
@@anthonygeorgeguitar would a fender work?
@@alexhd252 ofcourse mate. Just start out with something that inspires you to want to play. And keep playing!!!
U got my attention with the wiring saying that it did the pickups justice. What type of wire did u use?
It’s a vintage wiring loom. The wire is thick and high quality. Carries the signal better. I did not do the job by the way, I have an excellent luthier who does all the work for me. So that’s all I know....I don’t know exactly what wire or where from etc. I can ask him though if you want. I’ll probably see him soon. Thanks for watching! 🎸🤘🏻🔥
@@anthonygeorgeguitar whats the diferrence u felt with the wiring? Louder or something more? For example when I bought a Mogami cable the diff was huge in flat EQ and signal strength.
@@treishtrei The pickups just sound fuller and richer. This is because if a combination of the refret and everything though. Because the frets are stainless and glued in the neck is stronger, so the whole guitar is more responsive. Check this video out, I think it sounds ballsy as hell here. This is after all of the work.
@@treishtrei ua-cam.com/video/rW6NjI8h05U/v-deo.html
@@anthonygeorgeguitar i never heard a guitar sound that loud and full. I'll have to do this to my ibanez S. Cheers
Your legato is awesome. What strings gauge are you using.
Nice of you to say man. I love a bit of positivity. It’s amazing how nasty guitar players are to each other, I really don’t understand it but there you go haha. On my 550s it’s always 9’s. On my S series and Suhr pro I use 10s. For no other reason than that’s how the guitars came set up. They’ve all had refrets, neck sets, general set ups etc, but I like to keep string gauges to factory setup, as I feel guitars builders know more than I do about this stuff. I also don’t find my playing style changes really between 9s and 10s so it’s all cool for me. Also, I use NYXLs, which I find even at 10s are super slinky. Also, I am in no way affiliated with Ibanez or daddario, nor do I think what I’m saying here is “right”. It’s just what works for me. Thanks for watching, your positivity, and general good vibes brother. 👊🏻🤘🏻👌🏻🎸🔥
@@anthonygeorgeguitar thanks for the share man. No harm in being positive to each other, it always comes back to you.
@@borrogove love this. All the best man
oh no........ why did you sand down the fretboard? does it affect the playing? beautiful guitar still! The glue your dad used was likely epoxy.
awesome playing too! one day i will get this guitar in dessert yellow
see how ibanez used to choose the wood.did you guys see that fretboard wood stripes??
Not sure what you mean about stripes mate, but certainly you can tell it’s. A good quality piece of maple, especially when it was sanded back to bare. Thanks for watching man! 👍🏻✊🏻🔥🤘🏻🎸
I was reffering to the wood grain of the fretboard.the quality wood they choose back then was top notch.not like now days.
@@vintagetone22 ah yes I see. Yes it’s definitely a good quality piece of maple 🍁🔥🤘🏻🤘🏻
I like stainless but its very soft
Do you think so?I find it incredibly hard wearing. Which I believe is actually the point of stainless. What do you prefer?
do the tuners really matter with a locking nut?
In terms of tuning stability once the nut is locked, no. But, good quality tuners are important when re stringing. You want a good ratio on them for getting it playing in tune before locking. Personally, I’d have locking tuners in every single guitar if I had my way, as they make restringing a much quicker and easier job! Thanks for watching
8:10
I've come to the conclusion that you need to be a capable guitar player to be able to distinguish between the different pickup combinations.
Hi Strenya, not sure I’ve understood your comment. Do you mean you can’t hear the difference or you don’t understand why they are different? Happy to help if I can. Thanks for watching 🤘🏻🔥🎸
You should never need glued in strap buttons.
Guessing that the glue is a two part epoxy.
I believe that it is yes....however I’m not an expert in that, it was my dad who helped out with that. Back in those days he ran the factory that was producing these kind of products. Perhaps not what a luthier would have done, however, they will never come out again, that’s for sure 🤣. Thanks for watching man 🎸🔥🤘🏻
@@anthonygeorgeguitar Great video.
Yeah, if it's something like araldite it's permanent haha.
They use it on aeroplanes!
@@HardestManInTarot Thanks for taking the time to watch it sir! Yes it was like araldite..... but it’s better lol...whatever that means in epoxy glue terms 🤣. The one we used is automotive. Somebody commented here saying we shouldn’t have needed to do it lol. Well, the old girl had been abused in the past, and the pins were knackered. It was all my dads idea, who’s not a luthier or even a guitarist haha. I’ll say this....combined with a D’addario click lock strap, it’s the most solid guitar I’ve got when playing standing up! So, in essence, fuck that guy! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. All the best man 🎸🔥🤘🏻
Your timing is so off. Wth dude? Lol