Ibanez RGT1221PBDTF Electric Guitar: Full Review

Ibanez is known for crafting high quality electric guitars with innovative designs perfect for players of many genres and skill levels. The Ibanez RGT1221PBDTF Premium is a solid body electric guitar loaded with features that make it an excellent choice for rock, metal, and shred players looking for top notch performance.

This model boasts a basswood body paired with a 3-piece maple Wizard III neck for great tone, stability and playability. It has an eye-catching Poplar Burl top over a metallic blue finish for stylish looks on stage. The RGT1221PBDTF comes equipped with a versatile HSH pickup configuration powered by Ibanez V7, S1, V8 pickups that can handle everything from pristine cleans to high gain distortion.

With its thin, fast neck, 24 jumbo frets, locking vibrato bridge and premium hardware, this Ibanez is built for speed and made to withstand aggressive playing. While not the most affordable model, the RGT1221PBDTF offers professional quality components, slick aesthetics and versatile sound perfect for rock and metal guitarists.

Body & Neck

The Ibanez RGT1221PBDTF electric guitar features a solid basswood body and a bolt-on maple neck for bright tone and excellent resonance. Basswood is a popular body wood known for its lightweight feel and balanced tonality that works well with various playing styles and effects. The maple neck provides stability, sustain, and a snappy response. It has a smooth Wizard III profile that gives players a comfortable, thin neck that's easy to play fast. The rosewood fingerboard further enhances the clarity and definition. Overall, the combination of basswood and maple gives this Ibanez electric guitar a versatile sound across different genres while the ergonomic neck offers smooth and speedy playability.

The Ibanez RGT1221PBDTF is a great choice for players looking for versatility and comfort in an electric guitar. The basswood and maple construction provides a balanced, responsive tone that works for rock, blues, jazz, and metal. The thin, fast Wizard III neck allows for easy soloing and shredding while the rosewood fingerboard enhances note definition. This makes the RGT1221PBDTF a very playable, all-around electric guitar. Some other versatile electric guitars to consider are the Yamaha PA012RM, which features a solid alder body and maple neck for well-balanced tone across genres, and the Fender Player Stratocaster, featuring an alder body and maple neck with a modern "C" profile that offers comfort and smooth playability. While the Ibanez stands out with its extra thin Wizard neck, the Yamaha and Fender models are also great choices for electric guitarists looking for versatility in their playing.

Pickups & Electronics

The Ibanez RGT1221PBDTF is equipped with a set of Powersound pickups designed to offer a powerful, balanced tone. It has a Powersound RX humbucker in the bridge position and Powersound SX single-coils in the middle and neck positions.

The bridge humbucker produces a thick, rich output well-suited for heavy rock and metal styles. The single-coils have a brighter, more articulate voice that works nicely for clean tones. Together, this versatile pickup configuration can cover a wide range of musical genres.

A handy coil tap switch allows you to split the bridge humbucker into single-coil mode. This provides even more tonal variety, allowing you to go from a fat, warm humbucking tone to a brighter, spitty single-coil sound at the flip of a switch. It's a useful feature that expands the guitar's sonic palette.

The electronics are controlled by master volume and tone knobs, along with a 5-way pickup selector switch. This gives you instant access to mix between the various pickup combinations. Overall, the RGT1221PBDTF is equipped with a thoughtfully designed pickup and switching system tailored for maximum tone-shaping flexibility.

When shopping for an electric guitar, it's important to consider the pickups and electronics. The pickups greatly influence the overall tone and sound you can achieve. Humbuckers tend to be thicker and warmer, while single-coils are brighter and punchier. Coil tapping allows you to get the best of both worlds.

The electronics like volume and tone controls, and selector switches allow you to easily shape and customize your sound. It's beneficial when they are laid out in an intuitive way that makes on-the-fly adjustments convenient during playing. The more tonal options, the better.

If you're looking for an affordable electric guitar with versatile pickups and flexible electronics, check out the Vangoa VA21CE NT12. It features a humbucker in the bridge and two single coils. The 5-way selector switch lets you choose from a wide array of tones. It's a great option for new players looking for their first electric guitar without breaking the bank.

Hardware

The Ibanez RGT1221PBDTF features high-quality hardware designed for great playability and tuning stability. The guitar comes equipped with an Edge-Zero II tremolo bridge. This low-profile double locking tremolo provides extremely smooth and reliable tuning, even during heavy tremolo use. It allows for easy tuning, precision, and great sustain.

The RGT1221PBDTF also utilizes Cosmo black hardware, giving it an elegant and modern aesthetic. This includes Cosmo black tuners, strap buttons, and knobs. Not only does the Cosmo black hardware look great, it is also durable and designed to last. The tuners in particular do an excellent job of holding tune through string bending and heavy playing.

Overall, the hardware on the RGT1221PBDTF is built for performance while also providing a sleek, eye-catching look. The combination of the Edge-Zero II tremolo bridge and Cosmo black components gives players rock-solid tuning stability and great functionality.

Playability

The Ibanez RGT1221PBDTF features a thin, fast neck that allows for easy shredding and soloing across the fretboard. The neck is a Super Wizard-5 piece Maple/Walnut neck, which provides stability while keeping the feel very smooth and comfortable.

The body shape is designed for playing comfort as well. It has contours in all the right places that allow you to play for extended periods without fatigue. The forearm and stomach carves are excellent ergonomic features that really improve the playing experience.

Overall, this Ibanez offers superb playability thanks to its thin, fast neck and body shape built for comfort. It's a guitar made for lead playing that allows you to rip solos and shred with ease.

Sound

The Ibanez RGT1221PBDTF produces a versatile tone that lends itself well to metal and shredding styles. The dual humbucker pickups provide thick, aggressive mids and tight bass response perfect for distorted rhythm tones. When clean, the pickups retain clarity and note definition. The 5-way selector switch lets you blend the bridge and neck pickups to craft a range of usable tones.

The basswood body enhances resonance and sustain, allowing chords to ring out. Treble tones have bite without being excessively bright. Palm muting sounds very chunky on this guitar, great for chugging riffs. The Floyd Rose double-locking tremolo expands your tonal palette with dive bombs, pitch squeals, and flutters. Overall, this Ibanez sounds fantastic for high-gain metal, rock, and shredding.

Pros

The Ibanez RGT1221PBDTF electric guitar has several notable strengths that make it a great option for players looking for versatility and excellent playability.

Smooth Playability

The RGT1221PBDTF features a thin, flat Wizard III neck that allows for very smooth and comfortable playing across the entire fretboard. The neck has a satin finish that glides nicely in your hand. Combined with the 24 jumbo frets, you can easily shred fast solos up and down the neck. Overall the guitar provides excellent playability.

High Quality Hardware

Hardware is an area where Ibanez doesn't cut corners. The RGT1221PBDTF comes equipped with a reliable Gibraltar Standard II bridge and Quik Change III tailpiece for accurate tuning stability and intonation. The locking nut and tight machine heads keep the strings secure and hold tuning extremely well, even during heavy use.

Versatile Tone

With its HSH pickup configuration using the DiMarzio Fusion Edge humbuckers in the bridge and neck, paired with a DiMarzio Area 67 single coil in the middle, this guitar can produce a wide range of tones. From warm, round humbucker tones to bright single coil sounds and everything in between, the RGT1221PBDTF offers excellent tonal versatility for various music genres. The 5-way pickup switch provides instant access to a variety of tones.

Cons

The Ibanez RGT1221PBDTF electric guitar does have some downsides to consider.

Tuning stability

Some users report issues with tuning stability on the RGT1221PBDTF. The tuning machines and nut may need to be properly lubricated or upgraded to improve tuning retention. This could add to the setup cost for optimal playability.

Pickups may not suit all genres

While versatile, the pickups may not offer the ideal tone for some more extreme music genres. The pickups have a modern voice that works well for metal and rock, but jazz, blues, or country players may find them too focused in the midrange and lack dynamics. Swapping out the pickups could be an added expense.

Overall the cons are minor and won't affect all players. But for some specific needs, the RGT1221PBDTF may require additional tweaks and modifications.

Comparable Models

The Ibanez RGT1221PBDTF is part of Ibanez's RGT "Roadstar" series aimed at hard rock and metal players. It has many similarities and compares well to other guitars in this market segment.

Ibanez RG

Ibanez's RG series is very comparable to the RGT. The RG features similar neck profiles, tonewoods, and overall design asthetics geared towards shredders and metal players. Popular RG models like the RG550 provide the same fast thin necks, basswood bodies, and HSH pickup configurations as the RGT1221PBDTF. The main difference is the RG lacks some of the more premium appointments like the DiMarzio pickups and titanium reinforced neck. However, the RG still competes well in terms of playability, construction and tone.

Jackson Soloist

Jackson's Soloist model is another comparable option for the serious shredder. Like Ibanez, Jackson necks are known for their thin shred-friendly profiles and fast playability. The Soloist features neck-through designs, compound radius fingerboards, and hot humbuckers optimized for heavy rock and metal. Models like the Soloist SL2 offer many similarities to the RGT1221PBDTF in terms of design, components and capability. The main differences are the Jackson has a neck-through design rather than a bolt-on, and typically passive pickups instead of active.

Overall the Ibanez RG and Jackson Soloist families occupy the same market niche and make excellent alternatives for players considering the RGT1221PBDTF. The three brands are leaders when it comes to shreddable metal guitars built for speed.

Summary

The Ibanez RGT1221PBDTF model offers an impressive package for the price point. The mahogany/maple body and 5-piece maple/walnut neck provide a solid tonal foundation, while the Infinity R humbuckers offer a versatile range of tones from clean to high-gain. The hardware includes quality components like the Edge Zero II tremolo bridge and locking tuners for great tuning stability.

Some of the key pros of this guitar are the comfortable thin neck profile, resonant tonewood combination, and impressive electronics. The guitar sounds fantastic when played clean or with high-gain distortion, making it versatile for a range of genres. The cons are fairly minimal for an import model in this price range - mainly just the lack of a hardshell case.

Overall, the Ibanez RGT1221PBDTF offers professional-level specs, playability, and tone at an intermediate price point. For players looking for fast playability and powerful humbucker tones, it's an excellent choice in this price tier and earns a solid recommendation. The quality backs up the Ibanez Premium badge, making this a guitar that will go the distance for years to come.