Ibanez GIO

Unknown year, rosewood fretboard, medium jumbo frets, unknown tuners(gotoh-like), one piece maple neck is bolt-on.
Body is light, probably basswood, not plywood. Black plastic nut.
HSS pickups, one tone, one volume, five-way switch. Crummy floating tremelo, Ibanez emblazioned on the tremelo plate.
Black painted body, white single layer pickguard.
Small pots, but a quality five-way switch with shielding under the pickguard. Go figure. Clean, decent sized wiring. Clean soldering, wrapped wiring.
Kind of like a fat strat body.
Typical starter guitar.

Suprised me with the pickups a little. Clean, mostly, with the bridge not being too hot, but not too spanky. Singles are pretty clean, actually, I was somewhat surprised. No big changes in sound anywhere. On the bright side, no noise, solid switching and linear volume and tone changes. The big drawback is the single volume, so multiple pickup positions have no balancing. For a beginner, this unit would be OK for a couple years. If you are experienced, you will probably get tired of the pickup/switch/knob configuration quickly, and the lack of crunch/spank, whatever you are looking for. Heck, you wouldn't even buy it.
Nothing out of the ordinary here. It sounds middle-of-the-road.

Action was good, neck was straight, which is why I picked it off a pawn shop shelf for $69. I am using the electronics and the neck to create my own solid body. The body was basically junk, but the neck is pure Ibanez, and the electronics are a little above average save for the single volume.
Fit and finish on the original was a lot of shiny black paint, plastic cover on the back. The backside finish on the neck was a nice smooth matte lacquer that allow for quick hand movements. Fret work was good with no sharp edges. Rosewood is dark and grained. Nice. Neck pocket was somewhat poor, but bolt pattern was strong so it held OK. Came with no shims under the neck. Cutaway on the body is deep allowing access to the higher frets, no problem.
Neck is one piece maple, which makes it slightly higher grade than knockoffs using maple pieces to construct a neck. Rosewood fretboard extends past the neck, over the body about 8-10 MM longer than the neck.
Pickups have nice, standard, spring adjustments. Shielded on the backside, electronics nicely wired and tucked. Not sloppy. Wrap on the humbucker was sloppy white tape, but fixable.
Playing it before stripping it down, it had that nice, middle of the road, beginning player, fairly clean strat sound that a good Asian unit has.

It was a rock, save for the tremelo.
In this rebuild, the tremelo has been trashed and I am putting a hardtail with through strings on the new body.

Still, in it's original condition it was a tank.
You could see a lot of beginner garage bands using one of these.
Thick finish, strong strap buttons, just not much to go wrong.

Pawn shop - no warranty.

After a who knows what life, this unit was in a pawn shop where the temps change drastically. Neck stayed rod straight, which is why I picked it over others for my project.
After playing it for a while, I almost kept it, but decided I didn't need another strat knockoff. The electronics and neck will make great supplies for building a body from scratch, and I pay tons less by using pre-owned pickups, knobs, tuners, neck, etc.
But the Ibanez quality was there, just not in spades.

I picked this up for $100 used.
The year is a mystery (2003-2005?)
It was originally silver metallic, but somebody put an aftermarket strat shaped vinyl sticker that resembles diamond plate (like a step bumper or toolbox)
Two humbuckers w/3-way switch, non-vibrato, maple neck, body (?)
Volume/Tone

An average starter electric with everything essential needed to rock.

I was very surprised! Not the best sounding guitar, but the pickups don't squeal, which for the price is unheard of.
The bridge pickup is a little weak, but this would be nit-picking and only a seasoned pro (like me) would notice this difference. (I'm use to a SD-SH1 or 59er)
I bought this gutar to play a few songs with my band, tuned down to D. I used 10s and it sounded great! (Of course, nearly anything sounds great through my Randall RM 100)
I never had a breakdown. Always stayed in tune fairly well.

I set this guitar up (as no one had done it right yet) and after the intonation was right, it played just fine.
I even had other players eyes light up when I told them I paid $100.
It feels great...but as other players pointed out, I'm not likely to put my '82 Les Paul Custom in the case over this cheapie.
But if it were my only guitar/first axe, I'd be proud of it.
It blows away my first guitar (a super cheap Lotus LP special copy) and shows that in the entry level guitars, Ibanez is a leader.
This thing is better than my first 3 gutars (but that was back in the 70s)
You young players out there don't know how easy you have it!
Lucky little brats!

I think this guitar is gig worthy, but the tuners are not top-notch.
I'd probably change them, but otherwise, I'd gig with it.
(Never without a backup)
It seems durable and nothing extra or flashy to come loose or break off. No wammy bar, so it stays in tune fairly well.

Never dealt with them. I've not owned much Ibanez stuff, but I've never had any of it breakdown. I guess that says something right there.
I've heard they keep poor records of their past guitars & stuff.

No biggie.

I give this a 8, but only because of the cost.
For the money, I'd say this is the best (or one of the best) guitars on the market...for the money.
$100 well spent.
I did have to buy a case for it....$79

Kinda feel stupid buying a $79 case for a $100 guitar...but...

Oh well....

This is a black superstrat style, HSS pickup configuration, black, rosewood fretboard, 22 frets, trem, 5-position switch, one tone and one volume knob.
This was in a package:
It came with a 15 Watt amp, gig bag, tuner, strap, cable, and some picks. And a fairly thorough user manual.

Sound is bright, clean, ringing. No muddiness anywhere. The bridge humbucker doesn't sound as hot as I might like. I end up playing with the middle single-coil alot.
Variety of sound is middling; I would have liked more. But it's OK for most rock-type things. Sustain is pretty good, and there's no buzzing or anything like that.
The amp it came with is a gem, I love it, lots of possibilities with just a few simple controls.
Trem works fine and doesn't de-tune the guitar, which is rare in this price range, so that's a positive point.

Setup was poor, or rather, the action was too high. I tried to redo it myself but that didn't get me very far; I need to have it properly done by a luthier. Still, it's playable enough for me to keep putting that off.
Middle PU was too far down at first, I adjusted it and now it's OK.

Everything seems OK, it's well enough put together, keeps its tuning, all that functional stuff is good. Finish seems fine.
If this was the only guitar I had I would certainly gig with it, and I wouldn't be embarrassed, but it would not be my first choice.
I would definitely want a backup. Or rather, I could see using this one as a backup to something better, and do actually plan to use it that way when the occasion arises. As a backup I think it would be fine.

This is my "middle" guitar. Below it is a Behringer V-Tone which is strictly for practice, above it a Vantage Avenger which is my gigging machine.
If it were stolen or lost or abducted by aliens, I would spend a little more to get something a little better, quite possibly another Ibanez but with a lower action and hotter humbucker.
Together with the amp it was a good buy and I feel like the value for money is there. I've seen plenty of guitars that cost this much for the guitar alone and aren't a whit better - yet this one came with an amp.

I really don't know what model I have. As an idiot, I only just realized there is more than one type of Gio. It is shaped like a strat, has 2 humbuckers, volume/tone, strat style whammy. I've had it 5 years or so (maybe longer. I honestly can't remember when I bought it I've had it so long). This is a barebones guitar.

Surprisingly the sound is pretty good for the type of rock I play. (hard melodic rock). I am a notorious pickup changer/experimenter having spent $1000s on pickups over the years, yet, I didnt bother to change these. I found that they had a unique character that I might be able to use. I especially like the lead tone I get with these thru my old line 6 POD. Not my favorite sounding guitar I own but usable for my recording projects when I need a little different flavor for my solos.

I bought this guitar new years ago and frankly..... I never really touched it beyond the first year I owned it because I went out and bought an ibanez jem. It just sat in my basement closet collecting dust while my other more expensive guitars got all the playing action. I rediscovered this guitar last week while looking around for my cat and said "oh thats right. I remember this" and took it back out, dusted it off, gave it a complete setup and played it for a while. Now I remember why I bought it to begin with. It is a fantastic playing machine for the money. The action is just as great as any guitar I have in my eyes (some exceptions). On the negative side, it isnt the most resonant or loud guitar I've ever played. This block of wood has the resonance of a rock but this is no big deal really. I'm not that big a snob. Thru your cranked amp, you wont notice.

Paint job? Pleaseee!!! Of all the guitars I own, this one (black) is the most chipped and banged looking, yet, I dont remember ever manhandling this axe. Just laying it around up against walls and on floors banged the paint job silly. I've had an old ibanez roadstar II for ages and ages and it still has yet to get a chip in the paintwork (of course that was midpriced guitar in its day). So be prepared to use magic markers to ink in chips.
Everything else about this guitar is great. As for "tuning", I know how to rectify tuning problems so that is never a problem with me. Some people need to spend a few bucks on guitar maintenance books.
The strat style vibrato bar? forget it. I have never used it. I cram it full of springs and use it as a hardtail.

For the money, this is a great guitar with awesome playability but the cruddy paint quality is going to cost it in the points! yah I know. "corner cutting on certain aspects like 'paint' is how they can price it so low". Yah yah yah. 6, buddy.

Its made of wood. It will outlive anybody who reads this (with or without its paint).

no personal experience with them.

While its not the only GOOD cheapo guitar in existence, it is certainly one of them. I can recommend GIO's to anyone on a budget. Will I get rid of my Ibanez JEM or Gibson LP to play this one exclusively? hahaha. Not sanely, but it is a very good guitar as long as you set it up right.
Some entry level guitars out there are an embarrassment to the industry.
Ibanez does entry level right with the GIOs.

Its a great beginner guitar for the money. It has a 5 way pickup selector, 2 single coils and humbucker on the bridge, whammy bar, one volume and one tone knob. Basic guitar but enough features to help you decide what you want in your next guitar

The guitar sounds awsome for the price. The bridge pickup is a bit noisy but the middle is pretty quiet and the humbucker is dead silent. Pretty rich sound, its hard to get it really bright. The volume knob is a bit noisy unless it is cranked above 7 or 8.

I bought the guitar used, though it looked flawless when I got it. Bought it set up already so the action was perfect as well as the pickup adjustments. This is not a fast neck, and you won't be ripping any solos on it. So it you want to play fast get a squire.

I would gig with this guitar in a heartbeat, its bulletproof. Isn't my first choice for a gig guitar but I wouldn't have a probem using it in a show. The strap buttons should be replaced with locking ones if you plan on standing with it alot as the strap will kinda slide off them. The finish is rediculously hard, if you need to get it off you'll be using a chisel. I've dropped it several times on wood and the scratches it has would easily buff off.

The guitar has been great, and if it broke I would fix it myself.

I've only been playing 4 or 5 months, I've been a drummer 6 years. I have a Fender acoustic, the Ibanez, 2 ukuleles, a mandolin, a drumset, an S-101 bass, and a Yamaha keyboard. If it was lost I would probably build a tele because I'm ready for a better guitar(I'm a fast learner, I'm better than my friend whose been playing 5 years). I paid more than it's worth because it was set-up before I bought it, you can get them for $130 new and they are worth every penny. They are better than squires and epiphones for beginner guitars less than $200.

under the skin this guitar has a lot on it. it may look plain but mine has a floating bridge h/s/h pickup arrangment, volume plus tone, whammy bar, 22 frets and is all adorned in puke yellow body finish i paid ??150 pounds for it "bargain" oh i forgot it has got some snazzy shark tooth inlays as fret markers "did i say plain"

to be honest this is not the greatist sounding axe but wot do you expect for the money. i like to play mainly rock or metal and that is wot this guitar is good for. i would like to play blues but my gio is not really suited for it. but on the other hand the guitar dont sound to bad and i have been playing it for a year so it cant so its not all that bad

the finish is of quite a high standered for a cheap guitar no complaints there but the guitar was set up like a dogs dinner when i first got it i think it may have sitting in the shop for a long time on account of its funny colour. it took a long time to set up properly but now it is very playerble the whammy bar is very durable and the guitar doz not go out of tune easierly. But the pick up selector switch is very noisy and the neak pickup makes a horrible popping noise when you try to dampern the strings. the pickups are basic stock but they do their job reasonbly well (apart from the neak pickup on mine)

the gio fills like a tank. i doubt if i droped it of a cliff it woude not brake i have droped mine about 3 times and it is still ok

i have never delt with ibanez

i like this guitar and its flaws some how make it more endearing to me but i wish i had saved my money and had bought a gibson (i was trying to penny pinch) i am now going to alot more and buy a gibson but i will keep hold of my gio mostly becoz of its crap colour and that it makes my mates laugh when i turn up with it

ps
it makes a good first guitar dont do wot i did and buy a flying v style axe, looked good but was horrible to play.

10 10 10
I love this guitar! I been playing for 1 year and is my 1st bought electric! I love it can play anything i want it rocks!

The features have been said, no point repeating.

I think for the price the sound is pretty good. this was my first ever guitar and I thought it was altight. I play a variety of music, from grunge to blues. I quite like playing this clean on the neck pickup, you can get a good sort of grunge/metal tone with the bridge with loads of overdrive. I dont really like playing 'indie' with it, low gain, it doesnt really suit it, thats why im getting a fender tele.

noisy pickup selector. action is great, really easy guitar to play. looks great. input jack extremely dodgy from day 1, but they are on every cheap guitar. tuners are a bit crap.

OK, heres my problem, nobody else seems to have had it. The frets have worn away, from like a year onwards. The strings have worn into the frets, so whenever you try to bend them them get stuck in what basically is a 'trench'. very dissapointed, i know its cheap but you wouldnt expect this to happen so soon. everything else seems fine and durable.

I think this is a great guitar to learn on, it took me a while to settle on a mid range priced guitar that i liked simply because this sounded better than many others. If i were to learn again id buy this, despite the fret damage. If it wernt for the frets id be raving about this guitar saying every beginner should get one.

Has a great whammy bar, doesn't screw up the tuning of the strings, great sound for a basic beginners guitar.

Has great sound, you wouldn't believe its a beginners guitar. Though the pickups can be improved upon, but its still great for a beginner!

Looks great, looks incredibly sharp, design is great.

I've had it for a year and its great! Nothing wrong with it, very tough and durable guitar.

Never had to contact them for anything.

Great beginner guitar, well worth its price. Great value and tone. Looks great too.

My first guitar and spent two years on it. I really do not know where it was made or what model. It just said GIO on the headstock. It was made in early 2003 and I bought it new in a pack. This had 22 frets. This guitar had a glop top, meaning the translucent finish was glopped on so thick you could'nt see in. Just basic vol, tone, 3-way with 2 HB. I think they were stock Ibanez which were quite durable, yet the neck pickup was always really low and being the total novice I was I couldn't raise it. The controls were passive. The neck wood was most likely maple w/ a rosewood imitation fingerboard. The body was maybe pine or plywood. Great grain on the back, though. The finish was an ultradeep red.The best way I can describe the body is like an SG's retarded cousin. The bridge was stop, Though the intonation screws came loose after about 10/11 months of sporadic use and I replaced it with round wood saddles. The tuners moved like butter but did not lock and did not keep their tuning with the 9s I had on there. It had a super slim neck and good scale, maybe 25". It came with a tuner, strap, fuzz, gigbag, and amp. As I said it was a pack.

It was really versatile, and I needed that. It suited my every move, since I play almost everything. From Green Day to jazz comping it sounds great. The only quirk was the wimpiness of the tone when I dropped D or Eflat-C#, or tuned to Eflat tuning. I used primarily a Crate GA-15R with an occasional fuzz and/or reverb. It was never that noisy, the only real hum was from the crappy amps and cords I was using. The sound was rich and full in standard tuning. The neck pickup could go rather dark and muddy, to a good degree, and the bridge pickup has snarl and bite aplenty. It can be mellow or rip your head off.

The guitar was set up well at the factory, but constant use and fucking around in general set it up bad. The action was always good, but the bridge sucked: I lost a saddle on the way to a lesson and never found it agai8n. I cut7 new saddles out of chopstick. The intonation suffered dearly because of it. Otherwise it was all right

Yes, I used it for about 3 months of live situations(I'm not even in high school yet:))meaning playing to family and friends. I've only had about 10 major gigs as of now. The hardware wore with general use, not live playing. The glop top will stand up to everything except a 4ft or higher drop. The strap buttons are super solid and I never have had a problem w/ it. I had to depend on it as it was all I had for 2 yrs.

I can't really say as I have only done real novice repairs and lost the papers

I would get it again, since I gave it to a 7yrold down the street for lessons. Though I would replace the bridge and Tuners. It's more versatile than a Squier( of which I have)strat, as it can get real dark