Ibanez GRX 6 GRX70QATVT Electric Guitar: Full Review

The Ibanez GRX70 is an electric guitar model from Ibanez's GRX series, which aims to provide high quality and versatile instruments at accessible price points. This solid body electric guitar features a basswood body topped with a veneer in transparent violet burst, a maple neck, and a rosewood fretboard for a rich, full tone.

The GRX70 offers versatile sound at an entry level price point, making it a great choice for new players or those on a budget. Basswood provides a balanced tonality and the maple neck offers stability and bright tone. Combined with the two Ibanez Infinity humbuckers, this guitar can handle rock, metal, blues, jazz, and more. While not loaded with top shelf components, the hardware and electronics are well made and perfect for a beginner's rig. Overall, it provides fantastic value in an affordable super strat-style guitar.

Body & Neck

The Ibanez GRX70QATVT electric guitar has a solid double-cutaway basswood body paired with a maple GRX neck. Basswood is a relatively lightweight wood that provides resonance and sustain without adding a lot of overtones to the core tone. The maple neck offers stability and a smooth, fast feel that's great for soloing and shredding. The neck is topped with a rosewood fingerboard featuring 24 jumbo frets and pearloid dot inlays. Overall, the basswood/maple combo produces a balanced tone with good note definition and playability.

The body and neck construction of an electric guitar like the Ibanez GRX70QATVT has a significant impact on its feel, playability, and tone. The type of woods used, such as basswood and maple, influence sustain, resonance, weight, and tonal characteristics. Basswood tends to be lightweight and resonant, providing a balanced tone, while maple offers stability and smooth playability. Combining different woods allows guitar manufacturers like Ibanez to tailor the instrument to suit different playing styles and genres.

The 24 jumbo frets on the GRX70QATVT's rosewood fingerboard allow for easier and more comfortable fretting, especially when playing lead lines and solos that require large bends and expressive vibratos. The smooth feel of both the basswood body and maple neck also facilitate faster lead playing across the fretboard. Overall, these specifications make the GRX70QATVT a versatile and playable electric guitar suitable for rock, metal, blues, jazz, and more.

Other manufacturers design their electric guitars differently, utilizing alternative wood combinations and construction methods. For example, the Luna Guitars GYP E BWE has a mahogany body and maple neck, which produces a slightly warmer, fuller tone compared to basswood. The fretboard is ebony rather than rosewood, contributing to a crisp attack and smooth feel. While the Ibanez GRX70QATVT and Luna GYP E BWE have contrasting specs, they both aim to provide great playability and versatile tones at an affordable price point.

When shopping for an electric guitar, the woods and construction should be an important consideration alongside playability, hardware, electronics, and aesthetics. The physical makeup of the instrument forms the foundation of how it feels to play and the essential character of its sound. Researching specifications like body, neck, and fingerboard woods can help guitarists choose the right model to suit their budget, playing requirements, personal tastes, and musical goals.

Pickups

The Ibanez GRX70QATVT features two Infinity R (INF) humbucking pickups that provide a powerful, balanced sound.

Humbucking pickups use two coils to cancel out background noise and electromagnetic interference. This results in a stronger, cleaner signal compared to single coil pickups.

The neck pickup produces warm, round low-end tones with enough brightness and bite. The bridge pickup outputs higher output for increased gain and distortion. Together they offer a versatile range of tones from clean to distorted.

The INF pickups are designed by Ibanez specifically for their lower-priced GIO guitars. They aim to provide a solid rock and metal tone despite the guitar's budget price. The pickups deliver a lot of output and mid-range punch even when playing with high gain.

While not as refined in clarity as higher end pickups, the INF humbuckers perform reliably for rock, punk, and metal styles. They have decent note articulation when playing chords and allow the natural tone of the guitar to still come through. Overall, the pickups offer good value and performance for the price.

If you're looking for an affordable electric guitar with versatile humbucking pickups, the Oscar Schmidt OC11 is another great option to consider. The OC11 features two humbuckers as well - a T-Armond-style pickup in the neck position and a mini-humbucker in the bridge. This pickup configuration provides a wide tonal palette.

The neck pickup has a smooth, warm, rounded tone perfect for jazz, blues, and clean chordal playing. It has enhanced low-end response compared to a traditional single coil. The mini-humbucker bridge pickup outputs increased output and midrange for solos, lead lines, and distorted tones. Together the two pickups complement each other extremely well.

The Oscar Schmidt OC11 pickups are designed to be tonally versatile for various music genres, from mellow jazz to high gain rock. The guitar has excellent sustain and resonance with its set mahogany neck and solid agathis body. The pickups are mounted directly to the body for enhanced string vibration and sustain.

With its comfortable thin U neck profile, smooth satin finish, and sleek double cutaway design, the OC11 is optimized for fast lead playing across the fretboard. The pickups provide articulation and dynamics, responding well to playing techniques from string bending to fast riffing.

For an inexpensive electric guitar, the Oscar Schmidt OC11 punches above its weight in terms of build quality, playability, and pickup performance. The versatile humbucking configuration makes it suitable for beginners learning a variety of musical styles. Intermediate players will also appreciate the comfortable feel and quality tones.

Controls

The GRX70QAT has a simple control layout that is easy to navigate. It features master volume and tone knobs, allowing you to easily shape and control your overall sound.

The volume knob controls the overall output level of the guitar. Turn it up to get more volume and down to clean up and play at lower volumes. It has a nice taper that allows subtle as well as dramatic volume adjustments.

The tone knob lets you dial in the overall brightness and darkness of your tone. Turn it clockwise for a brighter, crisper sound or counterclockwise for a warmer, darker tone. At noon the tone knob provides a nice balanced tone.

Having dedicated knobs to control the volume and tone makes it easy to tweak your sound on the fly. Whether you want a clean bell-like tone or an overdriven crunch, the GRX70QAT's controls give you the versatility you need.

Hardware

The Ibanez GRX70QATVB features quality hardware that helps it stay in tune and intonate accurately. It has a basic fixed bridge made of steel that gets the job done without any fancy bells and whistles. The strings pass over the bridge and are held in place by the bridge pins. This is a tried and true design that works well for solid and reliable tuning stability.

The tuners are Ibanez's own die-cast tuners with a chrome finish. Die-cast tuners tend to be more durable and precise than stamped tuners. They help keep the strings locked in tune thanks to the gear ratio provided by the enclosed mechanism. The gear ratio gives more precise tuning control compared to open gear tuners. These tuners are smooth and accurate, and compliment the fixed bridge to give great tuning stability.

Overall, the hardware is well-suited for this price range. While not top-shelf, the fixed bridge and die-cast tuners offer good functionality and tuning stability. Players can rely on this guitar to stay in tune both while playing and between sessions. The hardware gets top marks for quality and durability at this affordable price point.

Sound & Tone

The Ibanez GRX70QATVT produces versatile tones well-suited for rock and metal. The dual humbucker pickups provide thick, saturated distortion when cranked up, allowing you to achieve aggressive rhythms and searing lead tones.

The 5-way pickup selector switch lets you blend the bridge and neck pickups to shape your tone. Go for a punchy attack in the bridge position or a warmer, rounder tone in the neck position. The 2 and 4 positions offer a balanced mix of clarity and body.

This guitar can handle high gain without getting too muddy. The bass is tight and defined even when using heavy distortion. The treble tones remain articulate when playing dense chords. From classic rock crunch to extreme metal, this Ibanez can produce a wide range of driving rock and metal tones.

The fixed bridge contributes to great sustain and tuning stability even during intense palm muting or whammy bar dives. Overall, the GRX70QATVT grants impressive tonal versatility to craft your signature sound.

Playability

The Ibanez GRX70QATVT features a smooth maple neck and medium frets that make it comfortable and enjoyable to play. The neck has a fast, thin profile that allows for quick runs up and down the fretboard. The maple provides a natural, smooth feel that many players prefer over rosewood or other exotic woods.

The medium jumbo frets give you enough height for various techniques like string bending and vibrato, without feeling overly huge or causing discomfort. This allows you to play with ease and confidence. The frets are finished well and don't have any sharp ends to irritate your hands during long practice or playing sessions.

Overall, the playability of the GRX70QATVT is one of its strongest points. The fast, smooth neck and medium frets come together to offer a great playing experience that both beginners and more advanced guitarists will appreciate.

Pros

• The Ibanez GRX70QATVT offers great value for the price. It's a budget-friendly guitar that doesn't feel or play like a beginner model.

• The construction is quite solid for an affordable guitar. The poplar body and maple neck provide a great foundation. The neck joint and hardware components are nicely put together as well.

• There are some eye-catching finishes to choose from, including a cool transparent blue burst, blackberry burst, and red jewel finish. The colors really make this guitar stand out from other models in its price range.

• Overall, the Ibanez GRX70QATVT punches above its weight class. You get pro features like a double-locking tremolo bridge system and dual humbucker pickups at a novice-friendly price point. It's an ideal choice for new players or anyone looking for a great bang-for-your-buck electric guitar.

Cons

The Ibanez GRX70QAT has a few drawbacks worth considering.

• The stock pickups are decent for the price, but leave some room for improvement in terms of warmth and richness. While they handle distortion well, clean tones can sound somewhat thin and sterile. Upgrading the pickups could provide a noticeable improvement in tone.

• The control layout is simple, with just a single volume and tone knob. This limits the ability to shape and fine tune your tone compared to guitars with more advanced controls. Coil splitting or tone circuits could offer more tonal options.

• The fixed bridge and lack of a whammy bar may be a disadvantage for players who like to experiment with dive bombs, flutter effects, and extreme pitch modulation.

• The thinner bodied design prioritizes playability and comfort over maximum sustain and resonance. Players who want thicker, beefier tones may find the GRX70QAT lacking in this area.

Overall the Ibanez GRX70QAT offers very good quality and performance for the affordable price, but the pickups and limited controls leave some room for upgrades down the road. It excels at rock and metal genres, although the stock pickups hold it back slightly for blues, jazz, and country styles.

Conclusion

The Ibanez GRX70QATVT is an excellent entry-level electric guitar for those looking to buy their first instrument on a budget. It offers great playability and sound quality considering its affordable price point.

The GRX70QATVT features a lightweight, comfortable body shape paired with a fast maple neck that makes it easy to play. The two Infinity R humbucking pickups provide a thick, warm tone that works well for rock and metal genres. Although cheaper pickups, they still sound good for the price.

The fixed bridge and diecast tuners keep the guitar in tune well. The controls are simple and intuitive for a beginner to utilize. Overall, the hardware is decent quality given the low cost.

This Ibanez model is best suited for a new guitarist that wants a versatile, hardtail axe to learn on before upgrading down the road. The double humbucker pickup configuration allows playing everything from clean tones to high-gain distortion.

Considering the budget price tag, the GRX70QATVT punches above its weight. While not as high-end as more expensive Ibanez guitars, it provides amazing value for those with limited funds. An excellent choice as a first electric guitar.