The Jem neck and the Wizard II neck

The two guitars that accompany me for today are my Jem and my RG470FM. Here is a little myth buster. If you go to the Ibanez website and check out the measurements for the Jem neck and the Wizard II neck, they have the same measurements but the radius being the only one that is different. The neck measure first fret at 19mm and 12th fret at 21mm. Jem's radius is 430mm while the Wizard II is 400mm.

I used to think that the Japanese Wizard neck is very close to the Jem neck as it actually has 430mm as it's radius instead. So theoretically, the measurements are the same! Well, after I got a Jem, and having my RG470FM with me, I did a side by side comparison and I can debunk the myth. They are 2 different necks. Guess Ibanez isn't that stupid to offer the neck with the same measurement on a lower model.

The main difference is the back of the neck. Jem neck feels somewhat flatter behind. And due to that, the radius of the neck feels somewhat flatter too, almost concave. So, next time someone claims that the Wizard II is actually a Jem neck, well... not so.

Ibanez RG470FM "青火丸(Aohimaru)"

This is the first Made in Japan Ibanez that I have gotten myself in 2007. It is a made in 2003 RG470FM, the only year produced that is equipped with an Edge Pro, and a domestic model at that. I figured that at that point of time, I wanted something better and there happened to be a sale at Swee Lee (A local music store). So I went down and took a look, actually wanting a prestige in mind, but end up picking this up for way less than the price of a prestige.

After picking up this piece, there are a few immediate difference which i noticed compared to the previous RG I have. The neck feels a lot more comfortable and the locking nut, is actually top mounted, instead of the usual back mounting. That actually surprised me a bit as I was expecting a back mounting locking nut. Not that it makes that much of a difference.

The neck really measures 19mm on the first fret and 21mm on the 21st fret with a comfortable radius of 430mm. I am astonished by the precision of a Japanese made guitar at that time which gave me the conclusion that, usually putting branding aside, the more you invest in a guitar, it's actually the workmanship that one is paying extra for. It was first hand witnessing Japanese Craftmanship.

The Guitar spots a Basswood body, which sings out really nice, allowing the pick ups to shine really well. The Edge Pro bridge, which comes only in this particular year of RG470 is really stable and allows a really low profile with nice pulling up action. As per all my guitars, I like my 12th fret action to be set at 1mm, meaning very low action for that fast fretwork.

The best part was, it spots a Flame maple top and in the shade of Transparent blue, my favourite colour to boot (Although now I've leaned towards oiled finishes)! The only thing that I hate about the guitar, is the stock pick ups (Ibanez V7, S1, V8). So I did the usual thing that I do with all my guitars. PICK UP SWAP! I ordered a set of Evolutions from Musician's Friend and got it swapped in. In addition to that, I had Orange Drop and treble bleed mod installed.

Why is this guitar called "青火丸(Aohimaru)" which means the Circle of Blue Fire in Japanese. It's a pretty obvious answer actually, it's blue and it has flame maple top. Circle in this case just means perfection.

Ibanez RG470FM SP "青火丸(Aohimaru)" Specs neck type: 3pc Made in Japan Wizard II neck fingerboard: Rosewood with dot inlay body: Transparent blue Basswood body with Flame Maple Veneer fret: Jumbo frets bridge: Ibanez Edge Pro Bridge neck pu: Dimazio Evolution Neck middle pu: Dimazio Evolution Single bridge pu: Dimazio Evolution Bridge Neck Specs Scale: 648mm/25.5" a : Width at Nut 43mm b : Width at Last Fret 54mm c: Thickness at 1st 19mm d : Thickness at 12th 21mm Radius: 400mmR