Ibanez has aided players in their quest for greater low end and experimenting with alternate tunings by offering 7-string guitars, and 6-string guitars with stock D-Tuners. Now comes a fresh assault in achieving new lows, Ibanez RG guitars featuring XL necks with a 27" inch scale.

Commented Jim Donahue of Ibanez, "one of the drawbacks to lower tunings on a standard 6-string guitar is the loss of articulation; the strings just get floppy." But, says Donahue, the 27" inch scale provides higher string tension even in very low tunings "so everything stays nice, tight and clear."

Ibanez is offering XL 27" necks on three s. The RG1077XL, which is a 7-string with double locking trem, lists for $1499.99. The RG470XL, a 6-string with double locking tremolo, lists for just $799.99 as does the RG7421XL, a seven-string with a fixed bridge.