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Ibanez Axe Design Lab RG9PB 9-string Electric Guitar - Transparent Gray Flat

9-string Electric Guitar with Nyatoh Body, Poplar Burl Top, Maple/Walnut Neck, Ebony Fingerboard, and 2 Active Humbucking Pickups - Transparent Gray Flat
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Item ID: RG9PBTGF
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Ibanez Axe Design Lab RG9PB 9-string Electric Guitar - Transparent Gray Flat
Price:$1,399 and 99 cents
Special Financing - Ends Aug 2, 2026. $39/month with 36 month financing*

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Ibanez Axe Design Lab RG9PB 9-string Electric Guitar - Transparent Gray Flat
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Price:$1,399 and 99 cents
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Explore the Extreme Depths of Extended-range Guitar Design

The Ibanez Axe Design Lab RG9PB packs a novel combination of features into a high-performance 9-string electric guitar. The RG9PB is built around a resonant nyatoh body, which is capped by a head-turning poplar burl top. You'll appreciate the effortless playability of this guitar's 5-piece Wizard-9 neck and 24-fret Macassar ebony fingerboard, while its active Fishman Fluence humbuckers churn out a massive smorgasbord of high-octane tones with zero added noise. You also get a Gibraltar Standard II-9 hardtail bridge, which yields optimal vibration transfer and maximum playing comfort — a must for players who employ copious amounts of palm-muted chugging. The RG9PB features a Graph Tech nut and rock-solid Ibanez tuning machines, along with an eye-grabbing satin finish. Want to explore an exemplar of extended-range guitar design? If so, the Axe Design Lab RG9PB is ready and willing to be your down-tuned tour guide.

Incredibly fast Wizard-9 neck

Ibanez Wizard necks are thin and built for speed, and they enable effortless playability and comfort. The Axe Design Lab RG9PB takes that design to the next level with its 5-piece maple/walnut Wizard-9 neck. You'll execute lightning-fast runs, arpeggios, and hammer-ons with ease. Capping the Wizard neck is a bound 24-fret Macassar ebony fingerboard loaded with jumbo frets that are perfect for big note bends.

Fishman Fluence Modern humbuckers

The Fishman Fluence Modern Humbuckers in the Ibanez Axe Design Lab RG9PB deliver the most sought-after humbucking tones, from modern active to high-output humbucking. Unlike most wire-wound models, Fluence pickups manage to serve up this massive tone arsenal without noise or inductance issues. On top of that, Fishman Fluence Modern Humbucker pickups provide you with your choice of two distinctly different voices. You can change the voicing via a dedicated push-pull pot on the guitar's volume knob. Beyond that, a coil-tap switch unlocks additional sonic textures.

RG playability with fixed-bridge stability

While you may expect to see a double-locking trem on an Ibanez RG, the Axe Design Lab RG9PB sports a Gibraltar Standard II-9 fixed bridge — a dream come true if you prefer a hardtail axe. The guitarists here at Sweetwater love the Gibraltar Standard II's extreme low profile, which offers the comfort of a traditional RG floating trem with the exceptional stability and reliability you can only get from a fixed bridge. If you've always wanted an RG-series guitar but prefer not to mess with a floating tremolo, the RG9PB was made just for you.

Ibanez Axe Design Lab RG9PB 9-string Electric Guitar Features:

  • 9-string electric guitar facilitates unmatched extend-range exploration
  • Resonant nyatoh body with a head-turning poplar burl top
  • Comfortable 5-piece maple/walnut Wizard-9 neck is topped with an ultra-playable Macassar ebony fingerboard
  • 24 jumbo frets are tailor-made for big note bends
  • 2 Fishman Fluence Modern Humbuckers yield aggressive yet articulate high-gain tones
  • Push-pull volume pot unlocks 2 distinctly different voices for each pickup
  • Coil-tap switch unlocks additional sonic textures
  • Rock-solid Gibraltar Standard II-9 fixed bridge
  • Aggressive-looking cosmo black hardware and an eye-grabbing satin finish

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 9
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape RG9
  • Body Material Nyatoh
  • Top Material Poplar Burl
  • Body Finish Satin Polyurethane
  • Color Transaparent Gray Burst
  • Neck
  • Neck Material 5-piece Maple / Walnut
  • Neck Shape Wizard 9
  • Neck Joint Bolt-on
  • Radius 37.4"
  • Fingerboard Material Ebony
  • Fingerboard Inlay White Dots
  • Number of Frets 24, Jumbo
  • Scale Length 28"
  • Nut Width 2.44"
  • Nut Material Tusq
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Gibraltar Standard II-9
  • Tuners Ibanez
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Fishman Fluence Modern Alnico Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup Fishman Fluence Modern Ceramic Humbucker
  • Controls 1 x volume (push/pull voicing), 1 x tone
  • Switching 3-way blade pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings .009-.090
  • Case/Gig Bag Sold Separately
  • Manufacturer Part Number: RG9PBTGF

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Reviews

Adjustment from playing 6 to 9.
This is my second review, I bought this guitar used from reverb. Be sure to checkout my lengthy review for a better review but this is about the adjustment from a 6 string to a 9 string. I just read the first review and the guy said it would be ridiculous transitioning from a 6 string to a nine string but surprisingly it wasn't at all. It took me like a day to get used to but it's really fun to play. And I was incredibly surprised to see and feel the difference from my wizard neck on my Ibanez JEMJR to the wizard neck in this guitar. It felt like I was playing on a chopstick compared to a fat 2 by 4. I love the wizard necks on both of them.
Best choice for a 9 string guitar
I bought this guitar used on reverb and everything was perfect on it.
The main aspect of this guitar is obviously the 9 strings but the main area is the electronics. The Fishman fluence modern pickups are really good and deep and punchy for the guitar. The passive and active swinging system is great for a wide range of tones. The coil split is also a really good feature for this guitar. This was my first nine string guitar and I intend to keep it. If there are any draw backs to this guitar it would be the fret edges, though I did buy this used. The fret edges are pretty good but it may need some work in the next few years but they are not sharp or anything needing adjustment soon. One more area I wish was added was locking tuners. The stock tuners hold surprisingly well for the guitar and I only have to tune every couple of days. I wish it came with the locking tuners because obviously restringing a nine string is pretty tedious but the stock tuners get the job done pretty great. The stock strings you may want to change for the Ernie ball 9 string set as they allow for brighter and deeper tones with even deeper tunings. The high e string is just a small bit tighter with the 28 inch scale length but nothing concerning. Though the tightness you may not like if you are like some super shreddy player but since this is a nine string I think we know what strings you are gonna mainly use. the 28 inch scale length along with the Ernie ball 9 string set is a great combo for incredibly low tunings. The standard tuning for the 7-9 string is B-F#-C# but with the scale length and new string i like to tune down all the way to A-D-A. And I could go even lower if I wanted too. Overall if you are interested in a nine string guitar this is the one for you. The tuning holds really well, the electronics are top of the line and I'm pretty sure the best for nine strings. The finish and the design of the guitar I really like. The wizard neck is actually still really great for playing fast and i keep a good grip with it. Though it's not gonna be thin because it's a nine string but it's pretty impressive for this kind of instrument. The 5 piece maple neck is really nice. The Macassar ebony fretboard is really good and fitting for the finish of the guitar. The big body makes up for the really tiny amount of neck dive. When playing the guitar fits really comfortably in my lap and stays positioned really well. The poplar burl top is really great and nice looking with the finish. It makes it look intimidating but also mysterious. I also like how the Ibanez logo doesn't really stick out compared to other guitars, it also goes good with the finish at the headstock. The Ibanez RG9PB-TGF is a go to guitar nine strings. The price point is fitting for the guitar. If you want it to be a bit cheaper I suggest going for a used one but if you want top of the line quality from the factory than new it is. The guitar also comes with a cool black binding on the body edges. This guitar is a beast. Be careful where you pick because you might scratch the pickups like I have when chugging aggressively.
Best guitar I own.
I've been playing Ibanez 8 strings for a long time and have been wanting to play a 9 string for a while now. I bought this RG9PB despite having never even held a 9 string in real life on a whim but it's honestly fantastic. Surprisingly easy to play IF you're used to playing an 8 already. I'm guessing going straight from a 6 to this would be ridiculous. Pickups are great and the tone is great. 10/10 thall machine