Ibanez RG550-DY with maple fingerboard
Ibanez RG550-BLK with rosewood fingerboard
Overview
Brand name:
Product:
- electric guitars
Series name:
Dates of manufacture:
1987 to 2002
IBANEZ made the RG550 between 1987 and 2002 - it was the budget version of the Ibanez JEM-777 with the same basic body shape and HSH pickup configuration.
From 1987 to 1994 the pickups were V2-S1-V1 then from 1994 onwards they were V8-S1-V7. The original Edge tremolo was changed to a Lo-Pro Edge in 1992.
The RG550 was discontinued after 1994 but reissued again in 1997. The RG550-R (rosewood fingerboard) was available in some countries in 1995 and 1996. Also a 20th anniversary resissue of the 1987 model was released in 2007 as the RG550MXX (with maple fingerboard) and RG550RXX (rosewood fingerboard).
They came in a wide variety of finishes including a purple metallic one.
Specifications (19)
Body
| Body material | basswood body |
| Body shape features | double cutaway |
| Pickguard material | black pickguard |
Hardware
| Bridge | Ibanez Edge tremolo, Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge tremolo |
| Hardware color | black hardware |
Fretboard
| Fingerboard material | maple fingerboard |
| Fingerboard position markers | dot fingerboard position markers |
General
| Finish colors | black finish, blue finish, green finish, orange finish, purple finish, red finish, white finish |
| Made in | Japan |
| Number of strings | 6 strings |
Neck
| Neck joint | bolt on neck |
| Neck material | maple neck |
| Number of frets | 24 fret |
| Tuner layout | six-in-a-row tuners |
Controls
| Pickup selector controls | 5-way selector switch |
| Tone controls | 1 tone control |
| Volume controls | 1 volume control |
Electronics
| Pickups brand and model | Ibanez S1 pickup(s), Ibanez V1 pickup(s), Ibanez V2 pickup(s), Ibanez V7 pickup(s), Ibanez V8 pickup(s) |
| Pickups configuration | 1 single coil and 2 humbucker pickups |
Prices (10)
| Date | Price | Condition | Name | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | $450 | good | ||
| 1991 | $400 | new | Ace | |
| 2002 | zł3500 | new | Bartek | |
| 1987 | $700 | new | ||
| 2018 | €500 | good | ||
| 2001 | £450 | good | ||
| 1987 | $2000 | new | ||
| 1992 | $699 | new | ||
| 2018 | $500 | worn | ||
| 1987 | €900 | new |
Reviews (1)
IBANEZ RG550 reviewed by Johnny Patterson
Johnny Patterson
Best guitar I have ever played hands down, my RG550 from the year 2000 continues to blow me away every time I pick it up, and those V8 and V7 pickups just unbelievable, best crafted guitar I have ever laid my hands on the craftsman ship is just stunning. And that Wizard neck there's nothing better out there. I can't stop starring at it after all these years.
