Ibanez Xiphos XPT700 Review
Todd here with a review of the IBANEZ XIPHOS XPT 700
First up. The Features.
The Ibanez XPT700 is a Xiphos series electric guitar model, introduced in 2007 as part of the Ibanez X series. It is the first Xiphos model introduced by Ibanez. Featuring include a neck-through-body construction, a double locking tremolo and DiMarzio pickups.
BODY
Body material: Mahogany
Neck joint: Neck-thru
Bridge: Edge III tremolo
Hardware color: Cosmo Black
NECK
Neck type: Wizard II
Neck material: 5-Piece Maple/Walnut
Fingerboard: Bound Rosewood
Inlays: Reversed Sharktooth
Frets: 24 / Jumbo
ELECTRONICS
PU Config: HH
Neck PU: DiMarzio D Activator
Bridge PU: DiMarzio D Activator
Controls: 1 Volume / 1 Tone / 3-Way Toggle
REVIEW
This is a SHREDDERS guitar plain and simple. First off, it's pointy. Jazz/Blues men, seldom walk on stage with reverse head stocks, and pointy star shaped guitars. This Axe looks the part of what it's built to do. Play METAL. Not to say you couldn't play jazz or blues on this guitar, because you certainly could. You could honestly play pretty much anything on it. The neck is VERY thin and VERY fast, and the pickups are DIMARZIO ACTIVATORS and can go from super clean to FACE MELTING with the turn of the volume knob. So it's a sonically flexible instrument. But one look and you know what it wants to do. It wants to Kill and Destroy smile.gif
I really like this guitar. The neck is one of the best I"ve played and reminds me of my precious RG560. So fast and thin it's crazy. Also, the pickups SCREAM and the double locking trem is stable and smooth. The NECK THROUGH BODY construction aids in sustain and playability. The large body points also seem to help with sustain and overall tone. Pickups are hard mounted so that helps a bit as well.
I had bought this guitar instead of saving a bit more and getting either an original Ibanez RG565 or the Reissue version. And while I really dig the guitar, I still prefer the body on my RG560, perhaps because I"ve been playing for 10 years. So I"m going to part with this shredding beast and try to find it a good home and start saving again.
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