Hey man… I totally agree that gear does not matter for producing/making awesome sounds, BUT… i still regret i sold my ESP KH-2 Vintage Guitar. Since then i m still enjoying and getting better everyday playing my cheaper 3 LTD‘s i own… and i honestly can agrree with your Video you made, Jackson Custom vs Pro (Bottom Line was: dont buy the expensive one)… the human/instrument connection/interface ist a huge difference in regards to quality which pisses me off most of the time i cant pick up the quality instrument i had used to play a lot. Cheers bro
gear matters but not to the extent people think, yes gear can HELP you play better due to a better setup and fretwork, etc. What matters most is just being comfortable with your setup and making it work for you.
Honestly, all of these "does gear matter" videos always prove that gear does matter, but it's about the quality of the gear. Of course, nowadays, we can get good gear for cheap, so the question should instead be "does price matter." The video does a good job at showing that we have access to really good stuff at lower prices. The track was pretty sweet too, I wish it was longer. Lol
@@Salomon_G I agree and to be honest, I don't think Hammit has ever had a good tone on his leads. They are both skilled players for sure but the tone is like you said, garbage.
tremolo bridges and stuffs can change alot beetween price range but other from that i dont rly care about it I just stick to one guitar forever and ever dont need anything else.
I've been playing for 30 years, and in the beginning I started with cheap gear like most people. Most of the problems I was having staying in tune and enjoying the instrument where do to that. Then I started working and upgrading my instruments one at a time until I was working with fully professional riggs that I really enjoyed. But in that time I saw the quality of cheap gear go up and up. And I got to tell you it's not even the same ball game these days! These days I love playing cheap guitars and finding them for about 40 bucks used I started stepping into 7 strings with one of these Ibanez Gio's that was in terrible shape but I got it for 60 bucks and all those years playing I know how to set them up and fix any issues by now. And these days I don't even care about the grade of gear very much It's a combination of knowledge in terms of setup and in terms of dialing in tones! With that knowledge I'm just as likely to shred on a Squier for a gig as one of my core PRS guitars. Lesson don't be afraid to tinker in your way to tone and feeling. There's so much info out there, you can do it!
For me my life changing moment was saving up for a Musician JPXI. It was my first non budget guitar and I had been playing 20+ years. It was night and day. I went from a decent Guitar Center player to actually shredding. The quality of the construction and the exact dimensions everything. The neck feels like air and its just a joy to play. I have a Gary Holt ESP and its incredible as well. Once you get sub 1000 guitars start feeling less like glass and more like... well... wood.
Yes, @synystervail9847, most reviews on these cheaper guitars, even some of the 2K dol Ibanez guitars, say these guitars will NOT stay in tune!!! I've been researching for the past three weeks... and yeah, staying in tune, a BIG problem! ^..^~~
@@recklesswhisper I have one of these Gio 7-strings and if you string it properly it stays in tune just fine. It's a fixed bridge so it's not hard. I could understand more issues coming up with tremolo bridges on cheaper guitars.
To me, the only things that matter for a guitar is the pickups and tuning stability. You could throw some nice seymour duncans/EMGs and some locking tuners into the cheapest squier strat you can find and it will sound good. Set the thing up well and dial in a good tone and you'll be fine
2yrs late, but I see so many people underestimate the importance of the nut when talking about tuning stability. Locking tuners won’t make a lick of difference if the nut is pinching your strings, or the exit angle isn’t filed properly. Locking tuners are great for speeding up the restringing process for sure
@@P.B.R._S._n_C. I second that. The nut and just stringing it properly with not too much extra wrap and stretching new strings out fully will keep you in tune just fine without locking, on a fixed bridge like the Gio in this video at least it's that easy.
creating dumb controversy for views? I feel like they arent 2 things to be compared, gear can get you the tone you want albiet it can get expensive, like small gains on top performing pc rigs = $1000s Skill is just a separate animal no?
@@tehtonym most people who use plugins play with headphones, it sounds pretty much the same than it would sound if you recorded it. So idk what you mean by "in the room"
The snob community challenges itself. We don't need a 12-minute video telling us the obvious. We're way past debating sound quality from guitar to guitar. Especially if we play distorted music. The way a guitar feels to play is what's important. Playing two guitars back to back with the same signal chain never produces any meaningful discussion topics. They always sound practically the same. We already have 1,000,000 pickup "shootout" videos that try super hard to distinguish pickup sounds but can't. We don't need a 1,000,001st such video.
the gio range is brilliant. i have a grg121dx-bkf, and the only negative was the stock pickups sounded a little muddy, changed them out for emg 81-85's and im blown away by it
just picked up the 121dx too. thinking about doing the same EMG pickup swap or the dimarzio PAF pro and super distortion. great little guitar. some frets need leveling, but apart from that its perfect
yeah, the only downside is the very soft wood of the body, so you have to be very careful not to get any dents, other than that its great@@Divine_Serpent_Geh
It's all about software nowadays, plus good mixing trumps everything. We went from tube amps to solid states to modular software plugins. We are already at the point where kids can make killer tracks in their bedrooms. If I were 14 again, I would be in heaven.
This was my first 7 string. I stuck a Seymour Duncan Nazgul bridge pickup in it and I loved it. I've since upgraded to a Holcomb 7 string SE but I still go back to the Ibanez for Drop A stuff a lot
Hi, got the same Ibanez and changed the bridge pickup with a SD Nazgul 7 exactly like you. Now, if I can get a good tone out of it, I find very weird that my other guitar ( early 2000's Squier Showmaster ) naturally outputs a way brighter tone. If I put the Ibanez on an guitar rig 6 preset that I use for my Squier, it sound way darker, almost muddy in comparaison. Is this normal ?
My main bass is a 1987 Korean Squier P Bass. I fitted it with a new bridge, a set of Geezer Butler passive pickups, and gave it a full set up. It sounds incredible. So incredible that the last time my band recorded in a professional studio, the engineer tried to buy it off me.
I've been making guitar vids with my LTD M10, Jackson JS22 and free plugins for years now. No need for insanely priced gear anymore. Just get a laptop and an interface and you're set
I have pretty much all Jackson's and the most expensive one is my ht6. They are all great but I changed the pickups out on a few to taste. The old ones were adequate though.
Literally recorded our debut album on this guitar, albeit with a Seymour Duncan Nazgul pickups. The stock pickups didn't respond dynamically to digging into the strings as much as I do on some of my riffs. Great value instrument, love Ibanez!
Hi, got the same guitar and litterally puts the same pickup for the bridge. Even though I can get a good tone out of it, I find wierd how darker it sounds compared to my Squier Showmaster with the same Guitar Rig 6 preset
I can't stop listening to that demo song! As someone who has been learning to play guitar for the last two years, this video was a wealth of information! Thank you Keyan!
@@Jess3THPS I couldn't disagree more, similar tone and style yes but very different. Keyan's demo is a more simplified version but no where near the same.
Honestly, today's cheap gear is pretty decent quality wise. Some companies have come a long way with their affordable gear and Ibanez is no exception. I play a $350 Ibanez RG bass and it plays just as good as some companies' $700 - $800 basses. On top of that I find it easier to put better parts on it down the road and make it even better over time instead of spending another $1000 all at once on a better instrument.
I recently got an ibanez gio rg131dx cause I like the way it looks with the red binding and inlays, and at it was fine but comparing it to another guitar worth almost 10 times as much was obviously disappointing. I spent a couple of hours doing a full clean, fretboard oil, fret polish, action and intonation adjustment and now it plays comparably to my more expensive guitar. Still feels cheaper but is no less fun to play. A good setup goes a long way.
i played guitar on and off for years, never really took it seriously, just bought a squier strat affinity the beginning of 2021, and with already existing experience in engineering and mixing, i got amplitube 5 and a couple neural dsp plugins, and been upgrading my squier slowly every couples months, new tuners, made the frets play better, ssl1 neck, sh4 bridge, and it plays really great, it sounds really great, but i also never played with any expensive amps, amp modellers, or any expensive guitars, so while i think its amazing the guitar and the plugins, i might just be in the unknown of how better it can be
You definitely get what you pay for but putting in some work like you did setting it up, can make a guitar feel and play (even sound) so much better it's crazy
@@corbinhaynes7543 i also came back to the setup i did couple month back, and corrected it and notice the saddle heights were done wrong, too high and also not adjusting the radius of my neck with the string heights on the saddle, just fixed it today and holy hell does it play 10 times better already
@@dulla8469 Man I wish I had gotten into the setup and upgrading stuff a lot sooner like you did haha, honestly I've been playing for maybe 12 years since I was a kid but the first several I didn't take seriously... and having a cheap guitar with loose parts and a bad setup sucks when you're newer to the instrument because you're already learning and relearning so much and trying to build muscle memory- you don't need to be fighting the guitar on top of it. Keep shredding man
Some people will always find something to critize and nothing to appreciate. If you have the right to critize by saying "it's a little too dark", don't you also have the right to compliment the content?
I bought that guitar about a year and a half ago. Apart from the electrics the guitar is perfect. I ended replacing the stock pickups with DiMarzio Deactivators and replacing the pots and wiring too as that was pretty cheap and nasty. But the finish, the neck feel, the mechanical parts, the assembly were all top notch.
As someone who only owns budget gear i can say that you can achieve a lot with low end gear but i think some things are just way more comfortable and life quality improving on more high end guitars, like tuning stability and neck feel. Also my Pickup selector on my 400€ schecter 7 String broke after like two months and it seems to be a common Problem with all of these models, so you'll have to put in additional money and time to fix it. So i think i want to get something decent, like an ormsby in the future when i can afford it. And thats always a motivation to keep playing and get some money in so i can buy my Dream guitar. You can get along with budget gear just fine though
Hey man, a good tip for buying more expensive guitars on a budget is to buy used! There's usually a larger variety of models (especially discontinued models) and you might find certain upgrades you'd otherwise do yourself. Ormsbys can be had used for anywhere around €700-900 in my experience.
My pickup switch stopped working on my budget Omen-7 (Schecter). I used my 15$ soldering kit to install a new one and it works great. Swapping out electrical components is a breeze if you watch a few tutorials on how to solder. Now a bigger concern is fret-wear. The fret-ware on my guitars is why I do not wish to buy a guitar that does NOT have jumbo stainless steel frets.
@@thatguyreiji1045 I’m actually taking my guitar into the shop for a set up. Something always felt a bit off so I’m gonna see how much it helps. Especially the intonation
I bought a GRG121 to learn how to do fret leveling and crowning to eliminate fret buzz, it plays almost as good as my RG Prestige now. I put some pickups in it that cost as much as the guitar and it's an excellent riff machine now.
To me what matters Is pickups sound/tone and stability with tunners. You can put an active pickup on a shovel and nail it. As any active would do in anything, with passive pickups wood matters More because of dynamic sound it has.
I had one bad guitar with expensive pickups for years, then I bought another cheap but very well made and set up guitar, and my playing skyrocketed in a year. The sound is not as important as somebody could think. You just need a guitar which won't make you feel you suck hard but in fact it is not your fault. I would recommend to beginners: buy your first electric guitar with somebody that can advise you (but even with bad guitar don't skip guitar lessons :D it will pay off later)
Yes this is a great comment- playability is huge and especially for newer guitar players I think it is the most important thing. Learning how to set up your guitar/getting a setup that is good will do a lot
Great job, as always! Awesome to see you using the highpass filter before any distortion, in order to make the chugs sound nice and tight! Great technique. I wanted to suggest another free plugin that would help at home players who sit close to their screen while recording guitar takes. Its a multiband gate called Bertom Denoiser. Eliminates the high frequency noise from computer screens bleeding through your pickups. Great gate for cleaning up your DI while ringing out long sustained notes. Also helps clean up the start/stop kinda riffs. Not a gate as much as it is a denoiser. Ive got a video on my channel about it but Id love to see you shout it out as that would definitely amplify awareness. Cheers!
Yooooooo, thank you for pointing this out. I'm going to start doing this, I just had to pause the video to pull up a mix and try it out. I usually do it after all my proccessing. I feel like my life is a lie
Damn, who knew reading the comment section would pay off. That Bertom Denoiser is a game changer...thanks for the tip! And great video on your channel showing how to apply it to guitars.
Hey keyan, recently found your content and i love learning new things as a in my bedroom metal guitar enthusiast. Its my pleasure to know that i actually know am the owner of the exact guitar in this video. The guys at derringers sorted me out and we spoke about this video and what convinced me to finally buy my first 7 string. It sounds gorgeous the way you set it up ♡
Usually-I end up going thru my subs-to delete- Your channel in a short time has provided me with inspiration and knowledge! Seriously going to look into this model not only as an intro 7 string, but as an added value to my home studio. Much Thanks.
I've been using an older model of this guitar on half of my covers. Looks like they've upgraded the knobs and bridge on the newer one you have, those were definitely the parts that they skimped out on before. Aside from that and a few other minor issues, it's still a great instrument! Oh and the demo song, full body chills man. Please release something soon 🖤
I bought this guitar as a placeholder while I waited for my Ironlabel xiphos and I was honestly surprised by the over all quality for the price. The pick ups alone, while not perfect, delivered much more than I expected. Honestly highly recommended for anyone wanting to delve into 7 strings but aren't sure.
I sold all my good 7s some years back for a custom 6 string and a Marshall DSL. Ended up buying one of these, metallic blue with a maple fretboard (with some nice figuring, score!) it plays nice after a solid setup, and while the pickups definitely get a little muddy at times, it’s a lot of guitar for the money, frankly. Got a set of Dimarzio D’activators on the way, gonna see if I can get that Jesse Cash vibe workin’.
Knowing your gear, making sure they’re well maintained and set up well and practice make the biggest difference. Maybe change the plastic nut for a graph tech nut if it’s not cut well costs around £10 but it’s a serviceable studio tool, would I gig with something that price why not, I would probably buy 2 and keep one as a backup though.
I'm a father of 3. I've lived my whole life by this model. I make the best of what I got. Thanks for the tips and mixing advice. Fantastic! Subscribed.
As a guy who never really got good at guitar, or stuck with it long enough. I’ll tell ya, I purchased a decently expensive guitar, at $1050 I bought a Schecter c1 hellraiser Floyd rose in trans purple. It was a beautiful guitar, and still is if you see one. How ever being a beginner, it just was more than I needed or knew how to use efficiently. As well as not understanding what Floyd Rose actually meant. I thought it was just a signature name or something 😂. I bought a black (i think that’s all it comes in tbh lol) Jackson Dinky JS22 recently, and haven’t gotten into it much, but I realized man, for a beginner, it’s great. I’m not familiar with guitars enough to pick it up, play it, and see what’s nice about certain things like pick ups, fret boards etc, as the dude making this video does. To him, he can get more out of expensive guitars that offer more potential because he knows how to use that potential. Floyd Rose for example, he can probably pick one up l and start nailing Dive Bombs, and just crazy sounds I wouldn’t even know about. Basically all I’m saying is, from a guy who did buy something expensive, and something cheaper, go with what your experience level is worth. How much would you get paid to play something? Transfer that into how much you wanna pay to play something. When you figure out if you’re going anywhere with it, which you will, than decide is it time to upgrade or just move on. That doesn’t mean stop all together, just means you have that guitar you can jam on sometimes, and it will do the trick.
A true testament to the notion that the time you put into practicing/getting better will outshine the pricepoint of the instrument. Solid work my friend!
I think it partially depends on the actual music you're trying to play, pretty much anything can chug, but not everything feels good to shred on. Cheaper guitars are a lot better than they used to be, and in most cases it really comes down to feel since hardware and electronics are pretty good now, although QC can still be an issue depending on what guitar you're looking at.. Most of the issues you 'might' find with cheaper guitars can usually be solved pretty easily by a guitar tech, though that might change the budget a bit. Generally, try to play anything you want to buy first, you'll know then if something has to change or if you simply don't like it.
Dude, you do it EVERYTIME. I love your content dude, this is what we need to spread. Don't be ashamed of your gear, if it's what you got, it's what you got. Play it, love it
Just copped the LTD M-17 because of Keyan (inspired me to get into heavier shit) and it's mint for 399 NZD. Would recommend that as well if you're on a budget and wanna get into 7 string playing
Yeah I used to work at the Rockshop and got to play and test a shit tonne of lower end stuff and those LTDs absolutely demolish pretty much everything in their price range
Recently sold my M17 great entry level 7 string if you're not too sure about them and want to try one out for cheap. I ended up upgrading because I play G and lower and needed a bigger scale.
@@denverrandy7143 i got a 32-8 jackson, and for the love of me i cant get it to sound good nomatter how hard i tried, dont know if its just me being shit or its the pickups.
I like how you combined a pretty straightforward and honest review of a piece of gear (what I actually clicked on this video for) with a production and "stress testing" type video that created a sweet track at the end. Really well done review.
Yeah, totally. Depending on what gear. A bad amp vs a good amp is a huge difference, not much debate there IMO. You don't _need_ an expensive guitar to sound good, but you get a better sound to effort ratio out of them, and then there is feel. Cheap guitars rarely have a satisfying feel to them. There is definitely a point of diminishing returns though... I think $500-$1000 is the sweet spot, but a $3k guitar vs a $1k guitar would be worth it if you have the money and skill to justify it. Gear matters more and more as you get better. Though learning on nice gear vs shitty gear can be more rewarding and maybe provide more incentive to play more. Playing is more enjoyable the better you sound... That said, learning on an $80 acoustic is a million times better than nothing and totally worth it. You won't know what you're missing. Then when it comes to recording gear, and mixing gear, software etc., it clearly matters. You're capped by your acoustic environment, but a usb mic vs say a sm57 and a budget interface is night and day... Though... There are some solid USB options these days. Anyway... Yeah gear matters. But a skilled player with cheap gear will clearly sound better than a noob with a $10k setup. I was listening to an old ass Chet Atkins recording the other day... Super simple recording, with crackling, hiss and all. Just a mono recording of a mic'd up telecaster. Sounded great. It's all a matter of perspective and expectations I suppose.
Subscribed! I’m a bit of an old-timer who still uses a Zoom G2.1u and a couple of pedals. I’ve never used a PC to manage my tones and I’ve not really recorded much, but vids like this make me excited to get into it. Great tones and I agree that a cheap Ibanez is amazing BFYB.
You're right. You.can make them SOUND expensive but that doesn't change how they FEEL. That is usually what sets expensive guitars apart in my opinion. Yes, expensive guitars do ultimately sound better in many cases, but equipment makes a difference.
Indeed at the end of the day the guitar would still be a low end chinese made GIO ( still good for the money ) and chances are has some issues that can be resolved with a proper setup also companies cut corners on the cheaper models to keep costs down Yes it's best to make the most out of what you own but sometimes it's best to spend a bit more on the next investment
This is fantastic! I’ve always said unless you have the money for a more premium instrument, you can do more with an inexpensive guitar with a bit of TLC, proper technique, and a good ear for setting a tone. I actually bought a Jackson seven string that normally retails for $200 off a guy on offerup. He put $500 worth of upgrades on it (Hipshot bridge/tuners, BKP aftermaths, setup, etc) and it plays and sounds like a more premium instrument! Well done!
I own a Jackson JS22-7 and out of the box it can only pass as a mod platform, pickups are weak, tuners don't hold too well, action to the moon, frets cutting fingers. Haven't put expensive upgrades, but for 100-150 euros more you can get a decent instrument - different tuners, pickups and fret leveling go a long way. Still, as someone that plays 300-500 euro instruments, this guitar is still not as good as my other instruments despite definitely being better after upgrades and TLC. Used to own an RGD7421, couple of Schecters and even a Squier Stagemaster 7 and can say that they are all better guitars... And yet, I don't care about the performance that much, its the color that I like and Jackson is matte black :)
@@woochyna I feel you brother! I own that exact guitar. I guess I got lucky because someone else put in the work and money haha. I bought it for $400! But I definitely agree. For a little bit more, you can get a better instrument. You can see it on my Architects cover! But yes, something striking about that matte black.
@@farremovedmedia513 I own Aftermaths in 6 string version, good pickups, but your sound is serious, dude. Watching my guitar and wondering how's it the same model as yours.
Man getting a massive sound out of low-budget gear is so much easier now than before. I’d say the question is more “Does HIGH END Gear Matter?” when it comes to getting a great tone. It sure used to matter when youtube wasn’t around to show you how to make the most of what you have when you don’t know how to achieve that.
Very good video! One thing I'd like to mention is that budget guitars aren't necessarily bad, but they can be inconsistent. If you buy three of these Ibanez Gios, they can vary tremendously in terms of quality of electronics, tuning stability, etc. Part of what a more expensive guitar will give you is the reliability that you're not just getting lucky. The quality control on the higher end instruments tends to be better. Still, you make a great point with this video. Especially these days, with the quality of software available to everyone, you can do a lot more with a much smaller financial investment than you could back in the 90s.
This does not take into account the recording and mixing gear, the difference of purchase power between countries. With that being said, FUNCTIONAL gear matters above all. If you can hear yourself with no technical issues muddying the sound, all is well. Also, this video is, more than anything, a testament to your mastery over sound processing. What an excellent job you've done here!
I have a 6 string Gio from years ago and even though I dont use it much I've always ben impressed with the tone/quality it has for the price. good starter / lower end guitar
Eq changes can change a lot when it comes to tones and with some different guitar pickups if you compare them and really listen to the clean you could notice a difference. As for a good or bad sounding song that is so subjective, but I do love the modern Djent mix you have going here.
Dude. Love your channel. And you're right. Gear does not matter. Ambition and not letting anything get in your way matters. I can't tell you how many shitty guitarists I know who think they are held back on gear and refuse to study and practice.
I love the idea of having an expensive guitar, but I bought an entry level Jackson 7 when I started playing 7s, and with all the effects, it sounds great and feels great to use, and is comparable in sound to guitars double or even triple the price. For the first vid I've seen from you, super informative and a great watch!
Gear matters - to a point. If you have a playable guitar that doesn't fight you and you can get a decent tone out of the software you have, you can do anything you want to. So yeah, above a certain price point the Law of Diminishing Returns kicks in, and it kicks hard.
Yo! this was super interesting to watch man! I noticed a click at 9:17 at the cut you did, fl studio lets you add a tiny fade that might fix that. I'm going to try out these and see if I can get something as good! but hats off to you sir, excellent info and demo!
Really shocked that you'd have a .56 with the low A when the scale is shorter than normal too. My 7 I sold a few months back was a 26.5 and I ran .62's for A & G# was still to floppy for my taste. But maybe I'm one of the nuts that care about using calculators to roughly match all my string tensions to give you the feel of multiscale on non multiscale weirdness. But cool video tho, love that it's aimed at most of those who are struggling since the pandemic put many in a bind. Would love more like this, and maybe a middle ground option? I love the Neural DSP stuff and most are $100 for insanely good tones. I sold my Peavey 6505+ for the Nolly plugin and haven't looked back since!
Dude I'm in the same boat lol I got gear, I don't know if its good or not but I stopped playing 10 years ago and now I want to start back up but it looks like I need all this computer stuff to stay relevant. Seem like computer stuff is the new gear
@@ant_yep I just bought a focusrite solo gen2 on eBay £50. Pretty much any laptop will work fine all the software is included and you can connect direct via aux to any stereo (Or use headphones) You really don't need to be spending much money.
@@cafesociety8525 yeah I think that's what I'm gonna have to do. I been looking for a laptop and a focusrite scarlett and learn how to do this. I never owned a laptop or PC so I been watching videos on what's a good cheap laptop. And £50 for a focusrite? That's good, nice find
i've been watching your videos on and off for almost 2 years and didnt notice i wasnt suscribed until today. thanks for all these videos, they're extremely helpful :-).
Yo this is amazing! I've been using the same 6 string gio ibanez since i was in 8th grade like 16 years ago and that thing still slaps. Just goes to show its all about technical skill, and great mixing and mastering. Love the demo as well, sounds like VIA era Volumes. Good shit!
That's the point of this video, showing the people that DO have a long way to go and are scared that if they don't buy the 5000 dollar custom shop, they won't sound as good as their idols.
@@mjstories7181 i'd never ever recommend a 200$ guitar for a beginner. At best, that shooty guitar will hold them back, at worst they won't learn at all. there is a lot of room between 200 and 2000.
Honestly I'd argue that a 200 dollar guitar is fine, especially used, 200 dollars goes a long way. Low end epiphones and squiers are pretty great these days, with a proper setup anything can feel super nice!
Van Halen played a 90$ guitar plugged in a broken Marshall with a killer sound ! Several good guitarist play live and record on China Epiphone (Heafy, Gelotte, JJN,...). So yes, gear doesn't matter !!
I have and love this guitar! Bought it last year after picking up playing again during lockdown after a 10(ish) year hiatus and didn't want to splash out in case I never played it. Have ended up playing A LOT and have completely fallen in love with guitar again. I've got it in drop G quite comfortably with .10-.56 with a .74 on the low B - and I still get a pretty decent tone out of it - it's by no means production ready but more than OK for writing/recording home demos. I tend to use it with the Fortin NTS Suite as that seems to pull out the mids and round off the muddier low end quite nicely. Tried pushing it down to F but it just gets way too muddy on this scale length, just ordered the Ibanez Axion Label RGD71ALMS now I feel I can justify it, but will be keeping this one for writing in G so I don't have to keep retuning the other one unless recording. Will be interesting to see how the two models compare! I have to say it's such a solid little guitar, tuning stability is great and pickups are pretty reasonable for the price point and plays pretty quick and smooth - no issues at all with the fretwork and didn't take much adjustment to take that .74 string. Might chuck in some hotter pickups at some point but overall it's an awesome package for the price.
A poor craftsmen blames his tools, but a good craftsmen wouldn't teach with poor tools. If your getting into guitar and get something cheap, you're not going to like it unless you have a tech work on it to properly set it up. I've had guitars over 1 grand still have wood issues (didn't sand the wood under the fretboard down low enough so the board was bulging causing higher frets to buzz out) don't invest in getting something amazing off the bat, get something mediocre and invest in a good luthier to make it FEEL like 3 thousand dollars. And remember, no one can tell YOU what's worth what. If you're not picking up the guitar because it sounds poor (bad pickups) then replace the pickups. Don't let anything get in the way.
I'd also always advise everyone to own a feeler gauge set, and string height ruler too. Being able to accurately setup your own equipment anytime for ~$20 is way more practical in, and you're also able to feel more comfortable to other larger changes like a pickup swap for example. Of course a luthier is great for issues with the quality of the instrument, bad sand jobs, and their role for that line of work is invaluable as no guitar that is mass produced can escape quality issues getting missed. However, a person wouldn't get a mechanic to fill up your car with gas, clean it, adjust the seat, and lower the steering wheel right? Equally, getting a luthier to do simple adjustments like truss rod, move string height, or correctly intonate is a bit silly. But yeah, I agree with pretty much everything else though for sure. An E2 ESP/USA custom shop Strat, or anything in that class of guitars are really only justifiable when you're years in and are aware that it's a worthy investment to your craft/hobby. All that being said, what counts the most is that the guitar HAS to inspire you, or give you that unreadable need to never put it down. No associations without inspirations!
@@fateunleashed9680 100% agree with this! Truss rods adjustments and saddle height changes are something every player should learn, along side changing strings and figuring out what gauge string they like(coated or uncoated too!) I personally think for those who want to tech their guitar a little bit more than that would be to get a nut file set. So many guitars come out of the factory with crazy nut slot heights, and that impacts the feeling of the strings tremendously. Additionally new players also need to know that not every tool fits every hand. Every single guitar player will tell you to put the tool in your hand before buying it, and for good reason. However there's something more to that. As a player with under a year of experience, and no teacher, there's something I discovered that I want to pass on. You may find that while a guitar might feel comfortable at first, it could be because of poor grip, or a bad habit that you're not even aware of. Then, once you correct it, all of a sudden it's no longer comfortable. It's extremely important to learn how to hold the guitar properly, so you can figure out what one fits you best. Have a reputable sales person work with you on your first purchase to help show you how to hold it, or if you're taking lessons see if you can rent one! Don't be like me who has many different shaped necks and guitars because I couldn't make it to a store (thanks covid) to figure out the one that feels best.
The entry levels Ibanez's and Squires are so good there is really no longer a "bad cheap" guitar. Even the $200 guitars are awesome out of the box. Now.. as much as people like to tell new guitarists to forget about gear I would disagree. I love punk rock.. and when I bought my first amp which was a Roland Cube.. I got completely turned off continuing on with practice because it was a Jazz amp and sounded horrible for what I wanted. As soon as I bought a pedal suite it supercharged my ambition.
"259 Dollars" "Cheap" I cry with my $80 Epiphone Les Paul P90 Although I like the sound of my guitar, I'm still so new that I probably haven't outgrown my current guitar to the point where I will be skilled enough to tell the difference. In the future when my skills are worthy of a new guitar, I will save up and buy.
@@SOBBSIM The moonburst seems like a decent guitar and it has a "high" price (compared to mine). Although I can tell the massive difference between my Les Paul and a Walmart guitar, I have yet to figure out if I'd want to upgrade once I reach 8 years like you. I'll come back then to report!
I’ve owned a $200 epiphone, $100 Ibanez rg, and some hand me down acoustics for 7 years. Just this year I finally upgraded to an $800 strat and trust me, you will never feel like you’re good enough to upgrade. What matters is that you find a guitar you love and that you feel comfortable with. One that feels just right to you, and sometimes that guitar might cost $200, other times it might cost $800. Treat yourself brother buy the guitar that makes you happy and make some memories with it
@@SOBBSIM I was like you, I bought a Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy a months ago and now i'm upgrading my guitars, changing bridges, pick ups and that kind of stuff. Wood change the tone so far away
real talk I have a Harley Benton TE-52, a telecaster knockoff at around $100 and I love it. probably my most played guitar and I own $1k+ ones. I also recorded a song part on a $60 supermarket supermarket guitar set strat copy that I had laying around when writing and it made the final mix on a song (on which we also used a kiesel, a musicman and an ltd ec-1000, but the cheap take just felt so right), so don't be discouraged. it's 90% in the hands and amp (or plugins, or sound engineering), the other 10% is context. yeah it feels great & easier playing these expensive guitars, but ultimately if you know the guitar well and it sounds good, it's all cool
"A little short for drop F" If I can tune to drop A# on my six string Gio, I will sure as hell tune to drop E on the seven string Gio. I first need to get one...
I dont think so, 064 string on 26.5 is fine for Drop A/G even F sound "fine" but not really for E. My 8 string is 0.76 with 26,5 range and Drop E1 is already limit, i was in Double Drop D for short time to test it and it sounds average, as long as you play up to 6-7fret is ok but when i go to 4-3-2-1 and 0 then its just a mess and sounds out of tune. Not much difference even if im tuning around 2-3 fret instead of 5. I'll test 0.86 and 0.90 soon ;)
Dude, I have an Ibanez GAX from 2001-02 ish that I have put through hell and still plays great! I also have and 6 and 7 string RG, not the GiO's, that are both about 10 years old now and they play just as good as the day I bought them! I love me some Ibanez! Cool vid dude!
hey dude, ¿wich cheap guitar sounds better for you, the sub zero rogue VI 30" scale or this ibanez gio? (the matter of the 7th string in the ibanez doesn´t matter, just consider the sound out of the box) If you can make this comparison in a next video I would appreciate it a lot and I think it would serve a lot of people
I still have one of these, was one of my guitars when I was student and have no money at that time. I still play it despised other guitars with quality I have. The best way to make them sound good in my opinion is tunning them low with big strings. I can play soilwork, at the gates, carcass and others bands I like.
mans talking about a "cheap" guitar for 250 bucks, me over here meanwhile playing on a 100$ combo package including a guitar, an amp and a set of strings xD edit: also im the 90000s view on this video lets goooo🎉 edit2: just finished the video, damn dude this man knows how to mix holy shit
Guitars are like cars. Back in the 80's and 90's, there was a lot of complete junk out there that was objectively awful. Nowadays, nobody makes bad cars/guitars anymore, and whatever you like or can afford, is gonna do the job.
I owned one of the VERY early Gio GRG7221s, and they definitely weren't as nice as these newer ones, but I wasn't as 'bad' as I thought, especially now that I have an RG7421 and have played some of their Premium 7s. Obviously the proper RGs and the Premiums are nicer, but the difference isn't as drastic as you might expect.
The japnese rg7620 and 7621 blow the 7420 and 7421 out of the water. Literally, ive played 3 of those japanese ibanez 7’s from the 90’s, and they are the best sounding guitars ive ever held. Keeps up with my gibson and fender.
That guitar is so fucking good for that price! I remember trying one out and they feel really nice. It's such a great base too if you want to upgrade it in the future with new tuners and pickups.
Thanks for watching dudes! Now tell me, does gear matter? FIGHT
Yes gear matters unless you are keyan xD.
Jk it doesnt
Gear does matter, but what matters most is technique
What matters most is the musician playing the instrument 🤘
Hey man…
I totally agree that gear does not matter for producing/making awesome sounds, BUT… i still regret i sold my ESP KH-2 Vintage Guitar. Since then i m still enjoying and getting better everyday playing my cheaper 3 LTD‘s i own… and i honestly can agrree with your Video you made, Jackson Custom vs Pro (Bottom Line was: dont buy the expensive one)… the human/instrument connection/interface ist a huge difference in regards to quality which pisses me off most of the time i cant pick up the quality instrument i had used to play a lot.
Cheers bro
gear matters but not to the extent people think, yes gear can HELP you play better due to a better setup and fretwork, etc. What matters most is just being comfortable with your setup and making it work for you.
Honestly, all of these "does gear matter" videos always prove that gear does matter, but it's about the quality of the gear. Of course, nowadays, we can get good gear for cheap, so the question should instead be "does price matter." The video does a good job at showing that we have access to really good stuff at lower prices. The track was pretty sweet too, I wish it was longer. Lol
no duh gear matters.. the point is you dont need thousand dollar gear to get this result lol
i juss use a irig thru garage band on my iphone and tonebridge lmaoo idk wht my covers sound like to others tho
*sweat
@@MilesHoppus thats exactly the point he made... duh..
@@sentientcardboarddumpster7900nope
Gear doesn't matter as much as skill and technique, but it does matter.
@@Salomon_G Your guitar playing sounds better than James' "crap" on Hardwired, right?
Pretty sure your ears are just trash Salomon
@@Salomon_G I agree and to be honest, I don't think Hammit has ever had a good tone on his leads. They are both skilled players for sure but the tone is like you said, garbage.
@@Salomon_G no need to diss their tone because of your subjectivity then yeah? I could be your fanboy too if you put out any content 😜
tremolo bridges and stuffs can change alot beetween price range but other from that i dont rly care about it I just stick to one guitar forever and ever dont need anything else.
This is the best time in history to be a guitarist (or a musician in general)
FACT
id say funnest.
Hard out dude, great attitude!!
I would say the easiest, not the best.
@@detts5082 Oh yeah because poly-metric riffs are really easy!
I've been playing for 30 years, and in the beginning I started with cheap gear like most people. Most of the problems I was having staying in tune and enjoying the instrument where do to that. Then I started working and upgrading my instruments one at a time until I was working with fully professional riggs that I really enjoyed. But in that time I saw the quality of cheap gear go up and up. And I got to tell you it's not even the same ball game these days! These days I love playing cheap guitars and finding them for about 40 bucks used I started stepping into 7 strings with one of these Ibanez Gio's that was in terrible shape but I got it for 60 bucks and all those years playing I know how to set them up and fix any issues by now. And these days I don't even care about the grade of gear very much It's a combination of knowledge in terms of setup and in terms of dialing in tones! With that knowledge I'm just as likely to shred on a Squier for a gig as one of my core PRS guitars. Lesson don't be afraid to tinker in your way to tone and feeling. There's so much info out there, you can do it!
Thanks for your super helpful comment!
For me my life changing moment was saving up for a Musician JPXI. It was my first non budget guitar and I had been playing 20+ years. It was night and day. I went from a decent Guitar Center player to actually shredding. The quality of the construction and the exact dimensions everything. The neck feels like air and its just a joy to play. I have a Gary Holt ESP and its incredible as well. Once you get sub 1000 guitars start feeling less like glass and more like... well... wood.
Yes, @synystervail9847, most reviews on these cheaper guitars, even some of the 2K dol Ibanez guitars, say these guitars will NOT stay in tune!!! I've been researching for the past three weeks... and yeah, staying in tune, a BIG problem!
^..^~~
@@recklesswhisper I have one of these Gio 7-strings and if you string it properly it stays in tune just fine. It's a fixed bridge so it's not hard. I could understand more issues coming up with tremolo bridges on cheaper guitars.
Love this channel, content like this is pure quality. Keep it up Keyan!
Cheers dude! Means a lot 🖤
Damn man, praise from Jtc! Hell yeah!! 🤘🤘
Damn ...keyan reaching heights!
To me, the only things that matter for a guitar is the pickups and tuning stability. You could throw some nice seymour duncans/EMGs and some locking tuners into the cheapest squier strat you can find and it will sound good. Set the thing up well and dial in a good tone and you'll be fine
I have been looking for someone to say this..
2yrs late, but I see so many people underestimate the importance of the nut when talking about tuning stability. Locking tuners won’t make a lick of difference if the nut is pinching your strings, or the exit angle isn’t filed properly. Locking tuners are great for speeding up the restringing process for sure
@@P.B.R._S._n_C. I second that. The nut and just stringing it properly with not too much extra wrap and stretching new strings out fully will keep you in tune just fine without locking, on a fixed bridge like the Gio in this video at least it's that easy.
Keyan has been challenging the guitar snob community recently...And I like it👍🏾👍🏾
creating dumb controversy for views? I feel like they arent 2 things to be compared, gear can get you the tone you want albiet it can get expensive, like small gains on top performing pc rigs = $1000s Skill is just a separate animal
no?
Mmmmk? No shit using a million fucking EQs and plugins can make a cheap guitar sound good. Still gonna sound like shit In the room
@@tehtonym most people who use plugins play with headphones, it sounds pretty much the same than it would sound if you recorded it. So idk what you mean by "in the room"
Surprised that pos stayed in tune.
The snob community challenges itself. We don't need a 12-minute video telling us the obvious. We're way past debating sound quality from guitar to guitar. Especially if we play distorted music.
The way a guitar feels to play is what's important. Playing two guitars back to back with the same signal chain never produces any meaningful discussion topics. They always sound practically the same. We already have 1,000,000 pickup "shootout" videos that try super hard to distinguish pickup sounds but can't. We don't need a 1,000,001st such video.
the gio range is brilliant. i have a grg121dx-bkf, and the only negative was the stock pickups sounded a little muddy, changed them out for emg 81-85's and im blown away by it
That's exactly what I have is a GIO grg but it's a grg131 dx-red black flat
just picked up the 121dx too. thinking about doing the same EMG pickup swap or the dimarzio PAF pro and super distortion. great little guitar. some frets need leveling, but apart from that its perfect
I’ve played a used one that had Seymour Duncans on it, sounded crushing as well.
yeah, the only downside is the very soft wood of the body, so you have to be very careful not to get any dents, other than that its great@@Divine_Serpent_Geh
It's all about software nowadays, plus good mixing trumps everything. We went from tube amps to solid states to modular software plugins.
We are already at the point where kids can make killer tracks in their bedrooms. If I were 14 again, I would be in heaven.
Speak for yourself. I'm all about tubes!!
This was my first 7 string. I stuck a Seymour Duncan Nazgul bridge pickup in it and I loved it. I've since upgraded to a Holcomb 7 string SE but I still go back to the Ibanez for Drop A stuff a lot
Hi, got the same Ibanez and changed the bridge pickup with a SD Nazgul 7 exactly like you. Now, if I can get a good tone out of it, I find very weird that my other guitar ( early 2000's Squier Showmaster ) naturally outputs a way brighter tone. If I put the Ibanez on an guitar rig 6 preset that I use for my Squier, it sound way darker, almost muddy in comparaison. Is this normal ?
My main bass is a 1987 Korean Squier P Bass. I fitted it with a new bridge, a set of Geezer Butler passive pickups, and gave it a full set up. It sounds incredible. So incredible that the last time my band recorded in a professional studio, the engineer tried to buy it off me.
What matters the most is how you use the gear that you have, technique over price tags.
I've been making guitar vids with my LTD M10, Jackson JS22 and free plugins for years now.
No need for insanely priced gear anymore. Just get a laptop and an interface and you're set
Yup u said it
You forget we aren’t as good as you Tosin 😩
Yeah, and they sound great!! Just subbed to your channel dude 👍
I have an ibanez grg121, $199,....I cant find anything "wrong" with it
I have pretty much all Jackson's and the most expensive one is my ht6. They are all great but I changed the pickups out on a few to taste. The old ones were adequate though.
Literally recorded our debut album on this guitar, albeit with a Seymour Duncan Nazgul pickups. The stock pickups didn't respond dynamically to digging into the strings as much as I do on some of my riffs. Great value instrument, love Ibanez!
i have a rg7321 with a nazgul and it sounds fantastic. i still go to it even after purchasing a multiscale rgd 7 string
@@Konnerading Hellyeah!
Hi, got the same guitar and litterally puts the same pickup for the bridge. Even though I can get a good tone out of it, I find wierd how darker it sounds compared to my Squier Showmaster with the same Guitar Rig 6 preset
I can't stop listening to that demo song! As someone who has been learning to play guitar for the last two years, this video was a wealth of information! Thank you Keyan!
it was a cover of Coexistence by Breakdown of Sanity
@@Jess3THPS I couldn't disagree more, similar tone and style yes but very different. Keyan's demo is a more simplified version but no where near the same.
Honestly, today's cheap gear is pretty decent quality wise. Some companies have come a long way with their affordable gear and Ibanez is no exception. I play a $350 Ibanez RG bass and it plays just as good as some companies' $700 - $800 basses. On top of that I find it easier to put better parts on it down the road and make it even better over time instead of spending another $1000 all at once on a better instrument.
I recently got an ibanez gio rg131dx cause I like the way it looks with the red binding and inlays, and at it was fine but comparing it to another guitar worth almost 10 times as much was obviously disappointing.
I spent a couple of hours doing a full clean, fretboard oil, fret polish, action and intonation adjustment and now it plays comparably to my more expensive guitar. Still feels cheaper but is no less fun to play. A good setup goes a long way.
i played guitar on and off for years, never really took it seriously, just bought a squier strat affinity the beginning of 2021, and with already existing experience in engineering and mixing, i got amplitube 5 and a couple neural dsp plugins, and been upgrading my squier slowly every couples months, new tuners, made the frets play better, ssl1 neck, sh4 bridge, and it plays really great, it sounds really great, but i also never played with any expensive amps, amp modellers, or any expensive guitars, so while i think its amazing the guitar and the plugins, i might just be in the unknown of how better it can be
You definitely get what you pay for but putting in some work like you did setting it up, can make a guitar feel and play (even sound) so much better it's crazy
@@corbinhaynes7543 i also came back to the setup i did couple month back, and corrected it and notice the saddle heights were done wrong, too high and also not adjusting the radius of my neck with the string heights on the saddle, just fixed it today and holy hell does it play 10 times better already
@@dulla8469 Man I wish I had gotten into the setup and upgrading stuff a lot sooner like you did haha, honestly I've been playing for maybe 12 years since I was a kid but the first several I didn't take seriously... and having a cheap guitar with loose parts and a bad setup sucks when you're newer to the instrument because you're already learning and relearning so much and trying to build muscle memory- you don't need to be fighting the guitar on top of it.
Keep shredding man
While i do like the new lighting, I’d suggest putting more direct light onto yourself and the guitar. It’s a little too dark.
Waiting for some new lights to come in!
@@KeyanHoushmandLive anyway I could email you an chat? Some setup help would mean a lot. 🥺
Some people will always find something to critize and nothing to appreciate. If you have the right to critize by saying "it's a little too dark", don't you also have the right to compliment the content?
@@CJFripp ?
@@ashuzguitar who hurt you son
I bought that guitar about a year and a half ago. Apart from the electrics the guitar is perfect. I ended replacing the stock pickups with DiMarzio Deactivators and replacing the pots and wiring too as that was pretty cheap and nasty. But the finish, the neck feel, the mechanical parts, the assembly were all top notch.
Thanks that is what I was most curious about... all else can be replaced, especially at this price point. Awesome!
This vs Jackson js22 7string which one would you prefer for a beginner?
As someone who only owns budget gear i can say that you can achieve a lot with low end gear but i think some things are just way more comfortable and life quality improving on more high end guitars, like tuning stability and neck feel. Also my Pickup selector on my 400€ schecter 7 String broke after like two months and it seems to be a common Problem with all of these models, so you'll have to put in additional money and time to fix it. So i think i want to get something decent, like an ormsby in the future when i can afford it. And thats always a motivation to keep playing and get some money in so i can buy my Dream guitar. You can get along with budget gear just fine though
Hey man, a good tip for buying more expensive guitars on a budget is to buy used! There's usually a larger variety of models (especially discontinued models) and you might find certain upgrades you'd otherwise do yourself. Ormsbys can be had used for anywhere around €700-900 in my experience.
Don't forget to get a professional setup...Will help get the most out of your guitar...
My pickup switch stopped working on my budget Omen-7 (Schecter). I used my 15$ soldering kit to install a new one and it works great. Swapping out electrical components is a breeze if you watch a few tutorials on how to solder. Now a bigger concern is fret-wear. The fret-ware on my guitars is why I do not wish to buy a guitar that does NOT have jumbo stainless steel frets.
@@thatguyreiji1045 I’m actually taking my guitar into the shop for a set up. Something always felt a bit off so I’m gonna see how much it helps. Especially the intonation
I bought a GRG121 to learn how to do fret leveling and crowning to eliminate fret buzz, it plays almost as good as my RG Prestige now. I put some pickups in it that cost as much as the guitar and it's an excellent riff machine now.
To me what matters Is pickups sound/tone and stability with tunners. You can put an active pickup on a shovel and nail it. As any active would do in anything, with passive pickups wood matters More because of dynamic sound it has.
I had one bad guitar with expensive pickups for years, then I bought another cheap but very well made and set up guitar, and my playing skyrocketed in a year. The sound is not as important as somebody could think. You just need a guitar which won't make you feel you suck hard but in fact it is not your fault. I would recommend to beginners: buy your first electric guitar with somebody that can advise you (but even with bad guitar don't skip guitar lessons :D it will pay off later)
Yes this is a great comment- playability is huge and especially for newer guitar players I think it is the most important thing. Learning how to set up your guitar/getting a setup that is good will do a lot
Great job, as always! Awesome to see you using the highpass filter before any distortion, in order to make the chugs sound nice and tight! Great technique.
I wanted to suggest another free plugin that would help at home players who sit close to their screen while recording guitar takes. Its a multiband gate called Bertom Denoiser. Eliminates the high frequency noise from computer screens bleeding through your pickups. Great gate for cleaning up your DI while ringing out long sustained notes. Also helps clean up the start/stop kinda riffs. Not a gate as much as it is a denoiser. Ive got a video on my channel about it but Id love to see you shout it out as that would definitely amplify awareness.
Cheers!
Yooooooo, thank you for pointing this out. I'm going to start doing this, I just had to pause the video to pull up a mix and try it out. I usually do it after all my proccessing. I feel like my life is a lie
Damn, who knew reading the comment section would pay off. That Bertom Denoiser is a game changer...thanks for the tip! And great video on your channel showing how to apply it to guitars.
@@chajodawg Kick ass :)
@@EthanRadell Glad you dig it! Totally makes guitar DI's sound clean.
MY GOSH THIS IS GOAT
Hey keyan, recently found your content and i love learning new things as a in my bedroom metal guitar enthusiast.
Its my pleasure to know that i actually know am the owner of the exact guitar in this video. The guys at derringers sorted me out and we spoke about this video and what convinced me to finally buy my first 7 string. It sounds gorgeous the way you set it up ♡
I’m so glad you enjoyed it man, enjoy the free little tune up I gave it ;) all the best bro
Usually-I end up going thru my subs-to delete- Your channel in a short time has provided me with inspiration and knowledge! Seriously going to look into this model not only as an intro 7 string, but as an added value to my home studio. Much Thanks.
i love hearing the original ideas behind songs, hearing 'Grey' at 4:17 compared to what it became is really cool!
Is rhis an actual song? If it is please share!!
@@maksimsakhno4974 yeah, it's one of Keyan's originals - ruclips.net/video/LJ5HUdZUvtU/видео.html
@@stevetorster thank you a lot, such a great song
I own this guitar, wanted to try my hand at 7-string but didn't wanna break the bank. Was very impressed after setting it up :)
4:16 DUUUUUUDE you riffs are aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa i love it
Thank you dude!
I've been using an older model of this guitar on half of my covers. Looks like they've upgraded the knobs and bridge on the newer one you have, those were definitely the parts that they skimped out on before. Aside from that and a few other minor issues, it's still a great instrument!
Oh and the demo song, full body chills man. Please release something soon 🖤
Great video for anyone just getting into playing after learning the guitar
I bought this guitar as a placeholder while I waited for my Ironlabel xiphos and I was honestly surprised by the over all quality for the price. The pick ups alone, while not perfect, delivered much more than I expected. Honestly highly recommended for anyone wanting to delve into 7 strings but aren't sure.
Exactly what I did!
Know how well the guitar can hold a low G or G# by chance?
Man the demo song was amazing
Thanks man!
it was a cover of Coexistence by Breakdown of Sanity^^
EVH did most of his early records with a guitar he put together for around $200. It worked out okay.
I bought an Ibanez 6 string GRG and was honestly blown away by the quality. I'm for sure giving serious thought to the 7 string.
A good amp makes a difference as far as feeding of the vibe off the sounds created, creating inspiration You still need skills no matter what though.
I sold all my good 7s some years back for a custom 6 string and a Marshall DSL. Ended up buying one of these, metallic blue with a maple fretboard (with some nice figuring, score!) it plays nice after a solid setup, and while the pickups definitely get a little muddy at times, it’s a lot of guitar for the money, frankly. Got a set of Dimarzio D’activators on the way, gonna see if I can get that Jesse Cash vibe workin’.
Impressive what you get for the price today! Thanks for sharing this inspiring moment on a budget setup ;)
Knowing your gear, making sure they’re well maintained and set up well and practice make the biggest difference. Maybe change the plastic nut for a graph tech nut if it’s not cut well costs around £10 but it’s a serviceable studio tool, would I gig with something that price why not, I would probably buy 2 and keep one as a backup though.
I'm a father of 3. I've lived my whole life by this model. I make the best of what I got. Thanks for the tips and mixing advice. Fantastic! Subscribed.
Dont know why you mentioned father of 3... but congratulations, i think dads are awesome! :D
250 ibanez its already a good guitar, herer in brazil this sooo expansive
Thank you.. I literally ordered this guitar with confidence thanks to this video
As a guy who never really got good at guitar, or stuck with it long enough. I’ll tell ya, I purchased a decently expensive guitar, at $1050 I bought a Schecter c1 hellraiser Floyd rose in trans purple. It was a beautiful guitar, and still is if you see one. How ever being a beginner, it just was more than I needed or knew how to use efficiently. As well as not understanding what Floyd Rose actually meant. I thought it was just a signature name or something 😂. I bought a black (i think that’s all it comes in tbh lol) Jackson Dinky JS22 recently, and haven’t gotten into it much, but I realized man, for a beginner, it’s great. I’m not familiar with guitars enough to pick it up, play it, and see what’s nice about certain things like pick ups, fret boards etc, as the dude making this video does. To him, he can get more out of expensive guitars that offer more potential because he knows how to use that potential. Floyd Rose for example, he can probably pick one up l and start nailing Dive Bombs, and just crazy sounds I wouldn’t even know about.
Basically all I’m saying is, from a guy who did buy something expensive, and something cheaper, go with what your experience level is worth. How much would you get paid to play something? Transfer that into how much you wanna pay to play something. When you figure out if you’re going anywhere with it, which you will, than decide is it time to upgrade or just move on. That doesn’t mean stop all together, just means you have that guitar you can jam on sometimes, and it will do the trick.
A true testament to the notion that the time you put into practicing/getting better will outshine the pricepoint of the instrument. Solid work my friend!
I think it partially depends on the actual music you're trying to play, pretty much anything can chug, but not everything feels good to shred on. Cheaper guitars are a lot better than they used to be, and in most cases it really comes down to feel since hardware and electronics are pretty good now, although QC can still be an issue depending on what guitar you're looking at.. Most of the issues you 'might' find with cheaper guitars can usually be solved pretty easily by a guitar tech, though that might change the budget a bit. Generally, try to play anything you want to buy first, you'll know then if something has to change or if you simply don't like it.
I got my Jackson JS22-7 for 150$, it was on sale it’s usually 200$. Still works great.
Dude, you do it EVERYTIME.
I love your content dude, this is what we need to spread.
Don't be ashamed of your gear, if it's what you got, it's what you got. Play it, love it
Just copped the LTD M-17 because of Keyan (inspired me to get into heavier shit) and it's mint for 399 NZD. Would recommend that as well if you're on a budget and wanna get into 7 string playing
Yeah I used to work at the Rockshop and got to play and test a shit tonne of lower end stuff and those LTDs absolutely demolish pretty much everything in their price range
what do u think, this GIO RG7 or the LTD M-17?
Recently sold my M17 great entry level 7 string if you're not too sure about them and want to try one out for cheap. I ended up upgrading because I play G and lower and needed a bigger scale.
The 199$ jackson js 7 string works great for the money,I prefer it a lol bit to the gio.Buts that's just me with feel...they all are just fine!!!
@@denverrandy7143 i got a 32-8 jackson, and for the love of me i cant get it to sound good nomatter how hard i tried, dont know if its just me being shit or its the pickups.
That sounds incredible! Great mixing/performing skills. I do love Ibanez's affordable stuff too.
The opening of the demo song reminds me of Slowdive “Sugar For The Pill” and then it gets super heavy. Awesome.
I like how you combined a pretty straightforward and honest review of a piece of gear (what I actually clicked on this video for) with a production and "stress testing" type video that created a sweet track at the end. Really well done review.
Yeah, totally. Depending on what gear. A bad amp vs a good amp is a huge difference, not much debate there IMO. You don't _need_ an expensive guitar to sound good, but you get a better sound to effort ratio out of them, and then there is feel. Cheap guitars rarely have a satisfying feel to them. There is definitely a point of diminishing returns though... I think $500-$1000 is the sweet spot, but a $3k guitar vs a $1k guitar would be worth it if you have the money and skill to justify it.
Gear matters more and more as you get better. Though learning on nice gear vs shitty gear can be more rewarding and maybe provide more incentive to play more. Playing is more enjoyable the better you sound... That said, learning on an $80 acoustic is a million times better than nothing and totally worth it. You won't know what you're missing.
Then when it comes to recording gear, and mixing gear, software etc., it clearly matters. You're capped by your acoustic environment, but a usb mic vs say a sm57 and a budget interface is night and day... Though... There are some solid USB options these days. Anyway... Yeah gear matters. But a skilled player with cheap gear will clearly sound better than a noob with a $10k setup. I was listening to an old ass Chet Atkins recording the other day... Super simple recording, with crackling, hiss and all. Just a mono recording of a mic'd up telecaster. Sounded great. It's all a matter of perspective and expectations I suppose.
Great essay
That song has some amazing potential.... sounded amazing man
to think after having this on here as a plug in vid, you fully made it into what is one of my fave songs out atm. love it
Subscribed! I’m a bit of an old-timer who still uses a Zoom G2.1u and a couple of pedals. I’ve never used a PC to manage my tones and I’ve not really recorded much, but vids like this make me excited to get into it. Great tones and I agree that a cheap Ibanez is amazing BFYB.
You're right. You.can make them SOUND expensive but that doesn't change how they FEEL. That is usually what sets expensive guitars apart in my opinion. Yes, expensive guitars do ultimately sound better in many cases, but equipment makes a difference.
Indeed
at the end of the day the guitar would still be a low end chinese made GIO ( still good for the money ) and chances are has some issues that can be resolved with a proper setup
also companies cut corners on the cheaper models to keep costs down
Yes it's best to make the most out of what you own but sometimes it's best to spend a bit more on the next investment
This is fantastic! I’ve always said unless you have the money for a more premium instrument, you can do more with an inexpensive guitar with a bit of TLC, proper technique, and a good ear for setting a tone. I actually bought a Jackson seven string that normally retails for $200 off a guy on offerup. He put $500 worth of upgrades on it (Hipshot bridge/tuners, BKP aftermaths, setup, etc) and it plays and sounds like a more premium instrument! Well done!
I own a Jackson JS22-7 and out of the box it can only pass as a mod platform, pickups are weak, tuners don't hold too well, action to the moon, frets cutting fingers. Haven't put expensive upgrades, but for 100-150 euros more you can get a decent instrument - different tuners, pickups and fret leveling go a long way. Still, as someone that plays 300-500 euro instruments, this guitar is still not as good as my other instruments despite definitely being better after upgrades and TLC. Used to own an RGD7421, couple of Schecters and even a Squier Stagemaster 7 and can say that they are all better guitars... And yet, I don't care about the performance that much, its the color that I like and Jackson is matte black :)
@@woochyna I feel you brother! I own that exact guitar. I guess I got lucky because someone else put in the work and money haha. I bought it for $400! But I definitely agree. For a little bit more, you can get a better instrument. You can see it on my Architects cover! But yes, something striking about that matte black.
@@farremovedmedia513 I own Aftermaths in 6 string version, good pickups, but your sound is serious, dude. Watching my guitar and wondering how's it the same model as yours.
I literally bought this exact model like 3-4 months ago and Im completely in love!
RGs have a really cool vibe to them
Man getting a massive sound out of low-budget gear is so much easier now than before. I’d say the question is more “Does HIGH END Gear Matter?” when it comes to getting a great tone. It sure used to matter when youtube wasn’t around to show you how to make the most of what you have when you don’t know how to achieve that.
Very good video! One thing I'd like to mention is that budget guitars aren't necessarily bad, but they can be inconsistent. If you buy three of these Ibanez Gios, they can vary tremendously in terms of quality of electronics, tuning stability, etc. Part of what a more expensive guitar will give you is the reliability that you're not just getting lucky. The quality control on the higher end instruments tends to be better.
Still, you make a great point with this video. Especially these days, with the quality of software available to everyone, you can do a lot more with a much smaller financial investment than you could back in the 90s.
This does not take into account the recording and mixing gear, the difference of purchase power between countries. With that being said, FUNCTIONAL gear matters above all. If you can hear yourself with no technical issues muddying the sound, all is well.
Also, this video is, more than anything, a testament to your mastery over sound processing. What an excellent job you've done here!
That demo was amazing!
I have a 6 string Gio from years ago and even though I dont use it much I've always ben impressed with the tone/quality it has for the price. good starter / lower end guitar
Eq changes can change a lot when it comes to tones and with some different guitar pickups if you compare them and really listen to the clean you could notice a difference. As for a good or bad sounding song that is so subjective, but I do love the modern Djent mix you have going here.
Dude. Love your channel. And you're right. Gear does not matter. Ambition and not letting anything get in your way matters. I can't tell you how many shitty guitarists I know who think they are held back on gear and refuse to study and practice.
Damn right, they think when they have expensive gear their playing gonna be boosted up like a miracle
I love the idea of having an expensive guitar, but I bought an entry level Jackson 7 when I started playing 7s, and with all the effects, it sounds great and feels great to use, and is comparable in sound to guitars double or even triple the price.
For the first vid I've seen from you, super informative and a great watch!
The ibby in this video and the budget jackson's are what I'm considering for my first 7 string. Good to know you like yours.
Gear matters - to a point. If you have a playable guitar that doesn't fight you and you can get a decent tone out of the software you have, you can do anything you want to. So yeah, above a certain price point the Law of Diminishing Returns kicks in, and it kicks hard.
Having a guitar that plays well is so important
Dude, that demo song was so good
LF the name of the song
I'm looking forward to more guitar and gear reviews!
Just recently bought the $200 one with the maple fretboard and I can't stop playing it I need this one now lol
Yo! this was super interesting to watch man! I noticed a click at 9:17 at the cut you did, fl studio lets you add a tiny fade that might fix that. I'm going to try out these and see if I can get something as good! but hats off to you sir, excellent info and demo!
Really shocked that you'd have a .56 with the low A when the scale is shorter than normal too. My 7 I sold a few months back was a 26.5 and I ran .62's for A & G# was still to floppy for my taste. But maybe I'm one of the nuts that care about using calculators to roughly match all my string tensions to give you the feel of multiscale on non multiscale weirdness. But cool video tho, love that it's aimed at most of those who are struggling since the pandemic put many in a bind. Would love more like this, and maybe a middle ground option? I love the Neural DSP stuff and most are $100 for insanely good tones. I sold my Peavey 6505+ for the Nolly plugin and haven't looked back since!
I use a .070 or .072 for Drop A to Drop G and I also feel like its floppy, but I also beat the shit out of my strings.
My guitars and gear are really nice. I just can’t afford a computer, interface, and monitors now.
Dude I'm in the same boat lol
I got gear, I don't know if its good or not but I stopped playing 10 years ago and now I want to start back up but it looks like I need all this computer stuff to stay relevant. Seem like computer stuff is the new gear
@@ant_yep I just bought a focusrite solo gen2 on eBay £50. Pretty much any laptop will work fine all the software is included and you can connect direct via aux to any stereo (Or use headphones) You really don't need to be spending much money.
@@cafesociety8525 yeah I think that's what I'm gonna have to do. I been looking for a laptop and a focusrite scarlett and learn how to do this. I never owned a laptop or PC so I been watching videos on what's a good cheap laptop.
And £50 for a focusrite? That's good, nice find
i've been watching your videos on and off for almost 2 years and didnt notice i wasnt suscribed until today.
thanks for all these videos, they're extremely helpful :-).
Love this! The demo song reminds me a lot of Breakdown of Sanity’s “Coexistence”
Ibanez makes such great guitars. Even their low budget guitars are really nice. 🤘🏼
They do!
Schecters.
I bought my Gio like 7 years too early. Mine didn’t come with 7 strings, a high access bolt on or a purpleheart fretboard. Mad regret haha.
Gear matters to the extent that it inspires you and serves as a creative tool. Gear only matters if you as an artist can make it matter
Yo this is amazing! I've been using the same 6 string gio ibanez since i was in 8th grade like 16 years ago and that thing still slaps. Just goes to show its all about technical skill, and great mixing and mastering. Love the demo as well, sounds like VIA era Volumes. Good shit!
if you need to have "gear doesn't matter" explained to you then you have a looong way to go on your guitar journey
That's the point of this video, showing the people that DO have a long way to go and are scared that if they don't buy the 5000 dollar custom shop, they won't sound as good as their idols.
@@mjstories7181 yeah I'm on your side with this
@@mjstories7181 i'd never ever recommend a 200$ guitar for a beginner. At best, that shooty guitar will hold them back, at worst they won't learn at all. there is a lot of room between 200 and 2000.
Honestly I'd argue that a 200 dollar guitar is fine, especially used, 200 dollars goes a long way. Low end epiphones and squiers are pretty great these days, with a proper setup anything can feel super nice!
@@JOhnDoe-nl4wj my guitar was 200, and its really good. Perfect to start with.
Van Halen played a 90$ guitar plugged in a broken Marshall with a killer sound !
Several good guitarist play live and record on China Epiphone (Heafy, Gelotte, JJN,...).
So yes, gear doesn't matter !!
lol...this comment says it all..its all about the technique and experience.
I’ve had this guitar for around 2 years now and ignoring the wires being difficult for the time being…it’s the best thing I’ve bought
I have and love this guitar! Bought it last year after picking up playing again during lockdown after a 10(ish) year hiatus and didn't want to splash out in case I never played it. Have ended up playing A LOT and have completely fallen in love with guitar again. I've got it in drop G quite comfortably with .10-.56 with a .74 on the low B - and I still get a pretty decent tone out of it - it's by no means production ready but more than OK for writing/recording home demos. I tend to use it with the Fortin NTS Suite as that seems to pull out the mids and round off the muddier low end quite nicely.
Tried pushing it down to F but it just gets way too muddy on this scale length, just ordered the Ibanez Axion Label RGD71ALMS now I feel I can justify it, but will be keeping this one for writing in G so I don't have to keep retuning the other one unless recording. Will be interesting to see how the two models compare!
I have to say it's such a solid little guitar, tuning stability is great and pickups are pretty reasonable for the price point and plays pretty quick and smooth - no issues at all with the fretwork and didn't take much adjustment to take that .74 string. Might chuck in some hotter pickups at some point but overall it's an awesome package for the price.
Just get a digtitech drop pedal if you wanna go down to F
Keyan has transcended.....
A poor craftsmen blames his tools, but a good craftsmen wouldn't teach with poor tools. If your getting into guitar and get something cheap, you're not going to like it unless you have a tech work on it to properly set it up. I've had guitars over 1 grand still have wood issues (didn't sand the wood under the fretboard down low enough so the board was bulging causing higher frets to buzz out)
don't invest in getting something amazing off the bat, get something mediocre and invest in a good luthier to make it FEEL like 3 thousand dollars. And remember, no one can tell YOU what's worth what. If you're not picking up the guitar because it sounds poor (bad pickups) then replace the pickups. Don't let anything get in the way.
I'd also always advise everyone to own a feeler gauge set, and string height ruler too. Being able to accurately setup your own equipment anytime for ~$20 is way more practical in, and you're also able to feel more comfortable to other larger changes like a pickup swap for example. Of course a luthier is great for issues with the quality of the instrument, bad sand jobs, and their role for that line of work is invaluable as no guitar that is mass produced can escape quality issues getting missed. However, a person wouldn't get a mechanic to fill up your car with gas, clean it, adjust the seat, and lower the steering wheel right? Equally, getting a luthier to do simple adjustments like truss rod, move string height, or correctly intonate is a bit silly. But yeah, I agree with pretty much everything else though for sure. An E2 ESP/USA custom shop Strat, or anything in that class of guitars are really only justifiable when you're years in and are aware that it's a worthy investment to your craft/hobby. All that being said, what counts the most is that the guitar HAS to inspire you, or give you that unreadable need to never put it down. No associations without inspirations!
@@fateunleashed9680 100% agree with this! Truss rods adjustments and saddle height changes are something every player should learn, along side changing strings and figuring out what gauge string they like(coated or uncoated too!) I personally think for those who want to tech their guitar a little bit more than that would be to get a nut file set. So many guitars come out of the factory with crazy nut slot heights, and that impacts the feeling of the strings tremendously.
Additionally new players also need to know that not every tool fits every hand. Every single guitar player will tell you to put the tool in your hand before buying it, and for good reason. However there's something more to that. As a player with under a year of experience, and no teacher, there's something I discovered that I want to pass on. You may find that while a guitar might feel comfortable at first, it could be because of poor grip, or a bad habit that you're not even aware of. Then, once you correct it, all of a sudden it's no longer comfortable. It's extremely important to learn how to hold the guitar properly, so you can figure out what one fits you best. Have a reputable sales person work with you on your first purchase to help show you how to hold it, or if you're taking lessons see if you can rent one! Don't be like me who has many different shaped necks and guitars because I couldn't make it to a store (thanks covid) to figure out the one that feels best.
The entry levels Ibanez's and Squires are so good there is really no longer a "bad cheap" guitar. Even the $200 guitars are awesome out of the box. Now.. as much as people like to tell new guitarists to forget about gear I would disagree. I love punk rock.. and when I bought my first amp which was a Roland Cube.. I got completely turned off continuing on with practice because it was a Jazz amp and sounded horrible for what I wanted. As soon as I bought a pedal suite it supercharged my ambition.
Always killing it with these vids! Tone for days, no matter what you're playing on🔥
I subbed after watching this video. Great stuff! Keep up the great work, man.
"259 Dollars"
"Cheap"
I cry with my $80 Epiphone Les Paul P90
Although I like the sound of my guitar, I'm still so new that I probably haven't outgrown my current guitar to the point where I will be skilled enough to tell the difference. In the future when my skills are worthy of a new guitar, I will save up and buy.
I been playing for 8 years and i really dont feel like upgrading cuz im too attached to my ibanez moonburst
@@SOBBSIM The moonburst seems like a decent guitar and it has a "high" price (compared to mine). Although I can tell the massive difference between my Les Paul and a Walmart guitar, I have yet to figure out if I'd want to upgrade once I reach 8 years like you. I'll come back then to report!
I’ve owned a $200 epiphone, $100 Ibanez rg, and some hand me down acoustics for 7 years. Just this year I finally upgraded to an $800 strat and trust me, you will never feel like you’re good enough to upgrade. What matters is that you find a guitar you love and that you feel comfortable with. One that feels just right to you, and sometimes that guitar might cost $200, other times it might cost $800. Treat yourself brother buy the guitar that makes you happy and make some memories with it
@@SOBBSIM I was like you, I bought a Epiphone Les Paul Prophecy a months ago and now i'm upgrading my guitars, changing bridges, pick ups and that kind of stuff. Wood change the tone so far away
real talk I have a Harley Benton TE-52, a telecaster knockoff at around $100 and I love it. probably my most played guitar and I own $1k+ ones. I also recorded a song part on a $60 supermarket supermarket guitar set strat copy that I had laying around when writing and it made the final mix on a song (on which we also used a kiesel, a musicman and an ltd ec-1000, but the cheap take just felt so right), so don't be discouraged. it's 90% in the hands and amp (or plugins, or sound engineering), the other 10% is context. yeah it feels great & easier playing these expensive guitars, but ultimately if you know the guitar well and it sounds good, it's all cool
"A little short for drop F"
If I can tune to drop A# on my six string Gio, I will sure as hell tune to drop E on the seven string Gio. I first need to get one...
Theyre most likely the same scale length tho
I dont think so, 064 string on 26.5 is fine for Drop A/G even F sound "fine" but not really for E.
My 8 string is 0.76 with 26,5 range and Drop E1 is already limit, i was in Double Drop D for short time to test it and it sounds average, as long as you play up to 6-7fret is ok but when i go to 4-3-2-1 and 0 then its just a mess and sounds out of tune. Not much difference even if im tuning around 2-3 fret instead of 5. I'll test 0.86 and 0.90 soon ;)
I use drop e. Works like a charm. Note: I have the exact same guitar. I 100% recommend
Dude, I have an Ibanez GAX from 2001-02 ish that I have put through hell and still plays great! I also have and 6 and 7 string RG, not the GiO's, that are both about 10 years old now and they play just as good as the day I bought them! I love me some Ibanez! Cool vid dude!
Just purchased this! Beyond hyped🖤 thanks man for this video!
hey dude, ¿wich cheap guitar sounds better for you, the sub zero rogue VI 30" scale or this ibanez gio? (the matter of the 7th string in the ibanez doesn´t matter, just consider the sound out of the box) If you can make this comparison in a next video I would appreciate it a lot and I think it would serve a lot of people
You should review some Lundgren pickups!
You should send me some so I can review them
I still have one of these, was one of my guitars when I was student and have no money at that time. I still play it despised other guitars with quality I have. The best way to make them sound good in my opinion is tunning them low with big strings. I can play soilwork, at the gates, carcass and others bands I like.
Knowing how to set up and knowing what to look for when modding one , along with skill, are what matters nowadays.
mans talking about a "cheap" guitar for 250 bucks, me over here meanwhile playing on a 100$ combo package including a guitar, an amp and a set of strings xD
edit: also im the 90000s view on this video lets goooo🎉
edit2: just finished the video, damn dude this man knows how to mix holy shit
its about as cheap you can get for a 7-string though
Guitars are like cars. Back in the 80's and 90's, there was a lot of complete junk out there that was objectively awful. Nowadays, nobody makes bad cars/guitars anymore, and whatever you like or can afford, is gonna do the job.
I owned one of the VERY early Gio GRG7221s, and they definitely weren't as nice as these newer ones, but I wasn't as 'bad' as I thought, especially now that I have an RG7421 and have played some of their Premium 7s. Obviously the proper RGs and the Premiums are nicer, but the difference isn't as drastic as you might expect.
The japnese rg7620 and 7621 blow the 7420 and 7421 out of the water. Literally, ive played 3 of those japanese ibanez 7’s from the 90’s, and they are the best sounding guitars ive ever held. Keeps up with my gibson and fender.
That guitar is so fucking good for that price! I remember trying one out and they feel really nice. It's such a great base too if you want to upgrade it in the future with new tuners and pickups.