Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

NGD: 1998 Ibanez RG570 Iron Pewter

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • NGD: 1998 Ibanez RG570 Iron Pewter

    Back in June, I joined an Ibanez RG Series Fans group on Facebook. Learning more about the instrument and its history, along with seeing countless photos, really stimulated GAS. In addition, JCFer BenoA was influential in persuading me that good RGs were out there for very affordable prices in the Canadian used market. Finally, watching PixxyLixx's YouTube channel full of inexpensive Ibanez purchases (https://www.youtube.com/user/PixxyLixxx/videos) helped to tempt me further.

    About a week ago, I bought this 1998 RG570 (color: Iron Pewter; specs: http://ibanez.wikia.com/wiki/RG570_(1997%E2%80%932002)). Another nostalgic purchase for me since my first electric guitar was a black 1990 RG560 that in retrospect was likely a dud (it didn't play or sound too great compared to every guitar I've owned or played after it).

    At CAD$500 (USD$374.09) with a gigbag, not exactly a killer deal like my usual acquisitions, and nowhere near the bargain pricing that BenoA is famous for getting (CAD$300 or under), but fair enough considering this example is in near mint condition (two tiny dings on one of the corners on the front of the lower waist) and the vast majority of Ibanez guitars are overpriced on the used market (compare this to how many inexpensive Jackson/Charvel purchases I've made this year and all the deal alerts I've shared in the E-fraid of E-bay section).

    This RG570 plays incredibly and sounds stellar through my rig, so I'm of the minority who doesn't feel animosity towards the V7 and V8 stock pickups. Pinch harmonics are SOOOO easy to get on this guitar.

    1998 must be a magical guitar year for me because my Jackson Shannon Soloist, and a Taylor K14c I used to own, both from the same year, are also amazing instruments. Or it could just be a huge coincidence.

    Forgot to share photos of the neck heel and neck pocket, but the heel is stamped "ARG570" and the pocket is stamped "RG-507". Any idea why neither stamp is "RG570" as I would have expected? I don't imagine there are too many Ibanez experts here...

    My only complaints: The trem arm squeaks when it rotates, and it rotates freely (I prefer arms that I can fix at a desired angle). Maybe I should widen the plastic bushings on the arm for more friction.

    Minor observation #1: I've owned many trem-equipped guitars and they all only needed 3 springs to balance the strings. This is the first guitar that needed 4 springs, which baffles me. Any idea why? I'm using my usual D'Addario EXL110 (10-46) strings and tuned to standard just like many of my other guitars.

    Minor observation #2: I noticed the trem sustain block doesn't have the "block lock" which is the piece of steel that runs across the bottom of the sustain block to prevent the springs from popping out. I'm used to playing Original Floyd Roses which don't have them anyway, but found it odd this Original Edge didn't have one.

    I actually have more NGD photo threads to share since I went on a buying spree over the past several months and am slowly getting around to cleaning, setting up, and photographing each one. I just started with this RG570 since it excited me the most.

    Full sized images on my new Imgur account: http://notp1.imgur.com/



















    Last edited by Number Of The Priest; 08-12-2017, 03:27 PM.

  • #2
    very nice...i use 9-46 on all of mine and only need 3 springs...maybe those springs are worn out...yes you are in the minority lol i despise the v7/v8 but love the v1/v2 lol...d.m.
    http://www.mp3unsigned.com/Devane.ASP

    http://www.mp3unsigned.com/Torquestra.ASP

    Comment


    • #3
      Awesome NGD!!! I saw my nickname all over your post... lol

      Congratz my friend. Ibanez V7-V8 rocks big time. I love them, as they others I have in my RG550.

      Your NGD seem in better conditions than the one I managed to get.

      Edge squealing is a regular problem, you can use teflon tape under/over the bushings.

      Rock on!
      JB aka BenoA

      Clips and other tunes by BenoA / My Soundcloud page / My YouTube page
      Guitar And Sound (GAS) forum / Boss Katana Amps FB group

      Comment


      • #4
        Great score! MiJ Ibbies rock!

        Comment


        • #5
          Sweet! Love that color.
          I feel my soul go cold... only the dead are smiling.

          Comment


          • #6
            Those bubinga striped super thin 1997-2002 Wizard necks are the absolute best. I just love those things ! I don't like the newer necks on the newer "Prestige" Japanese models, wider and not as thin. I have no problem with the Ibanez V7/V8 pickups. They are much better than the stupid Duncan JB's Jackson is obsessed with putting in everything.

            Let me tell you another one to be on the lookout for: The 1998-2000 RG520QS. They are 2-hum, mahogany body with a quilt sapele maple top. They came in trans-blue and trans-brown. They also made like a dozen RG520QS-SOL's which are unfinished. I have 1 of each of the 3 of them.


            Comment


            • #7
              Thanks all. This guitar is such a guilty pleasure to play.

              Originally posted by BenoA View Post
              Edge squealing is a regular problem, you can use teflon tape under/over the bushings.
              Thanks! I wonder if the teflon would wear away. I've heard about another tip: Remove the bushings, apply a thin coat of nail varnish on the grooves, let it dry and harden, and snap the bushings back in place. The varnish will create a little bit more girth for the bushings, thus fixing the trem arm in place.

              Originally posted by lefty View Post
              MiJ Ibbies rock!
              My 1990 RG560 ("the dud") made me swear off the brand for more than decade, and it didn't help that there was a lot of Ibanez bashing on the JCF about a decade ago when this forum was very lively. I felt like I was letting one example cut off my nose to spite my face, which is too small a sample size by which to judge an entire company's offerings. With maturity comes a more open mind. Now I'm on the lookout for more Japanese Ibanez guitars. A local USRG30 was recently listed for under $2000 and it went quickly.

              Originally posted by toejam View Post
              Sweet! Love that color.
              I've grown to appreciate it! At a distance or from certain angles, it looks like a dull grey-blue overcast sky, but on closer inspection and other angles where the light hits it right, you can see there's a subtle sparkle.

              Originally posted by lepard View Post
              I have no problem with the Ibanez V7/V8 pickups. They are much better than the stupid Duncan JB's Jackson is obsessed with putting in everything.
              Not only that, but the Seymour Duncan Pickup Selector (http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup-selector-step-1) will try to force-feed you with the JB at every opportunity.

              The only issue (if it can even be considered one) with Ibanez stock pickups is that their bridge pickups are never trem-spaced! It's really just an aesthetic consideration, but still...

              Originally posted by lepard View Post
              Let me tell you another one to be on the lookout for: The 1998-2000 RG520QS. They are 2-hum, mahogany body with a quilt sapele maple top. They came in trans-blue and trans-brown. They also made like a dozen RG520QS-SOL's which are unfinished. I have 1 of each of the 3 of them.
              Any RG that deviates from the typical basswood body is appreciated and makes me sit up and take notice. I personally don't have anything against basswood but simply would ideally seek variety if I were to get another RG. I recently noticed a blue RG520QS for sale in Toronto (4h away from me) for the same price as my RG570, CAD$500 = ~USD$375, and I would have grabbed it if I lived closer.

              Someone on the Ibanez RG Fans Facebook group stripped and refinished their RG520QS to natural (to resemble the SOL one you own) and it REALLY brought out the beauty of the quilted sapele. Your SOL one really shows off the wood. What pickups do you have in that one? They're not the usual V7/V8 combo.

              Sapele is interesting to me considering I am most familiar with it as a body wood for the Taylor 300 Series and tonally sounds like mahogany.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Number Of The Priest View Post


                Any RG that deviates from the typical basswood body is appreciated and makes me sit up and take notice. I personally don't have anything against basswood but simply would ideally seek variety if I were to get another RG. I recently noticed a blue RG520QS for sale in Toronto (4h away from me) for the same price as my RG570, CAD$500 = ~USD$375, and I would have grabbed it if I lived closer.

                Someone on the Ibanez RG Fans Facebook group stripped and refinished their RG520QS to natural (to resemble the SOL one you own) and it REALLY brought out the beauty of the quilted sapele. Your SOL one really shows off the wood. What pickups do you have in that one? They're not the usual V7/V8 combo.

                Sapele is interesting to me considering I am most familiar with it as a body wood for the Taylor 300 Series and tonally sounds like mahogany.
                Yeah, the blue RG520QS models tend to haze over, over time and get to where you cannot really even see the quilt top. I've seen several people strip them and try to turn them into SOL models. You have to be super careful as the quilt sapele top is just a thin veneer. I've seen more screwed up than those that got it right. Mine is real SOL model, even says so in the neck pocket. The guys on the Ibanez forum said they only made like 12-15 of them. As for what pickups are in mine, hell I can't even remember right now. I got it that way. If you take an SOL model and then apply lemon oil to the top, they pop like crazy. Hard to tell in my crappy pic but the trans-brown is actually the way to go. It shows the top much better than the blue one. Sometimes you can pick up the trans-blue model cheaper because they haze over so much. I'll bet you could wet sand one of those with 2000 grit sandpaper and buff it back out to being able to see the top better.
                Last edited by lepard; 12-19-2016, 01:22 AM.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Stop you guys with your RG frenzy! lol

                  My last missed deal was the RG model with the piezo integrated into the Edge... 500$CAD...

                  And FWIW the stock PUs on the RG550 all sounds awesome... And the Dimarzio/Ibz ones in the RG750 do too!
                  JB aka BenoA

                  Clips and other tunes by BenoA / My Soundcloud page / My YouTube page
                  Guitar And Sound (GAS) forum / Boss Katana Amps FB group

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    uhhh...i own a 550, 3 570's (i think), 2 7 strings, a jem 7vwh, and a swirl...lol...d.m.
                    http://www.mp3unsigned.com/Devane.ASP

                    http://www.mp3unsigned.com/Torquestra.ASP

                    Comment

                    Working...
                    X