Smaug! - Ibanez RGA42FM | 2020 | Dragon Eye Burst Flat | Seymour Duncan JB Upgrade

There are guitars that look vaguely dragon-ish if you squint.

And then there is an Ibanez that is literally finished in Dragon Eye Burst.

We really didn’t have a choice.

Smaug is a 2020 Ibanez RGA42FM, built in Indonesia and finished in the frankly spectacular Dragon Eye Burst Flat. Beneath that finish sits a flamed maple top over a meranti body, with the figuring glowing gold and amber through the centre before disappearing into dark, smoky edges.

He looks less like somebody painted him and more like somebody found him underneath the Lonely Mountain.

The RGA takes the familiar RG formula and gives it a dramatic makeover. Rather than the flatter, sharper-edged RG body, Smaug has a beautifully sculpted and contoured top, creating an instrument that looks aggressive while remaining remarkably comfortable to play.

And unlike his namesake, he’s surprisingly comfortable when sitting on a large pile of treasure.

The body is paired with Ibanez’s fast Wizard III maple neck, a jatoba fingerboard, understated offset dot inlays and 24 jumbo frets across the familiar 25.5-inch scale.

It’s thin, quick and extremely difficult to blame when you miss a note.

We tried.

There was, however, one area where a previous keeper apparently decided the factory specification didn’t contain quite enough fire.

Smaug originally left Ibanez with a pair of Quantum humbuckers. The Quantum remains at the neck, but the bridge pickup has been upgraded to a Seymour Duncan JB Model.

Because apparently the dragon needed more output.

The JB is something of a rock and metal institution, delivering a hot, punchy and aggressive bridge sound without simply turning everything into noise. Combined with the Quantum neck pickup and five-way switching, Smaug can do considerably more than breathe fire.

Although he is understandably rather good at that bit.

And there is no floating tremolo.

No locking nut. No balancing springs. No negotiations with the bridge because you dared to change string gauge.

Instead, Smaug uses Ibanez’s F106 fixed bridge, providing individual saddle adjustment, a solid playing platform and straightforward string changes.

One does not simply walk into Mordor.

One can, however, simply change Smaug’s strings.

Wrong book, we know.

We regret nothing.

Smaug arrived at The Stray Chord in good overall condition, but being a perfectly serviceable guitar has never saved anybody from Jordan and his tools.

He has been stripped down and thoroughly cleaned, with his hardware and electronics checked and his frets receiving our usual level, crown and polish alongside fret-end attention. Everything was then reassembled, adjusted and given a complete professional setup.

The result is an RGA that plays every bit as quickly as it looks.

There are a handful of small cosmetic signs of his previous adventures, but nothing remotely significant and nothing that detracts from that glorious flamed maple top.

Smaug would make an excellent companion for somebody wanting the speed and ergonomics associated with the RG family without a floating tremolo, somebody looking for a modern rock or metal guitar with a genuinely useful bridge-pickup upgrade, or anybody who believes their current collection contains an entirely unacceptable shortage of dragons.

And unlike the original Smaug, £325 is all the gold we’re asking for.

No Arkenstone required.

Rescue • Restore • Rehome