Ibanez 540R Japan Red

Ibanez 540R

The 540R is a Radius series solid body electric guitar model introduced by Ibanez in 1987. It was manufactured in Japan by FujiGen and is part of the renowned Roadstar Pro series.

The 540R was released alongside the 540P Power and 540S Saber models, each featuring distinct body shapes. Originally referred to as the PRO540R, the “Radius” body design resembles a traditional double cutaway Stratocaster-style guitar, but with more sculpted and fluid contours. Its side profile features an airfoil-like shape, making the body thinner at the top and thicker at the bottom for improved ergonomics and comfort.

This model features a basswood body paired with a bolt-on maple neck and a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard with pearloid dot inlays. It is equipped with DiMarzio-made IBZ/USA pickups, including an F1 humbucker in the bridge position and two C1 noiseless stacked single-coil pickups in the neck and middle positions. Additional hardware includes a double locking tremolo system and Gotoh tuning machines.

The fingerboard inlay style evolved over the production years. Early models featured smaller pearl dot inlays, which were updated around 1989 to larger standard-sized dots. Between 1990 and 1992, models included both the standard dots and a “Custom Made” inlay at the 21st fret. Despite the label, these guitars were not custom-order instruments but standard production models. This “Custom Made” inlay was also seen on other models such as the 540S and 540R-LTD.