I think I'm going to sell my Ibanez RG550.

Mark Wein

Mark Wein

Grand Poobah
Staff member
It never gets played, I really don't dig the super skinny neck and maybe someone who will enjoy the guitar will buy it. If it weren't orange I'd consider using it as a platform for a project but I just can't get past the color.

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Don't know. Its a 1989 which I guess would make it worth a little money but it's got the dings in it. Original hard case, wrenches and even the booklet. It's a really resonant body and sound great acoustically. I was just playing it after I took these pictures and realized that it's a great guitar for this sort of instrument but if I have a shredder guitar it needs to be something I can take to a gig and the color is killing me. I'm going to look on eBay in a sec and see what people are asking...

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I would stuff dollar bills in that guitar's G string as it gave me a full-contact lap dance in the Champagne Room.
 
Just found this:

http://reviews.ebay.com/Ibanez-RG550-Pricing_W0QQugidZ10000000002274141

Ibanez RG550
The mighy RG550, the reason people love it because it's the closest alternative for the JEM7V, at least for me, I turned a RG550 into a very cool JEM-a-like, not just the look, but the sound, I replaced the pickups with all DiMarzio Evo, and the mutli-wire pickup selector switch, that's about it. It sounds great, since I only paid $500 for the guitar, and another $220 for the pickups, and switch. Which gives me $820 for the JEM's sound, compare to a 7V is usually selling above $1,500, that's a nearly 50% savings. There is one more advantage about the RG550 too, its present...understated, which makes it a "cool" guitar, JEM is a good guitar, but not a "cool" guitar...just too many people are buying them......it is a bit like buying a BMW M3, it is a stunning car, but the people buying them think they are cool, which makes them uncool....you know what I mean?...
Ibanez was very carefully when they were designing the RG550, they need to make sure the quality is near the high-end Ibanez guitars, and JEM series. And also make sure there is not alternative for the RG550 in their own products, so you don't even see the same color on RG550 is also on RG450. RG550 has a thicker pickguard, they even added a jacket plate in the back, and a different neck pocket. They want you to feel like this is very speical.....
Near New Condition: These kinds of RG550 are pretty rare. Get it around $800 - $1000 would be a reasonable offer, but if you find yourself paying over $800, make sure it is the one you really like, because you are kind of paying a little over the market value, and make sure the one you buy is come with a case.
70% - 80% New Conditin: Most of RG550 falls into this categloy, $500 - $600 is OK, get it home, and clean it up, take good care of it.
50% - 60% New Condition: That means you are dealing with problems, again, make sure you know how to fix it, RG550 is very worth to fix it up, get it under $350
Pool Condition: Again, if you are a pro, you know how to fix guitar, this kind of project would make you some extra bucks, if you resell them afer restoration.
Pre-90: All the RG550 made before 1990 are rare, some good condition ones can easier goes up to $1000, see one. Don't let go.
Good luck

Kenvai
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This is a hard call. The guitar sounds great as evidenced here:

markwein, Prages, Dexter Inferno and Micwalt:
Still of the Night

It looks like shit though with the dings and the wear on the neck. Plays great too even with 2 year old strings on it :embarrassed:
 
paulskirocks said:
Just let us know... A shredder guitar is something I lack, and want...
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Here's one with a replacement neck for $575: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1987-Ibanez...k-/110745125547?pt=Guitar&hash=item19c8ec82ab

I'd probably do $450 for one of you guys on the forum. It's a great shredder guitar but I think it's resale value is limited by the dings in the body. I actually got it in trade for a speaker cabinet and a few old pedals so thats probably about what I have into it.
 
I love my Jem7RB, and I think the comparison to the RG550 makes a lot of sense. The original Jem series models have an even thinner neck profile than the old RGs, but they are very, very similar instruments. I think the PAF pro pickups in the old Jems are a lot better than the old Ibanez RG models, but I think the ibanez pickups get a bit of a bad rap, as they are not as bad as people often say (at least to my ears). The original ibanez edge is, in my book, about the best floyd rose trem variant ever made.

One thing to consider is to cruise ebay for a different color replacement body. I think there is also a fairly active aftermarket for replacement bodies for these, but that might add a lot more cost. Just be careful to avoid the newer all access neck joint models, as they will not fit your neck.
 
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Tiltsta said:
I love my Jem7RB, and I think the comparison to the RG550 makes a lot of sense. The original Jem series models have an even thinner neck profile than the old RGs, but they are very, very similar instruments. I think the PAF pro pickups in the old Jems are a lot better than the old Ibanez RG models, but I think the ibanez pickups get a bit of a bad rap, as they are not as bad as people often say (at least to my ears). The original ibanez edge is, in my book, about the best floyd rose trem variant ever made.

One thing to consider is to cruise ebay for a different color replacement body. I think there is also a fairly active aftermarket for replacement bodies for these, but that might add a lot more cost. Just be careful to avoid the newer all access neck joint models, as they will not fit your neck.
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I'm thinking that I'd really rather sell this one and use the money towards my warmoth rebuild though. I actually need a second "super strat" for gigs but can't afford another Suhr at this point.
 
I'd be all over that if it were a shorter scale.

I'm actually thinking of buying a Fender Jaguar (24" scale)...one of the el-cheapo $500 ones, or maybe a black Blacktop model, and then getting a Warmoth maple f/b neck for it, maybe new pickups, and turning it into a metal machine. :rawk:

Someone talk me out of it :facepalm:
 
jaxn slim said:
Daaaang. It was fun reliving your youth for a little while, though, huh?
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for about 3 weeks it was a blast :embarrassed:

Jbird said:
I'd be all over that if it were a shorter scale.

I'm actually thinking of buying a Fender Jaguar (24" scale)...one of the el-cheapo $500 ones, or maybe a black Blacktop model, and then getting a Warmoth maple f/b neck for it, maybe new pickups, and turning it into a metal machine. :rawk:

Someone talk me out of it :facepalm:
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I'm actually going to turn my black Warmoth into something of a Guthrie Govan copy over time...
 
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