NGD:My cheapest Ibanez axe yet!

[Phantasmagoria]

Well I have a Prestige & Premium's and a bunch of other mid-tier ones but what was missing from my collection was something from the bottom of the barrel.. ie. a GIO.

I always wanted to pick one up...but (until now) the one's I've come across have always looked a bit tacky tbh..

Yesterdays trip to my neighbourhood guitar store remedied that

This one actually caught my eye on the rack where it was mixed up w/ a bunch of much higher end guitar's...not gonna lie but it stood out for being a looker..simple but elegant & yes..classy :bigthumb:

I was shocked & pleasantly suprised to see that it was a Gio & it really did look f'n SWEET.. But the best was yet to come. As soon as I plugged it in I realized I had a serious player on my hands...it really played like butter and what's more it did'nt sound half bad either.

NOTHING makes me happier than coming across a cheapo that plays and sounds like this one does. Action was fast and low. Neck super comfy, fit and finish = perfect ..stayed in tune shockingly well...even with the Fender-style tremolo and some pretty heavy dive-bombing. Could'nt resist it & for >$250 I'd have to be off my rocker to have even tried (not that I did at all :laugh2..

And of course the all important PLAYING test​:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Ibanez GSA60-BS

Specs: Electric Guitar

• Body: Okoume
• Neck: Maple
• Fretboard: Purple Heart
• Fretboard inlays: White dots
• Scale: 648 mm
• Nut width: 42 mm
• Fretboard radius: 305 mm
• Frets: 22 Medium
• Pickups: 2 Infinity RS single coils (neck and middle) & 1 Infinity R humbucker (bridge)
• Volume and tone controls
• 5-Way switch
• Tremolo: T102
• Bridge: SAT10
• Hardware: Chrome
• Colour: Brown Sunburst
• Suitable cases available under Article no. 212516 and 157642 (both are not included)

30 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
3 3-Year Thomann Warranty

 

[Phantasmagoria]

And for reference ...here's my clip of the same track (full song) that I just recorded through the same rig yesterday w/ my Charvel Traditional Pro (Custom 5 bridge). Same amp/amp settings/ mic/mic positioning everything except for switching the guitar

I think the GIO stands up just fine...both in terms of playability & tone-wise

Oh yeah but one big difference is the squeelies though. While the Charvel/Custom 5 is my go to axe/pup for pinch harmonics (none more squealy) . The bridge pup in the GIO was near impossible to get a squeal out of (?) . I'm hoping a bit of pup angle adjustment or something will help fix that.... or maybe I need to adjust my pick angle in some weird way :laugh2: ...in any case that was the only bummer...

 

[GuitarDoc]

Congrats on that find.

I am surprised at how good the inexpensive guitars are getting these days.

 

[ICTGoober]

Nothing wrong with any of the extensive lines of GIO's Ibanez is marketing right now.

A couple years back I spotted a GAX 50 Gio on Squeebay, and the seller was a pawn shop 2 blocks from my place. I asked the seller if I could forego paying shipping if I won. He said sure. I got a nice guitar a little beat up for the stunningly low price of $42.... Brought it home and immediately removed the pair of Duncan Invaders and resold them locally to a guy I knew would like them. Easy $100.

I've used the husk as a platform for several different pickups, including some single coil Lace Sensors. It plays nice, and always sounds good. Plus - it's heavy as hell. The maple/rosewood neck is a bolt-on, so if I wanted to get real crazy with it - I could.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Sweet...$42 can't be beat :lmao:

The least I ever paid for a guitar was $130 or so for my AXL LP copy (awesome axe btw), but it was brand new.

This one convert's to $215 (also new) ...I mean that's nuts for how good it looks sounds and plays :bigthumb:

Did the GAX come w/ stock Invaders? Either way I would'nt have minded a deal like that lol..

 

[ICTGoober]

Yes. I didn't tell the pawn shop guys it was worth more.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Well here's all 3 of my SA's:

The dyed burl one was the most expensive (not normally a fan of that look but this one looks kinda funky/quirky) then the flame top & then, last but not least the humble Gio burst.

They're a pretty looking bunch though & all of them play like butter/sound awesome :bigthumb:​

 

[ehdwuld]

Inlove me Ibby goodness

And that S-Style body, mmmmmmm

I got two RGs that are awesome

So do you plan any mods?

Pickups?

Locking tuners?

 

[Phantasmagoria]

You know I actually bought a pack of Planet waves locking tuners along w/ the axe yesterday...cuz ..but so far I'm not sure it needs them. It stays in tune incredibly well w/o any nut lube or anything. Now I'm afraid to mess w/ the mojo

Tuners and hardware do feel solid & of better quailty than one would expect at this price...

If I can get the bridge pup to do better (easier) squeelies then again, I'm loving the tone as it is so I'm not sure if I should rock the boat there either. I do have a new '59 bridge pup I can use as well as a Tone Zone and a bunch of EMG's if needed....but again , when I pick up an axe like this that just feels "right" out of the box I am loathe to mess w/ things...cuz it has that magic mojo

Anyway...
'
Tone Comparison through the same setup/settings etc of all my three SA's (the SA's are "S"s" with a bit more body wood on them. They're flat at the back w/ just a bit of a belly cut unlike the rounded/contoured backs that normal Sabre's have)

To my ears the GIO lacks for nothing both playing & tone-wise (just those damn squeals :laugh2 :bigthumb:

 

[ehdwuld]

Last budget friendly ibanez I played had
fret sprouts and Neck binding coming off

I assume this isn't the case for yours

Do you plan to roll the fretboard edges?

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Nah, that' the fun thing. This one played as good as my Prestige when i plugged it in at the shop and checked it out ( pretty thoroughly) . NO sharp edges & no fret sprout/dead spots. It's got a nice robust full sound/tone to it. The pups are the usual cheapie ones you find on lower end guitars (w/ the two rows of slugs) but I'll be damned if they don't sound awesome in there..

The Purpleheart fretboard looks sweet/different than usual and actually has a purplish tint to it + some really nice grain/streaks..

 

[Phantasmagoria]

I think my next video will be a shootout between my RG652 AHM NGB Prestige & this kickass Gio :dance:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Just remembered I also have a Duncan Custom bridge in my parts drawer. That might be a good fit for this guitar w/o changing the present tone much (cuz it's ceramic & sounds pretty similar) and it might fix the squealie problem :bigthumb:

If I do end up switching pups then I might as well go the whole hog and switch to the locking tuners as well..

 

[Phantasmagoria]

GIO Vs Prestige :bigthumb:

Tone-wise they're different, but they both sound equally nice to me.

And yes..the Gio "plays" every bit as well as the Prestige...it is greased lightning

I actually find little to no difference as far as fit/finish/fretwork goes either...

 

[Phantasmagoria]

The Gio's neck pup squeals nicely...but still no luck with the bridge

 

[Phantasmagoria]

And here's my JEM WDP77 "Woody" Premium for the sake of completeness..

It's just a hair out of tune cuz I did'nt tune it up first

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Couple of Jams w/ my Randall T2


Bridge (managed a squealie!):

Neck:

This thing resonates and feels "alive" in your hands when you play it & the sustain is nuts too :bigthumb:


This why I much prefer buying from an actual store rather than online ..you get to try before you buy. Makes a HUGE difference :bigthumb:

Sure you can get lucky and get yourself a gem online.....but this way it's guaranteed.

From the moment I first plugged into this baby I knew it was going to kick all kinds of ass...cuz MoJo - (has nothing to do w/ price)

 

[Ashurbanipal]

A cheap Ibz that turns out well is very satisfying. I have an Ergodyne - the first guitar model they did in the second half of the 90s - which is equivalent to a Gio in terms of appointments, but is a cool guitar. In some ways it's a poor person's Radius (with an aanj). Some people may balk at the luthite (plastic) body but whatever, I don't think it matters; to me sounds like guitar *shrugs*.

 

[donaldr]

I bought myself a made in Korea 2008 Ibanez SZ520 last year and it became my number one after a pickup swap. Different than other Ibanez with set neck and 25" scale length. Playing better than my Gibson LP.

Makes me want to get an S series Ibanez. But I have enough guitar...