Ibanez RGD71ALMS

Ibanez is a guitar brand that has always manage to stay relevant. They've always stayed true to their character but have found that balance whereby the were able to introduce innovations to their lineups while staying true to their core values. Today we will be reviewing an addition to Ibanez's much beloved RG line, the 5000 seires Axion Labels : RGD71ALMS. This guitar undoubtedly retained the signature aesthetics that makes an Ibanez instantly recognizable but with subtle modifications here and there. One thing is for sure: this is a guitar for shredding. It looks fast and it plays even faster. Djent players should find this guitar right up their alley as well.

LOOKS

This guitar retains the signature aesthetics of an Ibanez but instantly looks a little different because of its two slightly slanted pickups and the multi-scale fret board which is bigger by default to accommodate the additional string. The RGD71ALMS comes in deep purple which subtly fades to black in the middle. Lit-up inlay dots completes the looks.

SPECS

The Ibanez RGD71ALMS is a seven string guitar with a fast body and fast neck. As such, it lends its self extremely well to both shredders and djent players alike. The neck comes in a "multi scale" set up which is officially called the "Notro Wizard-7". The neck is in fact quite a wonder in an of its self being made from 5 pieces of wood which are either Panga or Panga/Walnut and topped with a 24 jumbo-fret Macassar Ebony fingerboard which has gone through a process called "Sub Zero Treat" (which I'll admit I can't seem to find any information on what the "treatment" actually does other than making it stronger). The body is made from Nyatoh. The bridges is a monorail. The two are placed in a cool slightly slanted fashion and both are active Feishman Fluence Modern Humbuckers (the battery pod is located at the back). In terms of controls, the Ibanez RGD71ALMS is quite a minimalist with only one 3-way selector and one volume control.

TEST

The Ibanez RGD71ALMS's multi scale fan fret is easier to play than it looks (actually this is true for all fan frets, they look intimidating to play but are in fact quite easy to manage). We tested both clean and crunchy tones. As can be expected, this guitar's crunchy tones are better than its cleaner ones. The higher-gain tones sounds especially great and with even the highest gain tone we tried it feels like there's plenty of output left to spare. True to Ibanez's heritage the touching and feel of the guitar is fast and easy to play.

MATCHING

This guitar is definitely made for shredder and djent players who will greatly appreciate the added seventh string. Pairing this guitar with a multi-effects like the Axe or some other ones with good high-gain profiles and a good cabinet is highly recommended.

CONCLUSION