Ibanez PREMIUM vs. PRESTIGE vs. J.CUSTOM | THE ULTIMATE SHOOTOUT - which one sounds best?

IBANEZ PREMIUM vs. PRESTIGE vs. J.CUSTOM
Which one sounds best? How big are the sound differences? I'll answer all those questions with a big Ibanez RG guitar shootout in this Video.
I truly believe that there is no other video on YT that is as detailed as this one. Mixed examples, unmixed examples, rhythm guitars, leads, 6 strings and 7 strings.
All guitars are equipped with Dimarzio pickups to minimize variations.
Thanks to Ibanez guitars for their support:
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[@sublyme2157]

The RG8257Z turned my head every time! But I guess it all depends on which one makes you smile the most when you play :) Thanks for the time and effort it took to put all this together!

[@NinoHelfrich]

Yes, it's a stunning 7 string! Thank you \m/

[@mikemitchell7529]

Wow, the premium still sounds fantastic in comparison. Thanks for putting that together, hows the build quality of the premium, cheers!

[@NinoHelfrich]

Fantastic. It feels like a prestige to me to be honest.

[@timjenkins502]

Awesome video. You lead tone reminds me of chris Broderick's lead tone from Jag Panzer 🤘

[@NinoHelfrich]

What a compliment! Chris is a monster. Thank you \m/

[@saletor8]

Usually people tend to dislike Fusion Edge pickups, but i think they are great. I can understand that ToneZone /Air Norton combo is a true classic setup on Ibanez guitars

[@marcaononymous]

my top 3 in order: 7 string J custom - red J custom - Indo.

[@victimsandvices4905]

The Premium 1070fm has the best pickups and tone I think! Cool shootout.

[@NinoHelfrich]

Thanks!

[@juventinos81]

you dont pay more for better sound.you pay more for build construction,components,tuning stability,neck stability etc.

[@allguitar3349]

Thank you... someone gets it

[@Iam_sleep_deprived]

Yeah the sound difference is just because of different pickups

[@sudeephembrom325]

I just love ibanez.....and i do have a prestige rgd 2127z with dmarzio crunch lab and liquifire installed in them and i m really happy with them.....

[@metriko100]

beautiful guitars

[@samuelbudiyanto2250]

Just put a Compressor Pedal after the Premium set it as Booster and sustain bender, it will turning into gigantic beast. Trust me, it may cheap but worth 💪

[@k5elevencinc0]

Got the Prestige. Well built.

[@Kupferhans]

Interesting. The premiums sounds better than the prestiges to me. The prestiges sound a bit spongy while the j.customs and the premium as well are very crisp. But thats no wonder. The prestige was from a time, when prestiges were at the price of todays premiums. I own a prestige from around 2009 and two premiums at the moment. The prestige plays very easy and allows a very low string height without any problems. The premiums need a bit more string height. I feel that this might be the main difference: The prestiges are a bit more exactly manufactured so that they guarantee this easy playability while the premiums vary a bit more. I remember that I tried one of them once and thought that it was terrible^^

[@NinoHelfrich]

Yes, the prestiges are several years old and have the same price point as the premium. Unfortunetly I don't own one of the 5000 prestiges from this years lineup. Those are most likely be the best RGs at the moment.

[@thorggernaut3081]

In all honesty, I can't hear too much tonal variance between the models. Its very subtle(to my ears atleast) I can confirm however, that the more expensive "j custom" model FEELS a thousand times better to play. The neck in particular is "silky smooth"

[@NinoHelfrich]

That's the point. A guitar doesn't sound twice as good just because it's double the price. I wanted to give everyone a chance to listen to this without spoiling the outcome for them but you are right. Subtle differences and the J.Customs feel amazing! Thanks for watching \m/

[@michellegrounds3919]

All great guitars. I'll take and have owned those and jems. Im an Ibanez girl what can I say.

[@Keno9462]

Great job thank you

[@demonspree]

I just bought an prestige RG5120M FCN, it has active Fishman Fluence Modern Humbuckers Ceramic and it has african mahogany wood for body...

[@markboyington4603]

J Custom!

[@kiketor]

Beside the point of price and manufacture, I think is the wood and pickups what makes the guitar sound over the mix. In my opinion the basswood prestige’s did have that Vai sound on low freq. notes, but do not match my play style. I’d rather get mahogany on any ibanez, despite the price range. Thx for sharing

[@NinoHelfrich]

You're welcome!

[@user-xx3xw1xj5u]

i like 8520

[@JoshDempler]

So what you're telling me is I will be amazingly happy with all Ibanez's at Indonesia and above. JK. But I haven't come across one that didn't play and sound great. Even the cheaper ones have just needed minor set up.

[@neuroscope9052]

I played a J.Custom in a store today, I think the store 'setup' the guitar, with action what felt like near 3mm, it felt terrible, a nice guitar to look at for sure but when I told them the action was crazy high they really didn't care to do anything about it. I cannot understand how they expect to sell it if it plays like crap, nobody's dropping that kind of cash for unplayable IMO.

[@lwwells]

Which is more comfortable to play 🤷‍♂️

[@timhuang4819]

Nice Video bro. Right now I'm in such a dillemma of whether grabbing an RG5120m and save some bucks or get a J custom RG8570z with dimarzio pickups. The prestige RG5120 comes with ss frets which I like and I'm also not a fan of Dimarzio AN/TZ combos but I heard rumors that Prestige models comes with 3-pc African mahogany body while J Custom has 2pc bodies which might resonates better? Hoping that you can give me some advice. Thxs! :)

[@NinoHelfrich]

Listen to the video again. Do you hear the differences you are looking for? Truth is, at the moment the Prestige 5000 guitars have better specs than the J.Customs. Stainless steel frets, more pickup options, locking tuners, fixed bridges etc. Having said that, either one of them will be amazing.

[@timhuang4819]

@@NinoHelfrich Thanks for your reply mate! Btw I'm curious about the fret wear of J custom. If the nickle frets of J customs wear quickly I think i might get a 5000 prestige instead though i somehow like the HSH config on J customs better. So do they wear out quickly?:)

[@NinoHelfrich]

@@timhuang4819 As quick as any guitar with nickel frets. Have mine for 2 years now and they are still fine.

[@davidletterboyz]

They sound slightly different. I think the one sounds very very different among all 6-string guitar is the Prestige. Probably due to the basswood. Less meaty.

[@uuncebret]

It seems not slightly different overall.. basswood more warm than mahagony & DiMarzio Fusion its more crisp/clarity sound than TZ

[@RabihSaadguitars]

I have all 3 Ibanez and some Jems a well.... For me a guitar is all about the neck...And between all of the Ibanez i own the cheapest one is the best, which is the Premium.. Go figure...

[@michellegrounds3919]

The 3570 is my fav out of these.

[@graygunter698]

I wanted a j custom but cant stand the inlays. I own a 89 rg550 got it new then seen the sexiest guitar ever ibanez rg652 in antique see through blond birdseye maple board wizard hp neck wich is same feel as my orig wizard. Ive had it now for a yr and cant go 1 day without playing it. Take those junk dimarzio tone zone and air norton out and put duncan parallel axis set in her now it sounds amazing. Try those duncan patb sets there best pickups ive ever had and heard.

[@NinoHelfrich]

1:04 Mixed rhythm examples 2:11 Mixed lead examples 3:22 unprocessed rhythm examples 4:29 unprocessed lead examples You're welcome!

[@murano185]

Hard to pick isn't it, they have different pickups so almost impossible to do a direct comparison. The one that's getting me right now is do I get an ibanez js240ps or an ibanez js2480. Literally identical in specs except the 240ps doesn't have gotohs and is Indonesian (and a THOUSAND POUNDS CHEAPER!! So far I can't find a comparison of these guitars anywhere

[@dwikisanjaya9737]

Is j custom 7 strings has fixed bridge version?

[@NinoHelfrich]

There has been one but generally 97% of the j Customs have trems

[@Acchiappalaquaglia]

I don't know... I'm watching the RG5320 and the RG8520. The size of the neck is identical, and i assuming also the feeling of playing them is identical. There is a small difference in the construction woods, however, i don't think this justifies a € 900 difference for the better sound that, maybe, you can barely hear

[@NinoHelfrich]

If you expect better sound because you payed another 900 bucks, you will be disappointed at this level. It's not like going from a 300 dollar guitar to a 1.200 dollar one. They booth sound as good as an RG with those pickups can sound. The RG5320 is already a monster in terms of specs. The 900 bucks between the 2 go into a handmade tree of life and a selcted Triple AAA flamed maple top. Frets are even more rounded and the RG8520 has a velve touch finish on the neck. It does feel different. A lot of handwork too. That's why it's 900 dollars more. I have an RG 5000 and a RG8520 here. Booth are dream guitars.

[@lueysixty-six7300]

I could pick the mahogany difference without even having to look it up. As soon as give me I heard the white /gold one, right after the blue one.. I said out loud, "oh yeah, mahogany......…" and let out a pregnant sigh!

[@macbruce7562]

That premium Ibanez is not really a premium, it’s loaded in the specs department. The pickups are monsters too

[@NinoHelfrich]

Aside from the trem, these specs have been in other premiums as well.

[@hughwilliams870]

I don't think it is so much the sound, they all are made of wood and have good pickups, tuners and bridges, really they all sound good that is not what your paying for on these its the build quality. I have a new Jem7P its so good that I want a PIA, and would be willing to give up this Ibanez and a Gibson Explorer for one if the occasion arose. So i tore apart the JEM7P to see what was up and here are my findings, firstly the body routes are not super clean and look like something you would get from Indonesia, meaning lets cut it fast and get it done we have 1 million more to make, but does that even matter? At the end of the day the pickgaurd covers the routing, It also has the cheap pots and a cheap 5 way switch and jack, but the Trem does say EDGE Japan, and it has Gotoh tuners made in Japan, now the neck fit is as tight as they come, they did a great job with that, Fender USA is not this tight. The paint finish is great with no flaws and is super shiny and perfect, but in the claw area you can see they did not take the time and it looks cheap looking, paint is thick looking and some parts of the wood that could have been just sanded or cleaned up a little better and again when the trem is on it you will not see down inside that claw area anyway, the back plate route is not sloppy but its not a super tight fit you can see some space around it. Now the playing surface is really smooth but there was one fret that had to be hammered in so you would not get buzz, it was a very small amount and if you liked higher action you would not have had to do anything and by higher I mean that I like 1.25 mm action at the last fret vs 1.50 which it did not fret out when you did a big bend but again at the last fret it aint that much but still if I wanted 1.00mm or even .75 mm it should achieve that because it is a 1800 dollar guitar and that aint cheap , but again it was that small of a issue, and I think they should have polished a bit more on the frets, they are smooth but still just the least bit scratchy when you vibrato, but its so minuscule that you might not notice unless your just picky or you don't bend notes or just a novice or intermediate player, but its still there, I mean either it is scratchy or its not, that's really the only way to look at it, now the rounded fret ends are really nice but more attention could be put to the actual fret surface its self, so I used 0000 steel wool and repolished the frets and put on Elixer Polyweb .09s and that took care of that issue, it plays as slick as glass now or butter which ever word you choose, the ebony is smooth and looks awesome and the inlay is perfect. So really the issues to me are the pots and switch and jack are of low quality but I am changing those to CTS and Switchcraft so then it will be super reliable and upgraded as far as electronics. So if I do all that and it has all the best parts pickups, tuners, ebony fretboard, and a alder body it should be just as good or the same as a Japan, you would think, BUT at any rate its a GREAT guitar and I mean GREAT!!! If the Japan made guitars play better than this, then yes I would go into the 3000 range to play one and own one, This is so great I cant image better, I would hope that a real Jem or J Custom would make this feel like plain junk in my hand.

[@hughwilliams870]

FOLLOW UP, Ok so I did the review on the Ibanez JEM7P and it was all positive, BUT after this review and quite by accident, I was able to get a Ibanez AZ 2402 Prestige Japan, Satin Pearl White. Let me tell you that the Premium Jem was a great player until you played this Prestige, zero comparison and I mean zero. I have already sent that guitar packing. Did it play great yes, had good parts? YES. frets good yes but you have no idea how bad they are until you play the real thing. The AZ 2402 is so high above the JEM 7P guitar that really you might think I am lying or have no idea what I am talking about, and its just not the AZ either I am sure that a real Jem Japan or any other Prestige or the Pia is the same as far as high quality. I am now at the full understanding that cut rate guitars are cutting some where. I am disappointed in the fact that a guitar that could play so good and yet be FAR out done. Just holding them both in your hands and not even playing them just touching them and handling them you can tell the Jem was lacking build quality and the Japan is solid, again if you got this guitar and never touched a real Prestige you would never know the difference but side by side its a easy tell. So to sum it up there is a difference in feel, fret job, finish, and build. Go big or go home I guess.

[@TJump]

can you do the same but include the gio, jem, jem jr?

[@NinoHelfrich]

I don't any of those guitars

[@MK-tj5bf]

I have a question Premium Prestige J-Custom Where would you put a signature type of Ibanez as Jem 7v-wh (Steve Vai signature one). Thanks.

[@NinoHelfrich]

A friend of mine has a Jem made in japan. They come from the same factory as the prestiges and the cheaper J.Cstoms. So the same quality.

[@xtakerux]

I think its more related to wood & PUs combinations, if we could hear identical specs from different classes of those, then we could actually spot interesting differences

[@JLchevz]

gray 6 string j custom for me

[@NinoHelfrich]

It's a beast \m/

[@JLchevz]

@@NinoHelfrich indeed

[@Jay-rd6fe]

i mean sound does not mean mutch aany mahogant singlecut with gibson pickups will sound like a gibson custom shop same with ibanez same woods pickups and bridge will sound same its aobut the fit and finish the attention to detailo tho j customs are a ripoff prestige guitars do feel alot better than premiums to my expierence

[@dingao000]

I have a Prestige. is more than enough for me.. but J.Custom sounds better

[@12Jsilva]

its a j.custom but still has fusion edge... dont get me wrong they sound good.. but could be better. imo

[@NinoHelfrich]

I really like them. They are very underrated in my opinion but it's all a matter of taste. Which pickups are you rockin?

[@12Jsilva]

@@NinoHelfrich have been changing them with sentient/ nazguls. But i got a rg652fx now with stock air norton/tonezone… still thinking about nazgul or either bkp or fishmans. Tried fishman merrows before and they are awesome

[@12Jsilva]

@@NinoHelfrich still if a prestige can have air norton/tonezone stock why can’t the j.customs? I have a rgd 7 with bkp aftermaths stock and they sound two fold better than the fusions.

[@NinoHelfrich]

@@12Jsilva To be honest, I prefer the Fusions over the Tone Zone/Air Norton once I start tuning down. It always depends on the material. The Fusions have a very fluid singing lead quality to them which I like. Anyways, sounds like you have a great arsenal man!

[@einarabelc5]

You forgot USA Custom but those are so few that is not worth it.

[@NinoHelfrich]

Don't have one so I can't include it. Sorry.

[@Hadouken5150]

I think 90% of the tonal differences comes from the pickups.

[@GazzaniSilva]

can i have all ? xD

[@MrHjld]

I have the same RG1070FM you have. I like it but I hate the sticky neck. I don't know what ibanez was thinking by finishing their neck.

[@NinoHelfrich]

Never had an issue with this one even though I don't like finished necks.

[@MrHjld]

I am not saying that there is a physical issue. I am saying that they should have left it unfinished.

[@marcaononymous]

@@MrHjld you may try using some sandpaper on the neck to make it feel less glossy to the hand. I've done it to one of my guitars and it worked great. Slide the sandpaper down the back of the neck a few times and its done. Dont go crazy and remove wood from it LOL

[@orionbekesi]

I don't hear a difference in tone. *cough cough* It's almost as if wood doesn't affect the tone. *cough cough* But I am still willing to pay $4000 for a J custom

[@allguitar3349]

Can't hear anything but distortion. This could be a first act and still sound like do dugga dugga dugga dugga do..