Ibanez RG550 RF

Ibanez RG550 RF

First built in 1987, the original Ibanez RG550 is revered by rock and metal guitarists. This Genesis Collection reissue takes its ancestor's classic design and adds a few modern touches. The original's 1-piece maple neck has been upgraded with a 5-piece laminated maple/walnut one. Its versatile HSH pickup configuration has been overhauled with modern V7 and V8 humbuckers. The RG550 features a comfortably contoured basswood body, resonating with a warm growl and enough midrange definition to cut through a dense mix. Twist, bend, and dive-bomb to your heart's content, thanks to an Edge locking tremolo. Loaded with aggressive styling (including eye-grabbing black hardware), the RG550 is a fast-playing, hard-rocking tone machine.

Incredibly fast Super Wizard neck

Back in 1987, the original RG550 featured a 1-piece maple Wizard neck. This reissue takes that design to the next level with a 5-piece maple/walnut Super Wizard neck. You'll be able to execute lightning-fast runs, arpeggios, and hammer-ons with ease. Capping the Super Wizard neck is a 24-fret maple fingerboard, loaded with jumbo frets that are perfect for big note bends. Beyond that, the RG550 features a classic-style tilt neck joint with a stamped metal plate rather than the sculpted All Access neck joint found on most modern RGs. If you crave the feel of a classic RG, you'll love the RG550.

HSH pickup configuration yields a wide range of tones

There's no denying the massive array of tones you can coax out of the RG550. A V7 in the neck delivers a tight, biting sound that's tailor-made for chording and rhythm. An S1 in the mid position exhibits a traditional-sounding yet high-output single-coil tone. A V8 bridge pickup supplies a warm yet articulate sound with sizzling overtones. These pickups yield excellent harmonics without excessive brightness, even in extreme high-gain situations. Although the RG550 is clearly voiced for rock and metal, its fast playability and tonal variety make it a great guitar for almost any style.

Ibanez's Genesis Collection delivers classic RG performance

The Ibanez RG series has been a rock and metal standard since the late 1980s. The Genesis Collection celebrates these legendary axes with classic RG550 and RG570 reissues, as well as the throwback RG550 model. You'll love these sleek and comfortably contoured guitars — not only do they hug your body and forearm, but their deep treble-side cutaway offers unrestricted access to all 24 frets. Guitarists here at Sweetwater love the feel and playability of Ibanez's classic RG guitars. You will too.