Ibanez Prestige RG652AHM - Antique White Blonde Reviews

Everything about this guitar is excellent. The build quality, playability, sound and setup. Worth every dollar.

The playability of this guitar is amazing. The pickups offer a very dynamic response while also responding to a good tight metal tone. plays great if set up in standard tuning all the way down to Drop C.

It's a pretty solid guitar! Can't really go wrong here.

This guitar is so comfortable and easy to play. The the tremolo bar frels very light and it flutters way better with than the guitars with Floyd Rose tremolo I have played.

Plays awesome tried it in standard for a couple days and put some 11s on it and tuned down to drop c. Does very well with distortion but the cleans are heavenly. The finishing neck feels great and the edge tremolo holds tune extremely well and returns to flush easily and fast while feeling smooth as could be.

We all know nothing is perfect in this world, but I am failing to find any imperfections with this guitar. Okay, maybe the metal clasps on the case could be a bit more heavy duty, other than that this is one of the best guitar values available. Fit and finish are flawless, perfect fretwork, playability (after setup) and tone are flawless. The guitar is a bit heavy, but it feels really good and is balanced when sitting or standing. The edge trem is seamless in that you don't really hear any underlying spring or joint noise when using it and it doesn't go out of tune. I have several high-end guitars and this one fits right into that class, dare I say maybe even a step above the rest.

I tried to find an imperfection with this guitar and there is none !!! The finish is perfect, the fretting, neck, wiring, pickups, every screw, tuners, and I can't find anything. It's simply a highly refined and crafted guitar. The Prestige Line is the top of the heap and it shows and plays great and sounds amazing. I began making and spooling up my first pickups in the early 60's and respect tone and guitar quality. A player can't go wrong with an Ibanez Prestige.

Ah heck yeah plays faster than my unckles cousin I met at the ruion that time that gave me haha heck it's got the Wizard neck on it and hot pups what else do you want

The Birdseye maple fingerboard on the 5-piece maple neck made for one of the best feeling and sounding necks I've ever played. What I noticed instantly was the amount of sustain this guitar offered. More than I get from my Les Paul and my guitars with neck-through construction. The bridge was absolutely incredible but can be a pain if you are doing lots of string changes yourself. I liked the clean tone I could get from the pickups.

I purchased this in September and received it in October. In 2021 I purchased an American Taylor, PRS Custom 24, and then this Ibanez. All the guitars are wonderful!! What separates this from everything else is the neck, the flat radius, and the frets.

The Blonde is stunning, way more beautiful in your hands than the images show. While I figure I could use this to goof around playing 80's metal, I found the clean tones amazing and warm. So I used this for gigging over Christmas playing mostly Christian music and Christmas music locally and at Church.

So this guitar is a lot more versatile than most. So if beauty, playability, and quality mean anything. This is a great guitar.

I just received this guitar, and am blown away by how amazingly fun it is to play and how gorgeous it is. Ibanez nailed! Beautiful tone, awesome features and an overall outstanding guitar!!! I've played guitar for 25yrs. I have a Tele, Strat, Charvel and this blows them out of the water. Well done!!!!

I have 6 other guitars including a PRS Custom 24, Custom Strat, and a mid 90's Parker Fly....this looked gorgeous and fun. Over 40 years of playing...I've never owned an Ibanez. Right out of the box all I needed to do was some minor tunning and plug it in. I plugged it in and this baby rocks. That did not shock me...what shocked me is how playable this is. I can't keep my hands off of it...kind of like when you first meet your wife...lol...I played rock, metal, blues, and worship music and the tone was perfect. The only problem now is my wife is jealous of my new toy...lol...anyway I paid a lot more for my PRS and Parker than this guitar....and this is better...a lot better.

This guitar is a work of art in it's construction and playability!

The craftsmanship is superb and it's very easy to make any adjustments. The guitar is so precisely built, all it takes are small adjustments to get a result.

The guitar is super playable, it picks up on the nuances of my playing like no other guitar...it almost seems like it's alive and conscious!!!
This guitar truly enhances,extends and supports my playing and never fights me!!!

This is my foundational guitar now. The Blonde ash finish is also beautiful.

This guitar is absolutely beautiful! Plays like a dream, and is built very solid. Sweetwater did an excellent job with set up, packaging, and shipping. High five to Ibanez for another amazing guitar!

My first ibanez won't be my last amazing guitar

This guitar has been an incredible inspiration and all-around game changer. Fresh off a decade, give or take, of relative stagnation in my approach to music, this instrument has breathed new life into my playing. While I still love my more vintage style Gibson and my old Godin G series, the Ibanez feels like the proper tool for rock and metal that I've always wanted. The neck is far thinner and the fretboard flatter than any I've played. After some time to adjust to the changes it is a joy to play and has vastly improved my technique. The birdseye maple on the neck is a material I hadn't seen used before. It's gorgeous and the natural satin wood finish feels absolutely incredible. Aside from initially lowering the bridge height, intonating and leveling the bridge a bit it has needed no adjustment even in a relatively warm and dry environment. The pickups sound great to me so far although I'm no connoisseur of high or even mid-output pups. I find myself using and exploring all 5 of the pickup selector options and really enjoying most of the tonal options they offer. Having never played an Ibanez before and risking a sight-unseen purchase, the quality of this guitar has greatly exceeded my expectations in almost every way. Thanks to Reid at Sweetwater for answering my questions and following up as the extra attention makes ordering a guitar online much less daunting.

I've been playing this beast for two weeks now and it is very hard to put it down, great guitar! It plays very smooth out of the case all I had to do was tune it up. This guitar produces a wide variety of sounds. It is very good clean and overdriven at all pickup positions. I love the bright tones of Ash wood. The Edge tremolo is also very nice and stays in tune. This guitar goes perfectly with my USA Fender Strat and USA Gibson Les Paul for added diversity in tones. Both of those guitars needed very minor tweaking to get them where I like it. The Ibanez needed no tweaking, it was setup perfect from Sweetwater. I highly recommend this guitar for anyone who needs a professional guitar that plays and sounds great without all the bling.

About Sweetwater, this is my second guitar purchase (Gibson Les Paul) and countless other items over the years from Sweetwater and I can say they did a great job as usual. With the coronavirus having shutdown most everything Sweetwater was able to complete my order in two business days. That's right, two days after placing my order the guitar was delivered! It was listed as out of stock when I placed my order. Matt Masek my sales rep for years now was able to get the guitar early and even matched a lower listed price from another online store. Matt has always been awesome, thanks Matt! You just can't go wrong buying from Sweetwater!

This my first Ibanez guitar. I purchased this to fill the "metal guitar" void in my collection. What I received is a guitar that can replace just about every guitar I own. Fit and finish...it"s as good as I have ever seen. What truly blows me away is the ease of its playability. I wasn"t expecting the process of playing to become easier, but it just is with this guitar. The tones ... stellar. Through my Orange and Amptweaker Fat Metal rig... this guitar is a monster. Put it through the clean channel and it sings and has a real warm and creamy tone. What really takes it to the outer limits is its responsiveness. If you are looking for a guitar that can translate nuance in the form of musicality, then this is your guitar. It is SO responsive!! This guitar has put my Tele and PRS CE 24 back in their cases for now cause it can go from melt your face metal to clean and spanky effortlessly.

For the price, the tone you get out of this guitar is a steal. Add a case, great hardware, and great craftsmanship, and it is a no brainer. It"s worth saving for, and it"s definitely worth taking the plunge for.

I was looking for a guitar to replace my dual hum bucker that had a 24 Jumbo Birdseye maple fret board. I had lost it to a pawn shop couple years ago. I was looking at a Charvel and Jackson. But for the amount of money they want I just couldn't see myself paying for a guitar that was made in Indonesia with a inferior bridge of a Floyd Rose then a original and for Charvel the same thing for being made in Mexico.

I was even thinking of buying them and upgrade the bridge with a Schaller Lock meister which is basically a Floyd Original but hundred dollars less. So I kept waiting and contemplating. When I had seen this model in white was looking it over and seeing how the bridge was a original back from the mid eighties. I had an Ibanez back then that I loved but I needed a car so I traded it to a friend. When this came in the mail. I waited for awhile to open it since it was a birthday gift to myself. Soon as I took it out of the box and open the case; I was floored.

I wasn't it expecting to look so good. The pics look good but when you see it in person it is a true beauty. It was ready to play right out of the box. It was setup the way all my guitars are personally set up. I didn't think anyone else could get it so low of an action. It was perfect. The neck is sleek and smooth, once I plugged it in and started to abuse the tremolo and making this thing squeal. It stayed in tune and the sustain that comes off of this thing is amazing the notes will just ring forever. I could hit a note and slide my finger from one fret to another it just kept ring. With the five way switch it makes this guitar very versatile. From metal, to blues to a country twang, you get it all. It is a well balance guitar you will not get tired of having this around your neck for hours.

This RG is particularly easy to play. I have other RG's from Ibanez, but this has a neck on it that is incredible. The birds eye fretboard is spectacular and a work of art, and the shape and smoothness of the neck and frets allows super easy action, but enough to get a grip on when required. It came from Sweetwater in perfect shape, intonation, tuning, and flawless appearance, and is the exact unit I picked out. Hard to beat deal and a lot of guitar for the money. Can't go wrong if you want an RG, these are killers.

This guitar is amazing! It is absolutely possible to set a ridiculously low action and still get no buzzing at all. All bends in all regions are pretty clean even at extremely low action. This is the magic of a MIJ Ibanez. The finishing is impeccable. This is my third RG Prestige and see no reason to pay a lot more for the so-called boutique guitars.

This RG is my first Ibanez but it wont be my last.
Looks so much better in your hands and will never let you down ! The electronics are first class , the tremolo is first class , and man this neck is off the charts !!
Drop Engineer Mason a line and see for yourself. I promise you cant go wrong with this rig !!

I have owned quite a number of guitars and this Ibanez is spectacular! Plays like a dream, killer looks, and sounds fabulous. This is truly a top of the line guitar. Ibanez scored a grand slam with this one. And Sweetwater's service is second to none. Delvin was terrific, shipping ultra fast, and a company worthy of high praise! this is one of the best guitars on the planet. Ibanez included a tool with all the needed adjustment tools that is so helpful and classy. Don't sit on fence for this one. It is a best buy. And the case is form-fitting and just perfect for this perfect instrument. Thanks, Sweetwater for making my purchase one of the most satisfying purchases ever!

Precision from every angle. Prestige guitars come perfectly set up. Intonation and action are incredibly accurate. The case is a huge plus. It fits like a tight glove. Pickups sound great through a Marshall amp and can go from country to metal. Miles of sustain from the bridge and tone woods not to mention dead on tuning stability. Sweetwater took care of all of my needs. Their customer service is miles above anyone else.

Mostly blown away at the customer service I received from Sweetwater. This guitar is awesome. Has a great tone and playability. Good for so much more than metal. When you pick this guitar up it feels so good in your hands you"ll never want to put it down.

Soon as I seen this, I had to have it.
Original edge, original wizard neck, the Birdseye maple fretboard.

The antique white finish sets off so much class.
When I got it, the setup was good, however I am a real stickler on super low action.
Took me but 5 minuets to get it where I want it. This neck reacts perfect to the adjustments needed.
Its KEEPER

I have owned several Ibanez guitars (various models) since the 80s, and this was my second Prestige (the first I bought used from a Sweetwater competitor, but I won"t go into that here). I also purchased an Ibanez J.Custom RG guitar in the last year (their highest end line, at two to three times the cost of a Prestige). While the J.Custom is easily one of the finest guitars I have ever touched, the Prestige RG is a great relative value for the price and shares some of the same attributes, e.g., same pickups (in bridge and neck positions), neck dimensions, fret edge treatment, made in Japan. The Super Wizard neck is great for me, and my playing style (plus my hands are slightly on the smaller size). Thin, fast and smooth… although I realize not everyone likes such a thin neck… especially people with very large hands (but then I"ve known people with gorilla hands that dig these necks too LOL). I also love the look of the birdseye maple fretboard on this model… zoom into the picture to see it more closely. It adds a little extra character to an otherwise subtle looking guitar (keep in mind, the grain will look slightly different on each one). The DiMarzio pickups (Tone Zone and Air Norton) are two of my favorite pickups in combination and very versatile. While I primarily play 70s/80s hard rock (Van Halen is my biggest influence, and his early 80s tone is my favorite), these two pickups and the 5 way selector options provide lots of tonal variation for other styles of music too… but this guitar was definitely intended for shredders in mind. The Edge bridge is fantastic - it's my favorite double-locking bridge next to an original Floyd Rose. Stays in tune well and can handle some serious abuse. I don"t often give out 5 stars, but I think the Ibanez Prestige RGs are such a great value for the price… and I own (or have owned) US made guitars from Charvel, Jackson, EVH, ESP, Gibson, PRS, etc. While some of those guitars are ultimately nicer, for the price the Prestige RG is an excellent value, with superb quality and craftsmanship, as you would expect from Ibanez"s Japanese team. Thanks again to Christian on the Sweetwater team for making my purchasing experience once again a pleasure!

this is my first Japanese made Ibanez. The guitar is quality all the way. Plays great and set up was great right out of the box. It has the classic thin Ibanez neck. This guitar is definitely made to play fast. But it could work for most styles of music...pickups sound great clean or dirty. Neck was a little dried out but that is to be expected being that it was being sold in the Midwest and I live in the Midwest. Nothing a humidifier and summer won't fix. Nothing to do with the quality of the instrument. I still give it five stars. Beautiful guitar.

Ibanez RG Prestige RG652AHMAWD...

The short story...This is one fine instrument. The materials are top shelf. Fit and finish, one of the best I've seen. The translucent blonde is gorgeous. As good as the Sweetwater photos are, it's even more stunning in when it's in your hands. Playability? I guess that's a bit more personal, but I find that I just play more when this one comes out.
Many times, I find that one or two positions are where you live with a five way switch, but with this guitar, all available pickup combinations have an attractive, usable and unique voice but none loose the overall character of the guitar. The tones are all accessible and far reaching. Play with punch, full and rich or light and airy. It has it all.
As always, a huge thanks to the Sweetwater staff and especially to David Mikautadze who has helped me through many purchases and is always personable, efficient and professional.

I've been using my RG652KFX for nearly a year as I write this. I have other guitars, but I love this guitar so much that those other guitars hardly get a second thought. The neck is very comfortable and conducive to easy playing. The tuners are excellent, and the guitar holds a tune very well. The bridge is excellent and has no uncomfortable edges or screws jutting out, even with the action set as low as possible. The sound is amazing, and the guitar is just absolutely gorgeous. After all this time, somehow it doesn't have a single scratch on it--and I know I've hit it a bunch of times with my picks while playing. The fit and finish on this guitar is outstanding, especially for the very reasonable price. So, nearly a year in, I have zero buyer's remorse about this guitar, and I still get excited about playing it.

Being my first "High End" instrument, I had researched many different guitars (Jackson PC1, Fender Strat Elite, Gibson Les Paul, and others) before settling on this one. It was the right choice. ...it feels like I paid much more.

During checkout I ordered the fret plek treatment (highly recommended). The guitar arrived on my door step in perfect tune, with no adjustment needed. The fit and finish is flawless, the Wizard HP neck is super thin and even faster than I expected. The Edge tremolo system is rock solid. After an hour of bending, dive bombing, and noodling around, it was still in perfect tune. If you're thinking about buying this guitar, stop thinking and just do it. You will not regret it!

Big shout out to Nick Hammer, my sales engineer. He was on the phone with me within 20 minutes of placing my order, and on the day of shipping. Best customer service I've received anywhere, and I'm a customer for life!

My lineup is (at this time) exactly where I want it. Circa 2000 Jem, 10th anniversary Prestige fixed, the oddball Hendrix strat, and now this. First impressions are that the fit an finish is amazing. I don't have any runs in the clear, even under a light, everything is tight and honestly perfect. I thought that the binding would be a cool ivory color judging by the pics, but it really does have a green hue to it. I love the option of viewing the different serial numbers. I was able to "hand pick" mine and it has an awesome bird's eye maple neck.

The pick ups are great and do everything I play really well. What I really love the is the original Edge trem! I forgo just how great these are!

My only two nitpicks are the fret ends could have been rounded a bit better I think and the setup is a little high. I'll live with the fret ends and I shimmed the neck and it's money now!

All in all, great guitar, love playing it and it looks great next to it's brothers!

Truly outstanding. Smooth, fast neck. Great pickups. Flawless construction and finish. Looks and plays outstanding. Great tremolo system and locking nut. The maple fret board is beautiful and functional. And the tone is great- both clean and gritty.

The RG652AHM antique white blonde is absolutely the nicest standard-line Ibanez guitar that money can buy. Made in Japan with an unbelievably nice birdseye maple fretboard and semi-transparent finish, it's essentially a modernized, upgraded version of the original RG550. You can expect low action, silky frets, a thin neck, and a balanced weighting. The frets are finished extremely well and the satin finished neck is SO much better than painted or poly finished necks that get all sticky and uncomfortable. When you compare the Ibanez made-in-Japan Prestige guitars to the Ibanez Premium made-in-Indonesia instruments such as the JEM, you'll find the RG652 delivers richer sound, improved playability, and better fit-and-finish.

There are three specific issues you should consider before you buy the RG652.

1. The semi-transparent finish means that the Ash wood grain is visible. So buy from Sweetwater or in the store so you can see a detailed image of the top and back and ensure you aren't dissatisfied with the grain pattern or find an annoying wood grain blemish that will bother you forever. You should also be aware that the neck binding and inside of the horns seem to have a bit of a greenish luster to them. It looks terrific, really, but if you hate greenish tints then you should take a closer look before buying.

2. String alignment on Ibanez guitars often seem to leave too little room on the high E side. So occasionally I find that the high E string will slide off the fret. But this is not specific to the RG652.

3. The body finish is generally superb and I have no complaints, but in the interest of full disclosure, I did find a few very small "drips" or "runs" where the paint had congealed while drying and began to overhang some of the routed openings around the pickups and tremolo.

This is a high quality guitar. It feels like extra special attention and love went into the craftsmanship. Taking one star off because of the crappy tremolo arm, because the design sucks. I ended up replacing it with a Schaller locking arm, because it spins smoothly and can tighten it down when needed. I'm very happy with the guitar and Sweetwater is the best!