Ibanez RGDIX7MPB Iron Label – The Gear Gods Review

The Iron Label series from Ibanez is, for a company that has long been a stalwart for metal players, even a further concentration of their metal focus, as well as being reasonably priced and simply, but attractively featured. It’s an acknowledgement of metal players’ needs and budgets, and the KISS rule applies heavily (with some exceptions).

The RGD line is Ibanez’ long scale guitar, at 26.5″, and has previously been available in other series (including their Prestige series), but the RGDIX7MPB is its first time making an appearance in the Iron Label series. It’s a distinct take on the RG shape, with some very strong bevels and contrast between the top and back woods, as one is heavily colored while the other sports a natural finish. It’s very reminiscent of the look of the Kiesel SCB6 I reviewed from last year, as well as some of their Aries I’ve seen.

The look of this guitar is certainly a strong showing from Ibanez, and the target is very clear: djent. It looks like a djent album cover printed on a guitar. The burled poplar top with the two color burst (called Surreal Blue Burst) is a striking finish, and has a kind of nebula look to it. The maple fretboard is a bit of a rarity among RGs, and is always a welcome relief from the endless parade of rosewood fretboards I’ve always had on my RGs.

Overall, for $999 this guitar is a good deal for a well made and visually appealing guitar with high quality hardware and features chosen with our demographic in mind. You can see the full specs at Ibanez.com and find an authorized dealer there to get one for yourself.