I think it was smart to have a fixed bridge on this particular model. Most new players want or expect a tremolo bridge, but for this price point and for new players in general, having a fixed bridge is the best option for tuning stability and playability.
I bought an Ibanez GIO GRG170DX about 14 years ago it still plays and sounds great, plays as well as much more expensive guitars I've had. These GIO models are incredible guitars for the money, any learner of intermediate player would definitely do worse than getting on these. The finish on the 121SP here looks brilliant. John Connearn ( Digital John ) from Andertons absolutely was blown away by this guitar. Don't buy into the hype of over expensive guitars that most players do not need. These are superb instruments as good as most more expensive models. Good Video.
I can’t speak for all of the gios or even the exact one in this video that I bought I might have just gotten lucky but it does beat the quality overall of all the standards I’ve had and even a prestige I’ve had before had problems with the poorly designed zr trem bar and its saddle screw holes stripping out i can see why they discontinued it
I love Ibanez. I have a couple of their Bass guitars and a couple 6 strings and I have found over the years that Ibanez is one of the most consistent for quality and one of the least controversial which is something I appreciate greatly.
@@bobhawke7373I have an RG300 an a cheaper Soundgear GIO model. I actually prefer the GIO. I've had loads of bother with my Indonesia made bass. Which bass are u playing?
I've learned over the years not to let price make the decision on weather a guitar is any good or not. The CNC machines that produce 97% of the guitars these days are all capable of the same close tolerances (it's all digital.) A good player can make even an inexpensive guitar sound expensive. This video is solid proof of that.
The CNC machines only cut and shape the bodies and necks which is the grunt work. They still have to be assembled and soldered by hand and that work done poorly can turn the best components into a dog. Ibanez has always had exceptional quality control.
Excellent playing and a very fair, useful review. Having tried a few, I agree with your final assessment. An excellent choice for beginners and intermediate players.
My second guitar was a gio in midnight blue and I for one can vouch for the quality, even though it’s basically the equivalent of a Korean LTD in terms of build. It has the shark tooth inlay. I forget what the hum bucker’s were but they sounded great. Ran through an overdrive boosted amplifier. I still run it as my main guitar today and drop b. The only difference is I took out the middle single coil and replace all of the pick ups with the periphery Seymour Duncan’s.
No excuse for manufacturers to not be able to put out decent budget level guitars. CNC machines are fast and can hold really consistent and tight tolerances. It's the fret sprout that kills them. I had a budget Ibanez that had fret sprout and I spent the time correcting it and a not even a year later it happened again like I never touched the frets with a file. Maybe it's just a matter of manufacturers properly drying the wood for the necks? Not sure but anyway, awesome review. Love your playing! ;)
You know,......There is no reason they need to make the neck out of one piece of wood like a baseball bat. How many years have builder's been using stable plywood? How many years have builders been using laminated timbers for strength? Some may claim that the neck of a guitar has to be built of a single piece of wood for tone, but I think that's BS. I think if the necks were build of laminated wood, there would be less warping like other products. Guitar necks have been built of aluminum, carbon fiber and other materials so laminated lumber is not so radical. Maybe, they could even use bamboo. (Maybe this one does use multiple pieces of wood.) This may help to not have to file the frets. Good playing as always.
Not drying the wood is one issue. Another is if the wood comes from a very humid environment, then it might not dry, no matter what they do (or so I've heard). In terms of tone, I'm not sure it makes much of a difference.
@@daniellarson3068 a lot of companies are using richlite for fretboards now, that's a man made material that apparently works incredibly well, and isn't affected by humidity.
@@MrPolevaulter Yes - Firewood takes 6 months to dry (season). it seems that almost all lumber I buy is kiln dried. the exception is pressure treated wood which is often wet. Necks are sometimes roasted so kiln drying necks is not radical.
Gios perform really well. I went for a grg170 which is 249€ in Germany. Got it set up by the local guitar store to play drop b with 13-62 light Baritone strings actually. So wuite a challenge for a budget Standart scale guitar. Just had to change a few mm's on the nut. It plays so great, even the stock pickups work in the low tunings. Since i developed in playing i got pricier guitars by now but i always come back to my gio
Hey Elmo...Cheers...Yes, I bit the bullet and purchased this guitar as a Beginner for my 9 year old Granddaughter! :) You sold me on it and the color shift is perfect for a Princess! I was serious considering the Mikro but after this video I decided an extra 100 bucks would be worth the investment for the furthure if she sticks with playing! Thanks again my friend!!!! Peace :)
One of my favorite guitars is an ibanez gio gax double-cut. it's a 24.75-in scale length without a tune o matic bridges (i think these bridges are outdated and i dont understand why it is the default bridge for this scale length). Bolt on neck, no frills, but feels amazing. i think i got it for about a hundred dollars used last year.
I absolutely love that you play a little Gary Moore with most of your reviews. Thanks for the memories and the hard work to help us out with our decisions.
Great review. I value your honesty and lack of bias. Just yesterday I took the plunge and bought my first Ibanez…an Axion Label with Bare Knuckle pick up’s and it seems like there will be more Ibanez in my future…
I absolutely love mine. ive had it for about 6 months now, its my 17th guitar and its the 1st guitar ive ever purchased by being wooed by the appearance first. After picking it up and playing it, i knew i had to have. I like the neck pickup tbh. The bridge pickup however is getting a dimarzio tone zone soon, and im excited for this pup to come to life in sound just as enthusiasticly as it is to play
Too bad they didn't add a whammy bar to this... I'm still thinking of getting this anyway... A question; if this was your guitar you'd use on gigs, what pickups would you have in this? Are you personally satisfied with the ones it comes with, or would you change them to let's say, DiMarzios or Seymour Duncans? These days I mainly play acoustic, but I need an all round electric. This thingy sounds as it could do the job. The 5- way switch is very good touch in this. Keep on rockin', player ‼️🤩👌💥❤️
From my experience with this fine channel I likely wouldn't personally buy anything until I checked in with Sir Elmo here first for his honest, truly Pro Level musician's opinion. I would also definitely see what Phillip McKnight had to say too as I've learned a "boatload" about the manufacturing side of things too from Phil.
Just started my guitar journey a few days ago with one of these--got "used" in mint condition (can't tell it was used at all, maybe just in store) for $250. If nothing else, I know I got a good and beautiful instrument.
So the message that Ibanez are sending is "Why buy an off-brand guitar when you can have a very nice Ibanez for only a little more money ?" Polishing the frets and fixing the fret sprout is cheap, and you can add a set of great pickups if you don't like the stock ones.
Been playing Ibanez since '84 Red Roadstar 2. I've Had jems, prestiges & jcustoms. I see this cheapass iby Gio stop tail, 24 frets, hsh, 5way, shark inlay & bound neck couldn't believe how legit it looked but....$80!!! I asked to knock off $10 for gouge on back of body, they gave me sales tax so $80 for the best playing, most bang for the buck lower level(?) guitar.
I got an grg131dx and it’s a great guitar for its price. It did require a bit of setup but after that it plays really nicely. I ended up putting some EMG pickups in and it’s as good to play as most of my more expensive guitars. The only thing that annoys me is that the red on the pick guitars doesn’t match the other reds used on the guitar.
I have several Ibanez Gio guitars, and most of them are excellent. The nearest i have to this model is a GRG120QASP-BGD which has a good trem, it is as close as you will get spec wise. I also have an Eart E-3S which beats the Ibanez but only just. Guitars in these price ranges can be hit or miss, with Ibanez Gio models i would advise inspecting and playing a few samples before buying one.
Glad you went over this guitar. I heard Phil say this as well and was want a review of this. Your reviews are always honest. I really would like to get that Eart but I just picked up a Sire S3 . I always appreciate and believe your reviews Master Shred er. Good Day from Michigan
When I decided to change my beginner guitar in the past, I had a chance to try many mid-range guitars in the old Keymusic megashop. I got very disappointed then with the Ibanez guitars as well, even thought that they were fake Ibanez ones. Yes they looked great but the frets, wood quality on the board neck, everything was quite terrible. PRS SE's, I had the same disappointment, could not believe they can be real. The best quality branded ones in the middle class were musicman guitars, Esp LTDs, schecters and gretsch guitars. In the end I have not bought a branded guitar, but get one made.
@@thedivineherself This color is absoluetly amazing but i also recommend to checking yellow - green color on this guitar. I didn't considered that color because yellow - green wasn't avalible at my country. I wouldn't recommend to black color. It is not looking bad but it is not competeable with other ones.
This thing truly is a joy to play. Honestly one of my favorite guitars I've ever owned regardless of price. I was in my local shop a day or two after seeing Phillip's video and I had to have it. Stuck a set of D Activators in it and it came to life. The stock pickups are indeed poop, but that's to be expected. The neck feels absolutely fantastic. Was skeptical of the jatoba fretboard until I got the guitar in my hands. The only two knocks I have to give it. #1 the finish is paper thin. Was adjusting the pickup height and nudged the shaft of the screwdriver against the cavity slightly and a piece of it flaked right off. I also wish the frets were jumbo instead of medium, but that's not the end of the world. I can still do all my legato shenanigans just fine on it.
My kind of guitar. I have a Schecter that's something like this which I got for about $200 new and popped in a DiMarzio Super Distortion/Air Norton set and it sounds and plays great. The only thing is the neck is a bit too shreddy for my taste. I'll have to try out this Ibanez because I prefer more C shaped necks. Of course, I'll pop in one of the many DiMarzio sets I own, probably a Tone Zone/Air Norton set. It depends how how much brightness and low end the Ibanez has.
I wouldnt put much emphasis on thoman reviews especially if its only a few of them and if its for guitars. Also they offer the GRX120SP-MLM which is the same guitar but with a vintage style whammy bar and different colour.
Gios perform really well. I went for a grg170 which is 249€ in Germany. Got it set up by the local guitar store to play drop b with 13-62 light Baritone strings actually. So wuite a challenge for a budget Standart scale guitar. Just had to change a few mm's on the nut. It plays so great, even the stock pickups work in the low tunings. Since i developed in playing i got pricier guitars by now but i always come back to my gio
Great video! Looks like you were having a grand time shredding away. Awesome! I have to admit I liked the sound you were getting out of those pickups better than I like the quantum pickups in my RGA42FM. Mines a bit more upscale than the gio but given how it sounded, I don't think it's by much. I saw one of those in my local guitar shop and I was tempted. I bought a Boss Katana mk2 head instead. I stand by my decision but dang, that's a sweet guitar.
I have an 20 year old Gax 70, it's my wife's that i ended up with from when we were teenagers, it's actually a surprisingly decent guitar considering you can pick them up for under $150, even in todays market
@@MrPolevaulter You and Phillip are just average players, so your opinions are just that. Btw, only an idiot would take a 1-star review on a guitar and run with it. It you did any research, you would have see that was an anomaly.
I have an AZES that I bought last year, intending to use it to mod and to learn to work on guitars. It’s very sufficient as it is, after spending an hour setting it up and polishing frets that is. The longer I’ve had it the more I think I’ll keep it as is I have played, or seen, some sub $400 Ibanez guitars that were not good; bridge posts being installed into very soft wood seeming to be the most common problem, and then poor fret work sometimes. I also have two very inexpensive Ibanez bass guitars that are very nice! Try out the guitar first, but there are definitely some bottom shelf gems from Indonesia!
Elmo can play. And the guitar seems to do well. I wonder how many Ibanez made of this model to have enough bad apples get through QC for the Thomann reviews. Shame they got through, but not unheard of. Yeah, those EART guitars have challenged the makers and we are getting some competition now. Great stuff!
For some reason, you guys from the Nordic region, Finland, Sweden, Denmark areas are Awesome guitarist! Yngwie Malmsteen, Andy LaRocque, Michael Denner, Hank Sherman, Pete Blakk, Etc.
Nice! I would put a covered Steve’s Special,(push pull series -parallel and phase reverse, DiMarzio is reverse to other pickups), in the bridge and US spec electronics in it.
Thanks for the review. Seriously considering consolidating my few guitars into one Ibanez RG Prestige. Good to know quality control is good even at this level, gives me some confidence a MIJ prestige should be good. Will not buy before trying at that level though.
Had one of these for about 3 days because I actually loved it but it had this weird sound and I found that one of the tuning pegs was severely bent... So yeah, if there's a bunch of quality issues like that I can see he bad reviews, but if you get one that's built really well than yeah, it's an absolute steal imo.
@@MrPolevaulter Yeah it was a bummer, but I when I returned it I saw they had a PRS SE Standard 24 for $450 and with my $300 back I splurged and grabbed it so everything turned out in the end! Lol
someone said in another video that the baked neck is probably fake though if it’s more stable than most guitars I’ve had before including those way more expensive that probably is torrefied wood I guess no one has the black version but at least from some angles mine like this one looks blue just so it’s not a kirk hammett esp copy but i sticker a lot of my guitars anyways also changing pickups which sometimes improves tone or at least makes it uniquely your own
If you can please demo a Blackstar TVP or the newer replacement Silverline model ( Boss Katana definitely influenced by the TVP range if you take a look back ). Really a step up in to a different league to these ID Core models . Simple and intuitive valve emulating amps with a few more EQ options and really pack a valve feeling kick from the TVP tech used in these amps These also run a really simple and intuitive Architect software for extra features but essentially not necessary as you can get so much from the amp controls Love my valve amps but the Blackstar stuff keeps me coming back due to its many tone options ( even the headphone out has cab emulation so great tone to PA or DAW is easy to achieve ) Blackstar tends to get the cop out pigeon holed tag for Metal playing but this company is very innovative and constantly creating new and unique products for the player ( even released the Amped 1 and Amped 2 pedal board amps products recently ) and great tone is achievable from clean to scream
I tried one on holiday and now I have one to play when visiting my hometown. It was simply too nice for the price to not buy. I would have regretted not buying it.
Hey Elmo, thanks for making the video. Just ordered and got it delivered for a birthday present for a friend. Firstly it looks like the one star review on Thomann was the first review for the blue one or what?! All the other ones were surprisingly 5 stars and that is bull crap if you ask me. I ordered a black one and I can see a few flaws in the finish (especially on the back, glue joints, bad sanding underneath the paint), even a small dent on the front, so no 5 stars here, the setup ... hmmm I don't know, I get some fret buzz, I think the nut was cut a bit too deep, maybe the strings it came with are very soft. Also the bridge saddles are surprisingly high which I do not think makes a good thing to have. The neck looks good (if you do not mind the edge of the finger board having slight burrs, it is not flush and neet like a HB Tele or Yamaha Pacifica), the frets look good but need work to make them good, so no 5 stars here ... I am maybe regretting my purchase. Bought this one because it looks a bit more metal that the Pacifica, but I wonder if the Pacifica would be a better choice quality wise. Still have to see/hear how it performs plugged in to an amp. It looks like Phillip got a really good one (or got payed for a fake review to get them to sell), I did not. So maybe 3 stars for my opinion. Have you changed the strings, did any other setup before playing it? I wonder if a 10-48 will be a better match for it. I expected it to be a bit more refined as it is a very simple guitar, no trem, no fancy electronics, no inlays, ... so to conclude, it is a cheap guitar and do not expect much. You will have to put a few hours of work to make it play and feel decent.
In the end I returned this one as well and bought a GRG121DX in a store in mu town, matte black, for 252eur and it is miles better than the SP. The setup was almost perfect out of the box, finish flawless, everything as it should be. For the 80eur difference I bought the very cool Ibanez gigbag.
Only two reviews (total) in Thomann giving it the lowest score because they drew the short stick in the QC lottery. Doesn't sound bad and it has roasted maple neck plus a pretty sparkly finish, hardtail bridge is a nice bonus.
Well my ladd .I just bought the brother to that guitar your shredding the crap out of as usual your awesome and I pay attention to your input on music gear.i bought the black night . Kool name awesome guitar .shredding on me ladd.maker squeal like a willder beast willda Beast lol .
Probably would drop in new pups, new nut if that's made of plastic, tuning keys as well. But it seems like a nice looking guitar of bare bones to work with. Thanks for the review.
Everyone getting on the Ibanez tip now🤘😁. Em pretty much a lifetime ibanez rg player. They're just so versatile and reliable you can play almost anything on them
Have to say it sounded pretty good to me throughout your review - good humbuckers I think - I wonder if they do a version without the humbucker covers. That neck is just the kind of neck that would appeal to me.
I am a massive Ibanez GIO lover and have a GRX70 and a GSA60 so was really interested in this review. What a lovely guitar and DAM you can play 🫣🤘😜 great review thanks
cool guitar ,, colour is mind blowing and what a great review, maybe this one with a wammy bar might have tuning issues ,saying that is cos' I have a ''cheap'' Ibanez myself and swap the tremolo and a set of tuners from a Fender .And if you still have your BM 75 ,,go check DJ boogie and take a peek of how he toyed with his.Thanks again for the review.
Maybe Thomann should have tried a few more times with the GIO, sorta like how Glenn "HB" Fricker took three or four attempts to like the guitar Thomann sent him to review, recently. Seems fair, and it wouldn't be like Thomann are biased or anything, would it?
I would really like to try out the sire guitars especially the les paul style one for 500 to 600. It supposedly has some of the best necks you can buy.
Sounded like a bit of Rory Gallagher at 8 min mark , also i have the Gio 140dx i think it was called its 10 years old but still my fav guitar as is so easy to play fast and i can play on it a lot longer than my Les Paul without feeling worn out
If you want a proper "game changing" Ibanez try the RG421 - same selector switch format but with a beautiful through neck. So nice even my girlfriend told me to buy it!
I had the m10 version...frets where really scratchy and ruff... polishing would take care of that...but I had a lot of bad frets,raised and very rough fret ends...again can be fixed but for more cost. Pickups were decent as were tuners
Yo Elmo! Great review man. I have this guitar and it's fantastic! Also, is that the pink Dean Custom Zone beside you? I have that one in pink as well! Both are great guitars!
These aren't bad, really. I bought one to just play around with. I got the Ibanez GRG120QASP GRG Series . While these are made in China, My 1980"s RG series is made in Japan. There is quite a difference in the thickness of the neck, the newer one is thicker. The tremolo is rather weak on the newer one, I have a Floyd Rose on my older one. It's ok but does not compare to my RG 560 R, which I'm having to re-finish due to massive water damage.
@@MrPolevaulter Got it thanks. Btw what are your views on the Ibanez Genesis RG 550. Another price bracket altogether, I know, but it seems quite nice. Even the tremolo is fully reliable I think.
Have you tried the Harley Benton R 446? Its 100€ cheaper but i just wanna know if that one is good, ive seen lots of reviews saying it is, just wondering if the 100€ increase for this will be worth it, if it is ill go with this one, thanks :]
Last year I bought a Squier Bullet Stratocaster. After watching several reviews, mostly negative. I got it anyway because of the price and my past experiences with Squire. I bought some setup equipment and after three months of playing the guitar i did a setup. For the first time in my life. With a lot of trial and error I got it dialed in. I ended up selling it to a Young Man who wanted a cheap playable stratocaster that he could learn on. He loves it. Is it the greatest? No. But i liked it, he likes it, alot. So for me that's what its about. Its about YOU liking it. Its smart to learn as much as you can when entering the quitar world, but the options are endless and so are the opinions. I don't regret buying that Bullet at all. The frets where scratchy, the intonation was off, and even though it was a hardtail the tuning stability was terrible. Fret sprout, imperfections in the paint, cheap everything. The neck was nice, but they didn't sand it well at all. I found out that although the tuners where sub par, the issues with tuning had more to due with cheap strings that weren't even broke in. So when i did the setup and put better strings on it and learned how to stretch the strings and retune. Guess what? It stayed in tune. Not forever, but enough to get through a practice session. I didn't mod anything. I sanded and polished the frets, filed the fret ends, touched up the neck, conditioned the fretboard, dialed in the action, string radius, pickup height and intonation. Is the body Poplar? Yep. Are the electronic subpar? Yep. Ceramic pickups, cheap tuners and the list goes on. It cost me like 200 bucks for that guitar. I put labor and love into it. Modded nothing, and regardless of what anyone thinks it turned out to be a decent guitar for practice. 200 bucks? Get outta here! The lesson? Next time, I'm buying a used guitar that has lived through its infancy and has been professionally set up. Right now im eyeing a used Classic Vibe, professionally setup with gig bag. Along with a used Boss 50 Amp from a reputable dealer for 550 including shipping. Both are mint! In new condition. You couldn't come close to that if you bought new with setup and all. Even then, guitars need time before you really know what or if there's anything wrong with them. Used is perfect for that reason. Especially if money is an issue. Odds are you won't lose as much money if you ever have to resell a used guitar as well. For me, used from a reputable dealer is the way to go. Love your reviews thank you!
Can you please review the ibanez grgr131ex ? It's in the same prize range and you're the only reviewer i trust. I'm confused between this one and that one. Your reviwe would help me out a lot. Thanks elmo !
Check out cheap alternatives to this: th-cam.com/video/MsEp-yPTRWo/w-d-xo.html
I think it was smart to have a fixed bridge on this particular model. Most new players want or expect a tremolo bridge, but for this price point and for new players in general, having a fixed bridge is the best option for tuning stability and playability.
I bought an Ibanez GIO GRG170DX about 14 years ago it still plays and sounds great, plays as well as much more expensive guitars I've had. These GIO models are incredible guitars for the money, any learner of intermediate player would definitely do worse than getting on these. The finish on the 121SP here looks brilliant. John Connearn ( Digital John ) from Andertons absolutely was blown away by this guitar. Don't buy into the hype of over expensive guitars that most players do not need. These are superb instruments as good as most more expensive models. Good Video.
I can’t speak for all of the gios or even the exact one in this video that I bought I might have just gotten lucky but it does beat the quality overall of all the standards I’ve had and even a prestige I’ve had before had problems with the poorly designed zr trem bar and its saddle screw holes stripping out i can see why they discontinued it
The way the Guitar changes Colors from Blue to Purple is Awesome.. Nice Guitar
Sure is.
I love Ibanez. I have a couple of their Bass guitars and a couple 6 strings and I have found over the years that Ibanez is one of the most consistent for quality and one of the least controversial which is something I appreciate greatly.
I've just switched to bass after 20 years of playing Ibanez guitars. And yes. Ibanez bass. Why change?
@@bobhawke7373I have an RG300 an a cheaper Soundgear GIO model. I actually prefer the GIO. I've had loads of bother with my Indonesia made bass. Which bass are u playing?
I've learned over the years not to let price make the decision on weather a guitar is any good or not. The CNC machines that produce 97% of the guitars these days are all capable of the same close tolerances (it's all digital.) A good player can make even an inexpensive guitar sound expensive. This video is solid proof of that.
Cheers :)
The CNC machines only cut and shape the bodies and necks which is the grunt work. They still have to be assembled and soldered by hand and that work done poorly can turn the best components into a dog. Ibanez has always had exceptional quality control.
I just dropped fishman fluence moderns in mine, and now its insane how good it is.
Cool :)
Excellent playing and a very fair, useful review. Having tried a few, I agree with your final assessment. An excellent choice for beginners and intermediate players.
Thanks Lou!
My second guitar was a gio in midnight blue and I for one can vouch for the quality, even though it’s basically the equivalent of a Korean LTD in terms of build. It has the shark tooth inlay. I forget what the hum bucker’s were but they sounded great. Ran through an overdrive boosted amplifier. I still run it as my main guitar today and drop b. The only difference is I took out the middle single coil and replace all of the pick ups with the periphery Seymour Duncan’s.
No excuse for manufacturers to not be able to put out decent budget level guitars. CNC machines are fast and can hold really consistent and tight tolerances. It's the fret sprout that kills them. I had a budget Ibanez that had fret sprout and I spent the time correcting it and a not even a year later it happened again like I never touched the frets with a file. Maybe it's just a matter of manufacturers properly drying the wood for the necks? Not sure but anyway, awesome review. Love your playing! ;)
You know,......There is no reason they need to make the neck out of one piece of wood like a baseball bat. How many years have builder's been using stable plywood? How many years have builders been using laminated timbers for strength? Some may claim that the neck of a guitar has to be built of a single piece of wood for tone, but I think that's BS. I think if the necks were build of laminated wood, there would be less warping like other products. Guitar necks have been built of aluminum, carbon fiber and other materials so laminated lumber is not so radical. Maybe, they could even use bamboo. (Maybe this one does use multiple pieces of wood.) This may help to not have to file the frets. Good playing as always.
Not drying the wood is one issue. Another is if the wood comes from a very humid environment, then it might not dry, no matter what they do (or so I've heard). In terms of tone, I'm not sure it makes much of a difference.
@@daniellarson3068 a lot of companies are using richlite for fretboards now, that's a man made material that apparently works incredibly well, and isn't affected by humidity.
@@MrPolevaulter Yes - Firewood takes 6 months to dry (season). it seems that almost all lumber I buy is kiln dried. the exception is pressure treated wood which is often wet. Necks are sometimes roasted so kiln drying necks is not radical.
Fret sprout is so easy to remedy, that it’s a non-issue.
I was always told to stay away from Gio’s but I feel like I’ve been lied to. This looks excellent overall.
It was nice for sure.
I feel like this is the start of a new Gio line.
Gios perform really well.
I went for a grg170 which is 249€ in Germany.
Got it set up by the local guitar store to play drop b with 13-62 light Baritone strings actually.
So wuite a challenge for a budget Standart scale guitar.
Just had to change a few mm's on the nut.
It plays so great, even the stock pickups work in the low tunings.
Since i developed in playing i got pricier guitars by now but i always come back to my gio
Hey Elmo...Cheers...Yes, I bit the bullet and purchased this guitar as a Beginner for my 9 year old Granddaughter! :) You sold me on it and the color shift is perfect for a Princess! I was serious considering the Mikro but after this video I decided an extra 100 bucks would be worth the investment for the furthure if she sticks with playing! Thanks again my friend!!!! Peace :)
One of my favorite guitars is an ibanez gio gax double-cut. it's a 24.75-in scale length without a tune o matic bridges (i think these bridges are outdated and i dont understand why it is the default bridge for this scale length). Bolt on neck, no frills, but feels amazing. i think i got it for about a hundred dollars used last year.
I absolutely love that you play a little Gary Moore with most of your reviews. Thanks for the memories and the hard work to help us out with our decisions.
I love the color. Almost bought one because it looked SO good.
Great review. I value your honesty and lack of bias. Just yesterday I took the plunge and bought my first Ibanez…an Axion Label with Bare Knuckle pick up’s and it seems like there will be more Ibanez in my future…
Thank you!
I absolutely love mine. ive had it for about 6 months now, its my 17th guitar and its the 1st guitar ive ever purchased by being wooed by the appearance first. After picking it up and playing it, i knew i had to have. I like the neck pickup tbh. The bridge pickup however is getting a dimarzio tone zone soon, and im excited for this pup to come to life in sound just as enthusiasticly as it is to play
Thanks buddy! Always a joy to watch your reviews! 😀
Too bad they didn't add a whammy bar to this... I'm still thinking of getting this anyway... A question; if this was your guitar you'd use on gigs, what pickups would you have in this? Are you personally satisfied with the ones it comes with, or would you change them to let's say, DiMarzios or Seymour Duncans?
These days I mainly play acoustic, but I need an all round electric. This thingy sounds as it could do the job. The 5- way switch is very good touch in this.
Keep on rockin', player ‼️🤩👌💥❤️
Cheers for the review Elmo 🙂
Thank you :)
Just ordered one after watching your video.. your playing is amazing, you really are a virtuoso.
Thank you!
From my experience with this fine channel I likely wouldn't personally buy anything until I checked in with Sir Elmo here first for his honest, truly Pro Level musician's opinion. I would also definitely see what Phillip McKnight had to say too as I've learned a "boatload" about the manufacturing side of things too from Phil.
Cheers!
Thanks for reviewing this guitar! I like your new background set up. It has a nice classy open look to it.
Cheers!
Just started my guitar journey a few days ago with one of these--got "used" in mint condition (can't tell it was used at all, maybe just in store) for $250. If nothing else, I know I got a good and beautiful instrument.
So the message that Ibanez are sending is "Why buy an off-brand guitar when you can have a very nice Ibanez for only a little more money ?"
Polishing the frets and fixing the fret sprout is cheap, and you can add a set of great pickups if you don't like the stock ones.
Been playing Ibanez since '84 Red Roadstar 2. I've Had jems, prestiges & jcustoms. I see this cheapass iby Gio stop tail, 24 frets, hsh, 5way, shark inlay & bound neck couldn't believe how legit it looked but....$80!!! I asked to knock off $10 for gouge on back of body, they gave me sales tax so $80 for the best playing, most bang for the buck lower level(?) guitar.
What can I say , I love cheap guitars because of Gio's. And now they have 24 frets !
I got an grg131dx and it’s a great guitar for its price. It did require a bit of setup but after that it plays really nicely.
I ended up putting some EMG pickups in and it’s as good to play as most of my more expensive guitars.
The only thing that annoys me is that the red on the pick guitars doesn’t match the other reds used on the guitar.
Cool bananas :)
I really appreciate your videos. That you are independent is important too. Honest reviews and tips from a music lover. Thanks!
I appreciate that!
I have several Ibanez Gio guitars, and most of them are excellent.
The nearest i have to this model is a GRG120QASP-BGD which has
a good trem, it is as close as you will get spec wise.
I also have an Eart E-3S which beats the Ibanez but only just.
Guitars in these price ranges can be hit or miss, with Ibanez Gio models i would advise
inspecting and playing a few samples before buying one.
Yes, always try before you buy.
It's an AZES but with dual humbuckers and an RG body. Love my AZES-40.
Glad you went over this guitar. I heard Phil say this as well and was want a review of this. Your reviews are always honest. I really would like to get that Eart but I just picked up a Sire S3 . I always appreciate and believe your reviews Master Shred er. Good Day from Michigan
Thanks :)
How's that sire? I love the goldtop S7... can't wait to try one out
When I decided to change my beginner guitar in the past, I had a chance to try many mid-range guitars in the old Keymusic megashop. I got very disappointed then with the Ibanez guitars as well, even thought that they were fake Ibanez ones. Yes they looked great but the frets, wood quality on the board neck, everything was quite terrible. PRS SE's, I had the same disappointment, could not believe they can be real. The best quality branded ones in the middle class were musicman guitars, Esp LTDs, schecters and gretsch guitars. In the end I have not bought a branded guitar, but get one made.
This video made me buy this guitar 2 month ago. I am very happy with my ibanez. Thank you for honest reaction.
Did you go with this same color or black?
@@reynaldosaezjr same color. It is incredible color but it's not looking good in this video because of light.
How does it look in real life? Which color is more dominated
@@thedivineherself This color is absoluetly amazing but i also recommend to checking yellow - green color on this guitar. I didn't considered that color because yellow - green wasn't avalible at my country. I wouldn't recommend to black color. It is not looking bad but it is not competeable with other ones.
@@erencelik1587
Tysm
This thing truly is a joy to play. Honestly one of my favorite guitars I've ever owned regardless of price. I was in my local shop a day or two after seeing Phillip's video and I had to have it. Stuck a set of D Activators in it and it came to life. The stock pickups are indeed poop, but that's to be expected. The neck feels absolutely fantastic. Was skeptical of the jatoba fretboard until I got the guitar in my hands.
The only two knocks I have to give it. #1 the finish is paper thin. Was adjusting the pickup height and nudged the shaft of the screwdriver against the cavity slightly and a piece of it flaked right off. I also wish the frets were jumbo instead of medium, but that's not the end of the world. I can still do all my legato shenanigans just fine on it.
Yeah, bigger frets would be nice.
The chimey sound I liked, that tone control seems to do a propper cut off on the low end. I like the versatility of these humbuckers.
My kind of guitar. I have a Schecter that's something like this which I got for about $200 new and popped in a DiMarzio Super Distortion/Air Norton set and it sounds and plays great. The only thing is the neck is a bit too shreddy for my taste. I'll have to try out this Ibanez because I prefer more C shaped necks. Of course, I'll pop in one of the many DiMarzio sets I own, probably a Tone Zone/Air Norton set. It depends how how much brightness and low end the Ibanez has.
The blue-purple color shifting is cool. Might be a good rhythm guitar.
I wouldnt put much emphasis on thoman reviews especially if its only a few of them and if its for guitars. Also they offer the GRX120SP-MLM which is the same guitar but with a vintage style whammy bar and different colour.
Yeah, I have that one on my wishlist.
Love your playing dude! Looks like this is my next guitar.
Thanks!
Gios perform really well.
I went for a grg170 which is 249€ in Germany.
Got it set up by the local guitar store to play drop b with 13-62 light Baritone strings actually.
So wuite a challenge for a budget Standart scale guitar.
Just had to change a few mm's on the nut.
It plays so great, even the stock pickups work in the low tunings.
Since i developed in playing i got pricier guitars by now but i always come back to my gio
Yeah. That guitar sounds great. Thanks for the review.
Thanks for watching!
Very good demo and review sir. The guitar looks really fantastic aside from its microphonic pickups lol
Thanks!
Great video! Looks like you were having a grand time shredding away. Awesome! I have to admit I liked the sound you were getting out of those pickups better than I like the quantum pickups in my RGA42FM. Mines a bit more upscale than the gio but given how it sounded, I don't think it's by much. I saw one of those in my local guitar shop and I was tempted. I bought a Boss Katana mk2 head instead. I stand by my decision but dang, that's a sweet guitar.
I have an 20 year old Gax 70, it's my wife's that i ended up with from when we were teenagers, it's actually a surprisingly decent guitar considering you can pick them up for under $150, even in todays market
Nice :)
I trust you and Phil's reviews over many other channels. Bought a Micro cube after watching your amp videos and love it.
Glad you enjoy it :)
Do you use Chicken Picks in your videos? 🤔
@@MrPolevaulter You and Phillip are just average players, so your opinions are just that. Btw, only an idiot would take a 1-star review on a guitar and run with it. It you did any research, you would have see that was an anomaly.
@@automatoncollectives7237 Aww... ♥️
@@cscap77 Nope. 1,5 Dunlops.
I have an AZES that I bought last year, intending to use it to mod and to learn to work on guitars. It’s very sufficient as it is, after spending an hour setting it up and polishing frets that is. The longer I’ve had it the more I think I’ll keep it as is
I have played, or seen, some sub $400 Ibanez guitars that were not good; bridge posts being installed into very soft wood seeming to be the most common problem, and then poor fret work sometimes.
I also have two very inexpensive Ibanez bass guitars that are very nice!
Try out the guitar first, but there are definitely some bottom shelf gems from Indonesia!
Thanks for the review EJK! ✌️
And thank you!
Thanks for another great review Elmo!
And thank you :)
Elmo can play. And the guitar seems to do well. I wonder how many Ibanez made of this model to have enough bad apples get through QC for the Thomann reviews. Shame they got through, but not unheard of.
Yeah, those EART guitars have challenged the makers and we are getting some competition now. Great stuff!
Yes, good indeed :)
For some reason, you guys from the Nordic region, Finland, Sweden, Denmark areas are Awesome guitarist! Yngwie Malmsteen, Andy LaRocque, Michael Denner, Hank Sherman, Pete Blakk, Etc.
Dark winters with nothing much else to do 😀
Nice! I would put a covered Steve’s Special,(push pull series -parallel and phase reverse, DiMarzio is reverse to other pickups), in the bridge and US spec electronics in it.
Cool bananas!
Thanks for the review. Seriously considering consolidating my few guitars into one Ibanez RG Prestige. Good to know quality control is good even at this level, gives me some confidence a MIJ prestige should be good. Will not buy before trying at that level though.
Never buy before trying, or make sure you can send it back :)
Buy used. I bought two off ebay in used but mint condition. Both are top notch and I still have them.
Elmo you are to smooth 😮 and a killer player.❤ Enjoy everything you do brother.!!!!!!!
Had one of these for about 3 days because I actually loved it but it had this weird sound and I found that one of the tuning pegs was severely bent... So yeah, if there's a bunch of quality issues like that I can see he bad reviews, but if you get one that's built really well than yeah, it's an absolute steal imo.
Sorry to hear about the tuning peg.
@@MrPolevaulter Yeah it was a bummer, but I when I returned it I saw they had a PRS SE Standard 24 for $450 and with my $300 back I splurged and grabbed it so everything turned out in the end! Lol
someone said in another video that the baked neck is probably fake though if it’s more stable than most guitars I’ve had before including those way more expensive that probably is torrefied wood I guess no one has the black version but at least from some angles mine like this one looks blue just so it’s not a kirk hammett esp copy but i sticker a lot of my guitars anyways also changing pickups which sometimes improves tone or at least makes it uniquely your own
Ive been playing a $100 guitar for a while, and I probably wouldn't notice any problems with it lol. Really want to get one of their Gio line guitars!
Really nice reviews man
Thank you :)
If you can please demo a Blackstar TVP or the newer replacement Silverline model ( Boss Katana definitely influenced by the TVP range if you take a look back ). Really a step up in to a different league to these ID Core models .
Simple and intuitive valve emulating amps with a few more EQ options and really pack a valve feeling kick from the TVP tech used in these amps
These also run a really simple and intuitive Architect software for extra features but essentially not necessary as you can get so much from the amp controls
Love my valve amps but the Blackstar stuff keeps me coming back due to its many tone options ( even the headphone out has cab emulation so great tone to PA or DAW is easy to achieve )
Blackstar tends to get the cop out pigeon holed tag for Metal playing but this company is very innovative and constantly creating new and unique products for the player ( even released the Amped 1 and Amped 2 pedal board amps products recently ) and great tone is achievable from clean to scream
got myself two GRG121DX, absolute wonderful guitars. swapped the tuners - chugg time 😎
Cool bananas :)
I have the 121 in natural walnut. It's shred on a stick. I love it
@@BOBANDVEG got it in Walnut and SBK.... Love em ❤️🔥
@@jann_rygh I just picked up the harley benton r446. Its basically a klon of the 121. Little bit of a solar feel in there
I wouldn't trust Thomann reviews. They have their own ripped- off version to sell.
I tried one on holiday and now I have one to play when visiting my hometown. It was simply too nice for the price to not buy. I would have regretted not buying it.
Hey Elmo, thanks for making the video. Just ordered and got it delivered for a birthday present for a friend. Firstly it looks like the one star review on Thomann was the first review for the blue one or what?! All the other ones were surprisingly 5 stars and that is bull crap if you ask me. I ordered a black one and I can see a few flaws in the finish (especially on the back, glue joints, bad sanding underneath the paint), even a small dent on the front, so no 5 stars here, the setup ... hmmm I don't know, I get some fret buzz, I think the nut was cut a bit too deep, maybe the strings it came with are very soft. Also the bridge saddles are surprisingly high which I do not think makes a good thing to have. The neck looks good (if you do not mind the edge of the finger board having slight burrs, it is not flush and neet like a HB Tele or Yamaha Pacifica), the frets look good but need work to make them good, so no 5 stars here ... I am maybe regretting my purchase. Bought this one because it looks a bit more metal that the Pacifica, but I wonder if the Pacifica would be a better choice quality wise. Still have to see/hear how it performs plugged in to an amp. It looks like Phillip got a really good one (or got payed for a fake review to get them to sell), I did not. So maybe 3 stars for my opinion. Have you changed the strings, did any other setup before playing it? I wonder if a 10-48 will be a better match for it. I expected it to be a bit more refined as it is a very simple guitar, no trem, no fancy electronics, no inlays, ... so to conclude, it is a cheap guitar and do not expect much. You will have to put a few hours of work to make it play and feel decent.
In the end I returned this one as well and bought a GRG121DX in a store in mu town, matte black, for 252eur and it is miles better than the SP. The setup was almost perfect out of the box, finish flawless, everything as it should be. For the 80eur difference I bought the very cool Ibanez gigbag.
Only two reviews (total) in Thomann giving it the lowest score because they drew the short stick in the QC lottery. Doesn't sound bad and it has roasted maple neck plus a pretty sparkly finish, hardtail bridge is a nice bonus.
2 out of 2 ain't brilliant.
Well my ladd .I just bought the brother to that guitar your shredding the crap out of as usual your awesome and I pay attention to your input on music gear.i bought the black night . Kool name awesome guitar .shredding on me ladd.maker squeal like a willder beast willda Beast lol .
Probably would drop in new pups, new nut if that's made of plastic, tuning keys as well. But it seems like a nice looking guitar of bare bones to work with. Thanks for the review.
Cheers!
Everyone getting on the Ibanez tip now🤘😁. Em pretty much a lifetime ibanez rg player. They're just so versatile and reliable you can play almost anything on them
They are pretty good yeah.
Have to say it sounded pretty good to me throughout your review - good humbuckers I think - I wonder if they do a version without the humbucker covers. That neck is just the kind of neck that would appeal to me.
I kind of liked the covers.
I am a massive Ibanez GIO lover and have a GRX70 and a GSA60 so was really interested in this review. What a lovely guitar and DAM you can play 🫣🤘😜 great review thanks
I have an rgrt421, that things tone inspired me to want this one as well, given they both have the 5 way
The finish is really cool.
Sure is :)
cool guitar ,, colour is mind blowing and what a great review, maybe this one with a wammy bar might have tuning issues ,saying that is cos' I have a ''cheap'' Ibanez myself and swap the tremolo and a set of tuners from a Fender .And if you still have your BM 75 ,,go check DJ boogie and take a peek of how he toyed with his.Thanks again for the review.
And thank you :)
Maybe Thomann should have tried a few more times with the GIO, sorta like how Glenn "HB" Fricker took three or four attempts to like the guitar Thomann sent him to review, recently. Seems fair, and it wouldn't be like Thomann are biased or anything, would it?
That input jack looks like the same one from the azes series.
Might be.
I would really like to try out the sire guitars especially the les paul style one for 500 to 600. It supposedly has some of the best necks you can buy.
I just ordered a Sire.
Sounded like a bit of Rory Gallagher at 8 min mark , also i have the Gio 140dx i think it was called its 10 years old but still my fav guitar as is so easy to play fast and i can play on it a lot longer than my Les Paul without feeling worn out
That amp sounds amazing
If you can't find this model for some reason, GRG131 has the same specs but with just a better finish.
If you want a proper "game changing" Ibanez try the RG421 - same selector switch format but with a beautiful through neck. So nice even my girlfriend told me to buy it!
Could you do a review about the LTD EC10. It's one of the cheapest ESP Singlecuts and I would love to hear your opinion, I'm thinking of buying it.
I might at some point, but it will probably take quite some time, as I have a ton of stuff planned.
I had the m10 version...frets where really scratchy and ruff... polishing would take care of that...but I had a lot of bad frets,raised and very rough fret ends...again can be fixed but for more cost. Pickups were decent as were tuners
I love my gio probably my favorite guitar tbh
Cool!
Hello Elmo, Is this guitar better than the HB Fusion 3? Which one do you like better? Thank you. 🙏
The Fusion 3 probably, but not by a lot.
@@MrPolevaulter Thanks!!😎
Yo Elmo! Great review man. I have this guitar and it's fantastic! Also, is that the pink Dean Custom Zone beside you? I have that one in pink as well! Both are great guitars!
Thanks! Yeah, that's the Dean. Video coming up on that at some point.
@@MrPolevaulter Nice. Look forward to it.
What would be the best way to deal with the fret sprout? File the fret ends a but or try to increase humidity?
Filing.
i might go ahead and buy it
In reality... the fret dress is what makes or breaks a guitar.
I would like to have cheeper guitar like that specific GIO because now it has a good karma so i know it plays better 😎
:)
i have one similar with whammy bar grg 170 dx its ok but i think hardtails are just better overall
Elmo, In your opinion how does this guitar compare to the Ibanez RG421? What's the better guitar? Thanks.🙏
These aren't bad, really. I bought one to just play around with. I got the Ibanez GRG120QASP GRG Series . While these are made in China, My 1980"s RG series is made in Japan. There is quite a difference in the thickness of the neck, the newer one is thicker. The tremolo is rather weak on the newer one, I have a Floyd Rose on my older one. It's ok but does not compare to my RG 560 R, which I'm having to re-finish due to massive water damage.
This guitar is very nice to play for a beginner but pickups are so so in high gain territory but then again, it's priced that way!
So, what does the Ibanez offer, tone-wise, over the other guitars in your opinion. Is it the cleans. Thanks.
Nothing. It's all feel. You can upgrade pickups for a sound that's better for you. All budget guitars can do with some upgrades.
@@MrPolevaulter Got it thanks. Btw what are your views on the Ibanez Genesis RG 550. Another price bracket altogether, I know, but it seems quite nice. Even the tremolo is fully reliable I think.
I’d love to hear some jazz on that guitar. How’s the sound on the neck pickup with tone rolled off a bit?
I'm not very good when it comes to jazz. Sorry.
I wonder could you add a vega trem? Extra 200 odd euros but would rival more exspensive guitars
Dunno.
👍👍👍👍👍😎love your videos, always good tests !!!
Cheers!
That Ibanez really look and sounds nice👍
Sure does :)
Hello, I have a question, where could I get this model with shipping to Mexico? 😿
Not sure. I think Thomann ships worldwide, but it might cost a bit.
Have you tried the Harley Benton R 446? Its 100€ cheaper but i just wanna know if that one is good, ive seen lots of reviews saying it is, just wondering if the 100€ increase for this will be worth it, if it is ill go with this one, thanks :]
Haven't tried it, so can't say.
Last year I bought a Squier Bullet Stratocaster. After watching several reviews, mostly negative. I got it anyway because of the price and my past experiences with Squire. I bought some setup equipment and after three months of playing the guitar i did a setup. For the first time in my life. With a lot of trial and error I got it dialed in. I ended up selling it to a Young Man who wanted a cheap playable stratocaster that he could learn on. He loves it. Is it the greatest? No. But i liked it, he likes it, alot. So for me that's what its about. Its about YOU liking it. Its smart to learn as much as you can when entering the quitar world, but the options are endless and so are the opinions. I don't regret buying that Bullet at all. The frets where scratchy, the intonation was off, and even though it was a hardtail the tuning stability was terrible. Fret sprout, imperfections in the paint, cheap everything. The neck was nice, but they didn't sand it well at all. I found out that although the tuners where sub par, the issues with tuning had more to due with cheap strings that weren't even broke in. So when i did the setup and put better strings on it and learned how to stretch the strings and retune. Guess what? It stayed in tune. Not forever, but enough to get through a practice session. I didn't mod anything. I sanded and polished the frets, filed the fret ends, touched up the neck, conditioned the fretboard, dialed in the action, string radius, pickup height and intonation. Is the body Poplar? Yep. Are the electronic subpar? Yep. Ceramic pickups, cheap tuners and the list goes on. It cost me like 200 bucks for that guitar. I put labor and love into it. Modded nothing, and regardless of what anyone thinks it turned out to be a decent guitar for practice. 200 bucks? Get outta here! The lesson? Next time, I'm buying a used guitar that has lived through its infancy and has been professionally set up. Right now im eyeing a used Classic Vibe, professionally setup with gig bag. Along with a used Boss 50 Amp from a reputable dealer for 550 including shipping. Both are mint! In new condition. You couldn't come close to that if you bought new with setup and all. Even then, guitars need time before you really know what or if there's anything wrong with them. Used is perfect for that reason. Especially if money is an issue. Odds are you won't lose as much money if you ever have to resell a used guitar as well. For me, used from a reputable dealer is the way to go. Love your reviews thank you!
10:04 the jammin deemins gottem
Can you please review the ibanez grgr131ex ? It's in the same prize range and you're the only reviewer i trust. I'm confused between this one and that one. Your reviwe would help me out a lot. Thanks elmo !
Million reviews on that already, very good apparently.
Maybe at some point, but not in the near future. I have too much other stuff in the works.
@@MrPolevaulter understandable.