This is my most unglamourous Ibanez RG- no locking vibrato bridge, no locking nut, boring black finish... Along the way, I realized how excessive implements added very little to better playing. True, a whammy bar would trigger some of the most out-of-this-world tune which inspires us to play on but it's a matter of incorporation; how often do we manifest this measure in our playing style?
As always, I'm not a fan of Ibanez in-house pickups (even their DiMarzio affiliated models) so they made way for this pair here:
- Neck- Duncan Distortion
- Bridge- Duncan Custom
The distortion neck was chosen to accentuate solo notes, this pickup is also inherently louder than the Custom so when I flick it on during play, it gives a 'boosted' output which is what i would have wanted to begin with.
I have absolutely no issues with the RG321, it's one of the better stripped-down Ibanez out there for those of us who wish for minimum hassle & maximum play (not to mention the affordable price tag). The mahogany body has lots of useful midrange but the satin finish makes it ding-prone. To those of you who would weep should your guitar dent, steer clear of this one (or any other satin finished guitar for that matter).
2 comments:
I'm looking at getting this model, and replacing the pickups with Seymour Duncans. How is your Duncan Custom/Distortion setup working with regards to tone, etc.?
hi my friend, thanks for reading stuff here :-)
the purpose of the Custom here is to inject a healthy bottom end to the guitar wich has a bright resonance by default (lacquer-free finish, it happens...).
the Distortion ensures some commanding lead tones in the neck. both pickups were based on the PAF model to begin with, so there are some common voicings to be heard.
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