GRX70 Review

22 frets, medium frets and Agatis body, 5-way selector, 1 volume and 1 tone knob.

Features:	7.2
Sound:	8.8
Action:	7.6
Reliability:	8
Impression:	9
Overall rating:	8.1
Users rating:	7.4
Comments:	8

overall: 9.2

Featured review by: UG Team, on july 16, 2003

Price paid: $ 315

Purchased from: Sound Factory

Features: This guitar has: 22 frets, medium frets and Agatis body. It has a 5-way selector which gives you the control over 3 pickups. One single coil in the middle and 2 Humbuckers, one at the bridge and one at the neck. Pickup coonfig = h/s/h. You can buy it with a bag, a tuner, picks and a wire. it has 1 volume and 1 tone knob. // 8

Sound: This guitar is 99% perfect for the music I play. Play most of all metal, punk and rock. Even when I want to have a clean tone , the guitar does not hesitate. You can get every tone out the guitar if you want. This guitar is perfect for metal, if turn up the tone knob to "distortion" ... wow. I can't describe it. You even can get the sound of Santana. :) I like this guitar!!! // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The only negatif thing can say is that it would be great if the bridge was a little stronger. I play with .52 and the bridge has difficulties with teh tension. This is far the only negatif thing about it. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Verryyyyy good, it is a brilliant guitar!! // 10

Impression: I use it with a Marshall AVT100 and a Metal Zone, and it sound really great. I love this guitar. I will buy another one, but for people that are just starting, this guitar is marvellous! I'll stick with Ibanez. // 10

overall: 7.2

Reviewed by: jonn_g, on october 22, 2003

Price paid: $ 308.7

Purchased from: Trimis Music Shop

Features: This is one of the japanese Ibanez models. It has an Agathis body and 22 frets from which, only the 18 are playable to me! The 5 way selector for one single and two humbucker pick-up is good although the sound gets very poor when you are playing with only the single coil and very bass when you are on the upper humbucker! Oh, and the tuners are not locking causing problems with the string tension! // 6

Sound: My style varies among american alternative & grunge-like sounds to manchester brit-pop and Indie like Pixies or Dinosaur Jr. And this guitar was always a great performer when I need heavy sounds or distorted wahs and generally heavy effects (flangers,phasers etc.) But when it comes to clean playing it doesn't feel right to play with it...and doesn't compare to my Mexican Strat. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was quite well set up and forgetting those .10 strings and the distance they had from the fretboard that made barres difficult to play after the 8th fret everything else was really good. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I have used this guitar on a live show, and I can't say it was perfect but it was not bad.I don't know if for this mediocre performance was responsible the amp I used then, a Fender 65W Twin Reverb. I think it's a quite good guitar for beginners and people who know exactly what heavy/distorted sound want to create.The buttons and the body look really well built and solid, but of course improving your playing won't let this guitar last for more than 2-3 years as your main instrument. I have it since January 2001 and I have already bought a Mexican Strat and a Squier Tele as main guitars for live shows and studio. // 6

Impression: In the studio I use it with my Marshall JCM 2000 / TSL 100 with an 100W stereo cabinet and the Korg AX100 digital effects, plus a Boss Digital Delay, a Cry Baby and a Boss Flanger pedal and i turn on the amp's crunch channel it's perfect!

Ibanez GRX-70 can give me all this heavy sound I need when playing fast riffs, or distorteed wah solos, fifths. When in the studio, I always use it to record the rhythm guitar parts!

But of course it's not a guitar with great features or very bad ones...Ibanez covers all the average needs of a guitar player in a smart way and doesn't promise something more... // 8

overall: 8.2

Reviewed by: GetThis, on january 18, 2008

Purchased from: Guitar Base

Features: It is a japanese made guitar with quite a thin neck which is good for my styles of guitar. I have the black version which, in my opinion, is much a better looker than the white version. Even if the brigde is weak it usually holds it's own but will sometimes struggle. It has a pickup set of humbucker-single-humbucker which will be great for metal/punk/heavier stuff but if you Switch to clean it will still be efficient but is not as suited. // 8

Sound: My style is metal/thrash but I sometimes dabble into a bit of Led Zep and Oasis alongside classics such as The Beatles. My loop is made up of DigiTech Deathmetal distortion and a DigiTech Turbo Flanger and this is all fed through the clean setting on a Carlsbro GLX100 with the great little 'crunch' button on which really ups your palm mutes. It can be very noisy but picks up every vibration though the pickups and has a smooth tone, though it can be noisy it can also make a bright clean tone. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: All of my guitar was set up perectly and with a strap, practice amp, picks and case which most of now have been replaced due to the amp only being 15w. For the price it is a very good guitar for the tag value. Very nice. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I have used it a lot of times and when the volume is up the sound of the guitar is rich as is it on a lower volume. Its downfall are the crappy strap button the have ruined one of my straps to I now have those little plastic things that lock your strap in place to stop it falling off/killing my strap. None of the finish has scratched so it seems hard as Diamond to me. // 7

Impression: This is a perfect match for me even if it was my first guitar as I have been playing for over 2 years now and haven't done any grades but can play all Slipknot and most Trivium if you wish to judge me like that. If I could have any guitar I would have the Ibanez Mick Thomson singture as it is just equal to a mantalist trapped inside a guitar. Love it. I love the feel of this guitar and I now know that by a fact Flying V's by Stagg are terrible. // 8

overall: 8

Reviewed by: (Sic)ness, on december 30, 2003

Price paid: $ 219.6

Purchased from: Bought Used

Features: My Guitar was made in 2000 in Indonesia, it has 22 & a 1/2 medium frets. Its a Laminated top with a Jewel Blue finnish. There is a volume control, one tonal control and a 5 way pick up selector. The pickups are Ibanez standard pickups and all electronics are standard. A Maple body with a laquered Jewel Blue finnish. It has Stratocastor stlyle cuttaways and the the bridge is a sting-thru body. The neck is a medium thin neck. // 6

Sound: This Guitar suits Nu-Metal and Metal but can also gives a gritty Grunge sound. I plug this Guitar into a Marshall 30 Watt amp which brings gives this guitar alot of edge. With a distorted sound this Guitar is Heavy. You can't go wrong when playing Metal on this baby. The sound is very full and crunchy but can be smooth when played on a clean channel. I love how this guitar was born to rock, I have had many complaints from neighbors about how loud it is!! // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up nicely in the factory but I have since adjusted the pickups. The bridge was well routed but I have again tightened it. However the tonal control is very loosely fitted and has been repaired on countless occasions and the neck has had to be re-ighted. // 6

Reliability & Durability: I jam with my mates alot with this guitar. I slam it, punch it and scrape it millions with my picks but it stands it. This guitar can take one hell of a beating. The hardware as this is a cheap guitar has lasted but I feel will not last for much longer ut this can be expected of a Guitar which retails at about £200. The finnish is excellent however it is prone to get dirty quickly and thumb and finger prints show easily. It requires polishing everyday to keep it looking pristine. I can depend on this guitar always and all the time. It rulz!! // 10

Impression: I play Rock, Metal, Nu-Metal and Grunge on this Guitar and it matches everyone of them to a tee!! I wish this Guitar had more tonal controls and would sustain notes longer. I also wish that that there where better humbuckers featured on this guitar. I compare this to a Fender Squire Strat as they are both budget guitars. Having played the Strat the Ibanez beats the hell out of it!! If you have the choice between the two choose the Ibanez, At least they are proud of the Guitar and dispay the proper logo instead of calling it a Squire!! // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on december 28, 2007

Purchased from: Duck, Son and Pinkers

Features: // 8

Sound: Using with no effects (I'm a purist) and the GTA10 amp it came with, not the greatest amp, but good for practice and reasonably versatile. I play mostly blues and classic rock/hard rock, occasionally metal. This guitar has a great variety of sounds, from sweet clean, twangy (middle pickup) and fuzzy distortion. It is best suited to metal, so cannot produce a great mellow blues tone, but has a good clean tone with little gain and tone on the guitar. For rock it can suit all rock styles, from warm, thick tones to shallow, harsh sounds. Great for a beginner/second guitar. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: I haven't had the guitar long, so any issues that come with long-term playing haven't revealed themselves, but so far it's great. The action is okay, but sometimes it can be difficult/painful to bend strings too far, but this may be the strings it comes with. Occasionally detunes, but as I said, I can't comment on this too much as I have not had this axe long. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This guitar is solid and can stand a beating from what I've seen. I wouldn't gig with it too much, it's probably better suited to backup guitar, as the strap buttons feel as if they are loosening and let's face it, it's a starter guitar, but the electronics are sound and the wood and construction is solid. Good finish. // 7

Impression: This guitar has awesome versatility for a starter guitar, withsome great sounds. Okay so the pickups aren't the best out there, but Who cares, it just helps give you a more personal sound. It's action isn't quite as good as say a Yamaha Pacifica, but its sound is much better, as is it's construction, durabililty, value and quality. It also beats the Squier Strat starter, it is, in my opinion, the best Starter Kit out there. I love it's versatility and sound, but wish it could have slightly better pickups. However, for this you could get a GRX70DX. I got this because it was the best Starter Kit in my local store by a mile, if it were lost or stolen I would probably upgrade to another Ibanez or Epiphone, but there's No Doubt that this is a fine guitar for its price. // 9

Comments

[bleach91]

Anybody have the link on the Ibanez website?

Greetings!

[Kenneth Lu0817]

[Azuro]

I own this guitar. Good one for starting. I'm satisfied with it but Pickups are definately the weakest point.

[ddusandu]

Hehe first time I used it it fell off my shoulders - the strap was crappy - and it's still like new

[ddusandu]

First time I played my guitar- this one - it fell off my shoulders into the ground - crappy strap - and it's still like new

[Grave Digger92]

.....

[-LAW-]

I like this guitwiddle good starter guitar.. although the pickups kinda suck.

[rzemon]

The GRX neck is great (I love all Ibanez gutars for that) but the pickups are really terrible. One guy wrote he plays metal on these - I don't want to hear how that sounds. After changing pickups to sth better GRX proves to be a relatively versatile and reliable instrument. Wouldn't use it as a main guitar on a gig, but works fine as a back-up.