Details & History
Model: Ibanez JCRG-2 TB (Trans Blue)
Serial # 13044
Neck-Thru Construction
5-piece Maple/Wenge neck with
Hondura Mahogany wings (for the body)
Same neck profile as my RG8670 (17mm J-Custom neck) with an Ebony
fretboard, offset dots and flame maple binding
AAAA Flame maple top with imaginary/faux binding and a matching headstock
Lo-Pro Edge tremolo system with Cosmo White Hardware
Tone Zone/Blue Velvet/Air Norton Pickups
Angled output jack (just like the Jems)
I bought this guitar as a birthday present to myself so I can have something else for guests to drool over on my wall of guitars. I was so impressed with my RG8670 that I wanted a neck-thru version. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a JCRG-4 in a nice color so I settled for the JCRG-2 instead. Still wish this had the Vine of Life inlay but it’s still a nice guitar none the less.
As I got this guitar used, I had to put in quite a lot of work to clean it and make it super playable. I don’t know what happened to this guitar, but practically every metal part on this guitar had rust on it(machine heads, locking nuts, trem, even the sustain block!!). This guitar initially came with a good amount of lacquer on the back of the neck that I had to strip right off and now it plays like a dream. Gotta love how they faded in the finish to the neck.
RG1302-LBU
This was my first J-Custom that
I bought and it happened to be a first generation J-Custom.
It’s probably my most vibrant sounding guitar acoustically.
Specs are:
-One Piece swamp ash body (the body with the tremolo taken out virtually
has no weight to it)
-Both pickups are Dimarzio
Humbucker From Hell
pickups
-Ibanez J-Custom 5-way switching system.
(This was obviously one of their first attempts at this as they used a
Dimarzio Mega switch instead of the standard
OTAX ones found on current models)
-500k CTS pots for both volume and tone
-Lo Pro Edge trem
-Recessed strap locks(no strap buttons,
if I don’t bring the right strap to a gig I’m screwed)
-3 piece maple neck with larger than normal neck volute
-Rosewood fretboard with offset dot inlays
-J-Custom neck shape(it’s pretty thick
actually)
RG1880S-NT
My second
J-Custom that I picked up.
This one was from 2000 and really only differs from a normal RG1880 in the
color of the hardware and the finish.
It may have been a special edition model, but I’m not too sure.
This model eventually turned into the RG8570-NT.
Here’s the specs
-Honduras mahogany back with
a ‘AAA’ grade flame maple top.
-Natural finish with just lacquer (no stain)
-5 piece neck with volute. (headstock matches
the body)
-Lo-Pro Edge with Pearl Nickel hardware
-Recessed strap locks
-Rosewood fretboard with offset inlays and
flame maple binding.
-Dimarzio Air Norton – Blue Velvet – Tone Zone
pickups
-Originally came with an OTAX 5-way switch but was later replaced with a
modified CRL switch.
(Tone pot was replaced with custom mid-cut/mid-boost circuit)
It’s a great playing guitar, just wish it had a vine inlay.
RG8670-TV
My third J-Custom, and this was
the one I was trying to get for a long time and was lucky enough to find
this one used.
Probably has the best feeling neck of all the guitars I own, it’s thinner
than the neck on my RG1880S but not as thin feeling as my USA-Custom
Exotic Wood.
Here’s the specs:
-Honduras Mahogany with a flame maple top
and natural binding (headstock also matches the body)
-5 piece neck with volute and maple veneer on the back of the headstock
-Ebony fretboard with tree of life inlay and
flame maple binding
-Violet Chrome hardware with Edge-Pro bridge
-Volume and Tone pots are recessed into the body
-Dimarzio Air Norton – Blue Velvet – Tone Zone
pickups
-Stock OTAX switch was replaced with a smoother playing custom modified
CRL switch.
-All the back plates are metal (not plastic)
ONE OF THE SEXIEST GUITARS I OWN
USA Custom Exotic Wood
I found this as New Old Stock
and was originally going to pass on this guitar because I couldn’t stand
the sharkfin inlays.
Ended up loving the wafer thin Wizard neck and bought the damn thing.
I believe Oli has the same one.
Specs are:
-Mahogany back with an INSANELY THICK flame
maple top.
-Cosmo hardware with an original Edge Trem.
-One piece maple neck with scarf joint (no volute)
-Wizard Neck profile with AANJ
-Rosewood fretboard with
sharkfin inlays and white binding around the neck and the headstock
-Original pickups were Dimarzio PAF-PRO – some
dimarzio single coil – PAF-PRO
(Later replaced the two PAF PRO pickups with an Air Zone and a Tone Zone)
-American CRL switch and CTS pots.
-Original knobs were cosmo dome knobs but I
replaced them with some black plastic speed knobs.
The finish on this guitar
doesn’t do the guitar any justice as you can’t really see the flames on
the finish.
This guitar is destined to be stripped down and refinished.
(and if I have the time & money, have the
fretboard replaced as I still can’t stand the
sharkfin inlays).
