EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption vs Ibanez RG8527 j.custom
Reasons to Get
EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption over Ibanez RG8527 j.custom
Reasons to Get
Ibanez RG8527 j.custom over EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption
Other Key Differences
EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption vs Ibanez RG8527 j.custom
Shared Features
EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption vs Ibanez RG8527 j.custom
Common Strengths
- Top Pickup Brand
Common Weaknesses
- Neck-Through Build
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- 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 Ibanez RG8527 j.custom is probably the better product overall with its final score of 76 compared to the EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption's 69 score, although not by a lot.
The Ibanez RG8527 j.custom wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality. On the other hand, the EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption is easier to play.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption is the better choice.
The EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Ibanez RG8527 j.custom 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
EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Ibanez RG8527 j.custom- 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.
EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption Overview
- From EVH's 2022 Striped series
- Made in Mexico
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- Quartersawn Maple neck
- Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: EVH Wolfgang Humbucking (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 0 tone Bell knobs
- 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Fender Strat Synchronized Tremolo with 43mm Brass Block bridge
- EVH Modified C Backshape Bolt-On neck
- 22 Jumbo frets
- EVH-Branded Gotoh tuners
- Compare Specs >
Ibanez RG8527 j.custom Overview
- From Ibanez's 2023 RG series
- Made in Japan
- 7 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 17" Fretboard Radius
- AAA Flamed Maple (4mm) top
- African Mahogany body
- Maple/Wenge neck
- Bound Macassar Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: DiMarzio PAF 7 (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: DiMarzio PAF 7 (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Lo-Pro Edge 7 bridge
- RG j.custom 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.
Woods Used in the EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption
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.
Woods Used in the Ibanez RG8527 j.custom
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.
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Winner: Ibanez RG8527 j.custom.
Pickup Configuration
The EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption has an H configuration while the Ibanez RG8527 j.custom has HH pickups.
A single H pickup gives you the advantage of having a little longer sustain (all other things being equal) because there will be less magnetic fields from other pickups affecting the strings' vibration. However, they also give you the least versatility because you won't have other pickups at different distances from the bridge to create different tones. A single humbucking pickup is used for noiseless high output, which is used mainly for Hard Rock genres.
On the other hand, 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.
However, the EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Winner: EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption.
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 RG8527 j.custom gives you 5 switch options while the EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption gives you 0. This means that the Ibanez RG8527 j.custom gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.
The EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption doesn't come with pickup switching options.
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 RG8527 j.custom.
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 EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption compares to the Ibanez RG8527 j.custom.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption is built in Mexico while the Ibanez RG8527 j.custom is made in Japan.
Mexico has been for a long time where Fender has built their semi-premium series. If you don't want to overpay for a wellp-built instrument, a guitar built in this country by a good brand always offers good value for the money.
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: Ibanez RG8527 j.custom
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 EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption has a Brass nut. Guitarists used to love brass nuts due to the bright tone and good sustain they help achieve. However, now they use Bone more often since it can also produce a bright tone and longer sustain, but it's also oily, which helps to keep the guitar in tune.
On the other hand, the Ibanez RG8527 j.custom 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: Ibanez RG8527 j.custom.
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 EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption's brige is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.
On the other hand, the Ibanez RG8527 j.custom'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: Ibanez RG8527 j.custom.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption's are EVH-Branded Gotoh while the Ibanez RG8527 j.custom's are Gotoh machine heads
Winner: Tie.
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.
Both have a 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: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Mexico
- No Expensive Woods
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Ibanez RG8527 j.custom
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Retainer Bar
- Strap Lock
- 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
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, the Ibanez RG8527 j.custom has the wider nut with 48mm (1.89'') vs 42.9mm (1.688''). This is a 5.1mm (0.202'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Ibanez RG8527 j.custom, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big 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 25.5".
This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.
However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.
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 EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
The Ibanez RG8527 j.custom, 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 EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption is the only one with a compound radius. This is a huge win because it will give you the best of both worlds: a more curved radius in the first few frets for chords, and flatter as you come closer to the body for soloing.
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 Ibanez RG8527 j.custom favors large hands more than the EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption.
EVH Striped Series '78 Eruption:
Ibanez RG8527 j.custom:
Fret Size
Both have a Jumbo fret size. This is one of the tallest frets you can get. You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. It will give you the best sustain and all types of chords will be easier to play. However, you can end up changing the pitch of your notes if you press too hard, which is something people used to feeling the fretboard do when trying Jumbo frets for the first time.
