If someone was standing in front of me, saying pick one...only one: I'd go Pia: Stainless Steel frets will save you $1000 in fret jobs over the life of the guitar, Utopia pickups are awesome, original Edge is a superior trem for embellishments and flutter. No brainer for me... Pia all the way
Lighter in weight, it's good when it's discounted somewhere.... Got it for 2725 here by chance 2 years ago, but no discounts ever again. price has doubled up here, custom fee changed in my third world country. Turkey
J.Custom Anyday. -The J.C Super Wizard with ebony fretboard is the fastest neck of all time. -Top wood selection. -Attention to detail -best trems even the Edge Zero models -It’s the ultimate RG for a reason. I switched mine bridge pup to Steve’s Special and put a brass block to it also wired it middle position is inner coils split. It’s warm and bright sounding at the same time which is quite unusual for a super strat style guitar.
Those are some sweet modifications! Did the brass block or the pickup change affect the tone more? If I was going to make my J Custom my main, a pickup change would be involved for sure
@@HighZ Tone Zone started to sound too piercing in the high mids to my ears with ebony fretboard too much overcooked mids if it was rosewood, it would be alright in the high mids Steve Special balanced the mids and the guitar sounded more natural through an amp. Brass block rounded all the frequencies bringing warmth and more guitar through with clarity. Would recommend doing brass block first before changing pickups.
Nice comparison! I got my JCustom for 2200 euros brand new, while the PIA cost like 3k, so I think this deal wins it all. Regarding the quality, I have a Gibson LP Standard too, the Ibanez is light years ahead of the Gibson, and cheaper, Japanese instruments are just top of quality
@@augustomesavila That's a cool price! My Pia brand new in my local store was luckily 2725 Euro or so, when I bought it discounted, and No more discounts here in my country Pia is rated as 4200 Euro now........ The customs fee has changed and we are damned. All I can do is just buy from thomann, and someone bring it to my country.
@@mylogify I saw in a store called Egitana here in Portugal one time, they had a 10% discount coupon, was the best price I ever seen, PIA would go for 2700 euros. I think you got a very good deal bro!
Love this kind of comparison. Personally I think I would go first the J custom because I like the look more. I think id want the trem off the Pia though. The Edge bridges rule.
The j custom gets my vote because it's got a maple cap, the Tone zone and air Norton and a wizard neck profile. Very much like my RG3120. Plus really prefer the old school Jem's to be honest. The ones that had the PAF pro's Stock. 🤘
Love my J customs! I have many high end Prestiges and late 80's/early 90's MIJ's (which I love!! OG wizards on my 540p's baby) but the J Customs are just built different-just pick em up and you feel it.
Both are really beautiful guitars. I always liked that many Ibanez have those holes that make it easier to carry (unless maybe they're not supposed to be used for that). It's a beautiful guitar but if I had to choose, I'd probably go with the J Custom because of the smaller neck and body shape, especially for shredding. Which one do you think would sound better for my style? Great review brother, my go to place for epic VGM covers and guitar reviews
Honestly either one would do it, since you could say both of these guitars have a common ancestor that's rooted in your favorite era of shred. Since pickups can be replaced and bridges can be switched with enough effort, it'll really come down to which neck and body you like the feel of. If you need a 1mm thinner neck, the J Custom would be the way to go. From there are the semi-permanent things like the pickups, fret material, etc. It might also matter how similar the guitar will need to sound to your existing one, since you'd have to change all your amp or plugin settings to get a good sound if it's radically different
I have an early 2000's J-Custom that was an import from Japan (original owner was in Japan). Playability is ridiculous.. in fact, it makes me wonder sometimes why i even bother with other RG style guitars, but, variety is the spice of life (that goes double for guitars).. lol I dont have a Pia, but I have a 2007 JEM. (Mirror Pickguard, "Breed" Pickups... IMO, the J-Custom (that I own) tops either..
Agreed, there's nothing like a J Custom. When you play one you really get the feeling that it's the guitar the craftsmen want to make and it shows in how amazing the instrument functions. You've got good taste!
I must be in one of the two states where it's legal 😆 but yeah I did. I can always just take out the pieces of wood and it'll work. I love the stability and locking that a blocked trem offers
Do you feel PIA significantly lighter in weight (with alder & pia hole)? Personally I have 2 j customs, both are bit heavy(~4kg) for me. Apart from that JCs are nearly perfect guitar IMO.
The PIA is lighter than the J Custom, yes. I had to pick up both after reading this to check. It feels as light as a mahogany RGA. An ash body RG is lighter
Pia is lighter, and you feel it. Great weight for balance. Body is alder, and slimmer than RG as well. The colour (white. Scallion looks better in person) than in any photos, videos.
J Custims are my heaviest by far of my 30+ Ibbys, but when you play them I (almost-lol) forget about the weight cause the feel is so nice. But the weight is worth the trade off for the crafmanship
That's a great question! In general you can always make great music with an inexpensive guitar. The audience isn't gonna care and it will sound good enough on recordings too. Cheaper guitars in general will require a more extensive setup and lower quality build and materials might make it impossible to get the best setup. But it'll still be plenty usable. While cheaper guitars might be more prone to manufacturing mistakes, more expensive guitars can have these mistakes too. It depends what brand you're looking at, but in terms of ibanez, there are lots of standard tier RG and premium too it depends on your budget. Also the more inexpensive trems will in general be less reliable
@@HighZ have you try out the jackson ones. I saw one for like 200$ all black, I am thinking getting that and replace the pickup from the PIA which would cost 500$ so $700 total, do you think that would be a good way to get the same outcome?
@@andyy6481 The sound would be somewhat similar. It comes down to how good the $200 guitar is. If you can try it and it stays in tune and you like how it feels to play, then this would be a great idea. If the stock pickups sound good enough though, you won't get a super big difference by changing the pickups, so you could save some money and leave it stock. Listeners won't be able to tell which pickups you're using when they hear your music or performances after all
If someone was standing in front of me, saying pick one...only one: I'd go Pia: Stainless Steel frets will save you $1000 in fret jobs over the life of the guitar, Utopia pickups are awesome, original Edge is a superior trem for embellishments and flutter.
No brainer for me... Pia all the way
Definitely agree there. If I had to choose based on features, the PIA wins me over
Lighter in weight, it's good when it's discounted somewhere.... Got it for 2725 here by chance 2 years ago, but no discounts ever again. price has doubled up here, custom fee changed in my third world country. Turkey
Awww so cute cat. Nice review! Loving my Pia.
Thank you! She loves to participate. And the PIA is an incredible guitar for sure!
J.Custom Anyday.
-The J.C Super Wizard with ebony fretboard is the fastest neck of all time.
-Top wood selection.
-Attention to detail
-best trems even the Edge Zero models
-It’s the ultimate RG for a reason.
I switched mine bridge pup to Steve’s Special and put a brass block to it also wired it middle position is inner coils split. It’s warm and bright sounding at the same time which is quite unusual for a super strat style guitar.
Those are some sweet modifications! Did the brass block or the pickup change affect the tone more? If I was going to make my J Custom my main, a pickup change would be involved for sure
@@HighZ Tone Zone started to sound too piercing in the high mids to my ears with ebony fretboard too much overcooked mids if it was rosewood, it would be alright in the high mids Steve Special balanced the mids and the guitar sounded more natural through an amp. Brass block rounded all the frequencies bringing warmth and more guitar through with clarity. Would recommend doing brass block first before changing pickups.
Overcooked is a great way to phrase it. Ok sounds good. I bet changing the block is far less work for greater reward than changing the pickups
@@HighZ On edge zero those stock block screws can strip very easily so remove saddles get better access to them I learned this the hard way.🫠
@@TK96 aw man that sucks. You just saved me the pain though so thanks
Nice comparison! I got my JCustom for 2200 euros brand new, while the PIA cost like 3k, so I think this deal wins it all. Regarding the quality, I have a Gibson LP Standard too, the Ibanez is light years ahead of the Gibson, and cheaper, Japanese instruments are just top of quality
That's a fantastic deal for sure. I'm inclined to agree on the quality from my experiences too! Good find
Where did you buy a new JC for 2200 EUR!!!?
@@MrPabsify at Ludi Music in Portugal, apparently the guitar was there for a long time, they put it on sale and I bought it :)
@@augustomesavila That's a cool price! My Pia brand new in my local store was luckily 2725 Euro or so, when I bought it discounted, and No more discounts here in my country Pia is rated as 4200 Euro now........ The customs fee has changed and we are damned. All I can do is just buy from thomann, and someone bring it to my country.
@@mylogify I saw in a store called Egitana here in Portugal one time, they had a 10% discount coupon, was the best price I ever seen, PIA would go for 2700 euros. I think you got a very good deal bro!
Great review! This info is helpful for understanding the specs for for decision making when picking a future guitar
Thanks, glad this was helpful!
Great review!
Thank you!
Love this kind of comparison. Personally I think I would go first the J custom because I like the look more. I think id want the trem off the Pia though. The Edge bridges rule.
I hear you there. If these two guitars could be used like that, it would be perfect!
The J. Custom is a heavy one though. Pia is a lot lighter, and there is another J. Custom with chambered body but costs a lot more. which is RG8870
The one thing for sure is that they're both excellent guitars!
Definitely! They're always a joy to play
The j custom gets my vote because it's got a maple cap, the Tone zone and air Norton and a wizard neck profile. Very much like my RG3120. Plus really prefer the old school Jem's to be honest. The ones that had the PAF pro's Stock. 🤘
Can't argue there! When you need a wizard neck there's no substitute. And feeling like an RG is very important since RG's are fantastic
Love my J customs! I have many high end Prestiges and late 80's/early 90's MIJ's (which I love!! OG wizards on my 540p's baby) but the J Customs are just built different-just pick em up and you feel it.
Great sharing! Have a pleasant weekend my friend😊😊
Thank you and you too!
excellent guitars!
Absolutely!
Both are really beautiful guitars. I always liked that many Ibanez have those holes that make it easier to carry (unless maybe they're not supposed to be used for that). It's a beautiful guitar but if I had to choose, I'd probably go with the J Custom because of the smaller neck and body shape, especially for shredding. Which one do you think would sound better for my style? Great review brother, my go to place for epic VGM covers and guitar reviews
Honestly either one would do it, since you could say both of these guitars have a common ancestor that's rooted in your favorite era of shred. Since pickups can be replaced and bridges can be switched with enough effort, it'll really come down to which neck and body you like the feel of. If you need a 1mm thinner neck, the J Custom would be the way to go. From there are the semi-permanent things like the pickups, fret material, etc. It might also matter how similar the guitar will need to sound to your existing one, since you'd have to change all your amp or plugin settings to get a good sound if it's radically different
I would consider the J. Custom with Chambered body, or Pia. Not this, this is very heavy.
I have an early 2000's J-Custom that was an import from Japan (original owner was in Japan). Playability is ridiculous.. in fact, it makes me wonder sometimes why i even bother with other RG style guitars, but, variety is the spice of life (that goes double for guitars).. lol I dont have a Pia, but I have a 2007 JEM. (Mirror Pickguard, "Breed" Pickups... IMO, the J-Custom (that I own) tops either..
Agreed, there's nothing like a J Custom. When you play one you really get the feeling that it's the guitar the craftsmen want to make and it shows in how amazing the instrument functions. You've got good taste!
You blocked the Pia trem??? I believe that's illegal in 48 states.
I must be in one of the two states where it's legal 😆 but yeah I did. I can always just take out the pieces of wood and it'll work. I love the stability and locking that a blocked trem offers
I enjoy your average Joe perspective. I don’t feel like you’re selling me on something.
Thank you! I'm not being paid to advertise anything so it's nice to speak freely
Do you feel PIA significantly lighter in weight (with alder & pia hole)? Personally I have 2 j customs, both are bit heavy(~4kg) for me. Apart from that JCs are nearly perfect guitar IMO.
The PIA is lighter than the J Custom, yes. I had to pick up both after reading this to check. It feels as light as a mahogany RGA. An ash body RG is lighter
@@HighZ Thanks for checking out!
Pia is lighter, and you feel it. Great weight for balance. Body is alder, and slimmer than RG as well. The colour (white. Scallion looks better in person) than in any photos, videos.
J Custims are my heaviest by far of my 30+ Ibbys, but when you play them I (almost-lol) forget about the weight cause the feel is so nice. But the weight is worth the trade off for the crafmanship
Is the RG8570 actually the RG8570z? the rg8570 has a lo pro edge and ebony fretboard as far I knew
2023-> RG8570 Lopro. Macasar Ebony fretboard.
2012-2022 RG8570z edge zero. (2012-2018 rosewood) (2019-2022 macasar ebony) fretboard.
It's the Z
what is the best cheap alternative?
That's a great question! In general you can always make great music with an inexpensive guitar. The audience isn't gonna care and it will sound good enough on recordings too. Cheaper guitars in general will require a more extensive setup and lower quality build and materials might make it impossible to get the best setup. But it'll still be plenty usable. While cheaper guitars might be more prone to manufacturing mistakes, more expensive guitars can have these mistakes too.
It depends what brand you're looking at, but in terms of ibanez, there are lots of standard tier RG and premium too it depends on your budget. Also the more inexpensive trems will in general be less reliable
@@HighZ have you try out the jackson ones. I saw one for like 200$ all black, I am thinking getting that and replace the pickup from the PIA which would cost 500$ so $700 total, do you think that would be a good way to get the same outcome?
@@andyy6481 The sound would be somewhat similar. It comes down to how good the $200 guitar is. If you can try it and it stays in tune and you like how it feels to play, then this would be a great idea. If the stock pickups sound good enough though, you won't get a super big difference by changing the pickups, so you could save some money and leave it stock. Listeners won't be able to tell which pickups you're using when they hear your music or performances after all
@@HighZ have you try those $200 jackson guitars, are they good enough?
I haven't. I've only ever tried one jackson and I liked the neck. I'm afraid if I try the $200 jackson and like it, I'll immediately buy it 😆