Buying a new electric guitar...I need opinions on the Ibanez RG4EXQM1?

Question

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ibanez-RG4EXQM1-Quilted-Maple-Top-Electric-Guitar?sku=519785

Answer 1

hey man,

without knowing if thats your first electric guitar, or what kind of feel you like, or what kind of sound you want to get, its hard for anyone to really answer your question.

as far as the quality of Ibanez guitars in that price range, they're great. they feel good, they play well, and the quilt top is always classy looking.

BUT, in case you're new to this stuff, there are things to be aware of.

1 - that guitar has a bolt on neck and a floyd rose type bridge (the whammy bar that goes REALLY far down for dive bombs). thats a cool set up if you want to do a lot of those neat whammy sounds, but they're a pain to set up if you're new to working on your own guitar, and since the neck is bolted on and the bridge is floating (attached by springs, not really fixed to the body) you wont get a ton of sustain (your notes wont live a really long time). you can get more sustain through certain effects, or using a ton of gain, and maybe you dont need tons of sustain, or dont WANT tons of it, but you should be aware of those facts. also, theres a lot of routing in those guitars (theres a lot of wood removed from the inside of the body) which also lessens your sustain. and since the whole thing is floating, every time you tune one string, it adjusts the tension on ALL of your strings, so you'll usually need to retune the guitar several times before it stays at pitch... so long story short, if you're not gonna use the floyd rose for all that whammy stuff, its probably not something you want on your guitar. if you DO want the cool whammy sounds, the floyd rose type system is PERFECT for it, just be aware that its a lot of work sometimes.

2 - Ibanez tends to make guitars with super thin necks (the wizard necks are very slim), which some people love and some people hate. the neck really doesnt change a person's ability to play, but it does change the comfort level A LOT. make sure you've picked up a guitar with a neck like that to see if you like it. it would suck to drop $500 and order a guitar, only to discover you dont like it's feel. and if you do like the feel, make sure the neck is good and solid. if the neck feels like it has some "give" to it, then avoid it. what i mean is, if you're playing the guitar, and it feels like the neck is bending a little bit when you play hard (which not everyone does) then it probably IS BENDING, which will make you go out of tune, and nobody wants that.

3- now that we've covered all that stuff, just know that you should make your own decisions and dont worry about brand names or anyone else's opinions (including mine, i've tried to only give you FACTS, and not my personal views on what guitar is best for you, since i dont know you, lol). that guitar might be your DREAM COME TRUE, or it might be the BANE of your existence. you wont know unless you try it. go find a store that has a bunch of guitars and pick them up! any time someone says that "this is the best brand", whether its guitars, amps, strings, picks, straps, shoes, soda, bread, cheese..... well, you dont know unless you TRY it. it'd be like if i told you how great Coke was and you'd never tasted it. you might go buy a whole case of it, then take your first sip and say "this stuff is gross!", and find out that you're a Pepsi man.

good luck man, and like the girl already said make sure to test drive one of those things before you buy it, you can see how it feels AND support your local music store that way!

Answer 2

Ibanez Rg4exqm1

Answer 3

Before you buy ANY guitar online, go to a store that carries the model you want and test drive it. I wouldn't buy a guitar any other way. They all look the same in two dimensions but they can be vastly different in playability based on your hand size, grip strength and such. Also, don't judge the guitar based on the strings it has on it at the store.They've prob been played by 100s of ppl.

Answer 4

Ibanez makes a great guitar..I own 2..an AS180 semi hollow body which is better than a Gibson ES335..I also own a Sa model..I also own a fender strat and tele, but I keep going back to the Ibanez..They an inexpensive professional quality guitar..buy it

Answer 5

i just bought this guitar from guitar center online two months ago so i can give you an opinion from someone who actually owns one.
#1 - the neck, like everyone has said, its a wizard neck so it is really thin. i love it but others hate it. its an ibanez, thats a trademark of theirs.
#2 - the pickups are really good for stock pickups, no microphonic feedback at loud volumes (and i do play loud) and both the bridge and neck pickups can be split which i like. are there better pickups? of course, but you gotta pay for them.
#3 - the bridge... the first night i got it, i tuned up and proceeded to beat the hell of this thing just to see how badly it went out of tune, and i was amazed. a couple of cents here and there but it was still playable.
#4 the finish is beautiful, i got the blue one but i'm sure the other one looks just as good.
so for the money, its the best ibanez i have bought so far. and i have owned alot of them. the red satriani model i used to have was my favorite (god i miss that guitar....) but i paid twice as much for it so its a matter of you get what you pay for.
as far as buying it online goes, i love the fact that my guitar hasn't been played by anyone but the factory and myself. but if your in doubt, go play one and then order it online!
hope this helps

Answer 6

I own myself an Ibanez RG270 which I bought bout 5 years ago for bout €800. I played it in the store and sounded great and everything but then I got home and I had to keep retuning the whole guitar every 10 to 15 minutes just because of the 'ghost bridge' which is amazing for metal and gothic rock but not really useful for any other kind of music. I had to resort to fill my bridge up from the back with cork and thus kill my 'ghost bridge'. I would not advice getting this guitar...even if it is very very good...but I would get one with a fixed bridge.

Then again..it's up to you...

Answer 7

Nice!
You should throw some EMGs on there though...


Don't buy it online - go to the store and "test drive" that sumbitch!!!
Make sure it's not warped or damaged...

Good luck!
<3

Answer 8

if u want thrash stick to ibanez, if u want blues stick to fender, if you want hard rock stick to gibson