Iceman ICT700 Review

The evolution of the Iceman, one of the most iconic rock guitars ever, continues. The ICT700 guitar has a reverse headstock, DiMarzio D Activator pickups and a 5-piece Wizard II thru-neck, making this Iceman the most chilling yet.

Features:	9.1
Sound:	9.3
Action:	8.9
Reliability:	9.1
Impression:	9.4
Overall rating:	9.2
Users rating:	9.5
Comments:	31

Featured review by: unregistered, on march 06, 2008

Price paid: $ 650

Purchased from: Sam Ash

Features: The evolution of the Iceman, one of the most iconic rock guitars ever, continues. The ICT700 guitar has a reverse headstock, DiMarzio D Activator pickups and a 5-piece Wizard II thru-neck, making this Iceman the most chilling yet. // 8

Sound: I play heavy metal & punk. I play Slayer, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Metallica, System Of A Down, Rage Against The Machine, Soundgarden, Iron Maiden, Guns N' Roses, etc. I use a Line 6 Spider III 75 Watt amp, and it sounds great with the guitar. As for the guitar's sound, it is very powerful even though it has passive pickups. The bridge pickup is great for solos/shredding, and the bridge pickup is massive and not muddy at all. It sounds great clean or distorted. Pinch harmonics are very easy to make on this guitar once you figure out what angle to hit the strings at. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up well at the store, but the strings were horrible. The action was fine. The pickups were a little low. The fingerboard on my guitar has some scratches and the edges of the guitar (white trim) seems very cheap. The trim at the top peels off easily. I got mine in the Black finish, it is very shiny. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I have not played this guitar Live, but I am sure it can withstand Live playing. The hardware seems like it will last. The strap buttons look very cheap. Look and feel like plastic, which isn't good. I can depend on this guitar, but I would never only bring 1 guitar to a gig. The body's finish is good enough to last, but it does scratch easily, and fingerprints show easily. The trim seems it will peel off easy over time. that's the biggest flaw. // 7

Impression: I play heavy metal, this guitar is a perfect match for it. I've been playing a year now, and I own an Epiphone G400. The Iceman blows it away so much that I don't even want to see the Epiphone anymore. If it were stolen, I would buy it again. I love the body shape the most. It is one of a kind. I hate the cheap trim, and the scratches on the fingerboard. My favorite feature is the shape and the pickups. I wish it came with a pickguard. // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on september 04, 2009

Price paid: $ 500

Purchased from: Tom Lee

Features: -Made in 2007, Indonesia.
-24 Frets Jumbo with a rosewood neck i think. Solid top body, very naice.
-Body is mahogany, painted white with black bindings. Iceman style body, super cool.
-Some kind of fixed bridge.
-DiMarzio Activator pickups, theyre passive though. One volume knob, one tone knob.
-Non locking tuners.
-Came with a colossal sized Ibanez case with more padding than a limo, and a cheap lead which works pretty well nonetheless. Great features for great value. // 10

Sound: The usual metal, cleans but mostly rock ballads, soloish with lots of delay and reverb. Runs through a Line 6 Spider jam amp and sounds freaking awesome straight out of the box. The DiMarzio active pickups claim to be as articulate as an active pickup without the horrible sterile steriliness that actives suffer from. Pickups were one of the selling points for me I have to admit, as I'd always wanted to try DiMarzio pickups. No regrets here. DiMarzio definitely lives up to its word with a uniqueish tone without battery hassles and doesn't sound like every EMG 85/81 setup which sounds great, BUT THEY ALL SOUND THE SAME. Thats just my 10 cents though.

The neck pickup is pretty amazing I must say. Smooth clear tones which are perfect for soloing and heavier styles. However it can get slightly muddy. Only slightly though, not too much of a problem. Another thing that might bother people is its rather bass heavy. I quite like it though, great for bluesiness and other styles.

Bridge pickup is a lot harsher. Very good for pinch harmonics. However I find it wayyy to trebly, very thin harsh sound which I don't like too much. However its pretty good with the tone knob turned down.

The tone and volume knobs have a bit of an issue too. The volume knob isnt very responsive. Turn it down 9/10ths of the way and it doesn't do anything, just dampens the tone. Its just fun to roll. I use it mainly to turn off feedback when I'm not arsed to reach my amp.

The tone knob too seems to suffer the same problem. Turn it down9/10ths of the way it doesn't do anything. Then the last 1/10th you get a mild tone reduction. You can still get the latin rock/santana-esque sound, but really this guitar was just meant for brutal mosh pitting head banging kick ass metal. I mean its a freaking iceman. So really if you're mainly into metal its great. If youre into blues youd be getting something like a Strat anyway. // 8

Action, Fit & Finish: Action set up is perfect, amazing. Nothing to be said there. Out of the box played great, low action super fast. enough said. Pickups were great too, everything worked. However theres only one thing that really bothered me. The black bindings are pretty terrible. Its as if a half sober underpaid worker with a wage of about -5 dollars an hour half assedly painted them on. Ok theyre not that bad, but the small details really get to me, and when youre playing its always in the corner of your eye. Real shame as it detracts from the otherwise extremely great build of it for such a cheap price. The tone knobs also came off about a week after i bought it. Probably from all that knob rolling, its just so satisfying. But its made of black painted metal, so glue it back on and no one would ever notice. The way the iceman body is designed means theres a little kind of tail shape at the bottom, which scratches easily. Otherwise great finish. Im just really fussy. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Extremely durable, played live a few times, no problem whatsoever. The tuning knobs are pretty easy to turn though, so accidental bumps will detune it. Just be careful. Hardware is great, any problems like the tone knobs falling off like I mentioned can be fixed with glue. Totally reliable. Didn't try the strap buttons, got Ernie Ball strap locks straight away. Finish is pretty good, doesn't scratch too easily. As long as you don't go smashing your guitar, don't use it for basball, shot by a tank or have it get run over it will definitely last. // 9

Impression: This guitar is really metal metal metal. I've been playing for about 2 years, but practice daily for about 2 hours-ish. If it were stolen, I'd consider buying it again, I mean for 500 USD (gotta love Hong Kong prices and christmas discounts), its outplayed guitars than cost perhaps a billion times more. However I'd probably try an Ibanez S prestige. Its so sleek its unbelievable. Its unique look will defintely turn heads. My teacher described it as "A guitar that only prince would use". Sadly I'm not Prince. Nontheless great guitar for a ridiculously great price. The only problem really is the bridge pickup being too harsh for my taste. Perhaps a Seymour Duncan would do the job there. I also wish the bindings werent so sloppy, because it detracts from what would be a perfect look. In all honesty theres nothing else I wish it had, apart from maybe like a build in wifi, and maybe a bayonet to ward off intoxicated fans. But it might possibly be the best value guitar on the market. // 9

overall: 8.4

Reviewed by: allanon88, on october 06, 2009

Price paid: C$ 800

Features: This guitar was made in Indonesia and was purchased in 2009. It has 24 frets with sharktooth inlays (that's what they're called right?) which look very nice. solid top body painted black with white trim. The paint shows pick scratches and such which is inherent with any guitar without a pick guard. Fixed bridge with thru body stringholes which help with sustain. Three way pickup selector tone knob and volume knob. DiMarzio activator pickups which although are not active they sure sound like it. They are perfect for pinch harmonics and metal. // 8

Sound: I play mostly metal with a dab of rock and punk and this guitar is perfect for those styles. This guitar is actually pretty versatile (unlike my MTM1). I am playing this guitar through a Slash signature wah and a metal master distortion pedal. The amps I use are a Fender metalhead and a Marshall MG 100 HDFX and this guitar sounds great through both of them. There isn't much excess noise or feedback so you could probably get away without a noise gate at some smaller shows. God I love the pickups in this guitar! Perfect for metal! // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up well at the factory, but the first string buzzed at the twelfth but a quick action adjustment did the trick. The pickups weren't too high or low from the strings which was good. There are no flaws that I can see or hear with this guitar and I've had it for almost a year now. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I have actually dropped this guitar a few times by accident but i havent even seen a flake of paint come off of it. This guitar seems very sturdy and i would definitaly use it Live. There are no pops or buzzes when using the pickup selector Switch or using the knobs. The strap pegs are metal but the strap can fall off easily. I wear a metal watch on my right hand while playing my guitar (which is stupid I know) and I havent been able to rub through the finish yet so it seems thick enough. // 9

Impression: I have an Ibanez MTM 1 and an Ibanez Iceman IC200 and I personally enjoy this one way more than those two. Even though this guitar was made in Indonesia instead of Japan like some more expensive Ibanez's I am very impressed with how it looks, plays, and sounds. If it were lost or stolen I would buy the same guitar without hesitation. // 8

overall: 9.8

Reviewed by: Danizgod, on january 06, 2009

Purchased from: mid MI music

Features: The Iceman ICT700, made in 08, in Indonesia (=[), with 24 frets. It has a glossy black finish, I believe it's maple wood, it's a cutaway with the Iceman body (how ironic)with a neck thru body and a string thru bridge, the Dimarrizo pickups are passive, they sound like active ones though, without the hassle.There is one volume and tone knob with a three way selector. Neck and bridge Dimarrizo pick ups with non locking tuners. It came with a hard shell case, a generic one though that didn't have the specific case for the unique body, which is why I gave it a 9, it fits weird in the case. // 9

Sound: It is amazing for metal, and with the right settings it pretty much plays anything, I play on a Vox Valvetronics amp, which is a model amp, and when I play on a cleaner sounding amp, it still has great tone. Honestly this guitar sounds great no matter what setting your amp is on, any style of music can be played on this, but specifically hard rock and metal, because of the thru, slidy neck, it's so easy to play fast. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: There were no flaws when I received this guitar, but I couldn't tell you about the factory default strap buttons because I put strap locks on right away and I haven't had a problem with it yet. Like I stated earlier, it was made in Indonesia, which is infamous for cheap paint and terrible finishes around where the neck and body meet, but I am examining the entire guitar right now and I see no paint flaws. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This guitar will definitely withstand Live playing, no dought, I would even bring it as a single guitar for a gig, the hardware is solid, the finish seams fine to me, not wearing easily the strap buttons have strap locks on them that make it seem like they aren't going anywhere anytime soon, and the paint hasn't chipped yet, only it is easy to get noticeable fingerprints all over it, but that is because of the glossy black, and those Who choose the color know the consequences. // 10

Impression: I play metal and hard rock, and this is perfect. I've been playing this guitar only for about two weeks, and it hasn't gotten old yet =], but I have been playing on and off for about 2 years, but the last year, I have been playing a lot, the only thing I wanted different at first was the white finish instead of the black finish, but I'm not complaining, I even am starting to like the black finish more because of this creamy outline it has around the entire guitar and neck. I love the neck, that is my favorite, the thing I hate is that it always pulls to the left, not a major problem, I love how heavy it is too, it makes you feel like you holding a guitar, not a cardboard cutout, like when I play a Gibson SG or an LTD, it also gives the guitar this Baritone like sound, Honestly I got it because I'm a Daron Malakian fan boy, and I don't regret it, it's an amazing guitar, at an amazing price, it is comparable to a Gibson. If it got stolen, I would kill whoever did it, no questions asked, I don't even care if it's Daron malakian himself. // 10

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: guitarguyryan94, on august 25, 2008

Price paid: $ 649.99

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: Not sure where it was made, but I believe it was made in either 2007 or 2008. It has a wizard II neck that features 24 jumbo frets on a rosewood fretboard, a reversed headstock, and reversed shark tooth fret inlays. Mine has a white finish and black binding with black hardware. This guitars hardware features a string through body and tune o-matic bridge, two DiMarzio D activators pickups, and two stable black strap knobs, one volume and one tone with a 3-way pickup selector and non-locking, but very durable, tuners. The body is light and has a contour on the back. // 10

Sound: Wow, I am truely amazed. When I play this beauty through my Line 6 Spider II 30 Watt amplifier I have absolutely no buzz what so ever. The DiMarzio pickups are very high quality and get the job done. The bridge pickup has a very punchy tone and the neck pickup has a full but not muddy sound. Both pickups pick up harmonics very well. The clean setting sounds bright, but not too bright, on the bridge and a well rounded jazzy/bluesy sound when both pickups or the neck pickup is active. // 9

Action, Fit & Finish: I ordered my guitar directly from the Guitar Center website and when I received it there was fret buzz on the first fret but I am too lazy to get it fixed. No need to adjust anything else on mine. Everything fit my standards. The finish is nice and strong. No scratches, yet. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I would trust this guitar for live playing and I might even trust it enough for a single guitar gig. I have had no problems with tunings. I play with 10 gauge strings and I mainly play in Standard e or e flat tunings. I rarely put my guitar in any drop tuning lower than drop d (besides for e flat) so I can't tell you how well it would up to anything below drop d. I believe I dropped it to c once to play a soad song and it seemed to hold tuning well. I remember it very vaguely so I can't give you much insight. // 10

Impression: I play mainly rock/alternative to hard rock/metal and this guitar sure does fit those catagories. The body is beautiful. The most unique guitar I have owned and laid eyes on. I would recommend this guitar to anybody who wants an exotic guitar and loves rock to metal music. // 10

overall: 9.6

Reviewed by: aeliustehman, on march 31, 2008

Price paid: $ 600

Purchased from: Tom Lee Music

Features: It was made last year 2007, made in Indonesia. 24 Frets, Jumbo. Solid top. Pure white finish. Iceman body style, ofcourse. Tune-O-Matic bridge, very active electronics. 1 volume, 1 tone, 3-way selector switch. Dual humbuckers. Non-locking tuners. Hard case with Ibanez logo comes with. // 9

Sound: My style is mostly metal and hard rock, thrash metal like Metallica, Slayer and things. I use it through a chorus pedal and a Line 6 Spider III 15 watt amp. It is quite noisy, mostly the amp, it's very loud. I have it on the insane setting all the time though, which is high gain and heavy distortion. The distorted sound is metalliawesome, the clean sound is very rich and beautiful. It has a very big sound variety, I can go Kirk Hammett to Tom Morello to Slash to Herman Li by snapping my fingers. // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: The action is very very good, very good guitar for fast metal and speed metal. This guitar is built very well. Properly adjusted pickups and routed bridge for beautiful no questions asked sound. No Flaws. Beautiful and perfect guitar. It is very strong and the strings will withstand anything practically. // 10

Reliability & Durability: It will definitely withstand Live playing, strings attached nice and firm, body and everything is strong. Strap buttons, solid, my strap has detached once, but the buttons themselves are strong. Whether I would play it without a backup. You also need a backup, in my opinion you can't actually rely on anything to not break. The finish is very good, it's white and can get dirty easy but doesn't come off, have cleaned it a few times. // 9

Impression: I play thrash metal, and with this guitar and amp, it matches it perfectly. I have been playing a year and I have two Fender acoustics and an Ibanez Gio, my first electric guitar, still crappy but sounds good. I have a stoney amp and a chorus pedal also. No I didn't wish I had asked anything, it's perfect. If it was stolen, yes I would, then again it wouldn't because I live in Hong Kong, not much crime here. I compared it with an X-Plorer, Epiphone Les Paul Beauty, and an Ibanez RXG 350EX-BK, which also played beautifully but I am very inventive with my sound and this combo was more suited to what I do. // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on august 18, 2008

Price paid: C$ 689

Purchased from: ItalMelodie

Features: This guitar was made in 2008 in Indonesia. It has 24 jumbo frets, it's a neck-tru and string through guitar with a mahogany body. It's satin black with a cream contour that goes from the headstock to the bottom of the guitar. It has a unique body style originally made for Kiss of course. Pickups are passive humbucker DiMarzio D Activators. There is a volume knob and a Tone knob with a 3-way switch. Tuners are non-locking but they keep they're tune pretty well. Comes in a beautiful case made for the shape of the guitar. // 10

Sound: This guitar is perfect for metal, I play mostly Quo Vadis, Opeth, Metallica, Trivium, Ensiferum. I'm using a Marshall AVT 150X wich I Drive with a Boss GT-10 processor. So, no need to say it isn't noisy at all with that set up, I can get any tone I want. You can get an 80's trash metal Metallica sound as well as a perfect acoustic Opeth tone with that guitar, of course the GT-10 helps! Get that pedal! // 10

Action, Fit & Finish: I bought it from ItalMelodie, Montreal and the set up was so good I did'nt believe it at first. Everything was perfect from the action to the height of the pickups to the new set of strings that was on, litteraly everything was perfect. They're wasn't any flaw at all on this guitar, actually I love it so much I just got another one in exchange for my Joe Satriani. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Of course it's a black guitar so you gotta be really careful when cleaning the body cause anything can make a scratch on it. But everything is painted black so it won't get oxidized by the acidity of your hands. The guitar seems really solid, and is pretty heavy too. Strap buttons are really solid and big enough, so you don't have to worry about your strap going off of it. I would totally use this guitar on a gig without any backup. As I said only the black paint can get some scratches but hey if you don't like it don't buy a black guitar! // 10

Impression: Perfect match for any style of music. I've been playing for 6 years now and I play mostly metal but I'm looking forward to learn some new styles with my new Boss GT-10 wich produces any tone you want. If this guitar was stolen I'd get a new one and I honestly don't care cause I got two of them. I love everything about this guitar except maybe the front strap button that makes your guitar fall towards the neck when your playing straight up. It isn't balanced well. But that's the only thing I don't like about it. Go get yours today! And if you're looking for a pedal, buy the GT-10 from Boss it's really worth the 500$! // 10

Comments

[SpellCaster]

Such "weird" cut away

[geluidsterroris]

I want epiphone les paul.

[Ali-b912]

love. whats with that random^^

[kissrulez4evr]

Ali-b912 wrote:

love. whats with that random^^

haha. seriously.

[1234roygbiv]

I want to get one of these...but the dude at the music shop said that its not the greatest guitar but hed order one for me to try out...i was woundering wt amp would be best and wut size strings...i ply rock..SOAD...ACDC that kinda stuff...thx =)

[WhiteWTHStripes]

I wants an iceman

[Anjohl]

An iceman trumps any epiphone by DEFAULT. American made, good pickups (There isn't an epiphone under $1000 with decent pickups in it), and super versatility, along with a classic lineage. Game, set, match.

[KaneIsRaw13]

Ibanez really ruined the Iceman series with this piece of ****. All they did was cut out the iceman body and throw a RG neck on it. And they took away the 4 knob set up, WTF is up with that.

[inefficiency]

[quote=KanelsRaw13]Ibanez really ruined the Iceman series with this piece of ****. All they did was cut out the iceman body and throw a RG neck on it. And they took away the 4 knob set up, WTF is up with that.
[/quote]

AND made it thru-neck, string-thru, white and gave it dimarzio pups and a reverse headstock.

All awesome changes if you ask me.

[Ali-b912]

Alright, just to clarify, are they made in Japan, Korea, Indonesia or the USA. As far as I know only lower end models are made in Indonesia, and im pretty sure ibanez dont make guitars in the USA. I'd geuss Korea, but im not sure...

[StanwoodSpartan]

i agree with you inefficiency
its just not the same

im so glad i have a Iceman IC200
and not this bull

[SupermanIsDead]

StanwoodSpartan wrote:

i agree with you inefficiency
its just not the same

im so glad i have a Iceman IC200
and not this bull

wtf do you mean man? of course it's not the same with your IC200 crap. ICT700 is whole lot better.
nec-thru, string-thru, Dimarzio D activators pups, reverse headstock. massive improvements. try to be more objective in judging something will you.

[SupermanIsDead]

KaneIsRaw13 wrote:

Ibanez really ruined the Iceman series with this piece of ****. All they did was cut out the iceman body and throw a RG neck on it. And they took away the 4 knob set up, WTF is up with that.

WTF is up with you bitch? that's the right question.

[1337kamikaze]

I just ordered my ICT-700, the only thing I wish it had was the old headstock, but reverse is fine I guess. I got it for $500 so, pretty good deal imo.

[Iceman2236]

i want one of these more than anything... ever scince i first looked at the ic200, ive craved one... ive never touched one, and guitar center no longer carries them. does anyone have any ideas on where to go to try one so i can seal the deal with my stupid parents? if so pm or reply, thanks.

[StanwoodSpartan]

SupermanIsDead...

im saying that ibanez ruined the reputation of this guitar by changing it from its classic look to
something off of tradition

the ic400 was the best iceman IMO

I wish they would make a iceman with
sunburst finish or a different finish or mirror finish,(like my ic200)
with seymour duncan sh-6 or sh-4 at bridge
and sh-2 or sh-6 at neck(like my iceman)
with 2 vol/tone knobs, same type headstock, 22 frets
(like all icemans), same rosewood fretboard as the old models, same mahogany body as old models, gold hardware (tailpeice, tuners, screws) would be kool (like on the ibanez jems), maybe a killswitch, always be stopbar/tailpiece stringing.

[StanwoodSpartan]

they should also fix where they put the strap locks.
the strap locks on my ic200 and ic400, makes all the weight of the guitar go to the left, so you have to always be holding the guitar up.

[McMullen20]

im getting one of these for my birthday either this or a xiphos... which one should i get? i love the iceman design but the xiphos has better reviews... is the ict700 really that crappy? is it atleast better than my RG370DX?

[A Bad Guitarist]

geluidsterroris wrote:

I want epiphone les paul.

The coffee men are restless, ganoosh, ganoosh!

Randomness FTW.

[appletice]

McMullen20 wrote:

im getting one of these for my birthday either this or a xiphos... which one should i get? i love the iceman design but the xiphos has better reviews... is the ict700 really that crappy? is it atleast better than my RG370DX?

the xiphos is possibly the ugliest guitar shape i've ever seen

[Danizgod]

i have it, i will review it, but i mine as well say
it is amazing, you honestly have to play one to know what it feels like, ill try to sum it up for you,
it feels like jessica alba jacking you off and it sounds like god playing a violin
buy it,
i know they are discontinued, but find one

[HammettFTW]

is it just me or has the ICT700 doubled in price in the last 2-3 months or so? i've looked everywhere and i just cant find it for anywhere near $650, although i have seen it for GBP650.

[McMullen20]

HammettFTW wrote:

is it just me or has the ICT700 doubled in price in the last 2-3 months or so? i've looked everywhere and i just cant find it for anywhere near $650, although i have seen it for GBP650.

yeah its up to like 850 and rising.

[neptune1988]

I really want one. I'm gonna try one through a Vox AC30. i'm also gonna try the DTT-700 Explorer.

[AngryGoldfish]

Why do so many people review guitars of pedals whilst playing them through amps like Line6 Spider III's? I've just noticed that. It's not necessarily just with this reviewers page, but people seem to get over excited for an amp that's only mediocre.
Just my opinion.

[serjdisciple]

I want it sooo badly only bad part is it doesnt come with a case

[McShredder]

Gah. Yet another review where all the authors have Spider 2s or 3s. They're terrible amps and just can't help you write a review on the guitars tone.

Also, i don't trust anyone who thinks the Spider amps are good.

So yet another line of reviews that are worthless lols.

[Scorn band]

Does this guitar keep the tuning? I'm not going to buy a guitar wich is like that guitar i got no! I have to tune it at least 1 time a day!

[IbanezIceman09]

McShredder wrote:

Gah. Yet another review where all the authors have Spider 2s or 3s. They're terrible amps and just can't help you write a review on the guitars tone.

Also, i don't trust anyone who thinks the Spider amps are good.

So yet another line of reviews that are worthless lols.

I actually just bought the ICT700. I do play on a Spider lll LoL....but....at the music store where I bought the Iceman I tested it on a Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212. One word.....amazing. I ran through some riffs using standard tuning, drop D and drop C and immediately bought it. This guitar is a beast for $699. I cannot put this guitar down now.The Iceman ICT700 is well worth the money. Now to buy the Hot Rod Amp.....

[guitarguyryan94]

AngryGoldfish wrote:

Why do so many people review guitars of pedals whilst playing them through amps like Line6 Spider III's? I've just noticed that. It's not necessarily just with this reviewers page, but people seem to get over excited for an amp that's only mediocre.
Just my opinion.

Line 6 amps are good amps for beginners or people on a budget.

[powkasto]

i wanna get one ^^