Ibanez AX120 vs. GAX30

These two guitars look very similar but have some major differences in the tone department.

I own both the GAX30 and the AX120. As I've come to find out, these guitars actually do have literal model names. The GAX30 is known as the Ibanez AX Gio, and the AX120 the AX Standard.

The Standard is more expensive than the Gio, but not by too much.

Things that are the same

• Overall dimensions are the same
• Body shape
• Body material is basswood (Ibanez used to say the Gio had a poplar body but now say it is basswood like the Standard)
• Neck material is maple
• Fretboard material is jatoba (again, Ibanez used to say the Gio had a New Zealand Pine fretboard but now say it is jatoba like the Standard)
• Neck profile
• Neck binding
• Bridge
• Tailpiece
• Tuners
• Pickup spacing
• Number of frets (22)
• Fret size
• Pick guard shape and location
• Tuner buttons
• Control knob appearance

Things that are different

Electronic controls

Gio: One master volume controls, one master tone control.
Standard: Two volume controls, two tone controls.

Pickup selector switch location

The Standard has the switch placed slightly further forward than the Gio does.

Pick guard appearance

Gio has a flat color, Standard has tortoise shell appearance.

Headstock logo appearance

Gio has a "Gio" above the Ibanez logo. Standard has only Ibanez.

Overall weight

Gio is lighter in weight than the Standard is by a small amount. Probably about 0.5 pounds or maybe 0.75 pounds. I can feel this when I pick up the guitar.

Pickups

This is the biggest difference between the two guitars.

The Gio has Ibanez Infinity series humbuckers. They are open coil with flat, fixed-position pole pieces. The output would be said by most people to be "hot" with a pronounced midrange. These pickups are very good for rock and solo tones.

The Standard has Ibanez Classic Elite humbuckers. These are covered coils with one coil having fixed-position pole pieces and the other with adjustable pole pieces. You can see the screws on the outer coil of each pickup, and yes, they can in fact be adjusted manually with a flathead screwdriver, just like a Gibson Les Paul Standard. The output is not as "hot" as the Infinity pickups are, but have better treble response. This makes for better sounds for chording over soloing. This is not to say it's "better". Just different.

Each guitar has a distinct tonal character. Deciding which guitar to get depends on your priorities. If you want something "hotter" that rings out power chords better, you want the Gio. If you'd rather have something with a lower output and better treble response, you want the Standard.

What is jatoba?

Jatoba is mainly used for flooring. It's a hard and dense wood that actually works well as fretboard material. This is basically a rosewood alternative that Ibanez decided to go with. Its appearance is best described as a chocolate brown with some red in it, which works well on both the Gio and Standard. Jatoba does have texture you can feel on the fingers. This texture is not as pronounced as traditional rosewood is, but again, it works just fine for use as a fretboard.

Simply put, most players would see no difference between jatoba and rosewood. You have to really look hard at the board to know it's not rosewood.

I'm honestly surprised more guitar makers don't use jatoba fretboards, as it really works nicely.

What are you paying more for with a Standard?

1. Pickups where the outer coils can be adjusted
2. Additional electronics for more tone shaping options
3. Metallic paint finish
4. Tortoise shell pick guard appearance

Is it worth it?

Before answering this question, bear in mind that both these guitars are really affordable. So affordable that I just got both of them.

But let's say for the moment you're not interested in both and just want one. Is it worth the little extra to get the Standard?

For those Classic Elite humbuckers with the extra treble on top, yes it is. I find the Elites to be more suited to what I play.

If you examine other guitars priced similar to the AX Standard, you'll notice something immediately. The Standard is literally the only guitar with adjustable outer coil pole pieces. Nobody else has them at the Standard's price point. Everything else with humbuckers will be open coil with fixed-position pole pieces.

After the Ibanez AX Standard, the next guitar that has the chrome cover humbuckers with adjustable outer coils is the ESP LTD Eclipse EC-256FM, then the Epiphone G-400. The Squier Contemporary Telecaster HH may possibly have adjustable outer coil pole pieces, but Squier is sometimes known to use screws simply for appearance that aren't actually adjustable, so I can't confirm that. But even if the adjustability was there, the AX Standard is still the best deal.

Now to note, open coil pickups are not "bad". Not at all. You'll even see them on some ridiculously expensive Gibson and PRS guitars. There's nothing wrong with open coil humbuckers whatsoever.

And on that note, the AX Gio with its open coil pickups is also really good for what it is. It easily looks, sounds and feels like a guitar more than double for what it sells for.

For those that care about pickup magnets...

Both the Gio and Standard have ceramic magnet pickups. Some players scoff at that. I don't, because if I did I would have missed out on these two great guitars.

Ibanez did voice both guitars correctly. The pickups aren't noisy and deliver excellent sound for a small price.

And for all you ceramic magnet bashers out there, ever hear of the DiMarzio Super Distortion, as in the DP100 model? Yeah, the pickup that's been heard on some of the best rock guitar recordings of all time? Ceramic magnet. Deal with it.

I'm keeping both

While I prefer the sound of the AX Standard over the AX Gio, I'm keeping both guitars. I know if I parted with either, I would regret it immediately. These two axes get so many things right.

Saying goodbye to Telecasters and Jazzmasters

It happened...

...I have no more Telecasters nor Jazzmasters. All traded out.

Here's how things went down:

My standard rule with guitar acquisitions is if one comes in, one must go out because I don't hoard guitars.

When I bought the Ibanez GAX30, I traded out the Sonic Blue Squier Jazzmaster.

When I bought the Ibanez AX120, I traded out both my Squier Bullet Telecaster and Squier '72 Telecaster Thinline.

Yes, I bought both Ibanez guitars within just a month's time, because I think they are just that good.

I'll have more details on the AX120 later this week. While it may look similar to the GAX30, there are several things about it that are quite different, so watch for that.

Why?

Once I experienced that lovely 24.7" scale neck on the AX series Ibanez, I was absolutely amazed at how much better my fret hand felt playing it compared to a 25.5".

I know the 24.0" short scale exists with the Squier Mustang HH and Squier Jaguar. In fact, I briefly owned a Jag, but hated the position of the bridge as it was always getting in my way. The Ibanez with its 24.7" scale and its bridge positioning just suits me much better.

When I got the GAX30, my Telecasters immediately got put away and I barely even touched them. After a few weeks, I picked up one of my Teles, started playing, and... wrist strain. Not bad, but noticeable. Just minutes after going back to the 25.5" scale, my wrist told me that it was time to part with the Telecasters.

And so I did. The Telecasters went out and I got a second Ibanez AX, this time the AX120 model.

Why didn't I get the AS63 or GART60, which also has the 24.7" scale? Price and appearance. The AS63 doesn't have the block inlays. The AS73 does, but that's out of my price range. The GART60 was within my price range, but again, dots on the neck and not blocks.

As said above, the GAX30 and AX120 look similar but are definitely different, each with a distinct tonal character. I'll be covering the differences soon.

What changed enough for me to jump ship?

My playing style changed enough to where I needed a shorter scale guitar, but it had to be one that felt right, looked right and was priced right. The Ibanez was it. They had the right guitars at the right price, and I jumped on it. I have no regrets.

At this point in my guitar playing life, I don't know if I'll ever go back to 25.5" scale again. And that's not just for Fender and Squier designs but any guitar of that scale length.

Is 25.5" bad? Of course not. But my fret hand doesn't agree with it.

Would I go back to a Telecaster if one were offered in a 24.75" scale?

Maybe. But the problem is that nobody builds one for a reasonable price.

Yes, I could buy a "Gibson scale" conversion neck, slap it on a loaded Tele body, and ta-da, 24.75" scale length Telecaster. But the cost involved with that? About $600 or more, all told...

...and I'm about to spend that kind of cash just to get that shorter scale neck. With an Ibanez AX, the cost is $150 to $200 - for the whole guitar. And it's a darned good guitar at that.

Rivolta Mondata II - better tone than a Les Paul, with 24 frets!

This is a guitar where if I had the money for it, I'd buy this right now.

Rivolta is a brand from Eastwood Guitars. Ordinarily, when you think of Eastwood, you think of weird, wacky guitar designs that are more novelties than anything else.

However, Rivolta is not like that. The designs for this brand are much more civilized and just outright cool. And the Mondata II is not only a pretty face but a crazy-good sounding guitar.

This has "that killer Les Paul tone" that Les Paul players chase after but can never seem to quite get - and the Mondata II has it right out of the box.

Yes, it has a 24-fret neck. The vast majority of the time, if a guitar has 24 frets, the neck side pickup has to be pushed back and that totally wrecks the tone of the guitar. But the Mondata II's tone is still there. That's quite a feat.

It's true the guitar is not cheap (it's not insanely priced either, still lower than the cost of a USA Strat), but it's able to deliver two things that are very valuable. Great sound the moment you start playing it, and 24-fret access that's usable and not a tone-wrecker.

It doesn't get much better than that.

One of the ugliest guitars I have ever seen

I've seen some ugly guitars in my time... but this one... wow.

Yes, this guitar is really for sale at the time I write this. [Edit: No longer for sale, but enjoy the pictures below.]

There are more photos of this beast below, but before getting to that, I'll describe what this thing is.

It's a Telecaster copy that has what looks to be a body made 100% from acrylic. The front half is mostly clear, except for the horn on top which appears to be have been hand-shaped to a dragon with the first of two chicks seen.

The first chick is sitting on the dragon's back and holding a sword, so that's cool. However, she has webbed hands, and that's not cool.

The second chick is behind the bridge, and the ocean below her appears to have eaten her leg. How sad.

The rear part of the guitar has been shaped to resemble dragon scales. However, I cannot tell if those scales are painted or if each scaled has been shaped by the "artist".

On the back of the guitar, is there a third chick? No. It's actually the second chick where you can see the paint through the clear acrylic body. From this view we can see the guitar appears to have been wired properly, and the neck is a bolt-on, typical to Telecasters.

Lastly, this guitar supposedly lights up, although I can't be certain. The title of the instrument claims it's an LED. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't... who knows?

Someone needs to buy this guitar just for the goof of it... but that someone won't be me.

Enjoy:

Chender Yngwie Malmsteen Stratocaster

This is absolutely the cheapest way to get a scalloped fretboard Strat.

For those of you that have always wanted to try out a scalloped fretboard Stratocaster but didn't have the cash to do it, trust me, you can afford this one. If you can't afford an actual Fender Malmsteen Strat guitar, believe me, it is very easy to find very cheap alternatives.

Is it a China copy Stratocaster? Of course it is.

Will the guitar need some work once you get it? Probably. But even if it does need work, remember, you're getting the scalloped fretboard.

Put in really basic terms, the neck alone is worth the price you pay here.

Should Squier be offering a scalloped fretboard Strat?

I wish they would.

It's painfully obvious that you can buy an Asian built guitar with scalloped fretboard for very cheap. Most if not all Squier guitars are Asian builds.

I'm not even asking Squier to make a Malmsteen model. What I am saying is that they should offer something with a scalloped fretboard on it. Fender has a lot of freedom of design where the Squier brand is concerned, so if they wanted to, they could totally put together a Strat with an HSH pickup configuration and a scalloped fretboard. Alas, there isn't one.

Until Squier starts offering a model of Strat with a scalloped fretboard, people will keep buying the China copies, and often.