In late 2018, as most of us guitar and gear nerds do around NAMM time, I scoured the internet to find out new models that Ibanez is rolling out with. Even though I’m an artist, there are certain things we’re kept in the dark about. I saw literally everything that had been leaked at this time and was ready to check it out in person… or so I thought. I always get there early because I love being surprised and what they have on the wall. I remember the moment that I walked around the corner and immediately being blinded by how bright this guitar was.
Lets start off with the stock model then we’ll get to mine. The RG752 is honestly the perfect base for a custom guitar. They have killed it with this model over the last 7 years and I feel its the perfect base to customize. Ive seen just about everything done to these guitars from paint and pickups to new bridges and pick guards. The possibilities are endless. This model in particular proves that. The Desert Sun Yellow finish has been around since the late 80s and has spanned across many Ibanez Models. Most widely known for its appearance on the Jam and the RG550. These neon colors defined that 80s shredder look in my eyes. Now that it was on a brand new 7 string, I had to get it.
The first thing that crossed my mind with this guitar was that I needed to complete that RG550 look. My man Ben Eller made himself a Road Flare Red 7-string RG550 back in the day and it looked amazing. I had the Ibanez guys swap all the Cosmo hardware with straight Black, popped black Strat knobs on it, and had Seymour Duncan make me a completely blacked out 59/Distortion set. I finished it off with a 3 ply Black/White/Black pick guard. In my eyes, this guitar is so clean aesthetically. It also is one of the best playing guitars I’ve ever received from Ibanez. It might be yellow, but I assure you its not a lemon.
Eventually Id love to see Ibanez experiment more with mixing up their models. Maybe seeing some more 7 string versions of classic Ibanez models like the RG550 or the RG570s. I feel it would be fun and Id be totally into it. The world may never know what 7 string Talman looks like but here’s to the future! Dont forget to checkout the other Gear Spotlights on here if you liked this one. See you guys in a couple weeks.