# Ibanez RG5328 Total Failure/Disappointment



## Carl Kolchak (Apr 30, 2020)

Fed Ex dropped this off to me a little while ago, an MIJ "Prestige" RG5328, and I'm very disappointed. First off, there was a rip in the interior of the case's fabric. This passed Ibby's and Sam Ash's QC? What's worse, EVERY single fret end is sharp enough to grate cheese on! I shit you not! This thing is actually semi-painful to play. Again, how did this get past Ibby's and Sam Ash's QC? Every guitar I own has better frets on it than this including my Agile LP copy which cost 1/6th the price of this supposed MIJ Prestige.

I'm really shocked by this.


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## dr_game0ver (Apr 30, 2020)

That's because the wood was very wet and retracted when it dried out. It is really not a hard fix, 20$ of tools on StewMac, an hour of your time and your problem is gone.


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## Carl Kolchak (Apr 30, 2020)

dr_game0ver said:


> That's because the wood was very wet and retracted when it dried out. It is really not a hard fix, 20$ of tools on StewMac, an hour of your time and your problem is gone.


I have never owned a guitar with frets this uncomfortably sharp before.


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## diagrammatiks (Apr 30, 2020)

this is why you're only supposed to buy used prestiges. after everyone has fixed all the problems.


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## Carl Kolchak (Apr 30, 2020)

I will say this, the MIK Schecter KM-7 I bought for a 1/3rd the price I paid for this is a better guitar.


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## _MonSTeR_ (Apr 30, 2020)

diagrammatiks said:


> this is why you're only supposed to buy used prestiges. after everyone has fixed all the problems.



Or get the Platinum setup from Rich Harris. Worth every penny, but you’ll not feel the same way about your guitars that you bought from other places afterwards...


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## Two Panthers (Apr 30, 2020)

Carl Kolchak said:


> Fed Ex dropped this off to me a little while ago, an MIJ "Prestige" RG5328, and I'm very disappointed. First off, there was a rip in the interior of the case's fabric. This passed Ibby's and Sam Ash's QC? What's worse, EVERY single fret end is sharp enough to grate cheese on! I shit you not! This thing is actually semi-painful to play. Again, how did this get past Ibby's and Sam Ash's QC? Every guitar I own has better frets on it than this including my Agile LP copy which cost 1/6th the price of this supposed MIJ Prestige.
> 
> I'm really shocked by this.


Shit man, I’m really sorry about that because you just asked and honestly i wanted you to go with the ESP.

Rich harris and ibanez rules is a Jem and jewel for ibanez, in fact, hoshino should make the official tech center BUT my buddy rich god bless him and god speed for recovery really hurt himself. I just talked to him yesterday and his hand is in bad shape so i doubt there are any set ups going on

On the other hands, you can return ? Or you can also have a setup from out of state, with plek options if you want, i can recommend one or two

Also, maybe get eh ESP LTD 607B, i think you might be happier, ESP is out of control with quality....only boutique guitars are on the same level, and that is a small bunch too

Good luck and hope it works out man


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## Carl Kolchak (Apr 30, 2020)

Two Panthers said:


> Shit man, I’m really sorry about that because you just asked and honestly i wanted you to go with the ESP.
> 
> Rich harris and ibanez rules is a Jem and jewel for ibanez, in fact, hoshino should make the official tech center BUT my buddy rich god bless him and god speed for recovery really hurt himself. I just talked to him yesterday and his hand is in bad shape so i doubt there are any set ups going on
> 
> ...



Return is not a problem, as I ordered through Amazon/Sam Ash, so the return shipping is on them. 

I can say this though, I was not super impressed with this Prestige. Wolverine frets aside, the guitar did not feel like what a 1.9K guitar should, at least to me it didn't. Not that I expected the feel of hand-built masterwork, but this guitar just didn't feel as solidly built as my Kiesel, which cost probably 1.5K new, and for which I paid 1.2K secondhand. 

Just shaking my head here, that's all.


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## Two Panthers (Apr 30, 2020)

Let me tell you something, the market is changed man and i feel for you. Sorry for the disappointment

I dont mean to rub it in at all, but more its to affirm what your gripe is. I had to pay a premium, double, or triple even than what a very high mid level/entry high level ibanez would buy a few years ago

So i say go ESP dude, 607B
(Love my B8)


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## cardinal (Apr 30, 2020)

So these have bound fretboards, so I don't think the OP is talking about fret sprout. I assume that the issue is that Ibanez left the actual edges of the fret tops sharp, which really sucks if true (I have a guitar years ago that used to actually make me bleed from this. METAL!!!! But ouch...). 

I really like Ibanez guitars, but I don't like the ones with bound fretboards. It's almost like they use the binding process as a way to "finish" the edges of the frets instead of actually spending the time to round them off a bit.


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## Carl Kolchak (Apr 30, 2020)

cardinal said:


> So these have bound fretboards, so I don't think the OP is talking about fret sprout. I assume that the issue is that Ibanez left the actual edges of the fret tops sharp, which really sucks if true (I have a guitar years ago that used to actually make me bleed from this. METAL!!!! But ouch...).
> 
> I really like Ibanez guitars, but I don't like the ones with bound fretboards. It's almost like they use the binding process as a way to "finish" the edges of the frets instead of actually spending the time to round them off a bit.


Nope, not fret sprout. It's like they forgot to finish the frets on this one. As they are now, they're ALL sharp ended and protruding enough to make it very uncomfortable to move up and down the neck. Again, how this got past QC at the supposedly up-scale Japanese production facility is beyond me.


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## Mattykoda (Apr 30, 2020)

If I remember right rich said on his website he sent 2-3 of them back because of the necks.


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## Leviathus (Apr 30, 2020)

They do little to no fret end finishing on prestiges these days. Sucks, but it is what it is.


Mattykoda said:


> If I remember right rich said on his website he sent 2-3 of them back because of the necks.


To be clear, this doesn't have to do with the frets but the straightness/relief profile of the necks.


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## bzhang9 (Apr 30, 2020)

not the norm, lemons happen to any brand even custom shops, just send it back


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## Bloody_Inferno (Apr 30, 2020)

Sorry to hear your woes. That's such a shame since I've got my eyes set to getting one soon.

Send it back.


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## diagrammatiks (Apr 30, 2020)

honestly, my used prestiges...after whatever setups the original owners did and after whatever my tech does to them are some of the best playing guitars I have. perfectly straight necks and 1mm action...

but I've played so many in the stores and off the racks and they've been terribly setup and just wonky...

except the az's. all the az's have been pretty good.


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## Mattykoda (May 1, 2020)

Leviathus said:


> They do little to no fret end finishing on prestiges these days. Sucks, but it is what it is.
> 
> To be clear, this doesn't have to do with the frets but the straightness/relief profile of the necks.



Ahh I wasn’t sure what the actual reasoning was.


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## Merrekof (May 1, 2020)

Leviathus said:


> They do little to no fret end finishing on prestiges these days. Sucks, but it is what it is.


What about "Prestige fret end treatment" then?


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## AkiraSpectrum (May 5, 2020)

yikes sorry to hear.

did you take any pics of the frets? just curious to see what they look like.


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## Carl Kolchak (May 5, 2020)

AkiraSpectrum said:


> yikes sorry to hear.
> 
> did you take any pics of the frets? just curious to see what they look like.



No, I didn't even bother. I just boxed the thing right back up, and waited for the Fed Ex guy to come and take the thing off my hands. Actually, they should be getting it back today. Hopefully, they won't drag their feet on the refund.

Again, that neither the Japanese or the Sam Ash QC guys didn't red flag this guitar is deeply troubling, as I can't imagine anyone paying 1.9K for a new MIJ Prestige wouldn't be ripshit at getting a guitar with unfinished frets.


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## AkiraSpectrum (May 5, 2020)

Carl Kolchak said:


> No, I didn't even bother. I just boxed the thing right back up, and waited for the Fed Ex guy to come and take the thing off my hands. Actually, they should be getting it back today. Hopefully, they won't drag their feet on the refund.
> 
> Again, that neither the Japanese or the Sam Ash QC guys didn't red flag this guitar is deeply troubling, as I can't imagine anyone paying 1.9K for a new MIJ Prestige wouldn't be ripshit at getting a guitar with unfinished frets.



Yeah that's definitely an issue for both parties (Sam Ash and Ibanez).

Are you getting your money back or putting it toward another purchase?


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## Carl Kolchak (May 5, 2020)

AkiraSpectrum said:


> Yeah that's definitely an issue for both parties (Sam Ash and Ibanez).
> 
> Are you getting your money back or putting it toward another purchase?



Both. I'm taking the refund and putting it towards a custom build.


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## laxu (May 6, 2020)

Sharp fret ends can happen on any guitar regardless of price range. I had sharp fret ends on my Skervesen when winter came around and the wood shrunk a tiny bit. It's a one time, easy fix for any tech to do if you don't want to do it yourself.

I would bet those frets were perfectly nice when the guitar left the factory.


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## 77zark77 (May 6, 2020)

That' s why we always say : buy an USED Prestige !
joke aside, it's a shame - no guitar should pass the QC with sharp frets even the cheapest
Wood doesn't shrink if correctly chosen and dried, except extreme temperatures variation


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## 77zark77 (May 6, 2020)

oops double post


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## possumkiller (May 6, 2020)

laxu said:


> Sharp fret ends can happen on any guitar regardless of price range. I had sharp fret ends on my Skervesen when winter came around and the wood shrunk a tiny bit. It's a one time, easy fix for any tech to do if you don't want to do it yourself.
> 
> I would bet those frets were perfectly nice when the guitar left the factory.


It's not the same thing he is talking about. I have seen pictures of Prestige Ibanez guitars that for some reason when they come with maple fretboards or binding, they leave the fret ends rough without rounding over and polishing. It's like they snip the fret wire, hit the end of it with a rough grinder or paper and call it good.


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## USMarine75 (May 6, 2020)

I like Sam Ash and had some great business transactions with them. I bought a bunch of heavily discounted leftover Gibsons that came with the gold cases and were dead mint. 

Meanwhile, I bought the 2018 SG HP that came in that ridiculous $600 metal flight case. Was a $2200-2400 guitar and I think they shipped 4 or 5 before I gave up. One had the autotuner get stuck and keep spinning until the nut bound up on the tuner and it burnt out. Another had a huge chip missing out of the fretboard which sucks because it played better than all the others by a mile. Another had no flame on the body even though it was supposed to be a heavily flamed top. The last one was obviously used (came in a Breedlove outer box lol) and that pissed me off so much I canceled altogether.


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## Carl Kolchak (May 6, 2020)

possumkiller said:


> It's not the same thing he is talking about. I have seen pictures of Prestige Ibanez guitars that for some reason when they come with maple fretboards or binding, they leave the fret ends rough without rounding over and polishing. It's like they snip the fret wire, hit the end of it with a rough grinder or paper and call it good.


These were close to actually being sharp. I obviously can't say for sure, but it's like this particular guitar was shipped before any finishing work was applied to any of the frets.


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## j3ps3 (May 6, 2020)

possumkiller said:


> It's not the same thing he is talking about. I have seen pictures of Prestige Ibanez guitars that for some reason when they come with maple fretboards or binding, they leave the fret ends rough without rounding over and polishing. It's like they snip the fret wire, hit the end of it with a rough grinder or paper and call it good.



Tbh, I've never seen fret ends that were done good on a factory made guitar. It can be quite time consuming to round the frets so I understand why it's something they'd save some time and money on. Regular bedroom player never even realizes it's a crappy job.



77zark77 said:


> Wood doesn't shrink if correctly chosen and dried, except extreme temperatures variation



Wood will always react to the relative humidity, some less than the others. Even correctly chosen and dried wood can do that. Those sharp fret ends can appear quite fast, if the relative humidity gets too dry. And at least here in Finland I've seen many guitar shops that hang the guitars next to a window (draft) or a radiator (heat dries the air). Come winter, and the shop cranks the heat and if there isn't enough humidifiers in the room, you'll get some problems sooner or later. Worst thing I've seen that was caused by this was a cracked top on a high-end Larrivee acoustic guitar. Martin also has lots of problems with this if the customer doesn't take care of the guitar. I doubt the guitar had any of these problems when it left Ibanez.

Sorry for OP, though. It sucks to receive a guitar that isn't exactly what you were waiting for.


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## gunch (May 6, 2020)

Carl Kolchak said:


> These were close to actually being sharp. I obviously can't say for sure, but it's like this particular guitar was shipped before any finishing work was applied to any of the frets.



Regardless of what anyone else says paying prestige money and _not _getting prestige level fretwork is bullshit and you are right to punt it back.

I would try to get a Schecter USA or ESP Standard or Custom Shop 8er if you want godlike frets


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## btbg (May 6, 2020)

j3ps3 said:


> Tbh, I've never seen fret ends that were done good on a factory made guitar.



Haven’t played many guitars have you?


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## j3ps3 (May 6, 2020)

btbg said:


> Haven’t played many guitars have you?



Haven't done many fret jobs have you? Don't get me wrong, I'm not pissing on any particular brand or saying that the work is always trash, rather that it's a shame that often those problems, which could easily be avoided, are entirely on the dealer or reseller who stores the guitar (At least here this is a problem. Cold winters don't help this). I'm also looking at the same price range as the guitar in the original post and the honest truth is there's always been something to improve on the fretwork of the guitars I've owned or done a setup on on that price range, most notably the fret ends. I also own a Strandberg Boden 8 made by Washburn USA and a Dean Time Capsule ML USA from the higher price range and the rounding of the fret ends is pretty much non-existent on those ones too.


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## bracky (May 7, 2020)

Schecter has really nice fretwork. Why can’t everyone else? Just a thought.


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## Carl Kolchak (May 7, 2020)

bracky said:


> Schecter has really nice fretwork. Why can’t everyone else? Just a thought.


Good question. I bought a used Schecter whose fretwork was about at 99%, and an Agile that was almost as good. Both guitars cost me roughly half of what I paid for this "Prestige." 

Too bad the Pandarian Plague has all the music stores closed, as I'd would have liked to have checked the fretjobs, or lack thereof, on more of them just to see if mine was an anomaly, or par for the course.


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## Two Panthers (May 7, 2020)

Damn, well at the very least, you get a full refund right? I know it doesn’t FEEL great, but it’d be worse if you didnt have recourse for refund


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## Carl Kolchak (May 7, 2020)

Two Panthers said:


> Damn, well at the very least, you get a full refund right? I know it doesn’t FEEL great, but it’d be worse if you didnt have recourse for refund


Assuming the info Fed Ex sent me is accurate, I should be getting my refund today.

I have to say that this has been a huge learning experience for me, and one that has forced to completely reevaluate my preconceptions concerning point of origin builds. That said, if I were in the market for a production 7/8-string atm, I'd drop that money unhesitatingly on a Schecter. 

MIK>MIJ? Given my personal experience, I'd say yes.


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## diagrammatiks (May 7, 2020)

Carl Kolchak said:


> Good question. I bought a used Schecter whose fretwork was about at 99%, and an Agile that was almost as good. Both guitars cost me roughly half of what I paid for this "Prestige."
> 
> Too bad the Pandarian Plague has all the music stores closed, as I'd would have liked to have checked the fretjobs, or lack thereof, on more of them just to see if mine was an anomaly, or par for the course.



it's pretty par on course.


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## Thaeon (May 7, 2020)

laxu said:


> Sharp fret ends can happen on any guitar regardless of price range. I had sharp fret ends on my Skervesen when winter came around and the wood shrunk a tiny bit. It's a one time, easy fix for any tech to do if you don't want to do it yourself.
> 
> I would bet those frets were perfectly nice when the guitar left the factory.



Builders could fix this most of the time with blind slots. However wood can still shrink, and the edges can still poke out a little. I had a Carvin that got fret sprout pretty bad during a particularly dry winter.


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## Merrekof (May 7, 2020)

Carl Kolchak said:


> that has forced to completely reevaluate my preconceptions concerning point of origin builds.


I have stated this many times, quality control is key.

I have a Chinese Dingwall Combustion, hands down the best bass I've ever played. The German made Sandberg I owned briefly was not even close. 

That said, my Ibanez FR1620 was flawless...it was a used prestige!


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## Carl Kolchak (May 7, 2020)

Thaeon said:


> Builders could fix this most of the time with blind slots. However wood can still shrink, and the edges can still poke out a little. I had a Carvin that got fret sprout pretty bad during a particularly dry winter.


Again, the frets were _*SHARP*_ , and were _*ALL*_ uniformly protruding past the fret board at the *SAME* length. Not fret sprout. Not one or two frets needing a little extra TLC, but all of them sharp and fubar'd. This guitar didn't travel from the top of Mt. Everest to the Gobi Desert, so "shrinkage" wasn't an issue here. What was was QC, or I should say the complete fucking absence thereof.

So there. Finished. Case closed.


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## Thaeon (May 7, 2020)

Carl Kolchak said:


> Again, the frets were _*SHARP*_ , and were _*ALL*_ uniformly protruding past the fret board at the *SAME* length. Not fret sprout. Not one or two frets needing a little extra TLC, but all of them sharp and fubar'd. This guitar didn't travel from the top of Mt. Everest to the Gobi Desert, so "shrinkage" wasn't an issue here. What was was QC, or I should say the complete fucking absence thereof.
> 
> So there. Finished. Case closed.



Yeah, I wasn't addressing you and your situation bud. That's why I quoted @laxu specifically. Good talk though.


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## btbg (May 8, 2020)

j3ps3 said:


> Haven't done many fret jobs have you? Don't get me wrong, I'm not pissing on any particular brand or saying that the work is always trash, rather that it's a shame that often those problems, which could easily be avoided, are entirely on the dealer or reseller who stores the guitar (At least here this is a problem. Cold winters don't help this). I'm also looking at the same price range as the guitar in the original post and the honest truth is there's always been something to improve on the fretwork of the guitars I've owned or done a setup on on that price range, most notably the fret ends. I also own a Strandberg Boden 8 made by Washburn USA and a Dean Time Capsule ML USA from the higher price range and the rounding of the fret ends is pretty much non-existent on those ones too.



I’ve done several thanks. To say the fretwork on all factory guitars is trash is fucking bullshit and you know it.


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## j3ps3 (May 8, 2020)

btbg said:


> I’ve done several thanks. To say the fretwork on all factory guitars is trash is fucking bullshit and you know it.


I literally said that is not what I'm saying.


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## cwhitey2 (May 8, 2020)

Every guitar I have owned, regardless of price has never needed anything done with frets....even after years of owning the guitar...no fret sprouts or anything. 


TO the OP, sorry you received such a shit guitar


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## Thaeon (May 8, 2020)

cwhitey2 said:


> Every guitar I have owned, regardless of price has never needed anything done with frets....even after years of owning the guitar...no fret sprouts or anything.
> 
> 
> TO the OP, sorry you received such a shit guitar



No doubt. A guitar that expensive shouldn't have sharp frets. Period. Prestige is a branding that is supposed to match the word it was named for. Sharp frets aren't excusable. Especially when its such an easy detail to fix. 

Fret sprout can happen to anything. Well made or not. Could happen on the way to a shop while in a box, or from the shop to you. Easy fix, and not expensive.

Were this my situation, I'd have had the guitar addressed by a reputable tech and requested a refund for the amount required to fix it. Especially if the guitar was in otherwise acceptably new condition. Gibsons often need a dressing, leveling, and setup out of box. At their price point, I can't justify that. I'd have to play a Gibson extensively, love the tone and feel overall, and feel like the guitar is something missing from my collection. If it had fret and setup issues, I'd have the shop address them before purchase. My local shop generally does this before the guitars hit the floor though.


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## Carl Kolchak (May 8, 2020)

Update.

Sam Ash is dragging their feet issuing me a refund. It seems my refund should have been processed yesterday, this according to the csr I spoke to. Well. yesterday came and went, and no notification that my refund had been processed. I reached out to Sam Ash this morning, and was told that I'd be receiving an email later today informing me that my refund had been processed. Still nothing. I spoke to the same csr I'd spoken to yesterday, and he said that he'd red flagged it for management, but had no idea why the returns department hadn't already taken care of it.

Seriously?

WTF?!?!

Suffice to say I'll be one the phone with my bank tomorrow morning.


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## MaxOfMetal (May 8, 2020)

Moral of the story: if you’re not buying from Rich Harris from Ibanez Rules, you shouldn’t buy an Ibanez. Period.

Fujigen just isn’t as consistent as they used to be, HUSA has never been known for their great vetting of guitars, and none of the big box stores give a shit.


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## LordHar (May 9, 2020)

I'm surrounded by Ibanez Prestige, Premium and Artist models with zero problems with frets or anything else.


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## Carl Kolchak (May 9, 2020)

After spending about half an hour being bounced to various low-born Sam Ash csr peons, I was basically told my refund will be processed whenever they get off their fat, lazy asses and do it. Basically, nothing more I can do on my end now but file a complaint with Amazon, which I did. 

So yeah, I was stupid to buy a new Ibanez, and even stupider to buy it through Sam Ash. Hopefully, someone reading this can benefit from my misfortune, and save themselves the headaches this shitfest have been giving me.


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## bzhang9 (May 9, 2020)

Kinda ridiculous to generalize one lemon/bad experience to the entire prestige line and entire Sam Ash store, both of which are highly regarded

Like many on this board I've had >10 prestiges with zero fret issues, better fretwork and lower action than other high end 3k+ guitars

Quite possible climate changes contributed to the problem and current employment issues are affecting Sam ash's QC/CS

Returns are a risk with any guitar not bought or tested in person, regardless of used, new, brand, price point, we've all done it. The rage is probably over the top

If we all made a thread every time we got a lemon, even on a pricey guitar, this whole board would be a bitch fest


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## Carl Kolchak (May 9, 2020)

bzhang9 said:


> Kinda ridiculous to generalize one lemon/bad experience to the entire prestige line and entire Sam Ash store, both of which are highly regarded
> 
> Like many on this board I've had >10 prestiges with zero fret issues, better fretwork and lower action than other high end 3k+ guitars
> 
> ...


Meh.


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## Daevasmodeus (May 12, 2020)

While it's not the same guitar, I recently picked up an RG2027XL, which has the exact same binding and fretboard wood and it's absolutely perfect. I purchased it from Sweetwater, so I cannot confirm whether they did any fret polishing for QA or not. However in looking at the RG5328 Sweetwater currently has in stock, it looks like the fret ends are well inside the binding which compared to mine suggests the frets are probably good. I'm pretty confident Sweetwater would never let something like this situation ship out, let alone accept receipt of a guitar in this condition from Ibanez.

If you ordered this through Amazon, regardless of Sam Ash being the Amazon vendor, I'm surprised you even received a non-counterfeit Ibanez, let alone one without shipping temperature/humitidy damage. Amazon can't even deliver me guitar picks or strings right now without sending an empty box first or losing the package. Sam Ash's reviews on Amazon are also pretty mixed, so while their brick and mortar stores might be reliable, it seems evident that going through Amazon isn't.


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## Zhysick (May 19, 2020)

A few years back I bought an RGD2120Z (is that the model number? I just can't fucking remember Ibanez model numbers excep the RG550...) I had to return it as I could find the "Prestige fret end treatment"... all fret ends were sharp as yours. Also the case was broken.
Fortunately I am in Europe and I bought the guitar in Thomann. Two days later the service (I don't remember... DHL I guess) came to pick up the guitar and another two days later more I had the money back... 
That was the first time I bought a new Ibanez "because only buy a Prestige because anything else doesn't worth the money" (you know... SSO) and it also was my last time because never ever I had a guitar that bad. Also the V77 and V78 or whatever pickups weren't very good... a year later I got in an exchange a Premium RG970 and was an amazing guitar, great great great frets and the stock pickups were very usable (I sold it anyway) but I was so dissappointed with Ibanez guitars that I know I will never have one again so... I feel you.
You did right!


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## GoldDragon (May 19, 2020)

Carl Kolchak said:


> No, I didn't even bother. I just boxed the thing right back up, and waited for the Fed Ex guy to come and take the thing off my hands. Actually, they should be getting it back today. Hopefully, they won't drag their feet on the refund.
> 
> Again, that neither the Japanese or the Sam Ash QC guys didn't red flag this guitar is deeply troubling, as I can't imagine anyone paying 1.9K for a new MIJ Prestige wouldn't be ripshit at getting a guitar with unfinished frets.



Sounds like they are heading into Gibson territory.


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## Lorcan Ward (May 19, 2020)

My last ibanez prestige had the razor sharp unfinished ends and multiple high spots. Took a lot of work to get it to play like my 1527 and completely put me off buying from Ibanez again unless i can return them easy.


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## Carl Kolchak (May 19, 2020)

Lorcan Ward said:


> My last ibanez prestige had the razor sharp unfinished ends and multiple high spots. Took a lot of work to get it to play like my 1527 and completely put me off buying from Ibanez again unless i can return them easy.



I feel your pain.


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## zenonshandro (May 28, 2020)

I got my hands on the RG5328 and noticed similar shoddy fret ends. It's hard to believe.


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## 73647k (May 28, 2020)

zenonshandro said:


> I got my hands on the RG5328 and noticed similar shoddy fret ends. It's hard to believe.



Was this a guitar that you purchased or an in-store demo?


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## zenonshandro (May 28, 2020)

73647k said:


> Was this a guitar that you purchased or an in-store demo?


This was in-store stock at a local Canadian retailer. Around $2,600 CAD. I'm one of those guys who's always hearing positive words from other Ibanez prestige owners, but I've failed to come across one that impresses me.


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## 73647k (May 28, 2020)

zenonshandro said:


> This was in-store stock at a local Canadian retailer. Around $2,600 CAD. I'm one of those guys who's always hearing positive words from other Ibanez prestige owners, but I've failed to come across one that impresses me.



Any reviews that I've come across online for this model (outside of the forum) have been great so I wonder if it just comes down to whether or not a shit batch of these made their way out of the factory. I've got a 7-string prestige that plays like a dream.

I'm going to grab one of these in a few weeks once they're in stock again here in the US so we'll see what happens.


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## Musiscience (May 29, 2020)

This situation really sucks, but I wouldn't generalize. Lemons are possible at any price range and from almost any factories. The last 4 prestige Ibby I bought since 2014 were great and without a single defect. The AZ I received a month ago is superb, and the honeymoon goes on and on.

I remember seeing a 3800$ USD Jackson HT6 with issues in the finish that would be unacceptable even on an affordable Indo build. If I remember correctly, you could even see it on the store pictures. I don't think it would be fair to assume from it that all US Jackson are garbage. But buying from a store with great customer service and return policy (ex. sweetwater) is always preferable when buying online. Hell, even Sweetwater has let a few guitars with obvious issues slip past their supposed inspection if you read enough NGD posts.



Carl Kolchak said:


> MIK>MIJ? Given my personal experience, I'd say yes.



Almost any ESP would show that this is most often not the case (no hate on LTD, they are also great!).

Also, while prestige can sometimes be hit or miss these days, Indo Ibanez are way more consistently problematic. The very few Indo Ibby I played that were decent had been addressed by a luthier beforehand.


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## Vyn (May 30, 2020)

I know that this is a couple of weeks old however sorry to hear you had a terrible experience  Getting a guitar that isn't what you expected sucks, especially when it's a guitar worth a few bucks.

As a side note, I think I'm one of the bigger hoarders of the newer Prestiges on this board and this is the first time I've seen a non-maple board modern Prestige with fret issues that bad (the maple boarded Prestiges of late that aren't 5000 series can be rather hit and miss to say the least which is confusing because the Genesis 550 line came out fine? Fujigen be smoking something on that one). Rich probably has more input on this than anyone else however usually the non-maple Prestiges are a very safe buy.


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