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.

This is a 2003 George Benson model, made in Japan. I don't know if they still make the Korean model but there is a BIG difference in quality between the two, with the Japanese-made version being much better. 22 medium frets, spruce top, maple sides and back. 3 way pickup selector, 2 tone, 2 volume controls. 2 special George Benson floating humbucker pickups. Brown sunburst, no flame on top, back or sides. Single cutaway, adjustable ebony bridge, tension adjustable tailpiece. Ebony fretboard, strap button mounted on base of tailpiece, strap button for neck unmounted but included in case. What I like about the features is that they are well thought-out, from the tension adjustable tailpiece, to the bridge humbucker height adjuster, to the brass nut, to the pearlized tuning knobs that won't corrode, to the rubberized ring around the volume and tone knobs for better control. Clearly George Benson's input from years of playing were incorporated.

This guitar is superb for that warm jazz sound as well as a brighter cutting jazz tone depending on pickup used. What surprises me is the tone is so pleasing whether it is plugged in or not. This is not to say you can use it for an acoustic guitar, but rather when practicing unplugged, you will still know you are playing a high quality jazz guitar. When shopping, I compared it to the Epiphone Joe Pass and Broadway guitars and the difference in acoustic tone between the GB and these was night and day. The GB was more open and sustaining, while the Epiphones sounded like you were playing a plywood guitar with the tone stuck inside.

The fit and finish on this guitar was top notch. I must admit I was a little surprised at the attention to detail. The f-hole bindings were clean, without the plastic shavings on the edges you see in the lower quality guitars. The binding around the body was flawless and neck joint was pure craftmanship. The frets were the smoothest and most polished I've ever seen and the inlays (mother of pearl and abalone)were perfectly placed, without black glue to cover up mistakes. The headstock inlays were immaculate and the body and neck finish were smoothly applied. Inside, there were no wood shavings or paint spots on the back. By comparison, the Epiphones and Aria archtops had finish blemishes, wood shavings, paint spots on the inside, and lots of glue around the inlays. Although the action on the GB was playable to begin with, I had it professionally set up to a slightly lower action.

Solid, dependable, and inspires confidence. If you are used to playing a solidbody, this will feedback more, but that is the nature of a hollow body. If anything, it will feedback less than many other archtops because of design features (thinner and slightly smaller body, thicker top), and give you both the playability and tone of a great jazz box.

Haven't dealt with the company, but it would be nice if they put a way to contact them on their website. It appears their philosophy is to rely on their dealer network, but sometimes you need to be able to contact them directly for fast, accurate information.

I've been playing for about 20 years, and play folk, new age, rock/blues, and jazz. The artists that have influenced me the very most are Neil Young, Michael Hedges, Santana, Al Dimeola, Pat Metheny and Pat Martino. I own a variety of acoustics: a Martin D-41 (incredible tone!), a Taylor 814CE, an Al Dimeola Ovation and an old 1980's Ovation Custom Balladeer. For electrics, I play a Dean Evo Premium, a Gibson Custom Les Paul and the George Benson Ibanez. If the GB were lost or stolen, I would definitely replace it. I love the size of it, being slightly smaller bodied than an acoustic, but thicker than a solidbody electric. The neck is sooo smooth to play as well, not too unlike the Les Paul. I compared this guitar to the Epiphone Joe Pass and Broadway models, a Gibson 175, an Aria archtop, the Yamaha AEX150(didn't get to play this one, just read all about it and decided it was better suited for fingerstyle than plectrum-based playing), and other Ibanez archtops. By far, this one felt and sounded the best, even better than the Gibson. Now if I wanted to spend over twice as much, I might have considered a Gibson L5 or Wes Montgomery model, but for me, the Ibanez GB was the best overall value, and I absolutely LOVE this guitar.

1986, Japan. You know the features from other rewievers. The top according to some web sites is solid spruce, others say it is laminated. The size is perfect for both sitting and standing up being a little reduced compared to a 175. I think this doesn't influence negativily the tone or the look of it.

I like it a lot! Deep, rich sound both acoustically and amplified. Acoustically it rings quite much louder than es-175. It has great sustain especially with roundwound strings infact it sustains at least as long as a Carvin Holdsworth Fat boy I used to play. I tested my GB-10 against several 175. I like the GB-10 more because I manage to get a more articulated, variated and richer sound just buy changing dinamics, pick or finger attack. I do not agree with rewievers saying it does not have a true deep jazz box sound. I think it does with the right amp, strings and hands tecnique. I like it a lot with roundwound 0.11 strings for versatility but sometimes I string it with 0.13 flatwound. This way it sounds very mellow and deep. With roundwound I like to use the bridge p.u. (or the neck p.u.) with overdrive to get great "in between tones". I like the p.us a lot in the way they reproduce with fidelity what I am doing while playing and you hear distinctly all the strings. They are transparent but not hursh....maybe they are more on the mellow side (made of alnico and mine are 17 years old, now). I normally use this guitar with a Pearce G2R top and Electrovoice speacker and I get a very resonant deep tone yet clear and snappy if I need that. Normally I just use a tad of reverb (Alesis or Lexicon, but I often shut the units of and have just the natural resonance of the guitar). The guitar doesn't feedback easyly. My 175 did becouse it is bigger. I sold the 175 a year ago and having tha GB-10 and still don't regrett I did. I don't mean to say that the gb-10 is a better guitar than the Gibson es-175. Most of the greatest jazz players favor the es-175. For me it just works better with this Ibanez guitar.

I play mostly jazz in big bands and in smaller ensembles with it.
You may get great tones from this instrument even if you are not a disceple of G. Benson (wich b.t.w. I love and think is one of the greatest jazz players ever). Personally I try more to get a more "modern sound" like that of Mike Goodrick, Bill Frisell, Lorne Lofsky and J. Abercrombie and I am very satisfied with using this guitar for that aim. I also use an AS200 wich is another great Ibanez guitar. I believe Ibanez really makes good jazz guitars wich are both traditional and innovative.
Great intonation all the way up the neck.

I bought it used and I set-up everything by myself. It can be set easily to sound great and to be easily played even with thick strings and resonably high action.
Very nice finish. Mine is blonde and looks very handsome.

It is very solid and it should last very long if one uses proper care.

Never dealt with Ibanez.

I like the GB-10 and I believe there is a certain consistency in Ibanez guitars. I tryed several GB-10 and AS-200 and I think they all sounded good. If you are about to buy a jazz guitar and are not sure of wich I suggest the same evryone with sense would say: try as many guitars as you can and buy what you like best for the money you can spend. Don't just go for the brand or for what people writes on H.C. Trust your ears.

My experience so far with this guitar is very positive and I think is a great instrument worth its price. I play with it often both at gigs , at home while reharsing and with my pupils while teaching. Be aware there is a Korean version probably with the same name but cheaper. I never played one but I noticed the freatboard and bridge are of rosenwood.

10 made in japan probably in2002 outstanding features,worth the cost 3300cdn.

the sound of this archtop can really be appreciated acoustically,with roundwound12-52.It's not a deep jazz sound but more heavenly bright.I play an Ibanez AF120 as well and the GB10 rings alot longer.Outstanding electric sound from all positions.

I lowered the action to my taste, but it can be lowered even more without any buzz.In my opinion it would be hard to improve even if I was to have a custom hand made.

As good as it gets

I played well over 10,000hours so far,but now that I have this new guitar my hrs/week are going way up. This beautiful instument is like a collectors violin in the way it looks,plays and especially sounds. The store had aGibson L5 that I compared it to, there just wasn't any comparison eventhough the Gibson costs over twice as much.This instrument is truly for someone who is addicted to playing guitar.I have yet to come across a guitar, archtop or otherwise that acoustically rings longer.Electrically this acoustical ringing phenomenom creates a whole new dimension to electric playing.

Made 2001 in Japan. 22 Frets. 2 Volume, 2 Tones, 3-way selector. Pickups are George Benson special. 3 pieces of maple neck, spruce top, flamed beautiful maple back. Blonde finish. Adjustable tailpiece for changing string tension. One strap button included that not installed on the guitar.

I play jazz and that's what this guitar is made for. It's also great for pop/r&b. The sound is amazing. This guitar can play bebop the way it should be played. I have heard some better archtops, but that one is great too. I believe the sound could be fatter.

Finish is really beautiful. The action was too high for me so I lowered it down. The pickups are floating which is a great idea, but I found that it gets the sound of your fingers picking on the string and I find it pretty disturbing. The guitar came in perfect condition, the quality is really high. Well worth the money.

This guitar will sure stand a live playing, the hardware will last though gold will fade. This guitar is one of the higher quality guitars. Ibanez sure knows how to make a great archtop.

Never dealt with them but I find the fact there's no "Contact Us" on their website pretty disturbing.

been payed for 4 years, I own a Les Paul Studio, Ovation Elite 1868 and a Fender Princeton 65 Amp. I love the sound and the look. There's nothing like a great blonde archtop jazz guitar. I compared it to Gibson es-175 and to PM120 Pat Metheny model. I like the 175 more, but it was way to expensive. The PM120 was to thin for me. Well, there are some better archtop, I wouldn't mind owning Gibnson L5 or a D'angelico, but this baby is awesome for itself.

Made on 2001. 3-way selector, 2 mini humbucker pickups, 2 volume & 2 tone controls. Same features as noted before. BEAUTIFUL blonde finish.

Well I play jazz and that is what this guitar is made for. It's also very varsetile and can go to pop/r&b. Feedback is sometimes a problem. I liked the sound of the ES-175 more but it is way too expensive here in Israel. Yet the sound of this babe is amazing. Can play bebop the way it should be played.

Low action. The guitar came in a great condition. The overall quality is really great. The binding could be more fancy, but binding is not a thing to complain about. The finish is REALLY beautiful. Nothing's beautiful like a pure blonde archtop. The pickups are floating and it might be good against feedback (thought the guitar tends to feedback quite alot) but one thing that bothers me is that the pickups recieve the sound of the fingers move on the fingerboard and I find it quite disturbing.

This guitar will surely stand a live playing, everything seems to last long except the gold parts (pickups etc) which I guess will fade a bit.

been playing for 4 years now, I own a Les Paul Studio, Ovation Elite & Fender Princeton 65 amp. I've seen some better archtop in my life but afterall that one really is great and satisfying. I just love everything about it, but would be happier if it would be a bit bigger and fatter.

I have 2 GB-10s which I bought new in 1980 and 1981, and both are made in Japan. The first is blond-coloured, and the other one is an antique sunburst. The earlier reviews have described the technical specifications of this earlier edition. The only thing to add is that both came with hard cases, and the outer plastic began to delaminate on one of the cases in the high heat and humidity conditions I live in. I stripped the outer cover off and was surprised to find that the case was constructed of wood ply (not some synthetic, which I expected). This case has now been varnished as a "real wood" look case!!

I am an amateur player who spends most of my time in a church band. The music ranges greatly, and the GB-10 has never let me down. It can be smooth and jazzy (although not having the same big sound of a true jazz box), bright and energetic, and can be finger-plucked for quieter numbers as well. The arched top is very responsive and that may be the reason why the guitar feeds back quite easily, which is the only thing that has let me down. But the guitar plays so easily. I have set up one with 0.12 flatwound strings, and the other is set up for a livelier feel using PRS 0.10 strings. Different tones, feels, and sounds -- but same wonderful playability.

The workmanship on these earlier editions is really excellent. I have had some degeneration of the binding on the body and attribute this to more than 20 years of exposure to high humidity and heat here in Singapore. The blond guitar colour has aged to a beautiful golden hue. But all the hardware is in great shape, and nothing has had to be changed over the decades -- except the strings. I fully agree with the other reviewers' comments about the adjustability characteristics of the guitar.

Apart from the above comments about the sheer quality of this guitar, it has been played in band settings regularly without any back-up. Unlike one of the other reviewers, both the guitars I have came with back-of-neck strap buttons. I think that Ibanez might want to survey those lucky people who still own a GB-10, just to show how good the quality of these guitars is (or was -- I haven't played any later issue models).

Never had to contact the Ibanez representative since 1980. And I did get the 1982 and 1983 Ibanez guitar catalogs, which I keep just to remind me of the early magic moments.

My other guitars range from an Epiphone Emporer, 2 Ovations (including a classical), and my Ibanez bass. Over the years, a Strat (with Bill Lawrence pick-ups) and a Les Paul (sunburst, beautiful, why did I ever sell it?) have stayed here at home as well. So there is no direct comparison with the GB-10: that fills a unique niche of versatility and quality. I will NOT lose this guitar....

This is a 2002 issue George Benson Ibanez. It's a solid archtop-top (spruce). Two floating mini-humbuckers are mounted on the neck and pickguard with standard controlls... toggle, volumes, and tones. Ebony fretboard with nice MOP inlays. Nice inlays on headstock as well. The body style is like a Les Paul hollowbody... a little bigger with F-holes. The tail-piece is very unique in look and function. Case included. The only thing that keeps it from a 10 is the lack of a strap button on the neck side of the instrument. I was told it's standard for companies to do that... whatever.

I study jazz at the local college and grew up playing lots of blues and rock. This ax filled the gap in my arsenal. It's got that super dark jazz tone but can still pull off the more bluesy bits. Very low noise... but tends to feedback very easily. Very full sound. Aside from the feedback theres nothing I dislike about it.

The action from the factory is a bit high for my taste, not to mention the 13 guage flat-wounds. I might keep the string size but the action kills on the gig. Pickups are just right and the finish... ooh maan.... the finish is perfect. I think I was the first person the play the guitar before I bought it.

I have a friend with the exact same guitar. I believe his is a 1986 and it's working out fine for him.

No encounters yet.

I've been playing for 12 years. I currently own a Les Paul Studio and Fender Strat. Both serve their purpose as will the GB-10. I compaired this guitar to a Gibson es-175,135 and 335, PRS models including the Mcarthy 4" hollowbody, and a Hamer Newport Pro. For what I wanted the Ibanze was the better guitar. If if had to buy it again I would gladly pay more than what I did.

The features have been covered in other reviews. My guitar is a 1980 in Sunburst.

l play mainly smooth jazz/soul and light funk. The amp l currently favour is the "Tech 21trademark 60" occassionaly l use a "fender Hot-rod deluxe" but l feel it colors the sound too much.
The GB 10 sounds great! It's more punchy than a Jazz box and to my ears it doesn't provide a true Jazz guitar sound but is a nice compromise in that it is smaller in size and therefore more comfortable to play standing up. The sound is very tight and has a lot of snap to it, l use flatwound strings, tryed it with roundwound wounds and didn't like the sound at all. The guitar is prone to feedback, which surprises me because of the small body size and tightness of construction. l also own a Gibson tal farlow which is considerably larger but never feeds back. Over the sound is warm and unique to this instrument.

Action is great. Beautifully finished. Superb workmanship1

l have used without a back-up but in general l 'll take the Tal farlow if l haven't played the room before in case of the afore mentioned feed back problems.

Never dealt with them.

The guitar is great, although the prices for theses have gone through the roof recently and l believe l could get a better guitar in the same price range. One thing l'd like to mention is that many people believe these guitars are all individually signed by George Benson himself. This is definitely not true. The inside label is a very clever facsmilie of his original signature, he did sign the first 500 way back in 77/78 but ever since they're copies. l still believe George is the greatest Jazz guitarist alive today . Also his endorsement deal with Ibanez has ended and he is often seen playing other manufactures instrument these days.

This is a 1981 Natural Blonde (beautiful woodgrain)small hollow body Jazz box. Two mini-humbuckers, ebony fretboard and bridge. Spruce top and maple back/side as well as the neck. The adjustable tension tailpiece is one of the nice feature of this guitar (in fact everything is great on this axe). Thanks to Jon (see previous submission) playing around with the tension can bring the sound of this ALIVE.

I play in different bands but my main band is a Big Band. I was looking for a Jazz Box and always (since the GB came out) been in love with the concept and the look of this guitar. But looking good is only a small part in the criteria list for a good guitar. At first, I was looking at a more traditional sound (Wes, Tal or Kenny type) and wasn't to sure about the capability of the GB10 to deliver that. When I first tried it I was a bit disapointed but after chatting with Jon (thnks again) I got convinced that it could theoretically do the job. In fact, the set-up was not adequate for what I wanted but nevertheless I went for it (the price was good and worst case it would have been a good investment). Once I got it setup to my taste (flatwound) I started playing with my own gear. WOW !!! what a tone. I had the oppotunity to play a live concert with my Bigband and let me tell you that the tone incredible. even the soundman was impressed from what he heard (I was playing multiple guitars so he was able to compare) This guitar can do the real Jazz stuff plus if you want to get funky...do not be shy. I play this through a Tech21 PSA-1+Intellifex+Velocity 150+2 Rocktron S-112 bottoms. What a sound!!!!

Since this was a used guitar I cannot comment on the factory setting. But I have tried the Korean model and the setting was medium. The finish is flawless. Thnks the the previous owner thius guitar looks as good as a new one. Unbelievable!!! When I ask my luthier to change the string and make a setup to my taste I told him to get the action as low as possible (I was looking for a fast neck)since it was so high when I bought. The neck is so straight that when I got it the action was unbelievably low. I had readjust it. At least I knew that I could get whatever I wanted.

This guitar looks very solid. But I can't really comment since I had it only for about 2 months.

This is used so....

I have been playing for alomost 30 yrs but never owned many guitars. Though I know what to look for. Before buying this I have tried many other Jazz Boxes and this one is by far the nicest and best built (concept wise). In fact, I compared this one (Japanese) to Pat Metheny PM20, GB10 (Korean), Yamaha AES 1500,Samick, Aria Pro II series (old Japanese; excellent by the way)a few Gibsons and I am glad that I bought that (thanks again to Jon). I also own a Carvin Bolt, a Griffe (local Quebec manufacturer) acoustic/piezo and a classical guitar. If stolen, I would be very desperate since this guitar has almost 20 years and I am not sure that the new one are as good.

1983 sunburst small hollow bodied jazz box with 2 suspended mini-buckers, gold hardware, ebony board with beautiful pearl and abalone inlays, violin-style bridge (I adjust mine fully tight to increase string tension thereby improving sustain and tone). Original nut is half celluloid half brass; my luthier is replacing with ivory. Original frets are flat and approx. 500; I am replacing with tall jumbos (600)StewMac. Wish it didn't have such thick lacquer. Attractive guitar.

I am a GB and jazz player for 30+ yrs, use a Fender HotRod Deluxe, Carvin AG100D, and Polytone MiniBrute. Have owned Gibson ES-175, 1962 Gretch Chet Atkins (Why'd I ever sell that one?), 1963 Guild Studio (see prior statement--only a dozen made), 1967 ES-330,and gorgeous 1976 Larrivee LD-7. This GB-10 cuts any gig, and fits in overhead compartment anytime I've flown. Bride pu could have a bit more balls, but am considering having it re-wired. Very versatile, and very comfortable to play. Very warm neck pu.

Bought the axe new @ E.U.Wurlitzer in Boston. Guitar was perfect right out of the case. Beautiful maple top and burled back. Nice gold hardware (though pu covers have pitted and turned a bit green--too many boat gigs!). I use Elixer lights (.010)and they work great. This guitar is perfect for flat wounds, but need round wounds for rock, etc. Gotta get a Carvin Bolt kit!!

I gig constantly, and didn't need a major fret job until now. This axe is solid..got a last min. gig in Fla. and bought a SKB case as had to put it under the plane (thanks SKB!!). Tuned it up and it was great. Haven't needed a backup until now due to the fret job, but haven't dreamed about getting another axe. Did try new Gibson 446S (great sound and size, but come on....2700 bucks for a rosewood neck, dot inlays, simple binding, unbound f holes, and needed a good set up out of the case!!). Good luck finding a more versitile axe for the bucks.

Never dealt with Ibanez. Great quality, though. Also had one of those L5 copies (another axe I should have kept!!)

If stolen, would check out the new GB-10's. Unfortunately, doubt the quality would be the same. Doesn't seem any of the big boys care about quality anymore and only jack up the cost to pay for the good tone woods. Do yourself a favor and check this little beauty out. It's the one guitar I've kept!!