The Ibanez GIO series (I now have a bass and a guitar) are incredible for the money, if you are a beginner then this is the guitar for you, much better than equivalently prices guitars (won't get into smearing brands). The guitar playable, looks nice (even for an Ibanez, the one reason I never owned one all these years, was the aggressive styling) and had good tuning stability, despite having a standard tremelo arm. One thing I would say is, I have done a fair bit of my own set up work (I have learned how to do this over the years), so if you're buying your first guitar go in store and ask for a set up. The factory set up was poor. Having said that, I bought a 2k guitar from a massive brand not long ago and the factory set up was even worse. A set up is simple and ... MoreThe Ibanez GIO series (I now have a bass and a guitar) are incredible for the money, if you are a beginner then this is the guitar for you, much better than equivalently prices guitars (won't get into smearing brands). The guitar playable, looks nice (even for an Ibanez, the one reason I never owned one all these years, was the aggressive styling) and had good tuning stability, despite having a standard tremelo arm. One thing I would say is, I have done a fair bit of my own set up work (I have learned how to do this over the years), so if you're buying your first guitar go in store and ask for a set up. The factory set up was poor. Having said that, I bought a 2k guitar from a massive brand not long ago and the factory set up was even worse. A set up is simple and as this price, you could buy from GAK and pop into a local guitar shop with a tech and you should pay around £20-50 for a full set up. If you're a beginner, you probably won't even notice the ser up issues, I am quite hard to please and I am honestly shocked at the quaiity Vs price. Pick ups sound lovely, broad pallete, maybe a little low output, not much hum from the single coil. A really good way to learn how to play and sculpt tone. Definitely the best beginner/budget guitar have ever seen of played.

Amazing guitar for the price!

Overall:I read some of these negative reviews and can't understand what they're talking about. This guitar is probably the best guitar for $200 I ever played , right out of the box it was setup perfectly. All I did was tune it , I've even got the same strings it came with. Which I normally change whenever I get a new guitar. The tuners are unbelievably tight , this guitar barely goes out of tune even if it has been sitting for weeks. Also I never attached the whammy bar , so I can't speak on that throwing it out of tune. Since I have over a dozen guitars I don't usually play it daily , but when I do it always makes me glad I purchased it. This is a very versatile guitar , I play mostly metal and this thing shreds. But I also play blues and it sounds just as good as ... MoreOverall:I read some of these negative reviews and can't understand what they're talking about. This guitar is probably the best guitar for $200 I ever played , right out of the box it was setup perfectly. All I did was tune it , I've even got the same strings it came with. Which I normally change whenever I get a new guitar. The tuners are unbelievably tight , this guitar barely goes out of tune even if it has been sitting for weeks. Also I never attached the whammy bar , so I can't speak on that throwing it out of tune. Since I have over a dozen guitars I don't usually play it daily , but when I do it always makes me glad I purchased it. This is a very versatile guitar , I play mostly metal and this thing shreds. But I also play blues and it sounds just as good as my custom strat. I bought an Epiphone SG special in the same price range and let's just say the setup is night and day , the tuners absolutely sucked , "already replaced them" and the intonation was off. It was a mess , I've already put it on Craig's list and bought a G400 Pro instead , 10x better quality and setup , but I digress. I've got many high priced guitars but always go back to the GRX , the playability and neck feels so comfortable to play. The only thing I'm going to do eventually is throw in a Seymour Duncan humbucker and I'm definitely keeping this guitar. I don't know how Ibanez can sell this for $200 and keep the quality , but I'm certainly not going to complain. Whether you're a beginner or experienced this guitar delivers. Definitely will be purchasing another Ibanez down the road.

Awesomeness all round!

My first time using PMT and I couldn’t be happier! I went in store to look through a few models I’d seen on the website and the staff could not have been more helpful and welcoming without a hint of pressure.When I later decided on this Ibenez I ordered via the website and it was with me two days later, with free shipping.Regarding the guitar itself, just look at some of the video reviews online….it’s awesome!!I know it’s known as a rock/metal guitar but it’s a phenomenal all rounder. The clean notes are clean and crisp, no fret sprouting, great action and barring tuning everything was superb out of the box!Very happy customer!

Excellent customer service and very knowledgeable!

I came in on my husband's birthday February 13th to buy a guitar. My husband passed away January 4th, 2024 and prior to his passing he had said he would like a new guitar! We have been coming together to Sam Ash for as long as they have been there in Raleigh!The guy that helped me was very helpful & knowledgeable. His kindness was very comforting cause as soon as I sat down with guitar in hand I started crying! I knew I picked the right guitar and my husband would've loved it!The quality of the Ibanez for the price was excellent! The additional items I got were a case, tuner, & a stand! Very satisfied! Duane always said make sure to put his guitar back in the stand! Overall super happy and grateful when I walked out. I knew this guitar was where I begin to ... MoreI came in on my husband's birthday February 13th to buy a guitar. My husband passed away January 4th, 2024 and prior to his passing he had said he would like a new guitar! We have been coming together to Sam Ash for as long as they have been there in Raleigh!The guy that helped me was very helpful & knowledgeable. His kindness was very comforting cause as soon as I sat down with guitar in hand I started crying! I knew I picked the right guitar and my husband would've loved it!The quality of the Ibanez for the price was excellent! The additional items I got were a case, tuner, & a stand! Very satisfied! Duane always said make sure to put his guitar back in the stand! Overall super happy and grateful when I walked out. I knew this guitar was where I begin to continue my life without him!!Thank you for the opportunity to enter the #sweepstakes while leaving my heart felt review! This moment was monumental to me and you guys nailed it!Sincerely,NDH

Great Starter Guitar

I'm a late starter in the guitar world. Wanted to start learning guitar, read a lot of good feedback on Ibanez, some of my favorite guitarists use Ibanez, and my guitarist brother recommended Ibanez as one of his favorites, so this seemed like a good choice.It looks great, the weight and feel is solid but comfortable to play, and it's a solid guitar for the price as far as I can tell as someone just starting out. I've played around with more expensive guitars and - ignorance aside - this seems to do everything I'd need it to without all the bells and whistles.If I progress to a point to where it makes sense to upgrade, that day can come, but for the time being, this is a very playable guitar that looks and feels great at an extremely reasonable price.

Great metal guitar!

First I'll start with the color , it's not what you expect. Mine is black but I don't care. Secondly theirs no such thing as"great first guitar" any guitar can be your first guitar regardless of price. This was not my first but is one of my favorites after my Schecter , the GRX is a solid guitar , has a great tone and sustain and is great for metal. Mine stays in tune forever , even when sitting for a period of time. I don't use the whammy bar so maybe that's why , but I've had no problems with this guitar , the set-up was perfect with no fret buzz. I have several guitars so I don't play it all the time , but when I'm playing metal I always go to this along with my Schecter , Jackson and BC Rich Warlock. The guitar is well balanced and the neck is fast and thin , ... MoreFirst I'll start with the color , it's not what you expect. Mine is black but I don't care. Secondly theirs no such thing as"great first guitar" any guitar can be your first guitar regardless of price. This was not my first but is one of my favorites after my Schecter , the GRX is a solid guitar , has a great tone and sustain and is great for metal. Mine stays in tune forever , even when sitting for a period of time. I don't use the whammy bar so maybe that's why , but I've had no problems with this guitar , the set-up was perfect with no fret buzz. I have several guitars so I don't play it all the time , but when I'm playing metal I always go to this along with my Schecter , Jackson and BC Rich Warlock. The guitar is well balanced and the neck is fast and thin , whether you spend $200 or $500 , if the guitar is well built that's all that matters. I play guitar because I enjoy it and don't need a $1000 Gibson. The Ibanez GRX is a great guitar whether you're a beginner or experienced and is a great addition to your collection. Some of my favorite and go to guitars are Ibanez and Jackson and all in the $200-$300 range. Ibanez has been around forever and continues to put out quality guitars regardless of the price same as Jackson. This is a keeper and I'll be buying another Ibanez in the future!

Great practice / beginners guitar

I bought this guitar so it could be my practice guitar and it has not disappointed. It came with minor defects which were all fixable. The output jack was a little lose which was fixed in like 1 minute and the pickups were a little high. The strings were low quality but that's expected for a $ guitar. Surprisingly the setup required was minimal but honestly these guitars are super easy to set up and for $ is a great tool to practice in if you dont know how to set up a guitar yet. Now to the good parts about it. It honestly plays super smooth and sounds amazing for $. Its light and it really feels like your hands glides across the fretboard. Never had an ibanez guitar before but I am super impressed with quality control. If you are a new player or are looking for a ... MoreI bought this guitar so it could be my practice guitar and it has not disappointed. It came with minor defects which were all fixable. The output jack was a little lose which was fixed in like 1 minute and the pickups were a little high. The strings were low quality but that's expected for a $ guitar. Surprisingly the setup required was minimal but honestly these guitars are super easy to set up and for $ is a great tool to practice in if you dont know how to set up a guitar yet. Now to the good parts about it. It honestly plays super smooth and sounds amazing for $. Its light and it really feels like your hands glides across the fretboard. Never had an ibanez guitar before but I am super impressed with quality control. If you are a new player or are looking for a practice guitar to have around. I couldnt think of a better guitar than this one. It beats any squiers or epiphones at the price. Furthermore, buying from Sweetwater was an amazing experience. They were super helpful and very interested that my product gets here in good conditions. I recommend this place over guitar center.

Ibanez Gio GRX70QA-TRB Set

I've bought the set offered by MusicStore for my daughter so she can have a guitar of her own to start playing. Although I was the first one to try it. I was shocked by the sound of the guitar. Not that it looks amazing it sound amazing as well. I highly recommend it.The staff from MusicStore are also great. I've messed up by buying it without making an account and the guys helped me correct some mistakes I've made. Thank you again!

Incredible Guitar

It’s such a beautiful guitar, I am obsessed with it. I bought it for amateur gigging with my new band and it works like a dream, the wammy bar is perfect and sounds amazing. Such a great little guitar. I had a little fret buzz on the A string when it came but when it’s plugged into an amp, you can’t hear it at all. 10/10 recommend

People expect too much from a sub 200 guitar

The few bad reviews come from people expecting way too much for a dual humbucker guitar for less than 200. I've got an Ibanez 1070 pbz premium that I wouldn't trade for the world but it's literally 6x the price. I bought the GIO for my wife and now that I've played it for a while I can see the difference in the 2 guitars. But had I not purchased the 1070 first I would've been completely content with the GIO. I've done a fret job on both of them to get the lowest possible action with no fret buzz. If someone doesn't have the means or know how to level the frets then I'm sure they'll still be satisfied with the neck on the GIO. As far as the electronics the humbuckers sound great with distortion and are a little muddy clean but that happens with any humbucker that's ... MoreThe few bad reviews come from people expecting way too much for a dual humbucker guitar for less than 200. I've got an Ibanez 1070 pbz premium that I wouldn't trade for the world but it's literally 6x the price. I bought the GIO for my wife and now that I've played it for a while I can see the difference in the 2 guitars. But had I not purchased the 1070 first I would've been completely content with the GIO. I've done a fret job on both of them to get the lowest possible action with no fret buzz. If someone doesn't have the means or know how to level the frets then I'm sure they'll still be satisfied with the neck on the GIO. As far as the electronics the humbuckers sound great with distortion and are a little muddy clean but that happens with any humbucker that's on the hotter side, but it has the single coil for bright clean tones. I've been playing for 20 years and I can't complain a bit about the GIO for the price. It's very upgradeable so it can grow with you as you get better and look for different tones. Most other guitars for this price doesn't play or sound nearly as good. Of course it'll need setup when you get it but I've never had a guitar shipped to me that was perfectly setup by the time it was delivered, the GIO was close but not perfect. There's lots of good YouTube videos showing how to do a good setup if you need help. May god bless everyone who reads this!!!!