# Ibanez FR2620



## thelarrinator (Jun 9, 2013)

I'm currently in one of those situations where you dislike something unanimously, literally everything about it just isn't your cup of tea - then years pass (to the point where said something is no longer made/hard to come by) and it turns out it's everything you wanted in the 1st place.
The FR2620 in natural...
I'll hold out for it, and would even settle for the 1620 in black for touring with or something...

Has anyone got/played an FR2620 or FR1620, how do they play?
While She Sleeps play them, and they sound beastly - what are your experiences?


----------



## Adam Of Angels (Jun 9, 2013)

There is or was a J-Custom version of the FR, and looking back, I want to kick myself for not getting a hold of one.


----------



## thelarrinator (Jun 9, 2013)

Shocking huh!
I don't remember seeing them in shops around the era they were in active production, only in magazines and at 15 - something that extreme (at the time, for me anyway) was an absolute no-go.

Well, i've even seen the FR1620 bog standard prestige going for like £600 new in places and i would happily settle haha.
I was going to try and sell my current guitars on the buying/selling part of the forum but am somehow unable - even though I used it to buy a guitar last year!


----------



## Philip N (Jun 9, 2013)

Just sold mine..
Really solid guitars and absolutely effortless to play. Easily one of the comfiest necks I ever played. 
Though I found it to be a tad neck heavy, which is why I sold it ultimately.

Hope you can find one!


----------



## Steve_U1S (Jun 10, 2013)

I have the FR2620DBS - it catered to a blended thing for me; my original electric guitar love is the Telecaster... and I've wound up by and large an Ibanez person.
Whammo!
Happened upon this Prestige baby basically by accident, having no real knowledge of them, and having not taken a second look at a black one from a local dealer at the time.
Then this BSB finished piece of lovely ash wound up with me staring at it, and doing whatever I had to in order to acquire it, which I did about 2 days later.
I felt lucky it was still there - price seemed reasonable, and it was in virtually unused condition, with case and all contents, no fret wear, the slightest signs of usage on the pickguard, and plastic still on the back covers...

The neck is slender, wide and flat; as fast and furious as any RG-type neck, 24 frets, AANJ... stock pickups are okay, but replacing them and wiring it my own personal way put it right over the top (along with scalloping the top 4 frets)...
The comfy cuts... the binding around the body... a very solid bridge design...
Just a whole lot of awesome.


----------



## Evil Weasel (Jun 11, 2013)

thelarrinator said:


> I'm currently in one of those situations where you dislike something unanimously, literally everything about it just isn't your cup of tea - then years pass (to the point where said something is no longer made/hard to come by) and it turns out it's everything you wanted in the 1st place.
> The FR2620 in natural...
> I'll hold out for it, and would even settle for the 1620 in black for touring with or something...
> 
> ...


I've been GASing for one for ages. If you want to try one out then Merchant City Music in Glasgow has this lovely one on the wall for you to try.
Ibanez FR2620-NT Natural - Ibanez Guitars | Merchant City Music
Likewise they have a Blackat on display to play. Both are seriously nice and if I had the money I'd buy both!


----------



## monologue (Apr 3, 2014)

I'm glad I found this topic, cause I've been wondering about this for years now:

are these actually two different finishes the guitar comes in, or does it just look different because of the lighting?


----------



## maxdgad (Apr 4, 2014)

Just one color. And good luck trying to find one.


----------



## GBH14 (Apr 4, 2014)

They are the same finish, just different lighting.

The FR2620 came in two finishes - The Dark Brown Sunburst you have just shown, and the Natural finish. The FR1620 then came in flat black and flat red.

They are great guitars. By far my favourite shape Ibanez have ever made. The necks are great and i love the bridge.

I was really disappointed when they dropped the Prestige line of the model, but they have brought it back again now in the form of the FR6UC - it comes in black with an ebony board, Bare Knuckle Aftermath pickups, and the same Tight End bridge - Only now the body is Basswood rather than Ash.

I would love to try the new FR6UC although I have a feeling they will be pretty expensive, over £1000 I think. I picked my FR2620 up over 3 years ago now for £300.. an absolute steal!!! It was originally about a £1300 gutar!

Heres mine:


----------



## s4tch (Apr 4, 2014)

^Man, that FR+RGA combo is killing me. For 300GBP, the FR was a killer deal.

I love the FR2620 with any finish, but these pop up very rarely in Europe, and even if I find one, it's rather on the expensive side. So as a "replacement", I'm about to get a luthier make an FR-style ash body for the Ibanez Viper neck I have laying around. Super nice guitars.


----------



## GBH14 (Apr 4, 2014)

s4tch said:


> ^Man, that FR+RGA combo is killing me. For 300GBP, the FR was a killer deal.
> 
> I love the FR2620 with any finish, but these pop up very rarely in Europe, and even if I find one, it's rather on the expensive side. So as a "replacement", I'm about to get a luthier make an FR-style ash body for the Ibanez Viper neck I have laying around. Super nice guitars.



I actually picked up both the FR and RGA for £300 a piece! Both a steal in my opinion! Switched the pick-ups in both now and don't think I would let them go for a long long time!


----------



## Coreysaur (Apr 4, 2014)

GBH14 said:


> I picked my FR2620 up over 3 years ago now for £300.. an absolute steal!!! It was originally about a £1300 gutar!



I hate you so much now.


----------



## GBH14 (Apr 4, 2014)

Coreysaur said:


> I hate you so much now.



Haha!

It was purely a case of right place at the right time - It was previously owned by a member of a band called 'The Eyes Of A Traitor' and due to an endorsement he got it from Ibanez free I believe. When he came to quit the band he sold a lot of his gear and because it cost him nothing I was lucky enough to snag it for a bargain!

This is the exact guitar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4cvLHLkBfo


----------



## source field (Apr 4, 2014)

IMO one of the most versatile guitars Ibanez ever made, it can handle country, delta-blues, funk to metal very nicely (i'm a sucker for versatility). Had more 'twang' than any superstrat Prestiges I've ever played, which is surprising.


----------



## monologue (Apr 4, 2014)

Thanks a lot for all your replies!
Is there much difference between the FR2620 and FR420 models?


----------



## s4tch (Apr 4, 2014)

Yes, there is. The cheap models are made in Indonesia, have a different neck (a fairly generic Wizard III neck that you can find on plenty of Indo-made RG/RGA/S models), different pickups, wood selection, fret treatment, tuners, nut. In fact, besides the body shape, control placement and the bridge, those are pretty different guitars.

Don't get me wrong, the FR420 is a good guitar for the money, too. But the Japanese models are just superior in almost every detail.


----------



## GBH14 (Apr 4, 2014)

There are a couple of FR1620's on ebay in the US, but delivery and import tax will be pretty high


----------



## Evil Weasel (Apr 4, 2014)

GBH14 said:


> There are a couple of FR1620's on ebay in the US, but delivery and import tax will be pretty high


My envy towards your Ibby collection is sickening. At least I've got an RGA121 to console myself  If you ever want rid of that FR2620 though....


----------



## GBH14 (Apr 5, 2014)

Evil Weasel said:


> My envy towards your Ibby collection is sickening. At least I've got an RGA121 to console myself  If you ever want rid of that FR2620 though....



Haha, it would have to be a pretty good offer to even make me think about it! Tell you what, buy an FR6UC and I'll trade with you  haha


----------



## monologue (Jan 15, 2017)

Sorry for bumping this thread, but I want to ask this:
has anyone of you noticed these guitars are pretty neck heavy?

I have my Ibanez FR2620 DBS for 2 years now and I love it, but the only thing that's bothering me is the neck dive. It's pretty bad, even worse than my Gibson SG. I searched Google to see if other people have the same problem with this guitar, but I can't find anyone mentioning it, making me worry there's something wrong with my guitar. 
I bought it new and didn't change anything on it. I tried a regular Ernie Ball strap and Dimarzio Clip lock strap, but it makes no difference.

Anyone who has the same problem or can give me any tips to make to make it less neck heavy?


----------



## BigViolin (Jan 15, 2017)

Try a wider strap with a rough leather or suede backing. A lot of bass players use a 4" wide strap with a rough back that won't easily slide across a shirt to combat neck dive.


----------



## ShredandBalls (Jan 16, 2017)

I'm selling my Gibson to buy one they have in a local store in here.


----------



## Pikka Bird (Jan 17, 2017)

Since a few people here have FRs with the regular Tight End bridge, can someone tell me- are there any differences between the Tight-End and the Tight-End R other than the footprint and screw pattern? It looks to me like they're functionally identical.


----------



## monologue (Jan 18, 2017)

Pikka Bird said:


> Since a few people here have FRs with the regular Tight End bridge, can someone tell me- are there any differences between the Tight-End and the Tight-End R other than the footprint and screw pattern? It looks to me like they're functionally identical.


You're right. They are essentially the same bridge, offer the same tuning stability and intonation setup, but look slightly different.


----------



## MikeH (Jan 22, 2017)

I hated the FR at first. Now it's my #1 source of GAS. Especially the new Iron Label FR7. Ibanez is just hurting my wallet in general this year.


----------



## BangandBreach (Jan 22, 2017)

MikeH said:


> I hated the FR at first. Now it's my #1 source of GAS. Especially the new Iron Label FR7. Ibanez is just hurting my wallet in general this year.



I'm in the same boat. It took me a few years before I admitted to myself that an FR7 would be something I wanted really badly.


----------

