Ibanez Prestige RG652AHMFX - Nebula Green Burst Reviews

I had never owned an Ibanez guitar before I ordered this one. I've tried alot of other brands over the years and decided I wanted something different. Wow! I was I extremely pleased to take this out of it's case and look it over. Absolutely a quality made instrument, mine was flawless.

Only a slight neck adjustment and about a quarter turn down on each saddle got the action right where I like it. Plays extremely well. Put some fresh strings on it, kept it at standard tuning, and have been completely blown away with its tuning stability and tone. Intonation spot on out of the box. The fixed bridge on this thing is so comfortable. It's actually become my favorite, even over the Hipshot fixed bridge on my LTD M-1000 HT which I traded off after getting this Ibanez.

I love the Tone Zone/Air Norton combo. I play various levels of metal and rock and they works well with my gear.

The included hard shell case is decent quality and a nice addition.

I love the guitar, wish I had tried one much earlier. I highly recommend a test drive if you get the opportunity.

Love that Nebula Green Burst. Kinda wanting the Plum now, maybe get it with the tremolo.

This guitar is amazing for the price. The polish on the frets and edges could be just a tiny bit smoother but still very very good. Everything else is perfect. The satin finish on the neck is excellent, very smooth and fast feeling. Next is thin and flat but not uncomfortable, encourages correct left hand position. The pickups sound great, very hot but not shrill or boomy. Good individual string clarity even under higher gain but not too bright. Volume and tone are smooth and very useful for dialing back tube amp crunch. In-between/split coil positions don't have too much volume drop and provide some pretty solid quacky, Strat-y tones. I was looking for something with a more modern sound that could do higher gain well and this guitar more than delivers. Very tight low end for heavy riffing, lots of harmonics from both pickups. Clean tones are surprisingly good too, I can get solid jazz, funk, even country sounds. The playing feel is exceptional, very smooth, fluid, fast, and comfortable, great upper fret access. I have owned American made Gibson, PRS, Fender, Jackson, etc. and this is right up there with them in quality.

I've been using this as my main guitar since 2016 and it's been my golden standard. Everytime I try another guitar I just miss playing this. The neck is incredible and gives me the utmost playability. Incredible and versatile pickups. I regularly run this through a blackstar 10ae with a host of pedals. The finish is beautiful, I bought this sight unseen and was blown away by the birdseye maple fretboard. This chunk of wood is my child and I would resort to violence to protect it. 10/10 buy one.

I've owned several Ibanez's over the years and sold them, never was crazy about how they sounded until now. I recently bought this one and had it set up by the tech's at Sweetwater. I'm blown away. This is by far, the best sounding, easiest to play guitar I've ever purchased. It is also very light weight, which is a blessing for an old guy like me. Can't find enough good things to say about this guitar and Sweetwater. Just a perfect rock guitar shred machine.

excellent no adjustment needed no string buzz low action as received,
so tired of fret buzz from a new guitar.. not happening here.
right out of the case perfect

Nothing shy of perfection, finish, and electronics are right on the money, quality through and through this guitar plays as beautifully as it looks. I have many guitars, high end Fenders and Gibson and this guitar rates right with them.

I just received my new RG Prestige. It is the first guitar I have ever owned that did not have some sort of comprise. As a retired school teacher, this was a large purchase. I expect it will be my last guitar. The fit and finish are flawless. This is not hyperbole. It is truly flawless. The neck action is incredible. The frets are smooth and perfect. Every setting of the five position switch is distinct. There is so much tone available. It will take the rest of my life to find its limits, to explore its performance window.

Great heavy metal tones on the bridge as well as strat like options in middle positions. 5 way switch is awesome. My number one guitar will always be my American tele, but this is my go to when I feel like playing harder Rock. Great build. First time purchase from Sweetwater and you guys are on point. A truly fun guitar and a keeper.

Simply this axe has it all...amazing comfortable neck..
Super craftsmanship
Tone with clarity and nuance power and distinction
This is the definitive guitar that can do it all
Did we mention the build quality....
Awesome

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.

This guitar makes playing a pleasure.

I have never owned an Ibanez but have always liked the thinness of their necks and light weight. I decided to pull the trigger on this guitar...my first Ibanez and the first new guitar I have ever bought (I tend to buy used to save some money).

I have had the guitar for a couple of weeks and am thoroughly impressed. The neck is great. Not only the shape but it is soooo smooth and silky..it just feels great to play and is easy to navigate.

The pickups are wonderful. They have a real bite to them but rolling down the volume allows you to also get nice clean tones.

The fit and finish overall makes this a beautiful guitar. The finish on the body is shiny and deep and the hardware is top notch. The bridge is great. It makes palm muting comfortable and easy to do. So far the tuner have been great. I haven't changed strings yet but i'm looking forward to using the locking tuners. The tone and volume knobs are smooth and responsive.

Overall it's just a great guitar so far and I have found that it has made playing easier and more enjoyable. I was hoping Prestige meant something special and it really does!

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.

Plays great sounds awesome! The neck is what you would expect. The build and finish are top notch.

Originally, I had purchased another Premium Ibanez Guitar product made in Indonesia. Although esthetically it appeared appealing, the guitar itself would not stay in tune. However, Sweetwater helped to process the return.

Now, to review this Japanese Prestige guitar. What can I say, it is amazing!!! Way better quality than many U.S. made guitars. Superb attention to detail. No blemish what-so ever. If a guitar could actually be immaculate this Japanese guitar would be it.

Stunning attention to detail on every aspect of the guitar. Certainly, the Ibanez Japanese team far excels their US counterparts. Can't beat the price either. Guitar came with proper intonation and setup. The case is much higher quality than most guitar brands.

If you buy this guitar, you will not regret it. No need to go for a tremolo version or other brand. This is it. The Dimarzio pickups are the bomb. Very few other pickups have more power and flexibility than these for the price.

This ax keeps getting better every day I play it,its ease of playing is great plus the green makes for a great look it is a truly a nice ax I would recommend it to everyone a true shred instrument !!!!!!

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.

Effortless playability. The neck is rely thin. Came in perfect tune surprisingly. Looks beautiful and flawless. Looks a million times better than in the pictures and thats saying somthing. If you like slim necks its worth every penny to me personaly.

Everything about this guitar is quality and beautiful. Great tone and sustain. My only problem is the frets stick out on the sides and are sharp. I'm not sure how sweetwater would have missed this. I've ordered $200 guitars that arrived with perfect fret ends.

There's no way it went from Japan to the U.S through multiple climates. Passed inspection with good fret ends. Then went through a couple states over a couple of days to get to me and the fret ends are sharp. It doesn't make sense.

Other than that, as usual, I love shopping with sweetwater and the guitar is a work of art.

In summary, this is a fantastic instrument - I was turned onto it by a friend who owns the black Floyd version of this when I was on the fence about building a custom Warmoth or buying something from the 'big two'. I ultimately made my decision to go the Ibanez route because I felt they build the best guitar for the money with a great attention to detail. I can't see a reason on the planet to pay double this (or even 50%) more for much for an instrument from another brand.

I'll break it up into sections:

The Good --

* Killer guitar all around - fret dress is spot on, all electronics work and feel beefy, finish is magnificent.
* Very light and very comfortable. Feels and plays much better than an F-style guitar while still being a lighter weight.
* Pickup compliment - Everything you want. Tone Zone is balls to the wall, the switching allows for great quacky sounds if you want to go clean, and the Air Norton is as warm and juicy as they come.

The Bad --

* The setup from factory or SW was so-so - my friends played much better out of the box. The string height was set too low (well below factory and a notch or two below the everyday 'pro' recommendations). I played with a light touch on the factory .10s with a good amount of buzz on the A&E.
* On a similar note, the strings came slightly corroded and felt like they were played a bit before I bought it.
* The tone pot came slightly bent -- not a deal breaker or nuisance, but a minor annoyance that will probably have to be replaced some day.
* The cases are so-so -- both my friend and I have the same case with the same issue, the latches don't seem to quite line up and need to be forced into place.

The Ugly

* Nothing that can't be fixed from the above list. No significant complaints at all.

All said and done -- don't let my nitpicks dissuade you. I just wanted to paint an honest picture beyond "omg this is the best guitar ever!11one!!11" It truthfully is an incredible instrument and I hope you aren't turned off of it by the 'shredder label' Ibanez tends to carry. Yes, this guitar can play brutal fast, but it also has a ton of soul and is an absolute joy to play. While it is not cheap, it is head and shoulders better than everything comparable from the other guys in the $1700-3200 market. Don't hesitate, this guitar is the truth.