I need to address / document this here, please bear with me.
The current RG565 are currently being marketed here as a Prestige model as evident from the above screen grab. The RG565 is from the Genesis series of instruments which also feature the RG550 / RG570 / RG550DX / RG521 (all discontinued along the way). The RG550, again from the above screen grab, is not marketed as a Prestige offering despite coming from the same series of instruments (Genesis). Confusing? Absolutely.
If we refer to the Ibanez homepage, the Genesis models do not fall under the Prestige range. Categorizing them as such is rather misleading. You'd argue that they are made in Japan, in the same manufacturing plant as the Prestige counterparts, of high build quality etc. - yes, we could all agree to this. No contest. Then again, the manufacturer did not label them as Prestige models & we would do well not to offer our own interpretation on the matter & invite possible cases of misrepresentation.
Are all Made-in-Japan instruments Prestige models? In addition to the Genesis series, the J-Line instruments (not offered here) are also made in Japan. Judging by the specs, these instruments are more Prestige than the Genesis counterparts but again, the manufacturer did not categorize them as such. Maybe there is an element of insecurity if any of the Japanese Ibanez instruments do not bear the Prestige label, from a commercial point of view, this would invite lesser purchase considerations. We would do well to remember that those awesome Japanese Ibanez instruments of the late 80s / early 90s do not bear the Prestige tag & they were outstanding instruments.
