Ibanez RGA42FM Def Electric Guitar - Dragon Eye Burst Flat

Almost unbreakable in its simple design, a classic RG. Very comfortable to play. Tonal ranges in pick ups and their options amazing. Definitely geared for Metallica Rob zombie heavy but nice on Beck pick up clean.b5vay toggle handy. This Ibanez is the RG I always wanted but in saying that this year's(2020) is a revolution and I believe it's worth the few (bigfew) $ extra for the sculpted frets , new coil switch, locking nut/machine head and one day I will ....till thenI continue my slash impersonations on a bloody damn good guitar.Lives up to its Japanese heritage, saiko 🤘😁

Just received my guitar today which 1. The shipping, super quick and sooner than I expected to points for that, plus the packaging was good, protected enough that it survived the shipping journey from Fedex. 2. The setup, not sure if its AMS or Ibanez but the guitar already came setup, neck is good, intonation is good, no fret buzz, no fret sprout, this guitar is gig ready out the box, just tune it up and go. 3. Playability is great, i love the thin necks that ibanez have used and its so easy to move. The pickups are what you expect from stock ibanez pickups, they do sound good though. 4. The look, this is one sexy guitar and I was torn between blue and gray, i settled for the gray instead and I have no regrets. Just something about the RG that has been a staple of ... MoreJust received my guitar today which 1. The shipping, super quick and sooner than I expected to points for that, plus the packaging was good, protected enough that it survived the shipping journey from Fedex. 2. The setup, not sure if its AMS or Ibanez but the guitar already came setup, neck is good, intonation is good, no fret buzz, no fret sprout, this guitar is gig ready out the box, just tune it up and go. 3. Playability is great, i love the thin necks that ibanez have used and its so easy to move. The pickups are what you expect from stock ibanez pickups, they do sound good though. 4. The look, this is one sexy guitar and I was torn between blue and gray, i settled for the gray instead and I have no regrets. Just something about the RG that has been a staple of ibanez, at least to me, and I'm constantly drawn to them. 5. Price, for what it's worth id recommend this to anybody on a budget who wants a solid guitar with no drawbacks, at least in my experience.

Beauty that's a beast

Overall:I am now in my 2nd day of ownership and I decided to set this extremely light and sexy purple (blemished) have not found one ...down long enuff to read reviews.and ya if I could find something about it I dont like... well havent!. What's there not to love at the reasonable price and the abilities this ax possesses. 5way and quantum is a nice pxkge.what. would one expect? At fraction of the price on those high dollar "others".. I feel pretty smart these days not emptying my wallet and can say. The wizard neck is so sweet jatoba fretboard is not only beautiful sustain harmonics....for days....VERY NICE..zZOUNDS AND IBANEZ....THANK YOU FOR. A GREAT DEAL ON A KEEPER....OH YEA AND WHY UPGRADE ANYTHING SEEMS TOVDEFEATCYHE PURPOSE AND UNNECESSARY IN MY OPINION. ... MoreOverall:I am now in my 2nd day of ownership and I decided to set this extremely light and sexy purple (blemished) have not found one ...down long enuff to read reviews.and ya if I could find something about it I dont like... well havent!. What's there not to love at the reasonable price and the abilities this ax possesses. 5way and quantum is a nice pxkge.what. would one expect? At fraction of the price on those high dollar "others".. I feel pretty smart these days not emptying my wallet and can say. The wizard neck is so sweet jatoba fretboard is not only beautiful sustain harmonics....for days....VERY NICE..zZOUNDS AND IBANEZ....THANK YOU FOR. A GREAT DEAL ON A KEEPER....OH YEA AND WHY UPGRADE ANYTHING SEEMS TOVDEFEATCYHE PURPOSE AND UNNECESSARY IN MY OPINION. BUT IM A TIGHTWAD.been a member of the ibz family for awhile and they never stop making great products with reasonable pricing.

Fast neck

At this price point, this is a LOT of guitar! Aesthetically pleasing and eye catching are just the beginning. I got the dragon eye burst and couldn't be more pleased. The pickups are great with medium output that make for great cleans and classic rock tones; crank the gain on a boost pedal in front of an overdrive to get into heavier territory. The 5 way switching is really useful for attaining tones not normally associated with dual humbuckers without push pull pots; very versatile. I'm not big on any trem system, but it's more than adequate and stable. The neck is the standout though! This neck is super fast and comfortable, as you'd expect from an ibanez! It was setup great right out of the box. IMO, you can't go wrong with this guitar. It's light weight, ... MoreAt this price point, this is a LOT of guitar! Aesthetically pleasing and eye catching are just the beginning. I got the dragon eye burst and couldn't be more pleased. The pickups are great with medium output that make for great cleans and classic rock tones; crank the gain on a boost pedal in front of an overdrive to get into heavier territory. The 5 way switching is really useful for attaining tones not normally associated with dual humbuckers without push pull pots; very versatile. I'm not big on any trem system, but it's more than adequate and stable. The neck is the standout though! This neck is super fast and comfortable, as you'd expect from an ibanez! It was setup great right out of the box. IMO, you can't go wrong with this guitar. It's light weight, comfortable, fast playing, looks fantastic, affordable, and sounds as good as you can play. What's not to love?

Great guitar

Overall:Great guitar, as long as you understand what you are getting. First thing is the finish, it's a flat/satin. There's no wood filler or heavy clear coat, it's stained and maybe has a light/thin sealer on it. You can see and feel the wood grain, especially on the back and in the body routing around the horns. The FM top is as smooth as silk. I have no complaints and love being able to see the wood, as with no heavy paint they can't hide anything. The neck is great, it's thin but comfortable. It's a very thin D profile, you can feel the shoulders. It kind of makes it feel like a wide neck but honestly, I find it easier to play since it has a flat board 15.7" per Ibanez. It has jumbo frets not extra jumbo, so they aren't as tall as ESP/LTD frets. I'm not a fan ... MoreOverall:Great guitar, as long as you understand what you are getting. First thing is the finish, it's a flat/satin. There's no wood filler or heavy clear coat, it's stained and maybe has a light/thin sealer on it. You can see and feel the wood grain, especially on the back and in the body routing around the horns. The FM top is as smooth as silk. I have no complaints and love being able to see the wood, as with no heavy paint they can't hide anything. The neck is great, it's thin but comfortable. It's a very thin D profile, you can feel the shoulders. It kind of makes it feel like a wide neck but honestly, I find it easier to play since it has a flat board 15.7" per Ibanez. It has jumbo frets not extra jumbo, so they aren't as tall as ESP/LTD frets. I'm not a fan of EJ, so this works perfectly for me. I will say the Jatoba board is smooth and not grabby but doesn't look as nice as other woods. It's just plain looking, however I do like that it isn't as dark as Rosewood. The pups aren't bad at all and with a 5 way selector, there's lots of options. It can really do just about any style music. The tuners seem to hold well and adjust pretty easily, no crunchiness. The bridge is solid and is basically a strat hard tail type. It's not perfect, mine did have some stain on the back of the neck but it cleaned off easily with a damp rag and a little soap. Fitment of the neck to body is pretty good, no huge gaps or such. The binding looks great and has no issues. Action came set up pretty good as well, it was actually in tune (never had that happen) but it was tuned drop D flat to E flat. It's really a great guitar for tuning changes, which is why I wanted a hard tail. I have some guitars with tremolos and doing drop tunings can be a pain. It's really a great bang for the buck, plays great as is or makes the perfect platform for modding. For those not sure on Ibanez. This guitar has a super light body that looks like a cross between an S-body (strat) and a SG. It's light like the SG but without the neck dive. The quality is great, it's on par with the MIM strat and duo sonic I have. The best part is it's cheaper, I could mod this and still have less in it than a new MIM strat.

Great looking and very comfortable guitar.

It is an amazing a looking guitar with very good ergonomics. It has a very thin and comfortable neck and the body has an arch top and belly cut. It is a very light guitar with a little bit of neck diving, but anyway looks perfect, feels good, and is very comfortable to play. Ibanez quantum humbucker pickups sounds amazing. Highly recommended for any kind of player and any style from metal to jazz and fusion.

Ibanez RGA42FM

The guitar is well built as expected from Ibanez, i tried a few models and decided on an RGA, mostly because i like the arch top, i dont like the hard edges of the RG models and while the body shape of the S series fits me well and the hardwars is much the same , the S series guitars are super thin.....This particular guitar i had to return as there is a tiny dent on the neck by the first fret but there models are mass produced so somtimes a few small imperfections slip through the net.....i must say the guitar was very well 'set up' and played great out of the box.To be honest i have not plugged it into an amp as i am returning it so didn't wan't to remove the plastic covering the pickups so i cannot review the sound but i gave 5 stars anyway because it's an ... MoreThe guitar is well built as expected from Ibanez, i tried a few models and decided on an RGA, mostly because i like the arch top, i dont like the hard edges of the RG models and while the body shape of the S series fits me well and the hardwars is much the same , the S series guitars are super thin.....This particular guitar i had to return as there is a tiny dent on the neck by the first fret but there models are mass produced so somtimes a few small imperfections slip through the net.....i must say the guitar was very well 'set up' and played great out of the box.To be honest i have not plugged it into an amp as i am returning it so didn't wan't to remove the plastic covering the pickups so i cannot review the sound but i gave 5 stars anyway because it's an Ibanez!There is one small 'smudge' on the front so i gave 4 stars for 'optic'....The guitar is well made and other than the tiny dent on the neck

My First Ibanez, the Super Strat?

This (and the blue with rosewood/hardtail) are my first Ibanezes. I mostly play strats and Les Pauls. As I understand it, these have been referred to as Super Strats, because of the double cutaway and the HH. The blue has a matching headstock and a five tone switch. The neck is the most comfortable I've played, the strings are evenly spaced and there's plenty of room for your fingers, even at the top. The satin finished body has the same feel as the neck and it weighs around 6 pounds. After I found the dragon eye (reverse matching headstock, maple fretboard and whammy) at the same price, I couldn't let go of the blue, so now I have two. I'm playing them through my Boss Katana, and it's a good match. Gotta say, it's a totally new guitar playing experience, and the ... MoreThis (and the blue with rosewood/hardtail) are my first Ibanezes. I mostly play strats and Les Pauls. As I understand it, these have been referred to as Super Strats, because of the double cutaway and the HH. The blue has a matching headstock and a five tone switch. The neck is the most comfortable I've played, the strings are evenly spaced and there's plenty of room for your fingers, even at the top. The satin finished body has the same feel as the neck and it weighs around 6 pounds. After I found the dragon eye (reverse matching headstock, maple fretboard and whammy) at the same price, I couldn't let go of the blue, so now I have two. I'm playing them through my Boss Katana, and it's a good match. Gotta say, it's a totally new guitar playing experience, and the only question is which one to pick up first. If you're thinking about an Ibanez, this would be the one (or two).

The best purchase i have made to date!

First off, let me say that without seeing this in person, once I received it the transparent purple burst is gorgeous. I was hoping it would be gloss finish like my rga42fm from 2010, but they've changed a few things with the new model, and I actually like the satin finish on the new ones. The upper horns are routed out on the front (think Paul reed Smith or the higher priced axion series), to allow for a more natural contour to the hand while fretting the higher frets. The frets are a little taller than I'm used to, but it gave the fretboard a feel like playing on a scalloped guitar, easier to move around. The best and most important thing about the new models is how light it is!!! I have never felt a lighter guitar and didn't know they could be this light. I never ... MoreFirst off, let me say that without seeing this in person, once I received it the transparent purple burst is gorgeous. I was hoping it would be gloss finish like my rga42fm from 2010, but they've changed a few things with the new model, and I actually like the satin finish on the new ones. The upper horns are routed out on the front (think Paul reed Smith or the higher priced axion series), to allow for a more natural contour to the hand while fretting the higher frets. The frets are a little taller than I'm used to, but it gave the fretboard a feel like playing on a scalloped guitar, easier to move around. The best and most important thing about the new models is how light it is!!! I have never felt a lighter guitar and didn't know they could be this light. I never liked les pauls because of their weight and steered more towards hamer, jackson, and previous years of ibanez. It blew my mind just how light and comfortable this thing felt to hold and play. The only con I found is because of the satin finish with no clear coat to add protection, it's more prone to scratching and dinging. This thing has more than a joy to play. I hope this review helped someone make an educated purchase.

Why haven't I got one before???

Overall:I own several guitars and play a few styles. I've always wanted an Ibanez as its a "super-Strat", but bever pulled the trigger. Satriani is a big influence on me and love his axes. So I finally decided to get one.Why did I wait so long? This thing is easier to play than my Fender Strat, lighter than my Epi Les Paul and I'm not going to need to upgrade it like I did my Epi SG. Out of the box, I as blown away with its design and simple beauty. That flamed maple top!!! After tuning I ran it through some places. Holy $h@&! A little cleaning, a quick string change a light set up and boom! Best $400 I've spent since my Les Paul, and more fun to play!!