Ibanez GRX20

Basic beginner guitar. 22 frets. Two humbuckers. A volume and a tone knob. 3 way selecter. Normy trem. Made of agatis with rosewood fingerboard. Nothing fancy. Mine's actually a grx22 which is exclusive to daddy's junky music. Exact same thing only without the pickguard.

This thing sounds great when played with overdrive or distortion on. The clean sound is horrible though. It sounds too muddy and bassy. Not bright enough. That's 'cause the pickups really suck. Need to replace them. They get too much humming and I think the grounding or something is messed up 'cause it humms a little louder when I'm not touching the strings. When the tone knob is set to low tone the humming goes away. I play offspring and it can get a great tone like that. So basically it's great for rock but horrible at anything clean.

The setup at the factory was pretty good. The inotation was acceptable (problems only noticable with the tuner) but I had to fix it slightly. The pickups needed to be adjusted a little the poles were kinda messed up. That was a pain 'cause I had to loosen the strings and take the pickup out and when I tightened them back up one snapped. As far as the finish it's great. Perfectly smooth, doesn't dent or scratch easily, nice and shiny. The neck is nice and thin so the action is great. The frets have no problems. For a budget guitar, it's put together very well. I've seen other cheap guitars with horrible finish problems and glue all over and loose frets and knobs but this is fine.

This thing seems like it will last. I've bumped it on lots of stuff and it doesn't dent. All the knobs are still nice and tight after almost a year. Had to tighten the nut that holds the socket in place 'cause it was loose when I bought it but it's since been fine. The tuning isn't too good though. Compared to my other guitar that'll stay tuned for months, this detunes after about a week. I could play this thing live without a backup. I don't know why everybody thinks they couldn't. Strings don't break that easily. Perfectly reliable other than the tuning.

Overall this thing is great, especially for a budget guitar. I'd probably not buy another one, I'd buy an rg series or maybe a tele for clean sound. But if I didn't have much money I'd buy another. It's perfect for a beginner 'cause of the nice action on it. Very much better than I expected before I bought it.

Made in Indonesia. Not sure which year, probably '98. 1 volume, 1 tone, 3-way selector. Standard tremelo. Double Powersound humbuckers - neck and bridge position. Agathis body, rosewood neck (i think). Metallic blue finish. Standard tuners, graphite nut. Bottom of range features from Ibanez i guess.

OK, Since this is my first electric it's impossible for a knowledged opinion, but personally i don't mind the sound at all. I'm using it with a Peavey Blazer 158 II amp - just a little 15w practice amp - and it gives me a great clean sound, and with the lead channel on, the distortions pretty cool too.
The pickups? Well, seems like they're not everyone's (reviews below) fave, but i don't mind - hey for a bottom range electric, it's still a great sound.
Quite versatile, although i'm not using the neck pickup much. Have to agree that the sound IS a bit muddy for my liking and i can't get a good sound out of it no matter how i try tweak the guitar/amp. The sound from the bridge pickup's doing great stuff though, especially with some distortion.

The feel of the guitar is excellent, especially the neck. Easy to play. Action is very good, however there are some fret buzzes on the low strings around the 11th fret onwards (too low?)... or could be because of the frets themselves.
The finish is great! Couldn't have been happier with it - no flaws that i have noticed yet. Nice metallic blue body has drawn some compliments from couple of mates. Stays in tune nearly all the time, so i'm pretty happy with the tuners. The nut is pretty scraggy though... might be looking for a replacement soon!
But considering this is the cheapest that Ibanez make, it's a very well made guitar.

First guitar, so i feel attached to it and will never sell it. But it feels like it will last me for some time yet.
Strap buttons are pretty small... i tied a little thin rope around the base's button and now my strap never falls off. Minor annoyance fixed!
The whole guitar to me just feels WELL constructed. Yep, it's good stuff.
Maybe i will save up to replace the pickups some time later on, but in the meantime it's spot on.

Never dealt with the company. About to get a better setup at place of purchase along with string change. They never mentioned anything about a warranty though. Hmm.

(I'll give Troy Music a 7)

I've gotten a strong impression from Ibanez now. I love that the GRX20's so nice to play on. The action's perfect and the neck has a great feel. Good solid construction that feels like it'll last and looks and a finish that are pretty darn good compared to it's competitors and most importantly, sounds pretty decent too. Keen price too. Yep, I'm just gonna get me some fresh strings on it and who'll be the happy monkey?

Like i said... it is my first electric, and it's everything i've wanted to start mucking around with. Great value.
If it were stolen or lost, and i'm looking for another guitar in this price range... i'll probably go for the Ibanez GAX70 or 75(75's got a D-tuner gimmick) I think it's pretty similar in hardware department but i want it. In fact, that's the next guitar i'm saving up towards, however it's gonna be my platform for customising haha.

Made in Indonesia,Black body/Black pickguard,22 frets,1 volume,1 tone,3-way selector,2 Humbucker pickups,didn't come with any accesories

I play just about anything and this guitar can sound very versitile,the original pickups were horrible and they had a dull sound to them,so I replaced them with Semour Duncan 59's now it has a nice bright tone and with disortion it sounds warm and dark

The factory setup was horrible,the action was set to low,this guitar was set up for light strings,so I raised the action,I use Ernie Ball Extra Slinky.008 and now it's fine,the pickups occasionally sink into the guitar and the volume and tone knobs were ugly,so I replaced them with crome ones.Everything else was fine

This is my main guitar,I would definatly play live with it,it rarely falls out of tune,but I'm going to replace the tuners anyway because they don't seem like they are going to last.I would never use any instrument without a backup.

Ive never dealt with them.

I have been playing for -----If it was stolen or lost I would go out and get another one.I love the thing

Made in indonesia in '99, 22 frets, solid top, 1 tone 1 volume 3 way selector,Agatis body w/maple neck & rosewood fretboard..strat style, standard tremolo..very thin neck and nice jumbo frets

I play a lot of rock and metal and going through a Digitech RP3 and a little Peavy Rage,,,,this guitar can put out some nice sounds...the neck p/u. is a little muddy, but the neck isnt too bad, nice variety for a cheap guitar

Moderately set up, paint was wavy and the bridge was screwy, but otherwise, not too bad. Action was and is very well after 2 years..

This damn thing will take any abuse you give it...I have dropped mine countless times, and it still plays like new..hardware is nice and durable, but the strap buttons fukkin blow, definately a guitar i would play live

N/A

I didnt like my Squire, so i baught an ibanez cuz of the sound, and i have played the same guitar for 2 years straight and i have had no problems...I love the guitar, i have become attached, if it was stolen, i would be pissed, but i would probably buy an RG series.

I brought this guitar because i really wanted an Ibanez. So i brought a GRX20 as that was the cheapest they made. I intened to buy this as a spare guitar, but i ended up using it more than my otehr one. It's great! The neck is smooth, it's comfortable to play and the tone is just great, although the clean sound does gets little crackly if you turn up too loud. It's also simple to use. One volume and one tone. that is great for me as i like things simple. But if you want a more vesatile guitar, you may want to look elsewhere. Also the tremolo can pull strings out of tune so soloists might not like this. but when run though distortion it sounds thick and cool.

I play heavy hardcore thrash metal. I've had my guitar set up to be tuned to Dropped-B tuning (Dropped-D Down 1 1/2 steps). I own a marshall VS100R and it it sounds great when i run my Ibanez through it. It has a sharp cutting sound which i really like and it is similar in shape to the strat, onlt with two humbucker pickups. WHile the neck pickup is a little muddy for my liking, the bridge postion sounds clean and clear. However, it is not very versatile, so look elsewhere if you want to try different sounds

I brought this guitar from a company that deal in Ibanez guitars and it was in perfect condition. I haven't had a problem with it yet.

I've yet to use this guitar in a live gig, but when i pratice with it i can't get enough. i spend hours playing this guitar, even when i don't plug it in. It has a great neck and i could play on it for the rest of my life. THe body is quite tough as well, I've dropped it accidently a couple of times and it still was in good condition.

Who cares if this isn't one of Ibanez's most known brands? It sounds great, the neck is great and it is very simple to play. A great guitar for both beginners and proffesionals if you ask me. The only major concern is that it can go out of tune once in a while, but with careful looking after, it can last you a lifetime.

I think this thing was made in Indonesia, maybe in 99, not sure...
22 frets, 1 volume 1 tone, 3-way selector, ugly trem, H-H configuration. It's got an Agatis body and rosewood fingerboard I think...It's a strat shaped thing with standard tuners.

I wouldn't say this is a guitar apt for any specific style...it's a beginner's instrument for God's sake! It's designed to play whatever without being designed for any specific sound, it's just made for you to learn before you buy your one of a kind vintage custom made guitar from Heaven. Sometimes the pickups are a bit noisy, nothing a noise supressor effect can't handle anyways. I like the way it's easy to get the grip of guitar playing with this thing.

I'm not sure how it was set up, just a little detuned and stuff but no dings or scratches. No real flaws, just some fingerprints but that's all.

I guess it can withstand live playing, but as anything, if you abuse it it'll get hurt. Everything on it can last if you take care of it, unless you're the kind that treats your stuff like crap...the finish looks durable, I've bumped mine against walls and other assorted surfaces but no big deal. I wouldn't really depend on it because it tends to detune frequently, not too much but sometimes a whole half step...then again maybe it's because it's old. And of course I wouldn't use this guitar with no backup (Supposing I took it to a gig), actually I wouldn't use *any* guitar with no backup.

I've never dealt with them...I love messing with my stuff by myself. It's got a one year warranty I think.

Overall it's a great beginner's instrument for the price, pretty good quality considering it's in the 100-250 dollars price range. I can't really say I love this thing, but I have to admit I have a sentimental bond with it, it was my first guitar (*sniff*). If it were stolen or lost, I'd try to recover it just because I feel attached to it but supposing I had no relationship (?) with it I'd just go get a better thing.

Purchased this guitar in '98. a THIN and FAST 22 fret rosewood neck with tall & narrow frets. Solid top, 3-way switch, volume & tone knob working in a dual-humbucker setup (passive pickups). VERY light basswood body with a jewel blue finish. A standard 6 screw tremolo, plastic nut, and vintage tuners.

I play a lot of modern rock, with a little jazz mixed in, and it works fine...There's absolutely NO noise...I replaced the bridge pickup with a DANGEROUSLY high output Bill Lawerence humbucker, and I gutted ALL the wires and replaced them with 12-gauge wire. This guitar is borderline-out of control!!!! With the bridge pickup selected, it sounds very raw & crunchy, but by switching to the mid position, I'm able to get some real mellow tones like a Gibson ES-335. The neck position just adds to that mellow feel, but with some increased bass response. Very fat sounds no matter where the switch is, though.

When I puchased this guitar in '98, it was set up very well. PERFECT INTONATION and low action. However, after the first string change, it got CONSIDERABLY worse. I did fix this with a few truss rod adjustments. I did find it necessary to give the tremolo bridge an overhaul. I replaced all the stock springs, put new Graph-Tech bridge saddles on it, and new graphite strings trees. Now, it never goes out of tune, even when I decide to get nuts and dive-bomb the bar all the way to the pickguard. The tuners are less-than-stellar, but they work...I HIGHLY recommend the graphite saddles/string tree replacement, though. While the finish looks really nice, I've had to repeatedly polish and clean it to make it look it's best.

First and Foremost, Ibanez has pulled a fast one over the consumers with their choice of hardware on this guitar. The hardware straight out of the factory was CHEAP!!! However, I couldn't deny the tone of this guitar, so I replaced most of it...the only pieces that still remain are the tremolo block, and the tuners. I contacted JW custom pickguards for a replacement of the paper-thin black one it came with from the factory. With the new diamond-plate aluminum pickguard, this guitar looks like a killer. I also replaced the fender-clone volume and tone knobs with chrome dome-shaped knobs. The strap buttons are PISS POOR!!!! Upon replacing them with Schaller straplocks, the button hole stripped out. Once I fixed that problem, it's been fine. Now that I've totally gutted this guitar, and put it back together, I have no fears about using this guitar up on stage without another guitar.

They were VERY helpful when I requested a schematic of the wiring when I replaced the bridge pickup, and information on the finish when I wanted to match the color for some gig scars, and to re-finish another guitar in this beautiful blue finish.

I love fixer-upper guitars...This guitar had "fix me up" written all over it in the store. I've been playing for 8 years, now, and while it seemed very out of place to work at my level of playing, I was able to add the parts and accessories to it that I needed to work perfectly for my style. I love this guitar, and all those people who watch my band and I play say they couldn't picture me playing another guitar. So I would venture to say that I love this guitar!!!!

Made in indonesia, dual humbuckers, standard tremalo, non locking nut, standard tuners, 1 volume, 1 tone and three way selctor switch. The instrument is light wieght and very playable.

I play several styles of music including blues, rock and christian. I have never had a problem with the tones of this instrument not fitting with what I am playing. If it was up to me I would have added another tone control and coil tapped the neck pick up, but I have found ways to work around that. This instrument is probably not for metal or shred players but will fill all other needs. It has a full bright sound that can easily be modified with any EQ.

The set up from the factory was fair, but not quit to my taste. Since I don't really use the tremalo bridge anyways, I completly bottomed it out which accomplished several things. First, it brought the strings closer to the neck for easier playing. Second, it greatly increased the ability to properly adjust the intonation. Third, It stays in tune once you get the strings well stretched. when I bottomed the bridge the higher strings, E and B had a tendancy to buzz after the 12th fret, but with a minor saddle adjustment all is well. The finish was and still is flawless.

I have been playing for over twenty years now doing everything from garage band to touring band and this instrument is adaptable to any type of player from beginner to pro. I have not had any problems with hardware or electronics and do not foresee any to come. I have played various makes Including Gibson, Epiphone, Fender, Electra, Hondo, Squire and even 2 home made instruments. I would put this instrument up there with any of them.

Always have had good reports with Ibanez in the past.

I use my GRX20, an Ibanez PT3DX multiprocessor, an ARION HU-8300 Quartz tuner and a Crate GX-20R amp exclusivly for my live playing. The tonal qualities that this set up is capable of is mind staggering considering the price range I stayed in for this particular rig. From beginner to pro, I don't see how you could possibly go wrong. As a twenty year vet in the music scene my only minor complaint would be that it is not the flashiest guitar on the market, but if you can really play, a $30.00 Sears catalog special will sound good in your hands. So give this guitar a good "honest" try and you may be suprised.

This guitar was made in Indonesia. It was bought, new, for just under $200. A great guitar for the money. Standard tuners, standard tremolo, and two humbuckers. The neck has 22 frets. It is a dark, almost purple, blue color. The pickguard is black. It has one volume and one tone knob. String-thru body bridge, strat style body, and a 3-way pickup selector switch. I suppose it was made in 1999.

I play nearly every kind of music and I can just about always get the right sound. It is a very good guitar for playing distortion because it has the two humbuckers. The guitar never puts off any unwanted noise or sounds. The sound is very bright on the bridge pickup and slightly darker on the neck pickup. I like the thin neck because it seems to be faster. Use your amp along with this guitar and you can get great bluesy sounds or a metal type sound. This guitar is very versatile, especially for any beginner.

I have played this guitar exactly the way it was set up from the factory and it is great. I had to adjust the pickups once because they were setting too close to the strings, but it was an easy fix. The guitar has been banged around a little, but it has nothing other than a few minor dents, no paint chips. For an easy setup guitar with great sound, this is it.

I have played live with this guitar several times and it has yet to show any type of wear and tear. All parts of the body are still in place and functioning well as is the neck. The strap buttons never seem to be a problem. A very dependable guitar. I don't have a back up guitar and I have trusted this GRX20 and it hasn't let me down.

I have never needed Ibanez's help for any reason.

I have had this guitar for about a year and a half and it is the guitar for any live performing. I have no regrets about buying this guitar, and it is highly recommended to every guitar player out there. If I were to lose this guitar I would buy another Ibanez, not neccesarily this model, but another Ibanez nonetheless. I chose this guitar because it was the cheapest and best for a beginner. I love this guitar!

Made in Indonesia.22 fret maple neck with rosewood fingerboard.1 volume,1 tone.3 way pickup switch.H/H pickup.Agatis body with a jewel blue finish.Superstrat style body.Vintage style tremlo bridge.Vintage tuners.

This guitar is not a serious tone machine so don't expect it to be.On the other hand it is the best guitar in this price range and probably the coolest looking.You can use it for any musical style you wish it's all up to personal prefrences.I am using a marshall RCD15 with no effects. (I like it better that way!) The pickups are very fuzzy when used through a distortion/overdrive unit,but that's to be expected on a 140 pound axe.The pickups themselves yield a very dirty
sound when cranked up,but turn down the volume knob to 8 and you've got a really great 60's rock lead sound.

This guitar is very nice for the price(140)if you try at least two or three different examples.The guitar shop should set it up before selling it but probably havn't so definatly try before you buy.Everything on mine was just about right,except for the GIO logo on the headstock which was slightly rubbed off.

This guitar is just as robust as the next as long as you don't shoot it.I have banged it so many times and all i've got to show for it is a couple of small dents which havn't taken any paint off at all.You can depend upon this guitar,though you should always keep a back-up with you.

Never dealt with Ibanez.Came with a years warranty.

I've been playing for about six years now and I own the ibanez and a Japenese strat.The best thing about ibanez guitars are their necks.they are the most comfortable you will ever try.This guitar is also very light indeed,a big bonous for anyone!My old guitar teacher once compared my 140 pound ibanez to his 700 pound ibanez and without me telling him the price he guess that it had cost me 500 quid.How wrong was he!