Ibanez RG5120M-FCN Prestige Frozen Ocean

If you're looking for a diverse sounding shred machine, look no further.

I have owned quite a few guitars, from Korea, USA, etc. But, nothing compares to the craftsmanship of Japanese workshops.

On my quest to find the right balance in tone and spec, I looked at quite a few options from ESP, Jackson, Schecter and across the Ibanez range. What I learned was this - it's hard to strike the right balance between spec and country of origin that's reflected in a fair price for a guitar.

Sure, the ESP E-II M-II is a great benchmark to aspire to, but two and a half grand and some change, is a hefty price tag. Schecter C-1 FR SLS Elite is a fine option if you want to slim down on budget, but then you have a Korean with no hardcase - which isn't bad, but will it depreciate in value if you look at it as an investment? Both options sport neth-thru construction and offer either EMG or Fishman Fluence Moderns.

But, neither options or alternatives sat with me. The problem for me, was that I was missing an X-Factor, which I felt comes down to years of copying a very similar template of shred guitar, over and over again.

The selling points that got me on this guitar:

LOOKS - it has a unique paint job, reminiscent to Jackson circa 2000s, which is even more impressive in person / real life
ORIGIN - Japanese made, by potentially similar techs as j.custom
SOUND - having played EMG for years, I find Fluence Moderns refreshing and a touch more dynamic/less compressed
BOARD - I love maple fretboards and the birdseye maple plays great, especially with a 430mm radius - it's fast!
BRIDGE - Lo-Pro Edge tremolo is beautiful and bulletproof. Stays in tune and feels nice on the palm when resting and muting your hand
CASE - the hardcase is lovely and sports a nice red soft fabric. In addition you get the Ibanez tool for all adjustments etc you will want to make

Most of all. It just wants to be played and sounds beautiful unplugged and plugged in. The guitar rings and sings it's epic and makes you honestly sound so slick. I'm really sold on Ibanez's Prestige work and maybe, one day, I'll go j.custom haha!