The RG series from Ibanez has been
around for a long time. Back in the 80’s Ibanez realized that a need to fit a
particular market niche existed. Guitarists were looking to stray from standard equipment
setups on guitars and were experimenting more with various pickup types and placements,
neck configurations, and after-market equipment. Many manufacturers at that time simply
didn’t offer what guitarists were looking for and one would have to often spend a
great deal of money to outfit and customize their guitar the way they wanted. Enter the RG
series from Ibanez.
The first RG out of the starting gate was equipped with 24 jumbo frets on a flatter,
more stable and comfortable neck. Pickups were the Vintage 7, Vintage 8 and Single Coil
high output models placed in strategic locations so that guitarists could get a myriad of
sounds by just changing the pickup selector. Also part of these guitars were locking
tremolos that would stay in tune even with aggressive playing styles. Ibanez even opened
up more of the fretboard by adding deep cutaways and an all access neck joint. What
excited and attracted guitarists back then are the same things that get their attention
today – all of these custom modifications are part of the factory guitar. In
addition, they’re all included in the price.
But Ibanez simply hasn’t sat on their laurels all of these years either. Numerous
enhancements to the basic features of the RG line have taken place and kept Ibanez ahead
of the curve in the stock guitar offering category. The 17mm Wizard neck has been upgraded
to be more strong and reliable, in addition to fast and comfortable to play. The upper
cutaway has been carved even deeper to allow people with large hands to also have easy
access to the upper frets. But that’s not all, Ibanez’s web site says "Pull
on the RG's locking trem and the G string 5th fret harmonic pulls up to a fifth. Push it
down and you can go down so low that the strings will flop. Will it stay in tune when it
comes back up? Absolutely. And in the rare times when tuning is needed, fine tuning
adjustments allow for quick and easy fine tuning. The RG definitely shreds and crunches.
.but that's not all. Just roll the volume back a little, kick in the neck pickup and
you'll get as smooth and warm a rhythm sound as a 59. Set the pickup position in 2 or 4,
and you'll get a nice twangy vintage single coil sound. But with no noise .Like we said,
the Ibanez RG is the guitar for the serious player .Are you serious? RG models feature
basswood bodies, that are consistently lightweight, with a warm, tight bass response and
smooth high-end. The smooth rounded heel area, without a neck plate allows for easier
upper fret access, while offering a stable neck to body joint."
Personally, I’m super pleased with my RG570. For someone with somewhat
"chubby" fingers, this thing is awfully easy to play. The neck is very thin and
wide – which is just how I like them. I am able to pull certain riffs off now that
would have given me hand cramps in the past. The action on this guitar is sweet, and fully
adjustable. I like my strings down low, like many other players and can play triplets
cleanly and effortlessly with minimal picking. After bringing the pickups up a little
closer to the strings, the sustain on this guitar has been amazing. Although the whole
thing is very light ( which typically will mute some sustain in my opinion ), its
adjustability let’s you go after the exact sound you’re looking for. The only
thing that has been a pain for me has been the double locking tremolo system. A licensed
Floyd Rose model, I made the mistake of changing strings when I first brought the guitar
home because I like to play with XL’s. Since I had no previous experience with one of
these tremolo systems, I didn’t know what was in store for me. Several hours later,
and after many claw adjustments in the spring cavity, it was finally in tune. I’ve
only changed the strings once since then, and after reading tips about how to do it on the
Internet, I’ve got the whole thing down to about an hour now. Still, it’s
probably recommended that you take the thing to a guitar shop to make sure that the
tremolo system is set for the type of strings you want to play with and then when
you’re changing them, change them one at a time bringing each one in tune before
changing the next. Oh yeah, and this axe also comes standard with Gotoh SG-38 die cast
tuners. Amazing!
Once you get this thing in tune, prepare to be amazed at the things you can do to the
guitar without knocking the strings out of tune. I’ve been able to slam the bar down,
crank it way out, and pretty much dangle the guitar by the tremolo bar and still stay in
tune. I don’t recommend you try this at home ( and wear protective eyewear if you do
), but I’m simply amazed at the quality of the Edge tremolo system Ibanez put in this
thing. I know that there are tons of other manufacturers out there that use Floyd Rose
licensed tremolo technology, but for Ibanez to include one on this guitar, and still
manage to keep the costs down is simply impressive.
Bottom Line:
The RG series from Ibanez have an MSRP of about $820. I’ve seen them on the street
for around $600, so you can imagine what a deal these fine guitars are. I would highly
recommend them. If you’re not one of those guitarists who’s just set on getting
yourself a Strat or Les Paul, you’d be doing yourself a big favor by checking out the
RG lineup from Ibanez. All of the customized features are wrapped up into one package.
It’s no wonder guitar greats like Joe Satriani and John Petrucci have been spotted
playing Ibanez guitars.
The specs for the RG 570 are listed below:
