Ibanez RGT1270PB-DTF

I've been playing guitars for over 30 years, mainly rock & metal ... who owned about 8 other guitars (lowest-mid/high range) along with this one (my first Ibanez). So how does this compare? am I happy/ satisfied? listen me out:

What I love:
LOOKS: Its such a beauty, gorgeous, slick & high-end looking guitar... its like looking at a stunning super car at a car exhibition .... it talks to you: "you can play really fast on me!"
SETUP/SPECS: You have everything to desire as a guitar shredder/ soloist. Great choice of tones - amazing hardware , great vibrato
ERGONOMICS: It just feels perfect ... easy to play ... comfortable
NECK & FRETBOARD: super smooth & "fast-playing" thin type of neck & frets, with the right adjustment the strings perfectly glide along those frets. But there is one (big/small)* problem depending on your type of playing:

What I "hate":
NECK/FRET width&bevel: The neck is a mm or 2 TOO NARROW, and the edges of the Frets (the bevel) TOO Smooth. While playing the way you're used to on other guitars, the 2 E-Strings will slip continuously out of the neck , because the bevel is so 'slippery' and the width of the neck is simply too narrow!!

Now its partially also my fault - since my playing style is a bit on the 'sloppy & rough' side... but still, strings dont slip this way on my other guitars. Even while bending ...there are a couple of solos I simply can't play them the standard way cause they require deep bends which would slip out of the fretboard!!

Now due to this I am 're-learning' to be more precise when hitting the strings and avoid any minimal bending on the E strings , but still this annoys me!

Do I regret buying it - not at all ....besides the occassional slipping strings its my go-to guitar most of the times... and now I understand the Jackson vs Ibanez debate :)

This is my second guitar, the previous one was an ESP LTD Viper-50 for $200 - bulky, heavy, with a muddy sound.

So I was very impressed with the characteristics of the RGT1270PB. But it was not so easy to feel them at first. Because the guitar arrived with a dirty fretboard and the inability to tune it. The strings were rattling and generally not tuned together. Honestly, I expected more attention to a premium guitar for €1400. My first guitar for 200 bucks was ready to sing right out of the store.

So I took it to a luthier. They fixed it up. They also took out a stone that was pounding inside. I asked them if it was a gem, but they didn't show me, so it must have been a gem. It was funny, but what the hell?

Finally I connected the guitar to my Positive Grid Riff and my Macbook. The sound is magical on all pickup modes. It will take me some time to get used to the new shape and style of holding and playing, which is very different from the ESP LTD Viper-50. But overall, I'm happy with a dream come true.

I remember, "Back in the day" (ca 1990), my friend had an RG560 that he had brought with him from the US. I absolutely loved that axe..! A couple of years ago, the urge to get my own modern version RG got the best of me. My choice fell on this satin grey, hi-tech eguipped RGT1270. It didn't disappoint in any sense:

The looks: This is a "Formula-1" instrument, everything about it speaks of performance. Every little detail, all the way, has performance in mind.
(As an industrial engineer, I can really apprecciate the uncomprimizing focus on functionality and performance!)
The pointy-edged shape is legendary, cosmo black HW & the satin grey finish says "metal"...

Technical verdict: The DiMarzio pup's, Edge tremolo & Gotoh-HW is really good. (I have tried and owned many different trem-systems on various guitars over the years, none comes close to the stability of this one.)

Neck: Ebony FB w/block-inlays looks great. The Wizard III-neck is fast! (I had to get used to it, being as flat & slim...)

Single vol & tone + basic 5-pos selector w/coil-split in pos 2 & 4 is just perfect. (The less knobs and switches, the better it is IMO!)

Sound verdict: When runned through a proper tube amp (w/gain & vol at ca 1 o'clock), this guitar sounds very right in all 5 positions. Fat bottom end with great clarity and string definition.

Overall verdict: My new "weapon of choice".

NB: I had to do some minor adjustments (string height, sanded the backside of the neck) to "get it perfect", but that's more by my own preferences.

This guitar is a real gem. The Deep Twilight Flat finish looks stunning in person. Dark, modern, and elegant. It feels super comfortable to play, especially thanks to the neck through design, which means you can easily reach all 24 frets without any trouble.

The DiMarzio pickups sound amazing. You get everything from smooth clean tones to powerful rock and metal sounds. There’s even a coil split switch so you can get single coil tones too, making it really versatile.

Overall, the RGT1270PB DTF is a top quality guitar that looks great, feels great, and sounds incredible. Perfect for serious players who want a reliable and inspiring instrument.