Post by LeoThunder on Jun 14, 2018 4:54:38 GMT
I have to agree with this. Past the 300€ mark you start competing with low range regular Ibanez (not GIO), outside of the "bargain" territory.
The "pro" features are there to win that fight but how relevant are they really? Locking tuners, stainless steel frets, roasted maple necks are things hobby players do not need. So yes, it is the "pro" series… I'm not the target audience, even though I really like the look.
If these start selling to professionals, it's a winner. Hobby players, however, might soon reconsider and realise that they do not change strings every second day, will likely never wear out regular frets and probably won't play to penguins tonight and to monkeys tomorrow. Will the "pro" feeling be worth the extra price?
The cheapest Ibanez with Floyd Rose takes 480€ so there is still a good margin to the 349€ HB Fusion HH.
The first Ibanez SA, HSS with standard vibrato, demands 325€, which is closer to the 299€ HB Fusion HSH.
I wonder what I would go for.
It's true that hobby players don't need those features, so they can go for 150 euro ST-70 or something like that.
If I were to spend that money on something that looks similar in style and versatility, I would have to answer such a question.
To be honest, I doubt there will be a clear answer to it. I would expect these qualities to be comparable leaving the choice to a matter of personal taste or perceived image.