New Xiphos
- Thread starter Sleazy_D
- Start date
Sleazy_D
SS.org Regular
Small update for those who might buy one. Had to send both guitars back to Sweetwater for a further look into why when you bend the high E and the note dies, on both Xiphos. The determined that the frets were slightly not level in some spots. Of course, Sweetwater is the shit, and they will PLEK it at no cost. Iām not saying I got a lemon, but thatās two Indo Ibanez that cost more than 1K USD that needed further work to be playable.
KnightBrolaire
friendly neighborhood shitposter
nick at axe palace has said that ibanez fretwork has been pretty terrible as of late. His techs have had to do a lot of fret work over the last year on low-mid tier ibanez apparently.
Grindspine
likes pointy things
As nice as some mid-tier Ibanez guitars look, I have a hard time trusting anything below Prestige level. But that is also vs the PRS guitars that I have and two Korean imports that were in that same PLEK machine.
I'd only buy Ibanez stuff at this point from IbanezRules, since I know Rich will actually make sure things work as they should before sending it out the door to you. This includes random premiums/Indonesian stuff he'll get in sometimes.
I love Ibanez, most of my stuff is Ibanez, but they can really crap out some shitty shit sometimes
Sleazy_D
SS.org Regular
itās like a different guitar. Sweetwater rules. Indo Ibanez does not.
Northfall
SS.org Regular
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2021
- Messages
- 55
- Reaction score
- 107
I've been GASing for a Xiphos six-shooter lately. For disclaimer, I actually bought a Xiphos 7 last year, and returned it to the vendor shortly after. Aside from the fit/finish issues I returned it for, the guitar didn't sound great - but I think the strings may have just been dead af by that point also. How do you like the D-Activators that came loaded? Your Sweetwater recommendation actually makes a lot of sense, and now I'm re-interested in getting one of these, because they're extremely comfortable sitters.
Neon_Knight_
SS.org Regular
They really are "extremely comfortable sitters".
I love the D Activators in my XPT700 (2007 Xiphos, with maple neck-thru & mahogany wings)...so much that I'm sometimes tempted to install D Activators in all 9 of my Ibanez guitars. The only thing stopping me is that it would be "boring" to have the same pickups in every guitar.
I'd say D Activators are ideal for the styles most people would associate with a black pointy "metal" guitar shape, but are more versatile and less modern than most people expect from the name.
Sleazy_D
SS.org Regular
I would love a Xiphos Prestige
Sleazy_D
SS.org Regular
I rather enjoy the d-activators. This was my first time trying them. I just got the 7 back from Sweetwater, and it feels way better. It didnāt need to be Plekād, but they had to shim the nut.
Sleazy_D
SS.org Regular
Yeah theyāre kinda caveman, but I like them. The term āorganicā comes to mind. Iām bad at describing pickups, in general. Through the evh 50, it sounds veryyyyyy good.
Neon_Knight_
SS.org Regular
I have absolutely no idea what you mean by "kinda caveman" haha!
Sleazy_D
SS.org Regular
Just like club you over the head Neanderthal style. I really dig them. Im easy to please
Grindspine
likes pointy things
Nice, do they still include the cards saying who did the work? I had two of my guitars on the Plek there back in 2017.
Neon_Knight_
SS.org Regular
That's not really how I feel about them. They're not exactly the most subtle pickups, but they're also far more versatile and dynamic than most people seem to assume. They sound very decent when tamed with the volume pot and are one of the best humbuckers available for coil-splitting imo.
Sleazy_D
SS.org Regular
Yes I was sent an email plus a printed out copy. Same guy did both guitars.
