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The best Ibanez Guitars reviews

The reviews Audiofanzine members found the most helpful.

Ibanez JEM 10th Anniversary

Jem10's review
Made in the United States. UTILIZATION The JEM GeneralThe Ibanez JEM series was designed by Steve VAI (www.vai.com). This is professional instruments, which are far from the reach of all budgets (Ibanez offers a model derived, the RG series, which has characteristics of JEM imitated, but build quality obviously less high range, and with different microphones). Channel 24 cases, fully accessible: no gene for play on the 24th box, is the absolute anti Les Paul! The button is very wide, and it takes getting used to, nothing to do with the narrow neck of Fender. JEM is a real highway, which allows for maximum speed and cleanliness. Listen to Steve Vai ... The neck is very stiff, and does not work at all. Perfect tuning stability. Touche very flat, very thin neck. Comfort. Start body style, much improved. Great ergonomic and beautiful. The guitar is very light - nothing to do, either, with a Les Paul. Disadvantage: the JEM is relatively fragile, it does not refrain from dropping ... Ibanez signed floating tremolo, perfect - much better than the Floyd Rose. Microphones differ depending on the model, see www.ibanez.com for apprécialtion sound, see www.harmony-central.com. These are in any case never V7, S1, V8, unlike writes Jo Gaston Melmef https://fr.audiofanzine.com/guitare-sc/ibanez/jem-10th/-these, we only found on the RG, and are not recommended (the RG is an excellent guitar, as far as to replace the pickups). The JEM, the microphone is emblematic Di Marzio EVOLUTION (www.dimarzio.com - a micro to very high output, super punch, acute clarissimi. The JEM in particular 10 This is a particular model of JEM, Ibanez has produced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of manufacturing. Black body, picture of very high-end aluminum pickguard, etc.. : http://www.jemsite.com/axes/model/jem10.htm see - one of the finest guitars ever made. There are only 852 in the world, and they are very expensive. SOUNDS I use basically a one Line 6 VETTA II: https://www.line6.com/vetta_ii/US/. The Di Marzio pickups EVOLUTION fully support all electronic processing, and can attack any amp. The sound is always clear and powerful. It is a microphone that does not forgive anything, everything is picked up, including guitarist imperfections ... OVERALL OPINION I bought my JEM 10 in Germany, in December 2002. I do not use in the studio: a too fine instrument to risk damaging it on a stage (JEM will prefer, white or blue). It's a perfect guitar. The price of the JEM 10, as I said, is very high. Is justified only for lovers who can afford it. The JEM 7 is expensive too, but not more than any other instrument that high quality. If you are considering investing in a great guitar - Stratocaster, Les Paul, ... - It would be ridiculous not to compare with JEM.

by Jem10 3 1/17/05
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Ibanez RG3550MZ

« The RG550 is back...somewhat »
One of Ibanez's most popular guitars ever made was the RG550. For whatever reason, they discontinued that guitar, and they refused to bring back maple fretboards. Why, I have no clue. Thankfully, however, they brought it back with this model. The guitar features a basswood body with a smoked pickguard, a maple neck with maple fretboard and outlined sharktooth inlays, HSH configuration, one volume knob, one tone knob, a five way switch and an Edge Zero tremolo. UTILIZATION Finally, they brought back both Desert Yellow and a maple fretboard! A lot of Ibanez fans have been waiting for this for quite awhile. The fretwork on this guitar is top notch thanks to it being built in the Prestige factory. The neck is nice and thin, so it works great for shred licks. The fretboard's radius is also fairly flat, so you can get super low action and bend to the moon without worrying about fretting out. Access to the higher frets is a breeze thanks to the All Access Neck Joint. SOUNDS Not only did Ibanez bring back a guitar inspired by the RG550, but they also included real DiMarzios in this! This guitar comes equipped with an Air Norton in the neck, True Velvet in the middle and Tone Zone in the the bridge. The Air Norton delivers an awesome, fat, round neck tone that is just to die for. It's one of my favorite DiMarzios. The True Velvet is a nice, clean single coil that sounds great in positions 2 and 4. The Tone Zone is a fat, strong midrange pickup that really kicks an amp into overdrive and helps make this guitar sound huge. OVERALL OPINION I absolutely adore this guitar. It's one of the guitars that Ibanez should have been making for years in their standard production line. For years, you had to buy a J-Custom or special edition guitar to get real pickups, but they finally included a nice set of DiMarzios in a production model guitar. On top of that, it has a maple fretboard! If you're looking to buy your first Ibanez, I highly recommend looking at one of these. In fact, I'd probably take this over the RG550.

by Hatsubai 3 5/12/11
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Ibanez RGA42

Audiofanzine FR's review
(Originally written by starkitsh/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Visit the manufacturer's website. UTILIZATION Ibanez neck... The guitar is light and perfectly well-balanced. For the sound, it has a volume control, a toggle switch and some sort of boost switch. It looks like an RG but the body is slimmer and rounder. SOUNDS Conceived for rock and heavy metal, it sounds fat and well-defined. OVERALL OPINION I bought it the 11th of March 2009 after I saw an ad in a magazine. I loved its look and features. I own two Ibanez guitars I'm satisfied with. I bought a third one and I'm not disappointed. Great value for money, great looks, good active pickup that can compete with EMG models. I compared it with the Fender Jim Root and I found it better. I use it with a POD XT Live, a H&K Attax 100 and a Line 6 Spider Valve 212. Although it was conceived for rock and heavy metal, modeling technology also allows you to play other music styles. The pickups sound powerful, the neck is comfortable (although it's not the best Ibanez neck) and, considering the price, I think other manufacturers made a lot of money with me. This affordable Ibanez guitar with low-budget components is a great instrument for demanding musicians (considering the price). This guitar is a great alternative to the plentiful and expensive heavy metal guitars. I'll just say hats off before going back to play it.

by Audiofanzine FR 3 3/14/09
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Ibanez JEM7V Prestige

Audiofanzine FR's review
(Originally written by Endrix/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Guitar made in Japan by the J Craft team. My model has a scalloped rosewood fingerboard and was made this year. The guitar has an Ibanez Pro Edge tremolo under Floyd Rose license and Di Marzio Evolution pickups (two humbuckers and one single coil). Tone and volume controls. Typical Ibanez neck: very flat and slim, similar to the RG models. I also owned one of the first models with ebony fingerboard and I can't notice any difference compared to the current versions with rosewood fingerboard. UTILIZATION For me the neck is the most important part of the guitar and that's the reason I decided to play a Jem (among other things). I find this neck is great. It's fast and comfortable, but it's not the best neck I know (I also play a Charvel). Access to the upper frets is easy thanks to the great neck/body junction. The guitar is light and I love that. The sound is even better because the guitar is extremely versatile in spite of its heavy metal look. The neck humbucker allows you to play everything from pop to rock and ballads or even jazz licks. The middle position provides typical Strat sounds. And of course the bridge humbucker produces a killer sound for heavy metal. This guitar is extremely versatile. I don't know any other modern Strat that provides such a wide sound palette. SOUNDS I already wrote above about the sound. I only want to repeat it's an ultra versatile instrument. I play it with all my amps and I always get very good results. The clean sound is good with both tube and solid-state amps. The guitar always sounds good. On the contrary, the bridge pickup gives much better results with tube amps... but that's always the case with every guitar! To keep it short, this Jem offers every possible sound! I also own a Gibson Les Paul but I don't take it out of its case anymore because the Jem offers me a typical Gibson sound with my Mesa Mark IV amp and I like its neck a lot more. It's the same thing regarding clean sound: the middle pickup sounds very good and once again it's more comfortable to play the Jem than a Strat. Its typical Ibanez neck makes it easy to play any music style with any technique. I only moderate my opinion because I have a new purchase, a Charvel SoCal and in spite of its great value, the Ibanez doesn't have the magic of the Charvel. OVERALL OPINION I've been playing a Jem for 14 years (counting my first Jem)! I like almost everything about this guitar!! The only thing I don't like that much is the Pro Edge tremolo. Considering the technical aspect, it's a fantastic tremolo that gives you more possibilities than an original Floyd Rose but I find the Vigier tremolo with ball bearing has a longer life. So I put this guitar on the same level as another wonderful instrument, the Vigier Excalibur Custom. I like this guitar a lot because it's the only one that gives me the sounds I love. If you want to play Vai stuff you have to own this guitar. The value for money is average because even though a Jem is less expensive than a Vigier, and many other lesser guitars, it's still quite expensive because it's a signature model. I would choose it again but there are new instruments hitting the market and I sold my Washburn N4 (awful look and average sound) to buy a real Charvel US, which is an amazing guitar! The advantage of the Charvel is that you buy a guitar and nothing else (no signature, no deluxe case, no nothing just the guitar). But the Jem still has its own sound.

by Audiofanzine FR 3 12/5/08
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Ibanez RG2550Z

Audiofanzine FR's review
(Originally written by AlanDay/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Assembled in Japan by the J.Craft Team. It has 24 jumbo frets, IBZ/Di Marzio HSH pickups (made by DiMarzio for Ibanez or made by Ibanez under DiMarzio license? I don't know...) Great Edge Zero tremolo on knife edges with locking system that works like a Swiss clock. In the factory setting it's half-floating but you can adjust it so that it floats completely (remove the point zero system)... Volume and tone controls plus 5-way toggle switch. Extra flat and wide Wizard neck that feels nice. You'll get used to it after a few hours. UTILIZATION Very good access to the upper frets, it's an Ibanez! Strat-type shape but with a more aggressive and sharper look. It weighs almost the same as a Fender Stratocaster. Well-balanced instrument, superb finish. The sound is quite powerful. Once you adjusted the pickup height, you can play with the volume control for more sound versatility. The versatility is also enhanced by the 5-way toggle switch and the HSH pickup combination. You get a monster but accurate distortion. The clean sound is clear and well-balanced. The only problem is that the pickups tend to produce too present mids and highs. SOUNDS I bought it to play melodic heavy metal and it's great for that sort of music. But it also allows me to play jazz or blues stuff. I tested it with a Fender Twin amp and a Peavey Triple XXX. The sound is always clear and precise (however a bit more crystal clear with the Fender)... I like the fat distortion of the neck pickup, it reminds Vai, Satriani and Petrucci. OVERALL OPINION I bought it about one month ago. I had to bring it to a luthier because the tremolo generated too much vibration noise. He adjusted it properly and changed the strings. This problem seems to be quite rare on this guitars. I've had plenty of guitars including an Ibanez Saber. When I tested the RG at the store, it was love at first sight. The guitar is bit too expensive... I don't know if I would buy it again because it's still too new for me.

by Audiofanzine FR 3 12/4/08
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Ibanez ADL Delay

Steveguitarist's review
Picked this up on EBAY for $60. I wanted an AD9 but their going for $150+. I read this article: Ibanez ADL Analog Delay The Ibanez ADL Analog Delay from the 'Master Series' (also known as the 10 Series and L-Series) was the analog delay designed by Ibanez after the original AD9 went out of production. It has the same electronics as the AD9 Series including the now out-of-production Bucket Brigade MN3102 and MN3205 chip technology to get that smooth, warm delay that we all crave. So, for less than half the price I got what I was looking for. Great box. Great sound. UTILIZATION Super simple operation. SOUND QUALITY Quiet and toneful. OVERALL OPINION If you're looking for a vintage analog delay and think you need to spend alot think again. If you find one buy it. It's worth every bit as much as a vintage AD9 without having to pay for the pink box.

by Steveguitarist 3 7/15/08
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Ibanez RG721FM

« Beautiful, pleasant to play and versatile »
First, I’ll mention that I’m not a professional guitarist, so please take this review as that of an average player. I’ve used this guitar in my home studio for composing and demoing (direct in, with no amp). I bought it for that purpose as it had been recommended to me as a guitar suitable to play all kinds of styles (I’ve tried several models in several shops and opted for this one). It is equipped with two humbuckers (bridge and neck positions) and a 5-way switch which allows various combinations to find the adequate sound for the style you’re after. You can play ballads with the first neck pickup, good ol’ funk with the mid switch position and heavy metal using the bridge humbucker. As for how it’s built, I’ll just say erfect (the paint isn’t lacquered though, so beware in case you’d knock it). The finish is flawless, the Ibanez shape and woods used make it an original model, unlike the classic rock guitar models. It’s rather small and light. The neck is a real highway, a real pleasure to play! Pros: + Value for money + its sonic versatility + Playing comfort + Design Cons: - For a player of my humble level, there’s none that i can think of I bargained it at a good price with a great and sturdy flycase with a velvet interior - a perfect case for a jewel of a guitar.

by lukteste 3 3/27/18
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Ibanez XH300

« Nice job, Ibanez! »
This guitar has a mahogany body, a bolt on 24 fret 3-piece maple nck, and Ibanez CAP-LZ humbuckers. It has a tune-a-matic style setup for the bridge, with a separate tailpiece, one volume knob and a 3 way switch for pickups. The finish is called Mars shadow. UTILIZATION I have to say off the bat that the color scheme is fantastic! This Mars shadow design that Ibanez has used on this guitar - it needs to be on more guitars! Craftsmanship is great - they paid good attention to detail, especially on the fretwork and finish. The guitar's playability is fantastic, for sure, with great access to all frets, and the guitar balances well on the knee or on a strap. SOUNDS With Ibanez pickups, it can be hit or miss, but these pickups are pretty good! They are very hot, getting a range of tones such as "metal" and "more metal"! All joking aside, this guitar is designed purely for hard rock and metal, so don't expect too much versatility from the factory pickups. This is not your Nashville star's guitar, nor a jazz cat's axe - this guitar simply ROCKS. Feed it gain, and it will roar like a lion. OVERALL OPINION I'm glad Ibanez is putting out some bold new shapes to see what sticks. I could see this new Halberd design as being a classic shape that could be used again in many different incarnations, including a more subdued instrument for more classic rock folks, something like a Halberd shape with more of an Iceman influence on the rest of the aesthetics. Either way, I hope they take this neat finish idea that is just on this model for now and apply it to other guitars! The guitar screams and plays great, so it is definitely worth a look! Recommended for rockers.

by heads on fire 2 3/2/12
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Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer Reissue

« Decent Tubescreamer but not worth the money. »
The Ibanez TS808 Vintage Reissue is a very basic pedal optionwise. One tone knob to adjust the EQ of the pedal, one knob for overall volume, and one knob for the amount of gain, and that’s all you get. If you are a big pedal tweaker this isn’t for you. It’s the tried and true seasick green color, and supposedly uses the same factory, components and housing as that of the original 808 Tubescreame, including the famous JRC4558 chip. The pedal can be powered by 9 volt batter or external AC adapter. Dimensions of the pedal are 4.9" x 2.8" x 2" and it weighs a little over a pound. UTILIZATION The pedal is built very sturdy, with a square switch exactly like the original 808 series from Ibanez. I have never heard any issues with quality control on these pedals like I have the cheaper 7 series that uses a “new” switch design. I wouldn’t worry about this one breaking on you. It’s a very straightforward layout and the knobs seem sturdy and hold your settings well. The housing and jacks are metal and seem like they would hold up to a good amount of abuse. SOUND QUALITY I compared this pedal against a stock Ibanez 9 Series Tubescreamer, and it won the contest, but only slightly. It is one of the most copied pedals out there, if not THE most copied pedal and honestly some of the clones I’ve picked up does the sound much better. This pedal has a decent sound to it, but I don’t hear a major difference between the two models. It does sound ever so slightly warmer, but it’s not a night and day difference. Like all other tubescreamers, you are going to have that heavy mid hump in the eq section, so if that’s not for you steer clear of this pedal. The tone knob doesn’t let you dial that out. I would not use it for a straight up overdrive with a tele or strat unless I was going after those SRV blues tones, it does that well. It surely cuts through the mix, but it’s a little heavy on the mids for my tastes. OVERALL OPINION Similar to the TS9, this pedal is built very well and should stand the test of time in the durability department. Unless you like a very midrange heavy overdrive or have an amp that is equalized to handle the pedal, I would only suggest using this pedal as a solo boost into an already overdriven tube amp or for blues rock or other genres or amps where a mid heavy overdrive is useful. I feel this pedal is overpriced and Ibanez is banking on the Vintage Reissue name a little too much. I feel that there are several copies of this pedal that do it’s thing just as well or better for far less money. If a Tubescreamer was the tone I was looking for and Ibanez was my only option, I’d just stick with the TS9. I did not feel there was enough difference in tone to pay the extra for the reissue.

by Fireguy8402 2 12/23/11
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Ibanez S540FM

« Great playing axe. »
Made in Japan Mahogany double cutaway body with Flame maple veneer Bolt on Wizard maple neck with rosewood fretboard 22 Jumbo frets Ibanez high quality Gotoh style modern tuning machines Locking nut Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge double locking tremolo bridge system Ibanez V series pickups - 2 humbuckers, 1 single coil - HSH configuration 1 volume, 1 tone, 5 way switch 1/4" output jack Gold hardware Very light - around 6 pounds UTILIZATION I'll give this area a 10. It's hard to top the playability of a late 80s, early 90s Ibanez guitar made in the Fujigen plant in Japan. This model is no exception - the Wizard neck is thin, sleek, and very fast, and the fretwork is impeccable. The level of action one can achieve on this guitar is so low, the strings are nearly right on top of the frets, so it takes just a modicum of effort (with a light touch) in order to activate the string. Fret access is great. The body is ergonomic enough, and light to boot, and the S540 balances very well. As an added bonus, the Lo-Pro Edge tremolo system stays in tune very well, even on the wildest whammy tricks! SOUNDS The stock Ibanez pickups are very good. Good enough that many people leave them in - they are richly defined, with a nice presence and aggressive attack, smooth singing sustain, and great "in-between" Strat funk tones. The 5 different selections on the switch provide ample tonal variety, allowing this guitar to be used in nearly any style. It excels in shred/fusion/metal types, but it's a great guitar for jazz, reggae, and I could even see someone using it in a country band. OVERALL OPINION This is a marvelous instrument. Ibanez has been known for making great guitars for a long time, but I feel that the 80s and 90s were their golden era for extremely playable axes. There are still a lot of these guitars out there, so finding one shouldn't be too difficult, and it would be well worth the effort to do so just for the neck alone.

by heads on fire 2 11/28/11
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Ibanez DE7 Stereo Delay/Echo

« Dirt-cheap box, great tones! »
Modes - Echo (vintage-analog sounding) or Delay (more digital and clean) 30 ms to 2.6 seconds of delay time Time, repeat, level, and a Range Switch (short or longer delays) Tone-Lok knobs - These are Ibanez proprietary "set and forget" pots that lock the settings by pushing the knob down into the pedal. Sturdy metal housing 9v battery or adaptor input UTILIZATION This unit is very easy to use. All you have to do is plug in your guitar, twiddle the knobs, and enjoy! The Tone-Lok knobs are a life-saver on gigs, as they prevent the settings from accidentally being changed. I know that these are Ibanez pots, but I wish they were included on every single pedal ever made. The stomp switch is rugged, as is the housing, and I feel like I could throw this out of a moving vehicle and still use it during a gig that night. SOUND QUALITY This pedal sounds great! Not just great for the price, but great period! I use the Echo mode exclusively; it gets some great self-regeneration, and sounds like an old analog delay pedal. The Delay mode sounds good, just not as good as the Echo. This is an excellent pedal for slap-back delays, and for weird/ambient soundscapes. For the "always on" tone, that guys like Joe Bonamassa and Eric Johnson use, this wouldn't be a bad pedal to throw into one's effects loop. OVERALL OPINION I love writing reviews, but I was a little averse to writing this one, as I'm scared the word will get out on this pedal. It's an absolutely fantastic little box that can be found for next to nothing. If I needed another delay in a pinch, I'd buy one of these in a heartbeat. This is a pedal that I like so much I would gladly own more than one of just to have different settings in the same setup! In the same price class, one can find the Rocktron Short Timer. That pedal is also pretty decent, but doesn't do as much as the Ibanez DE-7 can do.

by heads on fire 2 9/9/11
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Ibanez Tone Blaster 412A

« Not bad for the price »
The Ibanez Tone Blaster TB412A is a 4x12 speaker cabinet that is designed to go with their budget line of Tone Blaster solid state heads. It's made of plywood as far as I know, and is loaded with Ibanez branded "Power Jam" speakers. These are reputed to be made by Celestion for Ibanez but I can't really verify this. I bought mine as a matter of necessity last summer when I needed a cabinet quickly and cheaply. At the time, I was using a rackmount rig with a Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp and a Mosvalve MV962 power amp and a bevy of Ibanez, Gibson and Charvel guitars. It's a fairly heavy cabinet, and definitely a pain to move around. I would guess that it was about 100lbs and the casters that come with it are extremely helpful if you plan on moving it around much. The tone out of this cabinet is decent considering the price and questionable origin/quality of the speakers that it's loaded with. There is a good amount of bass, a fairly subdued midrange and a nice high end that forunately isn't as ear piercing as it could be. The cabinet works well at home jamming levels as well as in a band mix. I used it for a few gigs as well and never had any trouble hearing myself against drums or other guitars/bass. It's not the most unique sounding cabinet (IE: basically, it doesn't have a tone that makes it stand out, but rather it just has a fairly flat and general sound.) For the $200 used that I paid I was fairly impressed. It didn't sound nearly as good as the higher end Marshall, Mesa, or Hughes and Kettner cabs that I tried, but for a player on a budget it works well.

by King Loudness 2 8/30/11
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