Ibanez GRGR131EXBKF Electric Guitar: Full Review

The Ibanez GRGR131EXBKF is an affordable 6-string solid body electric guitar aimed at beginners and intermediate players. Part of Ibanez's GRG series, the GRGR131EXBKF offers great playability, versatile sound, and a stylish look that punches above its price range.

This GRG model features a basswood body topped with a slick black flat finish that gives it a sleek, modern aesthetic. The maple neck has a thin, fast profile that makes it very comfortable and easy to play. It has 22 medium frets and a rosewood fretboard. Overall the GRGR131EXBKF provides a great mixture of quality and value for money.

Body & Neck

The Ibanez GRGR131EXBKF comes with a basswood body for enhanced resonance and tone and for being lightweight. Basswood is known for its soft, lightweight qualities that make an electric guitar comfortable to play, while also providing good sustain.

The maple neck offers stability, durability and a fast feel for speedy playing. Maple is a dense, rigid wood that provides excellent definition and quick attack. The maple neck allows for very precise, fast playing with clear note articulation. Its sturdy construction also ensures the neck retains proper alignment over time.

The guitar features a slim, flat and comfortable profile neck that allows easy access to higher frets. The fretboard is rosewood, which looks great and offers a smooth feel during fast runs and solos. Overall the basswood body and maple neck provide a resonant, lightweight and fast-playing electric guitar.

The choice of woods affects an electric guitar's tone and playability. Basswood is a popular choice for guitar bodies because it is lightweight and has good resonance. The maple neck offers stability and fast playability. However, there are many high-quality electric guitar options to choose from. For example, the Epiphone PPEG-EGL1EBCH1 is an affordable guitar with a mahogany body and maple top for balanced tone. It has a mahogany neck for added warmth. The rosewood fingerboard provides smooth playability. This guitar offers versatile humbucker pickups and coil-splitting for a range of tones. It's a great choice for beginners and intermediate players looking for their first "real" electric guitar.

When shopping for an electric guitar, it's important to consider the body wood, neck wood, fretboard material, and hardware components. The body wood affects the guitar's resonance and sustain. Maple is bright and snappy while mahogany has more midrange and warmth. The neck wood contributes to the feel and playability. Maple is rigid and fast while mahogany is smooth and mellow. The fretboard wood also affects tone and feel. Rosewood is a popular fretboard choice. It's smooth and rounds off the edges of the maple or mahogany neck. The bridge, tuners, and pickups make up the hardware. These components directly impact the guitar's tuning stability and tonal qualities.

It's best to try out different electric guitars in person to get a sense of how the woods, construction and components affect the sound and feel. If that's not possible, reading reviews can provide valuable insights from other players' experiences. Narrow down your selection based on your budget and musical needs. Consider what styles of music you want to play and which guitars best match your personal preferences. With some thoughtful research, you'll be able to find your perfect electric guitar.

Versatile Pickups Provide a Wide Range of Tones

The Ibanez GRGR131EXBKF features two Infinity R humbucker pickups that offer a wide tonal palette. The neck pickup produces a warm, rounded tone well-suited for jazz and blues. The bridge pickup has more bite and output for rock and metal styles.

With individual volume controls for each pickup, it's easy to blend the neck and bridge pickups. This allows for smooth transitions in tone, from dark and throaty to bright and cutting. The 5-way switch provides series/parallel switching options, further expanding the tonal possibilities.

The Infinity R pickups are designed to be responsive across the frequency range. The ceramic magnets provide tight low end and strong output. The open coil construction contributes airiness and dynamics. Overall, the pickups are versatile for various genres while avoiding a one-dimensional sound.

Having versatile pickups allows guitarists to access a wide range of tones from a single instrument. This can inspire creativity and make it easier to adapt your playing to different musical contexts. Quality pickups are an important factor in getting great tone from an electric guitar.

In addition to the Infinity R pickups, the Ibanez GRGR131EXBKF has other features that provide tonal flexibility. The basswood body offers a balanced sound, while the maple neck and rosewood fingerboard add snap and richness. The 25.5" scale length and thin U-shaped neck profile facilitate playing speed and comfort.

With this Ibanez model, guitarists can go from searing rock solos to warm jazz chords without needing to change guitars. The versatile pickups, combined with flexible electronics and quality construction, make this a very playable and tonally diverse guitar. It's a great choice for guitarists who play in multiple styles.

For guitarists looking for a new electric guitar that can handle a wide range of musical genres, be sure to check out the Ashthorpe 21637111. This versatile instrument features dual Ashthorpe humbucking pickups optimized for excellent tone across the tonal spectrum. An alder body and maple neck provide a balanced foundation, while the flexible electronics offer a variety of wiring options. It's a guitar built for versatility, designed to keep up with whatever style you want to play.

Hardware

The GRGR131EX has quality hardware that helps it stay in tune and sound great. It features a fixed bridge and die-cast tuners.

The fixed bridge provides solid intonation and tuning stability. Unlike tremolo bridges, it has no moving parts that could slip out of tune. This allows the guitar to hold its tuning even under heavy playing.

The die-cast tuners are high-quality machine heads that keep the strings tightened at pitch. Die-cast refers to the tuners being cast from zinc alloy. This makes them more durable and precise than standard tuners. They have a smooth and solid feel when turning to tune the guitar. The combination of the fixed bridge and die-cast tuners results in excellent tuning stability.

Overall, the hardware components on the GRGR131EX are designed for reliability and consistency. Guitarists will appreciate how well it stays in tune, even during enthusiastic playing.

Playability

The Ibanez GRGR131EXBKF features a thin, fast maple neck that facilitates smooth, comfortable playing across the fretboard. The neck has a 25.5" scale length, providing tension that many guitarists prefer for lead playing and shredding.

The action on this Ibanez is set low from the factory, minimizing the space between the strings and frets. This allows easy bending, vibrato, and quick runs up and down the neck. Lower action typically equates to less hand fatigue during long practice or gigging sessions.

The GRGR131EXBKF has a rosewood fingerboard known for warmth and smoothness. Combined with the maple neck, these materials give a nice balance of snap and supple playability. The jumbo frets also have smoothly finished edges to prevent snagging during speedy solos or riffs.

Overall, the Ibanez GRGR131EXBKF offers an exceptionally playable electric guitar platform straight out of the box. It's crafted for high speeds and low hand fatigue, perfect for guitarists focused on lead playing, shredding, and rocking out on stage.

Sound

The Ibanez GRGR131EXBKF produces a versatile range of tones thanks to its Infinity R humbucking neck pickup and Quantum humbucking bridge pickup configuration. The neck pickup delivers a warm, rounded tone that's great for blues and jazz. Switching to the bridge pickup provides a brighter, more biting sound perfect for rock and metal.

The 5-way pickup selector switch allows you to tap into the full tonal palette - from thick humbucking tones in positions 1 and 5, to quacky single-coil-like tones in positions 2 and 4. There's also a useful coil-split function engaged in position 3, where you can split the bridge humbucker into a single coil for even more tonal variety.

Overall, the Ibanez GRGR131EXBKF is tonally flexible enough to handle anything from jazz to heavy rock. The pickups provide a wide spectrum of usable tones, while still retaining character and attitude expected of an Ibanez guitar.

Pros

The GRGR131EXBKF has several standout features that make it a compelling buy in its price range.

• Quality Construction: The GRGR131EXBKF is made with quality components including a basswood body, maple neck, and rosewood fingerboard. The craftsmanship is excellent with no sharp fret edges or other issues. It feels solidly constructed and made to last.

• Fast Neck: The GRGR131EXBKF has a thin, fast neck which makes it very comfortable and easy to play, especially when moving quickly up and down the neck. The maple neck has a natural satin finish that allows for a smooth feel. The reduced neck heel also provides easier access to higher notes.

• Good Value: Given the quality components, versatile tone, and reliable construction, the GRGR131EXBKF provides excellent value. It competes well with guitars costing significantly more. The craftsmanship and materials are impressive for an affordable instrument, making this a very cost-effective option.

Cons

The Ibanez GRGR131EX has a few drawbacks to consider:

• Cheaper hardware/electronics - As an entry-level model, the GRGR131EX has lower quality hardware and electronics compared to Ibanez's more expensive guitars. This includes cheaper tuners, bridge, pots, capacitors, and switch. While functional, these components won't last or perform as well long-term.

• Limited tone shaping - With a single humbucker pickup and basic controls (1 volume, 1 tone), there aren't many options for shaping your tone. You can't blend pickups or split the humbucker into single coils. The lack of a coil tap also limits tonal variety. This isn't ideal for players who need more tonal flexibility.

Comparable Models

The Ibanez GRGR131EXBKF competes with other entry-level electric guitars in its price range. Two comparable options to consider are:

Ibanez GRX70QA

The Ibanez GRX70QA is one of the most popular models from Ibanez in the low price range. It shares many specs with the GRGR131EXBKF including a poplar body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, and Infinity R pickups. The main difference is the GRX70QA only has a fixed bridge compared to the vintage tremolo on the GRGR131EXBKF. The GRX70QA also comes in more simplified cosmetic styles. Overall it provides a very similar playing experience at a lower cost.

Epiphone Les Paul Special VE

Epiphone's Les Paul Special VE offers an alternative to the Ibanez models. It has a mahogany body and maple top for a more traditional Les Paul style tone. The pickups are open coil humbuckers compared to the closed coil design on the Ibanez models. This gives the Les Paul a warmer, fuller sound but perhaps not as tight and focused. The Les Paul Special VE has a fixed bridge and only a single tone and volume knob for a simple control layout. It provides a great way to get classic Les Paul tones on a budget.

Conclusion

The Ibanez GRGR131EXBKF offers solid features for a budget-friendly electric guitar. Its lightweight Poplar body and fast Wizard III maple neck make it comfortable and easy to play. The Infinity R humbuckers provide thick, warm tones well-suited to rock and metal.

Overall, the pros of this model are its playability, sonic versatility, sleek black finish, and reasonable price point. The main drawbacks are the lack of coil-splitting on the pickups and cheaper hardware components. Still, these compromises help keep costs down while maintaining core performance.

This Ibanez is best for new players looking for an affordable, well-made instrument for rock and metal styles. The thin neck and vibey tone from the humbuckers make lead playing especially enjoyable. More advanced guitarists may want to consider upgrading some components down the line, like the bridge or tuners. But the GRGR131EXBKF is a solid bet for an entry-level instrument with the iconic Ibanez feel and sound.