Best Ibanez Guitar For Metal (At Every Price Level)

Ibanez is practically synonymous with metal.

This Japanese brand has made a name for itself among metal guitarists as one that delivers excellent guitars for the genre.

What is it that makes them so good for heavy metal and hard rock music?

We’ll discuss that a bit below.

First, we’re going to give you the 6 best Ibanez guitars for metal. A comparison table is followed by brief reviews of each guitar.

Naturally, the best Ibanez metal guitar is very expensive. But even the last model on our list is pretty amazing, considering the low price.

 

Best Ibanez Guitars For Metal Compared

 

Best Metal Guitars By Ibanez Reviewed

We’ll begin our list with the absolute best Ibanez guitar for metal, which is also arguably the best metal guitar period. Naturally, it is by far the most expensive model on this list, too.

Then we will keep going until we finish with the 6th best Ibanez for metal. Even that one is still pretty great, especially for the price. 

 

#1: Ibanez RG5120M Prestige

The Ibanez RG5120M FCN tops this list. It is a 6-string guitar from the RG Prestige line, equipped with 2 Fishman Fluence Modern active pickups with ceramic magnets.

They are humbuckers that give out a powerful, aggressive sound with a powerful attack, but without unnecessary noise. The switch is a 3-position switch.

The body of the instrument is made of African mahogany with an ash top. The Super Wizard HP neck is a compound 5pc maple/wenge neck. The bird’s eye maple fretboard has a unique, impactful texture that delivers perfectly balanced tonal characteristics throughout, from the bass to the treble range.

The radius of the lining is 430 mm. It has a 25.5″ (648 mm) scale and 24 jumbo frets on the neck, inlaid with mother-of-pearl dots on the edge. The bridge is the legendary Lo-Pro Edge tremolo, which provides maximum playing comfort and tuning stability.

The Ibanez RG5120M FCN is presented in a striking bright Frozen Ocean blue that shows off the texture of the top, with the body-colored headstock and black hardware. While some metalheads might not like the color, all of them will like the sound – it’s full-on metal and also made our list of the best guitars for metal.

Pros

• Perfect metal sound
• High-quality materials
• Sounds fantastic with many pedals
• Clean and balanced tones

Cons

• Ocean-blue top is not very metal.

 

#2: Ibanez S Series S670QM

The Ibanez S Series S670QM guitars feature their own Wizard III neck profile, giving you incredible comfort and speed for fast hand maneuvers, which is perfect for metal.

While the maple neck offers a smooth natural feel, the profile provides a slim, contoured shape that lets your hand cup the neck with ease. The Rosewood fingerboard enhances the guitar’s tone with richness and dynamics, creating bright, crisp highs.

The Ibanez S670QM is equipped with a trio of Ibanez Quantum pickups, located in the bridge, middle, and neck position, along with 5 switch positions. The pickups are designed to offer you a range of tones, allowing you to achieve the perfect sound.

The dual humbuckers provide a fast bass response, ideal for punchy rhythm riffs and high-speed staccatos, while the single-coil delivers a crisp high-end response with a smooth center and firm low end.

Additionally, these pickups also offer precise high-end articulation, which is ideal for rock and metal players. It really comes though if you have a quality combo amp for metal, too.

The Ibanez Edge Zero tremolo is a high-performance double-locking tremolo, first introduced in 2010, with similarities to the Lo-Pro Edge tremolo and the original Floyd Rose tremolo. This design creates a unique and versatile floating tremolo system that provides an additional range of playing capabilities and better tuning stability.

Pros

• Amazing tonal capabilities worthy of shredding metal music – comes close to the first choice
• Beautiful design
• The quality exceeds the price
• Comfortable for playing

Cons

• May take some time to adjust to

 

#3: Ibanez RG8-WH

The Ibanez RG8-WH is an 8-string electric guitar in the RG line. The color of the guitar is white, as the name suggests. The electric guitars of this line are easily recognizable instruments, due to their stylish design and sound capabilities.

Over the three decades of its existence, this line has delivered high-performance, high-quality and powerful instruments, with a recognizable, punchy sound.

This electric guitar, in particular, has a maple and basswood neck with a rosewood fretboard. The neck profile is Wizard II-8. The body of the guitar is made of basswood while the top is mahogany. The number of frets on the neck is 24 (Jumbo), and the scale is 27″.

Two pickups are installed on the instrument, specification H/H. The pickup model is the Ibanez IBZ-8 humbucker.

This instrument is an excellent acquisition for any guitarists playing rock and metal music. All instruments in this line are a perfect combination of classic style and recognizable rock/metal sound. The guitar tuning is: 1D#, 2A#, 3F#, 4C#, 5G#, 6D#, 7A#, 8F.

Pros

• One of the best 8-string models for metal
• Fantastic build – ergonomic for an 8-string, straight neck
• Great high action
• Bang-for-the-buck deal

Cons

• There are better pickups than these, but due to the guitar’s price, replacing them is still affordable

 

#4: Ibanez RGA42FM-BLF

The shape of the body itself is, again, made in the spirit of modern Strats, with finely shaped lines and a recess on the back of the hull for comfort. The guitar is in a matte finish (a thin layer of lacquer) that provides a fantastic tone. It comes in two colors: Blue Lagoon Burst Flat and Dragon Eye Burst Flat.

The body of this guitar is made of mahogany wood with a maple top. The neck is Wizard III, made of maple wood, strong and stable, nicely processed and covered, comfortable and playful. The fingerboard is made of Jatoba (Brazilian cherry), with slightly rounded edges and dots on the fields.

The magnet configuration is HH (two humbuckers). The guitar is equipped with Ibanez Quantum magnets which are passive and ceramic. There are 2 potentiometers with metal caps for volume and tone color as well as a five-position switch to change the position of the magnet.

Ibanez’s bridge is fixed on the guitar and in black. Ibanez’s die-cast pins are black as well and hold well when played. The guitar has 24 Jumbo frets.

In short, this is the perfect guitar for metal music lovers. It is a truly exceptional and playful instrument that is always in high demand in stores due to its affordable price. Highly recommended.

Pros

• High-quality build and amazing aesthetics
• Amazing stock pickups
• Great for holding notes
• You can play various styles with it

Cons

• Pickups need to be cleaned regularly

 

#5: Ibanez GRG 7221M MLB

Modeled after the legendary Ibanez metal monster, the GRG is the affordable gateway to that same blend of speed, fury, and expression.

The poplar body of this GRG7221M is wrapped in a high-gloss finish and complemented by a maple fingerboard equipped with string-bendable jumbo frets. Proprietary Infinity R humbucking pickups deliver the thick, distorted metal tones rockers crave, while the Ibanez Fixed 7 bridge lets you take your playing to a whole other level.

The body shape is double cutaway. It’s a solid body made of solid poplar wood and with a gloss finish. The GRG-shaped neck is made of maple and has a 25.5″ scale length. The joints are screwed and the neck finish is satin.

The fretboard material is maple and its radius comes in at 15.75″. The frets are jumbo-sized and the number of frets comes in at 24.

The pickup configuration is HH – the Infinity R pickups are present on the neck and bridge. Both pickups are passive and have no active equalizer. The pickup switch is a 3-way and there are master volume and tone controls.

Pros

• Fantastic 7-string guitar for a more than reasonable price
• Bright and powerful tone with a wide range
• The control switch is placed perfectly for fast transitions
• Better than most guitars from other brands, while being much more affordable

Cons

• It takes time for your fingers to adjust to the frets

 

#6: Ibanez GRX20-BKN

The Ibanez GRX20-BKN provides maximum comfort and playability at a low price. The shape of the body itself is made in the spirit of the modern Strat, with sharp lines and a recess on the back panel for comfort.

The body finish covers a thicker layer of polyester varnish that enhances glare. The body of the guitar is made of poplar, with comfortable contours.

The guitar neck is made of solid maple that provides stability and a concrete tone. It has 22 frets. The finish is matte satin, i.e. a thin layer of varnish that is similar to a matte finish and thus provides a clean and defined tone. The neck is very comfortable and playful.

The fretboard is made of rosewood marked with white dots. This guitar has 2 Ibanez Infinity humbuckers that sound very good on a clean channel or with distortion. It has 2 potentiometers with black plastic caps for volume and tone color and a five-position switch. It has a black mask.

The Ibanez GRX20 guitar has 22 medium frets, Ibanez’s FAT 6 standard tremolo, and standard die-cast pins that hold it well when using the tremolo.

In short, the Ibanez GRX20 is one of the most sought-after beginner electric guitars in guitar stores. Quality and an affordable price are the demand factors for this instrument.

Pros

• A cheaper option for metal sounds
• Good quality, worthy of the Ibanez name
• Has lots of features to work with
• Great with many pedals

Cons

• The tonal quality descends with higher action

 

How Good Are Ibanez Guitars For Metal?

You could say that Ibanez dominates the electric guitar market for metal. Most semi-professional and professional musicians prefer Ibanez guitars.

This is due to the 24 frets, the floating bridge (which is one of the best on the market) and the enormous electronic configuration that the mid-to-high range models tend to have. Among its ambassador guitarists we find:

• Paul Gilbert
• Steve Vai
• Joe Satriani
• Noodles (The Offspring)
• Herman Li
• Munky (Korn)
• Mick Thompson
• Kiko Loureiro
• Andy Timmons

 

Best Ibanez Guitar For Metal: Final Thoughts

Ibanez guitars are made for metal. No other brand is quite as popular among professional and semi-professional metal guitarists.

The brand make a number of excellent guitars in all price ranges. Their top-of-the-line models are among the best period. Their budget models also tend to outperform similarly priced guitars from other brands.

In other words, you can’t go wrong with an Ibanez, if you like rock and meta music. Any of the guitars above will serve you well, but obviously, the more you spend, the more guitar you get.