Ibanez RG2027XVV

2000 Ibanez RG2027XVV.




Features -

Mahogany body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard. 24 frets, dual humbuckers. This guitar is loaded with features, and is the reason I bought this in the first place.

• 7-Strings
• Piezo bridge
• Floating trem
• Stereo output
• 5-way pickup switching (neck, neck parallel, both, "quack" mode - 1 coil both pickups, and bridge)
• Strap locks
• AANJ

Put all that together with the beautiful finish and nice woods, and it's a winner.


Sound -

I give this a 4 out of 5 using the stock pickups, which aren't bad, but are not on par with decent aftermarket pickups. The mahogany body sounds warm and rich, with a real solid attack, and a pleasant growl,regardless of the pickups used. Very loud and alive, with a warm, smoky resonance unplugged. The piezo simply rules, and is an addition I value tremendously. It doesn't sound like a real mic'd acoustic (unless you use something like a Yamaha Stomp, which models/simulates an acoustic, which I do ) but it sounds very pleasant and acoustic-like regardless. A pleasant tonal alternative, and beats trying to change guitars in the middle of a set or a song! With custom Dimarzio pickups installed, my personal 2027 is a 5 out of 5 easily.


Action, Fit & Finish -

Anyone who has played a RG2027 will probably attest to this as well - this guitar is one of the nicest playing production 7's ever made. The RG2027 is a Prestige instrument, which means the neck is hand finished in the final stages. It comes with a wonderful satin finish (which I sanded and re-sealed with a combination of tung oil and satin poly sealer. Works great, but the original was great, too), and the neck pocket, fret dressing, and action/playability are all top-notch. The guitar is a breeze to play.

As for the finish, it's a beautiful orange-ish/red, called Vintage Violin (because it resembles the finish on some old violins), then clear-coated. The clear is rather delicate, however, and chips fairly easily around the edges. Generally, though, this just adds character.


Reliability -

I've had the guitar for almost 6 years now, and I've had zero issues, through constant playing. Neck is perfect, wiring is terrific, wear is minimal. The guitar still looks and plays like a champ. A total tank.


Customer Support -

This is Ibanez here. I don't think they even know what customer support is. It has a (1?) year warranty, as long as you keep the guitar stock.


Overall -

One of the best production guitars ever made, in my opinion. The sound, looks (every time a guitar player sees the guitar, they are blown away), feel, playability, versatility, and quality make this guitar a winner. I can't see why it was only produced for such a short time. It really is terrific.