The RG565R is Ibanez's extension of it's very popular (to those of us who find reverse headstock subliminally appealing, that is) RG565. The only differences here are the rosewood fretboard & shark tooth inlays.
Likes
- Playability & neck feel
- Fit & fitting
- Value-for-money
Dislike
- Scratchy tone pot
The RG, regardless if its countless iterations, is clearly the fodder of extremists. The neck profile per se is the perfect lure for precision & severe fretting hand dexterity. With that said, the Super Wizard profile might be singular in its appeal. For deep & opiating blues bends with a preference for hooking the thumb over the fretboard edge, the Super Wizard might prove to be discordant. Since its inception, the guitars from the Genesis Series had been very imposing when it comes to fit & finish; deserving attention was given to these instruments to further the Made in Japan prominence. No fret sprouts or other technical aptitude flaws to report. We move on.
Tone-wise, the Infinity R (n) & V8 (b) pairing deliver both clean & distorted manifestations adequately. These are not the manufacturer's outstanding performers, just acceptable but by no means shabby. For an extended take on these electronics, kindly refer to my opinion on the RG565: CLICK. This might be unique to this guitar at the time of testing, it might not be a general issue but worth mentioning is the scratchy tone pot. I raised the tone knob slightly off the body surface thinking it was merely surface contact that caused this annoyance but the scratching persisted. Nothing severe but if you mess with your tone knob often (which would be the extreme minority) this might require prompt attention.
Final say
Ibanez did well in preserving the RG565 appeal in the RG565R. These two instruments are nothing too different but steep opinions might refer to fretboard feel (RG565's maple vs RG565R's rosewood) as the deciding factor when purchase comes to mind. There are also excessive opinions out there pertaining to maple vs rosewood tonal differences. For those of us with exorbitant appetite for distortion, you would hear your distortion more than the maple / rosewood so let's not split hairs to substantiate our preferences.
Overall rating: 90%
Ibanez RG565R
- available at Swee Lee ($1,549)
- no bag inculded
PS: Thank you brothers Faizal & Ram (Swee Lee Star Vista) for your kind assistance.
