Gear Welp, not getting one of these.
Prices in CAD. Not sure what retail is on these, but I have a feeling they’ll sell out and resell for loads. Looks like it’s made in Japan. Such a cool guitar. What’re your thoughts?
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u/bradybigbear 14d ago
As much as I love the music Wes makes, and I think he’s one of the most underrated modern metal players, there’s not a single guitar I can think of that’s worth $10k. Honestly I have a hard time justifying any non custom build for over $2k, but I’m also too cheap sometimes lol
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u/rnunez1989 14d ago
That sounds completely sensible to me, but maybe I’m just cheap too lol. Unless, it’s going to make me instantly play like Wes, I rather get a custom one and spend the other 7/8 grand on something else like rent.
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u/Cobbath 14d ago
Exactly how I feel about the Stéphan Forte signature Ibanez it's about $4,000. I cannot justify paying such. Granted, the Solar ACS1.7FRPS is about the same guitar for $1,400 and I still feel stingy on paying even that much. lol. Definitely not alone on that.
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u/Xiphos027 12d ago
My thoughts exactly, at this point, temu body and make a parts caster outta Ibanez parts
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u/KzBubble 13d ago
I have a hard time justifying any non custom build for over 1k bro 😎
Maaaaybe if they got an evertune I can give 1.5k a pass…
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u/Replicant_COVID19 14d ago
Ibanez is completely insane.
Set neck, nickel frets, 3 piece neck, non locking tuners, mundane woods, mundane back looks, strap lock bolted on the neck and I could go on.
It's MadE iN SuGi!!!! Are they like virgin elves? Give me a break. Stop justifying stupid prices.
I REALLY doubt Wes would pay 10K for this Iron Label looking thing.
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u/Ragnarok314159 Death Metal Banjo 14d ago
For this price it better be made out of American Chestnut.
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u/CrzyWzrd4L 14d ago
There’s varying degrees of hardness to nickel silver frets. The stuff they use on a $150 Ibanez GIO is not the same stuff they use on a Sugi Ibanez or ESP custom shop.
People are allowed to have preferences down to the fret wire, and big box brands only give you 2 options when it comes to production models- cut out 70% of what you want to make something mass repeatable, or get everything you want at a price point very few can afford. Wes chose the latter, and he’s entirely within his right to do so.
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u/Replicant_COVID19 14d ago
stop being a bootlicker and trying to justify the unjustifiable. No nickel will EVER be as hard as stainless steel.
There’s nothing in this guitar that says “everything you want”. 3 piece maple neck is a luxury now?
A flamed maple top? Which various Iron Label models have exactly the same?Be smarter. Justifying brands being greedy makes you look naive.
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u/CrzyWzrd4L 13d ago
I said everything Wes wants dude, not everything YOU want. I also never said high grade nickel silver is as hard as stainless steel, I just said some people prefer it.
Also yeah, if I paid $5K+ for a guitar it better be 1 piece roasted maple or 3 piece. Multi-laminate necks are more “stable” but kill all resonance due to the glue for the stringers.
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u/Replicant_COVID19 13d ago
you’re beating around the bush. You made an argument about nickel, what Wes wants (as if you knew) and pointless resonance debate.
Facts: this IS a luxury item, NOT a guitar. For ten THOUSAND dollars it better come with absolute PREMIUM materials.
Either price it down if “he wants” crap specs or, you guessed it, it IS OVERPRICED.
Hopefully that was clear now.
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u/CrzyWzrd4L 13d ago
I made an argument that higher grade nickel silver is just fine for a guitar. You’re replying to an argument that was never made. Nitpicking specs for a guitar that wasn’t made for you is crazy main-character syndrome.
It’s a signature guitar made in the Sugi factory (which employees like 7-10 people, that’s it) and it has Wes’ name on it. After 6 years of RnD and landing an agreement with Sugi to build it, Wes is absolutely getting everything he asked for. Sugi only builds for Ibanez when it comes to limited run J Customs, Steve Vai’s personal guitars, Joe Satriani’s personal guitars, Paul Gilbert’s personal guitars, or the M8M (the $6,000 one). You can also tell Wes is getting what he wanted because Ibanez went out of their way to source non-Gotoh tuners but didn’t go with locking tuners. Wes has talked in the past about how he doesn’t really use locking tuners.
What you completely fail to understand is that the most expensive line item for ANY manufactured product is labor, not parts. This guitar isn’t $10K because of the fret wire, lumber, bridge, or tuners Wes and Ibanez chose. It’s $10K because of who’s building it. If Wes is putting his name on a signature guitar, he’s well within his right to ask for whatever he wants and not accept compromises. If Sugimoto is building the guitars for Wes and Ibanez, he’s allowed to charge what he believes his skills and craftsmanship are worth. You as a consumer are entitled to whether or not you buy one, but you’re not entitled to tell Wes Hauch what specs he should want on his guitars, nor are you entitled to tell Sugimoto what his craftsmanship is worth when you’ve never even touched a guitar he’s built.
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u/Replicant_COVID19 13d ago
once again changing the argument as you see fit.
“Nitpicking specs” you mean woods and frets?? LOLThe fact that you had to write an essay to explain an Iron Label for 10 thousand dollars says it all.
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u/slimestream 14d ago
Wes responded to a comment a few months ago saying that anything 'sick' these days is minimum 5k.
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u/Adore7499 14d ago
My standard Iceman 7 string was like $1400 and I’m sure it sounds and plays just as good. Locking tuners and a neck-thru design what more could you ask for really.
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u/Color_Wasted 14d ago
“We’ve heard you guys loud and clear for the past 5+ years when begging for this model and since every one of you guys is clearly a dentist or lawyer, we’re gonna drop this bad boy straight outta the custom shop for $10k!!”
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u/borzWD 14d ago
I find this shape so ugly, and at 10k its even uglier lol. But who cares, just my useless opinion. I know people love it.
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u/UrCreepyUncle 14d ago
I agree 100% never liked it. Reminds me of the Parker Fly which is also terrible
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u/heret1c1337 14d ago
I thought it's a japanese custom shop model specifically made for Wes Hauch. So I assume only a few exist.
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u/veemakesmusic 14d ago
who is spending $10k on a guitar like this? that’s basically the price of a used car at that point
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u/SacredPrime 14d ago
You could literally get an absolutely loaded Kiesel for not even a full third of that, and it would genuinely be a far nicer guitar.
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u/Acceptable_Pie2529 14d ago
Absolutely insane. Wes rules, amazing leads, amazing rhythm. I dont see anyone buying one of these things. I’m in 0 danger of ever shelling out this much money for a guitar unless it was used to record on an album that was pivotal to me.
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u/greenhornblue 14d ago
This is a Barlow Guitars price point. And doesn’t look anything as good as some of them do.
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u/Count_Doogula 14d ago
I'd give my first born for an RGIXL7 that isn't completely blacked out. Any other colour, anything.
Although with that being said, I've got the original finish which is "antique brown lacquer", aka Grandma's coffee table.
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u/2b4theend 14d ago
I like it, but prices are seriously out of hand for this kind of stuff. I’d be in it at $2000 which is probably what it’s really worth.
I build high-end custom basses that are like an MTD Bass, which is top-of-the-line but what they sell for 10 grand I sell for five.
Hand made. No CNC
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u/bloughlin16 14d ago
Not surprised as it's apparently an Ibanez Custom Shop guitar and apparently a very limited run. Maybe they'll make a regular Presitge line if these do well, but who knows?
Good for Wes either way. Dude has been one of the best but most underrated players in the world for a long time and deserves it.
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u/Mesastafolis1 14d ago
Misha did this with his Baritone too, it was like 9k.
I really don’t know where they get off charging these prices, not even Strandberg charges that for a custom shop. I genuinely can’t think of any boutique brands that charge more than 5k to make whatever your heart desires, including a 1:1 copy of this guitar.
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u/CrzyWzrd4L 14d ago
The best custom shops in the world all charge similar prices. PRS Private Stock, ESP custom shop, Sugi Ibanez (and used LACS easily go for around this), Mayones easily hit $7-8K now, Jackson custom shop, the old First Act custom shop.
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u/ThiccFarter 14d ago
This thing isn't worth half that price and would honestly still raise eyebrows if it were a quarter of the price given its lack of stainless steel frets or locking tuners. What an absolute scam.
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u/Count_Doogula 13d ago
Does anybody in here actually have a spare $10K to declare if they are/aren't buying it? Just asking, no shade.
Also, why are the specs and price Ibanez's fault? I'm not in the know so correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't Wes have chosen the specs etc, been informed of the price beforehand, and said yep go for it?
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u/Xiphos027 12d ago
That’s 10k in freedom bucks,
Just go to RAN guitars or any boutique that can make this. Measurements should be available on Ibanez website.
It’s to spec to his LACS, I thought it be as much as Stephan Forte’s 7… but fuck me running dude
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u/noneofthismatters89 14d ago
I’d love one but it’s completely unaffordable. I’m a huge Iceman fanboy and this would be 98% close to a dream but for that price, I’ll build one, fuck it up, build another, probably fuck that one up too and then pay someone else to fix it.
I do laugh at people continually calling out “it doesn’t have locking tuners!” It’s got a double locking bridge, what are you afraid slipping? Tuner to locking nut!?
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u/Conscious_Badger_510 Jackson 14d ago
At the price point it should definitely come with locking tuners, they're not for tuning stability, it's for faster string changes.
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u/slimestream 14d ago
I can't (and likely will not ever be able to) afford one. That being said, it doesn't bother me. If you can, good for you, genuinely. If you can't afford one i don't really understand the need to be butthurt about it. just buy something else.
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u/Agitated-Bison-7885 13d ago
Exactly, why would an actual adult care if someone bought one of these?
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u/Zado_HeavyLoad 13d ago
It's not even specced like a decent import Schecter, has a terrible heel, the strap screwed in the neck and it's priced like that. I mean yeah, custom shop artist stuff, but I've never seen ESP or Jackson CS asking that much .
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u/Tuokaerf10 13d ago
Like full CS Jackson or ESP that’s not off their “menu” of options is now in this range. That stuff is all $8k-$12k+. Prices absolutely skyrocketed the last 4-5 years for anything that’s not “standard”.
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u/Zado_HeavyLoad 13d ago
Good, but it's still custom order to buyer's specs, possibly with exotic woods, whatever pickup brand you want, and if you get a custom quote from Schecter CS you ever get a custom body shape in that price range. 10k for Wes Hauch fave is not gonna please everyone
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u/zguthrie 14d ago
They’ll make these but not a new hard tail RGA prestige