2019 Ibanez Genesis Collection RG550DX HSH Ruby Red, Near Mint, Japan Fujigen

Up for sale, a 2019 Ibanez RG550DX in near mint, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. Built in Japan at the venerable Fujigen factory, this Ibanez is part of the Genesis Collection; a line of guitars designed to pay homage to the iconic ‘80s RGs that first made Ibanez so popular with the shred community. Tonewoods include a basswood body and five-piece maple/walnut neck capped with a bound 24-fret granadillo fretboard. The stock HSH pickup complement includes  V7 and V8 vintage-style humbuckers flanking an S1 single coil. The V7 neck position humbucker is notably bright, with excellent articulation and a full, rounded midrange, while the V8 in the bridge position has brightness and snap while maintaining a broad low end for focused chunk and searing leads. The S1 single coil offers cut and clarity, working in tandem with the humbuckers in split coil mode. This guitar weighs 7lbs 15oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, slinky action and spot-on intonation. The five-piece maple/walnut neck sports Ibanez’s Super Wizard profile, a slender D-shaped carve with full shoulders and an exceedingly smooth satin finish, measuring .700” deep at the 1st fret and .765” deep at the 12th. The bound 24-fret granadillo fretboard has a 16” radius, with sharktooth inlay and flawless jumbo fretwire. This guitar plays cleanly in all registers with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod. The scale length is 25 1/2”, and the Top Lok III locking nut measures 1 11/16” (43mm) in width. On the headstock, the black Gotoh tuners turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch. The Tilt Joint neck heel is a design from the ‘80s that predates Ibanez’s current All-Access Neck Joint. On the body, all of the electronics function as intended, with the stock HSH pickup complement governed by a five-way selector switch and Master Volume and Tone controls (humbuckers are coil split in positions 2 and 4). The Edge Tremolo is highly responsive, perfect for deep dives and sharp flutters. The three-ply black pickguard has some light scuffing along the strum path. The gloss Ruby Red finish is deep and vibrant; this is an exceedingly well-kept example, with cosmetic wear limited to just a scant few faint scratches on the body as a whole. The smooth satin finish on the neck profile is pristine. A padded faux leather gigbag is included, along with the user manual.