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Ibanez RGA42T review
Ibanez RGA42T is a tremolo version of RGA42. It's equipped with two active Ibanez humbuckers, unique tone booster and a volume knob. It has a Wizard II neck typical for mid price Ibanez RG series guitars and a basic Ibanez tremolo double-locking bridge.
Tuning stability 6/10
Deep dive and this tremolo goes out of tune by a half step. You can hear some cracking sounds in the body. Perhaps there is a simple way to fit it, but as soon as I realized that it's almost the same problem that my RG350M has, I just blocked the bridge. Now it stays in tune perfectly.
Acoustic sound 8.5/10
Surprise. This tremolo version of RGA42 has a great sustain and surely is loud. It beats the fixed bridge version someway. No dead notes. Good harmonics. It doesn't very sound expensive, but it does its job well.
Electric sound 7/10
Plugged in RGA42 at first sounds cool overdriven. Integrated booster helps to overdrive your amp and cut through. It sounds sharp, hot and clear, and what's more it's so quiet and free of hum and hiss that you'd never expect. With the booster circuit offline the tone is neutral and a little dull. What I don't like about the pickups is that they sound sterile.
Finish 9/10
High quality finish, there's not much to complain about. Nut height was too big for me, one fret was not exactly even but it was possible to set low strings action and shred straight away. Bridge finish material, however, wears off quickly revealing strange rusty colors beneath.
Neck 7/10
The neck profile is a D, it's comfortable however I wish it was more round, RG350M that I own has a slightly more round neck. You can get used to it in no time, anyway.
Table 1 Ibanez RGA42T neck dimensions
| Dimension | Value |
|---|---|
| Width at nut | 43mm |
| Width at 24th fret | 58mm |
| Thickness at 1st fret | 19mm |
| Thickness at 12th fret | 21mm |
| Fingerboard radius | 15.75" (400mm) |
Balance 10/10
RGA42T is a very well balanced and comfortable instrument.
Weight 9/10
Heavier than the fixed bridge version and in fact a bit heavy. The bridge itself weighs a bit.
Price 6.5/10
Around 450 euros new. It would be a good price if the bridge wast better.
Specification
- 24 jumbo frets
- 25.5" scale
- Wizard III 3-pc maple neck, bolt-on construction
- Mahogany body
- Ibanez Edge III bridge
- Ibanez LZ3 active pickups (HH)
- Booster EQ
- Volume pot
- Finish - Black
- Year of production - 2009
