Ibanez ICX220

Made in China
Redesigned, smaller body shape
Ibanez brand Infinity humbuckers
Full Tune II bridge (similar to a Gibson Tuneamatic)
Bolt-on 3-piece maple neck
22 frets
Basswood body
Rosewood fretboard
Volume, Tone, 3 way pickup selector switch

UTILIZATION

This is an Ibanez guitar, so one could expect to have a good, fast neck on it. And one would be correct in one's assumptions! The neck is thin, like a Wizard profile, and the cutaway and rounded heel provides good access to all the frets. The backward angle of the headstock allows for good, clear sustain, and the smaller body is light and sits on the lap very comfortably. Fretwork wasn't perfect, but this thing was dirt cheap, and that's not hard to fix.

SOUNDS

The guitar sounds pretty good with the stock pickups. It's no boutique axe, but for the price I paid for it, it's pretty nice. The Full Tune II tuneamatic-style bridge allowed for great sustain, punchy attack, and good clarity. The shape of the guitar tells you that it's good for rock, metal, and the like, but I could honestly get some good blues and some decent jazz tones out of it as well. It's not really spanky enough for country, however, and all the down-home folks would probably look at you funny if you tried it on a chicken-pickin' gig.

OVERALL OPINION

This guitar gives solid performance for the price point. I paid a lot less, due to getting it used, so I might be painting a bit more rosy a picture, but I still think it's a good instrument for the price range. I know Daron Malakian of System of a Down used these guitars live for awhile, so they can definitely hold up. The best parts of the guitar are the neck, and the overall vibe - the body shape is pretty cool! If you find one for cheap, snag it!