AX and GAX guitars have everything you need (and nothing you don't) for heavy-duty modern rhythm and lead playing: 2 humbuckers, a 3-way switch, and a crystal cut body of Mahogany or Agathis. Ibanez' GAX guitars started out as the best selling inexpensive Ibanez guitars in their history -- now they're one of the best selling guitars of any kind in the world.
Series Features:
Raw simplicity and power in a crystal cut body of Mahogany or Agathis.
AX available in 6-string, 7-string and set-in neck models.
D-tuner models in AX and GAX offer the simple solution for achieving alternate tunings.
GAX30 Features:
GAX neck -- This bolt on 24.75 in. neck is designed for strong rhythm playing as well as leads.
Maple neck material
Basswood Body -- Basswood is a comparatively lightweight wood, which makes it very comfortable for extended playing. With a good balance of highs and lows, basswood is right in between alder and mahogany in sound character.
22 medium frets
Rosewood finger board offers a strong, bright sound and an attractive appearance with a long grain.
Fixed bridge design offers thru-body stringing for stronger tone and sustain.
STDH1 (H) Neck PU
STDH2 (H) Bridge PU
Pearl Dot Inlay
Chrome Hardware
Have you seen the headlines? "Guitar rock is back."
Ibanez is happy to hear it. Except at Ibanez, guitar rock never "left" - and if you're the type of player who reads Ibanez catalogs, you've been too busy playing guitar or bass to worry a whole lot about the media's take on music. However, the papers are right about one thing: there are more new guitar and bass guitar styles than ever before. That's why there are more different kinds of guitars and basses in the 2003 Ibanez line up.
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Ibanez products.
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This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
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.
Feature:
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 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.
Overall:
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.
Style of Music: Rock, alternative, grunge, metal, blues
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"good for beginners"
Sound:
This guitar sounds pretty good, the tone switch dosent make much difference. thats about all that i dont like. i can play pink floyd, ac/dc, and greenday songs pretty good and thats all i really play so i like it
Feature:
it has a tone switch a volume knob and a tone knob which is good for a beginner but once you get better your gonna need more
Ease of Use:
its really simple and easy to use
Quality:
they did the best they could for the money and that was pretty good
Value:
definately worth the money
Manufacturer Support:
never had a problem so i dont need it
The Wow Factor:
its not the sexiest guitar ever but it sure sounds good and has a sexy sound
Overall:
Its the first guitar i have ever had and its the one that i still use. i've had it for about a year and a half and now im planning to move on to a more expensive guitar. it treated me really good and still does. once i get the money i plan on going to a pawn shop and looking for a good deal on a les paul, but still shes a good guitar
Style of Music: classic rock/ punk rock
2 of 2 people
(100%) found this review helpful. Did you?
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Really. It's not a problem for us. In fact, we'll thank you
for the chance to live up to our lowest price guarantee!
It's fast and easy
Just tell us where you saw the lower price - another
website, an email offer, your local store - and we'll send
you our lowest price offer in a matter of hours.
Simply click the Seen it for less? link
Next to the item you want, or give us a
call at 800-zZounds (800-996-8637).
A temporary customer reference number is assigned to each customer only while they are shopping on zZounds.com. If you call our customer service department for assistance, this number makes it easier for us to answer any questions you have about products, services or purchases.
