# Ibanez RG550



## DongCrusher (Jul 30, 2009)

Traded my Epiphone G400 Custom for an Ibanez RG550 today. The guy didn't bother checking what year his was, and when I looked up the serial number, it ended up being an '87. I've heard that pre-1990 RG550s are somewhat rare, does anyone have an idea of what I could get for it considering it's in pretty good condition save a few dings.

Oh, and first post.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

They aren't really rare as the word is used in collector circles or anything like that. In great shape it could fetch as much as $550 or so...maybe more if the buyer was really bent on getting it. I almost got one for $350 back when the market was good. Nowhere near the $950 or so that they sold new for back in the late 80s.


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## Guest (Jul 30, 2009)

Ahh...the RG550. That was my 2nd guitar and my first nice one. White, with the B/W/B pickguard. Played sweet. Enjoy.


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## scottomy (Sep 20, 2006)

I know someone here in Montreal who is selling a mint '87 model with dimarzios (I don't know if they were stock) and his asking price is 800$.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

scottomy said:


> I know someone here in Montreal who is selling a mint '87 model with dimarzios (I don't know if they were stock) and his asking price is 800$.


Yeah, but I see people asking $2000 for their guitars that are worth $200!!!

The caveat here is that the RG550 was an excellent guitar so it would be worth something. I think the reissue sold for significant money as well. eBay's completed listings is the best way to get a handle on market value.


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

smorgdonkey said:


> They aren't really rare as the word is used in collector circles or anything like that. In great shape it could fetch as much as $550 or so...maybe more if the buyer was really bent on getting it. I almost got one for $350 back when the market was good. Nowhere near the $950 or so that they sold new for back in the late 80s.


I don't ever recall seeing a brand new RG550, RG560 or RG570 selling for $950 back in the late 80's.

Ostanek's Music (St. Catharines), Central Music (Welland), Pongetti's Music(Hamilton) were selling them at $699.99 and $699.95 (depending on the store).

RG750's, RG760's and RG770's were selling anywhere from $899-$1099 depending on the store.

When Ibanez changed the neck heel from the scalloped kind (with neck plate) to the rounded kind (no neck plate), the distributers were blowing the old stock out and RG550's, RG560's, RG570's were being sold (brand new) for $499 while the RG750's, RG760's and RG770's were being sold for $699. I know this because a scoped a few up back around the early 90's.

A used RG550/560/570 can sell for anywhere between $300-500 depending on the condition.


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## Guest (Jul 30, 2009)

smorgdonkey said:


> I think the reissue sold for significant money as well. eBay's completed listings is the best way to get a handle on market value.


They started out around $1400 new. I've seen two used here in Ottawa for <$1000 -- neither was the maple board one though. Otherwise one would have been mine.


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

Welcome and how about a picture?

I love old guitars and if they play well then and you like it then why bother selling it. If its to make a couple of bucks then don't bother just enjoy it.

My old Jackson is worth 3 times what I paid for it but its a keeper.

Bev


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

vds5000 said:


> I don't ever recall seeing a brand new RG550, RG560 or RG570 selling for $950 back in the late 80's.


Well, when you live in small town Nova Scotia, taxes in, they were $950. They listed for a few hundred more but my friend ordered his and got it in 1989 and that's what he paid.


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

smorgdonkey said:


> Well, when you live in small town Nova Scotia, taxes in, they were $950. They listed for a few hundred more but my friend ordered his and got it in 1989 and that's what he paid.


I believe the list on those guitars back then was $999. That was the number one of the stores I mentioned used to calculate the difference I would have to pay when I wanted to trade in a used USA BC Rich 'Gunslinger'. 

Mind you, that being said, if you were in a remote location, I could see a store charging whatever they wanted. In those type of situations, the consumer is pretty much stuck. But I assure you, $950 was definately not the norm.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

vds5000 said:


> But I assure you, $950 was definately not the norm.


That doesn't surprise me. In many of the small towns and such the stores definitely benefited from being the only game in town.


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

smorgdonkey said:


> That doesn't surprise me. In many of the small towns and such the stores definitely benefited from being the only game in town.


Imagine what folks in Canada had to pay for a PRS back in the 80's and early 90's, when authorized dealers were few and far between.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

I just looked at the price list for Ibanez 1989 and it shows $699.95 US and $119.95 US for the case...so considering what the exchange rate was then he didn't really over pay but he didn't get near the deal that he would have been able to get in a big city.

http://www.ibanezrules.com/catalogs/price/1989/Jun/p03p04.jpg


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

smorgdonkey said:


> I just looked at the price list for Ibanez 1989 and it shows $699.95 US and $119.95 US for the case...so considering what the exchange rate was then he didn't really over pay but he didn't get near the deal that he would have been able to get in a big city.
> 
> http://www.ibanezrules.com/catalogs/price/1989/Jun/p03p04.jpg


The exchange rate back then was somewhere between 80%-85%. So that US list price converts to under $875 (CAN). Bottom line is, they retailed for $999 (CAN). That is a fact, there is no arguing. They generally sold for
$699 - $749 (CAN), again a fact. These were the days before GST. 
But, as he said, he was in a remote location and there was no Internet, so he unfortunately was stuck paying what he did. I got taken when I bought a few USA Kramers back then - as long as you learn from it, then it's not so bad.



To the original poster:
I last bought an RG560 just under 2 years ago. It was mint other than 4 paint chips (2 in the front, 2 in the back). I paid $250-275 (I don't remember the exact amount). I sold it for around $300 (again, I don't recall).

The one before that was a 'USA Custom' RG. It had a broken neck, but I only paid $75 for it (with case).

I have never paid more than $300 for a used RG550/560/570. I have never sold a used RG550/560/570 for more than $375-$400.

That being said, they are fantastic guitars for the money. I find they only have 2 drawbacks for what they are:

1.) They seem to be the most difficult to set up of all the double locking trem-equipped guitars I've ever owned.
2.) Their stupid trem arms break easily at the bushing. I have the remedy for this if anyone needs it.


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

Sorry, had to add something - Smorg, I'm not saying your friend didn't pay the big bucks for it. I'm just saying that the typical price for that guitar back then was about 700 bucks. Of course there were a few exceptions to the rule. Ok, I'm gonna shut up now.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

vds5000 said:


> The exchange rate back then was somewhere between 80%-85%. So that US list price converts to under $875 (CAN). Bottom line is, they retailed for $999 (CAN). That is a fact, there is no arguing. They generally sold for
> $699 - $749 (CAN), again a fact. These were the days before GST.
> But, as he said, he was in a remote location and there was no Internet, so he unfortunately was stuck paying what he did. I got taken when I bought a few USA Kramers back then - as long as you learn from it, then it's not so bad.





vds5000 said:


> Sorry, had to add something - Smorg, I'm not saying your friend didn't pay the big bucks for it. I'm just saying that the typical price for that guitar back then was about 700 bucks. Of course there were a few exceptions to the rule. Ok, I'm gonna shut up now.


No, I didn't mean to come off as arguing your points...I know that you are right on the numbers, I was just lamenting the rural thing. They used to jack the prices of everything...who knows...they may have even had their own 'list price' (?!) <---complete possibility...

I bought a Kramer Pacer Deluxe American Series in 1987 and the list here in Canada (or should I say 'in Nova Scotia'?) was $1595. I paid $1395 + tax so it pretty much F'd $1500...AND they didn't give me a case!! All this AFTER traveling to Halifax which was 'the city' to try to get a better deal!! Biggest store east of Montreal.

I still have that guitar and it does pain me to think that the 'list' price was $1119.95 US which only works out to be $1325 or so with the exchange at the time...so technically, I paid OVER list price for it!!

The internet certainly has changed things in that regard!


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

My biggest wake up call was the first time I ever went to a music store in the US (around '91). Locally (Niagara Region), Kramers (NOS) were still selling for over $1000 even though they had gone under a couple years earlier. I had paid $1195+taxes for my Pacer Custom (no case) in '90, but when I went to that US store in '91, they had a few (NOS) selling for 1/2 that. Then in '92 during spring break, I went to a store in Orlando and saw a brand new lemon yellow Pacer Custom I for $400 (with case). Of course, I bought it with all the money I took with me. So I pretty much didn't eat for the rest of the trip.

Gee, I wonder how much more sidetracked we can get?


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