Help my decide

[WarmothRules]

So basically I’ve just noticed Ibanez has the original RG550 out again Japanese made for $999. I was thinking about a new 7/8 warmoth build for months and now I’m considering buying an Ibanez RG550 instead. I’m on the fence about it and maybe someone here can help me decide.

The pro’s of the Ibanez are extremely thin neck, much thinner than the thickness of the warmoth wizard and the original edge trem which is much more expressive than a Floyd rose original. People love it but the only thing I see slight complaints about is the heel makes upper fret playing uncomfortable. I play the top 24th fret often. Another con is the colors are bright yellow, red, and purple… which I can live with but I’m not excited about it.

I have a 7/8 already and I have zero problems playing the 24th fret. My idea on the next build is to get the wizard contour and the straight 16 inch radius to mimic an Ibanez RG550 as best I can. I would also get SS frets which don’t come on the wizard. The pro’s of the warmoth would be easy upper fret access which is important to me and I would put on a Vega trem which in my opinion is superior to a Floyd rose and it sound’s more bright and cutting which is a bonus. Another bonus is I can put in my pickups of choice. The cons would be higher price, shorter scale and thicker neck. I don’t really consider the scale length to be a con but it’s a difference. I see a unique fretboard that I want. I almost pulled the trigger on the Ibanez but those unique fretboards

 

[Hodgo]

Another con is the colors are bright yellow, red, and purple

You lost me at besmirching the good name of Desert Sun Yellow

I think you’ve made a case for the Warmoth and frankly I think most of us here lean towards partscasters for the customization.

As far as price is concerned, if you stay away from the fancy options you’re looking at:

$257-$292 for the neck
$175 for the body in basswood
$30 for the pickguard
$259 for the Vegatrem

That leaves you with ~$250 for remaining hardware, electronics, and finish before you start exceeding the price of the Ibanez. Having Warmoth do the finish will eat the rest of your budget up, but they rival anything coming out of Ibanez. However, a DIY oil finish, Bootstrap/Cavalier/GFS pickups, Kluson/Gotoh tuners, and some smart shopping for pots and plastics could keep you very close.

 

[WarmothRules]

It would be $357 with for a basic maple on maple neck because of the straight radius neck plus wizard profile plus SS frets and I would have to get an earvana nut. I would get a poplar back and a bubinga top which would still be cheaper than a painted body and looks decent. Surprisingly cheap.

 

[WarmothRules]

I’ve decided to just go with a different neck on the 7/8 I already own. Wizard profile, straight 16 radius, and SS jumbo frets. Also a different pick guard to mimic the setup on Jason Becker’s hurricane guitars. Back when I build that guitar last year they said the angled bridge humbucker was a glitch and they can’t do that on the 7/8. Today they say they can do that and it isn’t a glitch.