# Ibanez RG9. Worth it? (Opinions/Pickup swap options etc).



## BigHandy (Jan 25, 2015)

Hello!

I haven't seen an RG9 thread yet, so I decided to make one to fullfill my curiosity. Is this a good option to a 9 string? I guess (as it's an entry level guitar like the RG8) the stock pickups should've sound better, is there any clues/options for swapping them out for a better 9 string pickup? And if the answer is yes, then how hard/tricky is to change them? Are those Ibanez stock pickups in different mount than other companies pickups, and does it need additional carving/mounting in some special way?

Thank you for the answers!


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## asopala (Jan 26, 2015)

Better option would be the Schecter Damien-Platinum 9. Comes stock with EMG 909s and a 30 inch scale, vs. Ibanez's 28 inch scale. And it's ironically cheaper than the RG9


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## BigHandy (Jan 26, 2015)

asopala said:


> Better option would be the Schecter Damien-Platinum 9. Comes stock with EMG 909s and a 30 inch scale, vs. Ibanez's 28 inch scale. And it's ironically cheaper than the RG9



I was thinking over the Schecter C-9 as well, but I'm still complaining about that some said Schecters have some kind of "fake" or "plastic" sound compared to Ibanez or others. And the videos I saw on the internet didn't convince me about that if i could get that massive 'Djentish' sound from it (imagine things like palm muting, riffages on the lower strings etc...). And the neck on the Schecters also not as fast/easy and thin as on the Ibanez. If there would be 9 string Banshee with Ultra Thin neck and SD pickups (like they have it on their 8 string versions) I would better consider the Schecter option...

Any experience that how does the C-9 perform in Djent style tones?


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## NorCal_Val (Jan 26, 2015)

asopala said:


> Better option would be the Schecter Damien-Platinum 9. Comes stock with EMG 909s and a 30 inch scale, vs. Ibanez's 28 inch scale.



The scale length is THE issue(afaic) with extended range guitars.
I like my RGA8, but I would've loved it if the scale length was long
enough to eliminate the intonation/inharmonicity issues.
Glad I finally ordered an M80M.


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## SilentCartographer (Jan 27, 2015)

Plus the Damien has better aesthetic appeal I would say.. although looks like it weighs on the heavy side, compared to the RG9.


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## Dana (Jan 27, 2015)

buy a 6, tune it to E flat, then make it sound heavy.


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## Chi (Jan 27, 2015)

Dana said:


> buy a 6, tune it to E flat, then make it sound heavy.



Wasn't aware a downtuned 6 string has the range of a 9. 

Anyway, the main issue with the RG9 is the scale length. 28 just doesn't cut it for that C#.


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## ohoolahan (Jan 27, 2015)

ew....9 strings? hm....does it worth it? depends on what you do with the 9th string. for binary stuff its waaaaaayyy too much...and useless... but if you got skill and use the full range of the 9 strings...


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## Chi (Jan 27, 2015)

ohoolahan said:


> ew....9 strings? hm....does it worth it? depends on what you do with the 9th string. for binary stuff its waaaaaayyy too much...and useless... but if you got skill and use the full range of the 9 strings...



You can do binary on a 6 string as well. Why the hell do people care whether people only play 1 string? 

If people dig that kinda' crap, let them do it. You can make a great song on one string, while you can make shitty boring songs using all strings on a 10 string.


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## ohoolahan (Jan 27, 2015)

I missunderstood your thread. Thought you wanted opinions on 9 string in generell. Sorry for that.


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## Dana (Jan 27, 2015)

How about 26 strings. 
A 9 doesn't have the range of a 26 man......


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## Chi (Jan 27, 2015)

Dana said:


> How about 26 strings.
> A 9 doesn't have the range of a 26 man......



Clever.


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## BigHandy (Jan 27, 2015)

For those who missunderstand: yess, I'm planning to use all the 9 strings not just the chugga-chugga stuff. I would say I would like to play more of a prog-djentish sounding music, with lots of chords, harmonics and leads included...


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## BigHandy (Jan 27, 2015)

Dana said:


> How about 26 strings.
> A 9 doesn't have the range of a 26 man......



Hmmm... Yea, why not?! I will definitely consider that!


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## TheStig1214 (Jan 27, 2015)

Are you in the US? What about Agile's stuff? Septor elite 930 (30" scale, EMG 909s) is $700 before shipping.


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## UnstableinLINY (Jan 27, 2015)

Neck thickness of the schecter and ibanez are identical. 20mm at the 1st and 22mm at the 12th. Only difference is D vs C shape on the neck. The schecter is a baseball bat just isnt true anymore. I see no real advantage going rg9 or c9 unless u plan to swap out pickups or have a preference in active vs passive.


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## BigHandy (Jan 27, 2015)

TheStig1214 said:


> Are you in the US? What about Agile's stuff? Septor elite 930 (30" scale, EMG 909s) is $700 before shipping.



I live in the EU, so unfortune.




UnstableinLINY said:


> Neck thickness of the schecter and ibanez are identical. 20mm at the 1st and 22mm at the 12th. Only difference is D vs C shape on the neck. The schecter is a baseball bat just isnt true anymore. I see no real advantage going rg9 or c9 unless u plan to swap out pickups or have a preference in active vs passive.



As far as I know the the RG9 has passive pickups... Or did I missunderstood something?


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## ohoolahan (Jan 27, 2015)

Hm...in that case: I owned two RG8. They were pretty solid, so I think a RG9 would be a good way to go! And yes, the 2 QM-9 Humbucker are passive...


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## sevenstringdjentlemen (Jan 27, 2015)

Yep, it's passive, while Schecter is active 
If you want I can ask some questions to my frined about RG9, he tried this guitar. Let me know if you want my help.


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## AnP Hardcore (Jan 27, 2015)

As far as pickups swap goes, you don't have much of a choice. Either you route your guitar for actives like EMG 909 or you have to go custom. Bareknuckle make a model called the Canine which is a 9 string that's stock with the RG90BKP (the prestige version of the RG9) or you can contact some small pickups builders and see if they'll make a 9 string pickup


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## Jarabowa (Jan 27, 2015)

AnP Hardcore said:


> As far as pickups swap goes, you don't have much of a choice. Either you route your guitar for actives like EMG 909 or you have to go custom. Bareknuckle make a model called the Canine which is a 9 string that's stock with the RG90BKP (the prestige version of the RG9) or you can contact some small pickups builders and see if they'll make a 9 string pickup



Don't forget Lace Pickups man! That's what I'll be dropping in my RG9 when I get around to it. The stock pups are WAY better than the paperweights in the RG8 (a low bar, I know). I do play mostly clean on it though, so there's that.


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## sevenstringdjentlemen (Jan 27, 2015)

Lace Deathbar or X-bar
Extended Range Guitar pickups for 7-8 strings, 8-9 strings and 9-10 string guitars | The Lace Aluma X Bar Electric Guitar pickups for jazz to metal guitar styles.
7 String and 8 String Guitar pickup - The Lace Deathbar is designed for extended range guitars and modeled after the Lace Deathbucker pickup with more gain and more Midrange push and 9-10 string pickups available.


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## headfirstonly (Feb 1, 2015)

BigHandy said:


> Hello!
> 
> I haven't seen an RG9 thread yet, so I decided to make one to fullfill my curiosity. Is this a good option to a 9 string?
> 
> Thank you for the answers!



I've been messing about with my RG9-BK today recording something for February Album Writing Month (FAWM.ORG | February Album Writing Month). It's not modded, totally stock, and I'm delighted with the results. (Lead is a Jackson "Adrian Smith" San Dimas, btw). 

https://soundcloud.com/headfirstonly/first-person-wizard-groove


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## noUser01 (Feb 1, 2015)

Dana said:


> How about 26 strings.
> A 9 doesn't have the range of a 26 man......



I will never understand what people like you have to gain by making fun of other musicians and their instrument choices. 

Seriously, if someone wants to make music on an instrument, let them do so. I'm willing to bet that there's a hell of a lot of people playing 7, 8 and 9 and more strings that make better music than either of us.

There is nothing to be gained by discouraging an artist, and there is nothing lost by encouraging one. Lay off.

Back on topic, I would go with the Schecter personally, if you're seriously wanting to invest time into playing a 9. If you just want to try one out then maybe get the Ibanez if you prefer that style of guitar and a thinner neck, but if you're looking to use on long term then the extended scale length of the Schecter will save you a lot of headaches and sound much better too. Either way you'll get a solid guitar, both companies are good in that price point, it's more about what you want to do with it. You'll more than likely swap out pickups regardless of the guitar you go with though.

To answer your question about the pickups though, you shouldn't have any issue with them. I've never had issue with Ibanez 6, 7 or 8's when I swapped pickups so I doubt it will be different on a 9 string. You should be able to drop in new pickups easily!


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## BigHandy (Feb 2, 2015)

At first I didn't know exacly if I really want an 9 string over an 8 (I'm swapping from a very basic 6 string which didn't really sound well when downtuned), but then I saw some demos over the RG90 and the C-9 on youtube and they convinced me about how that extra could really be used with relevant musical approach.

The Schecter Damien Platinum-9 has some thinner neck than the C-9, so if I would go on that way I would definitely choose the Platinum. However the RG9's still tempting because it's prooved fast Iby neck and while it's sound maybe more suitable for the genre in general. (still haven't heard the Platinum-9, only the C-9 in yt demos).

(And just to make things even more complicated: ESP/LTD has came out with an affordable 27" scale 8 string the H-408B FM, which came to caught my eyes and while the sound of the ESP/LTD guitars were seemed always to sound so comfy for me it makes me think all over again.)


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## Chox (Feb 2, 2015)

I recently jumped from a 6 to an 8 and I love the extra range the two strings give me. Took a few hours to adjust. 

One thing I will say is that I don't often use the 8th string at the moment, but I need to put a bigger gauge on it. I don't use it cause it's spaghetti and buzzy, and I haven't played any "djent" on it yet.

A 6 to a 9 might be a bit of an extreme jump though I don't know.


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## Dana (Feb 2, 2015)

ConnorGilks said:


> I will never understand what people like you have to gain by making fun of other musicians and their instrument choices.
> 
> Seriously, if someone wants to make music on an instrument, let them do so. I'm willing to bet that there's a hell of a lot of people playing 7, 8 and 9 and more strings that make better music than either of us.
> 
> ...



gimme a break. its just a joke. i have an 8 string too, jesus. why do people like you take everything so seriously then make a big deal of it... ? 
cry about it.


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## Chi (Feb 2, 2015)

Dana said:


> gimme a break. its just a joke. i have an 8 string too, jesus. why do people like you take everything so seriously then make a big deal of it... ?
> cry about it.



Obviously because you had no intention to even try passing it off as a joke in the first place. If it really was a joke, man, you're just crap at humor then.


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## Dana (Feb 2, 2015)

Chi said:


> Obviously because you had no intention to even try passing it off as a joke in the first place. If it really was a joke, man, you're just crap at humor then.



eh whatev. no matter what you say around here somebody cries about it....

get laid.


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## noUser01 (Feb 2, 2015)

Dana said:


> eh whatev. no matter what you say around here somebody cries about it....
> 
> get laid.



Enjoy your ban.

OP, if you are jumping from a 6 I would HIGHLY recommend starting with a 7 or 8 before a 9. I understand you want it for tuning down but getting used to an 8 alone is just crazy. There's so many adjustments that need to be made, especially if you don't have a 7 already. Things like muting need to be relearned because you've got more strings now, and the wider fretboard makes you play things very differently, even easy chords. 

Might I suggest borrowing a 7 or 8 for a week or two to see the differences first? I really think it would help your decision once you have experience having an ERG in your hands for a while.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 2, 2015)

Dana said:


> gimme a break. its just a joke. i have an 8 string too, jesus. why do people like you take everything so seriously then make a big deal of it... ?
> cry about it.





Dana said:


> eh whatev. no matter what you say around here somebody cries about it....
> 
> get laid.



It's always funny seeing folks who get called out for being a jerk stoop down to the old "I was just joking" defense. 

Bro, do you even joke? 

Take a couple weeks to think about why every thread you enter ends up with this same string of events. 



ConnorGilks said:


> Enjoy your ban.



Come on Connor, you know not to feed the trolls, especially with fauxderation. 

See ya in a couple days.


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## UnstableinLINY (Feb 2, 2015)

It's: 

Bro, do you even djoke?

yeah.....


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## cakejetski (Feb 3, 2015)

Remember that a 30" scale means ALL the other strings will also be 30", so while you may be helping the tone of your lowest string, you might come into problems with chording and stretches on the high strings. I play a 28.6" 7-string in standard right now and it feels great, but damn is it a hell of a lot easier when I hop on my 27", even. It depends what you're going for overall. I've never jammed a 9-string, but a low E sounded great on my RG8 with Ionizers at 27", so I don't see why you would want to hamper your playing at 30" over 28".


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## BigHandy (Feb 4, 2015)

UnstableinLINY said:


> Neck thickness of the schecter and ibanez are identical. 20mm at the 1st and 22mm at the 12th. Only difference is D vs C shape on the neck. The schecter is a baseball bat just isnt true anymore. I see no real advantage going rg9 or c9 unless u plan to swap out pickups or have a preference in active vs passive.



I realized that maybe I missunderstood what companies call under "Neck Thickness". What Im complaining about is the "back" of the neck, that if its "flat" enough to be maybe faster on it in comparison. So its rather the "shape" that I need to check in the specs, am I getting it right? I don't know how do they play/feel compared to each-other (The Schecters have 'C', the Iby's have 'D' and ESP's have 'U' as far as I could spell out from their spec sheets.)

Any clues how easy is to handle fast swaps on them set against?


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## GunpointMetal (Feb 4, 2015)

cakejetski said:


> Remember that a 30" scale means ALL the other strings will also be 30", so while you may be helping the tone of your lowest string, you might come into problems with chording and stretches on the high strings. I play a 28.6" 7-string in standard right now and it feels great, but damn is it a hell of a lot easier when I hop on my 27", even. It depends what you're going for overall. I've never jammed a 9-string, but a low E sounded great on my RG8 with Ionizers at 27", so I don't see why you would want to hamper your playing at 30" over 28".


I think you'll want that extra two inches at a low C#.


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## stuglue (Feb 4, 2015)

I think if you're considering moving from a six to a nine then ask yourself what am I getting from a 9 that warrants buying one.
With a seven string you are just getting 5 extra pitches on the low B.
With an eight string your getting 5 lower extra pitches over a seven string.
With a nine string you are getting 5 lower extra pitches over an 8 string.
So the question is, do I need the super low F,E,D#,D,C# that a 9 has.

The other benefit of ERGs is different positions of the same note. Your open low E on your six string has its equivalent pitch at the 5th fret on the low B. Same pitch different position.

Bare in mind the width of a 9 string neck. I've played the Ibanez 9 and my hands are too small to play it. The fretboard is practically flat which helps but for me even 8s are too much both in playability and in sound, I personally don't need to go that low.

I hope this helps. I'd suggest waiting until Ibanez release the fanned fret 7 and 8s and if you can try one of those you'll get the best of both worlds, tight bottom end and looser treble strings plus the intonation won't be an issue as you won't have to use really thick strings for the low notes. That is dependent on the scale length that Ibanez finally decide on.


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## noUser01 (Feb 5, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Come on Connor, you know not to feed the trolls, especially with fauxderation.
> 
> See ya in a couple days.



They told me the same thing about the Gremlins.


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## BigHandy (Feb 11, 2015)

BigHandy said:


> At first I didn't know exacly if I really want an 9 string over an 8 (I'm swapping from a very basic 6 string which didn't really sound well when downtuned), but then I saw some demos over the RG90 and the C-9 on youtube and they convinced me about how that extra could really be used with relevant musical approach.
> 
> The Schecter Damien Platinum-9 has some thinner neck than the C-9, so if I would go on that way I would definitely choose the Platinum. However the RG9's still tempting because it's prooved fast Iby neck and while it's sound maybe more suitable for the genre in general. (still haven't heard the Platinum-9, only the C-9 in yt demos).
> 
> (And just to make things even more complicated: ESP/LTD has came out with an affordable 27" scale 8 string the H-408B FM, which came to caught my eyes and while the sound of the ESP/LTD guitars were seemed always to sound so comfy for me it makes me think all over again.)





The crap happened: just looked up to Schecter's site to check the specks of the Damien Platinum-9 and they have changed the neck from 'Ultra Thin-C'
to regular 'Thin-C'. Why would they do such an EVIL?! It was my picked guitar over the C-9, just because the thinner neck and here we go, they just changed the specks. Does anyone have a clue why would that happen and/or if it was just a typo a priori?

Edit: I lay down if I may: If I would choose Ibanez over Schecter is because the thin Wizard neck, and according to above, I have less and less doubt about it... (Tho' still not 100% sure).


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## Fry5150 (Feb 11, 2015)

I just ordered a Damien Platinum 9 earlier too haha


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## DeathChord (Feb 11, 2015)

The move from 6 to 8 for me was drastic 24.5 to 29.4 was a huge jump. When I 1st got the guitar (M80M) I thought WTF did I do, this scale is huge but I wanted to challenge myself to learn again.

I was fortunate that the longer the scale length afforded me the luxury to fine tune string gauge and tension. IMO without that, I would have been discouraged quickly. 

The rest of the elements of the guitar I like very much, would I change a few things? yes but if I did not have that initial scale length to work with, extending into the lower ranges would not have felt or sounded right. I mean what good is an extended range if you have to compromise?

So if I had my choice of of any ERG factory or custom one thing is for sure sufficient scale length to ensure playability. Happy Hunting.


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## trayenshreds (Feb 12, 2015)

I love my RG9*QM*.

-With that being said.. the regular RG9 is terrible. I'd avoid it.
-Having played a few they just don't even compare.
-The neck on the QM (Quilted Maple) is Satin Finish, not gloss
-Also a Quilted Maple top def helps the tone
-Pickups work well with tweaking but def need a replacement
-Quality control on the overall instrument was much more poor







Also the Prestige RG9BKPISH is dope.


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## Dylana (Feb 12, 2015)

The rg9 is good but I would change out the pickups, I'm waiting for a set of lundgren m9s to come out if they ever will.


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## ceiling_fan (Feb 12, 2015)

Dylana said:


> The rg9 is good but I would change out the pickups, I'm waiting for a set of lundgren m9s to come out if they ever will.



I've heard you can custom-order M9's but they must be ungodly expensive. 300 euro at least.


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## Jarabowa (Feb 12, 2015)

trayenshreds said:


> I love my RG9*QM*.
> 
> -With that being said.. the regular RG9 is terrible. I'd avoid it.
> -Having played a few they just don't even compare.
> ...





I haven't played the QM version, but I own a standard model from the first run and have had zero problems with it. If anything, it's required the least tweaking and fret work out of the last few guitars that I ordered online. Besides, isn't the QM just the same guitar with a veneer?

I understand that some of this can come down to personal preference, and maybe I just got lucky with mine, but I think that making a blanket statement that the RG9 is "terrible" is fairly misguided.

Just my


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## Voron (Feb 14, 2015)

Just got my RG9BK...
Any advices on tuning and string gauges to use????


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## Dana (Feb 17, 2015)

MaxOfMetal said:


> It's always funny seeing folks who get called out for being a jerk stoop down to the old "I was just joking" defense.
> 
> Bro, do you even joke?
> 
> ...



every thread i enter does NOT end up like this. why don't you take a minute to look thru and see that? I have been helpful on several occasions, but nobody says anything about that... 
if you want to name call so be it. i am who i am. Im a jerk apparently.
go ahead and ban me again.


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## BigHandy (Feb 18, 2015)

It's a hard decision, but I guess I will go with the Schecter Damien Platinum-9 rather than Ibanez. Tho' it's not 100% sure, but I think Schecter offers a bit more for the money, but still complaining abot the sound difference...


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## Voron (Feb 21, 2015)

Sooo..... just finished the video for the RG9
It's really crazy this sing 
But it can be in the mix and you really can play it... I was really sceptic on it.

Tried to mix groove, some acoustic sound and a bit of shred.
Hope you will like this.


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## Atomic Kemper (Feb 21, 2015)

No(to the title thread question)


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