Nice guitar u managed to get... how much did it cost? its got features i like, ie flame top and direct mounted pickups.
as others already mentioned, the F in the serial number represents the fujigen gakki factory in japan and 99 represents the year, and its the 16975'th guitar made in that year.
from the looks of it... it seems somewhat between an RG570FM or RG770FM but doesn't exactly match either. but both are flame maple top and basswood body. the RG770's have neck binding but urs doesnt. could possibly be a japan market model. quite lucky u got one with a matching flame top at the headstock which not many models have. one way to find out is to remove take off the neck and it should have the model stamped inside the joint.

can take a clearer pic of the tremolo? i guess it's probably a Lo-Pro Edge.
at the back of the neck does it have a bubinga stripe?

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 1 2007, 02:48 AM

Wahhh....... freeee sommore.....
but anyway, based on common US pricing... it could vary between RM1000 to RM2000 depending on the condition.

This post has been edited by MetalZone: Jun 1 2007, 03:09 AM

If thats the case, i don't mind paying RM501 for it...
no wait... this isn't an auction thread.

LOL that dating method i mentioned only applies to 1997 and later which has 7 numbers (not including the alphabet). Before that 1997, it has 6 numbers. Ibanez didnt even exist in 1941.

http://www.ibanezregister.com/history/history-dating.htm
your guitar was made in fujigen japan in 1994.

RG320's were never made in japan. RG5xx series and above are made in japan. there was once a limited edition of RG470/450's were made in japan in the the two years they introduced the Edge Pro trem. before and after those years all models below RG5xx are not made in japan.

only the S prestiges are made in Korea. high end sigs and RG prestiges are still made in japan.

Guess I nailed it.
It's an RG680CM color code DRD
i think its a japan market model
pics match exactly
http://www.ibanezregister.com/Gallery/RG/gal-rg680cm.htm

copied from above:

Made in Japan
Body : Basswood top with flamed maple
Neck : Maple
Fretboard : Rosewood
Inlay : Dot
Number of frets : 24
Bridge : Lo-pro
Pick up : all Ibanez QM
Pick up mounting : Direct
Headstock : standard matching color with the body

my bad. then there were probably more exceptions...

@ryo, you're welcome

from what I observe of guitars sold in US forums, typically, mint condition guitars of your type can sell for USD600. the more blemishes, dings and cracks etc (as thewhacker mentioned) the lower the price will be.

haha quite true.
unlike fender... custom shop relic...
at least you're not afraid that u'll ding it and scar its value for life...

Nice guitar IMHO despite the scars. definately a good workhorse. i've considered getting a good cheap second hand as a workhorse coz of the fear of adding any battle scars to my RG.

give it a good cleanup and polish, and the fretboard needs a little work. Also I use Fret Doctor (Bore Oil) on mine every half a year to keep it moisturized. (dont use lemon oil)
You definitely need a setup. The intonation looks totally wrong if i'm seeing what i think i'm seeing.

Here's a good read.
http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm
Doesn't seem quite bad in this explanation, but discussions at jemsite have also said that it tends to dry out the fretboard over time or smtg along that line because lemon oil is acidic. have to search for that thread. can't remember the details...

here's some threads. there was once a long technical discussion abt it, cant find it anymore.

http://www.jemsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51477
http://www.jemsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60458
http://www.jemsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57646

and no one mentioned anything bad about gibson's as well