Welcome to the Wired Guitarist Ibanez RG652K Prestige review!

Known for their playability and comfort, Japanese-built Ibanez guitars have been a staple in metal and rock since the 80s. The RG652K is one of the newer Prestige models available, offered in a tremolo and fixed bridge model.

Let’s just get started already!

Features:

–  Basswood Body

–  Australian Blackwood Top

–  Super Wizard HP 5-piece Maple/Walnut Neck

–  Marbled Rosewood Fretboard

–  All Access Neck Joint Bolt On Neck Construction

–  17″ Radius

–  25.5” Scale Length

–  24 Jumbo Frets with Prestige Fret Edge Treatment

–  Edge Tremolo Bridge

–  Ibanez tuners

–  Cosmo Black Hardware

–  Dimarzio Air Norton/Tone Zone Pickups

–  1xVolume/1xTone

–  5-Way Pickup Switch

– Koa Brown Finish

The first thing to mention (in case there is confusion) is that this guitar does not have a Koa top. It is an Australian Blackwood top with a “Koa Brown” finish.

The Edge Tremolo system has to be one of the best tremolo bridges ever created. The exceptional tuning stability and comfort of this bridge are truly second-to-none.

If you are into fast soloing and tapping, the Super Wizard HP is just about one of the fastest necks out there. The Super Wizard HP is similar to the Wizard Prestige found on the famous RGA121, but with a slightly flatter profile.

Tone:

One of my favorite features of this guitar is the Australian Blackwood top. You don’t see this too often on electrics. Blackwood adds a very distinct harmonic character to the tone of the guitar. It adds a ton of tight punch and sounds quite dark. The Blackwood/Basswood combo make for a very low-mid focused instrument. 

The 5-piece Maple/Walnut wood combination is one of the most popular choices for the Wizard necks. This combo is a highly sturdy one and offers a ton of tuning stability. Maple is a very hard wood and tends to have a very snappy attack in the upper mid range.

Disregarding electronics, the wood choices and bolt-on neck make for a super snappy guitar with a mid-range focus.

(If you are looking for something a little less dark sounding we also have a review of the beautiful RG752 AHM which features an ash body)

The Tone Zone/Air Norton combo have a bit of a love/hate relationship in the guitar community. I’ve heard a lot of people hating on them and I’ve heard a lot of people that love them. The truth is that the Tone Zone has a ton of low end and can sometimes get a bit muddy for certain applications.

Luckily, the wood combinations in the guitar accentuate the mids to help balance the lows. I found it easy to avoid any flub or muddiness, but if you are tuning super low or just want something with a bit more clarity in the upper range then you may benefit from a pickup swap.

With that being said, the Tone Zone definitely excels in the rock genre. It offers a good bit of dynamic range, even when it’s exposed to high gain.

Build Quality:

I’m almost getting tired of talking about Japanese Ibanez quality because it’s generally the same thing every time.

Who am I kidding? No I’m not.

MIJ Ibanez guitars have set, and continue to represent, the standard of cost-effectiveness to build quality ratio for the last 30 years. The first Japanese Ibanez I had ever played blew me away with the quality standard that it was able to meet for the price, and most of the ones I’ve played since then have met the same standard as that one.

The AANJ is one of the best bolt-on appointments on the planet. It’s extremely secure and offers ultimate fret access.

The biggest thing that Prestige Ibanez guitars bring to the table that most companies can’t match in the same price range is the fretwork. I’ve never played a prestige that needed a refret out of the box and this one is no exception. Prestige fret end treatment is outstanding and on par with a lot of boutique luthiers.

The transparent finish on the front is executed very well. It adds a nice darkness to the Blackwood without taking away from any of the figuring. This is entirely subjective, but with such a nice and unique topwood as Blackwood, I wish there was a more figured wood than Basswood underneath. What can I say? I’m a sucker for some nice wood grain…

Final Verdict:

This guitar is definitely built for a modern application. The wood choice is unique and offers a ton of punch and snap, making it great for shredding. The pickups are thick and dynamic. They are a great choice for a rock application, but if you are going to be tuning particularly low, you may consider a pickup swap to avoid some muddiness.

The quality is top-notch as usual thanks the wonderful people in the Japanese factory.

Right now we have this exact guitar listed in our shop for $1399. It’s no surprise that this guitar passed our extensive quality control check.

8-10-8

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This article was written by Zac Buras, our editor located in Louisiana.

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