Ibanez RG Entry Level vs Prestige | What does an extra $1000 get you?

The Ibanez RG range of guitars are modern classics. I travelled to Promusic in Kärnten, Austria to find out what the differences are between a €400 model and a €1400 model?

𝗜𝗭𝗢𝗧𝗢𝗣𝗘 𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗢 𝗦𝗢𝗙𝗧𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗘 (𝗨𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗠𝗬 𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗢𝗦)

𝗠𝗬 𝗔𝗠𝗣 𝗦𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗥

𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗬𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗦𝗨𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗟

𝗖𝗔𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗔 𝗚𝗘𝗔𝗥
🎬 Final Cut X to edit

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦
00:00 Intro
00:29 Ibanez RG421PB-CHF First Look
02:18 Ibanez RG652AHMFX-RPB First Look
05:43 Distortion Sounds
08:53 Cleanish Sounds
10:12 Fuzz Sounds
12:17 The details
15:05 More Distorted Sounds
18:48 What do you get for 1000 more?
24:30 The sad truth

𝗠𝗬 𝗦𝗢𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗔 𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗞𝗦

𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗜𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗦
𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙙𝙚, 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙜𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙄 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪!
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨.

#theguitargeek #Promusic #TheGuitarGeekOnTour

[Zara-ixuk]

I did a big upgrade from beginner guitar to Prestige. At first I was going to get a cheaper model, but I decided to save up and go for prestige. I had the opportunity to try the cheaper RG recently and let me tell you, Prestige is far superior and I don't regret a bit getting it!! It just sounds and feels fantastic! Go for Prestige if you can

[dalepal]

Out of those Ibanezes I prefer the Prestige but my wallet prefers the RG.

[ProMusic-at]

thank you for visiting our shop. It was very funny and I also made a new friend along the way. i look forward to future sessions. Keep on rockin' Andy!

[StickerBookSO]

The mad thing is that the 421 isn't even entry level, the Gio series is.

I've had a great time with my GRG and for around £180, there's a lot of guitar in there. Compare it to my Player Telecaster and the feeling is a whole world apart. I think the law of diminishing returns is true, but the Prestige model is probably worth every bit of money.

[cliffordcarey]

I own a RG 421 and it's my favorite guitar I've ever owned. I'm 49 and been playing since 15 and owned over 20 guitars i8 my life and Ibanez RG models are my favorite of all time .

[fredwolfmusic]

I definitely prefer the logical Ibanez numbered naming system over other brands random word system that tells you nothing about what it is and where it sits in the range .

[timkopp]

Long time Ibanez fan here. The entry level models are great bang for the buck imho. Great platform for upgrading as well. The Prestige level models are where the professional instruments begin. Both suitable for the large majority of us weekend players.

[mickavoidant]

421 has ceramic pickups a poplar burl top, meranti body, maple neck with jatoba board; and 652 has alnico pickups, ash body, maple/walnut neck with birdseye maple board, if we're to believe Ibanez website. The 5way switch is:
1 bridge humbucker
2 both as singles
3 both humbuckers
4 neck humbucker in parallel
5 neck humbucker

[callmesubby]

The way Ibanez name their guitars is actually a lot better than every other major company imo.

My fender has some really simple name and it doesn’t even say it on the back of the headstock, so when I try to look it up to see what it’s worth (I want to sell it) I can’t even find the same one. Also trying to look up information on it is difficult because people either get the name wrong or don’t bother even using it.
Same for the Gibson sg I used to own, Gibson made so many sg’s over so many years, trying to find anything about that guitar specifically was like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Since Ibanez’ system is naming their guitars basically like a serial number, it’s incredibly easy to find all the information you need on one specific model. For example, if you type in the specific Ibanez you’re looking for on reverb or sweet water, you will find it if it’s there. Whereas if you’re trying to find a specific fender, Gibson, Schecter, etc; you’ll type in whatever you’d think the name is and you’ll get loads of results filled with similar guitars with similar names with the correct one *may* be in there

[Barbarapape]

I have 5 Ibanez guitars from entry level Gio upto a made in Japan 7V
They do get better as you go up the range, but only to a point.
I bought most of them many years ago, the Japan made ones are
highly desirable but are now very expensive.
Great guitars that are easy to play thanks to their wide radius slim necks.

[goodcruisin]

I just bought the 421 last night. I have a pretty good selection of Ibanez to begin with. Haven't had a chance to mess with it too much... So, I'm glad I came across this video.
My pride and joy is my premium rg1070pbz which rivals a few prestige models💪🎸😎

[dylano]

Two great looking and sounding Ibanezes. I do think that overall the 652 did sound a bit better, but the 421 sounded great, particularly the dirtier stuff. So for an extra grand, you get a more versatile, finely tuned instrument. The 421 seems like a stupidly good option for an affordable rock/metal guitar, especially if you give it a little tlc.

[alexandersoren]

I own both an old Prestige (RG 1620x) and a much cheaper RG 42 fm. They both sound great, but every time I grab the Prestige it feels like I'm driving a Lexus. I can't explain the difference but it is there. Everything about it is top-notch.

[speedwell]

I own an RG 421 and it’s a beauty!

Having said that, I’ve owned a few Ibanez guitars and every one has been exceptional, for the price, no better guitar available, the feel of them is soooo good at every price point

[vancesnyder]

The Prestige seems better to me in all aspects although the entry level Ibanez is a great guitar. Also the paint job and the fact that the Japanese are renown for their craftsmanship and great attention to detail. Plus the quality of wood. You get what you pay for. As far as playability, both guitars seem really good. And you said it yourself, the neck is so important-it is one of the most important things to me.

[ScottK]

Welcome to the world of Ibanez where no matter what level you purchase you can never go wrong. Ibanez is the best hands down.

[nOpOrOpMoP]

The prestige model fit and finish is better and the neck is thinner. Also the neck is more stable on the prestige. Feels more solid in your hand. I have several prestige models and several other RG models that are lesser expensive. All great guitars though.

[tomdameek]

Ok I changed my mind l. In FB I picked the purple but up close and personal I much prefer the blue and inexpensive one. Some reasonable mods would bring it up to the sound and playability of the expensive one. The 652 is beautiful but there’s something special about the 421. Another fascinating video Andy. Cheers!!!

Ibanezesss

[yahua]

Hey just wanted to say that I discovered you the other day with your review of the RG5121 (which I ended up buying from Reverb after watching your video) and I love your reviews and general attitude regarding gear. It's not often that people are willing admit the true narrowness of the gap between a lot of modern "levels" of instruments. You've helped give me confidence in the decision to go with a more high end instrument but also recognize that "mid level" guitars can very much have a place in my collection of "high end" IBANEZES.

[rtsmudge]

Both great guitars. The Caribbean Burl is extremely nice but there’s just something about that purple with the maple fretboard that really just grabs me by the eyeballs and screams ‘Give up eating food and buy me dammit!’ Or something like that.