Pics from previous owner:

Pics after restoration & setup:

Specs:
1-piece original Wizard neck (quartersawn maple), square heel joint
17mm 1st fret – 19mm 12th fret
430mm radius rosewood fretboard
43mm nut width
Jumbo frets
Light-weight basswood body
Edge tremolo with die-cast saddles

It’s unbelievable how well this 22+ year old guitar was maintained before I bought it off a Jemsite member in September 2008.  The price wasn’t very wallet-friendly but when you come across an original RG550RF in mint condition, you don’t negotiate :)  It was worth every penny however, considering the amazing condition of the body, neck, hardware, fretboard and frets.  Fret wear was minimal and there were no neck pocket cracks which is common with old RG’s.  The only part of the guitar that showed signs of wear was the neck plate and there were a few minor paint cracks on the body.  The color/finish has aged well and gives it a unique look, unlike the deep red RG20th reissues.

I’ve owned several Ibanez Prestige guitars before this ’87 RG550, and have since bought a J Custom, but the RG550 is still my main 6-string.  It’s unbelievable how the original wizard neck makes the Ibanez Prestige and Jackson Pro necks seem heavier than they really are.  And while you may think the slim wizard neck is prone to damage/warping in 22 years, it is super straight and will probably survive another 10 years.

What I wasn’t sure about before buying this RG550 was the neck joint… I loved the AANJ of newer Ibanez RG’s and feared I may not like the original neck joint but I feel at home with both.  Neck joint may boil down to personal preference because I know Paul Gilbert prefers the original neck joint for some reason.

The Edge bridge:  Hmm… I probably spoiled myself with low profile trems but the original Edge simply feels ‘solid’ and man does it stay in tune!  That’s the only way I can describe it and it’s not due to the locking studs because I upgrade all RG’s with the locking stud mod.

Pickups: It was fitted with a set of colored DiMarzio Evolutions when I got it, but I swapped them out for a Tone Zone bridge and Air Norton neck, removing the mid single coil altogether.  Upgraded the switch to an OTAX VLX91 for some cool coil-tapped and parallel neck tones.  I’ve grown to love the parallel position for it’s transparency, especially for cleans and mildly overdriven tones.  While the Tone Zone has been my usual pickup of choice I did experiment with a D-Sonic since then and it definitely sounded great in the RG550.  Anyway, my J Custom has a Tone Zone in the bridge so anytime I need to be in the Zone I pick her up.  It’s a good idea to have different pickups on your guitars too, especially for recording – recording rhythm and solos with different guitars and pickups make it easier to mix.

Finally, the question that you may have if you’re reading this: is this old RG better than anything Ibanez makes today?  In short, to me, yes!!  The long answer is it really depends on your taste.  The RG2550E I had was heavily customized and set up to play like a dream, and while it was a brilliant guitar for the money I sold it a month after getting this ’87 RG550.  The RG2550E was on par with other high end guitars I played but the RG550 has something magical about it – it sounds and feels “right” and is inspiring to play.

Is the RG20th reissue as good or better than the original?  Their specs suggest there are improvements over the original RG550′s but I can’t vouch for that as I haven’t personally played a 20th.

Keep shredding, and if you see an 87/88 RG550 on Craigslist, eBay, Gumtree or your favorite forums, buy it immediately if you need a player and love Ibanez guitars – I think they’re some of the best guitars that Ibanez built!!  Keep in mind this is coming from a J Custom owner.