ibanez 540 vs. 550

  • Thread starter Thread starter Gitfiddler
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Gitfiddler

Well-known member
i can get either for a pretty good deal.

what do you go with?

Assume same color, year, condition, and price. the 540 has sharks/bound neck + the ibanez usa pickups. the 550 has the stock, shit pickups

resale value isn't important. i'm more interested in sound, playability, etc
 
I don't know much about the 550, but everyone seems to love the 540.
 
For sound, the only way you're going to know for sure is to play both of them.

I just got an Ibanez SZ320EX, and I had to try 8 of them to find one that sounds this good.
 
540 what? P? S? R?

There's a world of difference between an S540 and an RG550.
 
:|::QBB:
Toshiro":c70ab said:
540 what? P? S? R?

There's a world of difference between an S540 and an RG550.
Click to expand...

Yup, two different bodies to begin with. You have to find out if the 540 is a Power, Sabre, or Roadstar.
 
I prefer my S540 to my RGs sitting down, but standing up it feels weird. I'm used to pressing the bottom edge of the guitar against me, and you can't do that with an S.

The S is not as 'fat' sounding as you'd expect a mahogany bodied guitar to be. It has a little more low mids than an RG, but not by much.

Playability is gonna be about equal for the neck, unless the RG has an AANJ. Can you live with 22 frets? I would take the S just because I have to have that damn neck binding. :lol:

I wouldn't even factor in the pickups, the IBZUSAs do nothing for me, and the bridge and neck stocks in my S540 were gone ASAP.

I would go try out some basic versions of the 2 guitars and see which body style feels best.
 
:|::QBB:
Toshiro":0f25a said:
I prefer my S540 to my RGs sitting down, but standing up it feels weird. I'm used to pressing the bottom edge of the guitar against me, and you can't do that with an S.

The S is not as 'fat' sounding as you'd expect a mahogany bodied guitar to be. It has a little more low mids than an RG, but not by much.

Playability is gonna be about equal for the neck, unless the RG has an AANJ. Can you live with 22 frets? I would take the S just because I have to have that damn neck binding. :lol:

I wouldn't even factor in the pickups, the IBZUSAs do nothing for me, and the bridge and neck stocks in my S540 were gone ASAP.

I would go try out some basic versions of the 2 guitars and see which body style feels best.
Click to expand...

thanks for the info. I had a 550 before and may go with the 540 just to try something different. I really want a 750 or 770 and may pick one of those up along the way as well. If you're interested in selling yours, i'm just up the road in JAX ;)
 
Haha, you'd have the pry the 750 out of my cold dead hands, that's my baby. :lol:
 
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