I'm a bass player primarily, and I've been playing my GAX30 in a couple of bands for the last two years. And the fact that I haven't broken it yet is testament in itself. I'm considering a replacement at the moment, but it looks like I'm going to need to spend a whole lot more than the £100 I paid for this to get anything comparable. This guitar knows what it is: a cheap, simple instrument for beginners and players who either want to add something different to their tonal palette without breaking the bank, or people who want a backup for something more expensive. If you're in any of these categories, this requires serious attention.

Sound
Extremely good pickups for the money. When played clean the the neck pickup on its own sound can be a little muddy, but there's an unexpectedly nice jangle from the bridge pickup, and it sings with a mix of both humbuckers. There's some nice bluesy honk possible if you raise the gain a bit, and when you pile it on you can get some convincing metal and heavy rock tones. Generally I use it with a lot of gain and pickups, can give you everything from an abrasive growl to singing leads. Basically anything an SG can do, this'll have an admirable crack at. Versatile, and belies its price.

Features
No frills, simple electronics in the Gibson mould. The wood used is of a good quality, especially in the fretboard, and although the pickups might be a little underpowered, they do the job… read more well. The one issue I have is with the tuners- they a little flimsy and aren't particularly stable, and chances are these'll be the first thing to go as the guitar gets on a bit. One tone pot and one volume controlling two humbuckers doesn't give a lot of options, but what's here does its job.

Ease of Use
This guitar works well. It's lightweight thanks to its basswood body, has a well-worked neck that fits the hand nicely It's very difficult to put down once you pick it up, and in terms of tone and playability it can easily sit with far more expensive guitars. The setup was near-perfect straight out of the box, the electronics and wiring showed good attention to detail, and after a minor setup it played at least as well as any budget guitar I've used. It might take a little work getting the tone you want from the spartan electronics, but you'll enjoy experimenting, and you'll love it when you've got it.

Quality
Aside from the aforementioned tuners this guitar is pretty much unfaultable on quality. The finish is even and well-applied, the wiring is of a high standard and even the screws and fittings seem to be of a good quality. I've played three of these guitars, including my own, and the standard of all three has been identical. As regards quality control Ibanez have done brilliantly here. And it can take a bit of a kicking. At least mine has, with no problems other than a knob falling off, which seems to happen to all my instruments. It might be a bit naff, but I really like the truss rod cover on these guitars. It's screwed on to the top of the neck and has a little folding plate that provides both security and ease of access, and this level of attention to the little things is what makes this guitar stand out in its field.

Value
Compared to the competition? No contest. If you have about £120 to spend on a guitar, you're doing yourself a great disservice if you don't give this a look. And if my experience of Ibanez's quality control is to be believed, any example you play should be damn near the same as the one you buy. Which you will.

Manufacturer Support
No issues so far, so I haven't had any experience with this.

The Wow Factor
Aside from the weird thing I have for the truss rod cover, I actually prefer the look of the thing to most other guitar shapes, certainly most of the budget ones, which tend to slightly mangled, sharper versions of the classics. The same charge could be levelled here, but I think the combination of SG and Les Paul traits have been melded well. The whole package strikes me as tasteful in a 'less is more' kind of way. And if you hear one of these played well, with a good setup, you'll want it even more.

Musical Background:
Bassist and guitarist, but mostly as a hobby

Musical Style:
Rock, alternative, grunge, metal, blues read less