Ibanez necks are thin, but they are wide. You might not like the shape of the neck. Imo look up the specs on your Epiphone, specifically the neck depth, width, and shape.
The RG421 has the Wizard III neck which is a bit thicker than the current Super Wizard HP Prestige on the Prestige guitars. It’s 2mm thicker at both the first and 12th fret, which doesn’t seem like a lot but they feel quite different. The Wizard III neck also has a 15.75” radius versus the 17” on the Prestige.
I have an old (78) aria pro 2 black custom les paul copy. Bolt on neck and its honestly one of the finest sounding guitars I've ever owned. It has given me a total love of Japanese made guitars.
[https://fgnguitarsusa.com/collections/odyssey/products/jos2tdr](https://fgnguitarsusa.com/collections/odyssey/products/jos2tdr)
You in the US? Here's the latest FGN model on sale for 1050
I've got a MIJ strat probably from 1986. Serial number E666249.
Never played another strat quite like it. Like you mentioned the neck is really thin and pleasant to play. No major input here, just wanted to throw that out!
Do you just want a MIJ guitar? the new high tier Wolfgang’s are MIJ and they are amazing. The neck is the easiest to play out of any guitar I’ve ever played.
I’ve had guitars all my life, from beginner to intermediate.
At the moment I probably have about 15 guitars and recently picked up a rare discontinued PRS SE Korina with p90 pickup, made in Korea.
My god I’ve never heard tone like that. It’s as basic it as they come - 1 volume knob but damn, it’s the guitar I never knew I needed.
I also have a few more rarer discontinued guitars, and it’s the same thing - amazing sound.
So wood + age + hardware matters IMO, maybe even country of origin.
That’s not to say new stock guitars sound bad, there’s just no wow factor, and they sound a bit vanilla to me.
So my advice - search the second hand market, and play them if you can. When you find a good one you’ll know as soon as you plug it in. Also learn how to check for neck issues.
I’ve had a lot of Japanese guitars when I lived in Asia. Prestige Ibanez is usually great but the used value typically aren’t the best compared to new. For a while AZ and AZS models were an exception but it seems even now there used prices are going down quite a bit.
It’s hard to generalize that all prestige models have thin and wide necks. AZ, AZS, semi hollow and Hollowbody models generally don’t.
Japanese Fender reissues used to have the worst pickups and hardware. People thinking they’re better than MIA Fenders have me wondering if they’ve owned as many as I have.
Even Gretsch Japanese quality is dependent on time period.
I was surprised with the Electra Pro Endorser I picked up recently. I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it is.
Ibanez necks are thin, but they are wide. You might not like the shape of the neck. Imo look up the specs on your Epiphone, specifically the neck depth, width, and shape.
Unfortunately i didn’t find the width of my guitar’s neck, i might measure it myself.
Check out used guitars produced by the Matsumoku factory. Aria Pro II, Vantage, Greco, Westone etc.
The RG421 has the Wizard III neck which is a bit thicker than the current Super Wizard HP Prestige on the Prestige guitars. It’s 2mm thicker at both the first and 12th fret, which doesn’t seem like a lot but they feel quite different. The Wizard III neck also has a 15.75” radius versus the 17” on the Prestige.
I have a 1993 MIJ Strat . It’s without a doubt the best Strat I’ve ever played or owned .
I have an old (78) aria pro 2 black custom les paul copy. Bolt on neck and its honestly one of the finest sounding guitars I've ever owned. It has given me a total love of Japanese made guitars.
I have that FGN tele with the tiny bit longer scale and it has the nicest neck of all guitars I ever played. Would buy again.
[https://fgnguitarsusa.com/collections/odyssey/products/jos2tdr](https://fgnguitarsusa.com/collections/odyssey/products/jos2tdr) You in the US? Here's the latest FGN model on sale for 1050
I've got a MIJ strat probably from 1986. Serial number E666249. Never played another strat quite like it. Like you mentioned the neck is really thin and pleasant to play. No major input here, just wanted to throw that out!
Ibanez with "Super Wizard" neck is what you want for thin
mij evh wolfgang special, i love mine, rarely in a case, and always out ready to grab!
Tokai, FGN, Edwards are all quite good. Yamaha Revstar are also available as MIJ but quite expensive.
60s Yamaha Samurai - that’s where it’s at Beck!
Do you just want a MIJ guitar? the new high tier Wolfgang’s are MIJ and they are amazing. The neck is the easiest to play out of any guitar I’ve ever played.
Tokai
I’ve had guitars all my life, from beginner to intermediate. At the moment I probably have about 15 guitars and recently picked up a rare discontinued PRS SE Korina with p90 pickup, made in Korea. My god I’ve never heard tone like that. It’s as basic it as they come - 1 volume knob but damn, it’s the guitar I never knew I needed. I also have a few more rarer discontinued guitars, and it’s the same thing - amazing sound. So wood + age + hardware matters IMO, maybe even country of origin. That’s not to say new stock guitars sound bad, there’s just no wow factor, and they sound a bit vanilla to me. So my advice - search the second hand market, and play them if you can. When you find a good one you’ll know as soon as you plug it in. Also learn how to check for neck issues.
I’ve had a lot of Japanese guitars when I lived in Asia. Prestige Ibanez is usually great but the used value typically aren’t the best compared to new. For a while AZ and AZS models were an exception but it seems even now there used prices are going down quite a bit. It’s hard to generalize that all prestige models have thin and wide necks. AZ, AZS, semi hollow and Hollowbody models generally don’t. Japanese Fender reissues used to have the worst pickups and hardware. People thinking they’re better than MIA Fenders have me wondering if they’ve owned as many as I have. Even Gretsch Japanese quality is dependent on time period. I was surprised with the Electra Pro Endorser I picked up recently. I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it is.