ibanez rg550

[cheese0tron]

im getting one of my dads blue rg550 fixed
and i cant find the orginal price for it
is it a high quality guitar, how much is the orginal price, would you call it a cheap guitar?

[MetalHeadMat]

RG550? Cheap guitar as in price or original price or quality value?

I usually see them for $500 or a little less on the bay.
That was the Ibanez that got me into Ibanez's. So I tried a new one and hated it. I've only loved the old ones or the Prestige models, (hint hint ).

[VitaminG]

why do you need the original price? Are you planning on paying him the Recommended Retail Price for it?

[straycat]

A very odd Q

[DonP]

A very odd Q

+1

Cheesy,

I've never ever owned an Ibanez, but if I did, it would probably be a 550. I think it was one of Ibanez's most popular guitars for the everyday Joe.

[markD]

i bought a 550 for $799 in 1987. it was brand new. it was not a "cheap" guitar, nor was it an expensive guitar. it would be on par (quality and price) of an ibanez prestige 1550 these days.

[BenoA]

RG550 are awesome guitars. They were made in Japan. Bought 2 used last year, a 1989 (300$) and a 1992 (200$). Both were in somewhat good condition but with some battle scars.

Love the neck on those, thin and fast with good access to upper frets. IMO The Ibanez Edge on these are the best Floyd system out there.

[yellowv]

As said 550's went for about $800 new back in the day. At the time that made them an upper mid level guitar. They were and still are great guitars. Basically a poor mans Jem at that time.

[Big D]

Never had an original one, but RG 550 reissues are the bomb.

[MetalHeadMat]

Never had an original one, but RG 550 reissues are the bomb.

Warning: The picture below cannot be unseen. Proceed with caution.

Fixed.

Nice picture!

[Mazrim]

The RG550 is an exceptional guitar. A classic.
Well amde, good materials, great hardware and they play faster than light.
The only reason it is so affordable is because they made a lot of them and they are almost always available.
Ive owned about 5 of them down the years and I daresay I'll want one again before long.
I still own a '91 570 and its also a brilliant guitar. Late 80s early 90s were a great era for Ibanez. Any of the 5xx or 7xx series from this era were great and especially the 770DX. As good as any Jem Ive played or owned.

But basically if the 87-93 (for instance) RG550 was available today it would be considered a mid to high end shredder.
An affordable professional instrument.
They usually have a sparkling spanky tone. Plenty of bite and great for lead playing and recording. Suprisingly versatile though with great clean tones. DiMarzio Evo IIs and Tone Zones sound great in these things as a bridge pup but the stock V1 was very usable.


Things to look out for:
The Wizard necks were thin. Wicked fast but very thin. Look out for warpage to the neck.
People modded the fuck out of these guitars. Make sure you know what you're getting. Sometimes you get something better but not always.
They almost always have tarnished hardware on the trem and neck pocket plate. No beef. They often have crack in the paint near the neck pocket too. Dont let that put you off.
The Desert Yellow and Road Flare Red are (currently) the most desirable colours and can hold the value that bit more. They look great too.
They dont always have matching headstocks but its better if they do, again just from a value point of view and its not even that big a deal.
Some had rosewood boards but the majority (550M) will be maple.



Now shut up and just buy the damn guitar.

[QuantumRider]

Here's a pic of my Desert Yellow (that I still own) and my Jewel Blue (which I sold a couple of years ago).

Both with matching headstocks



I've since replaced the black volume/tone knobs and the PU selector switch on the DY RG550 with yellow ones.

[Big D]

Fixed.

Nice picture!

LOL. Don't be scared away by my hotness. I always feel just a little bit more special when rocking with a desert yellow RG and my 10 year old daughter's leopard jacket.

[Grandturk]

I miss my 770...

[Mazrim]

Me too. I had a Lazer blue 770DX in the early 90s.
I'll get one again at some point but god damn that guitar was awesome.