Ibanez AX120

Made in 2000 in Korea. 22 fret, Solid-top, 2 volumes, 2 tones, 3-way selector, two humbuckers (Ibanez AH1 at the neck, AH2 at the bridge), Passive electronics. Crystal-cut mahogany body, maple neck, grey nickel finish. The body is kind of a cross between a Gibson SG and a Les Paul Double Cutaway Junior. String through body non-trem bridge, standard tuners, fat, BOUND neck w/jumbo frets. Came from the dealer with one cable which didn't work.

I play a lot of nu-metal and punk rock, and this guitar really dishes out the sound. The humbuckers with distortion on make a massive crunch that suits my style very well. I play it through a Electro-Harmonix Small Stone Phase Shifter and a Morley PVW Wah/Volume into an early 90's Fender M-80 combo, and the sound is really good. It's actually very quiet even on distortion w/ a few exceptions: the pickups are not shielded great, so I pick up a lot of interference with it sometimes. It's sort of a click every second, but it doesn't happen that much. The sounds of this guitar on the neck pickup is MASSIVE, and very full. The bridge pickup has a little less mass, but makes up in bite, because it sounds VERY edgy and bright. The guitar does very well in both distortion ande clean. I've played it at hardcore rock parties and jazz competitions, and it handles everything with a smile. I play it downtuned a lot, and it handles it really well. Very nice sound overall.

The guitar came in the package with PERFECT action and intonation. The pickups came adjusted accurately, and everything mostly was in order. Over time, the tuners seem to be less stable, so those will be what I replace next. They're loose and don't stay in tune all the time. The nut also needs to be filed, as the G and B strings have a noticeable CHINK when tuning. The only other problem was the input jack, which was very loose; I had it replaced, and it's fine. The finish is a dark, gothic grey sparkle which is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! I love it. And it's been subjected to extreme weather conditions (playing on an XMAS parade on the back of a truck in the middle of winter...crazy) and it's held up admirably. Overall very nice.

This guitar will definitely withstand live playing. I've thrashed it around without abandon and it really has been a great sport. The hardware is fine (minus the tuners) and I don't think it will need replacing anytime soon. The finish is definitely going to last, because I have put it through hell since I got it and it hasn't blinked. The strap buttons I replaced with Dimarzio Strap Locks, so those will hold. I can definitely depend on this guitar with no question, but even so, it's probably a good idea to have a backup just in case. But seeing as I don't have another axe in playable condition right now, I have much trust in this guitar

I've never had to get this guitar repaired by the manufacturers, but I'm sure they'd be very helpful.

I've been playing this guitar for only four months, and have no intention of trading it in, EVER. If it were lost, I would immediately buy this guitar again. I love the tone of this guitar, and the playability of it. I compared it to a number of others that I almost bought, but I picked this one because of the price, and of the features it included. A few things I wish it had: no inlays, bound body, and better tuners, but I am definitely satisfied with the end result.

The one i have was made in 2000, its bright silver,and i am not sure where its made but i like it. it has standard size and amount of frets. It has 2 humbuckers(AH1 and AH2) which i really didnt like so i replaced the bridge pickup with a duncan invader and i just dont play the neck. My favorite part of it is the neck, its thin an light and has nice action, sometimes my thumb gets a little calis from sliding up and down it but thats just something that happens. the tuners are nice and i havent had any problemwith them and i hope idont. another thing thats cool on this guitar is the body style. its like a mi of a PRS and a Gibson SG but its crystal cut so it has some really cool contours to it and its very very light.

with the standard pickups it sounds good but eventually i got sick of them so i had to replace the onme i played(bridge). Its a very quiet guitar when you arent playing and doesnt make alot of feed back. I run it through a RP100 effects processor,dod flager and a Boss Metal Zone pedal and get really nice punk rock sound. It also can do some lighter stuff and really sounds good when its on a clean setting. Soif you buy it just all you have to do is get a duncan incader and new strings and you shouldbe set to go.

It has some very low action which is really good and makes playing very effortless. The pcikups as i said werent the greatest but as i said they dont sound horrible. The guitar wood was awesome since it wasso light and had nice contours it really was a comfortable fit for me. The Pickup selector is sorta noisey but that depends on how fast you switch the pickup.

Well the strap buttons are the one thing that worry me they came loose so i had to replace them but that was easy and was no real big deal. The rest of the guitar is durable as hell. It will definetly withstand live playing from my experiences with my band and i really think i can depend on this guitar

havent dealt with them . the warranty is like 3 years i think but im not totally sure on that one

Very nice guitar i would buy it again. if you want it get it just be prepared to get the new pickups and the strings it comes with arent the best. I wish there was some more color variety since it comes in a nasty black but a reallllly cool metalic silver that i got it in.So buy it and have fun.

Korea 2000 Mahogany body One-piece maple neck 22 Frets Thru body bridge, 2 axis Humbuckers 2 volumes 2 tones, 3 way switch

A rich/rull sound.I play a progressive metal style and this guitar has just the sound I need. I play it through a Peavy 112 Bandit with a variety of different effects. It's a little noisy when flipping the 3 way switch I do a lot of recording and this guitar sounds good both distorted and clean.

Action good and low. Straight and put together well. The grey nickel is beautiful. Neck is a little on the heavy side. It is comfortable to play even for long periods of time.

I don't play much live but it seems to be bullet proof. It holds tune very well I've dropped it a couple times and it wasn't phased. If you had to play without a backup this would be a good choice.

Never delt with em

I've been playing for about 9 years and have owned a lot of guitars. There ARE better guitars but it would be difficult to find a guitar of this quality for the price. I love the sustain and how well it holds tuning, (that was why I bought it originally).

I bought this in November of '99. It has a jewel cut body similar to a double cutaway Les Paul, but kinda loike a SG. Gibson style 2 volume, 2 tone, and 3-way toggle setup. 2 Ibanez Axis Humbuckers. Bolt on maple neck with a tilt back headstock, and Rosewood finger board. At least, I think it's Rosewood, it's really dark. 24 3/4" neckscale. Mahogany body, with string through body bridge. Mine came in a really cool Grey Nickel color. I give it a high rating here, because the color, body style, and bridge are exactly what I wanted.

I give it a 8 stock, but with a DiMarzio Tone Zone in the bridge, I give it a 10. Like mentioned in earlier reviews, the stock Axis pickups don't sound bad. They have good output, a really nice harmonic quality, but they are just too bright for humbuckers. They are lacking in low end punch. I play mostly a heavy punk, and thrash metal style, but I like to play other stuff too. I intially bought this guitar as a beater, to experiment with drop tunings on, but the stock pickups couldn't handle the low ends of drop tunings. It did sound really good with a Fuzzbox, or just a little bit of overdrive. So I ended up using it for the opposite of what I intended to. I recently added the DiMarzio Tone Zone in the bridge position, and I'm in love. It sounds good for everything now. This has become my main ax, and my other guitar is a more expensive Ibanez Blazer 850 re-issue. My favorite thing about it is the short neck scale, and Mahogany body give it a warmer sound than a strat type guitar with humbuckers, but the bolt on Maple neck keeps it brighter than a Gibson type guitar. Personally I think this guitar is ideal for playing punk.

This is where it's a mixed bag. Good playability out of the box, but it was strung with 9s, and I prefer 10s. When I put the 10s on, the action felt a little high. That is a common problem I have with guitars, as most come set up with 9s nowadays. When I lowered the action to where it felt comfortable to me(I like it kinda low), the frets buzzed slightly, but nothing you can hear over the amp. I've since shimmed the neck, and since it eliminated the buzzing frets, I feel it actually increased sustain. I never did like the wide necks on Les Pauls, but this one is narrow like a Fender's, but it's kinda got a flat profile like Ibanez necks do, though not as drastic as on their Wizard necks. So I give it high marks for playability, I can't stop playing it, but it does have some minor finish flaws. Which I don't mind for the low price. I rather a guitar that plays good. You can see some paint over spray on the neck binding. At the heel of the neck there is a spot that didn't quite get finished, and sucks up dirt from my hands Also the finish is slightly bumpy, fine speckles, like they sprayed it to thin. I buffed it with Meguiar's several times, and it's pretty glossy now, but you can still see the little bumps, if you look close in the light. About a month after I bought it the 10th fret started to pull up. I could have sent it back, but I'd already fallen in love with it. So I put a piece of carboard over it, and tapped it down, haven't had a problem since.

I don't use a case, it gets knocked around, it is tough. I will mark it down one point because those scarf joints on those tilt back head stocks have been known to pop off, if you smack them hard enough.

I've tried to find parts for my other Ibanez guitar, impossible. Also, I think they got carried away with the Flash on their website. I'm marking them down another point for that.

I bought it for a beater, it became my main ax, how do you think I'm going to rate it? I will mark it down a half point for the the pickups. Another half a point for the finish flaws, and a half for the trouble I've had in the past finding Ibanez parts. Making a total of 8.5, but since I can't rate it that, I'll round up. Overall I love it because it suits my in between, mutt style, and the neck fits hand perfectly.

Oh, and BTW, I'm 30yo, been playing 13 years. Play mostly punk and metal, but experiment with blues, rock-a-billy, surf, and a little funk and ska. For an amp I had Fender HR DeVille when I bought this guitar, but I recently traded it for a HR Deluxe, because I needed something smaller, since I just play at home. I also plug a Digitech RP100 into my computer to record, and this guitar is well suited for that, because it has been shielded good, and doesn't get much interference from the computer.

1999. korean made. 19 frets.solid .15 way switch selector.mohogany body with metal neck.

this is not a good guitar.

actoin was way to highg and buzzed wheen lowered. finish was fine.

i think it was very strong and durable.

unfriendly people.

What a hunk of junk!

Korean made in 2000, 22 Frets, 2 Axis Humbucker Pickups. Body is made of mahagony. It's a double cutaway, similar looking to the Gibson SG or a PRS. It's a fixed bridge (no tremolo), like a strat with a closed back. This particular body finish is Grey Nickel...sweet. The frets are medium to chunky size which I don't mind since my first guitar was a Squier Strat. Two volume and two tone controls for each pickup and also includes that infamous toggle switch which I do like. Included: two allen wrenches..one for truss, and one for bridge. Also came with a cord which I've yet to use..looks pretty thin.

Suits my musical style perfect. I play somewhat "sloppy rock" mostly rhythm mixed with lead; aggressive alternative?/punk rock but by no means "metal". I play through a Crate GX-65 which sounds loud but the amp is crapping out on me! I mainly use a Digitech RP-6 for all my effects which compliments the warm tone I get from the AX. When I first got the guitar, there was so much buzz from the 4th fret. Since I adjusted the bridge and the truss, though, I find that the sound is not as loud, but still exists. The overall sound is rich and warm, which is a great change from the strat. The neck pickup is very bassy. Pickup sitching from bridge produces some static. If anyone can tell me how to get rid of the buzzing vibrations, I'd rate the sound alot higher.

Still bothered by the fact that I had to adjust the action. The guitar gits me fine, but slides down when I take my hands off of it, too neck heavy. The finish is excellent, no flaws except a scratch by the tuning pegs..no biggie. The grey nickel is beautiful

I've been playing for 7 years, and I think that this guitar is pretty solid. I've banged it a number of times already and it doesn't seem phased. Strap buttons are good, and very dependable. I will use this as my main axe, but I would never gig without a backup and neither should anyone else!

Only had the thing for 2 weeks, bought if from Music123.com. Don't think I'll need them anytime soon

Been playing for 7 years, have a Squier Strat, Crate GX-65, Digitech RP6, Boss DS-1 pedal and a Peavey Rage. I think I would buy this again if it were lost or stolen. I saw all the reviews about this guitar and decided to get one, I am more than happy with my purchase.

2000 model made in Korea. Featuring a double cut-away mahogany body with a "crystal cut" style similar to the Gibson SG. The body shape reminds me of a Les Paul Junior or a Hamer Arch-CS. It has a fixed thru-body bridge, and 2"axis" humbuckers. To tweak your sound, it comes with 2 vol./tone dials and a three way switch. The neck is made of maple with a rosewood fingerboard, dot inlays, binding, and 22 medium frets. The tuners are made by Gotoh I believe. The headstock is black and Tilted back. I don't know how many degrees. The neck is bolted to the body. The strap buttons are standard size adn probably need to be replaced with a locking type.

This guitar produces full sound and great sustain. It makes for a great rhythm guitar. Though when you switch it to the bridge position you can get a nice bright tone out the AX120. The neck position is full bodied and warm. Now, my only complaint is with the center position. It has no meat to the sound. It has a weaker tone compared to the neck. I am ne to a H/H style( I am use to a strat) guitar but it seems to me that when I have both humbuckers turned on my ears should be ringing. Yeah, I can tweak the knobs on my 15w tube Fender Blues Junior amp to get that "crunch" feeling, but hell you should be able to flix the switch to get that sound.

This guitar is wonderful for staying tune. So, I am happy with the tuning pegs. The action is great for my taste-low. I haven't had to adjust it since the day I brought it home from the store. The cut of the body is very comfortable and I don't find it too heavy. The fretboard is less rounded than my Ibanez SCR220, which makes it great for bar chords. I have small hands so I need any break I can get! The color of the body is called gray nickel. I would have called it metallic silver but it looks great under the lights. Speaking of which...Ibanez needs to get better quality control and I need to get better eyes. When I got the guitar home from the store I noticed flaws in the paint job and touch ups on the back where you thread the strings threw the body. Other than that the finish looks fine. I didn't take it back because i figure who see the back anyway.

This is a tough one. I don't play in a "live" situation and I have only had it for 7 months. So, really can't give a fair rating. But compared to my old Ibanez Blazer BL200 it feels solid and well put together.

Ibanez needs to get their shit together in this catagory. Not that I have had problems with my AX120 but I have some questions and there is no good way to contact them. I have tried the web and snail mail-forget about it. So, I guess in the future I will have to rely on my local music store. Pretty sad Ibanez!

Why did I choose this guitar? The price, the neck ,and it looks tits.
I made the mistake of going to the store to close to closing time so I really didn't spend enough time playing it otherwise I noticed the quality of the pickups better. My mistake. I gave the AX120 and 8 as it is now-stock. Someday I will replace the pickups with some that have real balls to 'em and replace the 3 way selector. It likes to give off a cracking sound when I felt it from the neck to the middle.
When that day comes then it will be a ten. Other than that I enjoy the heck out of the neck. It's almost as good as my SCR220. It's a dream to play. Would I get another one if was stolen? Probably not.
I would most likly save up for it's big sister -the AR250.

This guitar was made in Korea its a 2000, has 22 medium frets,amazing grey nickel finish,4 controlls 4 per each humbucker, 2 ibanez humbuckers, Neck Ah-1 Hb and brige Ah-2 HB, i think its a alder body with a maple neck and really cool look rosewood fretboard with white on the sides, its a cool looking sorta Prs mixed with an sg body style crystal cut, it has a no tremlo ibanez fixed strign through body bridge nice tuners, thin easy to play neck and very very good action, it came with a chord(useless crappy chord) and a waranty and it also has a toggle switch.

It suits my music style perfectly which is punk(pop punk emo hardcore punk whatever) and it seems to be made for distortion which is perfect for me. Im using a metal zone mt-2 distortion by boss and my amps distortion and im using a flanger by dod and a fender champion 30 amp. Its great with the distrotion and without and plays really well. i like the toggle switch wich can give you many diferent sounds, i prefer the switch to be down and it gives a nice tremble bass mix perfectly and it cool for lead and great sustain. the middle is really fat and cool and the top is bassy. it seems to be a good guitar for people who play and kind of fast music with distorion like me and i think would be perfect for many other kinds without distortion. i dont really care for the upright switch position but the other two are great!

its well setup and solid feeling. very very light and the action is low and awesome. the pickups seem perfectly in place and so does the bridge. the heardstock is similar to gibson with the 15 degree angle on it. it also has a nice looking shape to it aswell. i couldnt ask for better looks. it fits great to my body since its so thin it feels like nothing. its kinda hard to controll standing but you get used to it due to the small cutaways though.but eventually you get used to it and contorll it better.

seems it will play well live i havent played a show with my band yet using it but it should sound great. all of the hardware seems durable and the volume controlls are cool looking. im going to definetly use it at a gig and i would only have a back up because i break strings sometimes and if im playing hard like at a gig i would probably break a string but otherwaise i wouldnt need a backup.

never dealt with them but they seem cool so i have no comment on this

i like it the best out of my guitars and will keep it a while i would buy it again in another color as a back up definetly!

Bought in 99'. Mahogany body, grey nickel finish. 22 medium frets. Axis Humbukers.(AH1 and AH2). Two Volume and Tone Switch witha toggle to select each pickups.

This guitar is good for all you rhythmic guitarists who play very heavy riffs. It's great for all that Tom Morello stuff using the toggle switch. But I wouldn't recommend tuning it down like Slipknot and Korn because the strings really flap alot and the sound is not to clear. It's muddy. I play this guitar through my Crate GFX 212 Combo. But i needed a Noise Suppressor because there is alot of hissing. I play it with a Ibanez Smashbox, Ibanez Chorus/Flanger(perfecr for Korn effects), Crybaby, and Tube Works distortion. This guitar also has a nice clean sound. Good for the blues because of its excellent sustain. The only thing I would change on it are the pickups. Maybe try the DiMarzio's if you got money. But everything else about it is perfect.

I think this guitar was perfectly built. But if they could improve on something it should be the toggle switch. It tends to get loose when you use it alot.

I've never had any problems with this guitar and I hope it stays that way. This guitar has been my main guitar for about a year now but i'm planning on getting a seven string because those are the guitars of the future. I use this and a Strat on gigs and never had a problem with it. It's a great guitar for its price.

I ordered mine in a catalog and they sent it to me in two days. It was perfectly fine so i've got no complaints. I dont worry about the warranty because I know this guitar will last if I maintain it correctly.

Everything about this guitar is perfect especially the price. If you had to change something it should be the pickups but the stock pickups aren't that bad. It also looks great and had alot of people ask me where i got it and how much.If you're just starting out, this should be your first guitar.

This is a 2000 Ibanez AX120, Korean made solid body electric with 22 meduim jumbo frets, dual humbuckers(AH-1 in the neck, AH-2 in the brindge, both passive). Full Tune-II bridge(kind of a hardtail strat thing)string through body design with a mahogony body, maple neck with a 24 and 3/4 inch scale and rosewood fingerboard. It has closed back, self lubricating tuners and a Grey Nickel finish. It also came with a cable and one allen wrench.

Okay well, the sound of this guitar is pretty decent considering its price. I play a wide variety of music that goes from Green Day to Guns N' Roses to Metallica to some blues songs. This thing can nail the metal sound very very well, nice and punchy. I run this guitar through a Crate GX-15R(This amp sucks....)and a BOSS ME-10(Sucks to some extent...)and this sounds really good with it. This Ibanez isn't noisy at all. The sound isnt as full or rich as I would like it but that's due to to the pickups, which AREN'T bad at all, they just lack low end as a lot of others here said. I had to use effects to compensate for that. What surprised me though was the sustain of this thing. It's a bolt-on but almost has the sustain of a set neck. There's arent too many variations of sound on this guitar. I could roll back the tone knob on the bridge pickup and make it sound like the neck, which by the way, tends to sound somewhat fuller than the neck pickup. I DO like the way it sounds but because of the pickups, I'm rating this catagory an 8. Those pickups could sound so much better. Which is why I might replace them and throw in some Duncans. I'll need them for that low end crunch.

the guitar was set up extremely well. The intonation was dead on and although I like my action a little higher than how it came, that too was set well. The neck is really comfortable actually. This guitar was definitely made to play! No fret buzz, dead spots or fretting out. However, there was some fret oxidation on the bass side of the strings. The pickups were adjusted nicely but I raised them a little. The bridge on it is rock solid. The way it balances is more like that of a Gibson SG. Its neck heavy and body light. I wish Ibanez put more weight on the body so it doesn't dip forward towards the floor when I take my hands off of it. Also that toggle switch feels fragile....

Durable? its pretty much beyond that. Its hard as a rock. I've bumped this thing quite a few times and there are no dings on it whatsoever. The hardware is also pretty durable. I deliberately tried to get it out of tune but it stays in tune really well compared to my Strat. Also the frets are pretty big and HARD so it would hold up to a long time of bending the strings every which way. The strap buttons are the most solid I've seen on a guitar in this price range. Most budget instrumet have cheap, piece of crap aluminum buttons that are sure asking to pop out anytime(I glue mine in with epoxy glue on all my guitars). These are steel strap buttons and they pretty much won my seal of approval. Its a pretty dependable guitar surprisingly since I've noticed a lot of foriegn made guitars tend to fall apart quickly. I'd use this thing without a backup if I had to but I like a lot of different guitar sounds so I need different things for different songs. I bought this guitar to have that sort of Les Paul type configuration. My only complaint here is the toggle switch.

Havent dealt with them. warrenty is a year.

I've been playing for more than seven years and I own an AriaProII Fullerton strat copy with a Duncan JB in the bridge, a Crate GX-15R, a BOSS ME-10 effects proccessor, a Dunlop CryBaby 535 Wah-wah pedal and an Epiphone PR-200 wich is a dreadnought acoustic. I wish I had asked about the pickups on this guitar before handing over my dough...Personally I wouldn't buy this one again I'd get something else but for the money this is a damn good guitar! You're getting a good sound, great sustain and rock hard durability for a nice price. I would say this guitar is a great bang for the buck. I compared it to my own guitars. LOL! See I didnt have the chance to really go down to the music store to test it as I can't drive. What I really admire about this guitar is the aformentioned sustain(that much sustain for a 300 dollar guitar???). The neck is really easy and comfortable to play. It isnt as tiresome or makes my hand feel cramped like some guitars do. I like the tuners on it a lot. They're actual metal tuners and not this cheap plastic. This is one thing I always liked about Ibanez. They give you good hardware. My biggest gripe is the pickups. Come on, Ibanez. You got THIS far in a great instrument and you don't put some great pickups to go with it? I'd be more than happy to pay the extra $100-200 for the nicer pickups. An AX120 with better pickups for $399.99 would be great! It would still be a bargain. A stronger toggle switch would be nice too. Speaking of which, I would've rather have the switch located at the top cutaway closest to my chest like the high end Artist guitars so it won't get in my way when I'm trying to do volume swells.