Ibanez RG550-BKF

Ibanez RG550-BKF review: the specification sheet

The Ibanez RG550-BKF is a Japan-made electric guitar with a basswood body, a maple fingerboard, and an HSH pickup layout. Its listed price is $973. The model has been available since August 2026, and its finish is described as black flat matte. The provided specifications do not list a top, and neither a bag nor a case is included.

This is a specification-based assessment. No customer reviews are available, so there is no basis for claims about owner satisfaction, reliability in long-term use, or how the guitar feels in practice. The details below describe its construction and controls without treating those attributes as proof of performance.

Body, neck, and playing dimensions

The body is made from basswood, a common electric-guitar body material. The neck is a five-piece, bolt-on construction using maple and walnut. Ibanez specifies a Super Wizard neck profile, measuring 17 mm thick at the first fret and 19 mm at the twelfth. Those measurements describe a slim profile, though individual comfort depends on hand size and playing preference.

The maple fingerboard has black dot inlays and a 430 mm radius, equivalent to 16.9 inches. The guitar has 24 jumbo frets and a 648 mm scale length, or 25.5 inches. Nut width is 43 mm, approximately 1.69 inches. These figures give a useful outline of the neck geometry, but they do not establish fret finish, setup quality, or string action.

A locking nut is specified alongside the Edge tremolo. Together, those components point to a design intended to secure the strings at the nut while using a floating tremolo system. The product data does not provide details on adjustment range, tuning stability under particular techniques, or setup requirements. Those should be checked on the individual instrument rather than assumed from the component names alone.

Pickups and controls

The pickup arrangement consists of two humbuckers and one single-coil pickup: a V8 humbucker at the bridge, an S1 single-coil pickup in the middle, and a V7 humbucker at the neck. A five-way switch selects pickup combinations, while separate volume and tone controls provide the listed basic adjustments.

This configuration offers more than one pickup type in a single instrument. The specifications identify the models and positions, but do not give output levels, magnet types, wiring diagrams, or measured frequency response. It would be speculative to promise a particular amount of gain, brightness, or tonal balance without those details or a listening test.

The black pickguard and black hardware maintain the stated dark finish scheme. Gotoh machine heads are also listed. The supplied string gauges are.009,.011,.016,.024,.032, and.042. These details help document the factory configuration, but the source does not say whether the strings are installed at the time of sale or whether the tremolo has been set up for another gauge.

What the specifications establish

• Construction: basswood body and five-piece maple and walnut bolt-on neck.
• Neck dimensions: Super Wizard profile, 17 mm at the first fret and 19 mm at the twelfth, with a 43 mm nut.
• Fingerboard and frets: maple fingerboard, 430 mm radius, black dot inlays, and 24 jumbo frets.
• Electronics: V8 bridge humbucker, S1 middle single-coil pickup, V7 neck humbucker, volume and tone controls, and a five-way switch.
• Hardware: locking nut, Edge tremolo, Gotoh machine heads, and black hardware.

Buying considerations

At $973, the RG550-BKF is specified with a substantial set of components, including its three-pickup arrangement, locking nut, and Edge tremolo. Buyers should still verify the instrument's condition, setup, and included items with the seller. The listing explicitly says that no bag or case is included, which may affect the total cost of ownership.

The available information supports a clear description of materials, dimensions, and hardware, but not a verdict on sound or build consistency. Anyone considering the guitar should try its neck profile and tremolo if possible, and confirm the pickup switching and setup on the specific unit. Its Japan-made origin and detailed specification list provide useful context, while an in-person assessment remains necessary for questions the data cannot answer.