The Ibanez RGIR20E-BK is a 6-string electric guitar that forms part of the 2013 Iron Label series of instruments. It features the usual high quality build found on Ibanez guitars and combines a 3-piece Nitro Wizard neck and Edge-Zero II locking tremolo bridge with some original features that are sure to be popular with modern rock and metal players.
The first of these is the addition of custom selected EMG pickups – a 60 in the neck is paired with a tried and tested 81 in the bridge for a killer high output tone. In addition to this, the guitar is fitted with a ‘kill switch’ circuit that cuts all output via a two-way toggle switch – perfect for Tom Morello or Buckethead-style stuttering solo effects.
With a basswood body, quality hardware and a stealthy black finish with white binding throughout, the Ibanez RGIR20E represents a very competitive entry into the modern rock guitar market, and the very attractive price point means it is accessible to all.
The main features of the Ibanez RGIR20E-BK include:
Ive had this guitar for a while now, so I want to write a short review about it. It really as an amazing guitar and heres why
-The price/performance of this guitar is really good. It takes on more expensive guitar of this caliber, like ESPs for example, very easily in terms of The sound, playability, looks, components, etc
-The sound is huge, especially if you play heavy stuff, or stuff with alot of overdrive. But even then, this guitar handles clean/low gain sounds much better than I first thought it would. Its pretty clear and full sounding, even coming from a "metal" guitar with emg pickups. It can do many genres aswell.
-In terms of playability, this guitar does very well. The neck is only a tiny bit wider compared to some ESPs for example, and you can feel that. But is more flat at the bottom of the neck, so it depends on what you like. You can reach every fret very easily, and the tiny extra amount of space between the strings makes it easyer to grab (power)chords in my opinion. Also, this guitar allows for low action if you set it up properly.
-Lastly, the killswitch is a very handy feature, I didnt knew before I would use it so much.
Some cons Ive experienced so far:
-The input jack and the killswitch come loose a bit after while, but its very easy to screw it tight again, so its not a big issue for me. Thats why I gave it 3 out of 5 stars on workmanship.
-I play this guitar in a drop b tuning, and ive had some issues setting it up properly. That mainly depends on the string gauges Ive used though. I have 54s on there, but its too thin. Also, the G-string(in a standard tuning) behaves poorly on some frets, not ringing clear or buzzing a bit. But then again, I think it has something to do with my current string gauges and my low tuning. When this guitar was set up at a drop c# tuning, the action was extremely low and every note sounded perfect so I still have to work at it.
Overall: A really nice guitar and a killer tone for a very good price.
Plays well, was setup really good, great features from the iron label range like the kill switch etc. The finish looks great and so far the tremolo is stable and have used it extensively since i purchased it. Hasn't given me any issue, can't fault the guitar at all
This is a guitar I wouldn't buy again, but I'm perfectly happy to own. It works well but you can find a better guitar for less if you search, although this one doesn't have any glaring flaws.