Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection vs Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged
Reasons to Get
Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection over Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged
Reasons to Get
Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged over Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection
Other Key Differences
Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection vs Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged
Shared Features
Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection vs Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
Common Weaknesses
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
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Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection vs Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged: Which One is Better?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged is probably the better product overall with its final score of 74 compared to the Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection's 73 score, although not by a lot.
The Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged wins when it comes to build quality. On the other hand, the Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection has the upper hand when it comes to sound, playability, value for the money.
If you got small hands, none of these guitars will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.
Which Guitar is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged is the better choice.
The Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection meets only 4. 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.
Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection
- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Wide nut
- Comfortable neck
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged
- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Wide nut
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Locking tuners
- Comfortable fretboard
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing a guitar, 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.
Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection Overview
- From Ibanez's 2021 RG series
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 17" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- Maple/Walnut neck
- Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: V8 (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Infinity R (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Edge tremolo bridge
- Super Wizard Bolt-On neck
- 24 Jumbo frets
- Gotoh machine heads tuners
- Compare Specs >
Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged Overview
- From Gibson's 2020 Gibson Murphy Lab Collection series
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- 3-Ply Maple/Poplar/Maple body
- Solid Mahogany neck
- Indian Rosewood, Hide Glue Fit fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Gibson Custombucker Alnico 3 (Unpotted) (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Gibson Custombucker Alnico 3 (Unpotted) (Humbucker/Passive)
- 2 volume and 2 tone Bell knobs
- 3-way Switch
- ABR-1 bridge
- Authentic 64 Medium C-Shape Set neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo frets
- Kluson Single Line Strip with Metal Buttons tuners
- Weight around 8.125lbs (3.7kgs)
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar 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 Guitars

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 Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection

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 Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged


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.
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Winner: Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged.
Pickup Configuration
Both guitars have an HH pickup configuration. 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
The Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged pickups from a more specialized brand than the Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection. Its pickups should give you a fuller, richer sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Jazz and similar genres.
Both guitars 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: Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged.
Versatility Comparison
Some guitars offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both guitars compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
The Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection gives you 5 switch options while the Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged gives you 3. This means that the Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection 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.
Here's the diagram comparing all the pickup combinations you can get with both guitars:


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 RG565 Genesis Collection.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the guitar. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection compares to the Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged.
Country of Origin Comparison
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection is built in Japan while the Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged is made in United States.
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.
The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.
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 guitar 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 Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection has 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.
On the other hand, the Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged comes with a Nylon nut. It used to be one of the highest quality materials for nuts (and still is), but it's rare to find nowadays because it's hard to work with. It's a very resistant material with very low friction, so it will keep the guitar in tune and will last for a long time
Winner: Tie.
Fret Material
Most guitar fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most guitars end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive guitars come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of these guitars 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 Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection's brige is a Edge. This is a double-locking tremolo system designed by Ibanez. It's a tremolo inspired by Floyd Roses but with its own design improvements, like a push-in arm, better-positioned fine-tuners for more right-hand comfortability, replaceable knife edges, and more mass for more sustain. These bridges offer tons of versatility, but they also require more work than simpler tremolos to set up.
On the other hand, the Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged's is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.
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 RG565 Genesis Collection.
Tuners
Both these guitars come with regular tuners. The Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection's are Gotoh machine heads while the Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged's are Kluson Single Line Strip with Metal Buttons
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.
The Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection has 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.
On the other hand, the Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged comes with Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.
Winner: Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection
- Made in Japan
- Locking Nut
- Tremolo
- Retainer Bar
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Expensive Woods
- No Top Brand Pickups
- 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
Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Nylon Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Tremolo
- 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 the playability of both guitars. Bear in mind that the guitar will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test a guitar before buying it. 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 guitar for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar is 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 we're comparing guitars. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width Comparison

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both guitars have a nut width of 43mm (1.693'').
This size is also known as 1 11/16'' and it's the most common size found in guitars. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.
Scale Length Comparison


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.
The Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection has the longest scale: 25.5". The Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.75'' (19.1mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
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 Comparison


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 guitars have different neck shapes:
The Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection has a Super Wizard type of neck. Ibanez is famous for this neck shape. They're similar to C-shaped necks, but they're even thinner. Some people like it because it gives them all the free room they need to play fast single notes (shredding). But some people prefer a thicker type of neck they can grab and rest their hands more comfortably.
The Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged, on the other hand, has a C 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.
Fretboard Radius Comparison


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 Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection'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 RG565 Genesis Collection.
Still, both guitars 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.
After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both guitars in this comparison favor small hands .
Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection:
Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged:
Fret Size Comparison


The Ibanez RG565 Genesis Collection has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Gibson 1964 Trini Lopez Standard Ebony Ultra Light Aged's Medium 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.