Ibanez. Prestige v Premium?

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fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23962
edited August 2017 in Guitar
I'm in the market for a widdly machine.

Looking at the current Ibanez options there seems to be a bit of a cross-over in price between the Prestige and Premium lines. The lower cost Japanese built ones appear to be plainer choices, while the higher cost Premiums are a bit flashier, in top and colour options.

So how comparable is the quality? 

The Prestige RG2550 is about £1100, and so is the Premium blue floral Jem.

As much as I love the Jem (lusting after it like a teenage Vai fanboy tbh), is the RG2550 actually a better guitar?

Any thoughts?
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Comments

  • I've only played a Prestige, but it reminded me of my mates 80's RG550. 

    Awesome. 
    " Why does it smell of bum?" Mrs Professorben.
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  • EvilmagsEvilmags Frets: 5158
    The prestige is of very similar quality in terms of build to old 550s, with some of the fancier ones having more neck reinforcement. TBH second hand J Customs are not that hard to find and are really nice. 
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  • As you may gather by my hand-wringing at letting go a fantastic MIJ 540S a few days ago for south of £300, you should absolutely positively go used. A used RG550 (or 540S :anguished: ) would do you about a quarter of the price for at least the same spec.
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  • JDEJDE Frets: 1092
    As above, if you don't mind used, look for a J Custom, or grab a bargain and get an old 550 and put the pickups of your choice in. 
    If it must be new, the RG652 is, in my humble opinion, the best shred machine on the market. Try before you buy though - the neck is unreal thin, so you may like it or not! I wish I thought the Premiums were as good, because I'd love a Blue Floral Jem or the Blue Reef RG6PCM which I think are *beautiful* looking, but my 652 blows them out of the water. 
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  • JDEJDE Frets: 1092
    As an aside, Coda have (had?) ab RG1550 in their Used section for £500 - if I wanted to save some cash, I'd get that and a set of Evos or Gravity Storms if I wanted a budget Jem. Well under the cost of a Premium Blue Floral, but a better guitar, imo. 

    Also, there's actually nowt wrong with the stock Ibby pickups, but it's hard to compare a guitar with top line Dimarzio's to one without, that's all :)
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  • GoldenEraGuitarsGoldenEraGuitars Frets: 8820
    tFB Trader
    The Premiums are utterly outstanding. I have a RG870QMZ.... twice! It's just amazing on every level. And I paid £729 for what was one of the finest guitars I've ever played.
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  • Bennyboy-UKBennyboy-UK Frets: 1710
    Buy an old USA Hamer shredder ;p (I was bound to say that) if you are spending a grand, you could probably find something very special indeed!
    I'm always looking for interesting USA Hamers for sale.

    At the moment I'm looking for:
    * Hamer Watson, SS2, Vintage S, T62.
    * Music Man Luke 1, Luke II

    Please drop me a message.
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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23962
    Been watching demos.

    Now I want the UV70P 7 string as well.

    FML
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  • mike_lmike_l Frets: 5700
    JDE said:
    As an aside, Coda have (had?) ab RG1550 in their Used section for £500 - if I wanted to save some cash, I'd get that and a set of Evos or Gravity Storms if I wanted a budget Jem. Well under the cost of a Premium Blue Floral, but a better guitar, imo. 

    Also, there's actually nowt wrong with the stock Ibby pickups, but it's hard to compare a guitar with top line Dimarzio's to one without, that's all :)

    That was my thunking, same spec as my RG1550 which is a fannytastic guitar. Mine had Di Marzio's fitted when I got it.

    Ringleader of the Cambridge cartel, pedal champ and king of the dirt boxes (down to 21) 

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  • AlnicoAlnico Frets: 4616
    Is this any good for you ?

    Ibanez RG7620GN 7 String Guitar


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  • AlnicoAlnico Frets: 4616
    Or this ?.......which is frankly insane value for money !

    Ibanez Prestige RG2550EX


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  • Alnico said:
    Or this ?.......which is frankly insane value for money !

    Ibanez Prestige RG2550EX


    Those are amazing guitars. 

    My mate had one, stunning. Pickups are bloody good too. 
    " Why does it smell of bum?" Mrs Professorben.
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  • AlnicoAlnico Frets: 4616
    Alnico said:
    Or this ?.......which is frankly insane value for money !

    Ibanez Prestige RG2550EX


    Those are amazing guitars. 

    My mate had one, stunning. Pickups are bloody good too. 
    It would be bought by me by now if I had spending money.
    Unfortunately / Fortunately I don't because 'That Thing' I just did is 2/3s paid for and it all fixed up now!

    This is a bargain but I've got bigger things going on right now.
    Hope this helps the OP find something cool though.
    :)
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  • NikkoNikko Frets: 1803
    Theres a nice looking RG1570Z in mystic blue for sale in my local shop. Quite tempting :)
    **Signature space available for a reasonable fee. Enquire within**
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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23962
    My local Pmt is getting a Blue Floral in tomorrow, so I'm going to try that before I decide.
    theyve usually got a Prestige or 2 as well so I can compare them.

    If my hamfisted, err, hands can't tell a difference, then I'll go with the one that looks like a tarts handbag!
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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11674
    Hard to believe no-one has posted this yet...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dceB3SKBw9w

    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • DLMDLM Frets: 2513

    My personal verdict so far is that the woods aren't as good as they used to be. :( Even on Prestiges.

    Finishing and detail is usually great, with some crazy-good setups.

    I played a SFG JEM (unplugged only, I think, not really being my thing) and though the wisdom is "that's not a JEM", it felt good. I think that's the only Premium I've tried.

    It's not rubbish wood, otherwise one would not hear much difference between an ash 652AHM and a blackwood/basswood 652K (I did), but they wouldn't do what my beaten-to-death old '91 550 does. Nor would the reissued RG770s (with block heels!).

    I dare say Jen Majura could now get a pricier Ibby to play with Evanescence than the "not-a-JEM" Indo-BFP, but I'm also not sure I'd set the most store by her verdict. Maybe it's a good one.

    I've seen a fair few folk say it's better to look for a battered old Green Dot than a new UV70P, but I don't know much about sevenstrings.

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  • Drew_TNBDDrew_TNBD Frets: 22445
    I have a premium that is a really good guitar. It's not quite for me as I prefer a 24.75" scale length, but I had to give it a go!
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  • AlnicoAlnico Frets: 4616
    DLM said:

    My personal verdict so far is that the woods aren't as good as they used to be. :( Even on Prestiges.

    Finishing and detail is usually great, with some crazy-good setups.

    I played a SFG JEM (unplugged only, I think, not really being my thing) and though the wisdom is "that's not a JEM", it felt good. I think that's the only Premium I've tried.

    It's not rubbish wood, otherwise one would not hear much difference between an ash 652AHM and a blackwood/basswood 652K (I did), but they wouldn't do what my beaten-to-death old '91 550 does. Nor would the reissued RG770s (with block heels!).

    I dare say Jen Majura could now get a pricier Ibby to play with Evanescence than the "not-a-JEM" Indo-BFP, but I'm also not sure I'd set the most store by her verdict. Maybe it's a good one.

    I've seen a fair few folk say it's better to look for a battered old Green Dot than a new UV70P, but I don't know much about sevenstrings.

    Why is an SFG considered "Not a Jem"?
    Is it because it's a lower price tag or is it that snobs consider the original Japanese ones to be the only 'Real' Jems and everything else is just a modern day copy?

    I've read somewhere on another forum that any of the Universe models that came after the original models are apparently very different and "A totally different playing experience"!

    How far back do you have to go to get a 'Real Jem' or a 'Real UV'?
    Is it something to do with the factory they were built in?
    I've heard a lot of good and bad things about J-Craft or Team J-Craft but then when I hear bad stuff about that it's confusing because I thought all the Japanese models were the good ones..........

    I'd love to find out about all of this.
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  • DLMDLM Frets: 2513

    @Alnico Yeah, the "not-a-JEM" thing started with the JEM 505/555/JR and basically comes down to Japanese = JEM

    The Indonesian (Premium) Universes have a very different vibrato system to the Japanese ones, especially the early ones.

    Picking through the Ibanez Rules website/Jemsite/Sevenstring/Metalguitarist selectively will get you a good overview. Rich Harris' forum posts are very informative on QC problems, he has to be seen as an authority IMO.

    Personally, I think that as soon as you want to use a vibrato system on a guitar, it becomes its heart, and had better be a good one. That means that it had better sound good and/or stay in tune (see Scott Henderson!). The Edge Zero is Ibanez current top-of-the-line system (outside the US, where they have patent infringement problems). I find my example frankly disappointing compared to my knackered old '91 Edge, which must be a German-made example. It works fine (though the feel is a bit different), but the metal is just not as hard. Moving metal parts wear and fail, its just a question of how fast. It's not as if we're not paying enough for the kit at current JEM/J-Custom prices.

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