Ibanez 442R Transparent Red

Being a huge fan of the Ibanez Radius series of guitars (and the subsequent JS series played by Joe Satriani), i had been seeking a unique example for quite some time. Late last year, I found two of these around the same time, one in Cherry Sunburst, and this one in Transparent Red. I snapped them both up. I don’t need two identical guitars, so i sold this one.

This is a 1992 Radius 442 in Transparent Red. This particular model was made at Ibanez’s flagship Fujugen Gakki factory in Japan, and was only in their product lineup for one year. It appeared in the 1992 catalog, and then was gone.

These photos do not do the guitar justice. Digital cameras are notorious for not picking up reds very well, and it's really obvious here. The finish looks a little flat in the photos, but in in real life, under the lights, it positively glows, and the transparent red finish has tremendous depth, showing the solid alder wood of the body.

The alder body with maple neck and fretboard, combined with the pickups and electronics, give this guitar a fantastic, vintage “snap” and growl. The electronics all function perfectly.

Here are the specs:

• solid alder body in the Radius “aerofoil” body shape... super-light and comfortable!
• one-piece quartersawn maple neck with maple fretboard (22-frets)... the neck is straight as an arrow and very playable... not too thick, not too thin
• non-locking Ibanez TZ tremolo with locking Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners (all hardware is black)
• Ibanez S2 and S3 single coils and V6 humbucking pickup; great, clear vintage tones
• 5-way pickup selector with automatic coil tapping for the humbucker in position 2

The electronics perform flawlessly.

Being 10+ years old and having been played quite a bit, she does have a bit of wear and tear on the surface, but the guitar is solid and set up beautifully, ready to play. Just so there are no surprises, i will disclose the cosmetic blemishes:

• light pick haze on the front, below the picking area (can probably be buffed out)
• minor dings in the paint around the pickup selector mounting screws
• a chip and some bruising/cracking in the finish around the output jack, with a couple of blemishes down to the wood
• the back of the body is very clean, and both the tremolo and control cavity plates are included
• she does have a bit of fret wear and a bit of fretboard wear in the lower register, but there is lots of life left on the frets... it has a great, “played-in” feel
• there is a tiny, minor blemish at the tip of the headstock
• there is some pitting on the neck plate, but the bridge is clean
• no tremolo bar is included, but i'm told that a standard Fender-style one will fit
• i have done a complete setup on it with a brand-new set of .010-gauge strings and screwed the bridge down flush with the body... the action is low and fast

None of these blemishes are structural in nature. The guitar is rock-solid and ready to play. Just a few cosmetic imperfections. This is a player’s guitar, and one of my favourites from my collection.

The guitar comes with a form-fitting Ibanez Prestige Deluxe molded hardshell case that has a with a serial-number matching label

• the case has two functioning latches, one of which is missing the “butterfly” toggle
• the middle latch is broken
• otherwise, the case is intact and protects the guitar well

This guitar is now sold. Thanks, Rob!.

Click any of the photos for a more detailed enlargement.

Ibanez 442RTR	Transparent Red finish on Alder	Maple neck and fretboard
Tilt-back headstock	Gotoh Magnum Lock tuners	Serial No. F200874 Made in Japan
1-piece quartersawn Maple neck	Very clean 3-piece Alder body	Minor finish wear on the neck plate
Ibanez TZ tremolo	Ibanez S2, S3 and V6 pickups	Custom-fit molded hardshell case
"Ibanez prestige deluxe" plaque and missing clasp	Butterfly grip missing, but clasp works	Serial number on case matched to guitar
Finish cracks around output jack	Tiny chips around pickup switch screws