Is the RG1570 good for metal?

You’re going to hear some pretty cool sound clips in the video below so that you can judge for yourself. And I’ll also share a metal album that was recorded with this guitar.

Now, I’m not going to cover only metal.

The Ibanez Prestige RG1570 is so much more than that. So I’m also going to talk about some of the other tones and styles you can get with this guitar (you’ll hear clips of that as well).

Oh, and at the end of this blog post, I’ll tell you the story behind this specific guitar and why I will never get rid of it!

Ibanez Prestige RG1570 Specs

Before we dive into the meat and potatoes let’s quickly go over the RG1570 specs. This will save you from having to dig for them on another site.

See how cool of a dude I am?

Important Note: The RG1570 model we’re discussing here is the 2003-2004 model. And I believe the one I own is from 2003.

I’ve also owned this guitar since 2009, which I’ll go into that story at the end of this post!

RG1570 2003-2004 Specs

• Body type: Solid body
• Body material: Basswood
• Neck joint: AANJ
• Bridge: Edge Pro tremolo
• Neck type: Super Wizard Prestige
• Neck material: 3-piece maple
• Fingerboard: Rosewood
• Fingerboard inlays: Pearl dot
• Frets: 24 / jumbo
• Pickup configuration: HSH
• Bridge pickup: Ibanez V8
• Middle pickup: Ibanez S1
• Neck pickup: Ibanez V7
• Controls: Master (of Puppets?), tone and 5-way switch

**You can read more specs and related details of the RG1570 on the Ibanez Wiki Fandom website.

RG1570 Tones

Let’s get into some tones! I’m going to let you hear what this guitar can do in a video below. But first, let me point out some things about each tone you’ll hear.

• Clean Tones: This is where the RG1570 really shines. It just gives you a beautiful clean tone especially when matched with a Fender amp with a touch of chorus.
• Metal Tones: Many will say that hard rock and heavy metal tones are not the guitar’s strong suite. There are some hangups here, and I’ll get into that later, below.
• Ambient Tones: The same with clean tones, this guitar works amazing for those spacy, reverb’ish ambient tones.

**Make sure you continue reading after you watch the video below. I’m going to go deeper into the pros and cons of the RG1570 being used for metal.

Video: Jason’s Ibanez Prestige RG1570 Tones and More

In the video below, you’ll hear clean, metal, lead, and ambient tones with this guitar.

Below are the ‘table of contents’ for this video if you want to skip around. You can also open the video in a new browser or tab and find these contents in the YouTube video description:

• 0:00 – 0:57: Intro and What to Expect
• 0:58 – 2:58: Ibanez Prestige RG1570 Specs
• 2:59 – 4:00: Ibanez Prestige RG1570 Metal Tone (using BIAS FX 2)
• 4:01 – 4:56: Ibanez Prestige RG1570 Lead Tone (using BIAS FX 2)
• 4:57 – 6:04: Ibanez Prestige RG1570 Clean Tone (through a Fender amp)
• 6:05 – 7:04: Ibanez Prestige RG1570 Ambient Tone (using BIAS FX 2)
• 7:05 – 7:52: Ibanez Prestige RG1570 Metal (through an EVH amp)
• 7:53 – 9:34: The Guitar’s Diversity
• 9:35 – 11:52: The Neck and Fretboard
• 11:53 – 13:51: The Floating Trem (Edge Pro)
• 13:52 – 16:26: The Ibanez Pickups (V7, S1, V8)
• 16:27 – 17:03: Finding Your Own Sound and Tone
• 17:04 – 18:35: My Story Behind this Guitar
• 18:36 – 19:33: Album I Used This Guitar On

Album Recorded with the RG1570

I mentioned earlier, and in the video, my 2nd studio album was recorded using the RG1570…

Back in 2016, I released an album called Heavy Metal Workout.

I ended up using my Ibanez Prestige RG1570 for the rhythm guitar tracks. I also used it for some of the leads (for most of the leads, I used my ESP LTD M-1000 Deluxe).

I was looking for more of a classic heavy metal tone for this album. And even though the Ibanez V8 (bridge pickup, which I primarily use for rhythms) isn’t the greatest for metal music, it gave me a distinct tone and it just hit the spot. It was perfect for that album and I wouldn’t change a thing as far as tone.

You can read the behind-the-scenes of this album here: The Making of Heavy Metal Workout

Ibanez Prestige RG1570 ‘Review’

I don’t really want to call this a review. I’m only giving you my personal perspective of this guitar, based on my own experience. And that’s going to be somewhat limited to me being primarily a metal guitarist.

On another ‘note’ (I wish I could say no pun intended, but it’s totally intended!), I also mess around with some ambient-style tones. So you’ll get that perspective as well.

Alright, I’m going to break this down by the relevant features and specs of the guitar…

Why I Love the RG1570 Neck and Fingerboard

The RG1570 neck and fingerboard are my absolute favorite features. It just seems to fit my hands perfectly. Here’s why this works so well for me…

• The neck is thin and fairly easy to maneuver
• The fingerboard is a little wider than many other guitars
• It has jumbo frets

I’m a huge fan of jumbo frets, in general (I prefer these on all guitars, not just Ibanez). Being a lead player, these really help you get more clarity from each note.

Now, I know some guitarists don’t care for basswood necks. And a lot of low to mid-grade guitars have this type of wood. I personally think it’s great for this specific guitar.

Here’s the thing about guitar necks. No guitar neck is exactly the same because there are variances in the wood, even if the wood is the same type.

Sonic variables exist not only between woods, but, in subtler degrees, between different guitars made from the “same” wood.

‘Tonewood Tutorial: Everything You Need to Know About Tonewoods’ by Dave Hunter on April 8, 2020, guitarplayer.com

TIP: What you also need to understand about necks and fingerboards is that you must find what works best for you and fits your hands best.

The RG1570 neck and fingerboard are perfect for me. But that doesn’t mean it will be best for you (or it may be!). So it’s important that you play several guitars to find out what works for you.

Ibanez RG1570 Stock V7 and V8 Pickups: Should You Replace or Keep Them?

Here’s where I have a love and somewhat complicated relationship with this guitar. The Ibanez stock pickups (V7, S2, and V8).

Clean and Ambient (Anything Non-Metal) Tones

For clean tones, I love the sounds these pickups produce! You can get some absolutely beautiful, crystal clear and sparkling clean tones.

Take it a step further and add some spacy reverb and delay with modulation and this guitar will deliver every time for ambient tones.

Here are my favorite pickup selector switch positions for clean and ambient tones:

• Bridge and middle pickup together
• Neck and middle pickup together
• For leads that cut through the mix, the neck pickup by itself

Metal Tones

Now let’s talk about hard rock and heavy metal tones…

When I first got this guitar I felt the Ibanez V8 and V7 pickups left something to be desired for high-gain tones. But I later found the issue wasn’t the pickups. The issue was the devices that I was playing through, which were mainly the Line 6 XT Live and POD HD500. I was sometimes using amp sims during but it was difficult to judge the pickups by those as there weren’t many (if any at all) desirable amp sims at that time.

There seemed to be a lack of sustain. But once I started playing my RG1570 through my EVH 5150 III amp (EL34), I fell in love with the tones coming from the V7 and V8.

Also, amp sims had come a long way by this time. At the time of updating this post (2022), I’ve been using Positive Grid’s BIAS Amp 2 and BIAS FX 2 plugins and the Ibanez stock pickups really shine.

The cool thing about the V7 and V8 pickups is that you get a distinct sound and tone for metal. The V7 has this low-end punch for rock and metal rhythm playing. It’s also easy to get those squeals (pinch harmonics) from the V7.

The V8 is great for playing fast metal guitar solos. It really pronounces your notes when speed picking those licks and playing sweep arpeggios.

***I did change the pickups out at one point. But after 3-4 weeks, I had the stock pickups put back in. You can watch the video on that below:

Edge Pro Tremolo – Take It Or Leave It

And that’s pretty much my thoughts on floating bridges, in general. I could take them or leave them. These days, I’m on the ‘edge’ of just leaving them.

With that said, the next guitar I buy will not have a floating bridge. I don’t use my whammy to the point where I really need one anyway. And as you know, this makes the string changing process a huge pain in the bunghole.

That doesn’t mean I have bad thoughts about the Ibanez Edge Pro. As I read more, this floating bridge was designed by Gotoh, who are known to make those awesome locking tuners (my ESP 7 string has them and I’m going to be putting these on all of my guitars soon).

How does the Edge Pro compare to the Floyd Rose? I honestly don’t notice that much of a difference. And that’s probably because I don’t use my whammy that much.

Speaking of floating bridges, here’s a video I created using my Ibanez Prestige RG1570 on how to subtly use your whammy bar without going overboard and sounding all crazy (this may or may not be for you)…

Jason’s Story Behind the Ibanez Prestige RG1570

It was around mid-2009 when my wife and I had just moved into our apartment. Prior to meeting my wife, which was just a year earlier, I had lost all of my guitar and recording gear except for an acoustic.

I won’t go into details on how I lost it all…let’s just chalk it up to some poor life choices with a hefty dose of bad luck! Don’t worry, I’m not going to turn this post into a Lifetime drama!

Anyway, when I met my wife, everything instantly changed, and that fire to write and record my own music was ignited!

Knowing my situation, one of my closest friends, Tom, had an extra guitar and sold it to me for dirt-cheap. I was so grateful and played the heck out of that guitar!

And that’s the core reason I’ll never part with my RG1570. It’s a ‘family guitar’ and it just plays awesome.

A Little Piece of ‘Jason History‘ with the Prior Owner of this RG1570

Tom, our close friend Eddie, and I were in a band called ‘The Guys.’ Eddie and I started The Guys a couple of years before we met Tom, which was in 1999.

Our original songs had that 80s rock sound, and we played some covers from that era. Sadly, that band was short-lived but the three of us are still super close, even though we all live in different places now.

I hope you enjoyed this post! And, hey, please do me a favor and share this!

Keep it Metal,

Jason

The post Ibanez Prestige RG1570 Review: Why I’ll Never Sell this Guitar appeared first on Jason Stallworth.

I’m going to give you my personal review of the ESP E-II Horizon FR-7. And just so you’re aware, I own this guitar (so this review is real and authentic!).

In fact, I bought this guitar to record a specific album that I had written. I’ll give you more details on that at the end of this post. And, of course, you’ve seen me play this guitar in countless YouTube and social media videos.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this review…

• Why I chose this guitar over other 7 string guitars
• Metal subgenres this guitar works best for
• ESP E-II Horizon FR-7 specs and features (I go deeper than what you read on other sites)
• How I almost did NOT get this guitar (crazy story!)
• What I would change about this guitar
• How the ESP E-II Horizon FR-7 sounds in the full mix and on an album
• Can the E-II Horizon FR-7 do country? I’m totally kidding…this will not be in this post!

Why I Bought the ESP E-II Horizon FR-7

So, out of all of the 7 string guitars available, why did I pick the ESP E-II Horizon FR-7 guitar?

There are two main reasons I bought this guitar…

1. I already had been playing the ESP LTD M-1000 Deluxe, and I wanted a 7 string that was similar to that guitar and also wanted to stick with ESP
2. I needed a 7 string guitar that was truly made for a specific style and that would give me the clarity when playing fast riffs

The LTD M-1000 Deluxe is known for its fast neck that feels almost effortless to play. So I really wanted that same feature in a 7 string and the E-II Horizon FR-7 has that.

I did play some 7 string guitars from other brands. I won’t name them because they were great high-quality guitars from reputable brands. But they just didn’t quite feel right to me.

I’ll admit that I was already somewhat biased to the ESP brand, though, because of my love for my M-1000 Deluxe.

I also wanted a 7 string guitar that came equipped with EMG 707 pickups.

As you may know, the M-1000 Deluxe has EMGs and they’re just the perfect pickups for metal, in my opinion.

But also, Jeff Loomis is known to use these pickups. Of course, Jeff doesn’t play ESP guitar, but I love his style and tone. So the EMG 707s were something I had decided I wanted in a 7 string.

**I’m going to talk about metal guitarists that play the E-II Horizon FR-7 later!

Lastly, I had never owned a super high-end guitar. Well, I guess ‘high-end’ is relative, but let’s just say the E-II Horizon FR-7 isn’t cheap!

NOTE: Now, I didn’t want an expensive guitar just for the sake of having an expensive guitar. I just wanted the features and playability of a high-end guitar, and I did my research on ESP guitars made in Japan. At that point, it was a no-brainer to press that button on the E-II Horizon FR-7.

Metal Subgenres the E-II Horizon Works Best For

Here’s something you’re not used to seeing in gear reviews. I’m going to share what subgenres of metal I think this guitar is truly built for.

Obviously this is subjective because it’s my opinion. And it doesn’t mean this guitar won’t work for other metal subgenres or even genres that are not metal.

Melodic Death Metal – I’m mentioning this subgenre first because it’s somewhat my own personal style, which is what you hear in the video above. More importantly, the E-II Horizon FR-7 is absolutely perfect for this genre because there’s a lot of fast-alternate picking with melodic riffs, and this guitar accurately pronounces those notes. With some guitars, this style might sound muddy.

Progressive Metal – Progressive metal guitar is an extremely complex and technical style. This is a case where you need two things: a fast neck and the type of pickups that are going to make every note shine.

Symphonic Metal – This unique style combines elements from the two subgenres I just mentioned. Symphonic metal could oftentimes be described as ‘melodic progressive metal with added orchestration.’ On that note (no pun intended), you need a guitar like the E-II Horizon FR-7 that’s going to sit well in the mix with everything else that’s going on, along with the playability required for this style.

Death Metal – Death metal is another subgenre with much guitar complexity. You need that punch and clarity when playing this style as there are a lot of blasts where you’re playing extremely fast riffs. So the E-II Horizon FR-7 works great for this style a well.

Again, you can use the ESP E-II Horizon FR-7 for any style of metal. Even old school thrash and classic metal sound great on this guitar. But I just wanted to highlight why this guitar works so well for these specific metal subgenres.

*If you’d like to learn some interesting facts about metal subgenres, read Metal Mastermind’s post ‘Subgenres of Metal Music.’

ESP E-II Horizon FR-7 Specs and Features

Here a rundown of the E-II Horizon FR-7 specs as shown on the ESP website:

• Construction: Set-Thru
• Scale: 25.5″
• Body: Mahogany
• Neck: 3-piece maple, thin U
• Fingerboard: Ebony, 305mm
• Frets: 24 XJ
• Strap Button: Schaller Strap lock
• Tuners: Gotoh Locking
• Bridge: Floyd Rose Original
• Neck Pickup: EMG 707
• Bridge Pickup: EMG 707
• Electronics: Active, Vol/Tone/Toggle Switch
• CASE: Included!!

*I grabbed these specs directly from the ESP website.
**The version the ESP website has the EMG EMG 57-7H, but the one I own came with the EMG 707

Now, I’d like to point out some of my personal favorite features of this guitar…

The fast-neck was my first requirement in whatever 7 string I decided on. Remember, I’m absolutely in love with my LTD M-1000 Deluxe’s neck! So I was happy to get that same style with the E-II Horizon FR-7. I don’t know kind of magical potion ESP puts on their necks, but it works!

I mentioned the pickups earlier but that was also a selling point for me. I love the EMGs on my six-string guitar, and although I had never played through the EMG 707s, I was pretty happy once I got this guitar.

Next in line is a feature that I’ve never had on a guitar before and that’s the Gotoh locking tuners. Wow, this makes changing strings so much easier! In fact, I’ve even upgraded my Takamine acoustic with locking tuners.
*I have another blog post and video on these tuners here: How to Change Strings with Gotoh Locking Tuners.

The strap locks are a nice addition. And the fact that it came with a case was a plus. But if these features didn’t come with the guitar, I’m sure I would have still purchased it.

I Almost Didn’t Get This Guitar

Crazy story here, but I almost didn’t get the ESP E-II Horizon Fr-7. That sounds like total blasphemy, but there’s a reason…

My first 7-string was actually the LTD MH-1007 with the Evertune bridge. Not having a Floyd or any kind of floating tremolo was at the forefront of this decision. And this seemed like a 7 string replica of my M-1000 Deluxe.

When the guitar came in, I was initially excited. I even put a video up on YouTube about it here…

But for some reason, it just wasn’t meshing with me. So I sent it back, ate the return shipping cost, and ended up spending more money to get the ESP E-II Horizon FR-7 (about $1,000 difference in price!).

Looking back, I probably didn’t give myself enough time to get used to that guitar, or playing a 7- string, in general. Don’t get me wrong, I love my E-II Horizon FR-7, but I sometimes wish I had just kept the LTD MH-1007.

What you have to understand is that when you’ve been playing 6-string guitars for almost 30 years, switching over to a 7-string almost feels like a new instrument. Because I struggled with the E-II Horizon FR-7 for a while, too.

And that proves that it was me, not the guitar. But I wasn’t gonna send this one back!

**I have a video that has literally helped thousands of people like me who had trouble going from 6 to 7 strings: How to Transition from a 6 to 7 String Guitar.

Things I Would Chance About This Guitar

So, what would I change about the E-II Horizon FR-7?

Well, there are two things…

1. I would replace the floating tremolo with something like the Evertune bridge. That’s not feasible to do that to this guitar, but I have decided that my next guitar will not have a floating tremolo.
2. I wish the neck was just a little thinner. I have an Ibanez RG1570 and really love the thinness of that neck. Granted the E-II Horizon FR-7 isn’t super thick. But if I if it were just slightly thinner, it would be more than perfect!

Those are just my personal thoughts. And if I ever get the honor of having my own custom guitar, those are things I would implement in building out the specs.

How the ESP-II Horizon Sounds

The sole purpose of me buying my first 7-string guitar was to compliment the style of music I was writing for a new album.

Masterpeace was released in September 2019. It’s a combination of melodic death metal and thrash metal, and there are two instrumental tracks. From the words of several fans, it’s Amon Amarth meets Megadeth.

You can listen to Masterpeace on Spotify below – also, be sure to follow me on Spotify!

**Listen/stream on more sources here.

All of the rhythm guitar tracks for the Masterpeace album were recorded with the E-II Horizon FR-7. And the majority of lead guitars were recorded with it as well (I had kept a couple of the older solos that I had recorded with my LTD M-1000 guitar – some of these songs were written with some parts recorded several years prior to the album release).

There are also some ambient parts in this album. These are clean tones with a lot of delay and ambient reverb for those spacey effects. Yep, I used the E-II Horizon FR-7 for those, too!

Final Thoughts on the E-II Horizon FR-7

At first, I had a love-uncertain relationship with this guitar. But now I realize that was more on me and that it took me a while to get used to playing a 7-string.

Look, it can be tough to teach an old dog like me new tricks!

To be completely transparent, I’ve only played a small handful of other 7-strings prior to getting this one. But in comparison, none of those came close to the E-II Horizon FR-7.

Again, I don’t want to mention the names or brands of those other guitars because ‘better’ is subjective to my opinion and what fits me as a guitarist. As you’re aware, both brands and types of guitars are an extremely personal taste.

The wrap this up, the best thing about the E-II Horizon FR-7 is the clarity in the notes. I personally do a fair share of riffing and a lot of fast alternate picking. You want those notes to be pronounced, not muddy.

Of course, much of tone and its clarity has to do with the amp and EQ (and, uh-um, the guitarist ability to play tight!). But the guitar plays a huge role in that as well.

Now, I will get a backup 7-string at some point and I probably won’t fork out the cash to get another one of these. I may pick up the LTD MH-1007 (again!) for that!

I hope you enjoyed my write-up of the ESP E-II Horizon FR-7. You can expect to hear this 7-string guitar on more of my future albums and videos!

**Don’t forget to check out my music here (there are links on this page to listen to my music on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and more): Jason’s Music

Keep it Metal,

Jason

The post ESP E-II Horizon FR-7 Review: Best Guitar for 7 String Metal appeared first on Jason Stallworth.