Ibanez Roadstar Ii Electric Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

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

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

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

. Now let me set the scene… I am a guitar lover (I can even play a little too) and a quality professional so My expectations are somewhat higher than most looking at this product. An absolutely beautiful instrument, this is my second SA360 and although they are no longer. Made in Japan, be assured they have not lost any of the build quality or attention to detail. The guitar was really well set up, is great to play, feels good in the hand and sounds the bee’s knee’s. If you are looking to start out in guitar playing get yourself an Ibanez Gio to start as a first upgrade from that, then the SA series is where you want to be at.Timbo

I've been playing this guitar the RG470AHM for about 6 months now. I'm very impressed by the blue moon burst it looks like a prestige level guitar. the ash body gives it very decent sustain. I see people complain that the rg370ahm got the edge zero 2 and we got the standard DL tremelo But I can't complain because if set up correctly it holds tune great and does it job well. The block on the tremelo appears to be steel which is nice from I hear. I haven't deemed fit to change anything yet due to it being set up perfect for my needs and working well. The quantom pickups do very well and give both decent cleans and take well to distortion. I had to dial them in to my preference due to the sounding a little foggy. That being said this guitar can be easily upgraded. By upgrading the pickups for Seymour or Duncan's. Also you can upgrade the tremolo itself or jus replace the whole thing with a tremelo that fits the guitars route. Also by upgrading the block to brass and the tremolo claw for a locking tremolo claw. May also put inlays in the neck to give it the more prestige look. In my opinion this guitar gives you premium product for a great price . Nice wood work on mine great finish and easily upgradeableyugi-JD

Absolutely gorgeous guitar with a great sound! Pictures don't do it justice. Metallic look is far more beautiful than the photo shows. Sound is full and not the least bit "tinny" as some guitars of this value can sometimes be. Affordable, beautiful and great to play. Couldn't ask for more. The payment plan is soooo helpful when you're living hand to mouth. Thank you AMS and Ibanez for a fantastic product and a very happy gifting experience.Amelia

Overall: Took me 2-1/2 years but I finally ordered this through zZounds on a blemished deal. Don't know if it matters or not but I waited 24 hours before opening. Well packaged. All accessories, tools, owners manual. Maple fretboard perfect. Small Crack in clear coat on body at neck joint. No worries. Paint missing where neck bolts to body. As I said blemished I understand. Time to tune. Ouch!!! Play 10 minutes retune, play 10 yeah you get the idea. Pick ups and bridge are not any where close to specs. Finally get days off from work. Now I'm no guitar smith but when I have time I can figure it out. New strings 9-42 NY/XL. Bridge alignment, tonation, adjust pickup height, slight neck adjustment, adjust tremolo springs. Totally amazing!!! Night to day. My old RG450 has the INF pickups and these quantums sound so much fuller. Sounds amazing through a Orange crush 20 and a Boss Mk100. Country, rock, metal, hair metal this thing is amazing!!!Donnie

so I ordered this, then the order cancelled on ams side, never seen that before. so I called them and ordered it on the phone. asked the guy on the phone if they inspect it before they send it out cause I have read about fret buzz being an issue with most ibanez for less than say 600. he said they would inspect it. i get it at my door and the FRET BUZZ was so BAD it couldn't even play on the neck at all, lol. I called and was like "I asked about this and you sent one with that problem" lol. they refunded 25 bucks, cool. took it to guitar center, tech "fixed it" get it home, strings are so high it was like a 60s classical guitar! I had to bring it back, pull an ibanez off the wall and be like "like this". 2nd time was a charm. it is beautiful and now with action adjusted it is great. sounds really good for stock pickups. clean actually sounds really good. forgot how much I love 5 way pickups for clean and overdrive sounds. worth it, but expect some headaches LOLJared J

Absolutely loved it the first time I played it. The locking teen stays in tune pretty well and the neck feels great. I like the look of the fretboard and the frets feel great to play on. I'm happy with the pickups that came in this, not muddy or anything. By far, the finish is the most amazing one I've seen on a cheaper rg. Love the Jupiter film. Try it and you'll see how good it really is.Eddieh

Excellent RG. Love the matte finish. Great feeling neck with low action. It stays in tune with deep dive bombs. Played excellent from the get go. Go try one out, you'll love it. By far one of the best Indonesian Ibanez's I have played.Droogs90

After really enjoying playing an RG standard at GC, I decided I wanted a Japanese Ibanez. This guitar is gorgeous. You open up the case and it's a plush red velvet contrasting perfectly with the sexy nebula green burst. It is incredibly easy to play! Has a perfect balance slung over your shoulder or resting on your thigh. They didn't cut any corners with this instrument. Pros: – Black chrome hardware looks slick – Neck very thin and flat. Not just for shredding! Strips of walnut add a touch of elegance. Satin finish makes this a fast neck. Jumbo frets feel great. The birdseye fretboard is gorgeous. Locking tuners are robust. Stays in tune like a boss! – Very clear difference in pickup output from neck to bridge. Bridge gets nice and dirty when the volume is up – Pickups are a bit hotter than I expected, especially the tone zone in the bridge, but dialing down volume cleans them up very nicely (when you want them to be clean). I'm guessing the hot pickups are for shredders, who are a target Ibanez consumer. The parallel mode is a sweet addition allowing pickup to sound like a single rather than a humbucker – Pickups have dimarzio embossed on them, but it's subtle and not visible from a distance- branding isn't as obnoxious as on seymour duncans – Volume and tone knobs are knurled making them easy to turn with just a touch and resistance is light and smooth. Great gradual effect (doesn't just jump from 100% to 10% when you turn the knob only a tiny bit) – Action can be set super low and bridge is very comfortable to rest your palm. No sharp saddles as on some tune-o-matics – Amazing custom-molded guitar case that looks sexy and has a hard plastic outer shell. Form-fitted for this guitar – Guitar comes with a multi-tool with everything on it, even a short metal scale Cons: – The fret markers are just dots, not inlays – Doesn't come equipped with straplocks – Pickup selector feels cheap compared with the rest of the hardware, but has authoritative action otherwiseMegatron

This guitar is beautiful and its sound is fantastic,neck is awesome and fretboard is great,pickups are good…but it is Very Heavy,I'd say around 10 pounds and also the body is too chunky and therefore not comfortable to play.Maybe this guitar will be good fit for a large player. I returned it today and got me another Ibanez. Guitar center were very helpful,they are alright!Andy

Took this model and the Ibanez RG Prestige RG652AHMFX for test rides. I ended up keeping this one. The Prestige is a better instrument, but not nine bills better. They play very similarly. The DiMarzios in the Prestige sound better, sure-but you can add those to this one later if you'd like. Honestly, I'll probably just keep the Quantum pickups in it-they sound fine. Love the creative 5-way switching and the volume and tone work as they should. Tuning stability is spot on. Mine even came set up well. The wood is not the cosmetic grade that the more expensive models have, but I bought it to play in bars and small venues-not to look at it. The body is three pieces. That being said, it's more attractive than an affordable guitar has a right to be. The ash does make it brighter than your standard RG, but that's what I was looking for. I'd recommend it to anyone that's not a cork sniffer and needs a solid instrument they can use without fear of breathing on it.TG

This guitar rises above the 'super Strat' identifier. The playability of this instrument is incredible, especially if you are used to the neck profile of these guitars. All the standard pre-requesite Strat tones are here, instantly available for you via the 5 way switch. However, flip the dyna-MIX9 switch, and you have Tele style neck/bridge combo, the option of a neck humbucker (neck & middle PUs in series), 2 humbuckers, and bridge single coil (which I have used more than any guitar I have owned other than a Tele). The playability of this guitar is off the charts! Roasted maple neck & locking tuners keep it in tune for gigs beyond what I have seen in guitars before. This is a 'Swiss Army knife' guitar for all seeking Strat tones with harder rock edge or country flavors.Jeff

I had one of the first series AZ back in 2019, a Premium model, which was very good although there were some things I didn't like that much or were not my cup of tea. The veneer was not to my liking, the pickups although good was a bit hot to my taste and liking, and no idea if it's the basswood body or the constructions difference, but when playing unplugged it didn't resonate as much, although plugged in was totally fine (but I tend to play unplugged as well so I look for guitars I enjoy playing unplugged too) Then I decided to go to a traditional strat and later on I went for a Suhr Guitar. Suhr is fantastic in every way. I sold my Suhrs because I was looking for a more vintage style strat but then decided wanted again a kind of superstrat HSS more modern sounding to replace a PRS I'm selling that it's great but a bit too much for me, and want a more player guitar. I was thinking on the Suhr, but then I saw the 2021 Ibanez AZ with rosewood and tortoise pickguard, covered humbucker, and less hotter pickups and wow, this guitar was perfect for what I was looking. Looks very classy, I got the blue one, single-coils sound great, very good clarity (not vintage style like my other strat, but I like that because they complement very well and serve 2 different purposes), the humbucker is great for rock, hard rock and like 80's rock (I'm not into extreme metal so not looking for that sound). And unplugged this Prestige resonates well, different than the premium I had, so unplugged sounds alive, and like these pickups much more than the Hyperion (but that's my personal preference) Neck is a bit thinner than the Suhr I had, but for a more modern approach is very nice and comfortable. I have no issues going from my 50's neck les paul back to the Ibanez AZ. And quality is there. Pros vs the Suhr, is that it has roasted maple that I really like, and the 9 switch sound options, that for me having the neck and middle parallel is like having a neck humbucker which is really awesome, what a versatile guitar. And of course the price! Pros on the Suhr is that those really are on the top of their game in quality and pickups I liked the Suhr ones a bit more. And the neck on the Suhr is fantastic. This doesn't mean the Ibanez is bad, on the contrary, I'm very very pleased and happy with the Ibanez, is more than enough for me, and even though the Suhr is amazing and overall I give them the edge over the Ibanez AZ, the AZ is top quality guitar too as well and I don't have the need to go for a Suhr with this AZ.Nico

I bought this guitar from the Manchester store a few months ago (thank you Steve, your advice and knowledge is excellent as always!). The quality and setup were excellent straight from the manufacturer! And it looks fantastic! I really didn't know what I wanted because I had only been playing guitar for a few weeks. My main requirement was a guitar that would make my life easier as a beginner ( I am sure you remember those days when every note and chord is a fight with the instrument 😀 ) This is a great guitar. The flat and thin neck helps a lot, specially with small hands. It is very comfortable, the light weight makes playing standing up quite easy without getting a backache. Five positions for the switch makes it very versatile. I would say it has a lot of low frequencies to it so rock or metal sound incredible! It is good for rhythm as well on the bridge humbucker. It has a very sweet clean sound but growls with the two humbuckers on and a bit of distortion! One thing I would say though, if you like blues, it is not a sound I find natural to this guitar compared to other Ibanez or a Strat but you can always program your amp to help you with that! It also stays in tune pretty well despite my heavy handed rhythms. It is a great guitar not just for beginners, always a joy to play. The better I get, the more I appreciate how lovely it is. Excellent value for money.MJL

Beautiful Ibanez model. Light and comfortable to play all day. Just feels like quality throughout. Blackberry colour is to die for. I've owned a swamp ash RG from Ibanez which was a back breaker. This guitar is light, ergonomic, thin outer edges thickening up in the centre of body, so sustain is spot on. This S521 is perfect and a joy to play. Perfect fret work, no fret buzz anywhere, fret edges perfectly smooth. My last Ibanez RG 421 felt like it had an allergic reaction to quality control. This S521 came perfect right out of the box. Truss did not even require adjustment (which was handy because no Alan keys with this guitar) a real finger print magnet. Can't think of a negative at all. I own a Les Paul, a thinline Tele, and a mex strat all of which are great guitars and this Ibanez is as good if not better than most.Mr P.

I don't know how other people got some rough versions of this guitar but (i got mine in ocean fade blue) my s521 came out of the box perfect. I havent had to set it up at all yet 6 months in. Frets are butter and overall is probably the most comfy guitar i own and have played. The wizard 3 neck really is some magic. Its a 24 fret neck that dosent feel like one length wise but it not downscaled like an esp because theres still plenty of room for you fingers up the neck even while having jumbo frets. Its simply perfect. I'll sit this guitar in my lap and play all day sometimes not even taking it off to play video games at my computer. Its that slim. But the tone is still there expecially in the neck pickup. Quite good on high gain as well (yes it djents) and the options for tone is crazy for a five way switch. Electronics click and twist with no fight or noise in the signal. It just changes. For preface i didn't buy this from guitar center i got it from american musical supply so that may have something it do with it. Theres is some crusted white stuff around the jack if you look hard enough. But this is thing is my baby.Yoshi

The only guitar I have ever purchased that sounded better at home than in the shop Pure quality everything is just right Very easy to play fret board Wonderful tuners so precise Huge range of sounds from the pickupsReviewed by Andertons Music Co.

The quality and workmanship of the jap neck makes the 335 an outlier. I own the AS200 and it is flawless. If you have money to burn, get the top line 335. If not, get this!Zenmeister

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

The AZ24027 is fantastically made. It looks and sounds gorgeous. I am surprised how easy it is to play on it. The sound is very even in all registers. I have it only for a few weeks and I can't stop playing… It is good for any music. I like soft music and/or metal and this guitar will take you there.Piotr

What else needs to be said "It's an Ibanez RG" Plays great literally out of the box, I only has to tune the high E String.ja_880555

This is a sick-looking guitar. The turquoise sparkle finish is off the charts amazing. Craftmanship leaves something to be desired though. It's only when you inspect the guitar more closely, and nothing that affects playability. Some cavities aren't finished, some light fret edges, and the screws of the pickup selector switch aren't exactly perfectly done. You can't compare it to a Prestige Ibanez made in Japan, of course, but for the money it's pretty darn awesome. The Quantum pickups are high output, and I actually love them, as you can do high gain lead, as well as clean funky, stratty and tele sounds. Super versatile, and hum free! 24 frets on a maple fingerboard with fantastic access to the highest frets, so playability is terrific. The neck is more like a slim Fender neck rather than a Super Wizard Prestige neck, but it's quite comfy. No sating finishes on neck and fingerboard, just nicely sanded maple. Tuning stability is very good, and I am not sure I'll even replace the no-name tuners with locking tuners down the line. The bridge is alright too. I wanted it for the sparkle finish, the maple neck/fingerboard, 24 easy-access frets, and hum-free pickups, and to attach my Roland GK-3 pickup on it, which works great. Great deal for the money in my book.Reviewed by Andertons Music Co.

Another great guitar to add to my collection,love it. Ibanez has always made quality guitars at great prices this one is no exception. One of the most attractive guitars in my collection for sure and it sounds amazing!Mike

I was skeptical because I haven’t always heard great things about Ibanez and it’s relatively cheap so I was afraid to pull the trigger. Wound up purchasing it because I’m a sucker for sparkle finishes and the guitar didn’t disappoint. The finish, the feel, the quality, everything about it was well worth the risk. My first Ibanez and definitely won’t be my last.A-Dawg

Personally I don't care for the sound of the pickups but I bought it for my 15 year old son who loves the sound. That said, though, by playing around with the selector switch and the tone knob, I can get a sound I like too. The guitar has a good solid feel. It's not flimsy. Great action. Easy to play for a beginner and no string buzz. Its well set up. I feel like we got excellent value for the price.Coach Doc

Overall: I got this for my brithday about 2 years ago. Since then I have done many a thing to this and with this guitar. I replaced the output jack, took out the tone pot to replace it with a killswitch, replaced the 5 way stock blade switch to a 3 way blade switch, switched the bride Pickup for a Dimebag Darrell signature Seymour Duncan and now am replacing the hardware with all black. One thing I did NOT like is that over time the hardware lost its color. That’s why I’m replacing the hardware but other that that I love it.Matt

Great tone, and beautiful finish. This guitar is very easy to play and has surprising quality for the price. Loved the fast shipping and return policy.Craig P

Great piece of work. Very well made and constructed. The sounds you get from these pickups are awesome. Great sounds for metal,rock, blues or even country. I use it through Boss Katana MK2 100 and definitely got some great sound variations using the alter switch. Very comfortable to hold and play either standing or sitting. But the guitar is slightly bit heavy for my liking. Although personally im more use to the Ibanez S sieres and Fender Accoutasonic's. Only issue i had was when changing strings, i noticed that the silver ferrels on back of guitar where strings go through fell out. No drama but would have thought they be fixed and didnt expect it to happen. But can't really fault the guitar. Had slight issue getting the guitar but PMT bent over backwards to put things right. Great service in generalChris H.

This Guitars sound is one of the best I've had so far, and the feel and easy playability of the neck is outstanding for me. I had more trouble setting up the double locking tremolo than I have had in the past with Floyd Rose bridges, but once I got it, it worked great and stays in tune well. My only issue is that it did not come with a gig bag or the Whammy Bar, I'm not sure if this is normal, but this is my first Ibanez and for the price I believe that should be included.Nolan

I love this guitar. Only thing I don't like are 10 gauge strings. I will replace with 9 gauge. Strings at next string change. The pickups are amazing too. Nice to buy a guitar and not have to change the pickups. The D'Marzio Pickups are exactly the sound I'm looking for. No need to change anything. This is my first guitar with a reverse headstock. I thought a reverse headstock was just for looks but tuning the guitar is comfortable and natural feeling when the tuners are at the under of the headstock. Love it.Carl W

I have had this guitar for about 6 months and it feels incredible. The body is super light and easy to move around or hold still while playing at different angles. This is the first 'metal' guitar I've ever owned and the neck just feels like thrash metal, brings out music that is so unreal. I've only ever played Strats and acoustic guitars until recently. I use this in both standard and drop D tunings for sludge rock, metal, and grunge. I can't say enough about how the neck on this feels.. Absolutely incredible, and no goofy shine to gum up the slide action.Shredder