Ibanez AX7221

tuners are kind of **** but i havent changed them yet. pickups kind of suck. changed for sh-4 in bridge and blaze neck. sounds nice now. bridge is flawed - with thicker strings i cant get proper intonation for the low b (or since i use drop a tuning). bought it used had some minor finish flaws. now after using it for 4 or more years the paint has worn off the edges where the guitar touches my belly (very minor cant see unless you look for it). fat neck. confy for power chords/rythm but nothing really fast or blazing solos or any kind of shredding. looks are awesome as the design goes. shame ibanez discontinued AX series :(. fixed balance problem by putting the horn strap button on he neck heel between the four screws that hold the neck on. the output jack falls out if you plug guitar in and out frequently. would be good to replace it, but i just screw it back from time to time. i just love the look and feel of the guitar, after the pickup upgrade it sounds good too. sounds better n higher tunings though than it does on drop A or something like that :/ .

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Ibanez AX7221 series 7-string guitar -- The modern descendent of the classic Ibanez Artist I am told . . .
Pic of mine here:
http://eer-music.com/eBay_pics/JPzNuAxe.jpg
AX-7 neck 5pc. Maple / Walnut Neck Material
Mahogany Body
22 Medium frets
Bound Rosewood Finger Board
Fixed string-thru body bridge
No-name, non-locking, Schaller-style tuners
IBZ AH1-7 (H) Neck PU -- 2 Axis humbucker pickups
IBZ AH2-7 (H) Bridge PU -- 2 Axis humbucker pickups
Pearl Dot Inlay
Rare Burgundy Mist? (Satin-Metallic) finish

I play over-the-top Planet X-esque fusion-metal and Ozric Tentacles-type trance-rock -- so this axe works well for that.

What sold me on this axe was the superb action and the neck feel & I wanted a 7-string to widen my tonal palette and low-end sludge-crunch-enter mayhem gestalt. I first played an abused one in a local pawn shop where some putz had removed the neck pup, the 3-way pup switch, neck pups vol / tone knobs as well as bridge tone knob and left only a vol knob! This cat also had repainted it some sickly amateur faux purple/blue/violet sparkle color with a can. Though that axe blew chunks, it stilled played amazingly well and sounded decent too. So -- I grabbed a new (old stock) one off eBay the next afternoon for a steal.

The new eBay-found axe plays as well. The neck pup is loud enuff by lacks obvious punch (in its factory-set height) and is missing any sort of decent tonal range -- ergo a barely acceptable stock issue (no surprise). The neck pup is hotter -- so LOUD with decent tonal coloring.

I tested this axe through a huge Hartke Combo Bass Amp (yes I said a bass amp, so what) & EQ'd for more highs to get the best guitar tones and max low-end as well. I also tested it clean, clean with Ibanez Bi-Mode Chorus pedal, and overdriven with original metal-case Danelectro Fab Tone pedal. I will try it through my Peavey Classic Chorus 212 later.

Set-up fine. I may add a heavier gauge low-B string or set its height up a tad as it buzzes on 3rd fret a titch. Pups seemed fairly right but I am gonna raise neck pup to see if it needs yanking out & replacing or not.

String-thru bridge works great for tone lifespan . . .

Only flaw was a display axe ding on back with some finish gouged off down to wood but not noticed until after I got her home. No biggee.

All else seems okay. 3-way switch seems a bit "off" as mid-position seems to deaden bridge pups punch. Odd.

This AX7221 has a rare Burgundy Mist (Satin-Metallic) finish that is quite attractive and I cannot find what Ibanez calls it nor the fact that they ever released the AX7221 in this finish. Any info on this out there??

I have no worries that this axe, hardware or finish would preclude it from a live gig with all the proper set-up, tuner screw tightening, etc etc.

I would trust this a my only 7-string for a gig but would most likely have my other 6-string & 12-string electric & acoustic axes available for a tonal variety of playing live anywhere.

This axe is a great sleeper bargain for the money for a 7-string novice or a player that doesn't demand el primo axes all the time.

No comment as I have no history of this need.

Playing since 1967
I own 10 axes: USA Strat, Strat & Tele copies, Les Paul copies, Agile and Samick, Gibson ES-335 Kay Copy, 3 acoustics 6 & 12 stringed, 3 basses: 4, 5 & 8-stringed , synths, amps, pedals out the wazoo, e-drums, eBow Plus . . .

If stolen -- i'd rant & rave & hunt down the schmuck -- buy another.

Made in Japan,1999.Gotoh sealed tuners.

Nice sound.Used for jazz but good for rock.Plays better than my ESP LTD.H307 which I have since sold.

Re-strung with flat wounds w/ .080 Low A.

Appears to be well made.

n/a

If lost,I would hunt for another.

Korean made - not sure on the year. 22 medium frets. Mahogany body, 5 piece maple/walnut neck. 2 V 2 T. 3 way. H/H (not big on middle pickups anyway). Grey pewter in color, which lookes exactly like gunmetal. String thru neatly done. No-name chrome tuners that are so damn smooth. Beautiful neck design from the back, wide and quite flat. Feels solid to the touch and pretty fast for a 7.

I own another Ibanez and that thing was made for metal but this AX 7 is much more versatile. I havn't read all the reviews here but the stock pups rock despite the midrangy nature of this guitar. Relatively loud but not noisy at all. Up at the neck, she's really fat and warm and stays that way despite tone tweaks toward brightness. In the upper register the guitar puts out a kind of fluty fender tone that seems to linger on and on. The fact that it is non trem and strung through makes this possible. The bridge on the other hand is a lot thinner and wraspy. Ok for distortion, and you can get very bright ear piercing tones which you would not expect at first glance. It's a sleeper in that respect I think.

Factory setup? What factory setup! Seriously folks, when stuff comes out of asia, unless it came from Japan, you can bet that a few hours of tweeking will be necessary at the very least. Major buzz on low E and G, no neck relief, action to low. The workers assemble and that is it. Outside of Japan, basic setup is beyond their capabilities. Still for me, Korean made stuff as a whole is a sound investment as almost all guitars made there are made at the Samick factory. I will not touch anything made south of Korea though. I have no complaints about anything else.

For reliability this guitar gets a solid 10. I would gig with it and not think twice about a backup. Not so with a rose equipped axe. The finish has no kind of brilliant clear coat, just a rough and gritty matte grey that's holding up very well. But I don't thrash my instruments so that matters a great deal.

Dunno, never dealt with them.

Been playing 6's a while and so the thought of trying out the 7 string style appealed to me. I bought this one locally and for the money this guitar was an astounding deal. The guy I got it from played punk rock in a band yet hardly used the guitar. He was not a very big guy and I'm guessing that the weight of the guitar was an issue for him. It's very heavy BTW - deceptively heavy. No matter where you are standing, it's love at first sight for the neck and the floor.
Aside from that, the AX is very easy to play, tons of sound, lots of variations to blend, and it looks very sexy yet tough at the same time. I will be moving to another state soon and with 9 guitars altogether some gotta go. This guitar however comes with - nuff said.

See below (Tom Murray).

This is an update to my previous review (Tom Murray). After a few months of constant playing, I noticed that the neck pickup played clean, which is what I use most, had a really unpleasant harshness to it. There was a shrill/piercing quality to the high end that could take your head off if you weren't careful. And I could never EQ it out without losing to much definition. Just way to much treble. The bridge pickup was okay, but I didn't use it that much.

So I went ahead and replaced both, installing a DiMarzio Air Norton 7 in the neck and a Tone Zone 7 in the bridge. Man, what a difference that made! This guitar now has that warm and fat, powerful, but sweet sound that I could always hear (though more and more faintly) trying to come through the old pickups. While I was at it, I replaced the stock wiring and rewired it for 2-volumes, 1-tone, which is much more sensible to me. It's also quieter, now.

For anyone who has this guitar, I cannot recommend these pickups enough for it. I also considered the popular Seymour Duncan Jazz/JB
combo, but their online measurements made me think that the mounting tabs wouldn't fit in the very form fitting pickup routes. The stock pickups are also a little narrower than the DiMarzio's, which necessitated screwing a few new holes in the body.

I probably should've given the guitar an 8 at most with the stock pickups, but it's a definite 10 now, so I'll leave my previous score alone.

See below (Tom Murray).

See below (Tom Murray). Still holding up well. The pickup wiring was a little chintzy, so I replaced it, and one tone knob had a flaw (not dirt) that caused it to be scratchy in one spot, so I took it out of the circuit. I'll probably replace the pots, switch, and jack when I get around to installing a series/parallel/split coil switch in the defunct tone control's spot. The tuners and bridge are still fine with 11-65 strings. The paint job is pretty resistant to minor scratching and is very good at concealing those scratches that do occur.

See below (Tom Murray).

See below (Tom Murray).

Made in Korea in 2000 before they switched production to a poorer 3rd world country (Indonesia) in 2003. It has a grey pewter matte finished solid mahogany body that's shaped like a cross between an SG and a Les Paul Double-Cut (thickness of former, shape of latter). The neck is a 5-piece maple/walnut bolt-on with a gloss finish, a bound 12" (305mm) radius rosewood fingerboard, 22 medium-jumbo frets, a 24.75" scale length, and wide-flat back. It features two Ibanez passive humbuckers(AH1-7 and AH2-7, to be exact) with a 3-way pickup selector and 2 volume and 2 tone controls. Fixed string-thru body bridge. No name non-locking Schaller-style tuners. Came with a fitted Ibanez hardshell case made by TKL. I don't like TKL cases; they look nicer, but are much less durable than the SKB cases I prefer.

These days, I mostly play jazz, but I'm also into a variety of other styles, including pop, rock, folk, blues, etc. When I first plugged the guitar into my Mesa/Boogie F-50 with the EQ set for my other guitars' more vintage style pickups, it sounded way too midrangey and harsh, so I had to fiddle with my amp's EQ settings a bit before I got sounds that I liked. The Ibanez pickups also have quite a bit more output than my American Strat's and my Hamer Artist's Seth Lovers, so I guess they're medium to medium hot. Obviously, this guitar is intended to be a rocker, not a jazz guitar, but I've found it to be very versatile. When properly EQ'd, I can get everything from very nice, full, articulate clean sounds to semi-dirty early rock sounds to full on power chord crunch and singing leads. Though it really seems to excel at rock sounds, it's versatile enough that I don't find myself ever reaching for my other guitars anymore. It has its own voice, and I like it. I use it with a Zoom GFX-8 multi-effects pedal and a Mesa/Boogie F-50 1x12" combo. It's dead quiet on all settings. If I had to nitpick, the pickups could have a little more definition on the low end and a little less piercing harshess on the high end, but the extended range of a 7-string likely makes that difficult. In any case, proper EQ'ing largely alleviates both problems. Lack of ultra-precise low end definition could also be due to the fact that the F-50 is an open-back combo, so I'd like to try it with a closed back 12" or 15" to see if that tightens up the low end.

I bought the guitar used on eBay and whoever had set it up had absolutely no idea what they were doing: the neck had zero relief, which caused all sorts of fret buzz despite the fact that the action had been set relatively high to compensate; the tuners and input jack were so loose they were practically falling off; and the intonation was so off it was impossible to play in tune. Once I completely diassembled, cleaned, reassembled, and set up the guitar with with 11-65 D'Addario Chromes (which necessitated a little nut filing), I was extremely pleased. Everything is very solid and seemingly well made; the nut was cut well for light guage strings; the truss rod was easy to adjust; the frets were well polished and crowned; the tuners are very smooth (smoother than the Schallers on my Hamer Artist) and hold tune extremely well; and the Ibanez All-Access Neck Joint is much nicer than my Strat's. Though it's very close, I haven't perfectly intonated the low B-string because the intonation screw is a little too long for such a heavy guage string, so I have to purchase a shorter replacement or, failing that, slightly shorten the existing screw. And I replaced the strap holders with Dunlop Strap Locks. The old ones were fine, but my favorite strap is equipped with Dunlops, so they had to go. I haven't had to adjust the pickup height yet. One of the tone knobs crackled a little, but a little contact cleaner fixed that.

My one major quibble with the guitar is that the pickup polepieces don't properly line up with all of the strings. Close inspection revealed that the pickup routes are a little off. The other AX7221's I've seen are the same, so I think it's a design/production flaw. While it doesn't seem to affect the sound at all, it's a little disappointing nonetheless. Also, the neck binding is plastic and I wish they'd forgone that because the neck itself is otherwise extremely nice. The neck joint also has a very slight gap on the treble side, but the bass side is airtight. However, it's a MUCH better fit than my American Standard Strat. Finally, the rosewood fretboard is so dark and uniform in color that I suspect it's been dyed, which is silly.

As noted by others, the guitar is neck heavy, but only very slightly so. Installing the strap locks seemed to help a little, as they lengthened the upper horn by about 1/2". Personally, I don't find it to be a problem in the slightest. Given this slight neck heaviness, I was suprised at how light the neck is and how heavy the mahogany body is when I disassembled the guitar. Most of the weight is clearly in the body, so making the body heavier isn't really practical and probably won't help much. Since lengthening the upper horn also isn't really practical, I suspect that the guitar's minor imbalance could be largely rectified by replacing the existing tuners with mini-tuners with plastic or wood buttons.

This is an extremely solid guitar and I have no concerns at all about it's reliability and durability. The 5-piece neck is so stiff and solid that putting 11-65 strings on it barely made it bow at all. The hardware, though no name, also seems very solid and works perfectly. I took off the control cavity cover to tighten the output jack and saw very neat wiring and solid solder joints. My only reservation is with the matte finish paint job, which has it's pros and cons. The pros are that it's relatively thin, which (in theory) allows the body to resonate, and it's highly resistant to small scratches and scuffs. The cons are that it gets shiny where your hand and arm rubs, while the rest remains matte, creating a somewhat uneven appearance, which, to be honest, is only really apparent close up. I may use a polishing compound to even it out if it really starts to bother me. Also, the lack of a heavy top coat makes it more vulnerable to larger/deeper dings, dents, and scratches, but I'm always careful with my instruments, so I don't really worry about it. Finally, I don't mind the way it looks, but I'm not in love with it either. In 10 years, when it needs a new paint job, I'll probably strip it and oil finish the underlying mahogany.

The 1-year non-transferrable warranty expired years ago. Although 1-year warranties are pretty standard and are probably sufficient to reveal most manufacturing defects, I think they're totally cheesy and they don't make you feel like the company truly stands behind their product. On the upside, Ibanez's website is pretty informative and contains manuals and info on products back to 2000.

I've been playing guitar for about 7 years and own a 1993/2000 hybrid American Standard Stratocaster, a 2000 Hamer USA Artist, a 1965 Baldwin Double-Six, and Mesa/Boogie F-50, and a Zoom GFX-8. I wanted to take the 7-string plunge to explore all of the extended jazz chord voicings it would offer, but I was a little leery about purchasing an unseen and unplayed guitar on eBay. I'd previously only played an Ibanez RG7321, which is similar, but has a 25.5" scale and a slightly shallower neck depth, and the B-string felt great (albeit with light guage strings), so I was concerned about low B-string slackness due to the AX7221's 24.75" scale. I was also concerned about the purported neck heaviness. I needn't have worried, as the guitar arrived physically excellent, if poorly set up, condition, the B-string is perfectly taut with the 11-65 strings and the string-thru construction, and the neck heaviness is very minor. In retrospect, I think a 25.5" scale with my preferred strings would've caused too much string tension for my tastes. Overrall, I'm extremely pleased with what I got and, for what I paid, it's a deal that can't be beat.

I bought this guitar because of it's simplicity and rawness. My reason for the purchase was because I previously owned a 6 string GAX model and was amazed at how well it played for it's price. It has no special things about it and that's what I like. The bridge is closer to a a jazz guitar and it's strung through the body. This is a very easy guitar to maintain, and it's not about glamour or glitz. WHEN I BRING THIS TO A GIG, IT MAKES PEOPLES HEADS TURN!

CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, THIS GUITAR HAS AMAZING TONE!!!!!! PEOPLE EITHER JUST PLAY THROUGH OVERRATED AMPS OR DON'T KNOW HOW TO SET THEIR TONES! TURN THE MID DOWN!!! SET THE MID TO NO MORE THAN A QUARTER AND THE HIGHS AND LOWS TO THE MAX!! YOU WILL HEAR THE DIFFERENCE! I play a variety of styles: thrash, metal, funk, jazz, lounge, classical, and reggae, and this guitar is perfect! THE MOST VERSATILE I'VE EVER PLAYED! I play through a Peavey Revolution 112( check the reviews on this baby!) When on my clean channel it's a beautiful smooth mellow deep mahogany tone-perfect for jazz. When on my overdrive 1 it can make a great classical rock tone. When on my 2nd Overdrive, this guitar has so much balls!!! I play in three tunings(BEADGBE,AEADGBE,ADADGBE for stage performance and this handles tone wonderfully!

I've played on many guitars. I hate fender strats, they feel like I'm playing with a toy, I've played Jackson's, Gretch hollow bodys, ESP's, Gisbson's, and even other ibanez models, and everytime I pick up this guitar it feels like butter! I did have my bridge serviced about 9 months after buying this guitar, but that's a standard thing. I would suggest maybe getting locking straps. This is perfect for strong rhythm playing or lead. Mine came in pewter, it's raw.

This is the only guitar I personally own. I do everything from practice to gigs to using 3 tunings every set list. This has been very reliable and durable. However, I am going to get my input checked out to make sure my wiring isn't cutting out. For the wear I have put on this, the finish is still great except for where my belt might scratch the backside, but no-one sees that. IT'S BEEN VERY DEPENDABLE.

I sent in my registration card after I purchased it, however I never recieved any word back from the company. I was really pissed when I found out that guitar center stopped carrying 7-strings. I hope Ibanez continues to offer these models.

I've been playing about 7 years now and I've been threw different equipment along the way. I wish I could have found the upgraded model AX-7521? Correct me if that number is wrong, but there was a model just like this that Wes Borland used to play on. I would probably buy another one, just for the fact that it was well worth the price considering how much other 7-strings cost. You can play any style with this guitar. Only thing I wish it had was 2 d-tuner switches on the low B and E strings. I LOVE THIS GUITAR AND IT'S PERFECT FOR MY VERSATILE ROCK STYLE! SEE IT IN ACTION @ http://www.ufonic.net

everybody has seen the features a million times already so I won't bother

I love the sound of this guitar i play it for any kinds of music i havent had a problem with it at all. I generally play stuff like old school metallica but i also play alot of classical on it and i dont find it to be too muddy and if it sounds a wee bit off i just adjust the eq's on my amp

this guitar set up perfect when i bought it, its never gone out of tune since ive owned it

I believe this guitar will last a long long time but i also baby it i maintain it all the time

I dont ever regret buying this guitar ive been playing other guitars to try and find my next purchase but i cant find another better unlesss im gonna pay the 3000.00 for a prs, jackson, or rickenbacker

Everybody's already listed the straight specs here, so I won't go into it, except to say that it's all fairly standard stuff. I like the feel of the neck quite a bit - it's wide enough to keep the strings at a fair distance without being so wide as to make chords difficult. I like to do a lot of finger picking (probably since I am mainly a bass player) and thought that the extra string would allow me more flexibility - however I should have realized that the strings being closer together would not make this guitar a good candidate for that play style.

This comes with your low-end ibanez pick-ups. The high end was a bit too loud and twangy sounding for my tastes - I could never get a good balance between the low end and high end of the spectrum. I'm not a seasoned guitar player but all of the sounds that I was able to produce all seemed to lean towards rock and metal sounds (which is what I play the least of). Nothing really mellow or full (although the low B does produce some powerful sounding chords).

Here's where my major complaints with this guitar lie. The action isn't bad, a bit on the high side but not any worse than I expected for the price. The thing is hard as hell to tune, and always dropped out of tune after playing for 15-20 minutes - especially the low B, which I could not correctly adjust the intonation for (it was adjusted to the max and was still about a half-note off on the 12th fret). I would never take this guitar on a gig because of the tuning problems.

I loved the weight, shape, and finish of the guitar (matte pewter), which was what made me purchase it (and I wanted to try a 7 string). Electronics and hardware all seemed nice and tight and well put together. With a nice set of pick-ups and better bridge and tuners, this could be a pretty solid guitar. As it comes though, I feel there are better guitars for the money.

Although the guitar itself is very solid feeling and well put together, the hardware itself is pretty flimsy stuff. The finish also started to shine up in the pick guard area rather quickly (although it hides scratch marks completely). Maybe this happens with all matte finished guitars, but it kind of annoys me.

I've been a bass player for 10 years, and own a high-end ibanez soundgear bass that I would never part with. I also play guitar though, mostly when I record my own stuff. I've got an old american kramer that I was going to replace with this, but even though the kramer pops and sputters everytime I switch the pick-up, overall it plays tons better. I'm going to sell this Ibanez and invest the money in a better guitar. Ibanez is supposed to make the best 7 strings, but I was not at all impressed with this guitar. I'd stay away from the ax series - maybe their other styles are better.

You all know the features by know I'm sure.. 22 frets, yadaa yadaa yadaa! . mine is grey pewter like everyone else's. For a guitar I bought off the shelf the tuners were pretty good (probably set up at the store) nice STRING THRU BODY...the only way to go..SG like body. Wide, but thin neck. Not too bad for a 7 string

i don't think it suited my type of music style at all, i have a fucked up style, and I'd rather take a shit on the toilet and read the sunday news. i use a Fender Princeton Chorus, which i guess makes it sound good. when i bought it new it sounded better.....so that cleary fucks me off.i guess it would sound better if i put some money into it, but its hard enough finding a fresh pair of undies these days.

I think it was set up alright, pickups are pretty shit, if i put some new ones in it would sound great. but my bottom string kept on getting caught under the second fret which fucks me off alot. yeah it looks good thats for sure, really durable. its still together even though it sits there doing nothing, yeah i think its getting rusty, but thats more my fault.

Yeah I've played a few gigs with it, but i recomend that you get lock straps, so you can jump around and shit. dont know if it will, but i guess it would. the finish is good. i wont depend on this thing coz i personally dont like it. nah i would have a back coz i would.

Nah they suck, coz i haven't used it.

I've been playing for a while, and i can't be fucked telling you what other gear i have, i wish the dude at the shop told me to not buy it and i got something else. overall if you want to rock you would play this. my fav feature would be the colour of it. but still i wish it weren't mine i wish i could wake out of this nightmare and never had bought this thing, coz i spent alot of money on it and i can't really buy me another one. I'd like to share with everyone, that i am the man

You all know the features by know I'm sure.. 22 frets, blah, blah, blah. Of course mine is grey pewter like everyone else's. For a guitar I bought off the shelf the tuners were pretty good (probably set up at the store) nice STRING THRU BODY...the only way to go..SG like body. Wide, but thin neck. Not too bad for a 7 string.

I play old school and nu-metal. Sounds pretty good for both. I use a Marshall vs100r amp and plug it straight in for a killer tone! I have 3 other electrics and for 2 of them I use a Boss (surprise) Metal Zone. This thing can cover it all, good in drop-A tuning. In my opinion it has a fairly warm sound. For the price YOU WILL NOT BEAT IT.

The intonation was set up at the place I bought it...because when in standard B-tuning, it was great sounding. The pickups were set on kill---no shit, this guitar can hang. No flaws on the one I bought, just wished they had a flat or see thru black finish.

This guitar will withstand live playing with no problem.....as always though you should bring a back-up...mine has collected dust for a decade almost. My finish is starting to wear on my picking side of the body. Don't care though.

Playing for 9 years, not to be mean, but anyone playing for 5 or less years should just stay out of the review section......you guys don't know what the fuck your talking about. This guitar is the best 7 string I have played. It has a great tone for stuff like Sepultura's "Roots" album. I don't dislike anything on this guitar.

7 strings on a les paul set up... simple, but effective...
flat grey paint that can withstand ANYTHING!

ok you idiots who dis this guitar...
this site is filled with all these losers who base the sound of their guitar on stock pickups.... smart players just dont do that.
ALL STOCK PICKUPS SUCK NO MATTER THE COMPANY!!!
throw some INVADERS in or route the body and put EMGs in and you have POWERFUL, FULL TONE! i have EMGs. damn...
i have to dock a point for having to route the body.

low smooth action... its an Ibanez.
originally, the pickups were too far from the strings. i fixed that tho... with new pickups!

ummm.. ya, its not gonna break. i would gig w/o a back up if i didnt have one.

i dunno

a very good guitar for the price. easily modified with some invaders or evolutions, EMG is harder. i'd buy it again. good guitar, YOU BUY NOW!!!

Year? Who cares? This guitar sucks. Okay..well the features are decent. Two volumes, two tones, and uhh H/H configuration. 3-way pickup selector. Sucks. Neck is way too thick and as short as a japanese penis. The finish is pretty good, thats the only thing I don't have something bad to say.

It suited my music style just fine. Except for the fact it sucked. The pickups weren't that clear at all, kinda muddy. I mean seriously, they were alright, but if your looking for good quality sound, Dimarzios are the way to go.

The factory set-up felt like someone dropped it off the edge of the grand canyon from a helicopter. The action was higher than Kurt Cobain after he killed himself. The neck was way too thick, it felt like I was playing a baseball bat. The body, yeah, thats about the only thing good about this guitar, its made of mahogony, so Its real durable. But everything else about this guitar is horrible. Just horrible. I could get a folgers can and take fishing line and make a better guitar than this. So go out there and get some folgers, and you'll enjoy the great coffee too! As well as a better guitar.

It kinda sucks in some..well most things, but one thing is good. The body will withstand everything. Ive thrown it across the room a few times because it sucked so bad, and stepped on it, and thrown it down the stairs, and thought about even using it as a skateboard once. Ok well maybe not, but hey its a good idea, and it still plays. But..it falls out of tune like no other guitar, and its done it from day 1. If I ever gigged this guitar, it seems I have to re-tune it after every note I play.

Since everything else sucked, this had to be good.

I've been playing for about a year now, and this is the worst guitar I've experienced to date. I own a Fender from way back when, and its twice as good as this guitar. Don't get me wrong, I hate the sound of Fenders because I play metal, but it was my dads, and it was free, so hey, why not? I'll give this a 2 just because its an Ibanez, and Ibanez is the best brand of guitar ever! But anyways, save yourself some money and never EVER buy this guitar. Well, have a nice day.

Its your standard 2 pickup, 4 knob 3way switch axe ! could use coil taps, but oh well... lol.
Mahogany. My only complaint is that they should ship these with the now standard ibanez rg 7 string necl (27 in Scale ) so it gets an 8. I removed the bridge spring for the lowest saddle, and can now roughly intonate to A. Think I will replace the neck with the Warmoth bari 7.

as agreed by all IBANEZ STOCK PICKUPS are CRAP ! I replaced them with a SD Invader bridge and a 59 neck, and I might get the invader neck as well. This guitar has TONE ! I love the sound I get from it.

great action ! thick neck (wide) thin profile (height) I love it ! great frets. Tuners are ok, (decent) good saddles, and hardware.. Finish chips easily !

good all around, but I suggest reinforcing (with a dowel or threaded insert) and buying new locking strap buttons (use receded ones if poissible). ist my main guitar !

Ibanez support sucks.

I have a 3 guitars. A Brian Moore 88.13, the ibanez and a gax70 (crap, lol ) and a gt-3 roland gr-30 and I get the best tone from my ibanez.

i bought this guitar about a week ago now..and i already want to change the pickups. the pichups r both h/h. passive. mahagony neck..phat body..in the pewter grey..its sexy. i got a strap and a gig bag with it too..coz cases in new zealand are too expensive.

it sounds like shit. the pickups are as good as the smell coming out of my ass in the morning while i take a shit. they r muddy..really drowny. i use it through a BOSS MT-2 and BOSS DD-3 and a Marshall GV-2. which will soon be swapped for a BOSS floor board. into a line 6 spyder amp. all are beautiful sounding..except for the guitar. thats why im gonna smack some K7 dimarzio's in it when i get some nmoney.

everything about this guitar is wicked as (except for the pickups). the finish...the colour...paint...quality..fuckin wicked.

it will only be used for gigs when i hav slammed some K7 pickups in it. but it will last..its a monster. it wil take the hard knocks of jumping round...the strap buttons should be a little bigger though. no i wouldnt gig without a backup.

never ran into them. i hav a 1 year warranty.

iv been playing over 2 years....and i use line 6 amps. and floorboards.. boss and marshall and ibanez effects and dean markley (7string) and ernie ball custom gague strings. i wish it had K7 pickups!!!!!!id be fucked off and go kil the person who stole my guitar(s). i love the look.shape..feel..pickups should go.

I think it's a 2002, made in Korea, 22 really big frets,solid flat-top, 2 tone, 2 vol., 3-way selector. H/H config. think there ah-1 and 2.The body is made from mahogany, neck is maple. Dull grey finish (I love the color and it's thick and will stand up).A SG style body, with a string-thru body. not sure if tuners are locking or not but haven't had a problem with it going out of tune. Fat rosewood neck, but easy to play for a 7 string. Got mine used but still got a hard-shell case with it.

I play heavy stuff like Nine Inch Nails, and this thing rocks, also like to play some cleaner things like Pink Floyed and it still rocks.
I use a Crate GX-40C to practice with, and run it through a DOD FX50-B, and FX20-B. sounds better with just the FX50 on.
Don't get much noise from this thing some buzing on the guitar but it dosen't come through the amp. This thing does it all if you ask me nice tone and can be bright or muddy just by messing with the controls.like the feel and the fact that it's got what it needs an nothing it doesn't.

Didn't get it from the factory, but it was perfict for me when it got in my hands.

Like I said it's solid and would withstand beening played live, but I tend to slam my guitars on the stage and brake them anyway, but I think this thing could take more then my other's. Buttons seem good but i'll put strap-locks on anyway. I never play live without a back-up just for the fact that most guitars will not survie the abuse I give them, and without a back-up i'd look like a fool up their,and thats not good.

Never dealt with Ibanez, and sure I never will. If anything breaks replace it with something better.

I'v been playing for 12 years, I have a few Fender Strats, a custom Tradition, and 2 Les Pauls. If it was stolen, I would hunt the person down and beat them over the head with it, then if I broke it over his head I would go get another. I'm very happy with this thing (much better then the Shecter I had)and glad it dosen't have a Floyd-rose( I hate those things). I think i'm going to get the AX-120 or AX-1220, so I have one of these in a 6 string.

for those you have cried like a stupid idiot over this complaint....
if it keeps going out of tune,tightened the screws on the tuners you idiot!!!!!
now that i have that out of my system,on to the review!
mahogany body,2 humbuckers,4 assorted knobs.
cool finish that looks like candy.....yum!
see below,an learn why people dis this monster.

i raised the action,spent 50 bucks and put a dimarzio tone zone7 in the bridgeand put the bridge pickup in the neck position(upside down for fatter tone). and threw away the worthless stock neck pick up.
BOUGHT A 14 DOLLAR SOLDERING IRON AND FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS THE THE DIMARZIO INFO!

yes THE ACTION was too low,thats why they make them adjustable!
====THIS IS THE MOST COMFORTABLE 7 STRING ON THE PLANET!!!!!!=========
the neck is unreal and the tone is killer with my new pick up!

designed by the anti-christ for more easy use,no problems!
====oh yeah,keep those tuners tightened====

i am naming my first born after this guitar,enough said!

i own a les paul standard,a custom 7 string bc rich mockingbird,a old custom charvel,......and this guitar is my favorite!

*i spent 50 bucks to make it sound unreal,you lost $150 to get rid of yours??????

this is a $329 guitar,not a les paul. if you keep the pick ups stock,and "IF YOU KNOW NOTHING" about tightening screws on tuners or how to adjust the height of a string,then you might not like this guitar.
****it's called operator error!****

um, mohogany body, maple neck, transparent finish i think,
non locking tuners,7 strings of course, dont know what year it was made.

Actually, this guitar sounds pretty good, you can adjust the tone
because of the two volume knobs, which is a good feature, although
the volume messed up a lot, sometimes when i am playing songs in my band, the volume will go all the way down, cause the electronics arent that great, and i've had this thing fixed twice.

okay, this is were it sucked. At first, no problems, but after a while, it would go out of tune constantly. Then, i got it fixed,
intonated, all that crap, and it stayed in tune, but there was extreme buzzing on the frets. So I got it fixed again, and it didnt buzz as much, and stayed in tune, for about a week. Then, or now i should say, it goes out of tune after about every song i play with my band. The pickups were fine, it had loose tuning pegs, even though they were tightened, they got loose again, it had noisy volume controls, which i already talked about.

well, im going to trade in both this guitar and my bc rich virgin 7 string, and get a esp ltd m 207 hopefully soon, but anyway,
this is not reliable, it would really suck playing a gig with this thing constantly going out of tune. I never played a gig with it however, cause my band just (finally) got a singer, and now where going to be playing places. We're playing a talent show tommorow,
and i'm using my bc rich, cause it freakin stays in tune.
I wouldn't suggest buying this, of course, maybe it was just my model that sucked, but still, get a better one, one at least 500 dollars
i suggest.

i've been playing 7 years, but i only have 3 guitars.
But this thing is the worst, i mean, it sounds the best ,
but its impossible for the thing to stay in tune. The only thing good about it is the sound, and the fact that the finish doesnt come off easily, like my bc rich.

You've got your basic setup. 2 humbuckers, toggle switch, tone and volume controls. The body is compsite and is very light weight. This is kind of a down side. Since the headstock weighs more that the body you are constantly holding the neck to keep the guitar from sliding around. The body also makes for poor tone and sustaine. The action is also too low.

No tone. You are basically playing a piece of plastic with a wood neck. The low end is very muddy. Solution, avoid playing.

Action too low. Not very much attention to detail. Poor craftsmanship.

The thing will play and work in most any conditions. But I would not recommend playing the thing while it is on fire, that would of course be a bad idea. Even though the sound sucks big floppy donkey dick it is very reliable. Have never had a problem. Other than it sucks.

Do not buy this piece of crap. If someone gives it to you then promptly stick it up their ass. You will have such a difficult time re-selling the axe its almost not worth the trouble. I paid $350 to purchase and was only able to sell it for $150. That sucks ass.

The details for anyone who doesn't feel like scrolling downward : Agathis body, bolt-on maple neck, 22 fret rosewood fretboard, 24.75" scale length, 2 passive humbuckers, 2 tone, 2 volume, 3 way pickup selector, fixed string through body bridge, 7 strings.

I like the fixed bridge and the string through body setup. Both allow better sustain and punch on the low end. Someone below mentioned that they were dissapointed in the lack of a Floyd Rose bridge - I would rather have better tone and sustain.

The Ibanez gives me lots of power and sustain. The bridge pickup is bright and powerful, which gives me enough clarity for my purposes (see below, although the neck pickup gets muddy in a hurry, especially when messing with the tone controls.

Played cleanly, the guitar sounds really good and well balanced and can really nail those "on the edge" clean sounds. Add distortion and the beast within emerges. Mild overdrive to medium gain sounds the best, with 7 string chords coming through without sludge, although for single note lines and diads, this guitar can handle stupid amounts of gain without totally crapping out.

I play experimental improv noise rock I call BoredCore. I need a guitar with a lot of punch, decent sustain, ample low end, and lots of attitude to drive my signal chain :

Guitar
Volume pedal
Custom voiced fuzz pedal
Crybaby Wah
Custom "4-play" 4 channel signal splitter/switch
Channel A - Johnson J-Station preamp (For dry amp tones)
Channel B - Zoom 606 (For Filter and Modulation effects plus extra distortion)
Channel C - Octave pedal (For fuzz bass lines)
Channel D - Chorus, tremolo, and delay pedals (For clean texture effects)

Each channel feeds an input on an 80 watt 4 channel powered mixer which powers 2 cabinets with a 10 inch woofer and a 3.5 inch tweeter. I switch channels and effects in and out as needed for a multi-textured guitar sound. Not your typical Classic Rock or Nu Metal setup, but it does the job. As does my Ibanez.

My only beef with the factory set up was that the action was too low for my liking. However, I like a medium high action and very few companies set their guitars up that way at the factory.

The finish was well done, and the intonation was dead on after a slight tweak of the truss rod.

Ibanez guitars are built like tanks. A typical gig for me would reduce most guitars in this price range to sawdust - a few paint chips are the only signs of wear on the guitar. I'd gig with this with no backup without a second's hesitation, although I do keep a spare around at all times in case a string breaks.

My only wish for this guitar would have been a slightly longer scale length. A 25.5 inch scale would have made for an even better tone on the low strings. That said, this is a serious bang for buck winner.

Fied Bridge. Read others for specifics.

I play mostly progressive stuff (Dream Theater, King's X, etc.) and i get a wonderful sound for all of theose kind of music. The pickups give an excellent clean soun, which was what I was looking for. The B string has especially excellent sustain.

I am not very picky about action, but the action on this guitar was excellent. I love the Grey Pewter Matte finish (I don't think it comes any other way). No flaws, except the tuners a horroble. They are loose and they dont feel like they are going to stay in position. Easily replaced. The white edging on the neck is awesome.

This guitar would withstand live playing, but definately invest in some strap-locks because the pins are small, atleast for my straps. Seems like it is very durable.

I have a couple of Ibanezes but i've never had to deal with them.

Besides the tuners, I only have minor complaints. I don't know why people say this guitar has a "cheap guitar feel". I've played my share of Gibsons, Music Man's, etc. and this guitar has an excellent feel.

This guitar has plenty of featurs like the other people said but what made me give it the 8 was no floyd rose tremelo

I put it through a fender performer and I play lots of punk rock and fooling around I play some jazz and this guitar can do it all. I get a little humming on distortion with reverb but nothing serious. The sound is great I have no complaints.

Everything about the quality is perfect!

I've had this guitar for a while and it's never failed on me i would never bring a backup for a gig.

I've owned fernandes, gibson etc... and the action, and the tone of this guitar blows them away if it were stolen i'd get another one and the only thing i wish it had was a floyd rose, so if the only reason your not getting it is because no floyd rose check out this guitar http://www.musicyo.com/product_specs.asp?pf_id=198

i bought mine used for $199 !
i originally bought this guitar to resale and make a small profit,but,
i was so impressed,i decided to keep it.
it is the generic grey pewter finish(like everyone's).
has a killer neck that is thin and very playable.
the pickups are great,no complaints,if you think you have heard better,then there must be voices in your head. they are noise free and
versatile.
i did have to raise up the neck pick up and put a peice of foam behind it to push it closer to the strings for more volume.
the neck is a little heavy and the guitar wants to nose dive to the ground at time,this may bother you,i really over look it.
i have read that the tuners suck,but mine stay in tune and work well.
this is a killer guitar at a killer price.
i have heard some 13 year olds bad mouth it and write complaining reveiws, mainly because they know nothing about guitars or tone,
but i think it's killer. i own a "real" les paul and some vintage
b.c. rich mockingbird neck thru supremes and i think it has it's own tone,style and mood. enjoy!
check out my band at www.knuckledeeponline.com

great bottom end, the highs need more mid.
very bright tone.
i play it through a boss metal zone and a zoom505, into a crate combo.
this is a amazing metal guitar!

my paint job has a few bubbles.
the guitar is flawless other than that,very well built.
unreal neck, stays in tune!
plays great and the action is very good for a 7 string!

no complaint,very happy with it!
i replace the strap buttons with dimarzio strap locks.
the ones that came on it were large,but i have to have locks!

been playing 15 years.
i love the body,it has alot of style.
the tone is great.
if you want a 7 string guitar,this is the best for the money!
it is not a low grade/second rate guitar, is a good guitar that you could play for years!
ibanez is being very humble by pricing it the way they do,they should ask several hundred dollars more.

& string guitar with hard tail. It has two Axis humbuckers and a double cutaway (SG style) body. The body is Agatis - pretty solid. It has a rosewood neck.

The sound is incredible. Full rich sound out of the 7 string humbuckers. The sound is Hot and Rich. No excessive noise and the tone works pretty good. With the Hard tail, this guitar is good for Jazz, Blues, Metal and Modern/Alternative Rock. Decent sustain from this guitar - probably has to do with the thru body string setup?

Finish was Grey Pewter (no biggy). The action was excellent - fast, no buzzing with a very playable(not too wide) neck.

Had it for 9 months and no problems with it. Very solid constructed guitar and not very heavy as with some 7 stringers.

I have been playing for 6 years and just recently got into the 7 string world. I would definitely buy this guitar again if something happened to it. The hard tail style is the way to go. It beats Jackson, Dean, Epiphone and Schecter 7 string guitars. The low B string has great tone and punch. Try the AX7221 over other Ibanez's as well.

7-string, 22 frets, 4 volume and tone controls, 3-way selector, humbucking pickups, String-thru body.

It works good with my equipment, I use a ZOOM GFX-707, 2 Danelectro pedals, a boss overdrive and a arion stereo flanger to a peavey decade amp. It's really good for rhythm and has a real beefy, bassy tone. It's also really really good for clean sounds.

Guitar set-up well, it had a loose wire inside, but that took me 2 seconds to fix. Everything put together well.

This is a really tough guitar, it is a really hard guitar. Finish isn't too thin at all. Works good in long playing. Strap buttons extremely solid. I could depend on it. I could use it on-stage without a backup.

Nothing wrong with it at all and it had a really good sound.

Features have already been described. 7 string, H-H pickups, 2 vols/2 tones, 3-way switch. I don't particularly care for the seperate volumes and tones (functionally or visually).

One ***HUGE*** thing that makes me not like this guitar, that I didn't realize until after I bought it - is: look at the top "horn" of the body. It is much shorter than a traditional "strat" style body. Also, the left side of the body (away from the neck) is big and bulky like an acoustic. Well.. because of that, this guitar sits funny - whether sitting down or standing up. When you play sitting down, the bottom hump puts the guitar a little further back than is comfortable. Likewise, while playing standing up - the guitar keeps wanting to roll upwards (neck towards the sky) because of where the strap connects. ANYHOW - so because the guitar sits funny, it makes it difficult to play. I find myself holding the guitar in place with my right forearm as I'm playing (I'm right-handed). Because of that, I am buying a strat-bodystyle 7 string.

Other than that, everything else is acceptable.

I'm pretty happy with the sound - both for clean and distorted. I use this exclusively for recording (vs playing out). I go through a Line6 Pod for everything. When I use the Mesa Rectifier model, this has a truly kick-ass sound.

Action and pickups were fine. Everything worked. The workmanship on the guitar seems pretty nice. It's a good "medium" guitar. It doesn't look/feel like a beginner guitar, but it doesn't feel really expensive either. I don't really care for the finish on these guys either. Mine is grey, it looks like the guitar is grey plastic. That's just my opinion though - the actual construction was acceptable.

I like this would be fine for live playing (if you could get past how it sits funny when hanging from a strap). Hardware seems solid, the finish is quite durable. Strap buttons are solid. As a rule, I wouldn't play live without a backup.. but, if I had to - I wouldn't feel too uncomfrtable playing this without a backup.

Never dealt with them. This had the traditional Ibanez 1-year warrantee..

I found the physical shape of this guitar and it's affect on the ease of playing, as a showstopper. If it doesn't bother you, this is a solid 7 string to buy. Otherwise, just get something else.

22 frets, bolt - on neck, 2 axis humbuckers, 3 way switch and 2 volume and 2 tone conrols. The tuners are non-locking but some of the best i've ever used, I used to have a strat with locking tuners and I had to tune my strat more than I do my ibanez.

I can't really judge the pick ups that well because I'm used to emgs, but i've been playing this guitar alot lately because it is my only 7 string. at home i run it through some piece of shit valvestate fender amp with a metal zone and some other effects. On my fender no matter what I do it sounds like absolute shit, on clean you can hear most picking but chords sound dark and shitty. When I turn on my metal zone it sounds alot less muffled but you still can't play chords and hear them very well. I have tryied this guitar on a bunch of valvestate amps and it sound lick shit on all of them. bottom line these pick-ups are not designed for valve amps. I have an old traynor tube amp which I use when I play whit m band and this guitar sound 10 times better played through it, I can actually hear what I'm playing on clean or distorted. So If you have an alright tube amp I would reccomend this guitar to you because the pick-ups are very good for stock, but if you have a valvestate piece of shit amp that you use on a dayly basis like me, don't buy this guitar because I know a whole bunch of friends who tried tis guitar at a shop through a good amp and though it was an amasing guitar only to take it home and regreting buying it.

only problem was the fact that the input jack was a little loose and I don't think it can be fully crewd on but it hasn't been a problem yet and i've had it for a while,so i'm not really woried about it

this guitar is built to last or at least I think so, the only thing I have ever seen go wrong with this guitar is that my friend spilled beer all over his and the neck pickup had to be fixed.

amasing guitar for the price, I love the 2 volume and two tone controlls because they come in handy. like I said, if you got a valve amp that you use every day I would strongly advise that you take it home and try it out before buying it for good. The guitar sounded great through about 5 or 6 other tube amps I tried it out on though.

H/H , Axis Humbuckers,stop tailpiece, '99 i think, made in either Korea or Japan, 22 frets, solid top with a pewter gray finish, 2volume 2tone, 3 way toggle switch,Sg style body (a bit fatter), non locking tuners, 24.75' scale, thin-u neck, and i think the body is mahogany

i'll play any type of style, i use it with a 60's or 70's Fender/Squire 15 amp, my pedals are a digitech whammy, dunlop wah, ibanez SH-7 distortion, CF-7 Chorus/Flanger,and boss RV-3 digital reverb/delay. distorted its sounds great, can get a bit muddied up though. the clean sound is ok, but because of all my pedals and my prehistoric amp output distortion comes quickly. the highs can get a bit smoke alarm-y, just roll the tone back and you'll get your sound shaped. you can make some great sounds out of this thing, the only downsides are with a wah it doesn't have a full range of that effect, and it can get muddies up distorted.

The guitar was great when i bought it, brand new, the first one i ever bought, actually the only one i've ever bought (i have a nylon acoustic and les paul junior copy (broken) given to my by my cousin).i like the finish, but being a visual artist too i'm gonna paint over it and put some stickers on. the tuner on the high b string seems to go out of tune eaisly, but i fixed that with a screwdriver, and i guess the finish is pretty durable, there's a mysterious scratch going down the back on mine, and after a long time with duct tape on the strap locks, which is probably the worst thing on it, the come loose so easily, a big chunk of the paint came off near the locks, man i can see the wood underneath. one other thing is that it starts rattling after a while, i do use pretty heavy strings (13-65), but i got that adjusted, but its still doing that rattling...

umm i'm not in a band, never have been, so i've never tried it live. hardware seems it will last, i think this guitar will be with me till the day i die. as i mention before the strap buttons suck ass, get that fixed at the first sign of them coming loose. otherwise this is a very dependable instrument.

never dealt with the company, not sure if it was under warranty.

Since it is my first guitar, i would be heartbroken if it were to be stolen or broken in half. i love its playability, although its kinda hard to do a long slide on it, but i still manage. i wish it had a piezo on it or some kinda synth, also a floyd rose 7 stirng tremolo would be nice, i love the weird or strange or futuristic guitars, but above all i love this one. its got a great price, great for beginners and its built to last, a deffinite great buy with lots of value

22 frets, 2 volume 2 tone knobs, 2 Ibanez AH series humbuckers which sound AWESOME for the price...Grey Pewter finish (awesome too). Fixed bridge, Non-locking tuners...Pretty easy neck for a 7 string. Wanted a FR trem and string locks though. visit my site for other stuff http://taproot.usuck.com

My music style is pretty wide. Old rock, mostly metal. I have a wah-wah that goes to a crate amp with usually doesn't get good distortion but this guitar gets some ok dist. on it. I also have a marshall that sounds AMAZING w/ this guitar! Get that low down crunchy sound...not sure about the variety of sound though, havn't had it that long.

put together ok....think the pickups need adjusted though...finish is nice grey pewter...

dunno, seems solid...finish is VERY sturdy though

1 year warranty

I love it...i own a les paul copy and it get better sound than that...

you cam check other replies

the pick ups are very good for stock, I might not even replace them, they have a very balaced sound, pretty good output and are god both clean and distoted

This is my first 7 string and i think it is the best starter 7 around. before bying it I looked at about 20 other 7 strings and found this one to not only be one of the cheapest, but is have some of the best pickups on any 7 string guitar under 1,000 canadian. it hase a cool body and you can get a lot of different sounds via 2 volume and tone knobs.the only thing that i dislike about this guitar is the fact that its a little top heavy, the neck almost wieghs more than the body, It's not so bad, but its a little annoying at first, after a few weeks I got used to it

you cam check other replies

the pick ups are very good for stock, I might not even replace them, they have a very balaced sound, pretty good output and are god both clean and distoted

This is my first 7 string and i think it is the best starter 7 around. before bying it I looked at about 20 other 7 strings and found this one to not only be one of the cheapest, but is have some of the best pickups on any 7 string guitar under 1,000 canadian. it hase a cool body and you can get a lot of different sounds via 2 volume and tone knobs.

24.75" scale neck with 22 frets (Ibanez website says they are "medium" but they seem close to jumbo to me). 2 Ibanez AH Humbucking pickups, with familiar 3 way toggle switch and 2 volume and tone knobs. Mahogany body with 5 piece maple neck. String through body hardtail bridge. Made in Korea, I believe made in 2000. Neck is bolt on, and the guitar has a double cutaway.

I mainly play heavy metal (sabbath, old metallica, etc.) and this seems to be a good guitar for that style. I'm using this with a line 6 spider 112 Amp, and it has a good distorted sound with lots of "chunk". Pretty good sustain, decent lead and rhythm sounds. The clean sound seems to be fairly full. It has a unremarkable, but not bad sound, sort of gibson-ish, but that is what you would expect from the 2 humbuckers with fixed bridge. No real noise to speak of, a fairly noise free guitar. The pickups aren't mindblowingly hot, they have really an average, basic sort of sound.

This is the first 7 string that I have had, and it is easy to use the low B string for chords and lead work. The neck is wide when compared to a 6 string, but is easy to get used to. I have been playing this guitar a lot lately, and have messed around a bit with different tunings to take advantage of the extra string. The extra string is really worth it, it makes this guitar fun to play. Without it, this would be a pretty bland instrument, but considering the price, it's a nice guitar. I think this is just about the cheapest 7 string you will find.

I like the body style (kind of like a fat bodied SG), and the way the cutaway gives you easy access to the higher frets. The fact that it has a non-tremelo bridge is a plus in my opinion, there are too few solid body guitars out there in this price range that the manufacturer doesn't tack on a cheap strat-type tremelo onto. I would have liked it if they made it in colors other than gray, and a coil splitter or something like that to get a bit more variety in the sound would have been great.

The set up was fine, but I lowered the action a slight bit which helped make it a little easier to play. A personal thing really, I have the feeling this guitar was designed to be more of a heavy rhythm guitar, and the setup reflected that.

There aren't any real obvious flaws, but there are a few rough spots in the finish (very small), and the neck joint has a tiny bit of roughness on one side. Some of the frets had a tiny bit of glue around them. One of the pickup routes has a few rough edges as well. Nothing major, I'm sure if you sit down and really look at most $300 guitars you will find some small flaws, and this ain't supposed to be a PRS or Gibson at this price. The white plastic binding around the neck seems a bit cheap and I'm wondering why they put it on since the back of the neck isn't painted.

Well, the finish is a matte gray and looks to be very tough, it would take a serious scratch to show up. The switch and knobs seem very solid, and the bridge doesn't look like it is going anywhere. The strap buttoms are fine, but I will be replacing them with strap locks.

It seems to be a very basic dependable guitar that will hold up as well as anything. It seems to be built for playing live, more of a tool than something to look at.

The warranty is for a year, and since you have to ship the guitar to them at your cost, it doesn't really add much value to the guitar. It should be easy enough to repair, electronics wise, I would expect to fix any problems myself. If the neck or body breaks, at this price I would just buy another one.

Ibanez's website is not the greatest, they have more interviews, etc. than actual information about the guitars.

I have been playing for 17 years and I have a fender big apple strat, a mexican strat, a P bass, a danelectro U2, and a danelectro longhorn bass.

I like the body style, and the headstock on this guitar. The finish and color isn't great, but it is sort of unique, and you get used to it. I would have payed a bit more to get it in a cool color like green or blue, or even natural - but it is only available in gray.

I don't think you can find many other 7 strings in this price range, so it really is a good value for the money. I wish Ibanez has made the controls a bit more non-traditional. I don't really need 2 volume and tone, one of each is fine - give me something else other than the extra volume and tone. I would like to see a version of this guitar that was a little more off the wall ( JEM style inlays on the neck, maple fingerboard, crazy pickup and paint colors). No one seems to do that very often with the non-tremelo guitars...

If this guitar were lost/stolen I wouldn't be heartbroken, but I would have to get another one (and hope that they offered more colors by then), because I'm really getting to like the 7th string and I don't think anything matches this guitar at the price.

For this price who can complain? It suffers from the "typical cheap guitar problem"... Really bad tuners... But other than that it is a great guitar. I really like the simplicity of it. Two pickups, one switch, and four knobs... that about covers it.

I play techno-thrash (Static-X meets Sevendust meets NIN) (http//led.iuma.com) And this guitar works perfectly. I'll admit I bought it solely based on price and looks but it really sounds amazing. I tune down to "G" and am pretty much just playing Crunch tones but it sounds great. It's got great presence and really stays tight even when tuned down that low.

The action was good. I really love the finish of the body. There were a few flaws, poorly finished binding on the neck, the CHEAP tuners (easily replaced), a couple of "dents" on the back of the neck... but hey for this price... I'll get over it ;-)

Other than the tuners (do you get the feeling they suck or something?) it's a great guitar and I'll be playing it live as often as I can.

never had to deal with them.

Overall I love this guitar. I mean for $312.00 how could I not. I really plays as well as any other seven string I've ever tried. I really like the way the string-through-body bridge adds sustain and helps to deepen the tone. Overall this guitar is an excellent value for anyone looking to "add a string"

7 String guitar, 2 AH humbuckers made by Ibanez, String thru body bridge, Medium frets, 22 frets, rosewood neck with a strip, awesome mahogany body, made in 2000 in japan. a 3 way toggle switch, 2 vol, and 2 tone controls, non locking tuners, I don't know what else to tell you...

I play from chuck berry to limp bizkit, and if you're like me, this is the guitar for it. I put the guitar thru Boss's Metal Zone to my fender deville combo, and it really really rocks. But like i said, this guitar can give you very very clean sound like you'd hear at a jazz quartet concert. Pick ups are pretty quite, but I am going to replace 'em with DiMarzio's Blaze, just because, this is the sort of thing i do on all my guitar, no hate against stock pickups though. This is definately a rhythm guitar, 'cause it plays power chords so nicely.

I bought it from guitar center, and they're usually good at those things, action and set up and all that. when i picked it up, it was good to go. Hardware was all good, no flaws, no scratches, good deal, huh? and oh I JUST LOVE THE FINISH, it's gray pewter, it's the best color on the AX series, period, go get it

I just bought it like a month ago, and it's lasted so far, heh? I can totally depend on it, well, i think, 'cause, all the other people tell me that, so. i guess....

Nobody knows anything about ibanez.... sorry

Come on, for 400 bucks? a seven string guitar? Just go get it, what've you got to lose? THink of it this way, this guitar is just like the LEGENDARY LES PAUL. 2 pickups 3 way switch, 22 frets, or what not, except, this guitar is from hell to PLAY YOUR LOUD ASS MUSIC STYLE. I've been playing for 5 years. I've got a 60's reissue fender strat, jackson soloist, 60's thinline tele, and ESP M-II. and Honestly, this guitar for 400 bucks sounds better than my ESP II with EMG pickups. so go get it it's cheap, and it won't break on you