EXCLUSIVE Ibanez Prestige guitarguitar RGs!
Published on 27 March 2025
Shredders of the world unite! This is a bit of a special one.
I know you love Ibanez (who doesn’t?) but do you know about Ibanez Prestige guitars?
If not, I’ll explain all in a second, but before I do, get yourself a good look at these two new fabulous Ibanez Prestige RGs!
Now, there’s exclusive and then there’s exclusive. These two models are actually the FIRST TIME EVER that a UK dealer has been able to spec up Prestige guitars from Ibanez! Literally NO ONE has ever done this before, and so we’re very excited to bring these to you.
I’ll tell you all about them soon, but firstly, here’s the background on Ibanez Prestige, and indeed the esteemed FujiGen facility that creates them…
FujiGen
To get an idea for how special Ibanez Prestige is, it’s worth talking about the FujiGen factory from whence the guitars come. FujiGen is the legendary premises (it’s actually three factories these days) that produced the famous 80s Japanese Strats for Fender - the ones that shamed the less well made US-made Fenders of the day!
Back then, FujiGen would build instruments for a number of top brands including Yamaha and Greco as well as Fender, Epiphone Japan, Orville by Gibson (not available over here) and Caparison. They were what are known as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) company, specialising in creating licensed guitars for importing back into the west at cheaper prices than native builds.
FujiGen have operated in Matsumoto, Japan, since 1960, and have built guitars for Ibanez’s parent company Hoshino Gakki since the early 70s. Although Ibanez are a Japanese company, they actually began life importing Spanish classical guitars (before starting to get their own designs built), which is why they have a Spanish sounding name!
FujiGen also build their own FGN branded guitars, but it’s probably fair to say that they are most famous for - and most associated with - Ibanez.
FujiGen’s skilled builders quickly established the plant as one of the finest in the far East, and their consistently great instruments have elevated their status to one of the biggest and best-respected in the world. In 1983, for example, the factory put out 14,000 electric guitars a month!
FujiGen still build for a number of companies, but in far smaller numbers than in the past. Their reputation precedes them these days, as their factory name is a byword for incredible quality. Thus, less output equals greater demand for what they do.
Ibanez Prestige
As for Ibanez, they build their guitars in a number of locations. Without going into too much detail, there are four levels of build quality available - Standard, Premium, Prestige and J-Custom. J-Custom and Prestige guitars are both made in the FujiGen factory, with J-Craft being for one-off custom pieces and Prestige for their high end production builds and limited runs. Given how famous Ibanez are for their quality control - and how well regarded even their affordable output is - then it speaks volumes as to how well-crafted their top instruments are. Prestige is the top line of Ibanez’s production line output. Prestige means top parts, top construction and top finishing. The step after this is J-Custom, which is literally Ibanez’s Custom Shop! Everything coming from the famed FujiGen factory is notably excellent, and Prestige is a cut above…
Ibanez RG01 & RG02 GG20 Exclusive
Both of our Ibanez models today share largely the same feature set. We opted for a spec that would not only rock hard (obviously) but cover a lot of tonal ground. Versatility is the key, though leaning towards ‘contemporary performance’ over ‘jack of all trades’.
Several RG mainstays are here, from the basswood body (tonally very neutral and great for sustain) to the ultra thin Super Wizard neck. Let’s dive a little deeper…
The bodies are basswood - as mentioned - and topped with a lovely slab of flamed maple, with binding on the top edge. The guitar is offered in two finishes: Sodalite - which is a wonderfully oceanic transparent blue with hints of green; and Brownish Sphalerite, named after a type of zinc sulphide mineral and, to my eyes at least, a deep brown and amber sunburst.
The wonderful Prestige necks are a shredder’s paradise, with 24 beautifully finished frets atop bound rosewood fingerboards. Each neck is a 5-piece build, made from maple and wenge. Ibanez fans will be more than familiar with this, as it has been a touchstone of their craft for many years now.
In terms of firepower, we opted for a pickup combo that we believe to be one of the richest and most satisfying out there. We’ve gone for DiMarzio, since to us they are the preeminent Ibanez ‘hot-rodded’ choice: after all, if they are the first choice for Ibanez artists like Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Andy Timmons and Paul Gilbert, then they are good enough for us!
We’ve settled on a Tone Zone at the bridge and an Air Norton in the neck.
This combo is particularly potent, with tone to spare but also a healthy amount of fireworks available in terms of harmonics and overtones. It’s a rich palette of sounds for sure, particularly since there’s a coil tap for more slinky, single-coil style tones. On the blue guitar, the pickups have metal covers and on the Sphalerite model, they come as back open coil units.
A full-on Lo-Pro Edge double locking tremolo system is of course included for all of your dives, shrieks and warbles, and there’s a set of Gotoh tuners up at the headstock. It’s a very capable set of specifications for sure!
First Time EVER
I said this earlier but it bears repeating: this is the first time EVER that a UK dealer has been allowed to spec up a run of Ibanez Prestige guitars. If you are an Ibanez fan - particularly if you are an RG aficionado - then these two guitars are very special indeed.
FujiGen quality and a specification that you cannot get anywhere else, in two cool finishes and in limited numbers? That sounds pretty amazing to me!
If you love the sleek, aggressively gorgeous lines and contours of the Ibanez RG, then why not choose an exclusive version of that classic, made to epic FujiGen Ibanez Prestige standards? Remember, these can be found nowhere else, and are available only in very limited numbers!
