Took the plunge on an Ibanez J. Custom on Reverb.. thoughts?

[JKingV2]

What's up everyone... I bet some of y'all are well aware of the money pit fall buying and trading guitars can get you in as it has me. I've bought and sold a PRS Custom 24, a few custom shop Jacksons, a Gibson Les Paul Custom, an ESP USA Eclipse, bought and sold 'em. I'm really just trying to find the guitars that really wanna make me play guitar. Currently in the lineup, I have a Jackson Stars TN-01 (Japan market only Jackson soloist, on par or better than USA Jacksons and the same Gakki that makes Caparison in Japan), an ESP Horizon 3 Custom shop, and an Ibanez RG550 Genesis. That RG is one that just makes wanna pick it up every time I walk by it. It feels great, it has a vibe that I just jive with and it brought me back to when I was stationed in Japan and would play J Customs in Japanese guitar shops (this was before J Customs made their way to the US market). I never bought one then, but always had that desire to have one and the RG Genesis brought me to buy a J Custom off Reverb, with a sick black see thru flame top, may be hard to see in the pics, but it's nice. How do you any of you feel about J Customs? Are any of you still searching for that guitar that does it for you? Are you in it just to collect them? Is it really a thing to feel like you HAVE to have a Les Paul, a Tele, a Strat, a PRS??? I still may plunge for a PRS Custom 24 (pre-95, short heel), but it's all Japan craftsmanship for me.

 

[bubucci]

J. Custom shines with its craftmaneship, great necks, excellent fretwork. The other difference is mahagony body instead of basswood on most Prestige models. But pickups choice is where Ibanez get stucked for years, ToneZone sounds terrible in those guitars. Air Norton is ok.
My recommnedation for guitar that make You wanna play is Suhr Modern. When compared my J.Custom (Honduran mahagony, BKP's) with Satin FR, there is no contest on sound and playability. Suhr has almost perfect neck shape that doesn't tire Your hands like Wizards variants can do and 3,0 kg weight is perfect for gigging.

 

[JKingV2]

Yea, for pickups, I’m always swapping. When I got my Genesis RG, first hung I did was swap for a set of DiMarzio Vai Evos. Now that thing shines. All my other guitars have BKP or Duncans. I already have an idea of what pickups I’d swap in that J Custom and luckily already have it on hand. I’ve always favored a Duncan TB-4 in the bridge, so I might start there. As far as necks go, guess it’s all preferable to the player. Nothing I prefer more than an Ibanez neck.

 

[stratjacket]

Love J.Customs. Most recent one I got on a trip to Japan last year, it was a Japan only model which it’s cool and makes it a little more rare.

My biggest complaint is the floral tree of life pattern on the neck. It looks great, but there are too many leafs, it confuses me sometimes and I miss a note or chord. I wish it only had leafs on the 3rd, 5th, 7th and 9th. I ended up buying fretboard stickers in rosewood color to cover up the leafs in the other frets.

 

[cardinal]

I've had a few J-Customs; very nice guitars.

I use to think that I wanted a Strat and an LP and etc. etc. But in reality I'm happier finding a true #1, whatever type of guitar it ends up as, and just playing it. Otherwise, I drive myself insane churning through guitars and trying to set them up and ultimately trying to get them all the sound the same anyway.

 

[Wizard of Ozz]

Nice guitar. I like them. Prefer the OG Edge or Lo-Pro Edge trems. Fretwork and action is usually great.

 

[PBGas]

Beautiful guitars. I’ve owned many of them over the past 10 years. The fretwork is amazing on them as is the attention to detail. However, as I got older, I just found that I liked the neck shape less and less over the past number of years.

The Edge Zero trems are not my favorite unit at all.
As mentioned also the pickup choices on the majority of them are the wrong choice for that guitar as well.

 

[JKingV2]

You know the thing about these guitars... when I was stationed in Japan, I used to go to all the guitar shops and there was this one J. Custom in this trans purple... (not my color, but whatever) I would just play on this thing for hours in the store and the guys never cared. In fact they encouraged me to play all their nice pieces in the shop. There thinking was an American white guy noodling on our Japanese instruments will attract more people.. and it did, I even helped out with a few sales. I just remember I couldn’t put that J Custom down. I never did buy it for whatever reason, money or I just didn’t get around to it. I went to buy a Gibson LP Custom, the quality and for and finish were absolute shit, but hey I had an LP Custom, I’d owned a few other high end (or perceived high end US made major brand guitars) and I shoulda went for the J Custom. So this one I ordered is the same year, in all the same spec but in the color I prefer. I’m fuckin stoked. My only US made guitars at this point are my Fender Elite American Jazz bass 5 string I use solely for recording and my Taylor 714ce V-class, which is an amazingly versatile acoustic. My electrics are my Kiso custom shop ESP Horizon, Ibanez RG550, and my Jackson Stars Soloist.

 

[firejack]

I have a fixed-bridge J Custom in that same black-flame finish. It's a killer guitar. Just couldn't stand the stock pickups. Mine's currently with my tech getting a pickup swap.
The only guitars that I play as much as my J Custom are my Suhr Moderns. I've tried many different brands' superstrats including various Charvels (USA, Japanese, Mexican, Custom Shop), Custom-built Australian guitars, Prestige & Artist Ibanez models, a PRS Dustie Waring model (really wanted to love this guitar but it just didn't have any mojo), blah blah blah, and they all pale in comparison to my J Custom and the Suhrs.

 

[jco5055]

I have a fixed-bridge J Custom in that same black-flame finish. It's a killer guitar. Just couldn't stand the stock pickups. Mine's currently with my tech getting a pickup swap.
The only guitars that I play as much as my J Custom are my Suhr Moderns. I've tried many different brands' superstrats including various Charvels (USA, Japanese, Mexican, Custom Shop), Custom-built Australian guitars, Prestige & Artist Ibanez models, a PRS Dustie Waring model (really wanted to love this guitar but it just didn't have any mojo), blah blah blah, and they all pale in comparison to my J Custom and the Suhrs.

Ever tried Anderson? They seem to be always compared to Suhrs, and I've never gotten to try one but everyone that has seems to swear they can't go back after trying one haha.

Never got to try a J Custom, but I did own a MIJ RG7620 I got for $400-500 and honestly I kind of regret selling it, it had a ton of mojo imo.

 

[Robotechnology]

I have 3 J. Customs. One of them has an Ultra neck profile. I wish they all came with that neck profile. I’d own more if they did well... maybe it is a good idea Ibanez keeps sticking Wizard neck shapes on these then otherwise I’d own more

Enjoy it! You will love it!

 

[vultures]

I have 3 J. Customs. One of them has an Ultra neck profile. I wish they all came with that neck profile. I’d own more if they did well... maybe it is a good idea Ibanez keeps sticking Wizard neck shapes on these then otherwise I’d own more

Enjoy it! You will love it!

Mannn, you're crazy I had a J Custom with an Ultra neck and I disliked how thick it was. I wish it had the Wizard neck, but it was one of the few they made with a maple board.

 

[japetus]

I have a fixed-bridge J Custom in that same black-flame finish. It's a killer guitar. Just couldn't stand the stock pickups. Mine's currently with my tech getting a pickup swap.
The only guitars that I play as much as my J Custom are my Suhr Moderns. I've tried many different brands' superstrats including various Charvels (USA, Japanese, Mexican, Custom Shop), Custom-built Australian guitars, Prestige & Artist Ibanez models, a PRS Dustie Waring model (really wanted to love this guitar but it just didn't have any mojo), blah blah blah, and they all pale in comparison to my J Custom and the Suhrs.

Ever tried Anderson? They seem to be always compared to Suhrs, and I've never gotten to try one but everyone that has seems to swear they can't go back after trying one haha.

Never got to try a J Custom, but I did own a MIJ RG7620 I got for $400-500 and honestly I kind of regret selling it, it had a ton of mojo imo.

I still to this day want a RG7620, bad. I know it sounds crazy but it's the "dream guitar" that I have never, for some reason, been able to get for one reason or another.

 

[jco5055]

I have a fixed-bridge J Custom in that same black-flame finish. It's a killer guitar. Just couldn't stand the stock pickups. Mine's currently with my tech getting a pickup swap.
The only guitars that I play as much as my J Custom are my Suhr Moderns. I've tried many different brands' superstrats including various Charvels (USA, Japanese, Mexican, Custom Shop), Custom-built Australian guitars, Prestige & Artist Ibanez models, a PRS Dustie Waring model (really wanted to love this guitar but it just didn't have any mojo), blah blah blah, and they all pale in comparison to my J Custom and the Suhrs.

Ever tried Anderson? They seem to be always compared to Suhrs, and I've never gotten to try one but everyone that has seems to swear they can't go back after trying one haha.

Never got to try a J Custom, but I did own a MIJ RG7620 I got for $400-500 and honestly I kind of regret selling it, it had a ton of mojo imo.

I still to this day want a RG7620, bad. I know it sounds crazy but it's the "dream guitar" that I have never, for some reason, been able to get for one reason or another.

Yeah it was killer especially for the price! Gotta make sure you get a MIJ one, which I understand is like from idk 2001 and earlier? Mine was 1999 I believe.

 

[bubucci]

or 7420, it is same as 7620 minus pickups. These are best 7-string for reasonable money. I also had rare 7620 with mahagony body, that one played really great.

some J Custom tease ?