Comparing the Ibanez RG5121 and RG652 Prestige Guitars: Unsponsored Demo

[@Consolous]

Great comparisons, both guitars sound great but they each have things that make them stand out and it was good to see them through your demo

[@HighZ]

Thanks! They each have their strengths for sure

[@djpuma573]

amazing Guitars:👍👍

[@HighZ]

Thanks!

[@c.j.robert5350]

Both sounded great!! Active pu always sounds a little tighter to me, and passives seem to have more open-end headroom...if that makes any sense! Great job sir!!

[@HighZ]

Thanks! That does make sense and I tend to agree. Each will behave differently due to their design and sound good in their own ways in fulfilling their purpose!

[@raphaeloliveira89]

Great video. I don’t know if you have, but I’d love to see a comparison between this RG5121 and RGR5221.

[@HighZ]

I'd love to have one of those orange beauties for sure! Sadly I don't have access to one

[@iduncanw]

Doing backflip right now..... 🤪 Hadn't heard that one mentioned at the end before so it stood out. Great video. Lots of great points to consider as always. I've generally tried to pick guitars that offer something different from what I already own and balance it with things I like. In regards to frets, while I like stainless steel, they can be hard to find already installed so I don't let that influence too much. I don't play crazy hours so will take ages to wear out nickel. My son asked me one day, "why do you have multiple guitars". I played something on the one I had in hand and then changed guitars without touching the amp. I did that with 3 guitars. He simply went "ok, cool" and seemed happy with the "explanation" and left the room.

[@HighZ]

Haha! Just checking if people are listening and it seems like you are! Always good to have as many options as possible snd with that being said, its amazing how different guitars that are very similar in build and appearance can sound. Stainless steel is so nice but the standard nickel is of course fine too. It especially helps if you have multiple guitars to spread the play wear over so naturally the best solution is more guitars 🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@iduncanw]

@HighZ always more 🎸🎸🎸s I was surprised my MJ Jackson didn't have them, but after giving the frets a clean, it feels really good.

[@HighZ]

@iduncanw there are some MIJ models across brands that don't use stainless steel but it seems they use either a higher quality or different alloy nickel silver, maybe with more zinc. Like my j custom or E-II, not steel but still going strong

[@taambul1603]

ngl the 652 looks awesome.. i want one currently own a 550 so quite similar

[@HighZ]

Thanks! The 550 is a great choice too. Definitely a classic

[@Crms-like-Crims]

Can’t back flip so I’ll write an essay for the algorithm (bored at work lol) At a certain quality, I don't have a real preference on pick-ups. My main instruments are all active but that's really just by happenstance as that’s what they came with (EMG 81/85 or Fishman Moderns) I'm not against passives at all. I’ve loved some of the Seymour Duncan passives; JB, Nazgul and Sentient to name a few and I’ve tried some amazing Bareknuckles as well. The new Nazgul/Sentient Rails seem really awesome too. In the end if you have a quality pickup, I think most nuance between them can be corrected OR accentuated by input settings & EQ. Feel, playability and overall ‘do I think this looks cool’ weigh much more in my decision than what pick-ups the instrument comes with. If I was forced to choose like your video, I’d take the 5121 for stainless steel frets and because I literally tried a RG652 at Guitar Center last weekend and I wasn’t a huge fan of the finish when I saw it in person. It also had an ever so slightly thicker/rounder neck than my other Prestige despite having the same neck profile from the factory, damn variance lol!

[@HighZ]

I think you hit it spot on. Once you learn how to use EQ and how your amp or plugin behaves specifically to adjustments, then as long as you have a quality pickup you can make small adjustments to taste. I gotta admit that half the time my choice of guitar will be emotional - rational at work all day so I gotta do what I like sometimes! - but other times I do have to pick an appropriately playing guitar for the job. And that comes down to neck variance as you pointed out! For me my PIA, RG5320, and RG5121 have slightly thicker necks and are more comfortable to play for long sessions with my j custom, RG655, and RG550 being on the thinner side. Everything else is somewhere in between. I appreciate the comment, definitely better than learning to backflip at work 😆

[@Crms-like-Crims]

@@HighZ well you have an awesome collection however rational or irrational some of the purchases may have been lol!

[@HighZ]

Thanks man! As crazy as it sounds and as same-y as they look, they each have their own sound and characteristics. I'm so glad I can both make music with them and share information about them with people researching!

[@HectorFerretis]

Nice! I liked the 652 a bit better, the fishmans are very bright IMO. I like a more creamy, smooth tone, like the one from the DiMarzio's.

[@HighZ]

Agreed, the passives and that guitar as a whole sound very nice! It's amazing how the Fishmans are so bright they make D Activators sound smooth

[@davidepannone6021]

Yeah I find fishman pups working only in down tuning/7 string situation. On e standard they're just too bright. That said I've been spoiled by SS frets to the point I can't stand silver nickel and their quick oxidation anymore. In two/three weeks time after restring and polishing em, I can already feel the SN frets when doing bends and vibrato, while I could go 3 months without touching a SS fretted guitar and feel just as smooth as the time I did restringing and polishing. I use coated strings as I burn through regular strings way too quickly so I only change them once every 3/4 months and the difference between SS and NS is mind boggling. Not even comparable. So in the end I would choose the one with the fishmans. I would just down tune it to either d or c standard lol.

[@HighZ]

I agree, stainless steel frets are so luxurious! Personally a huge fan of how they feel and their durability. These fishmans are really bright as you say even on these guitars in drop C. If I wasn't constrained to using the same settings for both guitars, I'd have dialed back the treble and presence at the very least

[@nicholastotoro7721]

When discussing Fishman pickups, are they Fishmans or Fishmen? Derp... 😂

[@HighZ]

That's a great question, man! Neither fish nor men may know for certain

[@someoneyoudontknow3257]

Im more interested in fit amd finish. Does the 652 have the same quality fretwork as the 5121? I've had a 652 RGR for a few years now but that Frozen Ocean 5000 series RG thats always sold out speaks to me. Just not aire it speaks to me for $500 more than the one i have 😂

[@HighZ]

Great question. The 5121 is a better built and better playing guitar with better finish, fretwork, neck feel, pretty much everything. But there are diminishing returns the more expensive you get once you hit the prestige level. Both my 5320 and this 5121 are amazing though, so as long as the frozen ocean doesn't have its e string too close to the edge of the fretboard it'll be great. But you know what they say, there's always gonna be another guitar you'll want!