Shred guitar recommendations (Part 1): Ibanez

I have some friends asking me to recommend some shred-friendly guitars:

• which are relatively affordable
• user-friendly (meaning: won't make beginners weep because of handling issues)

There are too many guitars out there which are shred-worthy regardless of the brand name. The conventional belief here is the acquisition of guitars with skinny neck profiles to enhance fretting hand movements- rubbish. If you are a capable player, you can shred with any guitar in hand; it's a matter of capacity. In this installment, I'd like to recommend some models from the typical shredder's default brand name: Ibanez

My firm recommendation here is the RG321. Please note it features a slim but not an excessively skinny Ibanez neck (Wizard II) unlike its Prestige counterparts. The instrument has a solid feel & possesses great unplugged mahogany resonance (a sign of a good sounding guitar upon plugging in).

This guitar, despite proving to be one of the manufacturer's best seller, has been removed from this region's catalogue offerings. However, you can still find remainder units at Swee Lee & Standard Value. Highly recommended.


My next recommendation would be the SA260. This guitar is aimed at the player who wishes for a distortion-friendly unit but would require some single coil tones in the mix. The instrument features a True-Duo humbucker in the bridge position which could be switched to single coil mode when in need. The SA neck profile differs slightly from the RG as it is slightly rounded & not distinctly flat like the RG's. The SA body also sports a curved top for a more sensuous feel during play. Do note the 2 lesser frets on offer. Also, the guitar is equipped with a whammy-able SAT Pro II bridge.

The latest shredtastic guitar Ibanez has to offer is the RGA model (in this price bracket) which is a fusion of the RG & SA guitars but completely fresh are the active pickups by the manufacturer (LoZ3). The model featured here is the RGA32 which I prefer because it has a passive EQ section unlike its other sibling, the RGA42 which sports an active control which I deem unnecessary. The active humbuckers would make this instrument tentalizing tone-wise but the tone I hear from this one is a make/break affair which would surely dichotomize the tone critics.

To be cont'd...