# NGD: Ibanez RGIXL7



## Aewrik (Jul 25, 2019)

I got rid of my RG2228A a couple of months ago, but really missed playing 27". I ordered the guitar online with a delivery date on July 7, then August 20, then August 5. Last week I received a notification the package had been sent, and the package was delivered last friday.
The box had been opened when I received my supposedly new guitar; the guitar was not in factory tuning, but it didn't seem to be set up (higher string height than Ibanez standard, truss rod seems loose, but I haven't fastened it yet). There are scratches on the truss rod cover, though, and marks from a wall hanger, so I'm guessing it's been on display in the store.

Enough of that:




Isn't it a good looking fellow? I was seriously worried about the tiger veneer from the product pictures, but in person and in normal light it looks just fine, and the holographic effect/depth is minimal. Would've been great to not have the flame pattern, but this looks just fine. The finish is very hard, but I haven't put that to the test of course. The fret board looks like a tight grained rosewood, rather than Ebony. It'll look amazing when oiled, I'm sure. The guitar weights every bit as much as my old RG2228A with basswood body, probably a little more.

The ash body resonates very nicely when playing. The pickups are very low-end heavy, and the neck pickup is a bit muddy when playing clean, but that could be the strings. The pickups sound great with heavy distortion, and I especially enjoy playing with split coils and the volume "at noon" - very nice punch and articulation.

I saw the Eytschpi42 video and wondered if maybe the RGIXL7 get second sorting pickups, but I think these pickups sound just fine, and will probably sound even better with 9-12-16-24-32-42-52 Elixir strings. The booming could go away if I switch to lighter gauge strings, which is what I used on my 8 string with D Activators. I was contemplating on ordering a pair of Illuminators to go with the guitar, but I'll keep these pickups for now.

The Gibraltar bridge feels great, almost like resting on an Edge tremolo.

Want to know anything else? Ask!

...

To the sad bits... or well, the neck. The body looks fine from what I can tell.

Was this neck even built with this guitar in mind? There are no shims - it's mounted directly against the body



The head stock finish is not even, and the top looks almost like someone put super glue over a ding or something:



The fret board is just not well polished at all. It looks like someone did one rough pass with a file on the sides and that was "good enough" for QC (why bother at all?):





There was not a lot of effort put into protecting the wood when fretting the guitar (both grooves from the pliers, scratches on the fret board and glue residue):



Finally, the head stock veneer is cracked/has swelled:




Is all this okay and their quality standard for Iron Label guitars, or should I contact the store? On a cheaper guitar I wouldn't mind, but I did pay over €900 for it.

The guitar plays well, and they're all just aesthetic issues and I can fix all that "need" fixing by myself, but should I be happy with this quality at this price, or try to get the neck replaced?


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## Leviathus (Jul 25, 2019)

Other than the minor little smudge at the tip of the headstock the neck looks perfectly fine to me. 

Cool axe! HNGD!


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## MaxAidingAres (Jul 25, 2019)

I wouldn’t be mad with these “issues” as they are cosmetic. Other guitars in this price point will have similar flaws. Like paint bleed (binding) scratches or knicks around the fret ends. I feel like at these prices they are geared more towards features rather than fit and finish and overall quality of craftsmanship. I’d say if you can get a partial refund do that. If not just enjoy it and move on. No one but you will notice the flaws.


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## Aewrik (Jul 25, 2019)

Yeah, it plays like an old friend, and it feels great even though it isn't setup 100% yet (the strings are probably twice as high as they should be). I think with .009 strings it'll feel just like my old RG2228A. The neck profile is quite similar, I just don't have an eighth string to reach for.

I'll see if they can offer a partial reimbursement to sponsor a visit to the local luthier, but I'm keeping the guitar either way. I guess I was just worrying about the warts and blemishes couples need to live with ; )


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## shupe13 (Jul 25, 2019)

Congrats!


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## MYGFH (Jul 25, 2019)

Wow, congrats!


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## Ari_VD (Jul 26, 2019)

HNGD sir, ur guitar is a porn


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## luciformheart (Jul 26, 2019)

HNGD!


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## Aewrik (Aug 12, 2019)

So I've gotten the guitar PLEK'd and played a bit.

The booming sound is much less prominent with 9-12-16-24-32-42-52 elixir strings, and it still plays great - better now, of course, with proper string height. The pick transients ("chirp") sound great now too.

The Fusion Edge pickups are kind of close to D Activators. A little more fuzzy (in a bad way). They're also a little bit scooped compared to the D Activator. They've got great response however, and they really drive the signal. At full volume they really saturate (in a good way - the floaty, thick and defined punch I'm looking for), but they're also really articulate at low volumes.
I'm more happy with the bridge pickup, than the neck pickup. In neck position the lower strings become muddy and transients disappear. Using both mics gives the low end more definition, but scoops the sound and makes the highs cut a bit too much. Fixable with EQ, of course.

The controls sit just right, and using the coil split switch is effortless.

I love playing this guitar, but I don't think it's "an individual" like my prestige guitars. It plays like my prestiges, but feels more like a tool than an instrument. And that's fine!

One thing I usually do when I buy stuff is consider if there's anything I would replace and at this point - except for the cosmetic issues on neck - I am not wanting. This is a really solid guitar.

For me, this guitar isn't _creatively_ inspiring right now, but it has mojo, feels great, sounds great and I feel completely able to play whatever fixed bridge music I want.


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## Casey MK (Nov 28, 2019)

I bought an Ibanez Iron Label guitar back in May. The RGAIX6MQM to be exact. It had a few of the same problems your guitar did. All only cosmetic, fortunately. Guess that's to be expected with a sub $1,000 guitar lol. Anyway, do you tune this guitar lower than standard B or A? I'm looking for a decent priced 7-string with a 27" scale so I can tune it down to Drop F and I was curious to know if it handles that tuning well.


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## Politics of Ecstasy (Nov 28, 2019)

That IS A good looking fellow!!!!

I Love it!!!!!

where the hell did this model come from?!!!

please, more history if possible !

HNGD AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING


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## Aewrik (Nov 28, 2019)

Casey MK said:


> I'm looking for a decent priced 7-string with a 27" scale so I can tune it down to Drop F and I was curious to know if it handles that tuning well.


Hey Casey,

Honestly, these pickups sound great with floppier strings - tuning down to A gives much better harmonics both in humbucker and coil split modes. I only have .056 on the lowest string though, so I can't say how things would sound at lower tunings with these pickups.
I _did_ have an RG2228A (27" 8-string) before though, which plays very similar to this one. I tried .080, .075 and .068 string for the F# then, and .068 was definitely the best sounding one with the D Activator 8's, which aren't too different from the Fusion Edge pickups. You would have to file the nut a great deal, though - .056 is really the thickest I can fit into mine. I think the tuners should fit a .075, but I can't guarantee it.

If you have an aggressive picking style, you should probably look at installing new pickups (Lundgren M7 for instance) if you want this model, or looking at guitars 28" and beyond.



Politics of Ecstasy said:


> please, more history if possible !



There isn't much more history to it..! I was kind of sure this guitar had been whored around the entire Youtube reviewer roster since it was on backorder everywhere and looked pretty much identical to the reviewed ones. I saw one in stock at my local dealer recently though, and it looks very much the same, so mine was probably new from factory and there's not much more to say about it.

Happy holidays!


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## Casey MK (Dec 2, 2019)

Aewrik said:


> Hey Casey,
> 
> Honestly, these pickups sound great with floppier strings - tuning down to A gives much better harmonics both in humbucker and coil split modes. I only have .056 on the lowest string though, so I can't say how things would sound at lower tunings with these pickups.
> I _did_ have an RG2228A (27" 8-string) before though, which plays very similar to this one. I tried .080, .075 and .068 string for the F# then, and .068 was definitely the best sounding one with the D Activator 8's, which aren't too different from the Fusion Edge pickups. You would have to file the nut a great deal, though - .056 is really the thickest I can fit into mine. I think the tuners should fit a .075, but I can't guarantee it.
> ...



Thank you for the reply! Sounds like this could still be a promising choice for what I'm after with a little work done to it. I actually like the way the Fusion Edge pickups sound since they're the same ones in my RGAIX6MQM and I love the way it sounds. I might get lucky and not have to file anything since I'm actually able to fit heavier gauge strings in the one I have (12-56). If I do, no biggie. I figured a 27" scale should be just long enough to go down to F without many, if any, issues.


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## Lapua (Dec 3, 2019)

Thanks for this review I have one being delivered tomorrow and it was very helpful, are you still enjoying it?

Also this is going to be my first 7 string, from what I can tell this comes factory tuned down a whole step to A standard if I want to tune this up to standard B tuning any suggestions on what strings to use so there's not too much stress on the neck?


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## Aewrik (Dec 3, 2019)

Lapua said:


> Thanks for this review I have one being delivered tomorrow and it was very helpful, are you still enjoying it?
> 
> Also this is going to be my first 7 string, from what I can tell this comes factory tuned down a whole step to A standard if I want to tune this up to standard B tuning any suggestions on what strings to use so there's not too much stress on the neck?



Congratulations!

My experience with the guitar just gets better and better. I took care of the neck and polished it myself (the luthier rounded the fret ends with the PLEK, but I didn't want to wait another week in the summer to fix the blemishes ; ), and it feels great now.

You shouldn't have a problem with .010-.056 unless you live *Where Necks Move* either way. I play that gauge for practice right now and the neck hasn't moved at all.

If I start recording again, I'll move back to .009. I use the Elixir Heavy (12152) set with a separate .009. It actually turns out cheaper than the 7-string set, and gives a slightly better balance (tension-wise) for me with .012 instead of .011 on the B string.


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## Lapua (Dec 4, 2019)

Aewrik said:


> Congratulations!
> 
> My experience with the guitar just gets better and better. I took care of the neck and polished it myself (the luthier rounded the fret ends with the PLEK, but I didn't want to wait another week in the summer to fix the blemishes ; ), and it feels great now.
> 
> ...



Turned up earlier today, it’s actually going to be a Christmas present from the wife but I did give it a good look over before packaging back up and it appears to be a very good example with the only issue I can see which is very minor but there are fret marking lines on the edges of the ebony fretboard albeit faint and not noticeable from a distance. I was surprised that it’s actually tuned to B standard with the 10-59 strings even though the website says factory tuned to A standard, I had a quick fiddle and that tension feels great to me so will be leaving them on.

Very pleased, bring on Christmas.


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## Aewrik (May 22, 2020)

MY DUDES! Finally! Five month delivery time : p

I'll post a before and after when I get around to swapping.


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## Aewrik (Jul 19, 2020)

Well, I never took the guitar to the guitar shop, but I figured since the guitar was kind of already blemished from factory, I may as well carve out room for the pickups myself. I'm using standard tuning now with twiddly strings (9-12-16-24-32-42-52) since I was inspired to learn some new DT songs.

Didn't turn out bad enough to put it in the ridicule thread, but chiseling with a knife is maybe not recommended : )




So how do the pickups sound?

They're definitely less versatile than the Fusion Edge 7s - the coil split doesn't do a lot, so at a point in the future I'm probably going to swap the electronics in this guitar with my RGAT62, since the DAX's (D Activator X) are more single coil-y when split.
They're definitely more articulate, however, and the mud in the low end is finally gone. Back is the sounds of the DA8s I had in my old guitar, almost exactly as I remembered. The cleans aren't as good as the FE7s, but that just means I have reason to revise my clean patches with an amp block now.

Compared to the DAX pickups these are more vintage-y in some kind of way, less dry and more rounded. They're less ugly and I'm not sure that's good with this guitar. There aren't any DAX7s though. The DAX neck pickup is definitely better (more low mids than bass), while the bridge is kind of either or. Low end is better on the DAX bridge, but the high strings aren't as twiddly on the DA7. Pick noise is definitely worse on the DA7s, though. DiMarzio did a great job with the DAX and between the two I definitely prefer those to the regular DAs.
Oh yeah, btw, the finish cracked and "splintered" when I removed the back cover, so I guess the finish on the body while good looking, wasn't very well applied either. The neck seems to have stabilized at least, so I guess that last turn of the truss rod did the trick. But oh man, the frets look like a badly maintained railway now and the fretboard has shrunk a lot... will probably have to take it to the guitar shop if I want the strings lower, but at least there's not a lot of buzz at the moment. I don't know what to do about wood that is coming apart from drying, though.


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## Aewrik (Jul 19, 2020)

Oh man, what a fail... now the pickups are in their correct positions.

The bridge pickups are pretty much identical, at least not farther apart than what I can expect from different string gauges. I can't tell a difference switching guitars, but the DA7s are now more dry than the DAX in the bridge position, but neither is muddy.

In the neck I still prefer the DAX; the DA7 neck pickup has a "slower attack"/less low mid and wider bass than the DAX. At least that what it sounds like to me, but it could also come down to gauges and tuning (25.5" vs 27" tuned a minor third lower, one string "position" lower - e.g., the .042 is fifth string tuned G on one and sixth string tuned E on the other).

Maybe I'll make a comparison if I can find a set of lighter strings somewhere to put on the six string.


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## Rob Joyner (Nov 17, 2020)

Is the action on this guitar this high?


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## Aewrik (Feb 25, 2021)

Breno Girafa said:


> Is the action on this guitar this high?


I think it's alright on my guitar (perhaps even on the low side), but if it's too high just look up on youtube how to shave the nut or take it to your tech and they'll get it sorted.

(Sorry if borderline necro...)


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## Steo (Jan 22, 2022)

What is the neck like on these? I had an Ibanez rg seven and found it a bit to thick.


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## Aewrik (Feb 16, 2022)

Steo said:


> What is the neck like on these? I had an Ibanez rg seven and found it a bit to thick.


Sorry for the late reply.

The neck shape is pretty much a 25.5" Wizard II-7 stretched out to 27". It feels good to me, but I also don't mind the neck on the RG7421, so YMMV. As I wrote in the OP, it feels very similar to my old RG2228A.

As for fit and finish, while the neck is sturdy, the craftmanship is not the greatest. I've adjusted the truss rod once (more of a tightening, as it was loose and had just barely tilted after changing to .012 strings), but since then it has handled both moisture and temperature shifts without issues. I tune FCGCFAD, or "drop-C drop-F". High tension, but it sings.

Cheers,


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