# Ibanez Apex2



## shadowsea (Oct 19, 2010)

Thinking about getting an ibanez apex2. I like the idea of string through design for a 7. I've heard the original k-7s are better, as far as sound and feel go. 

I see em new for around $800. Worth the money?


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## Sepultorture (Oct 19, 2010)

very much worth the money

the TOM bridge on it as quite comfortable for a TOM

very moddable, pups that it came with were OK, but not great, BKP C-Pig in the bridge is nice a tasty for death metal, locking tuners, might get string saver saddles for the TOM bridge.

stock it comes great, but i's a fun guitar to mod. me thinks it needs a new paint job


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## Duke318 (Oct 19, 2010)

I like the green paint on it. It's a nice guitar for sure, very comfortable neck, especially compared to the schecter 7 strings I've played. I had a bareknuckle warpig in the bridge, and it was too dark and muddy for my tastes. Painkillers would probably suit that guitar the best. 

Also, I'd recommend a fret level on it. Most import guitars have less than stellar fretwork in my experience. The one I had needed one for sure. 

You should be able to find one used for around $500 or so.


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## toiletstand (Oct 19, 2010)

i was lucky enough to pick up an apex from duke318. I've had it for about two months ad i haven't picked up any of my other guitars since.


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## toiletstand (Oct 19, 2010)

woops make that apex2*

tried to edit my post but for some reason i was unable to.


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## aslsmm (Oct 19, 2010)

im goning to get one at some point, i have heard only good things abut them. one just sold on the bay for 400ish dollars, i personally love the paf7 sound.


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## ZXIIIT (Oct 19, 2010)

Definitely worth it,
TOM 7 string with a mahogany body?
WIN.


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## shadowsea (Oct 19, 2010)

cool, i agree with the idea of loading barenuckles in one. though i thought that the choice of stock pups was, how should i put this, unique? Especially since 90% of every main brand 7 is stock with emg707s or 707 imitations. I've never had the pleasure of experiencing first hand ,as of yet mind you, a PAF-7 or (Anything) Barenuckle. so i cant go into much detail about sound, though from what i've heard i have a pretty clear picture of whats to be expected. See comparison:

Dimarzio PAF-7:







Barenuckle Warpig: 






Now dont get me wrong i'm a man to respect all colors of the tonal spectrum in my pups - vintage to hioutput, this more compares the output differences between the two. One being obviously more than the other. Again have yet to play first hand either one.
For the ethics - kittehs > Bombs 

Two other questions for Apexers out there:

Ive noticed that the Apex2 is an indonesian build, and i've heard that indo ibbys tend to share in lack luster setups especially concerning the fretwork. Is this true or simply rumor? And how was your apex2 set up?

If i did want to change that paint job, best way to go about doing that? And how could i keep the ibby logo whilist paint the headstock and body?
Tape the logo off and paint around would be my inital thought, more experienced opinions welcomed. ^_^


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## jymellis (Oct 19, 2010)

nice choice, i love ibanez. i personaly never worry about a pup swap till i have played the guitar for a while and decided i cant dial in a tone i like.or just want something a little more out of the guitar. indonesian ibanez guitars are by NO means bad.they are still a high quality instrument and better than most comaperative brands (in my opinion).

i set up every guitar i get like its brand new with no strings. while im doing this i also fix any fret ends or issues i see i may have down the road. this doesnt matter where the ibanez was made.granted most of my mij ibanez dont need as much as a few of the indos i have owned. but your not gonna get an unplayable guitar  

whether or not its "better" than say an mij 7620 or 7420 is really up to you anyways  most people sand and paint the headstock, or just sand and oil. then buy replacement logos from egay (no offence).


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## bostjan (Oct 19, 2010)

I've only dinked around on one, but it didn't really grab me. The aethetic and the unique bridge were plusses for me, but I think Ibanez does a good job at making their more standard bridges...

Being a music superstore display model, the guitar was probably more mistreated than any used guitars on eBay, but I was pretty underwhelmed by the workmanship for a signature guitar- not as bad as OLP, of course, but the whole thing kinda felt like an RG7321 to me.

I thought the guitar looked really cool, and I'm sure that a less abused model with a proper setup would be a decent axe, although the price was not bostjan-approved.


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## shadowsea (Oct 19, 2010)

@jymellis
Thanks for the info jy! glad to hear the indo setups are managable. Replacement logos? hmmm... for what ever reason i thought that ibby logos were inlayed into the headstock, At least that appears to be the case with my prestige. Are standard ibby logos just decals?

@bostjan
*gasps* The utterance of "RG7321" in this thread was the LAST thing i wanted to hear. 

Yes, i'm sure your experience could have benefited greatly from test driving a new one at home rather than going to shop and playing a highly used (and abused) floor model.

I realized right off that it was the lower priced model of the apex line, so i assumed naturally that it would miss more/less the quality of the apex1. 

Heres an example of my logic:
with the jem505 vs. the jem7v, the only real differences sonically are the pickups (evos for 7v) and (v7/s1/v8) for 505 and an alder body for the 7v instead of the basswood for the 505. Also the 505 has a maple fretboard instead of rosewood. Really though if we analyse this we know that basswood and alder bodies and maple and rosewood fingerboards offer distinctive tonal qualities that are not nessecarily positives or negatives. They are neutral factors that are more governed by the players taste. I personally like maple (offered on the 505) as it is very easy on the eyes and offers a bright tone.

It is worth in this case to say that i've heard by some sources that alder is supreme to basswood, in the sense that it lasts longer/ holds up better and that basswood can be warped if you have a constant high tension from playing heavy gauge (.013 - 60) stings. I personally have not confirmed these facts. and i've seen various high end guitars crafted out of basswood think steve vai's UV777 - nuff said. Maybe someone could mythbust these rumors for me? lol

continuing with this train of thought we see that the only real limiting factor between the jem7v and the jem505 comes from the pickups. So, whats the price variance? 
Jem7v New: 2,599 usd

Jem505 New: 1,499 usd

we see that the price differs a staggering 11 hundred dolla. for what? Mainly cosmetics. A VINE, GOLD H/W, AND 3 EVOS

Now my point i'm making is that sometimes the cheaper price signature models are actually DEALS. but if we're talking about the Apex2 like hurrr we paint the 7321 in green and make it a siggy...i get concerned lol

Plz continue with discussion ^____^


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## shadowsea (Oct 19, 2010)

^ yeah bored at work, slow day. anyway.


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## pero (Oct 19, 2010)

I have the apex2 . It`s a great instrument for that price. 
Don`t know why people are comparing it to 7321 because their only similarity is the RG body shape. They are different guitars, they have different body wood, different neck, different bridge and different PU.

So, on with my impressions 
When I got it, I only lowered the strings because they were a little bit too high for my taste.
I also changed the B string to 060 
If you`re keeping the factory tuning you should probably change the whole string set because the standard ones are too floppy . 
It keeps in tune well, so you don`t need to go off and spend money on locking tuners.
The finish is good, it`s not perfect but I`m satisfied. You can feel some minor irregularities in the paintjob but nothing serious.
Pickups are great sounding, I would consider putting something with a little more output in the bridge in the future, but that`s not a priority (I`m playing mostly with the neck pickup anyway). But pickups are just a matter of personal preference.

Anyways, overall I`m very happy with my Apex2. I picked up mine for about 750Euros (hardcase included)
So if you thinking of buying it, I recommend it.


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## 308sc (Oct 26, 2010)

Great guitars, I really need to get one. I love TOM bridges


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## Sepultorture (Oct 26, 2010)

i have a ceramic Warpig in the bridge on my Apex 2 and it is definitely darker lower mid range grind sounding, but muddy is not a word i'd use for the combo of that pickup and this guitar

as for the frets, i ended pw itha pretty damn excellent quality frets on mine, but the bridge i setup to my liking, and i'm not keen on A tuning, so i adjusted it slightly for Bflat (A#), the stock tuners were good, but i threw on some locking ones, and i've been thinking about either getting a Tonepros TOM with graphtech saddles, or upping the anty and getting a buddy of mine to plug up the bridge route and string through holes, and putting a hipshot hardtail bridge on it and getting new string thru holes drilled for it


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## aslsmm (Oct 26, 2010)

i like paf7's. i loved my k7, and ive only heaard good things about the apex2, the biggest turn off for me is the "apex" on te 12th frett. i wish it was blank or some cool uniqe design.


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## ChrisWFTS (Dec 9, 2010)

I have owned both a rg7321 and currently an apex2. They are not at all the same. With higher quality wood (and Im not just saying that because its mahogany), better pickups, and better hardware they are definitely different guitars. Yes they do share in common the same neck but honestly if you were to invest the money in an rg7321 you could make it sound pretty badass. My only complaint is how bland it looks. Im not into crazy neon swirls or anything I just think maybe some binding or offset inlays could have spiced it up a bit.


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## henkebarn (Feb 11, 2012)

Hi. First post here. 

I currently play Les Pauls (Gibson LP Traditional and ESP Eclipse) with EMGs in it, but I want to try a seven string. Is there a reason to beleive that I will be disappointed with the build quality of the Apex 2s? 

I want a seven string with a fixed bridge and I think that Ibanez are the best bang for the buck when it comes to sevens, right?


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## McBonez (Feb 16, 2012)

Are you saying that because it isn't American or Japanese made? The fact that you had to state this lead me to believe that - Yes.

Ibanez churns out some amazing guitars for amazing prices.


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## 7stringDemon (Feb 18, 2012)

henkebarn said:


> Hi. First post here.
> 
> I currently play Les Pauls (Gibson LP Traditional and ESP Eclipse) with EMGs in it, but I want to try a seven string. Is there a reason to beleive that I will be disappointed with the build quality of the Apex 2s?
> 
> I want a seven string with a fixed bridge and I think that Ibanez are the best bang for the buck when it comes to sevens, right?


 
Awesome guitar. I say TRY and play one first (seatch local cragslist to see who has one and ask them if you can try it) but if you can't I'd still recommend getting one. Seriously awesome axe. And don't let the PAF7's scare you off. No, they're not built for metal but they're still DAMN good pickups.


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## henkebarn (Feb 18, 2012)

You know what? I got myself an LTD SC607B instead. It will peobably arrive on tuesday. Hopefully it will be awesome.


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