Ibanez RGIF8 Iron Label Multi-Scale Electric Guitar, 8-String
This cutting-edge multi-scale 8-string guitar offers a comfortable playing experience due to its tension-optimizing trapezoidal 27.2"/25.5" scale fret pattern.
Overall User Ratings (based on 1 ratings)
Submitted September 19, 2016 by Raymond Owen in Lexington, KY
"Good guitar-but not the best"
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This is the first guitar I've ever bought in this price range and I've got to say I honestly expected more. Firstly this guitar does have a killer aesthetic. I first saw the seven string version in a local music shop and I knew I had to have it. The setup was good and very playable out of the box. The only thing I had to do was raise the action by maybe two thousandths on the low string to completely cut the very slight fret buzz it did have.
The biggest let down of this guitar is the tone. I've always owned guitars with passive pickups and based on what just about every metal player on Earth would say, you'd expect the active EMG 808X pickups this guitar to comes with to slay. But that's not the case at all. They're low output, they're bland, and they just leave you wanting something more. They're not totally unsalvageable, but honestly when I committed to buying a $1,200 guitar I didn't also think I'd spend all my time wondering what combination of things I can do to get a really good tone out of it.
If you're wondering about the fanned frets and how they're going to effect your playing, well...just don't. Within 2-3 hours of playing it totally ceases to be an issue in your playing or in your mind. It really doesn't feel different except for the first fret since the nut is diagonal, but I assure you, if anything bothers you about this instrument, that won't be it.
Sound
The overall sound is..not great. It's definitely not bad but you probably won't achieve what you'd expect with this guitar tonally. It's slightly muddy, oddly unresponsive to palm muting, the lows emit more of a hum than the clear attack you're most likely going for. To be as plain as possible it's less Meshuggah and more $80 squire bass.
The positives are that the pickups are very well balanced across all strings. No one note will ever dominate the sound which with extended range guitars is very important. The cleans you get out of this guitar are fairly nice in a way, but honestly if you're thinking of buying this guitar that's personably not what you're worried about.
Features
The multi scale aspect of this guitar is obviously a major aspect of what makes this guitar good from a sound and playability standpoint. It's the answer to a persistent problem extended range players have always had giving you the right balance of string tension and appropriate tone that comes with that.
The weathered black finish on the ash body/headstock gives this guitar a great look. This thing seriously turns heads especially with the fanned frets and the black chrome hardware. Everything is solid and of high quality as you'd expect. The tuners feel really nice but honestly at this price point I'd really have been more happy with locking tuners.
Ease of Use
This guitar seems intimidating, and if you only ever picked it up and played it for few minutes you probably wouldn't hold it in very high regard but honestly, anybody could come to love this after a minor adjustment period.
Quality
What this guitar lacks tonally it really does make up for in build and component quality. Aside from wear and tear components (strings, frets, etc) I could see this guitar lasting a lifetime. The only thing that concerned me is that at first the stereo input jack is really really tight. It's worn in a little bit but having to put that much effort into pulling my cable out makes me feel like eventually it's not going to stand up to the abuse for as long as everything else.
Value
Is it worth it? Mostly. I feel like there are a couple issues Ibanez could address to really make this price point feel like it makes sense or they could change nothing and lower the price $200-300 dollars and it would be better either way. If you expect it to be the best thing you've ever played or feel like they've outdone themselves and given you something super special, it probably won't happen.
Manufacturer Support
I haven't had to contact them for anything, however I will say that they include and instruction manual that covers pretty much everything you could ever need to do to your guitar and in good detail. From changing the strings to intonation and using the truss rod to adjust your neck, it's all there and then some. If you've been playing and dealing with your own issues for years it won't be terribly useful but I'm sure a lot of people could still benefit from the info.
The Wow Factor
I've touched on it a couple times but I'll say it again. This guitar looks amazing. It has an aura of badassness to it that's hard to deny. The first time I picked it up at that music store and had to leave it I felt like Golem watching the ring slip from his grasp. But now that I have it, I'd liken it to getting with the hottest girl in school only to find out she casually craps her pants every now and then.
Musical Background:
Occasional band player, hardcore bedroom jammer, Djentleman
Musical Style:
Slam, death metal, progressive, THALL, brown notes
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