My Iconic Guitars: the Ibanez RG770 (my #1)

Ah, the Ibanez RG770 in sparkling red finish from 1992.

With the kids finally asleep and the wife taking a long shower, I feel I can relax, unwind, and reminisce my first guitar. An Ibanez RG 770, acquired in Paris in 1992 - the year I started playing. I still have it in storage somewhere in the family house.

I didn't think there was any value in that guitar although it's a good instrument until I was reminded of this guitar a couple of days ago. I saw that the RG770 model had actually been reissued.

Yes. R-E-I-S-S-U-E-D! The mark of a truly iconic guitar, right?

Check Ibanez RG770 guitars on eBay.

So the story of the RG line (which stands for Roadstar Guitar) starts with Ibanez moving away from copying US models in the mi-80's following a lawsuit brought by Gibson. They then moved to produce a string of superstrats including the RG (based on an earlier model designed with Steve Vai).

I read somewhere that the RG has become the line of guitars with the most models. And truly, this is the weapon of choice for metal teenagers - though I loved mine to play funk as well because you can combine the pickups in nice ways (in position 2 and 4 the selector switch splits the humbuckers and combines them with the middle single coil).

Not sure my own RG is worth much today, given that it's been pretty relic'd :)
And to be honest I wouldn't buy one today (the floyd-rose type tremolo is just a pain in the butt).

But the 24-fret flat slim "Wizard" neck was fun to play the crazy shit you like in your teenage years. And the looks were killer: red pickups, transparent pickguard, sharktooth inlays and that ruby red color!!!

Full specs are here (RG770 reissue).

For some fun, have a look at the RG770 page in the original catalogs from 1992 and 1993. I remember those - unfortunately it's hard to forget those greasy hair / badly dressed '80s metalheads :)

Check Ibanez RG770 guitars on eBay.