@@zaporoshti3392 I'm not sure it's really mahogany, I have model what has been build in 2020 year and in catalogues from this period and actual have only poplar in black version. Maybe in the past you have mahogany but now you won't buy it in music store. Secondly in this price range I don't think wood type can make that much difference - under mahogany, poplar and other names we have a lot of subspiecies, so probably you'll get something like agathis or nato. Sorry we can do a lot of things but at the end it's still basic GIO series. At least for the price quality is really good and you have honest guitar. Tertio: SD and other pickups can make killer sounds also in other types of woods, you can't just say "that guitar is better because it's mahogany" :)
this guitar all in all is god mode for 200 or 180 dollars and plays even better when set up nicely. if ya'll planning for an upgrade, just swap the bridge pick up and the saddles. them tuners are pleasantly tight too so it wont go out of tuning.
Absolutely agreed! The saddles didn't bother me so I'd say that's more of a personal preference perhaps? Pickups too but you can get higher quality ones for sure. I was expecting them to be worse though.
yeah i easily dialed a metalcore tone with those pickups and they're absolutely splendid for a budget guitar. and yes the saddles are a personal pref. my saddles got prone to string breakage cuz it got to rough and rusty on the 6th and 5th saddle so i might replace those two.
@@geirisk8 after 15 years of not playing a guitar I purchased exactly this model and I'm really satisfied with it - needed some tweaking with the bridge and the neck, adjusting the nut for thicker strings and pickup height but overall damn, decent guitars became much more affordable these days
Just bought a Gio and I love it. I'm surprised with the way plays and sounds for as cheap as it is. It's a little more expensive than $200 here in Canada, mine was $350
@@nvjohansson9741 that's awesome and a really good deal, I have multiple guitars, I have a Squire Affinity Tele Deluxe, an Epiphone SG, and an Epiphone Les Paul, but I don't know what it is, I always gravitate to my Ibanez way more than the rest, I play it more, and I like it more for some reason
I was deployed to Kosovo and just wanted an electric to use for my headphone amp. I bought this from Sweetwater and was pleasantly surprised by it's playability for I think $225 (with free shipping). Totally worth it.
I just bought an Ibanez GIO GSR100EX Bass and they're also selling for $199 but I got mine for $165 because it was listed as USED...even though there's nothing USED about it. It looks brand-new. It came with the original box, all the original paperwork, and even the plastic film on the pickup and tuners. Excellent bass, excellent price.
Bought one for a friend, matte black ... I was AMAZED at how good this guitar is, I mean if you told me it was woth a grand I would believe it. And the setup was perfect out of the box, neck felt perfect, tuners worked, sound was good, the attention to detail like I have never seen on a guitar this cheap (or even more expensive ones), flawless, even the frets were shiny and polished ... crazy part, even the strings were shiny. I do not know where the catch is but it looks like they really made this model amazingly well from the get go, I just wonder if they are loosing money on this or is the skilled labor that cheap in China. And looks so freaking awesome that I am thinking of buying one just to have one, the matte black body and pickups, the contrasting bright shark teeth inlays on the superbly sanded fretboard and no sharp fret ends. Before buying this one on Thomann I have returned one B-stock Schecter C-6 deluxe, crappy fret job and sort of soft neck and an Ibanez 121SP, the one with the rosted maple neck, that had fret buzz no mather how high I set the action. Both more expensive than the 121DX, so I do not understand how these things go, maybe just luck of the draw ... hope it will stay this good for a long time as it is a birthday present.
Yeah here's the thing, there are some really nice guitars out there that are very affordable and this one seems like a gem in the ocean of guitars nowadays. The model I tried was spectacular (at least from memory) so I get why it is so popular.
I have played with this guitar since I was 14yo (now Im 18) and it has served me very well all these years. Tomorrow I am going to music store and I might buy Ibanez XPTB620-BKF Xiphos Iron Label. If you are beginner I would recommend Ibanez Gio to you!
I bought one a few years ago. The only modification I did was dropping a DiMarzio in the neck and a Seymour Duncan in the bridge. Honestly, the stock pickups weren't bad; I just wanted a particular sound. It's become my go-to guitar nowadays. Right out of the box, everything was great. It didn't need much a set up besides a bit of standard intonation tweaking. Everything from the neck relief, fretwork, nut height and action were pretty much perfect. The tuners keep tune well and haven't given me any problems. My only nitpick is the juxtaposition of the natural finish and the shark tooth inlays. To me, it seems like an odd combination.
i've bought this guitar and it's really awesome.. setting my multi fx pedal to high gain and play metal really well. Yeah just only cons about this guitar you just need string action setup and you good to go..
Thanks a lot for video man, a watched lots a videos about this guitar but once a watched this one I went to the store I bought this guitar and love it.
So far my only guitar. The only issues I had with stock version was poor intonation & pickups were set too low, but a guitar serviceman fixed it. I have to say I'm satisfied, but eventually I'll most likely get it modded further or buy new one.
Just grabbed mine from Sweetwater and emg 81/85s with a set of locking tuners. Gonna get everything swapped out when it comes in and see how she plays. Thinking about going to music king here in town and grabbing a set of ernie ball not even slinkys for a little more chunk.
Hey! Just saw your video and I loved it!!! I've just started out on my music journey. So I decided to learn electric guitar. Was looking into many ones in 150 to 300 USD price range and according to a lot of research, I couldn't find better guitars than ibanez. They defeated yamaha and squier guitars around the price range!
@@geirisk8 love to hear that!!! Still confused because ibanez has so many guitar models around the same price. Trying to compare them and the competition too........
this guitar looks so nice and sounds great, and for the price holy hell. I had some people telling me dont get it, "the entire gio line is trash" and i almost didnt buy it because of them. Thank god I did
I just picked up one of these up in black for £80 with stand and tuner just cleaned the fret board thrown some decent strings on it and it is an absolute joy to play easy proffit when I come to selling it to!
I just bought this guitar from second hand for 120 USD and what I can say it looks really good. Of course I see that wood on the neck is not a highest quality, and guitar is suspiciously light, but overall build quality blown my mind in this price range. Some more expensive guitars sometimes have bigger flaws than this cheapochinese guitar. Definitely it's really nice guitar and nice base for upgrades ;)
Exactly! Now that I've been trying out a bunch of budget oriented guitars, I can see how all of them (so far) are exceeding my expectations when it comes to the quality of the build, the actual pieces that make up the guitar. The thing usually lacking is the setup but that is an easy fix in most cases. Happy for you to get a good guitar for half price!
Nice video, different from the shop videos, great tones ang great playing. Made me decide on buying one like this as a second guitar for the road. Keep it up
I've had this guitar (grg121dxlwnf) for a couple of days now, it indeed is a nice looking guitar that is very playable. Thanks very much to Ásgeir Þrastarson for the review and the positive comments posted here based on which I made the purchase. Mine came with a okoume body, it is much lighter than mahogany but resonant enough, more bright than deep. Pickups are a nice surprise at this price-point, they are low output but not too muddy and should be good for all kinds of playing including metal and 'djent', with proper input gain. I'll wait longer to swap them out and maybe the plastic nut too. Coil tapping is a nice feature. I was able to get a good playable action out of box without messing with the truss rod, just adjusted from the bridge. What I disliked the most however is the uncentered middle piece of the three piece body on mine, it covers 5th string to volume knob and looks very odd. There were white glue marks all over the fretboard, just poor craftsmanship. Bridge and tuners work satisfactorily, but feel light and cheap. I wish the neck was little thinner at first to 5th fret region, it is fast and nice otherwise. Overall, this is nice axe for beginners and even experienced players with much nicer and expensive guitars won't be disappointed. Leaps and bounds ahead of bottom-end Ibanez gios that used to come out say 5 or 10 years ago. If I was right handed though, I'd look for similar spec Indonesia made or even used Korean or Mexican models at this price range.
@@Marco-zj1hs better in fact. Fretboard wood isn’t great but won’t be an issue if you’re not used to ebony or maple. Great as first electric guitar, you won’t regret the purchase.
I have the silver burst version, it’s really good. Pickups are a little colder than I’d like but they sound good, a lot of the things I don’t like are personal preference (fretboard too flat, neck too thin) and my A tuner is still sticky even after a year of having it.
this will likely be my first and probably only guitar, I absolutely adore it since the moment I picked it up I didn't wanna put it down, the glossy and expensive guitars held no interest, not acoustic or bass, just this one stupid lil guitar I am buying a bow to go with it because I am a dirty crime boi, and this thing sounds like it can make every sound I could want it too, I wasn't expecting to want to buy a guitar but here I am just listening to you riffing on it in the later half of the video makes me adore it even more, I will need to take a few crash courses in guitar doing good so I can at least aimlessly attempt to make noises that sound vaguely like a music I am very sleepy atm, but also very excited, if anyone has recommendations or tips feel free to scream at me, but this is a borderline hobby at best for now so cheaper is better, this will cost me like 370 aud and that is already half the money I have in my spending account, but this is what savings a forrrrr hehehe I heard people mention the katana boss amps were good somewhere around here so I am checkin those out, but I am more keen on getting headphones since I am a nightowl and also dont know how to play guitar, not having to worry bout people hearing my crimes against sound might make me more eager to experiment, a pair for 150 there looks nice enough, now I will sleep and await 400 replies to overwhelm and annoy me with vague threats because I wrote too many words for their tiny little brains ans then 3 replies that are perfect and helpful and spark my dreeeeaaams
Glad you like the guitar! Yeah the Boss Katana amps are great. I have the Katana 50 MKII and it's such an amazing amp for the price. I will be making a video on it soon :)
I got the guitar but havent played much yet, and I have a mustang headphone adaptor for it, and I like the sounds it makes just gotta get motivated to play it..m and also remember that I have it
I own a RG Prestige and a RG gio guitar. I can say that tone wise if u use ur plug in right (tweak it well), it will sound almost exactly the same, but prestige guitars is known for thin neck so its easier to play on the prestige. btw, great review dude !
Aside from a little fret sprout sometimes, Gios are good guitars, I love Ibanez, even their cheaper models (I have 7 RGs, some were $299 new, 2 are Frankensteins, love them all)!
Gonna buy one Monday Aug. 1st after watching this I'm convinced . I don't use 10 gauge I use 9's hopefully Sweetwater will set it up with 9's on it . I'm gonna Shred the crap out of it and slap some Goto locking tuners on it as soon as it arrives ! Thanks for showing what we are getting . By the way its $229 at Sweetwater free shipping !!!
Nice sound... fretboard feels good...for this price definitely nice instrument.. Only thing is that I will also lower down strings for solo's... Definitely recommend it....
Thanks i just ordered the silverburst version of the same guitar. Cant wait to get it. This will be the cheapest guitar in my collection but the finish the pickups and the bound fretboard sold me when i saw it on amazon 2 days ago. Their were only 5 of the silverburst left so i snagged myself one. Thinks. I found no videos of the silverburst version. Il demo and review it on my channel . thanks.
I bought this guitar but I have found that the action is very height so I decided to change the truss rod but for my surprise I found that it doesn't change anything and the neck is a bit twisted ... I have plenty of deadnotes.
You must have a faulty model because the one I had was just really well set up. I would take it back and get a replacement OR ask them to fix it for you.
some Ibanez guitars just look so good honestly... ps. it has humbuckers but it sounds like any Ibanez guitar like eva.. much brighter than u would expect
The really cool thing about this one is that it has a 5-way pickup selector, which in positions 2 and 4 turn into single coils (meaning it can basically be a tele but without the middle position)
I have essentially the same one with a different switch and finish. My only complaint is that I can't lower the action without getting severe buzz. Several frets are at least four thou higher than the rest and it sucks. Apparently they don't glue the frets in place, and I'm sure they don't level them either. Aside from that, it's fine.
Interesting, I don't remember the frets being the way you described them. The fact about budget guitars is that some of them will be less perfect than others.
dont buy electric guitars for there sound, the only different in tone is whether you're using single coils or humbuckers, the specific pickup or what wood the guitar is made of doesnt matter all humbuckers sound like humbuckers and all single coils sound like single coils, if you want information to back these claims up check out spectre sound studios video on pickups and tonewood, now thats not to say tonewood doesnt matter for acoustic guitars but the reason acoustic guitars sound different but not electric guitars is because the pickup only picks up the magnetic energy (the strings) and not the acoustic energy, you can test this by trying to talk into your guitar, notice how unless you are made of metal it wont pick up the noise?? thats because pickups are not microphones...
I can't decide between these one and the Jackson Js32 :( my biggest problem is that they say that the pickups on that specific Jackson are terrible lol
The stock pickups sound good, I'm planning to buy the guitar at some point and I will swap them for a Bill Lawrence 500XL and a Seymour Duncen 59 like Nuno has
I use this guitar with deplike and I don't know why it is Ibáñez grg 121 the sound cuts off or it does not have a quality sound if yours will be because of the processor you have or something like that also sounds like sumbido todo maluco ??? Help me
I've had one of these for about two years. I'm honestly thinking of picking up two or three more for gigging purposes. For shows, I'd rather have a small fleet of decent, affordable guitars than one really nice one that I'd be scared of damaging. Playing live, it's almost impossible to hear a difference between a $200 guitar and a $2,000 guitar. Studio recording is a different story, though. In that case, a higher end guitar makes a little more sense.
Hi...Congratulations for your video... Two questions.. 1-Will you recommend this guitar for a new player guitar?... I don't know play guitar and I'd like to learn. I like this model and GRG131DX too (very similiar)..Two model without floyd Rose because is better to learn (I think). 2- Is body smooth to touch?... I don't know if its finished is like rough wood or light with Nitrocellulose or Polyurethane. Thanks you very much
Hey yes absolutely! Both of these guitars should be very similar so I think it's up to which one you think looks cooler? The body is very smooth and it has a finish on it so it's smooth to the touch even though it looks a little like unfinished wood. Good luck mate!!
Sounds like you got a wild, shameless plain riff down.. Any news on that? I recorded almost all of my "bore" project using a super cheap Gio btw. I got off craigslist for even cheaper and am satisfied enough with it I have not upgraded.
No news as of right now. Both parties have been veeeeery busy but I'm gonna catch up on that and see what we can do! I was honestly quite surprised how well this guitar played and it also has a solid tone from those ibanez brand pickups. Just a few minor upgrades and it'll go a long way!
@@geirisk8 New idea.. ooh. interest piqued. And I am also surprised by how long and how much I've done with this cheap ass guitar. Makes me think if I just went up a tier or two, I could still get a cheap guitar from Ibanez that sounds good and plays well. I have considered it a lot. I also will admit, I am not quite the tone junky some others are. I have an American Strat I use for my alternative rock, which sounds great and has tons of character, but i like having a beater guitar that I can tune down to B and play junky hardcore riffs. It works really well for what I am specifically using it for. A PRS would sound too nice.
I get you! It's not all about having the most expensive guitars. I had a US PRS Custom 22 from 2000 that was great but I never really bonded properly with it. I have some more cool videos coming up soon-ish where I explore more mods and I'm waiting for a special guitar to arrive in the next few weeks ;)
@@jamesmarshmallow5602 I absolutely agree. I have a boss katana 50 and it fucking rules. Also have the boss mini amp for a more portable amp,even that's very cool. Iam looking at maybe getting a used Ibanez rga42t ATM for about $350 (Aussie $$) that seems like a good price cause it looks like new.
@@jamesmarshmallow5602 I actually used the mini amp way more for awhile as I like to play out on the padio but now I've got a cover for the big one. It's definitely very good quality the mini,I think you can run speakers to it also if needed/wanted. Cheers I'll check out that model Ibanez too.
I have the same guitar but it doesnt sound like in this video. I have Blackstar ID:15 TVP. I like bands like Amon Amarth, Gojira and I wanna play theirs songs but my tone discourage me playing. I dont know where is the problem. May be my amp doesn't chug or my setup and EQ is wrong or maybe I need some pedals. Where do I start ? Can you help this fellow beginner metalhead?
Hey there! So just by the gear you have, you should be able to get a pretty decent tone for sure. You say you're a beginner and I think the issue could be there, at least partly. I remember for a long time I had no idea how to dial in the tone that I wanted because I didn't really understand my gear. Maybe you understand more than I did when I started but it's kinda hard without getting an example of you playing through the gear. I would be more than happy to help you out in a more detailed discussion. Maybe I can help you out with some settings and tips! Let me know what you think, cheers!
Yeah, I think I'm going to pick one up. Been looking at some cheaper models of Schecter, Jackson and Ibanez. The GIO is the one in going get...I think. Lol. I have a Squire Bullet strat and it's actually a decent guitar, but want something a little smaller and that I can navigate the neck more quickly. Growing out of the Squire.😂
I'm a novice guitar player and have recently received this exact guitar. Plugged into a Marshall MG15FX it sounds so dull and tone dead.... Its really discouraging to play, any idea what could be causing this? I used to have a Ibanez RGR321EX going through a Zoom G1 years ago and I don't remember it sounding muddy like this does. Baring in mind its not the same setup but I'm sure something aint right.... Could it be the amp settings?
hey nice review ,here's a sub. you covered everything i wanted to know , thanks :) this will be my first electric , so exited ...........please suggest a budget friendly amp (under 100$) for a beginner , to use with this guitar, thanks .
You've got some decent suggestions below. I personally vote any of the Boss Katana amps and if you're able to save up a little longer then a bigger Katana model will be amazing!
Nice video ♥️ Marshall MG15 FX or boss katana mini or roland cube or fender champion actually i play acoustic and going for first electric would you please recommend from these amps or you can suggest your best choice!!!! Please
Hi, I wanted to know if you can help me chose between this guitar, an ibanez grx70 or jackson js32 king v. I want to play metal and rock, but i dont know what could be the best choice.
Thanks! So the GRX70 is an old model that seems to be out of production (from what I've gathered) and my take is that modern affordable guitars are way better than they were some years ago. In that case, the guitar that I played in the video would be my choice out of the two Ibanez. The Jackson is a more expensive guitar, different shape and has Floyd Rose so it's a different beast. It'll most likely be a better guitar but remember about V shaped guitars. If you don't sit with it in the classical position then playing it sitting down is always gonna be a pain. That's why I don't and have never owned a V guitar before haha! Also the Floyd Rose is a big thing to me too. I don't like it but maybe you do?
Can you please tell me which one's better? Esp Ltd m 10 or this one? My requirements- Primarily Metal but would love some decent clean Blues at times as well. I like this RG more because of the 5 way pickup selector which is a 3 way in Esp Ltd. But please give me your verdict, as soon as possible. Thanks dude
So I'd personally go with the Ibanez. It's set up pretty much perfect right from factory, the pickups sound good and you have the split option which makes it a lot more versatile. I wish all humbuckers had this.
![[Eng Sub] IBANEZ GRG121DX - affordable electric guitar](/img/1.gif)
This guitar looks like it costs at least double the price.
Yeah exactly, it's killer value!
@@zaporoshti3392 I'm not sure it's really mahogany, I have model what has been build in 2020 year and in catalogues from this period and actual have only poplar in black version. Maybe in the past you have mahogany but now you won't buy it in music store. Secondly in this price range I don't think wood type can make that much difference - under mahogany, poplar and other names we have a lot of subspiecies, so probably you'll get something like agathis or nato. Sorry we can do a lot of things but at the end it's still basic GIO series. At least for the price quality is really good and you have honest guitar. Tertio: SD and other pickups can make killer sounds also in other types of woods, you can't just say "that guitar is better because it's mahogany" :)
@@jamesjameslee8217 it is a heavy guitar. so I am pretty sure it is mahogany.
I went to the store looking for the best budget guitar I could find and left with this one. Love the worn look and black specs
@@zaporoshti3392
Tonewood’s largely a myth with electric instruments, any magnetic pickup that sounds good will sound good regardless of wood
this guitar all in all is god mode for 200 or 180 dollars and plays even better when set up nicely. if ya'll planning for an upgrade, just swap the bridge pick up and the saddles. them tuners are pleasantly tight too so it wont go out of tuning.
Absolutely agreed! The saddles didn't bother me so I'd say that's more of a personal preference perhaps? Pickups too but you can get higher quality ones for sure. I was expecting them to be worse though.
yeah i easily dialed a metalcore tone with those pickups and they're absolutely splendid for a budget guitar. and yes the saddles are a personal pref. my saddles got prone to string breakage cuz it got to rough and rusty on the 6th and 5th saddle so i might replace those two.
@@julianaraneta5416 No such thing as "too rough" boi
I have this guitar since I was 12 and now my guitar is 10 years old, still rocking the game.
i may or may not have impulse bought this before reading or looking up reviews, but now im happy i did, especially for my first electric guitar
Haha impulse buy can sometimes be great and I'm glad you're happy with the guitar. It's a good one!
i had impulsive baught this guitar 5 days ago it arives in two its good to see people like it
(its my first guitar)
@@cohenopgamesdalton9840for the price you really cant beat it, its a great beginner guitar and will last you as you progress
i have had the guitar for a little while now and its incerdable and lighter then i thaught def would recomend
I have that guitar. Is a great feel. And plays amazing! Yes I have more expensive guitars. But for 200. You cannot go wrong. Is an ibanez!!!!!
I absolutely agree. There was a time where $200 guitars just weren't very good but that has changed!
@@geirisk8 after 15 years of not playing a guitar I purchased exactly this model and I'm really satisfied with it - needed some tweaking with the bridge and the neck, adjusting the nut for thicker strings and pickup height but overall damn, decent guitars became much more affordable these days
Could you give a tip how to tune as same as the video? I’ve that guitar also😂
Just bought a Gio and I love it. I'm surprised with the way plays and sounds for as cheap as it is. It's a little more expensive than $200 here in Canada, mine was $350
Is that $350 Canadian? It's still a pretty good guitar at that price!
@@geirisk8 yeah that's $350 in Canadian currency, still a great price for a good guitar.
Got it 100 cdn used. Still had the stickers on it, exactly the same one as in the video except matte black with the shark tooth. Awesome and sweet.
@@nvjohansson9741 that's awesome and a really good deal, I have multiple guitars, I have a Squire Affinity Tele Deluxe, an Epiphone SG, and an Epiphone Les Paul, but I don't know what it is, I always gravitate to my Ibanez way more than the rest, I play it more, and I like it more for some reason
I bought it for 2.6k turkish lira when dollar is 6 lira ;/
As soon as you started playing Everlong I ordered this guitar. Can't wait for it to come in!
Woohoo awesome, hope you get it soon!!
How has the guitar been do you reccomend
How's it running? Or how did it run?
I was deployed to Kosovo and just wanted an electric to use for my headphone amp. I bought this from Sweetwater and was pleasantly surprised by it's playability for I think $225 (with free shipping). Totally worth it.
Hey, where in kosovo were you deployed, if you don't mind me asking?
I just bought an Ibanez GIO GSR100EX Bass and they're also selling for $199 but I got mine for $165 because it was listed as USED...even though there's nothing USED about it. It looks brand-new. It came with the original box, all the original paperwork, and even the plastic film on the pickup and tuners. Excellent bass, excellent price.
Bought one for a friend, matte black ... I was AMAZED at how good this guitar is, I mean if you told me it was woth a grand I would believe it. And the setup was perfect out of the box, neck felt perfect, tuners worked, sound was good, the attention to detail like I have never seen on a guitar this cheap (or even more expensive ones), flawless, even the frets were shiny and polished ... crazy part, even the strings were shiny. I do not know where the catch is but it looks like they really made this model amazingly well from the get go, I just wonder if they are loosing money on this or is the skilled labor that cheap in China. And looks so freaking awesome that I am thinking of buying one just to have one, the matte black body and pickups, the contrasting bright shark teeth inlays on the superbly sanded fretboard and no sharp fret ends. Before buying this one on Thomann I have returned one B-stock Schecter C-6 deluxe, crappy fret job and sort of soft neck and an Ibanez 121SP, the one with the rosted maple neck, that had fret buzz no mather how high I set the action. Both more expensive than the 121DX, so I do not understand how these things go, maybe just luck of the draw ... hope it will stay this good for a long time as it is a birthday present.
Yeah here's the thing, there are some really nice guitars out there that are very affordable and this one seems like a gem in the ocean of guitars nowadays. The model I tried was spectacular (at least from memory) so I get why it is so popular.
@@geirisk8I’m looking at this one and the GrX70QA and they both sound good
I have played with this guitar since I was 14yo (now Im 18) and it has served me very well all these years. Tomorrow I am going to music store and I might buy Ibanez XPTB620-BKF Xiphos Iron Label. If you are beginner I would recommend Ibanez Gio to you!
I spat my green tea out when I heard the first note 🔥
Haha I must've hit the right note then!
@@geirisk8it plucked my heart strings
I spat my coffee
I spat my hot chocolate
@@geirisk8 g note probably
A nicely structured & informative video. Thank you.
Sorry for the late reply and thanks for the nice comment. Much appreciated!
I bought one a few years ago. The only modification I did was dropping a DiMarzio in the neck and a Seymour Duncan in the bridge. Honestly, the stock pickups weren't bad; I just wanted a particular sound. It's become my go-to guitar nowadays. Right out of the box, everything was great. It didn't need much a set up besides a bit of standard intonation tweaking. Everything from the neck relief, fretwork, nut height and action were pretty much perfect. The tuners keep tune well and haven't given me any problems.
My only nitpick is the juxtaposition of the natural finish and the shark tooth inlays. To me, it seems like an odd combination.
Bet that thang screams...
I think that matte finish looks great. (matte may be the wrong word for it?)
Can you tell me exacly the model of the Dimarzio and Seymour pickups?
Im was thinkin about some EMG Marty Friedman pickups, but i’m not sure yet.
@mattheuslimadepaula8780 DiMarzio Evolution and Seymour Duncan JB. I like the Evolution for smooth lead tones and the JB for chugging riffs.
@@williamrusso3130 thanks for answer! Do they work good with artificial harmonics?
i've bought this guitar and it's really awesome.. setting my multi fx pedal to high gain and play metal really well. Yeah just only cons about this guitar you just need string action setup and you good to go..
Thanks a lot for video man, a watched lots a videos about this guitar but once a watched this one I went to the store I bought this guitar and love it.
One of my dreams guitar. But just got GRGR221PA recently.
Oh nice that is a good looking guitar and I bet it plays well too!!
@@geirisk8 true. It sound pure for metal. And i love it as it my first ibanez guitar.
@@adanvorz6866 I'm sure it's great! Enjoy your guitar and don't stop playing!
@@geirisk8 just post a video cover song and i use ibanez.
Just found a red gio for $75 with an amp at a pawn shop I’m stoked!
Oh wow that's a steal!! Enjoy mate!!
waiting for my guitar to come in...thanks for the video...sick licks!!! ROCK ON!!
So far my only guitar. The only issues I had with stock version was poor intonation & pickups were set too low, but a guitar serviceman fixed it. I have to say I'm satisfied, but eventually I'll most likely get it modded further or buy new one.
Just grabbed mine from Sweetwater and emg 81/85s with a set of locking tuners. Gonna get everything swapped out when it comes in and see how she plays. Thinking about going to music king here in town and grabbing a set of ernie ball not even slinkys for a little more chunk.
Thank you for this video. Ive had this guitar for 3 days and love it. Definitely takin it to my guy for lowered action, well worth 200 bones!
Wow that's great, I'm glad you like it! Keep playing now that you've got a great guitar ;)
Hey! Just saw your video and I loved it!!!
I've just started out on my music journey. So I decided to learn electric guitar. Was looking into many ones in 150 to 300 USD price range and according to a lot of research, I couldn't find better guitars than ibanez. They defeated yamaha and squier guitars around the price range!
Yeah this guitar is very very good for the price and should make pretty much anyone happy!
@@geirisk8 love to hear that!!! Still confused because ibanez has so many guitar models around the same price. Trying to compare them and the competition too........
this guitar looks so nice and sounds great, and for the price holy hell. I had some people telling me dont get it, "the entire gio line is trash" and i almost didnt buy it because of them. Thank god I did
Exactly! There are guitars in the GIO line that aren't super great but not all are bad. Glad you like it!
I just picked up one of these up in black for £80 with stand and tuner just cleaned the fret board thrown some decent strings on it and it is an absolute joy to play easy proffit when I come to selling it to!
I just bought this guitar from second hand for 120 USD and what I can say it looks really good. Of course I see that wood on the neck is not a highest quality, and guitar is suspiciously light, but overall build quality blown my mind in this price range. Some more expensive guitars sometimes have bigger flaws than this cheapochinese guitar. Definitely it's really nice guitar and nice base for upgrades ;)
Exactly! Now that I've been trying out a bunch of budget oriented guitars, I can see how all of them (so far) are exceeding my expectations when it comes to the quality of the build, the actual pieces that make up the guitar. The thing usually lacking is the setup but that is an easy fix in most cases.
Happy for you to get a good guitar for half price!
What is the criteria for good wood vs bad wood? Is weight of wood equal to quality. It’s obvious you don’t know what your talking about. Speculator.
@@bluwng yiieeehh heavy wood MDF. Light weight solid wood.
There's a famous Spanish guitar built in the victorian era of paper machete and a solidwood top. Most guitar hype is bs.
Every Ibanez is light as f
Nice video, different from the shop videos, great tones ang great playing. Made me decide on buying one like this as a second guitar for the road. Keep it up
Nice review, I am between the Ibanez or Jackson js22. More Jackson I think. But the color and neck of Ibanez makes difference.
this was the video I needed to watch. thank you
I've had this guitar (grg121dxlwnf) for a couple of days now, it indeed is a nice looking guitar that is very playable. Thanks very much to
Ásgeir Þrastarson for the review and the positive comments posted here based on which I made the purchase.
Mine came with a okoume body, it is much lighter than mahogany but resonant enough, more bright than deep. Pickups are a nice surprise at this price-point, they are low output but not too muddy and should be good for all kinds of playing including metal and 'djent', with proper input gain. I'll wait longer to swap them out and maybe the plastic nut too. Coil tapping is a nice feature. I was able to get a good playable action out of box without messing with the truss rod, just adjusted from the bridge. What I disliked the most however is the uncentered middle piece of the three piece body on mine, it covers 5th string to volume knob and looks very odd. There were white glue marks all over the fretboard, just poor craftsmanship. Bridge and tuners work satisfactorily, but feel light and cheap. I wish the neck was little thinner at first to 5th fret region, it is fast and nice otherwise. Overall, this is nice axe for beginners and even experienced players with much nicer and expensive guitars won't be disappointed. Leaps and bounds ahead of bottom-end Ibanez gios that used to come out say 5 or 10 years ago. If I was right handed though, I'd look for similar spec Indonesia made or even used Korean or Mexican models at this price range.
As a lefty i'm thinking of getting grg121dxlwnf as my first guitar, can you say it still plays nice since the time you got it?
@@Marco-zj1hs better in fact. Fretboard wood isn’t great but won’t be an issue if you’re not used to ebony or maple. Great as first electric guitar, you won’t regret the purchase.
@@AnirbanBanerjee thanks for your response
UPDATE: I’m using a SD Custom Custom bridge now it just transformed the guitar. It rips now. 🔥
Searching for an adecuate guitar in the price range. Good review, thank you so much.
I have the silver burst version, it’s really good. Pickups are a little colder than I’d like but they sound good, a lot of the things I don’t like are personal preference (fretboard too flat, neck too thin) and my A tuner is still sticky even after a year of having it.
Its so beautiful...its so smooth and classy looking.
I agree!
it looks even better in real life
this will likely be my first and probably only guitar, I absolutely adore it since the moment I picked it up I didn't wanna put it down, the glossy and expensive guitars held no interest, not acoustic or bass, just this one stupid lil guitar
I am buying a bow to go with it because I am a dirty crime boi, and this thing sounds like it can make every sound I could want it too, I wasn't expecting to want to buy a guitar but here I am
just listening to you riffing on it in the later half of the video makes me adore it even more, I will need to take a few crash courses in guitar doing good so I can at least aimlessly attempt to make noises that sound vaguely like a music
I am very sleepy atm, but also very excited, if anyone has recommendations or tips feel free to scream at me, but this is a borderline hobby at best for now so cheaper is better, this will cost me like 370 aud and that is already half the money I have in my spending account, but this is what savings a forrrrr hehehe
I heard people mention the katana boss amps were good somewhere around here so I am checkin those out, but I am more keen on getting headphones since I am a nightowl and also dont know how to play guitar, not having to worry bout people hearing my crimes against sound might make me more eager to experiment, a pair for 150 there looks nice enough, now I will sleep and await 400 replies to overwhelm and annoy me with vague threats because I wrote too many words for their tiny little brains
ans then 3 replies that are perfect and helpful and spark my dreeeeaaams
Glad you like the guitar! Yeah the Boss Katana amps are great. I have the Katana 50 MKII and it's such an amazing amp for the price. I will be making a video on it soon :)
I got the guitar but havent played much yet, and I have a mustang headphone adaptor for it, and I like the sounds it makes
just gotta get motivated to play it..m and also remember that I have it
I have this guitar and play it with the Spark
it is my first guitar and i recoment it to everyone its just the perfect guitar to start off ur guitar skills
I own a RG Prestige and a RG gio guitar. I can say that tone wise if u use ur plug in right (tweak it well), it will sound almost exactly the same, but prestige guitars is known for thin neck so its easier to play on the prestige. btw, great review dude !
Hey nice to know! Sorry for the late reply. Thanks for the kind words!
I agree also have one rg2550z prestige made by J team. Honestly i dont feel much of a different from gio 121dx.
I bought this and it’s a really kick ass guitar
Oh yeah it really is for the price especially!
@@geirisk8 totally, pairs even better with my orange 12 watt amp
Aside from a little fret sprout sometimes, Gios are good guitars, I love Ibanez, even their cheaper models (I have 7 RGs, some were $299 new, 2 are Frankensteins, love them all)!
Gonna buy one Monday Aug. 1st after watching this I'm convinced . I don't use 10 gauge I use 9's hopefully Sweetwater will set it up with 9's on it . I'm gonna Shred the crap out of it and slap some Goto locking tuners on it as soon as it arrives ! Thanks for showing what we are getting . By the way its $229 at Sweetwater free shipping !!!
i have this in black color, its a great value for the money!
I bought one today...I hope it will meet my expectations for this 🎸
Awesome! Let me know how you like once you've played it a little!
Nice sound... fretboard feels good...for this price definitely nice instrument..
Only thing is that I will also lower down strings for solo's...
Definitely recommend it....
Thanks i just ordered the silverburst version of the same guitar. Cant wait to get it. This will be the cheapest guitar in my collection but the finish the pickups and the bound fretboard sold me when i saw it on amazon 2 days ago. Their were only 5 of the silverburst left so i snagged myself one. Thinks. I found no videos of the silverburst version. Il demo and review it on my channel . thanks.
Awesome man and thanks for warthing!!
I just ordered the grgr131bk?? Something. Lol. I wanted a cool drop C beater. They look cool and the reviews have been good. Can't wait to get it.
I bought this guitar but I have found that the action is very height so I decided to change the truss rod but for my surprise I found that it doesn't change anything and the neck is a bit twisted ... I have plenty of deadnotes.
You must have a faulty model because the one I had was just really well set up. I would take it back and get a replacement OR ask them to fix it for you.
@@geirisk8 só it was a bad luck! :/ but I like the tone of it
Thanks for the help! :D Nice vid! :D
I just got this one from GC used as great condition for $130 it’s pretty awesome
I plan on getting this guitar in a couple weeks or so, and putting in some EMG pickups (81 60) for something different than passives
If that's the tone you're looking for then this guitar won't disappoint 😉
Did you get it?
Give me the run down
@@BOBANDVEG I'm getting the guitar on Thursday, and the EMGs whenever they arrive
@@InsomniacMatt keep me posted good man
@@InsomniacMatt how'd the emg's do for yah?
some Ibanez guitars just look so good honestly... ps. it has humbuckers but it sounds like any Ibanez guitar like eva.. much brighter than u would expect
The really cool thing about this one is that it has a 5-way pickup selector, which in positions 2 and 4 turn into single coils (meaning it can basically be a tele but without the middle position)
Это очень хороший инструмент. Купил его месяц назад, играю свои любимые песни и учу новые
Awesome mate, it's a solid guitar!!
I appreciate you playing ETID as a demo for this guitar.
Sorry for the late reply. I appreciate you for knowing the ETID riffs ;)
I bought this recently. I think the playability is even better than my gibson les paul.
I have this exact guitar and love it
Yes, It is very good value!
I have essentially the same one with a different switch and finish. My only complaint is that I can't lower the action without getting severe buzz. Several frets are at least four thou higher than the rest and it sucks. Apparently they don't glue the frets in place, and I'm sure they don't level them either. Aside from that, it's fine.
Interesting, I don't remember the frets being the way you described them. The fact about budget guitars is that some of them will be less perfect than others.
Waiting for my first electric guitar arrived, just purchase it yesterday
That's awesome, I'm sure you won't be disappointed!
@@geirisk8 not at all ! Now just to find good cheap amp
I’m going to get this for Christmas for my first electric guitar
Awesome!! Did you get it?
@@geirisk8 yeah, it’s great!
Good guitars I picked up a Gi0 here in Australia paid $470 I think it is in the starting range of Ibanez RG something has am aqua poplar body.
Ooohhh sounds good! How do you like it?
7:58 - Everlong by Foo-Fighters?
got mine today...stunning Quality, feels and looks like a 500/600$ Guitar. Soundcheck will show if it chuggs 😎
I have this guitar and it kicks some serious butt. As mentioned in the comments section, just upgrade this and it would be good to go!
I have this same model and i love it
one of the best guitar
love it
It seems to gather lots of traction here on RUclips. I didn't expect it haha. It indeed is a good guitar!
Would you recommend this guitar for "lighter" genres of music such as funk or blues? Great video btw!
Absolutely! The coil tapping gives you so many options tonally and I would explore that if I were you and getting the guitar!
@@geirisk8 Thank you very much!!
dont buy electric guitars for there sound, the only different in tone is whether you're using single coils or humbuckers, the specific pickup or what wood the guitar is made of doesnt matter all humbuckers sound like humbuckers and all single coils sound like single coils, if you want information to back these claims up check out spectre sound studios video on pickups and tonewood, now thats not to say tonewood doesnt matter for acoustic guitars but the reason acoustic guitars sound different but not electric guitars is because the pickup only picks up the magnetic energy (the strings) and not the acoustic energy, you can test this by trying to talk into your guitar, notice how unless you are made of metal it wont pick up the noise?? thats because pickups are not microphones...
Hello! I've been stuck between buying this one or the GRG 170DX, which one would you recommend 😓
I got a ibanez gio yesterday. It is very easy to play.
Awesome, congrats and enjoy the guitar!!
7:58 is that old Foo Fighter
good guitar but over the few years ive had it its developed a loose jack which makes it almost unplayable unless i hold it in the exact right position
I can't decide between these one and the Jackson Js32 :( my biggest problem is that they say that the pickups on that specific Jackson are terrible lol
199dol, here in my country it is like 500dol, i'm in love with this guitar for some time and can't get it XD to continue learning
The stock pickups sound good, I'm planning to buy the guitar at some point and I will swap them for a Bill Lawrence 500XL and a Seymour Duncen 59 like Nuno has
dont, pickups do not alter the sound...
Bought this one also , great guitar love it
Just got my Ibanez it has a little fret buzz on the first 3 frets of the low e any tips?
It's a keeper and a good camping guitar!
I use this guitar with deplike and I don't know why it is Ibáñez grg 121 the sound cuts off or it does not have a quality sound if yours will be because of the processor you have or something like that also sounds like sumbido todo maluco ??? Help me
I've had one of these for about two years. I'm honestly thinking of picking up two or three more for gigging purposes. For shows, I'd rather have a small fleet of decent, affordable guitars than one really nice one that I'd be scared of damaging.
Playing live, it's almost impossible to hear a difference between a $200 guitar and a $2,000 guitar. Studio recording is a different story, though. In that case, a higher end guitar makes a little more sense.
Hi...Congratulations for your video... Two questions..
1-Will you recommend this guitar for a new player guitar?... I don't know play guitar and I'd like to learn.
I like this model and GRG131DX too (very similiar)..Two model without floyd Rose because is better to learn (I think).
2- Is body smooth to touch?... I don't know if its finished is like rough wood or light with Nitrocellulose or Polyurethane.
Thanks you very much
Hey yes absolutely! Both of these guitars should be very similar so I think it's up to which one you think looks cooler?
The body is very smooth and it has a finish on it so it's smooth to the touch even though it looks a little like unfinished wood.
Good luck mate!!
@@geirisk8 Thank you for reply and help me..!!!!. I think 121DX model is most elegant (smart)...I'm going to buy it..... Best Regards my friend.
@@raulmanuel6807 If you ended up purchasing it, what was your experience like?
Lovely!
Do you think this guitar would also be ok for playing chords and suitable for small hands?
Yes.
Those stock pups sound good
Sounds like you got a wild, shameless plain riff down.. Any news on that? I recorded almost all of my "bore" project using a super cheap Gio btw. I got off craigslist for even cheaper and am satisfied enough with it I have not upgraded.
No news as of right now. Both parties have been veeeeery busy but I'm gonna catch up on that and see what we can do!
I was honestly quite surprised how well this guitar played and it also has a solid tone from those ibanez brand pickups. Just a few minor upgrades and it'll go a long way!
By the way I've also got the new songs nailed down but I need to work on those for a bit before I can finish and release. I've got an idea for them ;)
@@geirisk8 New idea.. ooh. interest piqued. And I am also surprised by how long and how much I've done with this cheap ass guitar. Makes me think if I just went up a tier or two, I could still get a cheap guitar from Ibanez that sounds good and plays well. I have considered it a lot. I also will admit, I am not quite the tone junky some others are. I have an American Strat I use for my alternative rock, which sounds great and has tons of character, but i like having a beater guitar that I can tune down to B and play junky hardcore riffs. It works really well for what I am specifically using it for. A PRS would sound too nice.
I get you! It's not all about having the most expensive guitars. I had a US PRS Custom 22 from 2000 that was great but I never really bonded properly with it. I have some more cool videos coming up soon-ish where I explore more mods and I'm waiting for a special guitar to arrive in the next few weeks ;)
I’m thinking of getting this as my first guitar - any recommendations for a good but reasonably cheap amp to go with it? Thanks
Hey there! Honestly, the Boss Katana line (various different models) can do so much and they sound really good. You can't go wrong with one of those!
Cool, I’ll check them out. Thanks for replying
@@jamesmarshmallow5602 I absolutely agree. I have a boss katana 50 and it fucking rules. Also have the boss mini amp for a more portable amp,even that's very cool.
Iam looking at maybe getting a used Ibanez rga42t ATM for about $350 (Aussie $$) that seems like a good price cause it looks like new.
@@peaner083 yeah I’m thinking of getting the mini amp. Also that seems like a pretty good deal, pretty much the same price as the rg121dx
@@jamesmarshmallow5602 I actually used the mini amp way more for awhile as I like to play out on the padio but now I've got a cover for the big one.
It's definitely very good quality the mini,I think you can run speakers to it also if needed/wanted.
Cheers I'll check out that model Ibanez too.
who is here 2024?? Watched the entire video and bro I will certainly buy this guitar as my Christmas gift.
Everlong on the Gio 🔥🔥
Aw yeah!!
Sounds amazing. What are you plugging into? Sounds awesome and simple
A good beginner guitar for anyone to pick up and learn or practice on.
Oh absolutely!
I have the same guitar but it doesnt sound like in this video. I have Blackstar ID:15 TVP. I like bands like Amon Amarth, Gojira and I wanna play theirs songs but my tone discourage me playing. I dont know where is the problem. May be my amp doesn't chug or my setup and EQ is wrong or maybe I need some pedals. Where do I start ? Can you help this fellow beginner metalhead?
Hey there! So just by the gear you have, you should be able to get a pretty decent tone for sure. You say you're a beginner and I think the issue could be there, at least partly. I remember for a long time I had no idea how to dial in the tone that I wanted because I didn't really understand my gear. Maybe you understand more than I did when I started but it's kinda hard without getting an example of you playing through the gear. I would be more than happy to help you out in a more detailed discussion. Maybe I can help you out with some settings and tips!
Let me know what you think, cheers!
Amfi de gitar da iyi aslında yakın tonlar alıyor olman lazım
Yeah, I think I'm going to pick one up. Been looking at some cheaper models of Schecter, Jackson and Ibanez. The GIO is the one in going get...I think. Lol. I have a Squire Bullet strat and it's actually a decent guitar, but want something a little smaller and that I can navigate the neck more quickly. Growing out of the Squire.😂
I'm a novice guitar player and have recently received this exact guitar. Plugged into a Marshall MG15FX it sounds so dull and tone dead.... Its really discouraging to play, any idea what could be causing this? I used to have a Ibanez RGR321EX going through a Zoom G1 years ago and I don't remember it sounding muddy like this does. Baring in mind its not the same setup but I'm sure something aint right.... Could it be the amp settings?
In Australia it’s 429 in Australian currency
hey nice review ,here's a sub. you covered everything i wanted to know , thanks :) this will be my first electric , so exited ...........please suggest a budget friendly amp (under 100$) for a beginner , to use with this guitar, thanks .
Buy boss katana mini it is like 90-100 dollars or save up to 250 and buy boss katana 50
Harley Benton amp with a Celestion👍
Full tube
You've got some decent suggestions below. I personally vote any of the Boss Katana amps and if you're able to save up a little longer then a bigger Katana model will be amazing!
Nice video ♥️ Marshall MG15 FX or boss katana mini or roland cube or fender champion actually i play acoustic and going for first electric would you please recommend from these amps or you can suggest your best choice!!!! Please
Honestly, I just got a Katana 50MKii and if that's any indication of the other Katana amps, I would go for that one. It's a killer amp!
Hi, I wanted to know if you can help me chose between this guitar, an ibanez grx70 or jackson js32 king v.
I want to play metal and rock, but i dont know what could be the best choice.
Awesome video by the way
Thanks! So the GRX70 is an old model that seems to be out of production (from what I've gathered) and my take is that modern affordable guitars are way better than they were some years ago. In that case, the guitar that I played in the video would be my choice out of the two Ibanez.
The Jackson is a more expensive guitar, different shape and has Floyd Rose so it's a different beast. It'll most likely be a better guitar but remember about V shaped guitars. If you don't sit with it in the classical position then playing it sitting down is always gonna be a pain. That's why I don't and have never owned a V guitar before haha!
Also the Floyd Rose is a big thing to me too. I don't like it but maybe you do?
Nice guitar 🎸 and veary good sound and best quality
Thank you for watching!
Are these Jumbo frets like Jackson
Is it a good beginner guitar though? I am looking to buy my first guitar and I was just wondering if it was good for my first guitar as a beginner
Can you please tell me which one's better?
Esp Ltd m 10 or this one?
My requirements- Primarily Metal but would love some decent clean Blues at times as well.
I like this RG more because of the 5 way pickup selector which is a 3 way in Esp Ltd.
But please give me your verdict, as soon as possible.
Thanks dude
So I'd personally go with the Ibanez. It's set up pretty much perfect right from factory, the pickups sound good and you have the split option which makes it a lot more versatile. I wish all humbuckers had this.
What amp sim did u use for the clean sound?
Hi there, thanks for the great review - how well does it do in drop tunings such as B and A
I’ve been looking at this guitar for a bit now, and I’ve been playing on a nameless strat for about a year now. Is this a good choice for me?
Oh absolutely if you're not looking to spend more then this is a very good choice!
@@geirisk8 Thank you for finalizing my decision. Great review!
@@christianpolak3011 did you buy it?
What does having two humbucker do? I got a pacifica with single humbucker
4:12 did I just hear the start of an opeth riff?
Haha I mean, it's a very basic A minor chord and I'm sure they've used it several times in their songs so technically, yes! ;)
@@geirisk8 That is true lol.
Coil yeah it starts with an Am
I’m not a beginner but looking to buy my first electric, is this good?