Best Ibanez Metal Guitar (2024 Update)

There is plenty to like about this guitar, and I got it for the features I was looking for: locking tremelo, 24 frets, fast neck, 5 way pickup selector, and nice looks. My first impressions of the guitar was slight disappointment with how sloppy Ibanez was. The tops and bottoms of the frets needed to be beveled as they were pretty sharp, there was a noticeable nick on the fretboard, and there was a black smudge on the back of the neck. None of those was a huge deal. The main two issues I have with the guitar are that the middle pickup, the single coil, has such low output that the middle three positions are much quieter than the neck or bridge pickups alone. I do like the tone of the single coil in conjunction with the humbuckers, but those positions are somewhat useless considering how quiet they are, and I have ordered a humbucker to replace it. The single coil alone (middle position) has too much noise AND is too quiet. Not a big deal to replace a pickup, but why they are selling it this way, I'm not sure. The second issue is the volume control. Instead of a gradual swell, there is a sharp dropoff in volume at one point in the rotation of the dial, making it pretty much useless other than having it full on or all the way off. I am not sure if that is fixable, but if it is, I'll need to have that done as well. All that said, if the guitar had not arrived in such sloppy condition and the two problems were resolved, I'd give this guitar 5 stars.hickory spork

The Ibanez RG 450 or any of the RG's are with the exception of the factory p/u and electronic. capable of becoming one of the best performance guitars to own. The base Ibanez Floyd Rose system is fiddley but, after learning how to adjust/tune quickly becomes appreciated for holding tune no matter the severity of attacks you use with the tremolo. The Wizard(ll or lll ?) You would need to go to custom built to exceed the easy play and comfortable frets you will find on and RG. This recent RG450 I upgraded to equal the higher priced models by adding the De Marzio Tone Zone (B), Air Norton (N). And instead of going with the True Velvet. Added the Seymour Duncan Vintage Hot Stack for the middle position and added better electrics to even out the upgrades.. End result; This guitar plays and sound equal to guitars costing over $1,000.00!! Good bones! Yes this can be played well and many will find happiness with this as stock., and, will perform well against the competition dollar for dollar!ikeus

I used to own an '89 Ibanez VBK JEM that I regrettably sold to buy a gaming pc. I wanted to get a newer entry level RG so I could have a floyd,HSH superstrat in E standard. I've had this RG for long enough to know it's a keeper. This thing has the same feel and vibe of my old JEM! Minus the monkey grip and other features obviously. The neck feels fantastic and I only had to do very minor setup adjustments to my liking. I would have liked a rosewood or ebony fingerboard but of course this is the lower end model. The Jatoba feels good under the fingers, similar to rosewood but with a slightly lighter shade to it. Like most guitars you buy online mine came desperately needing some good oil and cleaning. The Jatoba fingerboard seems to require a bit more lubrication than rosewood. The neck binding is done well, not perfect but to a good standard. I do wish the trem was an Edge lo-pro… But again, this is the lower priced model. There is nothing wrong with the Edge tremolo, it stays in tune well with whammy bar abuse but it is one of the bulkier Original Floyd Rose style bridges. The stock Quantum pickups are among the best stock Ibanez pickups I've tried. They are hot but versatile. However I did swap them out with the classic Dimarzio Air Norton/Steves Special combo and a True Velvet middle. I do believe a higher end Ibanez will obviously sound better than this but for the price it really is hard to beat! Well done Ibanez and AMS!Nevin

Overall: I bought this brand new from zZ! It came quite swiftly. It was packaged good and no damage was observed! The guitar was not ready to play right out of the box. I had to adjust the bridge and the truss rod. Once I changed the strings, and got the guitar set up…I was really surprised how good it actually plays! The neck is one of the best feeling necks that I have ever played on! It is slim and fast. The finish on this guitar is really nice! I got the red sunburst. It's a poly finish and very pretty! The craftsmanship is really good for a mid priced guitar. The hardware is really nice and quite durable! I like the fixed bridge. The tuners are really good and it stays in tune well! The electronics are good. Decent Pots and knobs! I was surprised how good the pickups sound! I use a Blackstar HT40 Club amp, and this guitar sounds great through it. The guitar has a five way switch that allows for humbucking and coil tap sounds! The tonal options are very versatile. You should be able to use this guitar for Any genre you want to play! I really am pleased with this guitar! It looks great, plays awesome, and is very versatile. I wouldn't hesitate to take it on the road as my main guitar…it's that sweet. You get a lot of guitar for a very good price!Michael

Right out of the box this guitar was setup and ready to shred. I love the Wizard III neck and the Pearl Black Fade Metallic looks so good. I've been an Ibanez player since 1999 and played many models. The RG421 is up there with the best of them. The Quantum pickups are excellent, so no need of changing them. I own many RGs and this one has become my go to guitar for any style of music. I can't put it down. Well worth the price. Thanks Ibanez for another good sounding quality guitar, and AMS for the quick ship!Louie

I received my guitar today. Blue Metal Chameleon. I love it. It sounds great. No flaws, great packaging. Just a great guitar at a great price.John

Sound: The stock pickups sound great especially with high gain. Nice crunch and break up. Features: For me the reason that I bought this model is that it is the least expensive way to get a real Edge tremolo. I can do subtle things with the Edge that I can’t do on an Original Floyd Rose. The bar is easier to position and it stays where ever you put it. As long as the torsion bushings on the bar aren’t worn out, the pop in bar is neither too tight or too sloppy. Value: This guitar is worth every penny. Manufacturer Support: I did not use Ibanez customer service and I did order half a dozen sets of torsion bushings, but had to order them from different places. The Wow Factor: I love the color of this one, Desert Sun Yellow. Overall: In the last 2 months I’ve bought 5 different Ibanez guitars, both lower and higher price. I must say that this guitar is the most bang for the buck out of any of my 21 guitars that I own.Got more than 200 bucks off on mine as it was sold as a slight blemish. When the guitar arrived, I noticed it did have a hairline crack in the paint on the bass side at the neck pocket. That was the only flaw I could find and it probably would have happened anyway if I would have got a “new” one.This is the shreddiest guitar that I have. The only thing that I had to address is that the 6th fret was a little proud. Other than that the fret job was good. All the frets were shiny and smooth and no fret sprout.This is the guitar that is at the price point where if you spend more money, you aren’t going to get much better. And the fit and finish were top notch.Scott

Overall: This guitar was a total impulse buy and I’m so glad I bought it! It’s easily worth twice the price of it. Can’t get too many mid tier guitars that are neck thru with decent pickups and a 5-way switch that has a fast and slim neck at this price. I mostly play baritone 6 strings and 7 strings but I needed a 25.5” scale for drop C and this is perfect for it with 10-54 strings. I did upgrade the nut with a Graphtech tusq nut and Hipshot locking tuners with knurled tuner buttons and looks even more badass while staying in perfect tune! I have an Ibanez rgib6 Iron Label 28” baritone and this is up there with that as far as quality and playability. The stock pickups aren’t bad at all and definitely surprised me cuz that’s usually the first thing I’ll change in an inexpensive guitar. As you can see by the other reviews people say it’s a great guitar and they’re not lying so if you’re on the fence about getting it then go for it! You won’t be disappointed at all and if for some reason you are then zZounds has a return policy within like 30-45 days so you won’t be stuck with a guitar you don’t love.Josh

Came in original unopened packaging. Pristine condition! Very pleased with the purchase and how it shipped. The guitar plays beautifully, too.VINCENT

This is an absolutely stunning instrument! A real workhorse guitar with a versatile set of tones thanks to the pickup switching and coil tap options. As a baritone scale length guitar, it is designed for lower tunings whilst maintaining string tension and it does this very well. The Fusion Edge pickups combined with the Ash body give it a brighter sound than you might expect, but excellent clarity even when driven. Having played the early Iron Label guitars, this model is several steps ahead in terms of quality and playability. LOVE it!Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Overall: I read some of these negative reviews and can't understand what they're talking about. This guitar is probably the best guitar for $200 I ever played , right out of the box it was setup perfectly. All I did was tune it , I've even got the same strings it came with. Which I normally change whenever I get a new guitar. The tuners are unbelievably tight , this guitar barely goes out of tune even if it has been sitting for weeks. Also I never attached the whammy bar , so I can't speak on that throwing it out of tune. Since I have over a dozen guitars I don't usually play it daily , but when I do it always makes me glad I purchased it. This is a very versatile guitar , I play mostly metal and this thing shreds. But I also play blues and it sounds just as good as my custom strat. I bought an Epiphone SG special in the same price range and let's just say the setup is night and day , the tuners absolutely sucked , "already replaced them" and the intonation was off. It was a mess , I've already put it on Craig's list and bought a G400 Pro instead , 10x better quality and setup , but I digress. I've got many high priced guitars but always go back to the GRX , the playability and neck feels so comfortable to play. The only thing I'm going to do eventually is throw in a Seymour Duncan humbucker and I'm definitely keeping this guitar. I don't know how Ibanez can sell this for $200 and keep the quality , but I'm certainly not going to complain. Whether you're a beginner or experienced this guitar delivers. Definitely will be purchasing another Ibanez down the road.Mike

Sound: Does not have the cleanest sound due to the picks. Putting the right pedals and effects in line and cranking up the distortion makes it an awesome beginner / intermediate metal guitar. Features: For the price the materials feel great. Ease of Use: It sounds great on my Fender Champion 20 or Positive Grid Spark amp. Not the cleanest tone but a great metal sound and extremely easy to play. Quality: It feels made well, especially in the $200 range. I feel like this is one I'll have for years and once I get better definitely see this is a good platform for future mods. Value: This guitar is excellent value and at this price an amazing guitar. Manufacturer Support: I have not dealt with Ibanez. The Wow Factor: I must admit the aesthetic. It's extremely hard to find good looking purple color-based guitars. If I could dream up what I want a guitar to look like this is it. It helps that its quality is awesome. Overall: I love this guitar. Purple is my favorite color and a hard one to find good guitars in. It looks great. It feels great and I have yet to find any significant issues with it. No problems with the frets or fret buzz. Action is easy and low. It sounds great with my Positive Grid Spark amp. The pickups sound great. The HSH setup is very versatile. Not the greatest with clean tones like my Stratocaster, but amazing with the right effects.Josh

This has to be the pinnacle of all guitars! Plays like a dream, screams like a beast and a bluesy tone behind belief! This guitar has it all! I’m glad I held out for a JS model until this one. The sustaniac is incredible! If you’re an Ibanez fan this is the one! I have 2 Jems and they don’t come close to this!Steeleman

This guitar has great sustain and has some nice clean tones also. Much crunch with string buzz/hum which isn’t ideal. You’ll need to plan 3-4 hours to get the strings at the correct height to decrease the pick-up/string buzz.CBGB

The electrics on this guitar are the key difference, the pickups are very articulate and for high gain with control they are superb. The trem is weightless and wonderful to use, The neck is more profiled than I expected, nowhere near as flat as the Vai models like PIA, but I’m finding it very quick and more complex runs are coming more easily than usual. The sustainiac mode is a bit nuts, unless you really want to be satriani I’m not sure how often you’d use it but it’s a lot of fun; hit a squeally harmonic then listen to it sustain for months. Overall everything about this guitar is pure quality but it’s the overdriven tone and the solo friendly Mids that are the highlight.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Never having owned an Ibanez before, I decided to opt for something new. Great choice. This is a guitar designed to be played. The neck and action are wonderful. The best word I can think of for this guitar is "lean." It has everything I need and no frills that get in the way. The two pickups, with a single selector switch and volume control are all I need. At first I was worried about the lack of fret inlays, but the dots on the side of the fret board are sufficient. Beautiful design, and a pleasure to play. Oh, almost forgot to mention that it looks awesome.cjskama

Ibanez is a name well known for quality guitars. Even the super affordable line of Gio's are awesome guitars for the price. The overall quality of this baritone Ibanez was excellent and the factory setup was on point and ready to tune and play. This is the third Ibanez I've bought from Proaudiostar and 5th overall purchase from them and they've delivered free and on time and everything was in perfect order. This time was no different and the guitar came well packed and in perfect condition.LongQuail-46485

Handles drop F as well as, if not better than, my M80M Meshuggah signature. Swapped the EMG's out for a Nazgul/Jazz combo and modified the killswitch to be a coil split instead. Also added push-pull pot on the volume knob for out-of-phase. This guitar is excellent, especially for the price.peelskiwis

Overall: I'll echo everything the other reviewer said and add what I can. I've had this guitar for a little over a year now. I have GAS really bad and buy a few guitars a year including several since. I've given 5 star reviews before but they are always "for their price range". This is to date the most expensive guitar I've bought, but it is a TRUE 5 Star Guitar. Joe and Ibanez threw the kitchen sink in with this thing. First thing I notice was that it was very loud and resonant unplugged, it is a machine. It does not have a super flat neck like the HP Wizards but is actually better for most things. I have 36 guitars to date and many that I buy I love at first but then get hung. This guitar has taken over my collection. The next one that comes close and gets a lot of play time is the AZ, gonna give that a shoutout, it's just something extraordinary and Ibanez is onto something with it. I do live gigs and the JS and the AZ both come with me every time. I was torn between this one and the JS2480, but I really wanted the MCP and I already had a sustainiac in a couple schecters so I felt I wouldn't be missing that feature if I Really needed it, and I don't. This guitar sounds just great and sustains wonderfully on it's own. Good job Ibanez. Huge shoutout to zZounds who was doing 18 months on this product at the time that made it possible. Hope to see them offer this option again in the future. I'd love a PIA or MusicMan.Rob

I loved the guitar, I returned not because of any fault but after 20 years of playing a Jem it was too much of a change for a 60 year old rocker. The tone and playability of the JS was superb out of the box though thanks to Andertons Quality control. Andertons will get my future business even though they are 150 miles away. I trust them, rare these days. Thanks you Andertons.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Overall: I got this guitar as a birthday present from my wife. This thing is incredible! I am normally a strat guy. But I have always wanted a JS model. The tonal range you can get from this guitar is staggering! I can go from the “satch tone” to a Les Paul tone to a strat tone all on one instrument! I couldn’t be any happier… or surprised. The flexibility I get with one guitar is incredible. A dream come true for me, as I play many styles. What a true chameleon of tone! The craftsmanship of the instrument is flawless in every way. I couldn’t find a single hint of a defect anywhere on this thing! The bridge was set to the proper height and everything! I had to tune it up when I got it and stretch the strings. But, I haven’t had to do any tuning since. And I have abused the double locking trem on this. So happy I got this!Johnny

Hyvää: – mikit ovat loistavat – soittotuntuma on erittäin hyvä, ohut kaula ja juuri sopiva 27” skaala on sweetspot ainakin minulle kasikielisten kanssa Huonoa: – työn laatu on huonoa tämän hintaiselle kitaralle. Olen nähnyt useita saman mallin kitaroita (eri paikasta tilattuna) ja työn jäljen laatu vaihtelee todella paljon. Omistan PRS:n 6-kielisen kitaran samassa hintaluokassa, joka on tehty Etelä-Koreassa, ja viimeistely on aivan eri luokkaa. – Tässä kyseisessä tapauksessa yläsatulan kolo oli selkeästi viilattu vinoon, jolloin satula jäi ohuiden kielten puolelta ilmaan (satula ei toisesta reunasta koskenut kaulaa käytännössä kuin etureunastaan) – Volyymipotikoita ei ollut kunnolla ruuvattu kiinni, heiluivat kuin heinämiehet. – Vaihtokappale oli taas eri tavalla huonosti viimeistelty, esim. otelaudan reunoissa oli rumia viilausjälkiä ja nauhat näyttivät olevan jo melkein ruosteessa heti kättelyssä. – Vaatinee paljohkosti laittamista jos tästä haluaisi kelpo pelin. Korkeasta actionista huolimatta ylänauhoja ei meinannut saada soimaan kirkkaasti, tai vaatisi vähintään nauhojen viilausta reippaalla kädellä. Yhteenveto: – Tuntuma ja soundi ovat erittäin hyvät, mutta laatu verottaa kokonaisuutta niin paljon että en voi suositella tätä kitaraa – Jos kitara maksaisi 500€, se saisi 3.5 tähteä. Laittamalla varmaan voisi saada hintansa arvoisen kitaran, mutta mielestäni se ei ole vaivan väärti. – Jäi vaikutelma, että kitarat on viimeistelty hirvittävällä kiireelläHartsa

These are great guitars. I have one in each color (RFR, PN, and DY). Very fast neck, very easy to play once it's set up to my preference. Tremolo works great. I've had Ibanez RG560, 570, and 550's before back in the 90's and the Edge bridge is the best on the market, and I'm a longtime Floyd Rose user. Edge is super stable and stays in tune great. Finish is perfect, no issues. Neck is very stable (I live in the south where the humidity is bad in the summer). I used the RFR and PN at an outside show last month and they performed flawlessly. The only weak spot in these guitars is the pickups, they are not my tonal preference so I changed them out on all my 550's. Other than that, you can't get a better guitar for the price. The build and craftsmanship are fantastic.mvnbikes

I've owned an original black '87 since'89 and never have stopped loving it. If it's possible, I love my new 2019 RG even more. Why? Two things – I really wanted it in yellow back in the day, but found that fantastic black one and traded a guitar for it. So when Ibanez started making these again (in Japan!), I jumped all over it and got my yellow RG550 finally! I also love the neck. Originals weren't glossy per say, but they were indeed a shiny finished neck. These Super Wizard necks are the stuff! Satin finish and extremely strong 5 piece necks with the volute which makes me feel better about the strength of the neck. Superb looking, playing, and sounding guitar. I dig the stock pickups. They're incredibly versatile. Warm cleans will blow you away,especially in the 2 and 4 pickup setting.AustinPaul

Sound: The stock pickups sound great especially with high gain. Nice crunch and break up. Features: For me the reason that I bought this model is that it is the least expensive way to get a real Edge tremolo. I can do subtle things with the Edge that I can’t do on an Original Floyd Rose. The bar is easier to position and it stays where ever you put it. As long as the torsion bushings on the bar aren’t worn out, the pop in bar is neither too tight or too sloppy. Value: This guitar is worth every penny. Manufacturer Support: I did not use Ibanez customer service and I did order half a dozen sets of torsion bushings, but had to order them from different places. The Wow Factor: I love the color of this one, Desert Sun Yellow. Overall: In the last 2 months I’ve bought 5 different Ibanez guitars, both lower and higher price. I must say that this guitar is the most bang for the buck out of any of my 21 guitars that I own.Got more than 200 bucks off on mine as it was sold as a slight blemish. When the guitar arrived, I noticed it did have a hairline crack in the paint on the bass side at the neck pocket. That was the only flaw I could find and it probably would have happened anyway if I would have got a “new” one.This is the shreddiest guitar that I have. The only thing that I had to address is that the 6th fret was a little proud. Other than that the fret job was good. All the frets were shiny and smooth and no fret sprout.This is the guitar that is at the price point where if you spend more money, you aren’t going to get much better. And the fit and finish were top notch.Scott

I've played guitar for 30 years now, but I've never owned a jazz box. In fact, this is my first guitar ordered on-line, and I really like it. First off – the simplicity of it: one pickup, one tone knob, one volume. That's all I need. No extra switches. For me, the less hardware and more wood, the better, The neck on this guitar feels like my Les Paul neck. Not a baseball bat neck, which I also like, and not a smaller C neck, like a Fender. The inlay is beautiful and I prefer the adjustment ability of the strings, as opposed to the traditional wood bridge, the gold connecting hardware that attaches at the bow is not my favorite thing, but my long term goal will include replacing that with a polished wood piece, like Pat has on his 2000 model. Most importantly, above all this, is the sound. SUPER Sustain…more than any guitar I've ever owned. This one sings. Like Nigel from Spinal Tap says: "go have a bite and ahhhhhhhhhhh" it's still singing! When I changed the strings for the first time, just the brush of air across the fretboard rang out like a harp! As goofy as it sounds..I knew then I had a winner. I also appreciate the "grip" knobs that Ibanez uses in lots of their guitars, Feels sturdy to my right palm and doesn't slip. I don't see a manufacturer type with the gold tuners, but they respond like Gotoh tuners I've had in the past…solid and capable of doing their job. Additionally….I must say : the case is nice too. Not an afterthought. It fits guitar well and was included with my order. A rare thing these days, in my experience. My guitar will need. setup, as its a bit high out of the box, but that's to be expected. It was shipped with flat wound strings (10's maybe?). I put 11's on immediately, and it looks like a neck or bridge adjustment would probably help. Also – I LOVE the color. Complaints about it being "neon" or whatever, is not true with me, It looks like the yellow in Satana's PRS, to me…so I got no problem with that. This is an oustnding guitar…for right under the biscuit mark. If you've got the love of jazz, not the cash for L-5…..I think this is a fine choice. I am very happy with it.Ibanezfanforlife

I bought the pm2 open box strange it it was made in Indonesia, all other reviewers had china made pm2 . I have purchased open box guitars before and had my guy set them up , this Ibanez was beautiful but a potential money pit , the tail piece and bridge rattled , poor cheap materials.The internal consruction looked suspicious. I never return anything but this had to go back, Ibanez had a 10 + day response by email so they were no help.J.J.B.

Knocked off a star from the 4 it should have gotten because I had to return it. There was a problem with the magnetic poles in the pick ups. One pole stuck out so far that when I lowered the action it would dampen the string. I chose a different guitar upon return, but this was nothing to do with Musician's Friend simply a factory defect. I would like to say they could probably open and inspect guitars they sell, maybe even set them up in a basic kind of way.Ben