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| Ibanez® GAX70 Review | ||||||||||||
| © Darrell Young | ||||||||||||
| Overview | Guitar
Review Series |
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What electric guitar feels, plays, and sounds like a high-quality, throaty humbucker, high-cost axe, but costs like a basic "get a guitar for your kid" model? The Ibanez® GAX70 Guitar! This is one hot axe, with a sound rivaling the high-end humbuckers. |
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Ibanez® has long been known to produce guitars of great sound and quality. The GAX70 series produces a sound similar to an Epiphone® or Gibson® Les Paul model. But the cost is much more affordable. Some have classified this guitar as a "beginner model." Well, I simply don't agree! I play a Gibson® Les Paul Standard Double Cut Plus, and this guitar seems to be designed to look and play in a similar way. My 20-year old son plays one of these jewels, and I am simply amazed at the sound he brings out of it. He has a collection of Ibanez guitars, including one of their "strat copy" single coil types. I don't wonder why? |
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| The Agathis body resonates amazingly, providing a great deal of sustain, while the PSND humbucker pickups knock out a deep growling full throated roar. If you are a rock, blues, or jazz player but have a limited budget, this is the guitar for you. Why pay thousands for a high-end guitar when you can get a powerful sound and a beautiful guitar for only a couple of hundred dollars (USD)? Add a nice case, and a Crate or Zoom Fire-30 amp and you'll walk away with a complete system for about the cost of a mid-range big brand guitar! What a deal! |
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| Features | ||||||||||||
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The GAX70 has two PSND humbucker pickups. PSND1 is in the neck position, and PSND2 lives by the bridge. The humbuckers have no covers, and are the standard size. If you decide you must have a different sound, you can easily switch in new humbuckers of a different brand. There are two volume controls, and two tone controls, along with a three-way switch. You can move between the neck and bridge pickup with the switch, or use both at the same time and blend your sound with the volume and tone knobs. This is a familiar system for electric guitars. |
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| The "Full Tune II" bridge is of a design familiar to many guitarists. You can adjust the string intonation by using a small flathead screwdriver to move the individual sliding blocks under each string. There are two thumb screws on either end of the bridge that allow adjustment of the string height. You don't even need a screwdriver to raise or lower the bridge. It only took me a few minutes to adjust the guitar to nice low bridge setting, and set the intonation for up-the- neck tone accuracy. Changing the strings is a breeze, with the insertion points easily available on the "Stop Bar." |
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The bolt-on GAX neck on this guitar is an exceptionally nice one. Not only does the Rosewood help provide a bright sound, but it looks really nice, and is quite fast. There are dot markings on the individual frets, and along the side of the neck. The fret wires are medium height, so they allow rapid slides, while still allowing a good grip on the strings for pull-offs. The ends of the fret wires have been sanded to a nice smoothness, and they do not feel gritty when bending the strings. This is one of the things that attracted me to the GAX70 in the first place. The neck is exceptional for a guitar that is so reasonably priced. |
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From the image on the right, you can see how nice the maple neck looks from the bottom. It's very smooth and easy on the hands. The tuners are closed models and seem nice and tight. They hold the tune of the instrument very well, and allow very fine adjustments. They seem to have an extra fine gear ratio allowing you to tune very accurately. You probably ought to buy one of those little plastic string knob winders so that it won't take forever to restring the guitar. |
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Twenty-two frets give you nearly a two-octave range on each string. Using strings in the .10 to .46 range will give you a cool bendable-string blues sound and easy- on-the-fingers playability. I have found very little to dislike on this guitar. There were no buzzes or sharp edges, right out of the box. This is NOT a cheaply made instrument. It has exceptional tone and sound for its price, and the neck is simply marvelous. The intonation is great, without the sharp tones up the neck that you'll find on cheap instruments. Why spend a small fortune for a guitar when this level of quality is available at a great price? |
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| Below are several detailed images of the GAX70(BK) guitar. | ||||||||||||
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| Buy an Ibanez GAX Double Cut Guitar | ||||||||||||
| I've made a deal with MusiciansFriend.com to allow you to buy this guitar through them. I purchased my Lisa LP through them, and have been very happy. They gave me great service, fast shipping, and the guaranteed best price on the web. Click my link below and look at the selection of Ibanez® Double-Cut guitars, cases, and accessories. If you use my links below they'll give me a few bucks when you buy one (Thanks!). I appreciate your help in letting me grow this site! Also, apply for their Platinum Card. I did at 3 a.m. one morning and had an immediate approval. I bought my guitar with their card (at 3:15 a.m.), which is usable even before you get it. For a purchase over $199.00 it is 90-days same as cash! There is a Platinum Card link on any of the pages at MusiciansFriend.com. Click below! |
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| Other Ibanez® Informational Links | ||||||||||||
Technical
Specs are Copyright © Ibanez,
All Rights Reserved AxeChops.com is not affiliated with Ibanez, but we think they make very cool guitars. |
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GAX70 