What led to the Ibanez RG550 Guitar 20th Anniversary Reissue? Way back in 1987 Ibanez came out with a whole new line of guitars aimed toward the growing group of “guitar gods”. Artists like Paul Gilbert, Steve Vai, and Joe Satriani were bringing shredding to the mainstream.
The RG550 was a mid-range solid body guitar available in a few variations and some wild colors. The ultra thin Wizard neck allowed fast playability and the Floyd Rose licensed tremolo was reliable and allowed a large range of up and down movement.
Over the years the RG series has changed in some ways but still carries some of the same features and playability of the original. In 2007 Ibanez has introduced a very limited run of remakes of the original RG550 in three different colors.
Accurate?
The Ibanez RG550 Guitar 20th Anniversary Reissue is completely accurate to the original down to the tremolo with the exception of the neck. The original Wizard neck was known to crack and warp due to it’s thinness. The reissue RG uses a Wizard Prestige neck, which is a strength improvement over the original RG neck.
The Ibanez RG550 Guitar 20th Anniversary Reissue is limited to 1987 guitars of each three models. All three models come with a color matched case.
Specifications
Slim, fast Wizard neck
Maple fretboard (yellow and red) Rosewood (Black)
Jumbo frets for easy leads and chording
Lightweight basswood body with upper edge sculpted for comfort
Floyd Rose-licensed Edge tremolo with die-cast saddles
Pickups include Vintage 7 and 8 humbuckers framing a high-output single coil
5-way switching for a full range of instantly selectable sounds
Colors Desert Sun Yellow, Road Flare Red, Black
The reissue has caused the original RG’s from the late 80’s to drastically increase in value and the reissue guitars in their limited quantities will surely cause these to be a collectors item. Get one while you can!
If you had the chance to snag one of these Ibanez RG550 Guitar 20th Anniversary Reissue guitars consider yourself holding a piece of history.