E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune vs Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige
Reasons to Get
E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune over Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige
Reasons to Get
Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige over ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune
Other Key Differences
E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune vs Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige
Shared Features
E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune vs Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Weight Relief
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune is probably the better product overall with its final score of 80 compared to the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige's 74 score, although not by a lot.
The ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality. On the other hand, the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige is easier to play.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune is the better choice.
The ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune- Comfortable shape
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Easy-to-use bridge
New Player Friendliness
Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune Overview
- From ESP E-II's 2021 M series
- Made in Japan
- 7 strings
- 27"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Alder body
- 3pc Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Fishman Fluence Modern Ceramic (Humbucker/Active)
- Neck pickup: Fishman Fluence Modern Alnico (Humbucker/Active)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Evertune (F model) bridge
- Thin U Neck-Through neck
- 24 XL Jumbo frets
- Gotoh Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige Overview
- From Ibanez's 2019 RG series
- Made in Japan
- 7 strings
- 27"'' scale
- 17" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- Maple/Wenge neck
- Bound Macassar Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: DiMarzio Fusion Edge 7 (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: DiMarzio Fusion Edge 7 (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Lo-Pro Edge 7 tremolo bridge
- Wizard-7 Bolt-On neck
- 24 Jumbo frets
- Gotoh machine heads tuners
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in Both
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
Woods Used in the ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune
Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.
Woods Used in the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige
Basswood is a lightweight type of wood that isn't as expensive as other popular choices for guitar building. It gives more power to the mid-range frequencies. Its color can vary from pale white to light brown. Find out more about Basswood.
Winner: Tie.
Pickup Configuration
Both pickup configurations are HH. Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
You can purchase similar pickups to the ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune's and use them on any guitar:
The ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune's pickups are Active while the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige's are Passive.
Passive pickups are what most guitars use. These have a normal output that works well for most genres. However, Active pickups are the preferred choice of heavy metal players because they offer extra output thanks to their 9v battery, which results in a heavier, more distorted sound. Bear in mind that achieving a completely clean tone with them won't be easy. So if you want to also use clean tones, you might want to avoid Active pickups.
Winner: Tie.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
The Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige gives you 5 switch options while the ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune gives you 3. This means that the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Only the ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune comes with some kind of pickup modification: Multi-Voicing.
Multi-Voicing means the pickups come with multiple ''voices'', which means they can change the tone and gain by a simple switch or knob. Piezo, Fishman and similar are considered multi-voicing pickups.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune compares to the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Japan.
Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.
Winner: Tie
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune has a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.
On the other hand, the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige comes with a Locking nut. Instead of a regular nut, this guitar has a locking system that will lock down the strings at the nut, preventing it from getting out of tune. It removes one of the disadvantages of tremolo bridges, tune stability.
Winner: Tie.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
The ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune's brige is a Evertune. It will keep your guitar in tune and intonated until the next string swap. If you really like extremely subtle vibratos, this might not be the bridge for you because you won't be able to perform them as well. However, the fact that you won't need to tune your guitar is a huge advantage that many people will gladly pay the extra price for.
On the other hand, the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige's is a Lo-Pro Edge. Similar to the original Edge bridge design by Ibanez, but with a lower profile (more discrete and less likely to interfere with your picking). It comes with the same improvements over Floyd Rose tremolos as the Edge: push-in arm, replaceable knife edges, more sustain, smaller saddles, and more. These bridges offer tons of versatility, but they also require more work than simpler tremolos to set up.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
The ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.
Nevertheless, the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige has a locking nut, so it should have even better tune stability and doesn't need locking tuners.
Winner: ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
The ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune has a Neck-Through neck joint. This neck is a lot more resistant and lets builders give the neck joint a more comfortable shape for soloing at the upper frets. The disadvantage is that they're more expensive and that if you damage your neck, you can't simply replace it like with bolt-on necks.
On the other hand, the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige comes with Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.
Winner: ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Multi-Voicing Pickups
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- Strap Lock
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Retainer Bar
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 48mm (1.89'').
This is considered a wide width for a 7-string guitar. It gives your fingers the extra space you need to play without muting accidentally, but this also makes bar chords harder to perform, especially if you have small hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
In this case, both have a scale length of 27".
This is a scale used for baritones and guitars with more than 6 strings. Since the scale is so long, the tension of the strings will be higher. This means that bending will require a lot more strength than with a shorter scale. However, it also allows you to use really low tunings without causing fret buzz and without needing to increase your string gauge too much.
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune has a U type of neck. This is also referred to as ''baseball neck'' because of its shape. It's usually thick, which is why some people with big hands like it. However, they can also be thin, similar to a C shape, but with more shoulders for a better grip.
The Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige, on the other hand, has a Wizard neck. This is thinner than most C-type necks. It won't get in your way if you want to play fast solos. It's not as slim as 'Super Wizard' necks, so it might fit you better if you don't like ultra-thin necks.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige.
Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune favors large hands more than the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige.
ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune:
Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige:
Fret Size
The ESP E-II M-II 7B Baritone Evertune has XL Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Ibanez RG2027XL Prestige's Jumbo frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.
