Ibanez RG 550 VS Sterling JP 50

[fluid1993]

Hey guys, what do you think about those two? I hear a lot of good things about both. I'm in a position where I have to keep to one guitar for the next few years, so which should I invest in and why? Thanks a lot.

I have this up on a few forums to see what the consensus is. At Jemsite, the majority said the rg550 won hands down. What do you think?

 

[brokenvail]

Welcome to the forum. This type of question is kind of frowned upon here. BP always says that guitars are tools. They all have their place and everyone will have a different idea of which one is better based on their needs and opinion of looks. It is not a surprise that the guys on the jem site say the RG and everyone here will say the Sterling. You wouldn't go to Ford and ask if they like the Camaro better than the Mustang nor would you go to Chevy and ask the question in reverse. The answer to which is better must be answered by your hands and ears. I will say this. Sterlings are build great and really are a well built guitar for the money. If you went with that you would not be let down in the quility department.

 

[Wolf 6]

So you took my advice.....

Edit: The site I was talking about when I said "....or a neutral site..." was Harmony Central. They maybe somewhat biased but not as much as these sites.

 

[fluid1993]

You said the EB forums and a neutral site. I'm getting to the neutral site eventually. Thanks for the tip.

 

[TNT]

Fluid, check out the Sterling - it will speak for itself!!

 

[whitestrat]

Invest in? For a few years? Then skip both and go for an EBMM JP6 or JPX. Pricier than both, but well worth the difference. ESPECIALLY the JPX.

 

[straycat113]

I think you were given the only advice that makes sense= go and post it someplace neutral if you want opinions. Even better is go play both guitars and make up your own mind. I mean if Hendrix was alive and told me to play a left handed guitar turned upside down I would not do it as I play what (I) like, and that is all that matters not what others say who ever they may be.

 

[Jack FFR1846]

Nobody can tell you. You have to play the actual guitar that you're planning to buy. Period.


If you are really diligent, and patient and look around a lot, you might be able to stretch to a used non-piezo JP. When you use the word "invest", you're thinking about resale value and any used guitar will bring you closer to your purchase price when you go to sell. If you want to compare, go to the used section of Guitar Center's site. They have used JP's and Sterling JP's on there (at least yesterday, when I last looked).

 

[gtrman66]

Nobody can tell you. You have to play the actual guitar that you're planning to buy. Period.

+1
The best advice I can give you is if you're in a position to test play both guitars try them out and pick the one that feels and sounds best to you.I will tell you that the RG550 is no longer in production and hasn't been in a while.3 or 4 years ago they did an anniversary reissue but nothing since.If the RG is being sold as new it's N.O.S.(new old stock) so you may be able to negotiate on the price.I would also,as others has suggested,try a JP6 or maybe a silhouette.You can sometimes find used ones for close to the price of a new RG550.Either way...play a bunch of guitars and let your hands and ears decide.

 

[gtrman66]

And let us know how the search goes for ya

 

[Jason2112]

I've put my neck on the chopping block before so here goes...

I have two RG550's (an '87 and '89) and I absolutely love them. They play very different than the JP's I've played over the years. Bigger frets, thinner necks, flat radius, and the bridges are very different. Not better, but quite different. Ok, much better for me (for metal) but YMMV. I own different guitars for different purposes, and I love my EBMM's for the purposes I use them for, but for old-school metal, it's hard to beat my RG's.

Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss it further