Ibanez GB10

My GB10 was manufactured in 1983, in Japan. It's blonde, with a spruce laminate top.

The sound of this guitar to me is absolutely perfect! It's punchy with a jazzy tone. While it is not as deep and resonate as my Gibson archtop, the articulation is MUCH better! A really defined sound! You can tell that this guitar was designed to display Benson's chops! I've used strings from 10's to 13's, round, half-wound, and flats. I've used the guitar for R&B, and smooth jazz, and have been very pleased with the results. The biggest compliment actually comes from my guitar-playing friends who CONSTANTLY ask me when I am planning to sell my guitar to them!

The action is FAST! I have 13's on it now and I have it set low. The guitar plays like butter! The neck is perfect, even after all the playing I've done on it! My ONLY complaint is that rear pickup sometimes gets in my way, and I will have to lower the pick guard from time to time.

I've recorded with the GB10 and use it live constantly. The gold-plated pickups and the tailpiece have become discolored, but considering that my guitar is over 25 years old, it should not be a surprise. Other than that, it is built like an archtop tank!

I've never dealt with the company, so I don't have anything to say about them.

I've been playing for about 35 years, and been playing jazz/smooth jazz for about 10. However, I've been in love with this guitar ever since I saw the cover of the George Benson live in LA cover. The song "Weekend in LA" was all I needed to hear for me to know that GB10 sound. As luck would have it, I bought my guitar in 1984 from a down-on-his-luck jazz guitarist for $500!!! He didn't want to part with his 175, and needed some fast cash! His loss was definitely my gain! I've performed with this guitar about three nights a week for the last 20 years, and it has NEVER disappointed me!! My playing, on the other hand, is a different story! I decided to buy different guitar because my GB 10 is getting long in the tooth, but I keep coming back to the GB because it sounds sooo good to me! My wife refers it as the "other woman", and she knows that if I die, it gets buried with me. If I were to lose this guitar for any reason, I would definitely replace it!

Plywood spruce top. Plywood maple back and sides.2 floating humbuckers. 2 volumes, and 2 tone controls. Adjustable tension tail piece. Ebony fret board and bridge. Color: natural.
3 way toggle switch. Brass/bone nut. Gotoh tunners. Japanese model.

The sound is "electric" jazz and not "woody" acoustic type jazz.Unplug, and it has a good "practice" volume due to the depth(2 1/2).Single note runs, ring out clean. Chords are over powered by bass due to the heavy bass response of pick ups(almost the same as classic 57's). tried dropping the pole pieces down, under Low E and A string, but still extremely bassy(maybe its just my model?). I actually use the bridge p-up(something I norally don't use).Its sounds really nice together with neck p-up.Its actually the only thing that mellows out the heavy bass response.When I'm doing a lot of solo "Joe Pass" type playing, the strong bass line is nice but I want it under the chord play, not over powering the chords.Other then that I like the guitar(this is with the tone controls on amp set at 0, so imagine what I get when I dial it in).That's why it gets an 8 from me.I don't use effects.If I do its a wah(very rarely use).

When I tried it at the store(I've tried a few),the action was high. but I was able to drop it down at the bridge and experienced no buzzing.the tension adjusters were a very, very smart idea...very.Jimmy Bruno type runs are nothing on this guitar.I think that's why you really don't see them used on the market.You can have a beautifully built box....the question is, is it playable(is it a midnight couch guitar, or,play long sets with comfort guitar)!Also if your chops aren't together... you'll know on this guitar.It hides nothing! That's some thing else I like because the long hours of practice pay off when playing this box.No complaints about finish,frets, no scratching when turning knobs...no nothing.

You would think that with the floating neck AND bridge p-up it be frail.But again this was a very smart idea.... very. The neck pup is connected to the END of the neck..so when your digging in your not worryin about the pup.Plus I'm able to lower pick guard for a litle fingerstlye play. theres an adjustable arm on the pick guard that keeps it from bouncing around.So the brigde pup is stable. I never carry a back up.Just extra picks.

People I bought it from "Bills Music Store" in Baltimore were very cool to do business with.Ibanez... Never did business with them

I'm 28 and have been playing since 13(started out on bass). Because of the bassy response it gets a 9. I thought about getting an Eastman ar 803 which is cheaper and its solid woods. While solid woods have a wonderful voice...I need some thing that doesn't require babying.I've been dealing with archtops for a while.It's a fun to playing guitar. If your going to buy a laminate guitar(acousticly they all basically sound alike, there plywood),go for top notch quality(parts,pups,construction, and playability).If your going for a solid go for quality woods,voice,construction, playability.

It is George Benson signature in sunburst finish. It is full accoustic electric guitar with x2 floating humbucking passive pickups. Anybody who check this site does all spec about this guitar, thus I would not repeat these here. I purchased this guitar via Ebay. It came withy an original flight case. I bought her an Ibanez GB case as her new house. I believe having laminated spruse top instead of maple gives warmer sound we desire. I owe George Benson not only for playing great Jazz music for long years, but also producing such a gorgious guitar for us. I take my hat for Ibanez for the same reason. Made in Japan, needless to say......

It is for Jazz cat like myself. I used mesa boogie mark II in clean sound. It cannot be better considering the size of this guitar. It is smaller than 175, but I do not see any disadvantage as far as its sound is concerned. It is actually louder than my 175. It is full rich accoustic sound in depth with or without amplifier. She keeps singing regardless. I feel so sorry for her sometimes that I am not as good as George Benson. Compared with my own ES175, it is on bright side. I personally think this guitar can do enough only with the neck pickup, but having the bridge can even add more variety in sound you can never imagine. I worship PAF. Every guitar with humbucker I have has been swtched to PAF. I of course cannot load PAF on this guitar since she has Jonny Smith type floating ones. I: however, am very happy with the pickups. I cannot even imagine switching to Gibson's. I always go to used guitar for full accoustic guitars. When they are new, they still have hard edge in sound without mellowness. If you keep playing the guitar, all of sudden she start singing. It is more obvious in case of semi- or full accoustic guitars. My GB-10 already sounds very gorgious. I cannot imagine how she changes. It can only gets better! She sings at every position you play. There is no dead positions.

I bought this guitar on Ebay. I do set-ups by myself, thus this would never become an issue. It came in playable condition though...... I have more than 10 guitars. All of my guitars are considered to be beautiful in my opinion. This guitar is: however, the best of all. Everyday, I open the guitar case just to look at her. It has gold hardware, thus they would eventually turnish the color. I: however, do not care if it happens. As far as action is concerened, smaller size of this guitar gaves huge advantages in action compared with other huge Gibsons. It is well balanced and easy to play regardless of playing style either standing or sitting. This guitar is cuddled under your arm perfect. This guitar has 4 volumes and tones (2 for each). All has black rubber around them. They are very easy to use without failure.

I cannot comment on this, but it looks very reliable. I think George Benson himself proves how reliable and durable this guitar is. As far as the gold parts, I already mention above. They get oxidized and will turnish overtime. I consider it is a part of beauty in old guitars. You may think otherwise. This guitar has everything you need for Jazz session. I use GB-10 over 175 for Jazz session due to superior action of this guitar over others. If crossover, I take my Ibanez LR-10 over my ES-335 due to the fact Ibanez LR-10 (which is very close to John Scofield signature) is superior musical instrument compared with my ES-335 or many 335s I have played. If I want the sound of single coil pickups, I have three Strats though GB-10 provide all I need for that sort of music.

I have never dealt with Ibanez customer support although I have three Ibanez guitars.

I have been playing over 30 years on and off. I have following guitars: Gibson 1982 ES-175, 1981 ES-335 dot, Les Paul Classic 1995(with full book-matched killer flame), Guild Brian May signature, Ibanes Lee Ritenour signature LR-10 x2 (both 1980, one with brass nut, other with bone), Tokai Les Paul Reborn law-suit LS-200 1979 specially ordered with Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59, Tokai stratocaster law-suit ST80 1980 with Seymour Duncan staggered vintage strat pickups, Fender stratcaster 50th anniversary American series deluxe, Greco law-suit ES-175 copy 1991, and cheap Chinese Fender Strat with Lindy Fralin woodstock '69 besides GB-10. I love all guitars I have. If I can only keep one guitar, GB-10 would be my choice. If I lose her, I would do anything to find another. I consider Japanese guitar in late 70s and 80s would be better than Gibsons and Fenders except some of old Gibsons and Fenders. It is only limited to the top of the line Japanese guitars. Go to Ebay and look for Japanese guitars which were the top of the line in late 70s to late 80s. Ask the model number! They come with model number with price on them. For example, Stratocaster has either 80, or 800 on as their product number, their suggested retail price were 80,000 Yen which is around 800US. I think Les Paul must have 10 or 100 and above, and Strat should have 80 or 800 and above if you are looking for the best guitar. Change their pickups for ones you like such as Duncan, Gibson, Fralin, Fender, etc. And change the electric parts such as shielding for strat pickguard, volume and tone, etc. Both of my tokais sound like real vintage which no one can tell the difference. Otherwise you may have to go to customshop with crazy price. I just love GB-10. You cannot be dissapointed by this guitar. I am not sure about Koean made GB-10 since I have not played them.

2001 Korea Made, Sunburst, purchased on eBay from original owner
setup with the standard .013 flatwound strings

Excellend sound,

Fantastic low action and fret-work, pickups needed a little adjustment, otherwise great

Excellent finish, with the solid top, great sound

played 30+ years, one of best guitars ever owned

Mine is a 1978 GB-10, which I think was the first production year. It was a gift from my wife bought used in 1981, so I don't know what the price was. Just a general comment regarding teh gold plating: Many reviewers mention that the gold is pitted or flaking off. Thsi is due to the plastic used in the pick guard decomposing with age. When this happens, the gas that is produced attacks the metal in the pickups and everything else! Some old Les Pauls did this, too. My guitar has some of this damage. It occurred while the guitar was in its case for an extended period when I was not using it. I removed the pick guard and replaced it with a wood one pending replacing it with a new standard factory part. That was 5 years ago and I'm still playing it with the wooden pick guard! I know that's weird, but the new pick guard is hard to find and expensive. It's a GREAT jazz guitar.

I play a lot of jazz, and that's what it is made for. For a few years, it was my only guitar and I used it for rock and roll, church music, etc. Pretty versatile, but now it's relegated to jazz, since I own the usual pile of other guitars for other duties. I play through a Fender Blues deluxe or a Carvin Bel Air 212, usually with a bit of delay - sometimes a hint of chorus. The neck pickup is all you really need. I don't like the sound of the bridge pickup. My pots are a little scratchy, and that i attribute to the aforementioned corrosion caused by the plastic decomposition.

Action, playability and quality are all excellent. When I got it used, it had a couple of scratches. Again - the corrosion did some damage.

I've owned this guitar for over 20 years. The wood finish is like new, the neck is still great and it's never had to be refretted (yet!). Again, the only problem with durability is that stinking corrosion (and it does stink). If you see it on your guitar, or one you want to buy, get rid of that plastic pick guard! That will affect my rating in this category.

As mentioned, factory parts are hard to come by.

I've been playing for 39 years. I also own a Carvin Bolt (great!!), Fender Telecaster w/set neck and two DeMarzio Humbuckers, Epiphone Dot (good jazz backup), Kramer AeroStar (strat type knock-around guitar), '63 Fender P-bass, and Carvin fretless bass. Amps: Carvin Bel Air 212, Fender Blues Deluxe, Peavey Basic 50 (eh), '72 Sunn Concert Bass. I dearly love the GB-10. I couldn't afford to replace it - not certain what the '78 is worth.

Specs already mentioned by others - mine is a 2000 model, "as new". It does have an interesting combination brass and plastic nut that I've never seen on a guitar, not sure what it is supposed to achieve, but I love the way it sounds, so I will probably leave it alone for now. Very nice to have the extra bridge pickup, but to be honest, I will likely never use it and wouldn't miss it if it weren't there, at least for what I use this guitar for - jazz. The smaller body size is nice, but I'm tall and love hugging my L5, so this isn't really a selling point for me as it is for some. Very pretty overall. Mine has a minimal amount of birdseye figuring in the maple, which is fine with me - I think birdseye looks somehow cheap on a guitar, not sure why; I much prefer a nice flame or even a plain appearance.

I have always wanted one of these for playing jazz at louder volumes. It does EXACTLY what I want it to do: create crisp, clean, warm and articulate tone. I have always loved the crisp articulation that Benson displays in his playing. This guitar doesn't make me George Benson, but you can get much closer to that bright, bubbly tone he is famous for with this guitar, plus it forces you to clean up your playing. I mostly play it through an Allen Old Flame (40 watt hand wired PTP combo - one Celestion Classic Lead 80 12). No effects, just straight into the amp most of the time. Occasionally, I will run it through my pedal board for chorus and delay, but that's not what I bought it for. I have yet to play it at club levels, but at home, there has been no hint of feedback at what is almost club volume levels - definitely much less feedback prone than my L5. Haven't messed much with the bridge pickup, but it could probably be put to creative use. My L5 only has the neck pickup and I never miss the bridge pickup, at least for jazz.

Came set up with .013 flatwounds - i usually play .012s for jazz, but I like these. Forces even more articulation in my playing. My GB-10 is flawless - needed a little cleaning, as there was a mild sticky film over every square inch of the guitar, but it hadn't been played in a while... might have been gunk from being on display for a few years. Regardless, except for a slight bend towards the top on the bass side of the bridge pickup ( which is suspended from the pickguard) and a small subsequent gouge in the top from the corner of the pickup cover, it is perfect. Intonated very well, close enough to keep me from wanting to Feitenize it (for now - I have 4 of my other guitars, including my L5, Feitenized - huge difference!) so that is saying something, although it likely has something to do with the heavier string gauge. Pots are silent, nice taper on the volume, although the tone pots seem a bit muffled, with a diminished effect, at least compared to my L5's tone pot. I like the brighter tone of the floating pickups; I had an Ibanez Johnny Smith a few years back that had essentially the same pickup and it had a similar "Benson" feel to it. You have to like where it is, though, as it is apparently fixed in space with no adjustment available. ( Not 100% sure on this, as no manual came with it, nor is one available online.) The Ebony bridge and board contribute to the crisp tone to some degree, I think, like the difference between a LP custom and a standard. I didn't used to think I could hear the difference, but over the years I have either become a bit more addled or my ears are getting better - wood really does influence tone, including fretboards, tops and bridges! (Duh... I'm a slow learner, at times.) I cannot tell if the top is solid spruce or laminate... it is livelier than my old Ibanez Johnny Smith, which WAS a laminate, so maybe this is solid spruce - it's the MIJ model, which is the better one available. (vs. Korean). Let's see, other issues - the jack nut was loose, but simple to tighten; the gold plating was in perfect shape, but I can imagine gradually loosing some of that on the neck pickup, as I find my fingers resting near there on the pickguard.... Nope, it's really a very nicely put together guitar.

See above... oh yeah, the strap buttons are huge... had to stretch a couple of strap holes to get it to fit. I would absolutely do a jazz gig without a backup. I bought this guitar so I didn't have to take my L5 out very often and for the feedback controlling features. Smaller, easier to handle, reduced feedback, looks great, sounds great... this guitar was meant to gig, not sit in my basement to be coddled and stored away.

Not sure about customer support _ I usually count on issues to show up immediately and be dealt with by the dealer. It is a little frustrating that no real product literature exists for this guitar on the web... I've been wanting one for years, and the Ibanez website used to carry a full page of specs - measurements, radius, pickup output, etc. Now, it barely says anything. There was no manual that came with it (used guitar, no big deal) but I would like to know what's up with the split tailpiece, as well as any way to adjust pickup height with the pickguard suspension, whether or not it's a soild or laminate spruce top, why the brass nut, etc. None of this is available on their website. Maybe a dealer would have access to this info, but by comparison with Fender and Gibson, Ibanez has very little to offer in the way of online info and support for this guitar.

Been Playing 35 years, now, mostly blues fusion and jazz. Cover bands and jazz groups in undergrad, fusion group lately, which only gigs occasionally. Haven't played fulltime for 25 years or so, but still play a couple of hours a day at home, can't live without it. I have most of my favorite guitars right now - L5, as mentioned above ( interesting to compare - not sure I would have bought an L5 if I'd had the Benson first, although they are different guitars; the extra 3 grand would have been tough to justify, the Benson is so good!) as well as a 335 Dot with Van Zandts, Frankinstrat with a Floyd and Duncans, Roadhouse Strat with Van Zandts and Hipshot bridge, Strat Plus with Kinmans, 57 Goldtop RI, '73 LP Custom (from high school), '52 Tele RI with Kinmans, plus a couple of acoustics and a lap steel - played through an Allen Old Flame, a VHT ST-50 with 2x12 or a TMB 18 watt Marshall clone, plus a Pedal Pad powered board with Analogman, Fulltone, Boss, Yamaha DG and other pedals. I am into tone, like everyone else here.

This guitar is everything I wanted it to be and does exactly what it was designed to do - If I only had one guitar for jazz, this would be it! I will never get rid of my L5, as it does what it does perfectly, but it's not the best for gigging, and my 335 doesn't give me all the jazz tones I want, although it's my best all around guitar. The GB-10 is a perfectly executed example of a practical, beautiful and affordable guitar for playing archtop and straight ahead jazz. Just another reason to be grateful to the man himself, GB. Incredible talent, chops and vision! Thanks, George, and thanks Ibanez!

First off this is a 10 straight up. Mine is a used 2003 model with the beautiful sunburst finish. I recently purchased this wonderful axe after desiring one for about 3years or more. What else is there to want on this guitar? Really, why would anyone want alter any feature of this instrument? Furthermore, I just love looking at this baby. Sometimes I just open the case and stare at it.

Here comes another 10 for ya! The sound is so good from this guitar that I can nearly taste the tone. Even without an amp my GB-10 talks to me as I'm practicing or warming up. I can feel every word (note) this baby says. It's so rich and full of punchy tone that it is almost unbelievable. I also own an Epiphone Joe Pass model and love it as well as my Samick JZ-4 (a really smooth babe too), but the GB-10 is IT! all the way.

As I said earlier in the features section of this review, I love looking at this instrument. Although it played wonderfully in the store, I did slam the strings down a bit once I got it home. All I did was made a few twists on the bridge wheels and I'm rolling. I talking able to go from chording to leads with ease. I'm telling you this babe talks. This guitar really fits me perfectly. Yeah, that's right a 10 again.

I'm going to pump another 10 here on good faith since I really haven't had the GB-10 very long. The fact is that if a person takes care of their stuff and care of it properly it will usually last even for the cheap stuff. As far as gigging without a backup well, that's just not me anyway. I believe in atleast having a backup on stage even if don't need it or never use it.

Seeing that I didn't purchased this one new from Ibanez and the fact that I've never called nor dealt with any Customer Support for any other instrument I've own, I'll leave this category alone.

Like I've before and you should know by now that nothing less than a 10 is coming from me on this babe. I've been playing guitar since I was 10 and I'm 37 now (easy math on that). If this babe were stolen or lost I would need psychiatric assistance. I cannot see myself living without this guitar.

Made in 1980 in Japan. Laminated spruce top, 22 frets. All original hardware: George Benson designed tail-piece, pick-ups, Ibanez tuners. Multiple layers of binding around body and headstock, single binding around f-holes and neck. Ebony fretboard, abalone in-lay markers, ebony bridge. Smaller body (14.5" across lower bout). If they had used a higher grade of maple on the backs and sides, this category would get a 10.

Play jazz and this guitar suits that style perfectly. Play through a Polytone Mini-brute II, no effects. Compared it to a vintage Gibson L-5 and a new D'angelico NYL-2, and while this guitar doesn't sound quite as deep or as velvety, it still gives me that mellow jazz tone I wanted. Using the tone controls or switching from neck pick-up to bridge pick-up allows me to adjust the tone to deal with different room environments or different group situations. Quiet, does suffer from some feedback problems but can deal with it by placing the amp or myself in a different location.

Bought this guitar used, but the store that sold it to me had set it up very nicely. Low action. Original frets are the right size and have been finished with very smooth edges. Intonation was perfect. In-lays are gorgeous. Some mis-alignment of the binding around the headstock.

This guitar is 24-years old and, besides some oxidation of the gold plated hardware, it is in perfect condition. Don't know how much the original owner played this (doesn't look like much), but I play it on a regular basis and have used it on gigs. The GB-10 definitely will last a lifetime.

Never had needed to deal with Ibanez.

Have been playing off and on for about 20 years, playing jazz for about 6 (seriously for the past 3). I also own an Ibanez AS-50, a Gibson SG, a Collings OM-2H, and a Takamine dreadnought. I use to own a Gibson ES-175. I compared this guitar to a Gibson L-5, a D'angelico NYL-2, a Gibson ES-447 and Gibson Pat Martino. I was looking for a smaller body jazz guitar, but wanted to make sure it would give me the sound I was looking for. After comparing the GB-10 to the others, I found it gave me the sound I wanted without as much feedback problems. Finding a 20-year old guitar in almost new condition also gave me a guitar with a beautifully aged tone but with the cosmetics of a new gutiar. The size of this guitar is what I like the most about it. All the other big jazz boxes left me with a sore right shoulder. If I lost this guitar I would try to find another vintage GB-10.

I bought my GB-10 last year, second hand but the guitar was made in 2000, Japan. It's a standard GB-10 model, with all those features you can read from other reviewers. The small size body is very confortable, it really fits well to your arms as a beautiful girl.

I play mainly jazz on pubs with a power trio. This guitar is superb for playing jazz, with a worm, full and balanced sound all over the neck. I string with D'addario 0.13 flatwound through a 120 Roland Jazz Chorus and it sounds just incredible. I never explored other types of sound than jazzy, but I don't think this guitar is suitable for other kind of music.
I had to tape the f-holes as a little feedback sometimes occurs. No problem at all as the sound became more dark.
The acoustic sound is so loud! Can't believe this small jazz box can produce such an impressive acoustic sound.

I use low action because the strings are very heavy. The action is superb but if you are a fingerstyle guitar player you probably will notice that the floating neck pickup sometimes come in the way your hands are playing, esp if you use long nails. No big deal, of course, but if you play with a pick, there's no problem at all.
The neck is simply incredible! Believe me because I own a Les Paul Standard, an ES-175, an ES-335, a luthier archtop and many other guitars and no one compares with this smooth neck.

It's for sure a lifetime guitar for your sons!

So far no need for customer supports.

It'a a fantastic value for you money and moreover for you that has passion for good guitars. I have many good guitars and this one is my preferred. Don't hesitate!

1987 made in japan george benson gb10 archtop guitar, small body, twof-holes, 22 fret neck. bought it used from a jazz musician.
don't know if the spruce top is laminated or solid, opinions vary. over it's 17 years the original lacquer shaded to a superb amber tone, quite diferent from the original "sand" appearance of a new one. back and sides made of maple, back of mine is quite curled. neck is three-piece figured (in my case) maple, ebony fretboard with nice abalone inserts. medium sized frets. nut is half bone-half brass. all-ebony adusted bridge, tension-adjustable double tailpiece. that's a real work of art to see and gives the guitar a very personal look.
this is a very well finished instrument. there are no flaws overall or in the details, it looks and smells like superior craft and seems quite more expensive that it actually is.

i play jazz and bossa nova, small group stuff. this guitar delivers a warm and full jazz tone, even if sometimes it may feel nearly as a solid body due to a great and incredible sustain. i use almost only the neck pickup, eventually adding the bridge one for a more coloured, abercrombiesque sound. the tone knobs are quite efficient and change completely the sound when turned. this guitar can produce a variety of tones.
i use it clean over a roland jazz chorus 55, and it fits perfectly my style. maybe i would prefer a more acoustic/woody tone like that of my previous 175, but this is a small-bodied guitar, not a full depth archtop.

being a secondhand instrument i cannot giudicate the original setup. the guy who sold me used .12 flatwounds, i changed it to .13 to get a fuller tone, specially on the high E. i use labella 13/53 flats wich i consider much better balanced than the normal 13/56.
i had several guitars, most of them top models, including an 80's gibson 175, a 335 dot and a 70's les paul custom, but i never saw a faster and more comfortable neck. it's a wonder. action is 1/64 on both sides and there's no fuzz. suitable for small hands obviously. it remembers me my old les paul, thin, sleek and comfy neck. i play duets with a guy who has a gibson howard roberts archtop (the one with the oval hole), and his neck is quite chunkier. intonation is superb all over the fretboard including the higher frets.
the gold hardware didn't age well. over the humbuckers is full of tiny spots, but the real mess is the (great-looking) tailpiece. it's full of spots and discoloured. i read other reviews that tell the same problem, and have seen photos on the web of vintage instruments that look the same. maybe it woud be a nice idea for ibanez to offer a nickel-plated option. i don't know if they have resolved this problem in the newer models.

this is a solid guitar. mie is 18 years old and is still here, apart from the gold hardware problems. pots have never been changed and are quiet. original tuners are ok too.
i changed the strap buttons to schaller for security. i never use a backup.

never dealt with ibanez.

i played guitar in the last 35 years. my previous guitars are listed above. apart them i had some acoustics like ovation customs. now i play this ibanez and a classical takamine 132 nylon.
if it was stolen i woul look for another one for shure. i can't live without this neck. this guitar lets me to focus on the music, it offers no resistance. a great achievement by the japanese luthiers, and it's no surprise that the gb10 is ibanez' oldest bestseller.