ZZ Top legend Billy Gibbons is the star of the show this month with two in-depth interviews with Stuart Bull and Michael Casswell, and a special ‘Billy Gibbons Masterclass’ lesson from Danny Gill. Other interviews include Steve Lukather who talks to Gi about his eagerly awaited new solo album ‘Transistion’ and Jerry Donahue sits down with Lee Hodgson to discuss his string-bending technique and his extensive career.
REVIEWS_GUITAR REVIEW
Brand new for 2013 the Ibanez Iron Label series. Guitar Interactive was offered an
exclusive first look. ‘Which one would you like?’ they asked. We thought about it for
a while. ‘Go on guys, let’s try the 8-string. We reckon Tom Quayle can handle it!’
Back in the ‘90s Steve Vai pioneered the use
of 7-string guitars in Rock and Metal, being
swiftly followed by a small army of artists
who wanted the low-end grunt offered by
the extended range. Now, it seems that 7
strings aren’t enough and 8-string guitars are
being used by some of the most cutting edge
players on the planet. Thanks to the Djent
movement, 8-string guitars have become
very desirable, with Ibanez spearheading
the manufacture of models in their Prestige
range, as used by players such as Tosin Abasi
from Animals as Leaders.
These are expensive, high-end guitars and
most of the alternatives are made by custom
shop, boutique builders, commanding price
tags starting at many thousands of dollars.
So it makes perfect sense that Ibanez should
now be starting to produce more affordable
models in its Indonesian factory, where, we
have to say, have come some of the best value
guitars we’ve reviewed in this publication
during the past 12 months.
So here we are. It’s 2013 and the well named
Iron Label range will very soon be appearing
in guitar shops the world over - Ibanez’s
STAR RATING FOR BOTH CHECK THE SPEC
66 Guitar Interactive Magazine Issue 15
new line of affordable, quality Metal and
Rock guitars, aimed at those players who
can’t afford a boutique level, Japanese-made
instrument but still want a great playing
guitar.
The RGIR28FE-BK is the 8-string model in
the Iron Label range and is accompanied by a
series of 6 and 7-string models. It’s not hard
to see who these guitars are aimed at, with
that their piano black finishes, US-made
EMG active pickups on some and DiMarzios
on others, with Kill switches across the
board. Our 8-string review model has all
of these features plus, of course, the low B
and F# strings that allow for the extended,
crushing riffs that have become a staple
within many modern Metal sub-genres.
The RGIR28FE has a basswood body
and 5-piece maple/walnut neck with a
rosewood fretboard. The body is finished in
white binding, giving a classy but certainly
aggressive looking style. Ibanez’s chosen
neck profile is the now famous Nitro Wizard
II shape, which is skinny but flat, with a
surprisingly un-daunting and comfortable
width considering the extra pair of strings.
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