Description
Ibanez’s RG7421EX is a straight-ahead seven-string built to deliver tight rhythm chugs, glassy cleans and cutting leads without weighing players down with extras they do not need. The body is carved from meranti, a hardwood that shares mahogany’s warm low mids but keeps the overall weight friendly for long rehearsals. Its Black Flat finish soaks into the grain rather than sitting on top, leaving a matte texture that resists fingerprints and gives the guitar an understated stealth presence under stage lights. A deep belly cut on the back and a sweeping forearm bevel on the front help the instrument sit close to the torso while the broad RG horns grant unimpeded upper-fret access.
Speed is the guiding principle behind the Wizard II-7 neck. Three pieces of maple are shaped to a slim nineteen-millimetre depth at the nut and only two millimetres thicker at the twelfth fret, so wide-span chords and rapid alternate-picking lines feel effortless. Ibanez’s All Access neck joint carves away the heel, letting the fretting hand slip past the seventeenth fret without a hitch. A jatoba fingerboard brings a hint of additional mid warmth and carries twenty-four jumbo frets dressed to a high polish, while a flat four-hundred-millimetre radius ensures low action setups stay buzz-free even during aggressive bends.
Electronics keep the focus on versatility and punch. Quantum 7 ceramic humbuckers sit close to the strings for immediate transient response and tight low-end definition, essential when the seventh string dips below low A. A five-way lever switch unlocks neck series, neck parallel, both series, inner coils, and full bridge, so everything from brittle single-coil cleans to snarling lead tones sits one flick away. Master volume and tone controls remain flush to the body, leaving nothing for the picking hand to snag during rapid down-strokes or sweep-picking runs.
Hardware decisions follow a stable, fuss-free brief. The F107 bridge anchors each string through the body and lets individual saddles travel for perfect intonation, while its low profile stays comfortable under palm-mutes. Ten-point-five-millimetre string spacing keeps the neck compact without crowding the picking hand. Sealed Ibanez tuners lock in pitch against wide bends and down-tuned riffs, and a black plastic nut holds alignment without the need for a locking system. Straight from the factory the RG7421EX ships in standard seven-string tuning with D’Addario .010–.059 strings, ready for anything from modern progressive metal to jazz-fusion chord melody.
