# NGD: Ibanez RG721-CNF Premium (Natural finish goodness)



## simonXsludge

So here it is, the RG721 Premium with the sonokeling top. Now sonokeling is just another word for Indian rosewood as far as I'm concerned, but yeah...

It is my first non-trem Ibanez in a few years and changing strings was actually fun, hahaha. The guitar is very lightweight and just really looks super nice. The creme binding adds a nice and classy touch to it and the whole look compliments the RG shape perfectly. The built-quality is really solid and apart from two tiny dents on the fretboard, I couldn't find any flaws. Those really don't bother me, because the fretboard itself is a stunner. I like the bridge a lot and the guitar is very loud acoustically.

The action on this thing is sky high, so I can't really play it right now. I will have my tech do a pro setup for me, maybe switch the nut for a GraphTech nut and the stock pups for a pair of DiMarzios. FredTheShred recommended a ToneZone for the bridge with a 1000k pot to me. I might give that one a shot.

On to the photos:




















































*/Edit: *Semi-hardcase the guitar comes with in the EU.





Enjoy!


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## Marv Attaxx

At first I thought it was a Blackmachine 
Beautiful guitar!
Happy NGD Simon


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## IbanezDaemon

Ohhhh Yeaahhhh!! Man that is sweet!!! Really beautiful Ibby. Congratz!!!


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## Ghost40

O.M.G.!!!!!111111oneone!!!


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## Michael T

WOW !! damn these are looking nicer & nicer. I need some extra cash BAD !!


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## Marv Attaxx

And they're quite "cheap" 
665 Euro only!


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## Underworld

FUCK. I need one. Pretty badass if you ask me!


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## Elijah

Nice, I didn't even know these existed. Europe only, I'm assuming. Is that mahogany under that top?


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## BucketheadRules

Whoa!

Now I don't know if I want a Jackson any more... seriously, that RG is _that _tasty-looking  I've been set on that green SLXT for months, but now... oh, I don't know any more. 

HNGD, that thing is SERIOUSLY nice.


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## s4tch

^Body is american basswood.

Today I just saw one of these on ebay and I thought that this might be the first Ibby that I'd buy new. It looks terrific, it's bolt-on, made of fine woods, it has a fixed bridge, so it's all made for me. I'm expecting an update from Simon after the setup is done. Happy NGD in the meantime.


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## 7stringDemon

Fucking Europians 

All we get are Quilted Maple vaneers.


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## s4tch

^But you can find a used RG7620 or a Jackson DKMGT for $300 in the States, which is at least &#8364;400 in Europe.  Let's just swap homes, man.


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## 7stringDemon

s4tch said:


> ^But you can find a used RG7620 or a Jackson DKMGT for $300 in the States, which is at least &#8364;400 in Europe.  Let's just swap homes, man.


 
Sure thing man! My6 economy and country is going to shit!

Idea time!!! Let's all go to Norway! I *heard* that they're doing pretty well over there.


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## simonXsludge

I guess us Europeans got lucky, at least with the Premium range. I mean, the quilted ones with the maple fretboards are awesome and the S Premiums seem to be pretty cool, too.

On the other hand I just remember how many times I was like _"Why do these Americans get all the cool Ibbys?"_.


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## NeglectedField

JESUS CHRIST WHY DID I NEVER HEAR ABOUT THIS GUITAR???!!!

Definitely on my want list.


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## Clydefrog

It's been a VERY long time since there was an RG that I wanted... but this is now on my list.

Darn USA.


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## noUser01

That's amazing... as much as I am against most Ibanez guitars (never got along with Ibby as a brand, just a couple models) I'm finding more and more Ibanez guitars I want. All of them Prestige unfortunately... haha! Gorgeous guitar, I'm extremely jealous.


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## Watty

You may have just shown me a production guitar I would gladly pay full price for....

*takes a peek at bank account*


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## Mysticlamp

i came


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## yellowv

Holy shit that thing looks badass. Are those Euro only models?


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## gunch

What a stunner!


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## Horizongeetar93

ibanez....you done good. love this guitar!


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## jordanky

This is the first Ibanez I've wanted in a long time.


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## GXPO

yellowv said:


> Holy shit that thing looks badass. Are those Euro only models?


 
Euro/Jap only (I think), no UK either. You can still get them in the UK/US online but I expect they won't be showing up in stores. 

Having said that I've never been so sure about getting a guitar on aesthetics alone in my life. I was really hoping it had a 3 way switch, 8 inch neck radius and a body made of plywood so I wouldn't have to bust my credit card out... but it looks legit for £500. 

Sweetwater have some online for the US it seems.


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## oracles

That thing is gorgeous! HNGD man!


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## rockstarazuri

Nice! Blackmachine-ish to me too! HNGD!

Hows the quality compared to Prestiges?


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## guitarister7321

Smashing!


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## drjeffreyodweyer

Really nice! The binding and the bridge isnt for me.. I think a normal hipshot bridge wouldve looked better


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## Evil Weasel

Do want. I know I just got a custom to replace my favourite Ibanez but that thing is ridiculous. I am not too sure about price though. Compared to my custom which is pretty similar it just doesn't seem good value once the pickups are changed. Still see if I can shift some gear though!


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## mpsk

just outstanding guitar,


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## simonXsludge

rockstarazuri said:


> Hows the quality compared to Prestiges?


Well, Prestiges are better guitars. It's my second Premium, though, and I think you easily get what you pay for. The fretwork is great, they look fancy, the craftmanship is very solid and all that makes for a good guitar for the price. I think in most regards, they are quite comparable to the LTD Deluxe series. I'm pretty sure that was the plan with the Premium series anyways.

Most of the time I can't really comment on a guitar all too much, until it's set up right, so I can't really say more about it right now honestly.


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## Evil Weasel

Does anyone know just how 'limited edition' these are? Just giving the model a quick google all the US sites selling it have it listed as that so wonder if it is the same scenario for the EU. I have other gear priorities before getting a new guitar so hoping these don't sell too quickly!


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## simonXsludge

One thing I just realized when looking at the Sweetwater website is, that those Premiums seem to come with regular gigbags in the US. We get some pretty cool semi-hardcases with a Premium tool and what not:







The street price for the guitar in the US is 699$ and we pay the same in Euros over here (about 870$), though.


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## Jarmake

Holy mother of pancakelovers! Now I want to sell my ltd ec-1000 so badly and order one of these! Happy NGD mate!


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## isispelican

fuck


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## Viginez

i like that fretboard


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## Ghost40

I was saving up for something else, but after this thread, I dropped the hammer on one...


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## cwhitey2

Holy shit HNGD!


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## DjentDjentlalala

Looks elegant and classy.


FUCKING AWESOME SIMON


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## Andromalia

Damn, I said "no more Ibanez"... Tempting for the price. How's that new bridge of theirs ? And where did you buy it ? Nothing on Thomann or Music store


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## Forrest_H

Looks great, HNGD!


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## Edika

Beautiful guitar and awesome fretboard. It's like a wave! Nice score man!


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## simonXsludge

Andromalia said:


> Damn, I said "no more Ibanez"... Tempting for the price. How's that new bridge of theirs ? And where did you buy it ? Nothing on Thomann or Music store


I have an artist relationship with Ibanez, so I got it straight from the distributor (Meinl).

This store has them: shop2rock online - IBANEZ RG-721 RW-CNF Premium 80016794


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## Andromalia

*Product not found!*

Sorry, we did not find a product matching your search request

:'(


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## simonXsludge

That is weird. Maybe it only works in Germany?


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## pylyo

holy fuckin' fuck 

am I missing something here? Candid camera I guess...


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## Andromalia

shitsøn;3135149 said:


> That is weird. Maybe it only works in Germany?


Possibly I'm in France and I tried to nudge the site to give it to me and nothing. It's not for sale on any french site I have access to. Oh well. thanks fro trying anyway.


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## s4tch

Andromalia said:


> Possibly I'm in France and I tried to nudge the site to give it to me and nothing. It's not for sale on any french site I have access to. Oh well. thanks fro trying anyway.



Same thing for me with the German shop, but you can have it on ebay anyway:
IBANEZ RG-721 RW-CNF Premium E-Gitarre RG721 inkl. Zubehör | Neu Freihaus | eBay
&#8364;700 with buy it now, AND you can offer a lower price, too. Damn.


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## heregoesnothing

one of the best looking ibanez i've ever seen


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## Evil Weasel

They are for sale on thomann. Just search for premium Ibanez and scroll down results. That is how I found it. £500 for us Brits so that us just over 750 dollars. The Euro is very weak at the moment so bargains for us on Thomann!


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## Philip N

Fuck man! This thing looks sooo delicious! Can't wait to get my hands on one!
HNGD dude! 

philip


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## Andromalia

Cool, they didn't come up with an Ibanez RG search. 633&#8364;, i think I'm tempted.


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## HighGain510

Dude everything about that guitar rules! Gorgeous woods and the binding they used doesn't look tacky! Dig it, congrats man!


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## brynotherhino

My gas is through the roof. Must aquire. Soon. 

Congrats man, hope you enjoy the poo out of it


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## ascender

Man, that gives me a few serious issues in my shorts. Congrats, man. Definitely a looker. Makes me want to reconsider my next purchase.


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## OfArtAndArsenal

Wow. Just wow.


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## j_m_s

Wow! This one looks great! The top really reminds me of blackmachine!


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## simonXsludge

Kinda curious how intentional the Blackmachine "similiarities" are. I mean, it would be a smart move and I'm sure the hype for those is big enough to also be caught by the people at Ibanez. Having a guitar with kind of similiar aesthetics at such an affordable price point doesn't seem to be a bad idea to me.


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## ittoa666

If I had $700, I'd be buying one of those right now. I had no idea these existed.


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## GXPO

I put my finest workhorse up to fund one of these after seeing this. 

I've been to this page about 15 times in the last 2 days. Ibanez should use your photo's.


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## Green_jelly88

That has to be the sexiest Ibanez I've seen in quite some time. If only they made a seven-string version.


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## BornToLooze

Its stuff like this that makes it hard for me to keep hating Ibanez


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## brynotherhino

Im trying to sell 2 guitars so I can get one haha. This is the worst case of gas I have ever had. (no this wasnt a plug to sell my guitars  )


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## simonXsludge

Green_jelly88 said:


> That has to be the sexiest Ibanez I've seen in quite some time. If only they made a seven-string version.


I would looove that! 26.5" please!


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## engage757

That may be my favorite Premium I have ever seen. Everything is very tastefully done. LOVE it! HNGD!


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## nothingleft09

That thing is sweet. Happy NGD!


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## SamSam

Shit. Want. I'm really tempted by this now I've found them on Thomann!


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## Tristoner7

Killer man, congrats !


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## Blasphemer

I had my mind SO set on getting one of the new RG3XXVs. I was 100% sure that I was going to get one. Then I saw this post. Then saw that they are the same price.

MFW:


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## geeman8

Oh wow, hadn't seen these! That thing is awesome!


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## Advv

Definitely will be looking out for one in Aus. Nice pics.


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## MikeH

Holy shit. That is fucking amazing.


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## CrushingAnvil

Sweet guitar, I had no idea such a model existed!


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## nsimonsen

Alright, this thread has settled it..........definitely going to purchase one of these.
Saw the pics on the Ibanez website and thought they looked good but after seeing something a bit more thorough i'm sold.

Will fit it out with Black/Creme BKP Cold Sweats and we will be friends forever. Done.


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## JP Universe

No hating on the similarities between a BM and this.... ss.org has turned over a new leaf  Give it a new headstock and the floodgates will open 

Seriously though..... this is a great looking guitar for a great price. (claps hands for Ibanez) I WANT ONE!


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## AndreasD

Green_jelly88 said:


> That has to be the sexiest Ibanez I've seen in quite some time. *If only they made a seven-string version.*



Would buy instantly.


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## Watty

Just put in an order for one at Sweetwater, good thing I lost a contest of theirs several years ago...free 10% off!

One of you guys beat me to the punch though...might have to wait until next month for the next shipment. *bummer*

Edit: Snagged it, NGD incoming! Shitson, my bank account officially has little respect for you and your photography skills.


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## Prydogga

The fretboard on that thing is seriously delicious. Slap some creme/black pickups in there and it'd be perfect!


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## GXPO

An Ibby designer must've been close to getting fired or something, seriously. This is like a bolt from the blue, an [enigma antonym], a fucking miracle. A super sexy mid-range, fixed bridge, passive pickup(ed), Non TOM, 25.5" 6 with a 5 way switch.

Oh, with fat-wide frets, a large neck radius and natural finish.

I know I keep posting here but seriously, some one needs to get laid for this.


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## arcadia fades

this is potentially the best Ibanez ever (for me)
think i'll be getting one down the line, hope these arent limited edition or some crap

congrats!


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## GXPO

^That's the thing about hope..


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## Adam Of Angels

I have heard some bad things about Premiums.... but let me say this: I'm an Ibanez fan, through and through, and I play my RG-920q alongside my Prestiges and enjoy it just as much. I will be buying one of these 721's.


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## Watty

arcadia fades said:


> hope these arent limited edition or some crap



Apparently, they are....though it could just be the marketing gimmicks at it again...


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## Tjore

My jaw literally dropped! HOLY SHIT, SO MUCH GAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## otisct20

Just need to save a little bit more........ WANT


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## simonXsludge

Watty said:


> Shitson, my bank account officially has little respect for you and your photography skills.


You're welcome!


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## grind

Dudes, could re-post the pictures again?

Thank's !


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## fortisursus

These premium ibanez models keep getting better and better! I think the binding on the body should be toned down a bit, but still that is one hell of a good looking axe there!


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## sakeido

what about the neck on this thing? is it super flat in the back like most new ibbys or is it more the old Wizard, very thin but round profile?


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## simonXsludge

sakeido said:


> what about the neck on this thing? is it super flat in the back like most new ibbys or is it more the old Wizard, very thin but round profile?


They are a little rounder than the Prestige necks.


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## traditional

Probably the best looking guitar Ibanez have put out in a while, IMO. 
Although, all the comparisons with BM seem a bit far fetched - Ibanez has used exotic tops and binding for a loooooong long time.


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## ShadowFactoryX

its a gorgeous guitar but that bridge just makes me wanna


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## simonXsludge

The bridge is actually very comfortable and just a pretty good unit all around. With that being said, I wouldn't mind a hipshot instead. But this is still a great bridge.


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## Chiba666

Whats the top wood like, as in is it finished in anyway or just natural wood?


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## pushpull7

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RG721R-CNF/

n/m someone already mentioned it. At any rate, I really like the way these look. Strange that it's 699 and it's a "premium"


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## themike

Probably the first Ibanez in a while that I've liked a lot!


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## simonXsludge

Chiba666 said:


> Whats the top wood like, as in is it finished in anyway or just natural wood?


Oiled natural wood, I'm guessing.


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## Chiba666

shitsøn;3149729 said:


> Oiled natural wood, I'm guessing.


 

Ok cool, thanks


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## Forrest_H

Went to sweetwater to toy with the idea of getting one, 
*$700*
oh, well maybe I can wait and save...
*limited edition*

Argh


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## MetalBuddah

This has the be the nicest looking Ibanez released this year


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## Chiba666

It's that top plus the combination of a fixed bridge, gets me every time


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## capoeiraesp

That's the first ibanez to impress me in a long time. Congrats!


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## pushpull7

I had dreams about this last night


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## Cayoub84

I just bought this guitar from sweetwater.. will be in my possession on tuesday...had to be put on the list to get one because of the fact they are limited.


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## Murmel

I normally don't like Ibanez, but I would totally buy that in a second.


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## BlackStar7

Ibanez, why do you torture me? I understand that the Premiums are quality guitars, but why is it their Indonesian line gets something this impossibly sweet, while the most adventurous a fixed bridge Premium we've seen in recent years is solid black basswood body with rosewood fretboard, i.e. the Standard Ibanez Aesthetic Shitfest? Why couldn't they do something like this as a Premium? This looks amazing nonetheless..


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## simonXsludge

BlackStar7 said:


> Ibanez, why do you torture me? I understand that the Premiums are quality guitars, but why is it their Indonesian line gets something this impossibly sweet, while the most adventurous a fixed bridge Premium we've seen in recent years is solid black basswood body with rosewood fretboard, i.e. the Standard Ibanez Aesthetic Shitfest? Why couldn't they do something like this as a Premium? This looks amazing nonetheless..




I guess you want something like it as a _Prestige_? If so, I wouldn't mind that either.


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## 4of3

I just received my Ibanez Rg721 and man it's really a gorgeous looking guitar.
The Action is still a bit high, will be fixing this later, just running it for a first impression through Guitar Rig 5 and especially the Bridge pickup has a nice output.

The Guitar really is light as a feather btw. !

@Murmel
Another J-Rock Fan here


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## simonXsludge

Nice, dude! Happy NGD!

They really are light as a feather and, unfortunately, the guys at Meinl aren't the best at setting up axes with a nice and low action.


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## slapnutz

Man its ironic that the one of the best looking recent Ibanezs (for me) isnt even from their J-Customer or Prestige line. More offset inlay guitars Ibanez!!

The price is sure awesome.


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## pushpull7

was gonna order one of these, but the coupon is not accepted. So, we'll see.


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## lydian_sel

This guitar is $1300 in Australia!!!

Looks so nice but I'd much rather grab it overseas and risk shipping it.


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## Cayoub84

Just got mine!! It a little darker than expected but still looks amazing!


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## simonXsludge

lydian_sel said:


> This guitar is $1300 in Australia!!!


Wow! So that is twice as much in USD (1366) as they cost in the US.


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## pushpull7

Cayoub84 said:


> Just got mine!! It a little darker than expected but still looks amazing!



I hate you :grrrrrrr: 

I wanted to order one but GC/MF won't accept the fucking coupon and sweetwater I don't have a card (no I don't nee no stinking new credit card)

Bugger. want. Must wait. boo unhappy face.


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## pushpull7

Happy Joys! MF started a no tax for CA promo and I got one ordered will be here next week


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## pushpull7

btw, is there something recommended for cleaning these? I'm not sure dunlop 65 is the trick for natural finishes


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## Cayoub84

chrisharbin said:


> btw, is there something recommended for cleaning these? I'm not sure dunlop 65 is the trick for natural finishes


 
hmm thats a good question, i do notice that sweat from my arm tends to leave a dark greasy spot on the wood near the bridge, i guess i will google it.


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## pushpull7

shitsøn;3133819 said:


> Enjoy!



btw, we don't get those uber-cool gig bags over here, we get the standad ol' variety.


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## simonXsludge

chrisharbin said:


> btw, we don't get those uber-cool gig bags over here, we get the standad ol' variety.


You pay much less for the guitar than us Europeans, though. We pay the same in Euros as you are paying in Dollars, so that makes an upcharge of almost 175$ on our end.


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## pushpull7

I'm not doing an NGD until I get some reasonable pics, but these are really lovely. There are some issues though, we'll see if they can be resolved (I too don't like the action, but it's already better than it was so we'll see)

EDIT: I've got the action pretty good now. The main adjustments came in the neck. Once I acclimated to the house temp (was in the heat for QUITE some time obviously) the neck had quite a bow to it. So far (fingers crossed) some simple adjustments have made it really playable. I still am not sold on "C" style neck , but it's a far cry from out of the box!


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## Tyler

Seems this is the newest hit by Ibanez. I gotta admit I love the natural look. Reminds me of a blackmachine


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## Heroin

that is actually so fucking nice, nicest ibanez I've ever seen besides the 1527M. hngd


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## Metaloaf

This *NEEDS* to be released as a 7 damn it! everyone in the forum would probably get one though, I sure will.


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## Cougs

Oh my god... I need to buy one.


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## Eclipse

Beautiful Ibanez. I know a guy who owns one. It's a gorgeous looking top that's for sure.


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## Cappleton23

this may be the coolest production model ibanez i've ever seen. congrats man


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## Forkface

Okk, I'm kinda considering buying this model, but the bridge looks sorta weird...
anyone of you guys has any feedback on the bridge? do you like it? no? and of course why


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## Fluxx

I picked up one of these on here, and immediately fell in love with the neck. I ended up puttin the neck on a Koa top RG3EXKA1 body I had kickin around here, which I love the tone of. Not sure if its different density basswood or what, but the crunch lab i put in there sings in the one with the koa top.

The stock body and bridge and electronics from my guitar will probably be put up for trade or sale here once I am deemed to be a legitimate trader in the community, but since I bought the guitar here I'd rather try and trade here down the road. Watch for the thread in the future to all interested parties 

Back to the 721. The neck is phenominal. Best fret dress I've ever seen on an ibanez out of the box, and I own an RG1620, RG3120, and RG570, in addition to this one, and have had many others in the past. The pickups were nothing to write home about, I put the CL/LF set in the guitar within a half hour, and thats when it became a keeper.


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## pushpull7

Fluxx said:


> I picked up one of these on here, and immediately fell in love with the neck. I ended up puttin the neck on a Koa top RG3EXKA1 body I had kickin around here, which I love the tone of. Not sure if its different density basswood or what, but the crunch lab i put in there sings in the one with the koa top.
> 
> The stock body and bridge and electronics from my guitar will probably be put up for trade or sale here once I am deemed to be a legitimate trader in the community, but since I bought the guitar here I'd rather try and trade here down the road. Watch for the thread in the future to all interested parties
> 
> Back to the 721. The neck is phenominal. Best fret dress I've ever seen on an ibanez out of the box, and I own an RG1620, RG3120, and RG570, in addition to this one, and have had many others in the past. The pickups were nothing to write home about, I put the CL/LF set in the guitar within a half hour, and thats when it became a keeper.



How were you able to change the pups?????????? On mine, the screws for the CAP pups were much larger than would fit dimarzio (which I'm assuming most other pups are the same as size wise) I'd have to fill the holes and I'm still waiting for my screws to arrive.


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## MikeSap

I wante one of these so bad! I called the ibanez distributer for my area and he said they stopped producing these. Anyone know if that's true??


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## Fluxx

chrisharbin said:


> How were you able to change the pups?????????? On mine, the screws for the CAP pups were much larger than would fit dimarzio (which I'm assuming most other pups are the same as size wise) I'd have to fill the holes and I'm still waiting for my screws to arrive.



I had a set of CL/LF that had been previously drilled for a direct mount guitar. I used the stock screws that came on the original pickups. I also have a bag of pickup height screws for rings that are slightly thicker than standard ones and will actually thread onto the typical pickup that's been previously direct mounted. I forget what # the screws were, but I think I bought them from warmoth a couple years ago.


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## pushpull7

BTW, worst ever tech response from a company:

"the guitar has larger holes for the pups, do you carry the screws that will work for standard sized pups?"

"drill the pup holes bigger" 



Er, what if you want to put the pups on a different guitar??

Anyways, I really like this guitar but it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep it (I know, just order through Rich..........)


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## Fluxx

chrisharbin said:


> BTW, worst ever tech response from a company:
> 
> "the guitar has larger holes for the pups, do you carry the screws that will work for standard sized pups?"
> 
> "drill the pup holes bigger"
> 
> 
> 
> Er, what if you want to put the pups on a different guitar??
> 
> Anyways, I really like this guitar but it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep it (I know, just order through Rich..........)



I ran into this problem in the past with a Suhr that had direct mount pickups. What I ended up doing was scraping the paint off the tabs where the screw holes are, and putting a drop of solder on either side of the tab, then drilling a small hole to thread the screw into. Since solder is a pretty soft alloy, its basically "self tapping" and it seems to hold up fine, since pickup springs don't exert enough force to strip the hole. I know its a "non-ideal" fix, but its definitely on way to do it.


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## pushpull7

Forgive, I'm not quite following. You mean this AFTER you had larger holes in the pups?


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## Fluxx

Well they were pickups that naturally had larger holes because they came from the suhr factory direct mounted to the body, not mounted on pickup rings. I decided to mount them on rings after the fact, and the solder thing is what I did to make it work.


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## pushpull7

Thanks. That's what I thought but wanted to make sure.

That sounds easy enough, I just gotta figure out how to make the holes a tad bigger on the gravity storms then. I have a dremel. Not exactly sure what size to use (measure the screw??)

Uggg. I think I'll order the DM screws from Rich and use a wood filler 

I'm keeping the guitar. The neck is just too delish not to. I paid about 680 tax and shipping so I'm not out much. I can live with the stock pups til I figure it out.


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## Grack

Pretty much one of the only Prestige/Premium without a trem I would get, just because it reminds me of an XL or a blackmachine. Plus I'm a utter fanboy for natural finish.

Definitely made it up there on my list of guitars to get.


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## Garfish

Im really diggin' this guitar.

How is the neck on this beauty? I'm a Gibson / ESP guy, so I've never really played Ibanezes. Is it super skinny or ?


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## PureImagination

All of the RGs that I've played have had pretty small necks.


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## pushpull7

Garfish said:


> Im really diggin' this guitar.
> 
> How is the neck on this beauty? I'm a Gibson / ESP guy, so I've never really played Ibanezes. Is it super skinny or ?



Thick as a brick in ibby terms  (at least the ones they had in the states at MF) Seriously, I don't know what they should have been spec'd at but it's WAY thicker than my other premium and way way thicker than my prestiges. 

I like mine pretty good (I think I paid like 650 total for mine) but it's not a superstar. Pups will have to be replaced (I put gravity storms in mine, I like them ok) but the holes for the pups were way bigger on the stock ones, and I had to use wood filler and order screws from rich at ibanez rules for the dimarzios.


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## BTS

Seriously nice Ibanez. HNGD


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## j_opiate

HNGD!


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## Depressed_Oracle

Jealous!


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## zakatak9389

Sick man. Love that natural wood finish!


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## anunnaki

HNGD!
I'm guessing you may have got your guitar set up by now... so any thoughts, since you said you can't comment too much till you get it set up?
Also, do you think BK Black Hawks would sound good in it?

cheers


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## Tyler

holy necrobump, though i am still curious as well to hear how it played after getting set up


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## pushpull7

I don't remember how many times I've stated so in case it got missed:

-The neck is NOT standard ibby (not even for premium) It's thick, I just got a 921 and the 721 is quite a bit thicker (I don't care what they "specs" say)

-It's bright! Not terribly surprising considering the rosewood top. It's LIGHT! It's the lightest IBBY I have (921, 920, 1420, 1421, 1520)

-setup was a breeze for me, even with drop tuning. The neck straightened out well, and the saddles dropped plenty low enough. Is this the thread where the guy returned it? Can't remember. I definitely didn't need to shim though. Also, the action is pretty low and I've got no dead notes. 

-I had to (and still need to a bit) file the fret edges as it's dry here and the necks on my premiums all shrink. Not a huge, but that ALL the premiums have required this and NONE of my prestiges have is a tad worrisome. 

-The "cap" pups that came with it have substantially larger holes/screws than a standard SD/dimarzio replacement. I had to order screws from Rich and Ibanezrules to fit the gravity storms.

I wouldn't do it again, but I'm not unhappy. It was just over 600 USD shipped so it's a good guitar for the money, but it's easily my least quality of my ibby's considering that pup replacement is necessary for most players and the hassle of woodfilling and so on. The thicker neck is going to be a concern for many.


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## onetake-jam

Congrats for this guitar...

I have the same since months.
And I never played.
Yeah, you read right : This guitar is in her softcase, with protection films on PU and original mounted strings.

I'va bought a couple of Seymour Duncan PUs (SH2N & SH5) to swap with the originals, because I don't feel the CAP PU, too muddy without any articulation in overdrive/distortion.

As a sort of Portnoy's lazy-procastination guy, I never swap PUs. I never touch this guitar since I've bought it.

Yeah, I'm a 

Burn me...

For the larger holes of the PUs : great, no need to drill the SD holes. Maybe one day I'll do that.


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## onetake-jam

News about mine :

I have Pots who turned not circular... So I remove them, and puth them again, but nothing change 

The frets are... well... you can feel the edges of the frets when you put your fingers on the neck. I think the wood have worked, even in the softcase without changing anything in his place.

The action is WAY too HIGH... I just begin to adjust it.

The screws (generally) aren't well fitted. So I push them a bit.

The electronics are good. But why a 500k pot for tone ? 250k would have been better, if I'm not wrong ?

I must change the strings.
I'll see for the PUs. Strange thing, the actual PUs are mounted in a sort of plastic block who fit in the cavities. I don't know what happen to those blocks when PUs are swapped.

To be continued...


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## Crabface

onetake-jam said:


> News about mine :
> 
> I have Pots who turned not circular... So I remove them, and puth them again, but nothing change
> 
> The frets are... well... you can feel the edges of the frets when you put your fingers on the neck. I think the wood have worked, even in the softcase without changing anything in his place.
> 
> The action is WAY too HIGH... I just begin to adjust it.
> 
> The screws (generally) aren't well fitted. So I push them a bit.
> 
> The electronics are good. But why a 500k pot for tone ? 250k would have been better, if I'm not wrong ?
> 
> I must change the strings.
> I'll see for the PUs. Strange thing, the actual PUs are mounted in a sort of plastic block who fit in the cavities. I don't know what happen to those blocks when PUs are swapped.
> 
> To be continued...




500k pots are standard on most humbucker guitars tone controls AFAIK.


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## rikomaru

SWEET FUCKING JESUS!!!! Falling in love with hoshino all over again <3


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## Shredmon

i really love these rgs.....the top and the fretboard are just über awesome...... HNGD Simon!


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## fortisursus

Why are there no prestiges like this!?!?!?!

That is one sexy piece


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## onetake-jam

The story continues...

I've taken to pieces the RG721. The neck apart, for a cleaning session, and the body where I remove the PUs. There are some flaws in finish, but not very important, only if you take a closer look to the guitar, especially the body and the binding of it.

I've sanding the frets with 000 iron rubber, and wipe some paraffin oil on the fingerboard.
I've noticed a buzz at 12th fret on the D string (only on this string ). I suspect a little bit of metal in high to the 12th fret, but I'm not a luthier and I don't want to ruin of make something that can cause a buzz at the 13th by removing matter on the 12th. So, I'll take some advise with my store.

And I swap the PUs. The original PUs are mounted on foam with springs. Weirdo... So I took off the foam and I've putting on Seymour Duncans. But... A little trouble : SD PUs have some long screw rods, so I must cut the foam to do it properly.
Soldering the wiring was not easy and not difficult (I've made a plan of the original wiring). Just to be aware the hot point is black at SD, not red as DM (or Ibanez). I've tried the wiring with the famous (tick tick with screwdriver on the plots of the PUS to verify the different sounds). Work fine (not bad for a guy who isn't handyman at all... ).

Putting again neck and body together... Verifying the neck who was too sunken, I've tightened back the truss-rod just a bit to make it flat.

Putting new strings (I only have 09-42) and let's try. Good sounds (except the buzz on the D string).

I've played for an hour. Very lightweight guitar. The basswood of the body is like butter when I've putting the screws of the PUs in.

The neck is a little bit rounder than a standard Wizard Premium. Dunno why. Plays great. Feels great. If I have the time to work on some pics, I'll post it tomorrow.

Thanks for reading my little story with this lil Premium "gem".

p.s. : Thanks Crabface for your advice on pots.


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## onetake-jam

I can't post any pictures of what I've done on the guitar.

I want to make a new thread in the luthiery section, I've uploaded all my photos on Imagebam but the links provided won't work properly. No images or sign of a broken link when I type the message.

By the way, For my frets troubles (at 12 on D string and at 15 on same string), I rip some steel with a file. I did it very carefully to not take away too much matter. And it works pretty good. I have a little buzzes at 15 and also on the B string at 11th fret. Maybe this guitar needs a fret realignment.
Compared to my classical guitar, the RG721 after setup is silly low action ...


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## pushpull7

Sounds like you've gone to town with it!!!!!!


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## acoldbloodykiller

any idea about the bridge spacing on this guitar? i think is 53mm but im not sure


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## pushpull7

It is. F-spaced pups are your best bet, that that is what you are asking.


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## Cnidari

I discovered this guitar yesterday and i'm going to sell my main guitar and the old one to buy it imediatly... i never got a gas like that, i'm in love.


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## ESP6505

Hey there, was wondering if you would be willing to sell this fine instrument?


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## loud88

Bought one yesterday for £485.


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## Actionman

I own this guitar as well and it's an amazing instrument.
Bought it roughly 2 months ago.
Plays like a dream and I still stare at it like a guitar nerd...lol.
Mine was setup very well however there were minor finishing flaws on the back of the neck.
I play it so much that they've diminished dramatically.
By no means a prestige but close...very close in some ways, not so much in others.
I'm able to fully service my guitars so usually I don't sweat the small stuff.


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