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Ibanez AX120

Summary
Manufacturer URL http://www.ibanez.com/
Features 8.4 (43 responses)
Sound 8.3 (45 responses)
Action, Fit, & Finish 7.9 (43 responses)
Reliability/Durability 8.7 (41 responses)
Customer Support 6.8 (12 responses)
Overall Rating 8.6 (43 responses)
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Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 11/13/2007 at 10:55pm by c3lew

Features : 7
Same as everyone elses, but mine was made in Indonesia. Finish was weather black. A 2005 model sold new in 2007 (ie clearance item.)

Sound : 6
The bridge pickup sounded really good. Nice distorted tone. The neck pickup doesn't sound as good. It's not bad at lower volumes but when you crank up the volume it gets really muddy.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 3
Fit and finish was really bad. Hardware was loose. Bridge mounting screws were loose. Tuner nuts were loose. Everything had to be tighten. Fret ends were pokey and not bevelled properly.

Bridge pickup poles do not line up with the strings!! It's like the AH2 is for a TOM bridge not a flat "fender" bridge.

Tuners are really bad too.

Action was set up for the factory strings (9's) and were a the high side. All guitars, even the expensive ones, need a proper set up.

This one just took a little longer. OK a lot longer...

Reliability/Durability : 7
So far everything is really soild with this guitar. I had to do some tweaking with this guitar from the beginning. With better tuners and pickups this guitar will be dependable.

I would always have a backup guitar even on my more expensive guitars.

The finish is already getting pick marks. I've seen other guitars in weather brown and black and it does mark easily.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Did not need any service

Overall Rating : No Opinion
I've been playing for 27 years and wanted a slab top 24, 3/4 inch scale, double humbucker guitar. LP special or an SG. Epiphone or Gibson were out of my price range. For a little over $200 I got the guitar, a tour jacket, and a t-shirt. Free swag and good customer service from the online store sold me on this guitar!!!

I wished I'd asked where this guitar was made. I do believe that the Korean made AX had better quality control.

If it was stolen or lost, I would look for another AX but a AX42 or AX32.

I wished it had a TOM bridge.





Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 07/21/2006 at 02:10am by Veg

Features : 9
Same thing the everyone else has said.

Sound : 9
I've read a few reviews about people not diggin the AH pickups. I kinda like them. I'm able to get a variety of sounds. It's great with distortion, and it's got a decent clean tone to it. I play mostly straight forward rock, but it does good with metal and punk. I'm not really into a chug metal sound, so the pickups work well for what I play. I also screw around in alternate tunings, and it sounds great in standard to about a whole step down, after that is gets rubbery sounding, but it's not made for super low tunings, get the 7 string for that. Part of the reason I got this guitar was it sounds like an IC300. I had one and had to pawn it for school supplies. The mahogany body is great. It adds a nice warm tone for a very thin body. I use this as a back up to an 83 artist that I have, or when I need something in an alternate tuning. I use a peavey classic 50(tube) 4x10 combo, with line6 pod xt live, and a tube screamer(as a signal boost). It's a great rhythm, and does a decent lead, but is generally a "fast" neck. I can make any sound I choose to with it.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
The action was a little high, but nothing big. I replaced the strap buttons with a strap lock system, but I've never had a problem with the buttons. I just want to make sure my guitar doesn't fall(even if it did I think it would do more damage to the floor). The tuners are ok, but could be better. I'll replace those later with grovers, but I'm not in a hurry. I don't pound on a guitar, but I have wacked it out of tune when doing leads. Overall these are minor complaints, but should be vocalized.

Reliability/Durability : 9
This guitar will stand up in a live situation. I could smash this into someone face, go to jail for murder, and when I get out of prison play it like it was brand new. Yes it will hold up. I cracked a little of the finish when I installed the strap locks, but that was my fault. I've had it for a few years and not a scratch. As I've said before the tuners could use replaceing, but that's about all. I never gig without a back up. If Murphy's law never went into play then I guess I would.

Customer Support : 9
Never had to deal with them as far as fixing it or any other Ibanez guitar. I do find it really annoying that it takes 7-8 months to get a guitar ordered from Guitar Center(who's a dealer), but that could be G.C.'s issues not Ibanez.

Overall Rating : 9
I've been playing for about 11 years. I've done stage and studio work. I like using underdog equipment, because there is something cool about finding gems, and sounding better than gear snobs with traditional stuff. This is a reallly good guitar for the price. I'd like to see it with a through neck. If it were lost or stolen I would get one of the ar's with a through neck.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $275
Submitted 06/17/2005 at 04:29pm by Danny K

Features : 9
Made in 2004 in Korea. 22 medium frets. Crystal-cut body,solid mahogony, niiiice looking.Maple neck. 2 Ibanez Axis humbuckers. You get the picture from everything else.

Sound : 8
I play prog-rock, jazz, punk, and classic rock. I play it through a Vox AD-50-VT 1x12 combo. I prefer to use only the bridge pickup and sometimes through both. The stock pickups are NOT bad, but the neck pickup sounds... muddy. Otherwise it sounds great. The guitar can make a good variety of sounds for the price, perfect for me.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
This guitar plays like a dream. I have never seen a guitar for under 3 c-notes play this well. The maple neck is is smooth and well put together. The mahogony body is beautiful. I have the Weathered brown finish, and I'll say this, the pictures do this guitar no justice at all. Everything was tight and well put together. Excellent.

Reliability/Durability : 9
This guitar will outlive my grand children. Hardware's nice, strap buttons are solid nickel and very tight nice, nice, nice. This is my main guitar, but like anything, I always have a backup, 'cause God acts in strange ways.

Customer Support : No Opinion
No comment

Overall Rating : 9
I've been playing for about five years total, I own a couple of other Ibanez products, DT200 Destroyer, TS808, AD-9. I also own a Hohner acoustic. I wish the neck pickup sounded better. I would buy it again, since it's the best of thre AX's of any price. I like this guitar's looks and I like to play it. That's all that matters to me


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 04/19/2005 at 11:19pm by Jeff

Features : 7
Korean, Grey Nickel finish, 2 Axis HB pickups, 22 fret maple w/rosewood, Thru-body fixed bridge. Made in 1999, purchased in 2000.

Sound : 6
It's OK... It had a raw sound, good for punk. The neck pickup had a really muddy sound, but the bridge pickup sounded good (sounded great with the selector in the center position), though neither were very high output. I replaced the bridge pickup with a SD Invader, and the neck with a Carvin C22N. Now it's a monster.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 7
Marginal tweaking of the saddles and neck were needed upon arrival (it was a Musician's Friend purchase). The body finish was a nice grey nickel without flaws. The neck binding was kind of cheap, though, and the tuners were a huge problem (I've since gone with Grover machines), but for under $300, I expected a few quirks. Overall, it didn't surprise or disappoint.

Reliability/Durability : 10
I've been a gigging with it for 5 years, and still use it in my regular rotation. The strap buttons were replaced immediately w/ Dunlop locks, and as I mentioned earlier, I yanked the tuners rather quickly, but this thing can take a beating. It was actually my number one (and only) guitar for about 2 years, and I trust it, but as any musician knows, with any instrument, ALWAYS bring a backup. That being said, it has been a worthy road instrument.

Customer Support : No Opinion
N/A

Overall Rating : 8
I've been a guitarist for 17 years, and for almost a third of that time I played through the Ibanez AX-120. I don't think I would buy this guitar again, but that's mainly due to the fact that I have a little more money to work with now. It's been very good to me over the years, and for a cheapo guitar, it rocks. It would be a great beginner guitar or pawn shop buy. Cheap tuners and relatively quiet pickups, but solid construction and tough-as-nails finish. I would recommend it to a starving artist in search of a deal, and I don't plan on getting rid of mine.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: 675 (Australian Dollars)
Submitted 10/04/2004 at 02:51am by CW

Features : 7
Made in Korea
22 Frets
2 Volume and 2 Tone knobs
2 Ibanez AH3 and AH4 Humbuckers
Mahogany symmetrical double cutaway body
Weathered Finish
Thin, bolt-on neck

Pretty average, suits the price i reckon.

Sound : 4
My style is rock, and it sort of suits it. This guitar is meant for heavy metal, with heavy distortion. The stock pickups on this guitar are terrible. Clean channel is a disaster, but with heavy distortion it sounds average. It would sound great with an EMG 81/85 set up, but so would most guitars. I don't find it to be noisy at all. I am rating this category with the stock pups.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 5
Factory set up was ok, I changed the strings and made a few minor adjustments, but nothing worth mentioning. The neck joint on this guitar is a monster, I hate it how you can see 4 big bolts sticking out the back. Finish was OK, no noticeable flaws.

Reliability/Durability : 9
It seems pretty stirdy and should withstand live playing. Strap buttons are fine, but this guitar is very neck-heavy and akward to play with a strap. I could depend on it, but I would still take a backup.

Customer Support : No Opinion
N/A

Overall Rating : 5
I have been playing 12 years, and currently own a Cort M520, Washburn D10SCE and a 40W practice amp. If it were lost, I would buy something better. The thing that I like most about this guitar is it's looks, not the finish, but the symmetrical double cutaway. Sort of like a Gibson SG, but with tidier curves. But because of the shape, it has poor balance. It is very neck-heavy, and is impossible to use with a strap. The shape also makes it hard to reach the higher frets. It's not impossible, but difficult.

This guitar is nothing special and does not quite match it's price tag. Next to my Cort M520 (which costed $100 more) it does not come close. If you are considering buying this, reconsider. If you are looking at guitars in this price range, get a Cort (Cort actually makes most of Ibanez's guitars, and are better quality).


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: 350 (AUS)
Submitted 06/01/2004 at 07:17pm by Anonymous

Features : 9
22 fret Grey Nickel finish (kinda sparkly silver - looks amazing) AX120 with 500k vol/tone for both humbucking pups and a 3way switch. Pretty meat and potatoes stuff. All you need though. Fixed bridge (NOT tune-o-matic style) with string thru-body design which increases sustain.

Sound : 9
Out of the box this is by no means a really good guitar. A while ago I came to the realisation that while buying $2000, $3000, $4000+ guitars is all very well and good, you can get better tone out of lower priced guitars by upgrading the pickups and electronics and still have money to burn. And so the story goes with this guitar. Replaced the stock pups with seymour duncan invaders and the difference is night and day. I have a rule of thumb with amps/pups and that is "the heavier, the better" and the stock pickups are clearly thinner, lighter and flimsier than the duncans. Note that the string spacing of the ibanez is a wider trembucker style and that duncan only offers standard humbucker sized invaders...the reason for this is adressed at www.seymourduncan.com...which means that the bridge invader is SLIGHTLY out of line with each string. Makes no difference to tone. While invaders produce a tone which is not particuarly versatile, the guitar now excells at modern distortion tones (which is what I wanted it for). This guitar cannot touch a strat/tele tone but I have a strat and a vintage style maton mastersound which handle the rest of the sonic spectrum. So before upgrading the pickups i'd give this guitar a 5 or 6. Take some time to make these small changes and that rating goes up to a 9. Ibanez are renowned for their crappy stock pups. Change em and you'll hear the difference!

Action, Fit, & Finish : 7
The guitar is finished adequately. Had some issues with fret buzz and after a few minor truss rod adjustments and a bit of file work on I think the 10th or 11th fret high E all is good. Tends to warm towards a slightly highter action which I guess if you're shredding may not be ideal. As I said, I use this guitar for one purpose and that is modern distorted one finger wonder power chords (thats not entirley true but you get the idea). For this the setup is fine. I do not expect an instrument to play perfectly out of the box but in the case of this ibanez I thought there was a bit too much work to be done to get her right. Also as other reviewers have noted the neck is particuarly heavy, or rather, the centre of mass is towards the neck rather than the body. This can sometime be an issue but I'm pretty well used to it and hardly notice. I just LOVE the GN finish though. I rang the ibanez dealer for the whole of Australia and they said the GN finish was discontinued but one of their distributors had one left on the other side of the country. As far as I know I got the last Grey Nickel Ibanez 120AX in Australia!!!

Reliability/Durability : 10
Well this is the thing about using cheaper guitars with pup/electronics mods to play live. With expensive guitars (that often dont sound as good without mods) I find that I'm mainly worried about not bumping it or setting it down wrong etc etc which means I'm more worried about preserving my instrument than I am about actually playing a show. Also add this to the smoke/beer/drunk guys/flying pool balls/sweaty etc etc environment of the pub scene and chances are that 5 grand PRS is gonna be scratched/flogged and/or covered in beer in no time. With this guitar I get great tone and while I'm careful with it I really dont give a fuck about polishing it after every song so I'm free to just go out there and rock! This guitar sure takes a beating and I'm so comfortable with it and happy with how it sounds that there's no way I'd change. "Rock Solid".

Customer Support : 8
Spoke to Australis Music, the Australian distributor to hunt down the last one in Australia! They were helpful and quick!

Overall Rating : 8
Been playing for about 7 years. Guitar wise I have (in chronological order) a fenix tele upgraded with kinman pups (cannot say enough about these pickups), an ibanez rg220bk with duncan distortion trembucker, this ibanez, a maton mastersound stock for vintage style stuff, taylor 312ce for all my jethro tull requirements(!) and a USA fender strat with kinman trad pups which I use for anything from knopfler to chili peppers. These are run through either my ss fender stage 160 combo (suprisingly good amp), fender '70s silverface (just beautiful - loves stompboxes) or mesa nomad 100 w/4x12 mesa cab. Right now I am very happy with my tone because I have a selection of guitars which play really well and have really good pickups. I can authentically cover all the generic "tele", "strat", "vintage", "hot humbucker" and "acoustic" tones and then some. Along with the strat this is my main gigging guitar and it takes the cake with its light weight, solid construction and my carefree attitude towards it! I hate to post a glowing review of a cheapish ibanez because out of the box this guitar is "average" at best. It is only after some modification that you can significantly improve on the quality of this instrument. I'd be lost without it now!


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $299.99
Submitted 09/04/2003 at 04:01am by rob

Features : 8
Just look at the other guys- or the ibanez website. pretty simple, nuthin too fancy. i got the black one. (dont think they make it in black anymore)

Sound : 10
I like the way it sounds. the switch makes it have 3 very different sounds and i like them all. i think it will sound good with any style of playing.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
everything was pretty good. if i remember correctly, some of the frets near the high end caused a little bit of buzzing. i think i just messed around with the small screws to bring up the strings a little (got it about 2 years ago). One problem i have is with the finish. I mean it looks great, but it seemes to get scratched very easily from the pick or from trying to clean it with the wrong materials. These are not big scratches at all, the are only noticable if you looks very closely under certain lighting conditions. i guess they are not really scratches. just very very light marks. still looks great though, still shines.

Reliability/Durability : 10
I think this guitar would definately withstand live playing. everything is very solid and simple. theres nothing fancy on it, just pretty basic. has a good feel to it, everything on it is strong. the only thing is that the plug gets loose sometimes, but just tighten it up a little and its okay. Just like some other guys said that they dropped them and they are still good, i think that would be true if i dropped mine (although ill try not to) i think it would hold up.

Customer Support : No Opinion
never tried to contact them.

Overall Rating : 10
I've been playing for about 4 years. got this one about 2 years ago. love the way it looks and feels. love everything about it. when poeple see it, they love it too. the only thing that i wish i had on it is a whammy bar, but its no big deal. the light scratches are probably my fault, but even though they r there, they r barely noticable when you look hard.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: 4200 (mexican pesos (like 420 dollars))
Submitted 04/25/2003 at 09:20pm by Anonymous

Features : 8
i dunno when it was made, but i dont think that its too old may 2001, i think it has 22 frets. 4 knobs, 2 pickups (humbuckers) anyways you can find the info here http://www.ibanez.com/guitars/guitar.asp?model=AX120&color=1

Sound : 9
i play punk like nofx and "grunge" like nirvana, the sound is great. i have used it with a Boss Ds1, and it sounded good, and with a Boss Me 30 (fx box) it sound ok (the box is crappyno the guitar) and with a crappy 65w amp its a copy i think.

I love its clean sound... FULL...

I like the sound of my guitar alot

Action, Fit, & Finish : 7
the only problem i've had whit this guitar is that the pick ups fall every timne and then... its anoying. because i have to screw them back.. no biggie

Reliability/Durability : 8
this guitar could survive a nuke, it has falle several times (from high places to) and it only has couple of scratches, and im a very rude guywith my guitarrs (i smash them... usually)

Customer Support : No Opinion
n/a

Overall Rating : 8
nice guitar for any music style
very good looking guitar, i had for almost a year now... i love it... i doubt im gonna change it..


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $289.00
Submitted 03/01/2003 at 05:21pm by Anonymous

Features : 8
The first thing that drew me to this guitar was the looks. The grey nickel finish really got my attention. Look at the other reviews for the set up. Over all I like all the features. The two things that bug me a little are the balance(a little neck heavy) and the position of the pickup switch(prepare to hit that damn thing while strumming). I love how well it stays in tune. I don't need bells and whistles.

Sound : 8
This is a heavy metal guitar all the way but it will hold it's own for other music styles as well. It sounds very good clean too. I find myself EQ-ing the High knob on my amp down a lot because the pickups are pretty bright but my amp is pretty bright as well. Over all I really like the sound of this guitar.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 7
Heavy neck. Balance could be better. Action is a little high for me. It is a solid setup. Not much to screw up because it's a simple guitar. But the quality is good.Alignment was good. I did have to tighten up a few screws but they have stayed tight.

Reliability/Durability : 8
I've dropped this thing I don't know how many times and it has withstood the shock. I always have a backup but this guitar should last a long time. I have yet to scratch off any finish.

Customer Support : No Opinion
N/A

Overall Rating : 9
I've been playing for about 12 years and I do have better guitars.They are way overpriced however.I'm surprised at the quality for the price on the AX 120.I bought this guitar for the looks but I play this guitar for the sound. If this review was based on quality for price I would have put 10 on everything.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $350
Submitted 01/13/2003 at 11:43am by Daryl
Email: none

Features : 7
2002 AX 120, Japanese made (not a bad job too), grey nickel. 22 frets, solid mahogany. 2 volume, 2 tone. Standard Les Paul styling, except with a double cutaway and the fixed bridge.

Sound : 8
I bought this guitar because I was tired of tremolos, I had an RG570 before this one. So far, I have nothing to complain about really, except that the guitar is a little neck heavy, it's better to play standing up (which is what you really should be doing with a guitar anyways), and that the pickups are a little on the downside. Don't get my wrong, this is a great guitar to have, but it could be better with some new pickups. That's all I have to say about that.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
Factory setup was good. The action was set just right for my style. I play mostly hard rock, so this guitar just keeps 'em coming. The thing I love about this guitar is that it's built like an Axe (probably how it got it's name). I've "mistreated" it a couple times, but it still dishes out a can of wup ass every time.

Reliability/Durability : 8
Like I said, I've abused this thing a couple times, but you have to hand it to Ibanez. They know how to build a guitar.

Customer Support : 10
It's an Ibanez, why need support?

Overall Rating : 9
This is a great axe. Perfect for those of you who like to play your music standing up, without the frills of a tremolo. So if you really want to dish out the goods, I recommend this AX. However, if you're a little picky (like me) about your tone, swapping the pickups for some duncans, emgs, or dimarzios would help the tone a lot.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $240
Submitted 12/27/2002 at 05:48pm by Kyle

Features : 9
It's a guitar. It has guitar-like features, such as two pickups, four knobs, 6 strings, i think 22 frets (funny that I've played this every day for 2 years and don't know the number of frets).

Sound : 9
This is the reason I'm posting. I keep seeing people almost gang up on this guitar, like bright or extremely bassy sounds are bad! Try running the neck pickup through a big muff with a good amp! Try running the bridge pickup through a midrangey overdrive pedal! I think the problem people have with this guitar is that you can notice it's flaws when you are just playing in your bedroom. But onstage, it's obnoxious, cutting, and pretty sounding, yet produces very little hum unless there is way too much stupid stage lighting. Big sentence, eh?

Action, Fit, & Finish : 7
I've adjusted the bridge a lot, and finally I'm just satisfied with it. I think when I was in high school a couple of years ago I wasn't good enough to play in a manner that holds intonation. I also have learned to prevent fret buzz - and all of this is automatic for me now. So it works great. I've dropped it on concrete, which has messed the pretty nickel finish up a lot.

Reliability/Durability : 7
I've dropped this son of a bitch so many times and said "ack, i hope it still works." Of course, it still works. The output jack always falls apart, which really really irks me. I have to take it apart and fix it every 2 weeks. I also think the knobs come off way too easily, as I am OCD and like to tinker with the knobs when I just sit there with my wicked axe (hahaha) in my lap. It's only been truly out of commission once, though.

Customer Support : 1
I doubt they would call me back... It's Ibanez for Christ's sake.

Overall Rating : 9
I'm really sorry for this horrible review. I just wanted to say a few good things about the guitar so that people wouldn't turn away from this cool, cheap guitar.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $295
Submitted 06/06/2002 at 10:23pm by Kyle Pearson
Email: DirtyBurd31<at>aol dot com

Features : 9
I assume it's mad in 2001... dont really know for sure. 22 Frets, yadda yadda... Gibson style electronics(2 vol, 2 ton, 3 way selector), fixed bridge, etc, etc... No tremolo, no locking tuners, all in all a very simple straightforward set up. All the tone and volume adjustments are quite useful, you can do alot of interesting things with it. Mahogany body! Maple neck with a bound rosewood fretboard which looks really great!

Sound : 10
I play anything from light punk to industrial metal and it does it all very well. The pickups can go from really dark and muddy to really bright and trebly. But I think this axe stays a bit on the bright side. The pickups are okay, but since it's made of mahogany(excellent tonewood) you can get some REALLY nice sounds out of it with the right pickups. Neck pickup is a bit muddy for my tastes but I think thats only because I messed around with the pickup height too much! Great clean tone from the neck though.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
I love the neck, feels great. The finish is awesome, pictures dont do it justice. It has this understated class and metallic flare to it that's just downright awesome. And the carved, sharp look of hte body is really nice I think. I find myself just staring at it sometimes... Everything checked out with mine, the strings line up with the dots on the fretboard fine, line up with the pickup poles, the bridge is strait, it's all great. The action was okay, Im sure it could be lower but Im too lazy to set it up myself. And I found the pickup selector to be fine on mine.

Reliability/Durability : No Opinion
The strap nuts are pretty big, I have hard time just getting my strap on the bastards! That sucker aint comin off! The only thing that bothered me was the input jack that would come loose a lot. I would tighten the nut alot, and unfortunately what that did was rotate the actual jack inside the body and it put a strain on the wires in there and those wires eventually broke. I've had to resolder that jack 3 times. Not that big of an issue though, a new jack that wont come loose all the time is only like $2 so Im not concerned about it. But it really taints an otherwise perfect guitar. It's not a major expensive problem by any stretch, but it's an annoyance that shouldn't have ever been an issue in the first place. I wouldnt use it now without a backup since I dont trust my own soldering skills that much! It's a shame something so miniscule as a $2 input jack can taint a great guitar. But other than that everything is solid. Stays in tune for me, I tune it like once a week at most unless I'm experimenting with tunings, which is easy due to the fixed bridge.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Meh, I do my stuff myself.

Overall Rating : 9
I've only been playing for about 6 months now, but I have 2 guitars, and have played all my friend's guitars, and through all kinds of Marshall and Fender heads and what not, and this guitar is right on up there with the best of them. Sometimes I wish I could have another one of these routed with a FR just to round out my guitar selection. Supposedly the "AX320" or whatever has a FR, but I've never heard much if anythign about these guitars... And even though I would like one with a Floyd, one of the best things about this guitar is the fixed bridge. It's a breeze to tune and and play around with alternate tunings and so on. And it's made of a great tonewood - Mahogany. If this guitar was stolen I think I would cry. But I would definitely get another one just like it, considering getting a different guitar of the same quality is hard to find unless you wanna spend alot more than $300


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $1250
Submitted 04/05/2002 at 08:31am by Bob Framus

Features : 10
It be done got dem two humbuckers and itbe red. It is one cold steppin fesh geetar

Sound : 10
It has that real leady tone. i like my amp to hum a little bit. Its pretty toney. I like to use oblique scales and oblique chords. I's flemacrudolicious. It is a little too bitey though.

Action, Fit, & Finish : No Opinion

Reliability/Durability : 10
Like i said before its flemacrudolicious,

Customer Support : 8
Them crates are good. people hang on to them crates cuz they have that real leady tone, ewhich is also kinda bitey,

Overall Rating : 8
Its has that real leady tone. It is pretty toney. Its flemacrudolicious. I like my amp to hum a little bit. It s tooo bitey. don't make me pull out the randall. Oblique oblique oblique


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $300
Submitted 03/30/2002 at 11:22pm by Zach Martin

Features : 9
I'm not sure when it was made, but it was made in Korea. It has 22 frets, a 3-way selector, 2 tone, and 2 volume knobs. It also has a fixed bridge. If you want more info just check out other people's reviews. I bought the gray nickel one. Nice finish. Pickups are H/H configuration. It came with little cable, which I'll never use. Overall, it has basic but good hardware.

Sound : 9
I play this with a toneworks processor, boss ds-1, boss ac-2, and a DOD death metal. I plug it all into a fender stage 100 half stack. I'm using stock pickups, which sound very good for being stock. They aren't noisy either, which is a good change from my other guitar. I don't think I will replace them. They sound good for punk, which is what I play. It has a rich and full sound, but can also be bright when you want it to be. Good for both rhythm and lead. As always though, there are better sounding pickups than stock ones.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
This guitar was basically flawless. The action is ok. There is a small amount of fret buzz, but it can't be heard when plugged into an amp, so no worries. The finish is perfect, not bumpy. Paint seems thick. The neck is also great. Nice and smooth. One problem with the neck is that it's too heavy. Once I let go of the guitar, the neck falls to the floor. It's a little annoying, but it can be dealth with. The toggle switch seems a bit flimsy, but should hold up. Everything is aligned well.

Reliability/Durability : No Opinion
I haven't playing gigs with this yet, but will in about a week. I'm sure I'll have no problems. It seems like a sturdy and well built guitar. I can't really rate this category because I just got this guitar a few days ago. I wouldn't use this without a backup, just in case something goes wrong. It's always wise to have a backup.

Customer Support : No Opinion
I've never dealth with the company. This is my first Ibanez guitar.

Overall Rating : 9
I've only played for a year or so, but I've been playing like a madman. Don't take me for some stupid newbie that doesn't know jack. This guitar sounds great compared to other, higher priced guitars. It has a full, rich sound. For the price you can't beat it. Simple guitar, which is what I was looking for. I didn't want all that "junk" on the bridge. There's nothing I hate about it. I'm not going to give you that lecture about how I would torture, etc. the person who stole my guitar. Those stories get old, fast. I would however buy another one if it got stolen. Great guitar overall.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $300
Submitted 01/26/2002 at 07:48am by Anonymous

Features : 9
Made in Korea, dont know when, 3 way selector, feels like a mutt of 2 gibsons, lp and sg, came with a cable and somehting else i opened it stoned and just threw the box open and shit, so i dont feel like looking for it, good stock pickups, but i think im gonna change them, even though they sound excellent, i want better on this rocker. hasnt changed from what everyone else probably said.

Sound : 10
this is my rating wiht everything stock even the strings, which are pretty bad, it sounds amazing clean and distorted through my Practice Amp!, Fender Frontman 15, my live stack is at my friends and im to lazy to go and get it, or try out this guitar on it, but im satified enough with the sound, everything stock, through my practice amp.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
great looking, Antique Bronze, like a green gold, or something looks great, no flaws, same as everyone else, but i gotta give it a 10 cause its looks so damn good.

Reliability/Durability : 10
i would use it at a gig w/o back up, but i always bring one just in case, and i think everyone should, but this is definitely going to be my head honcho guitar, everything is solid rock, but the toggle switch for the 3 way selector, its a little woobly i guess, but i have faith that it wont break off, its just makes me jump a little when i change it, i do it real slow and gentle, but everything else could withstand an air raid let alone live playing.

Customer Support : No Opinion
no experience hope i dont have to deal with them.

Overall Rating : 10
great guitar, especially for the price, i got to give this a 10 just because of the low price, and the amazing quality your getting.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $230
Submitted 12/11/2001 at 06:43pm by Timmis
Email: slipperycactus<at>yahoo dot com

Features : 9
22 frets, gray nickel finish (I bought mine used for $230 and it had scratches, so I had a custom finish painted on it). 2 volumes, 2 tones, 3-way selector, h/h, the pickups are nice for all around sound but I like the metal sound so I got a Bill Lawrence bridge HB. Mahogany body, cutaway body style, fixed bridge, the tuners are nice but the guitar goes out of tune sometimes very easily. Good features.

Sound : 9
I have a Marshall AVT50, Zoom 505 (which isn't the best) and an Ibanez smash box (awesome for metal). The pickups are nice and not too noisy. Bright sound on bridge, smooth on neck. Great for leads and rhythm. I switched the pickups, like I said.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
The action was low. I like the pickups high for the "palm mute chunk". The bridge was nicely routed. I don't like the nut- it is sharp on one edge and is very tightly cut.

Reliability/Durability : 9
Graet guitar for on-stage playing. Very light. The hardware is tough, too. The strap buttons are a little slippy sometimes. It's dependable, but I'd use a backup just in case.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Don't know, I bought it used.

Overall Rating : 9
I've only been playing for a year and had this guitar for two months, and I like what I see and play. I had a B.C. Rich Bronze Warlock, which didn't last. The cutaways could be a little lower, or the neck could have 24 frets, because the high notes are a little high to reach sometimes. But I like it, I will play it for a while to come.

P.S. I HAVE THAT WARLOCK FOR SALE...$100...EMAIL ME



Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $369
Submitted 11/06/2001 at 04:26pm by Anonymous

Features : 8
made in Korea in 2000, 24 frets, awesome quilted maple top with blueberry transparent finish, 1 volume 2 tone 1 balance with 3way switching, mahogony body(exept for the quilted maple top), double cutaway,string through bridge, medium frets

Sound : 9
good sound, awesome for rythme but good for lead as well, good harmonics, not much variety on sound, interesting use of the balance control and three way switching can make cool sounds

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
i love the finish, can't see the line between the maple top and the mahogony, pickups seem fine, nothing wrong with the bridge, hardware in mint condition, pickup switching can be noisy at times

Reliability/Durability : 8
easy to play live, light weight,strap buttons still havent loosened

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 8
I think this is a good upgrade guitar for learning players


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $300
Submitted 10/09/2001 at 04:56pm by John
Email: twitch2o<at>hotmail dot com

Features : 9
well my job here is to tell it like it is... you can not buy a better guitar for the price that this one is offered at.... Its got 2 (v) knobs and 2 (t) knobs providing alot a variance to your sound.... 22 frets, and gotoh tunners that take a beating.... again there are some things this guitar could use ...like locking nuts. but.. you didn't pay for those and for guitarest that change tunnings on stage the fixed brige and strong neck keeps the tunning in check from e to d..... the comfertable feel of the neck is nice also...letting you reach those high notes with little trouble...and hey...i like the pickups...with the right eq settings there nice and full with punch... h/h

Sound : 10
no buzz... good sound.. good feedback responce

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
little neck heavy... but you learn to deal with it and it works for you in some cases... the strap locks on my are still tight...and the paint is beautiful..(gray nickle)

Reliability/Durability : 10
nothin loose yet...its been 2 years now

Customer Support : No Opinion

Overall Rating : 10
Playing for 5 years.... i know my shit... i own a studio and am in a band (twitch).... we play in 4 tunnings and this guitar covers 2 of them with ease...i dig the options and have had no probs with it so far after many show...and things usually get harsh on stage so...it can take a beating


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $300 too much
Submitted 08/23/2001 at 06:24pm by Anonymous

Features : 7
1999, Korea, 22 frets, 2 tone, 2 volume, tone switch. Nickel finish, looks great. 2 humbucklers. Cutaway body, too light, unbalanced with the neck. The tuners suck, g-string always goes out of tune, the others don't hold well either. Neck is nice, wide rosewood, but thin...easy to play on.

Sound : 6
Sounds okay with lots of distortion, but without it you can tell that it's out of tune all the time. After 30 seconds of playing it's already out of tune. Loses points for bad tuning. Overall tone is fine.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 5
Set up fairly well. The first one i got had a warped neck, so i sent it back...The second one had a warped neck, but not as bad, so i held onto it. The controls don't seem to do that much, and the switch is poorly positioned. I hit it every time I strum, and it always wants to stay in the center position. Often feels like it will break.

Reliability/Durability : 1
This guitar would not withstand live playing unless you replaced pretty much everything on it. The input jack loosened and fell off. The lower strap button ripped off. Needed a bigass screw to put it back in. The wood on the back electronic panel is really cheap. Screw sockets strip easily. Like I said, I wouldn't trust it live, if only for it's lack of staying in tune. The balance is horrible. One of the wires inside actually broke off, and had to resolder it back on. Pretty much anything that would make this a functional guitar has broken or doesn't function at all as a result of manufacturing flaws. I would definitely use this guitar as a smasher at a show.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never bothered. When I returned it I used Musician's Friend. I've heard that Ibanez's customer support sucks, though.

Overall Rating : 1
I've been playing for 3 years now. I own a Washburn BT2 with car blue finish. I also own an Oscar Schmidt acoustic dreadnaught. the Washburns are a great buy, and I recommend them for beginners and veterans alike. The AX120, however, sucked beyond belief. It was a waste of money, time and energy. I had two of them, and all the problems were the same. If this guitar were stolen, I'd laugh at the person who took it. I'm completely turned off of Ibanez guitars after owning the AX120. Whatever you do, DO NOT BUY THIS GUITAR.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $320
Submitted 07/27/2001 at 02:13pm by mitch

Features : No Opinion
I've only been playing for 7 months and don't really feel I have anything to contribute as far as playability or sound of this guitar (although I like it well enough), but I did want to address the issues of the neck-heavy feel of the guitar. To fix this on my guitar, I moved the upper strap button to the upper left screw on the neck mounting plate (as you look at the back of the guitar). The neck screw is long enough to accomodate the strap button, and moving the button moves the center of gravity more towards the headstock, which makes the guitar very nicely balanced. The top of the body wants to tilt away from you *very* slightly as a result, but it feels a lot better than the headstock dive-bombing towards the floor. This simple modification made a guitar I couldn't stand into one I really like a lot (we have several guitars in the house, as two of my kids play them). BTW, my AX120 is the older version (1999) with the squarish neck mount, not the newer one with the rounded-off neck joint. I haven't tried this on a newer model and don't know how well it would work, but I think the new one has balance problems as well. Thanks for a really great guitar equipment resource and best of luck to all of you.

Sound : No Opinion
No opinion, I'm too inexperienced. My teacher (30+ years of experience) really likes it though. It sounds *really* nice when he plays it...maybe I'll be able to make sounds like that someday.

Action, Fit, & Finish : No Opinion
Action is low, minimal buzzing.

Reliability/Durability : No Opinion
Built very solidly.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Haven't needed it yet, but the store I deal with is very service oriented.

Overall Rating : No Opinion


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: 440$ (Canadian)
Submitted 07/18/2001 at 12:05pm by Philippe
Email: phil1415624<at>caramail dot com

Features : 9
everything has already been said and i'm too lazy to type it so just look at the other reviews

Sound : 8
The stock pick-ups are o.k. but no more. I play it through a Marshall Valvestate and it sounds fine, but i'll change pick-ups for sure because this guitar deserves better. I play melodic hardcore/punk and my perfect sound would be like Strung Out and the stock pick-ups sure ain't that amazing but it does sound nice. I personnally find the neck pick-up completely useless, sounds too muck like shit. Anyway nothing's perfect

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
Everything was fine when i bought it, except maybe the 9's which are too fragile for my bashing :)

Reliability/Durability : 8
I really protect my guitar so i don't know if the finish is long-lasting. Non-locking strap buttons suck, although the stock ones were oversized. I just don't feel secure without locking ones. I'll play it live for sure... the only problems are the tuning keys which completely suck. I gotta check tuning every two songs. Maybe i just play too hard but anyway be easy or buy Spertzel locking keys.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Didn't have to deal with them, heard they suck.

Overall Rating : 8
I've been playing for four years and already owned a piece of wood with strings and magnets... real crap. I wanted to upgrade to a better one so i took an Ibanez cuz they made good guitars for cheap price. The sucker at the shop told me it would stay in tune, maybe i'll go smash him in the head for it. Sometimes i go back to the old piece of crap, which isn't good... maybe because it was my first guitar and i'm sentimentally attached to it... Anyway i don't think i'd buy it again, if i had only 440$ i think i'd suck the sale guy off so he'd give me an ESP or a Gibson.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $240
Submitted 06/09/2001 at 01:12pm by Jimmy
Email: jump4130<at>hotmail dot com

Features : 8
I got this factory second in 2000. it's a simple two humbucker, two tone two volume. the humbuckers are alright, they're stock though and that's the only mod i'd make on this... i want some duncans or something like that. 22 frets. 3-way selector. passive electronics. body is mahogany i think... very solid, somewhat heavy, gives it a nice sound. i love the neck, it's pretty thin and i can't stand very wide necks. double cutaway body. nothing too complicated in the features, but overall very nice. gets an 8 cause of course it doesn't have super pickups and active tone.

Sound : 9
my style... hmm... i play jazz, blues, rock, punk, metal... a lot of things. the sound of the guitar is very nice. as i stated in the features, the pickups are pretty good for stock, but not great. if you turn the bridge to ten, it'll get a nice crunchy sound. oh, one thing on the volume knobs - they are not that effective in the middle range of them the sound doesn't really change. my guitar teacher and other people have commented on how nice the guitar sounds.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
the action is pretty good. for intensive lead work you might want to lower it just a tiny bit, but i find it to work for me. the pickups seem fine, same with the bridge. i got it factory second so it had two flaws, but they have never bothered me: 1. on the back of the body right where the neck goes in there is a slight blemish. there might be a really small crack there, but the guitar is solid as can be, so i'm not worried. 2. the pickup selecter is loose. the actual toggle. i can't tighten it, but it has never been a problem, so i don't worry about it. if there ever is a problem, the part costs only a couple of bucks, and it is not hard to put on.

Reliability/Durability : 10
as long as you don't start smashing into things, it will hold up fine. great paint job hasn't taken a single scratch, and sometimes i'm pretty clumsy and careless with it. it has one little, way way way little mark from where a pal of mine dropped it on the cement. everything is solid, i would use it without a backup.

Customer Support : No Opinion
it has no warrantry cause it's factory second, otherwise i think they have a warrantry of a year or two. haven't dealt with ibanez CS before.

Overall Rating : 10
this was my first electric and my only. i have been playing seriously for almost a year now, but i have played gigs and have a lot of experience for the time i've been playing. i'm fifteen years old, and play in two bands right now. one is kinda groove metal space funk stuff (like incubus i guess) and the other one is just simple catchy punk (think old greenday).

p.s. i got it in a kinda silvery sparkly grey, and the chics really dig it so... just thought that might be nice to know.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 05/30/2001 at 12:28pm by Anonymous

Features : 8
Made in 2000.22 frets.blah blah blah.2 tone 2 volume.blah blah blah.
three way selector switch.black finish.doublecut body.ive had it for 4 months now.Im tired,scroll down to see more.

Sound : 7
the guitar sound extremely nice for the price.dont let the tag fool you.ive used a fender ultimate chorus dsp amp, as well as pedals like a big muff, a tubescreamer, an ibanez smashbox, a vox wah, and a zoom 505. all sound great. just plugged into the amp on clean sounds great with a nicer blues-like sound.The bridge pickup sounds like a strat.the g string goes out of tune extrememly fast but all the others stay in tune.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 6
there arent a whole lot of features, but thats not why i got the guitar.lovely black finish(last at sam ash)and looks great with the neck.im pissed because the spring popped off the bridge but that doesnt really have to do with the craftsmanship.the input jack keeps on loosening up and that really pisses me off.everything else is great though.

Reliability/Durability : 7
i think i can alwayse depend on it and i would gig with it(havent yet)but im really pissed off about the output.ill have to glue it or something before i gig with it.

Customer Support : No Opinion
never dealt with ibanez.(my warrantyis through sam ash)

Overall Rating : 7
i like the guitar alot but im not sure if i woul purchase it again.if i wanted humbuckers i would buy it again.if it were stolen i would be pissed but i wouldnt "kill them and sue them and take it back".


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: 450 (canadian)
Submitted 05/17/2001 at 06:55pm by Tob

Features : 8
same as everyone, nickel grey, 22 frets, mahogany, made in 2000, nice looking guitar

Sound : 8
sounds ok, neck pick up is a little too muddy, bridge pick up has plenty of highs, nice chunky lows. This guitar sounds good clean or dirty.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 3
action is really good, the guitar stays in tune, good size of frets, although one of my frets had a chip on it...

The only problem about this guitar, and it is a big one, the neck is a lot heavyer than the body, and i hate thi feeling!!!

Reliability/Durability : 9
owned it for almost a year now, it seems to be very reliable

Customer Support : No Opinion
never dealt whit them

Overall Rating : 7
overall this is a pretty good guitar, unless you're like me and don't like that feeling of the neck being heavyer than the body...


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $300
Submitted 04/22/2001 at 06:09pm by Jon

Features : 10
It's the same as everybody else's. Gray nickel finish, 22 frets, stock p/u's...yada yada yada

Sound : 9
Very nice for my styles: rock, blues, metal, etc. The bridge piuckup seems a little too bassy when played through my Ibanez tube king to my Marshall G215RCD. All in all pretty nice sound

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
I bought tit from a store and it was in very nice condition. The low E seemed to buzz when I lowered the action because it was too high. It is currently in the shop being set up and having strap locks put on, because I was was messing withthe action.

Reliability/Durability : 9
It was good , except for the loose jack that seems to plague all users of this guitar, But to fix it, simply take the jack out and tighten up the nut in there, hasn't given me trouble ever again. Feels very nice to play. If I had a band I would definately gig with this

Customer Support : No Opinion
I haven't had to talk to them yet, so I don't know.

Overall Rating : 10
I love my guitar, especially the wonderful finish. If it was stolen I would probably buya gibson SG, but I would definately consider buying it again.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $289
Submitted 04/11/2001 at 07:23am by David Pittman

Features : 9
This is Ibanez's answer to Gibson-style guitars. It looks very much like an SG or double cutaway Les Paul. I believe it's made in Korea...the construction seems sturdy enough anyway. I forget what the body is made of, but I think it's some sort of mahogany. Ibanez only offers two finishes for this guitar: black and gray nickel. Needless to say, I went with the nickel finish. It's a beautiful, sparkly thing...my friends all agree that it looks much better than my Strat. The AX120 has 22 frets, two humbuckers (stock Ibanez crap), and a through-body bridge construction (like a Strat with the whammy bar). The neck is nice and thin, and the shorter Gibson-style scale length makes finger vibrato and strings bends much easier than on my Strat. It has two volume knobs and two tone knobs, so if you're into Tom Morello's toggle switch stuff, this guitar can do it. The tuners and strap buttons are very basic stuff (not name brand as far as I know), but the guitar stays in tune well and the strap buttons have a sturdy feel. For what it's worth, the box included a thin cable that I promptly threw away. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the features. I was looking for a simple dual HB guitar, and this is a solid, inexpensive guitar that suits me perfectly.

Sound : 8
I play this guitar through a Zoom GFX-707 into a Fender Frontman 15R amp (or straight into a mixer when I play at church functions). I use it for both clean and distorted stuff, and it's great for both. Switching to the neck pickup and picking some clean lines gave me a great glassy tone, and of course, it excels at heavy punk or metal rhythm work. The pickups are the usual stock crap. Don't get me wrong, they get the job done pretty well, but my next big guitar purchase will be some new pickups for this guitar. It's such a nice guitar, it deserves Duncans or Dimarzios or anything better than the Ibanez stocks.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
The first thing I did when I got this guitar in was re-strung it with 10s and set up the action to own liking. As such, I can't really recall how well it was set up from the factory. I've had a few problems with this guitar so far. First of all, the toggle switch feels like it could break easily. I've never owned a Gibson-style guitar before, so maybe this is normal, but it springs back to the middle position very easily. I'm afraid that eventually I'll wear it out and it won't hold at the bridge or neck positions. It hasn't actually given me trouble so far, but it's just something that bothers me a bit. The second problem I've had is that the felt washer on the bottom strap button has started to tear away, and I've found small pieces of the finish that appear to have broken away from around it. Again, it hasn't actually been a problem, but it made me question the workmanship. Aside from those complaints, however, the guitar feels nice and solid. It plays well and is extremely light (a little more heft on the body might have actually been a good thing, as the headstock has a tendency to gravitate towards the floor when I'm not holding the neck).

Reliability/Durability : 9
I've only used the AX120 to play with a church band, never with my punk band (as I'm the bassist for that group). As such, it hasn't really been submitted to the stresses that a real gig would provide. Nevertheless, it feels durable enough that I'd use it at a gig without hesitation. The strap buttons haven't given me a problem (they're actually much better than the ones on my Strat). I'd never ever play a gig without bringing all the backup equipment I could scrounge up, but I'd trust this guitar to get me through a whole night anyway.

Customer Support : No Opinion
I (thankfully) haven't had to deal with them.

Overall Rating : 9
I've been playing since fall '99 (yeah, I'm a newbie), and this is my second guitar (my first being a Mexican-made Fender Strat). My bro had pointed this guitar out to me in a Musician's Friend catalog a long while ago, and it just looked like the perfect guitar for me. It looked inexpensive without being cheaply made, and it perfectly satisfied my demands for a new guitar (dual humbuckers, no whammy bar). I read as many reviews as I could find and finally got enough money to order it. I'm glad I did, it's even better than I'd hoped. If it were stolen or lost, I'd buy another one in an instant (or maybe shell out some extra bucks for the new AX220QM one with the nice quilted maple top). The only other guitar I'd consider in the same price range would be a Hamer or a Schecter. If you're looking at buying one of these, I'd highly recommend it, and if you want to ask me some questions about it, feel free to e-mail me at ibanez_ax120@hotmail.com. Yes, I named myself after this guitar. I love this guitar.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $270
Submitted 04/08/2001 at 09:00am by Kazurie

Features : 9
2001 Ibanez AX120. Made in Korea. Standard 21 frets. 2 volume 2 tones 3 way selector. H/H configuration. Ibanez AH pickups I believe. Body is mahogony not sure what the neck is. The finish is a greenish color, very cool, called Antique Bronze. Sparkles in the light.The style is like a les paul and a sg put together. I never liked either the shape of the lespaul or the sg much, but this is the perfect shape inbetween the two. The bridge is a standard string thru body bridge. Non locking Gotoh tuners I believe. Jumbo frets, rosewood, very thin neck, best I have ever played. I did not come with anything but the guitar and a small warranty booklet.

Sound : 10
I play very heavy music, and then music that is light, like some Nirvana songs. This guitar suits my heavy style very well as well as the clean style. I would reather use my strat copy for cleans, but this dose fine too. I use the AX120 with a Laney HCM60R amp and a ZOOM 505. The guitar is very quiet and very easy to control. The sound is full without that annoying bright sound that comes with a strat sometimes. The guitar can make any sound you want, if you are talented enough. The sound is everything I cold hope for, with a damn good price.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
The guitar had perfect action and the pickups were at a nice highth. The bridge is nicely routed and the guitar had only one flaw that I have noticed. The G-string tuner comes out of tune fairly quickly compared to other guitars, but it is not too annoying. Aside from the tuner, this guitar is very well made.

Reliability/Durability : 10
This guitar will withsatnd live playing, no pickguard, and I play hard with a pick, and yet there are no scratches. The hardware seems like it will last. Very nice bridge. The finish is very nice. Great color, and can withstand alot. The strap buttons look very solid, steel. I can depend on this guitar for the rest of my life, it is a great guitar, even better with the great price.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never had to deal with them. 1 year warranty.

Overall Rating : 10
I have been playing for almost 2 years and I also own a Tradition Strat Copy, a Laney HCM60R, and a Zoom 505. I love this guitar, and the salespeople at the store were very helpful. I would buy this guitar again if it were stolen, after I killed the guy who stole it. I love the sound, feel of the neck, and how it looks. Such a great guitar. I compared it to a Fender Tornado (sucks) and an Ibanez rg 450 which was too much money. I chose this one for the looks, price, and sound. I wich it had better tuners, but I can live with the ones it has. I love this guitar, and at the price you could go get one right now.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $245
Submitted 03/17/2001 at 01:00pm by Kyle Smith
Email: phunky345 at yahoo<dot>com

Features : 8
Gray nickel color, 2 tone, 2 volume, same as above blah blah blah, it's a cool guitar.

Sound : 9
This guitar sounds better to me than lots of ibanez's that cost more than it did. With the bridge pickup, there's plenty of bite, without too much mid, and there's not too much bass. I hate too much bass, it takes out picking definition. The neck pickup alone sounds kinda dumb, but set at 4 or 5 in combination with the bridge pickup on full(toggle at middle), it sounds very cool. Very warm but still has that rough metal-ish sound.
Styles I play range from Nothingface to Cannibal Corpse to, uhh, Korn, and this guitar is perfect for all that heavy stuff.
The frets buzz pretty bad when tuned down, so I try to avoid certain strings when playing clean.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
Factory action was set so low that some frets were completely dead. And hammering didn't have much power for some reason. So I just about double the string height and now it feels like the kind of guitar I like. This guitar sucks to play sitting down because it's awkwardly shaped. But when I'm standing, it's ergonomics are just dreamy. And it doesn't weigh to much so I can jam out for hours.
The silvery finish always impresses kids at school cause it's flashy but pretty.

Reliability/Durability : 9
It's very scratch-resistant, which I like. If I wanted to do a guitar-smash scene, this isn't the guitar I would use, and not just because I love the guitar. The output jack keeps unscrewing and almost falling off, it really has begun to piss me off. But despite this, it's awesome.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Don't know!

Overall Rating : 10
I've played bass for 3-4 years and I've been looking to get into guitar. I wanted a different-looking, good-sounding guitar that felt comfy on my bass-playing hands. This guitar has met all of my standards. Bravo, Ibanez! Something that doesn't look like an RG! I wish the toggle was better just cause it makes me nervous when I switch pickups. And I wish the logo on the headstock was in abalone or mother of pearl, for gaudiness reasons. Oh yeah, and it better start staying in tune or else I'll...uhh..nevermind.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $350
Submitted 03/15/2001 at 02:13pm by Matt
Email: none

Features : 9
Made in 1999 in Korea. 22 fret solid top,with 2 volume, 2 tone, and 3 way selector. Twin humbuckers (ah-1 at the neck and ah-2 at the bridge) Passive electronics. Maple body with silver finish. Double cutaway, String-thru bridge (very handy and easy to string) Locking tuners fat, and jumbo frets. Came with a hardshell case and 8-foot cable.

Sound : 10
I like to play alot of hard loud rock music and this gutair suits it greatly. I play it through Ibanez DS7 distortion and Crate GFX-30 amplifier. A litte hum with distortion but if your really using the distortion to a full effect you'll never hear it. Full sound and fairly wide variety of sounds from heavy lead to soft rythm. Personally i just like it for the sound you get from it when playing a heavy song/riff/etc.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
It came pretty much perfectly set up. Pickups were good. Bridge and top were both setup right. The input jack was a little loose and comes loose every once in a while but you can screw it back with your hands in a few seconds. One of the tuning pegs was loose but I tightened it and it stays in place. A little bit of the paint and lacker was scraped off on the back in a corner but its hardly visible.

Reliability/Durability : 10
This guitar would hold up in live performances wonderfully. I bought it a year or two ago and havent had to do anything for it yet. Strap buttons are solid and it's very dependable. I'd take this to a gig without a backup any time.

Customer Support : 10
I got a warranty for life with it but i dont think nim gonna have to use it anytime soon.

Overall Rating : 10
I've been playing it for a year or 2. I have a Ibanez talman acoustic and a Fender Squier. I'd buy this guitar again. I love the sound it has and its durability. and my favorite feature is the string-thru neck because it only takes a few minutes to restring it. Great for the price.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $289
Submitted 03/06/2001 at 06:16pm by Andrew
Email: hw2nw<at>aol dot com

Features : 8
Japan axe with mahogany body and bolt-on neck. 3-way pickups control. AH1 and AH2 humbuckers (stock). Passive eletronics and handy string-thru body setup.OK tuners and fairly high action.

Sound : 8
I play everything from punk to pop-rock. I play through a Marshall MG. This guitar rocks for the money. No other guitar compares. I get a slight hum on distortion mode but who cares when you can't hear it over the screaming riffs? Dark, full sound great for rythm (sp?).
I like it a lot. It has great sweet spots, but I can never seem to get the G string in tune...

Action, Fit, & Finish : 7
The strings it came with sucked. I went out and bought .010 boomers and they rock. The action was very high, but Ibanez gives you an allen wrench to fix it (it takes only a few minutes to adjust). I love the string-through-body because it takes no time to get on new strings. The pickups were nice even though I adjusted the height to my preference. The guitar had no flaws when I bought it, but I wish they would make a pickguard!!! AHH!!

Reliability/Durability : 9
This is worthy of touring. The hardware will definitely last, but the only things worth looking into are new tuning pegs and gluing the input jack (it comes loose!) The strap buttons are solid. I probably would use it on a gig w/o a backup. I don't trash my strings, and this guitar kicks! Very dependable!

Customer Support : 10
The warranty is adequate..after you buy the guitar you won't need to talk to Ibanez again...this sucker comes ready. I do appreciate the manual sent with the guitar which tells you how to adjust action, strings, pickups, bridges, pegs, neck, etc.!

Overall Rating : 9
I would probably buy this guitar again! I love the crunchy tone and the beautiful looks! If I really was picky, I would replace the pickups with EMG 81 and 85. It beats everything for under $350!


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $236
Submitted 02/20/2001 at 01:37pm by Timm Mueller
Email: alesisfernandes at yahoo<dot>com

Features : 9
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.

Sound : 10
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.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
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.

Reliability/Durability : 10
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

Customer Support : No Opinion
I've never had to get this guitar repaired by the manufacturers, but I'm sure they'd be very helpful.

Overall Rating : 10
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.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US about $250 on a sale
Submitted 02/05/2001 at 11:42am by Anonymous

Features : 9
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.

Sound : 9
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.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
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.

Reliability/Durability : 9
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

Customer Support : No Opinion
havent dealt with them . the warranty is like 3 years i think but im not totally sure on that one

Overall Rating : 9
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.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $289
Submitted 01/24/2001 at 06:58pm by Anonymous

Features : 9
Korea 2000 Mahogany body One-piece maple neck 22 Frets Thru body bridge, 2 axis Humbuckers 2 volumes 2 tones, 3 way switch

Sound : 9
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, Fit, & Finish : 10
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.

Reliability/Durability : 9
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.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never delt with em

Overall Rating : 10
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).


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $280
Submitted 01/16/2001 at 11:36pm by dave
Email: davesmoejoe at yahoo<dot>com

Features : 9
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.

Sound : 8
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.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
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.

Reliability/Durability : 9
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.

Customer Support : 4
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.

Overall Rating : 9
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.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $300
Submitted 12/26/2000 at 06:09pm by Anonymous
Email: sublimerocks34hotmail<dot>com

Features : 1
1999. korean made. 19 frets.solid .15 way switch selector.mohogany body with metal neck.

Sound : 1
this is not a good guitar.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 1
actoin was way to highg and buzzed wheen lowered. finish was fine.

Reliability/Durability : 4
i think it was very strong and durable.

Customer Support : 1
unfriendly people.

Overall Rating : 1
What a hunk of junk!


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $235.99
Submitted 12/07/2000 at 10:27pm by Anonymous
Email: kadolar at hotmail<dot>com

Features : 9
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.

Sound : 8
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.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
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

Reliability/Durability : 9
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!

Customer Support : No Opinion
Only had the thing for 2 weeks, bought if from Music123.com. Don't think I'll need them anytime soon

Overall Rating : 9
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.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $279.99 $378.99w/case
Submitted 09/01/2000 at 09:09am by Ron Harris
Email: none

Features : 9
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.

Sound : 7
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.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
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.

Reliability/Durability : 8
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.

Customer Support : 1
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!

Overall Rating : 8
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.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $225 ona great sale!
Submitted 07/30/2000 at 01:45pm by Mike

Features : 10
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.

Sound : 10
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!

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
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.

Reliability/Durability : 10
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.

Customer Support : No Opinion
never dealt with them but they seem cool so i have no comment on this

Overall Rating : 10
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!


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $289.99+SH
Submitted 07/11/2000 at 09:39am by Anonymous

Features : 9
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.

Sound : 10
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.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
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.

Reliability/Durability : 10
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.

Customer Support : 10
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.

Overall Rating : 10
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.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $289.99
Submitted 06/14/2000 at 09:33pm by Haadi
Email: grabaline<at>yahoo dot com

Features : 8
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.

Sound : 7
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.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
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....

Reliability/Durability : 10
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.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Havent dealt with them. warrenty is a year.

Overall Rating : 9
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.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 05/16/2000 at 10:13pm by j.c.
Email: rummy78<at>aol dot com

Features : 9
sorry, i was really drunk the night i posted the review, and made some errors. here we go I paid 279, not 379 The AX120 is made out of mahogany unlike the GAX70 The electronics part is passive
But the rating is still 9, excellent guitar

Sound : 9
I recently put in DiMarzio's Tone Zone in the bridge position, and DiMarzio's PAF in the neck position. Wow talk about heavenly combination. I thought the stock pickups were pretty decent at first, but about a month later, i got bored of it, 'caues it was too mid rangey I thought, it lacked bass and treble. BUT PEOPLE, DON'T GET ME WRONG, THESE STOCK ARE NOT BAD PICKUPS BY ANY MEANS. You might like the sound of the stock. But the TONE ZONE is i think an amazing pickup. YOu can play some real heavy stuff, like metallica kill 'em all stuff, but thru a clean amp, it sounds really bright, and the pickups got some massive bottom end. EXCELLENT PICKUP GO GET IT !!!

Action, Fit, & Finish : No Opinion
still awesome but you know what though? guitar goes out of tune kinda quick but then, i kinda play a little rougher on this guitar than on my strat

Reliability/Durability : No Opinion
it's still alive and kickin !

Customer Support : No Opinion
no problems


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $260
Submitted 05/11/2000 at 06:20pm by Anonymous

Features : No Opinion
I won't spend a lot of time on the specs because the other guys covered it very well. Really light/thin but good sound. Passive Humbuckers. AH pickups.

Sound : 5
This area is really the only area I have a problem with..and it is not a big problem, just a problem. I had the AX 7-String before this and loved the sound, but wanted a 6-String. I thought it would have the same pickups, but it did not. The pickup sound is more AC/DC than Metallica if that makes any sense. If you are looking for that "chug-chug" sound, you won't get it with the stock pickups. The pickups sound good, but they just lack what you need for a heavier sound. I just ordered a Dimarzio "Tone Zone" pickup for it and i think that will really make a difference. Like I said, the pickups are ok, but for hard rock, etc. they just don't cut through. My whole band noticed.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
I got this guitar from a store in Omaha. The only thing I noticed wrong with it was that the volume knob is a little crooked. That is an easy fix. Everything else is really nice on the guitar. For the price it is a really nice looking guitar.

Reliability/Durability : 8
I put a dimarzio strap on, but the strap buttons seem solid. The finish looks like it would stay on forever. For a lower priced guitar, it is pretty durable. Neck looks sturdy.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Don't know.

Overall Rating : 8
I have been playing for about 13 years and own a Johnson Amp, Line-6 POD, and am getting a strat soon. I do my own recording, am in a band, and have played a lot of guitars. This one is pretty good bang for the buck. Pickups are the only thing I have a problem with it. Actually, I love neck pickup but don't like bridge. It squeals really bad. Loud noise.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $379
Submitted 04/26/2000 at 09:51pm by j.c.
Email: rummy78<at>aol dot com

Features : 9
I bought this brand new 2000 model, was made in Korean according to the headstock. The guitar has 22 medium frets and is made out of real mahogany (unlike the AX120.) The guitar comes with 2 humbuckers made by ibanez, AH1 and AH2, a 3 way toggle switch, 2 tone controls and 2 volume controls with a string-thru-body style bridge, kinda like fender strat's. All the electronics in this bad boy is active, yeah, nothing fancy. Of course, bolt-on neck i think the neck seems real dense, but i never bothered to find out what it really is. Mine's, as Ibanez calls it, Nickel Gray. It looks really glossy and it's like metallica grey. The guitar looks reall rad. 'cause it reminds you of the Gibson SG style guitars, kinda, 'cause it's made out of mahogany, and it's got two bouts, tiny body, toggle switch, 4 controls. The guitar is definately thicker than the SG but thinner than the Les Paul. About the same size as the Les Paul, almost. It doesn't come with locking tuners, but they seems to stay in tune real well though. I am really happy with the neck. You kinda get the feel of a Les Paul, kinda think and bulky, but yet, suprisingly comfortable and easy to play. Came with a crappy cable and allen wrenches, 2. Nothing fancy here, think of it as a Les Paul or Explorer, just a simple rock and roll guitar.

Sound : 10
I play lots of different stuff, and i don't even know what I like to play anymore. I usually play like rock-a-bily, stray cats style, or like something real clean, like jazz, But i DO enjoy playing Metallica's ggg-ggg-ggg stuff too. And let me tell you. The pick ups on this guitar really aint' that bad. these give you pretty good harmonics, I can cut the ggg-ggg-ggg sound real easy. And mahogany i think is the best wood for a guitar if you're into that sound. Very heavy and dark sound. But i dont' think this guitar is all that suitable for jazz stuff. Well at least for the bridge pickup anyway. The neck pick up is really really sweet and creamy. It'll melt you. I'm sure these pickups are junk but the fact that the body is mahogany helps the tone A LOT. The electornics are really really quite, i don't hear anyt feedback or hiss or hum at all. If i had to define the tone on this guitar in one word, it's be rich. Rich sound is good. I am, though, probably gonna replace the stock pickups with DiMarzio's Tone Zone and DiMarzio's PAF Pro. Just 'cause that's always been my favorite set up for a H-H configuration. I'd give it a 10 for the money

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
I got it from AMS. http://www.americanmusica.com It was sent in the original Ibanez box inside the big box filled with bubble wrap stuff. I worked at a Guitar Center for a year as a tech there, just doing set ups and adjusting stuff, and this guitar really ain't bad. It was up to my standards. Low action, no buzzing, no def tones, you know that sorta thing. The paint job was dope. I can't stress that enough. GREY NICKEL, i didn't see any flaws or dings or anything. All new and shiny, i'm very happy with the apperiance.

Reliability/Durability : 10
I've had it for a a few weeks now. The guitar is real heavy. As heavy as a les paul. But I mean it'll last you. When you play this guitar, you know you're playing a guitar. NOt a piece of crap squire crap. Everything looks dense, i liked all the chrome hardware on the guitar, very durable, finish rocks once again, i like the strap buttons too, but i'm probably gonna reaplce it with a dimarzio's locking one. I CAN TOTALLY DEPEND ON IT. I used this AX120 for this party thing my band did, and it is awesome, I did bring another Ibanze for the unexpected, but the guitar worked out great, and reached my expectations. Now that it's popped its cherry, it should last forever huh? I like it

Customer Support : No Opinion
Nobody's ever ever dealt with Ibanez. And i hear kinda bad things about them, but you know what? Why worry? DO NOT WORRY, 'cause chances are your guitar is made well. If it's ibanez, it's probably made pretty damn well. I've had 3 other ibanez guitars for like 4 years and it never broke down on me. They make good stuff for good money.

Overall Rating : 10
Go out and get one, you can't go wrong. I'd definately buy another one, in different color. I really love the fact that the neck is bound. I thought that was cool. There is though, one thing that i sorta mind is that, the body is really heavy. It's tons heavier than an Ibanez RX or you know? it weighs as much as a Les Paul. So when you're playing either sitting down or standing up, the body side tends to slide down gradually, and that kinda made the guitar playing harder. I wish they had put some weight on the headstock somehow, you know, to balance the weight out. But like i said, it's a minor minor thing. I mean if a guitar looks that good and sounds that good, why sit there and worry about a tiny problem, just go out and jam the hell outta that thing. Man, I love it


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $259
Submitted 04/12/2000 at 10:04am by Ron
Email: SuperGangska at yahoo<dot>com

Features : 8
This is Korean made Ibanez, I was suprize of the value for a foreign made guitar. I had it for at least 5 months. It has H/H pick-up configuration, the stocks are amazinglly pretty good. It has a double-cutaway body which is pretty sweet. It has two volumes and two tone knobs with a 3-way selector. The width of the 22 frets is medium and is really easy to play. It has a fixed bridge which is cool because I hate whammy-bars. It has a mahogony body, the color of mine is grey-nickel. This guitar has figures most guitar has, but the look is really actrative for thoses who like double-cuts.

Sound : 8
I play in a predominantly hardcore metal band, occasionally I play lots of cleans, but when just playing alone a lot I cover Santana's shit. This guitar is great for all of these playing styles. It has a great sustain almost like an acoustic distorted (I think). This is mainly a rhythm playing guitar, but is capable of playing amazing leads. The only thing I dislike about this guitar is when I tune down a whole-step plus drop D, the strings untunes when not being played. But the over-all sound is bright, clean or distorted, a no-noise humbucking.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 9
The gray-nickel finish I think is really great looking and it is almost scratch-free.

Reliability/Durability : 9
This guitar can last for years playing live. I play it real low, I mean my strap hangs low enough to scrape the floor and it is still as good as when I just bought it. I would go to a gig without a backup any day except I have different tunings so I bring 2 other guitars anyways.

Customer Support : No Opinion
Never dealt with the company directly, but Jeff the guitar guy at MIDWEST is the coolest.

Overall Rating : 9
I have been playing for nearly 4 years and have a descent ear for telling what's good or not. I own a Fender Deluxe 90 for my practice rig and soon to get a MESA/BOOGIE Triple Rectifier for my live rig. If it was stolen I would probally get a the seven-string artist, which has simalar features with a added B. Over all this guitar sounds the best I've ever heard in this price range, but untill there is a better sounding guitar out there, this is it.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 04/10/2000 at 09:21pm by Anonymous

Features : No Opinion
I dont own one. Just played a model in a music store and believe me, it had me jamming for a while.

Sound : 9
beautiful sounding guitar I've ever played!!!!! Not noisy at all and its humbuckers give a nice warm clean sound pleasing to the ears...I would definitely use this guitar for mostly any type music style.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 8
In my opinion I think the grey finish on it is not too attractive, but the sound and feel of this guitar makes up for it.

Overall Rating : 9
for the price that these guitars are selling for it is well worth buying trust me.....If you ever have the time, go ahead and check out these great sounding beauties.


Product: Ibanez AX120
Price Paid: US $289
Submitted 01/29/2000 at 11:51am by DJ
Email: djer<at>evcom dot net

Features : 8
It's the Ibanez AX120, made in 1999. 22 frets, 2 volume, 2 tone, 3 way toggle switch. 2 passive Axis humbuckers, mahogany body, maple neck. Fixed bridge, non-locking tuners, AMAZINGLY comfortable neck. Came with crappy cable and allen wrenches for the truss and the bridge.

Sound : 10
I play mostly Rage Against the Machine, a little Green Day, anything else thats kinda hard. I pretty much got this guitar so I could have the toggle and be able to do that kickass Tom Morello shit, and I would say this guitar covers it all. Stock pickups were pretty good, but I still changed em out for EMGs. 9 with stock pickups, 10 with the EMGs.

Action, Fit, & Finish : 10
I got this guitar from Musicians Friend, and it was frikkin' PERFECT when I got it. Action REAL low without buzz, flawless grey nickel finish. Everything I could have hoped for.

Reliability/Durability : 9
I would imagine this guitar could stand up to anything. I've bumped it against walls, and it still looks perfect. I try to be careful with it, but shit happens... Strap buttons were suprising. I was gonna change em out for straplocks, but they seem just fine. Never once have I dropped it (and I tend to jump around a lot). One thing though; Be careful with the toggle switch. As I said, I do the funky Tom Morello stuff, and the toggle broke about a month after I got the guitar. I replaced it with a Gibson toggle, and that seems to be much better.

Customer Support : 10
Never delt with Ibanez, but Musicians Friend is fabulous. Sent me a free gig bag and stuff just cause.

Overall Rating : 10
Great guitar for the money. I've played for a couple years now, and in addition to this, I have the Fernandes Billie Joe Armstrong guitar, an Ibanez Soundgear bass, and a custom strat styled Tom Morello guitar. Just be careful with that toggle...

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