Ibanez GAX70

Made in 1999 I think. I bought it in april 2000. I paid 190 dollars. Solid Agathis body with a really nice transparent red stain. 2 passive humbuckers, dual tone and volume (allows a good number of sounds) 22 fret neck, kind of a SG/les paul style body. no pickguard, tuners are nothing special. Tune-o-matic bridge.

Really nice sound condsidering the price. I play alt rock. Stuff like Hum and the smashing pumpkins it really comes through good for. I play lead guitar for my band (mostly lead, anyway) the bridge pickup has a nice sound to it. I don't like the neck pickup it is far too muddy. sometimes i will mix it in a bit with the bridge, but generally I leave it off. Both pickups are very bassy. A bit too bassy for the radiohead sound, but they use all single coil pickups so that can be expected.
I play it with a Laney 50 watt tube head through a Yamaha 4x12 cab. lots of effects, Boss DS1 distortion, Boss PH2 phaser, Boss DD5 Delay, adn a snarling dogs whine o wah.
I also use a peavey studio chorus 210 through the same cabinet.
it sounds really good for a $190, I will probably replace the pickups with dimarzios.

Excellent quality. they must be getting that agathis wood for really cheap or something. the neck is top notch, better then a lot of 8-900 dollar guitars I've seen. the frets are even, with no buzz anywhere. The finish is beautiful really, you can see the lines where they put the 3 pieces of wood together, but they are nicely done, no filler or anything. the tuners are kind of crappy. the one for my low e string got loose after a couple monthes, I replaced them with some better ones, which I can't remember the name of.

durable enough, I'd gig with no backup. Nice finish, it's got some pick scratches, but they would be easy to polish out.

no need so far... think it's got a 1 year warranty

Really good for the money.
can't think of a really good reason to buy another guitar for awhile.
I've been playing about a year. in a year or 2 I will probably buy a really nice guitar and spend like 500 bucks but for now this is all I need.

you should already know this by all the other reviews. Same as a Les Paul, all the woods used are all the ones that I wanted on my next guitar. Pretty standard

The tone on this guitar is sweet! I like the very warm tone, with a present treble but not a twangy one, and nice warm bass, and this guitar gave me exactly that...and I think this guitar sounds great for any price that you pay for, and its not fair to say that this isn't a professinal guitar, cuase if it gives you the sound that you want whos to say you can't play it out, cause of the price...again the sound on this guitar is sweet!

There were apsolutly no problems with this guitar. I got the translusant red and its a real bueaty. I am thinking about changing the nut but thats just cause i want to, theres nothing really wrong with it. The neck size is really good and the action was perfect.

I've been really careful with this guitar, i just don't want to mess it up and ruin it, but it seems really really sturdy, nothing is loose on it and i would with no doubt play this without a back up. I put all my guitars through hell when i play and this one really stood up as good as my fenders.

never delt with them.

I've been playing for about ten years and i'm semi-pro. this guitar is awesome, the tone is great and i couldn't get it on any other guitar i own. the look feel and just overall preseces of this guitar is unbelieveable and its not just cause of the price, because i have some guitars that cost well over a thousand and i like the way this plays so much more than them...well i guess thats just my opinion..

It is just the standard gax70. It has the double cutaway, 22 frets , two volume nobs and two for tone. It is a basic guitar for the price it was at. I don't recall the name of the pickups but they are kind of lousy.

I play a lot of different styles of music. Classic Rock, blues, jazz, funk, old school. It does pretty good if you have the right effects. The sound of the guitar is just very dull. It is not warm nor bright it is very bland, effects of course can alter this. I don't know how all of the guitars were made, mine was fretted wrong. If you get up to about the 16th fret and past on the E,A,D strings it really plays out of tune. Tuning is another issuse, The G-string for some reason would not stay in tune period. It is a okay guitar for a beginer, but if you have some experience under your belt i would stay away.

It did pretty well in live situations, other that having to constantly moniter the tuning. One thing is for sure that my skill of ear has greatly increased. It could do fine without a backup. The only thing that broke was my pickup selector, the nob fell off.

I have never tried to contact them, but from what i have heard ibanez is pretty good.

If you are just starting to play great, go for the guitar. If not stay away, the sound is just not what an inexeperienced player wants, unless that is all you could afford, it is a good deal for the money. But sound is worth more than a good deal.

See Ibanez.com for all the details. The GAX70 was a baby of the Ibanez Artist reissue project a few years ago. I bought mine in 1998 (transparent red). I use the guitar as a 2nd or 3rd guitar for alternate tunings at gigs. I run it through an Alesis MidiVerb into a Marshall VS102R. My main axe is a 1981 Ibanez Artist AR50. I really like the Artists from the early 80s so I when I saw this one I was pretty excited-- and skeptical. The low price and non-mahogany body made me wonder if I was wasting my money on a piece of firewood. Anyway, I bought one, see below for what I think about the GAX70.

I thought the guitar sounded decent when I first bought it. Not much sustain, kind of a weak, empty sound-- definately not a mahogany body. I used it for almost a year as a backup and didn't play it much (I really like my AR50). I decided to see what I could do to get a better sound out of it so I replaced the pick-ups with Lace D-100 & D-150, replaced the nut with a graphite nut and replaced the bridge saddles with graphite saddles. Now I enjoy the hell out of this guitar! The guitar has great sustain now and really does have a cool sound. I've had several compliments from people at shows about the sound of this guitar. I'm not going to tell you that it sounds like a high dollar Les Paul-- it definately doesn't sound that good-- but after the modifications, I doubt you could be ashamed of the sound (especially for the price).

The setup was bad as I eluded to earlier. The stock nut is plastic. The bridge saddles on mine had really deep notchs which killed the sustain and caused tuning problems. The stock pick-ups are nothing to brag about either. Although, like I said, replace these items and this guitar changes from a basically weak sounding guitar to a guitar with some nice tones!

I've had it for a couple years now and I've had no problems. I've had to adjust the truss rod twice, but that is normal.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing guitar for 15 years. I've played a lot of guitars and I'd have to say for the money this is a good guitar, IF you make some changes to it. If you are a beginner who is just wanting to learn how to play then the GAX70 is probably a good guitar for you. Although, if you are looking for a Strat sound, this isn't the guitar. But if you want the GAX70 to have a sound you won't be ashamed of, then replace the Pups, Nut and bridge/bridge saddles.

Made in 2000, in Indonesia.
22 medium frets. Solid-top. 2 tone, 2 volume controls, 3-way switching. H-H Ibanez Powersound pickup configuration. Body is agathis wood, very similar to mahogany, very light and adequate sustain. Agathis doesn't have the crunch of some mahoganies I've tried. Neck is maple, fingerboard is rosewood. I have a transparent red finish, Ganz Toll! Black and transparent butterscotch is also availible. Body is double cutaway sorta like an SG/Les Paul/Schecter Scorpion hybrid. Bridge is an Ibanez 'Full-Tune II,' which is basically a Tune-o-matic. Has a stopbar tailpiece. Non-locking tuners. Very thin neck and quite small. Came with a $30 Music 123.com gigbag, 5 picks, cable, and allen wrench.

My music style is mainly metal and hard rock, like RATM, Coal Chamber, Orgy, System of a Down, Static-X. I also play some Sublime. This guitar suits them all quite well, though I need a better amp to see the guitar's full potential (I have a Marshall Mg-10MKII practice amp). The guitar has a full sound with a little crunch, due mainly to it's agathis body and humbuckers. Basically, the pickups suck, but they have a tone difference. The bridge humbucker is bright, the neck is warm. The 4 control knobs, 2 per pickup, offer a variety of settings and sounds. I can gradually fade in with one pickup and then pop the other pickup into the sound. Very good beginner's geetar. I wish it had better pickups though. A whammy bar would be cool, but it screws up tuning. the distortion is nice and clean on my amp. Ill have to try some other setups first though.

Guitar was set up very well. The action was perfect. everything was perfect except for two little scratches from the shipping that I made worse by dropping the damn thing.

I have not played the guitar enough to know if it will stand through live playing, though it probablywill. The hardware is solid, the tuners were easy to twist and turn. The finish is good to last, I dropped it once and it has no dents or scratches/blemishes/scrapes. Strap buttons are really in there. I'd like to replace them with Dunlop StrapLok's though. Im kinda scared about the regular buttons... I can defintiely depend on this baby durign practice, gigs, whatever. I guess I could use a better guitar at gigs, since this a beginner's guitar but I would use it live.

Never dealt with Ibanez. I heard their customer service sucks ass. We concluded that a virus was spread amongst the whole Ibanez Customer Service Dept. and they've all died, no one has noticed though. The warranty is... I forgot. But it does have a warranty. Doesnt look like Ill be needing any repairs anytime soon though.

Been playing for 1-2 years. I'd like to get another guitar in a year or two, maybe an AX120. If it were stolen, I would find the bastard and beat him to death with my acoustic guitar, take my guiatr back, unscrew the bolt on neck and whip him with the strings. No one messes with my guitars... I love the finish, it's gorgeous. Defintely a beginner's guitar, it's a keeper. I wish it had better pickups, a mahogany body and whammy.

*This is Damien, and this is an update to my earlier review*

Man, I have nothing but good things to say about this guitar!!! Here goes: 2000, made in Indonesia. 22 frets (Dot Inlay). Laminated top w/ beautiful glossy black finish. 2 tone and 2 volume for tweaking. The pickups are a 'Powersound 1" humbucker at the neck and "Powersound 2" humbucker at the bridge. I don't know what the hell active and passive is. I'd guess active, though. Body is agathis mahogany. My finish is glossy black, although transparent butterschotch and trans. red is available. Body is really, in my opinion, a cross of the SG and Les Paul,more on the SG side, however. Bridge is Tune II with a stopbar tailpiece. Tuners are chrome non-locking. Neck is nice and thin, rosewood, and with medium frets for fast action. I got it with a new Crate GX15 amp, gig bag, strap, chord, and picks.

*This is Damien, and this is an update to my earlier review*

This is the most awesome sounding guitar I've played that's actually within my unemployed 14 year old price range. I play hard rock like Metallica and Megadeth, but I also play Nirvana, Foo Fighters, other alternative stuff, and some old classics like Jimi Hendrix and AC/DC as well. This axe masters them all well. I have a Crate GX15 practice amp and a DOD Supra Distortion Pedal. Not noisy, though a bit because this isn't the greatest amp... I get a real good crunch as well as mellow clean tone thouh. Hard full rythym on the PS1 and Bright, Loud tone on the PS2.

"For lack of a better word, perfect."

I've dropped it a couple of times and my dog has accidently knocked it over, but it hasn't even chipped yet. I'd use it for anything right now.

Never had to deal with them but they seemed like good peoples when I talked to an Ibanez guy at Guitar Center.

Been playing for about two years now. I used to have a Washburn Shadow Series. That guitar sucked. Big time. In fact, please go read my review on that and support my claims and write a bad review for it! Thanks! Anyway, if it were ever stolen, I'd definitely get some money and buy a new one. Or I might save up some more and get this axe's bigger cousin, the AX120. All in all my favorite guitar for now.

This instrument was manufactured in Indonesia, which I'm guessing is at least near a source of agathis, from which the solid body is carved (Agathis is a kind of mahogany that sounds like mahogany to me). It has a 22-fret maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. The controls are set up like Gibson solid body; all pots are 500 m-ohm. It has H/h pickups, which I promptly changed out with Duncans. The finish is a lovely transparent red, with zero defects, which I didn't expect for such an inexpensive guitar. What kept the price down, and what distinguishes it most from an SG, is the bolt-on neck, plus a Tune-O-Matic style bridge. The tuners are regular old chrome jobbers, quite solid. Mine were loose too, so I tightened them. The neck and frets are like a Gibson, as is the headstock. I still can't figure out how much graphite, if any, is in the nut, as opposed to plastic.

The GAX70 is versatile. Clean blues ring out like a bell, and it handles distortion in a classic manner, to include saturation; harmonics remain prominent in the tonal spectrum. Noise is minimal, due to internal shielding, an extra I've never seen in this price range. The neck pickup is not at all muddy for all the thick bass available.

The only problem was the aforementioned tuners.

Overall quality is very good, with no items excepted, granted you expect to change out the pickups to taste.

I forget the details of the warranty, but it's respectable.

The 8 is bang for the buck, relative to the other scores I've given. I've been playing since about '88. I own a bunch of other cheap guitars; this is the new best value I could find (in late 2000). I've never seen the butterscotch, but it might be pretty; the lovely black one would likely tune down for a good metal rhythm machine. It's worth getting a second one for the price, provided you don't care about tremelos.
The bolt-on neck gives a little bite, to my ears. The sound is a little different than an SG or an LP, so don't expect a digital reproduction. Pick out some cool pickups to install -- it really does reflect the pickups' nature well -- and enjoy yourself. The finish and body design is aesthetically pleasing, too. If you've decided you want a solid-body, fixed bridge, H/H rig, this is an excellent choice. It's a 400-dollar-quality instrument with 200-dollar-quality pickups.

I don't know where this guitar was made, I just know it wasn't made in the USA, which is where they make the best guitars. I got a red one, it's transparent red, beautiful for such a cheap guitar. It's got a fixed bridge (the main reason I bought it), two humbuckers, two volumes (key), and two tones. It's pretty much like an SG or a Les Paul. I think it's the best setup for someone just starting out, you don't want to be playing with a tremelo when you are changing your tunings to learn songs. The separate volumes for each pickup are great, you can have the neck pickup set at low for a cleaner sound and the bridge set high for a distorted sound. You just flick the switch. The body is made of agathis, which (I heard) looks like mahogany and sounds like alder. I give it a ten, because it has all the features I need. Perfect features for a beginner or pro.

I think it sounds great for $189. The neck pickup sounds great clean, for jazz or blues. It distorts nice to. The bridge pickup is great, even at extremely high gian. You can play heavy metal with it, you can play clean. I think it can do anything. I won't give it a 10. It's not that great. But I think it deserves a solid 8. Again, more than enough for the money. I don't think you could find a better sound for twice the price.

The guitar is setup very well. I had them do it to my liking before I bought it. Ibanez makes some really great playing guitars. The finish is good, I found a few flaws, but way beyond what a $189 guitar should look like. My girlfriend thinks it's pretty, so it may impress chicks. It could be more solid. I own a USA Jackson Soloist, and this Ibanez feels great until you pick up the Jackson. The Jackson is like a rock. But the Jackson cost me $1000 seven years ago. This is plenty solid for a beginner or intermediate guitarist. It's fine for me, I keep it at my girlfriend's so I can play it while I'm there over the weekend. I'll give it a 7. However, it's the best you're going to get for twice what it costs. I compared it to some Epiphone Les Pauls and SGs, all more expensive, all were really poorly constructed and played badly.

I have no idea if this thing will last or not. As I mentioned before, it's not really solid. The tuners seem a little loose. It doesn't have a solid vibration like other guitars. My Jackson feels like it is one solid piece of wood. This thing feels like many pieces not fastened together all that well. I'm probably being a little harsh, because I've never played a guitar as solid as my Jackson. However, for the price of a few setups, I could replace this thing if something happened to it. Who knows, the thing could last forever. The other guitars I played in this price range were absolute junk. So this is the best for the price. I'll give it a 7. Definitely better than average.

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing for nine years. I bought this guitar as a backup and also to have an electric with a fixed bridge (never had one before). For under $200, this is the best out there, and I spent a while looking. If you are just starting out, definitely get one. You get all the features of a Les Paul (which are all most pros need), the fixed bridge to allow for easy tuning changes (don't get a whammy bar if you're just starting out, trust me), two humbuckers, a great playing guitar, a great sounding guitar, and good looks. You can't beat the price, buy it. For $189, you can't get hurt. To get a better guitar, you've got to spend about $600. I give it a solid 10 for its value and features. If anybody has any questions, please e-mail me. I'll tell you what I know.

Why bother, the rest of you guy said it already

Ibanez GAX70 > Boss DS-1 > Crate 15X

Sound is great to me. I used to have a Import Strat about 10 years ago. I stopped playing and sold it, I bought this Ibanez as a cheap attempt to get back into playing. I think the Ibanez blows the strat away.

Awesome Awesome Awesome action. Very fast neck

Only had is for 2 weeks, but seems good

Never delt with them

Overall, I love this guitar. I know it's not a professional axe, but I'm not a pro myself. If you looking for a good beginner guitar that will last you until you turn pro, check this axe out.

Mine is a 98' model with 22 frets, H/H pickup configuration with passive Powersound pickups. It has a solid mohogany body that is extremely close to the Gibson SG shape. It is transparent red with a Full Tune II bridge. The neck is the perfect size for speed.

It's sound is fairly vesitile. When I first got it I was mostly into Led Zeppelin but now I am heavily into Metallica,Slayer,Pantera, and other metal and it has adapted nicely. My set is the GAX70 (or Ibanez Destroyer II) into a Morley Bad Horsie Wah into an Ibanez Soundtank Tubescream into a Boss Metal Zone into a DOD VGS50 Processor and into an OLD Randall Commander head which goes into a Crate 4x12 Cab. It sounds very good with heavy, light, or no distortion at all with very little feedback with both the tubescreamer and metal zone going at the same time.

This guitar was set up perfectly for me. The action was fairly High and so were the pickups. the transparent red finish was gorgous.

I think I will have this guitar for the rest of my life. The only problem I have seen is slight rust on the bridge pickup which is easily taken off but always comes back. It is very durable, I dropped during practice in my basement (which has a concrete floor) it must have fallen 3 feet and only took off a small chip of paint from behind the input jack. I would always take a backup to a gig.

I think it had like a 2 year warranty.
Never dealt with Ibanez but I here their service sucks.

I have been playing for about four years and this was my first decent electic. I had a one of those tiny generic ones that was my grandpa's and the pickups were shot, this thing was ungodly. If it were stolen i would probably upgrade to an RG but i don't know. I just got a used Ibanez destroyer II which has nicer electronics but my GAX70 gets 10 times more playing time. I love it.