Ibanez RG652AHM-NGB Prestige

The guitar is just perfect ! I'm an old Ibanez user ( Rg470 ..then Rg550MxxDY ..then this new baby !! ) but I have a Fender and a Gibson LesPaul too, so I can compare honnestly. My hands are mid-small so Ibanez is definitivly the best choice for me, thanks to their excellent flat neck.

I really appreciate the neck/body smooth connection which allows you to go over all the neck ! ( not a big angular 'block' connection like a basic stratocaster one which prevents you from going over the upper notes without having to break your hand angle position )

The mapple wood on the neck playing area, is so beautifull (they chose a special 'flamed' mapple for this premium guitar, that you don't have on basic RG series ( my old RGs hadn't such flamed mapple ..just regular mapple )

The guitar comes with a nice modern case where the guitar just match perfectly the inside form area , so it can't move when you travel.

And a big thanks to Thomann team for the hight quality service and delivery speed !

an happy french guy :) .

Après 10 ans de pratique, j'ai décidé de m'acheter une guitare plus luxueuse que mon Ibanez SA260FM (modèle 2008). Je voulais également une guitare fabriquée en Europe ou au Japon, avec une peinture laissant voir le bois.
En bref, La série Prestige d'Ibanez répondait à toutes mes attentes: Ergonomique, micros de bonne facture (dimarzio) et finition vraiment correcte.
La RG652AHM reste légère pour une RG, du fait de son corps en frêne. Le manche est une autoroute.

Le vibrato edge est exceptionnel. J'ai tenté de désaccorder la guitare en enchaînant des dive-bombs, en tirant dessus... Rien. Je n'ai jamais eu de guitare en mains à la stabilité d'accordage aussi impressionnante. De plus, aucune arête ne vient gêner la main droite.

Pour parler du son, c'est très subjectif. Je n'ai que deux amplis: un Vox VT30 vieux de 10 ans et un Yamaha THR10X. Si je compare cette RG à mon SA260 (dont j'ai changé le micro chevalet pour un SD Alnico II Pro), la RG est largement gagnante en terme de dynamique et de "richesse" sonore. Les deux micros peuvent être splittés, et chaque position du sélecteur a une grande influence sur le son. En jouant avec le volume, on peut obtenir une grande variété de tonalités sans même toucher à l'ampli.

Niveau finition, je ne trouve à redire sur cette guitare qu'une seule chose: la découpe de l'un des cache-électronique pourrait être un poil plus précise car un léger jeu est visible. Pas gênant, mais je l'ai remarqué.
Pour le reste, impeccable. C'est une guitare très agréable à regarder et à jouer. C'est l'Ibanez Prestige la moins chère de la gamme, et elle vaut vraiment le coup!

I have played guitar for about ten years and have gone through various models and goals with my playing. I have own/borrowed several guitars for band rehearsal, gigs (between 10 to 500 people) or just for practicing to see what i like. I am very picky, and have a hard time settling for a specific type of guitar that feels "off" in the slightest way and therefore switch a lot. Then I bought this.

The quality of this guitar is what first impressed me. Everything from the tuning stability, to the knobs are all crafted with care. I normally get sweaty hands during a gig, and the knobs and five-way switch are all extremely easy to grip and use regardless. One downside I can find is the trem bar, which can be quite difficult to put in, and sometimes becomes a bit clunky or rough to turn and therefore can be in the way when using the controls below it if your playing requires fast volume swelling or something similar. All of the options with the switch are very useful. I play many genres of music and none of the sounds this guitar can create have disappointed me so far. This thing can make everything soft blues to extreme metal sound good!

But most importantly, it feels like nothing else I've ever played. The thickness and scale of the neck, the fret height and the smooth transition from string to bridge all together makes playing this guitar as easy as spreading butter over some toast. Your hand can just slide up and down the neck without effort, yet it feels firm when you pluck a single note or try a large bend. It has incredible sustain, and it is very easy to reach all over the fretboard. It is also very light and flat, which certainly helps when playing longer gigs as other guitars can become quite heavy.

In conclusion, this is the best guitar I've ever owned. It is of an extremely high quality built by professionals, sounds very good with extreme versatility, and feels like an extension of your own mind while playing. The only downside I might have is the trem bar, which of course is not required to be put in, or I just perceive it my way because i like to strum quite near the bridge pickup. I recommend this guitar for everyone from professional musicians to beginners, and look forward to playing it effortlessly for many years to come.

This being a prestige (made in Japan) the build quality is perfect. Everything is just the way it should be and I didn't expect any less from the japan factory. And 1500 euro you get an amazing guitar and a a heavy ass case that's like 200 euro aswell, so I think I got my moneys worth.
The tone is great. It is easy to see why Ibanez puts the Tone Zone and Air Norton. For my taste they are a little to undefined, wish doesn't mean they sound muddy, I just wished they were a little more defined, like bareknuckle juggernauts or something more for the djenty stuff. For classic metal, rock, cleaner stuff, etc. it all works thanks to the 5way switch with coilsplit.
The floating trem ads a little bit of its own sound and I recommend thinking if you really need it, cause it does make mechanical noise, it does make bands harder, it is a bitch to restring, tune down or intonate, it does all the bad things floating trems do, but also all the good things. So everything it does, an original german floyd rose would do aswell, so it in no way is Ibanez fault, its just how floating trems are.
For me I think the hardtail version would have ben better.
(you can return the product for 30 days after arrival, so if you really don't like it you can always return it and get the hardtail)
If you have sweaty hands the stain on the trem might come of as it did on mine and the natural colour is exposed. This does not impact feel at all, and personally I kinda like it, it shows how you pick and gives it personality.
The trem arm can just be popped in and out ( the first time it might be a little harder to put it in)(pun intended) and comes with 2 extra washers.
The frets aren't crazy rounded but very comfortable and well polished.
Sadly no locking tuners, wish I understand since it has a locking nut. I would have liked the comfort though (hardtail version has gotho locking tuners)
It's a stunning guitar with a nice finish and sometimes I just sit there and admire it for a bit. It's simple (3 piece plain maple top) but has it's sharm.

Final thought:
It's a great guitar and if you want the real rg experience, japanese, edge trem, all that stuff its the right guitar for you.
If you want something a little more modern by ibanez and dont care if its built in indonesia, there are the 2022 rg guitars with stainless steel frets and neck trough that are also a little cheaper (if you buy the case seperatly they are pretty much the same price) that might be just right for you