I would also suggest you test both. But I would also lean towards the Ibanez personally, coz it offers better value.

However, as some above suggested, you might want a hardtail instead of a floyd type trem since you are just starting out on electric unless you specifically want a trem. Bear in mind that a floating trem will be harder for you to setup and restring so be prepared for the extra amount of hassle for the pleasure of playing with the trem. (a floating tremolo is defined as it is literally floating between the string tension and the counteracting spring tension of the tremolo)

The M50 has a non-locking dive only tremolo, hence why it was called one way by your friend. The RG was called two way by your friend because it can dive and also pull up. Your friend may have said it is better but really it's down to whether you need it. But since the M50 has a non-locking tremolo, IF you intend to do any huge dives and heavy trem abuse, this is not for you. A double locking tremolo on the RG will have much better tuning stability. What double locking means is that the strings are locked into position at the locking nut at the neck and also at the end of the bridge (not just by the string's ball joint). The Edge 3 is much improved over the older bridges (ie. ILT1, Lo-TRS) and should serve you well for a start provided you have it well setup. Since it is one of Ibanez's lower-mid end bridges it may not last as long as the higher end ones.

As for your question on the neck, the Wizard II neck is a specification for their neck. In the page you posted the specs of the neck are specified at the bottom. As for the 3 piece thing, as far as I know the MIJ Prestige series have 2 pieces of quarter sawn maple on the two outer sides and a piece of flat sawn maple in the centre, laminated together. This provides a much stronger neck and have less tendency to warp because the different forces of the neck woods counteract each other. How detailed they go into this on the lower end necks I don't know.

i believe you got the name of the bridge wrong here. the RG370DXL has an Edge III.
the Edge Pro is the top of the line bridge Ibanez has to offer now in their newer guitars, which is made in Japan by Gotoh, and it IS a licensed floyd. Whether the Original Floyd Rose, or Gotoh licensed Floyd Rose, or original Edge, or the LoPro Edge or the Edge Pro is better, it's all down to different personal preferences.

Well the H-S-H thing is a preference issue. The single coil does get in the way for me occasionally coz I have it about as close to the strings as the neck pup. But I use it for coil splitting with the humbuckers for cleans coz it sounds nice.

Clavicus: well for the pleasure of playing with a floyd rose trem, you have to put up with more complicated restringing and tuning and retuning and retuning again. Also, if one string breaks, every other string will go sharp. Bend a string and all other strings goes flat (this is also a preference thing, some people like the buttery feel of bending with a floating trem), but it means your double stops wont be as in tune as a hardtail (there are also ways to counter this, such as slightly bending the other string you intend to hit or press down the bridge with your palm).

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Sep 2 2006, 02:34 AM

I agree with noisetrigger. RM2500 can get you a MUCH better used MIJ Ibanez. In fact I know someone got a slightly beat up RG2020X Prestige plus DiMarzios for 750 SGD from singapore. I believe in getting the base right, which is the neck and body construction, and also the tremolo system if you want one (coz swapping trems is not a simple thing, you may have to reroute, replace the old stud anchors and studs etc). Electronics may be as crappy as it can get, I don't care, coz at least these are easily replaceable. But the heart of the guitar is essentially the body and neck.

*edited price

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Oct 22 2006, 01:13 AM

As we had mentioned, buy second hand. The fact that you had access to Singapore makes it even easier (heck i never even had a passport).

This is what someone got for SGD750. Case not included. Comes with Dimarzio's, the bridge is one of Ibanez's best, the Double Lo-Pro Edge that has piezo's, a Wizard prestige neck, mahogany body...


Not to despise you honestly, I apologise if i hurt any of your feelings. Just to show how much choice you actually have out there in the second hand market for really good stuff.

The Edge III is much better than the Lo-TRS/Lo-TRS II it replaced, and some people claim it's more durable than the Edge Pro II due to its constuction. Yes they use cheaper materials than Ibanez's top of the range trems, but you get what you pay for as noisetrigger said. Avoid the ILT1, it's basically a renamed Lo-TRS.