Ibanez GRX70QATBB Electric Guitar: Full Review

The Ibanez GRX70QATBB is an entry-level electric guitar designed for beginners and novices looking for an affordable, quality instrument. Part of Ibanez's GRX series, this guitar features a basswood body topped with a quilted art grain top in an attractive Transparent Blue Burst finish. It's a 6-string guitar with 24 jumbo frets and uses Ibanez's own Infinity R humbucker pickups, providing a versatile array of tones well-suited for rock, blues, and metal. With its simple yet reliable hardware components and comfortable, easy-to-play feel, the GRX70QATBB offers new players a solid guitar option without breaking the bank. This review will take a closer look at the GRX70QATBB's construction, sound, playability, and other key features to provide an overview of what this budget-friendly Ibanez model has to offer.

Construction

The Ibanez GRX70QA features a solid poplar body with a slick poplar top, adding brightness and resonance. The neck is made of maple, a dense hardwood that provides stability and sustain.

The fretboard is rosewood, which yields warm, rounded tone and smooth playability. It has a 25.5" scale length and 24 jumbo frets designed for speed and comfort. The chrome hardware appears high quality and durable.

The bridge is a simple yet solid Ibanez FAT-6 tremolo, allowing for expressive playing effects. Overall, the hardware components and wood materials seem thoughtfully chosen for an electric guitar in this price range. While not the most luxurious, the construction delivers where it counts - reliable performance night after night.

The solid poplar body and maple neck provide a sturdy foundation for the Ibanez GRX70QA. The combination of woods offers balanced tone and sustain, perfect for a wide range of musical genres. The smooth rosewood fretboard promotes comfortable playing, while the FAT-6 bridge enables expressive techniques. For an affordable electric guitar, the construction is quite impressive.

That said, more premium materials can be found on high-end electric guitars. Models made with mahogany, alder, or basswood bodies may offer richer low end and resonance. Guitars with maple caps often have brighter, crisper tone. Those with ebony fretboards are known for fast playability. However, these features significantly increase cost. Given its accessible price point, the Ibanez GRX70QA punches above its weight in construction.

Electric guitars with exemplary build quality command their premium prices. The American-made RockJam W-560-N features a solid alder body with a maple cap for enhanced sustain and clarity. Its ebony fretboard provides effortless shredding capabilities. Such high-end appointments carry a hefty price tag though, limiting accessibility for developing players. With a sturdy build and quality materials, the Ibanez GRX70QA brings admirable construction to the intermediate market.

Hardware

The Ibanez GRX70QATBB electric guitar features quality hardware that enhances its playability and sound.

Bridge

It has a standard tremolo bridge that provides good stability and allows for basic whammy bar effects like gentle vibrato and dips. The bridge saddles are made of durable steel for reliable intonation over time.

Tuners

The guitar uses Ibanez's own sealed die-cast tuners that do a great job of keeping the strings in tune, even during heavy use. They have a smooth and accurate feel when tuning.

Pickups

Two Ibanez Infinity R humbucking pickups are mounted directly to the body. They produce a thick, warm tone with emphasis on low end and sustain. The pickups have an Alnico V magnet at their core, making them sensitive and responsive to pick attack. There's also a 5-way pickup selector switch for versatile tonal options.

The hardware components on the Ibanez GRX70QATBB work together to provide great playability and classic electric guitar tones. The sturdy bridge allows for vibrato techniques while keeping the strings stable and in tune. The sealed tuners smoothly turn the tuning pegs with precision to maintain proper string tension. And the humbucking pickups offer everything from crisp cleans to saturated distortion. Overall the hardware equips this Ibanez model with pro-level performance capabilities.

Fender also makes quality electric guitars with solid hardware. The Fender 970110206 electric guitar has a synchronized tremolo bridge for expressive pitch effects. It uses Fender's own designed tuning machines for accurate and consistent tuning stability. There are two single coil Stratocaster pickups that produce the signature bell-like tones the model is known for. Together the hardware allows for versatile sound options with smooth playability. If you like the traditional Strat style and sound, check out the Fender 970110206 here: Fender 970110206.

When shopping for an electric guitar, pay close attention to the hardware components. The bridge, tuners, and pickups all significantly impact how the instrument plays and sounds. Make sure the bridge design matches your interest in vibrato techniques. Seek out quality tuners that will hold tune through long practice sessions. And choose pickups that offer the tonal characteristics you want. Solid hardware elevates any electric guitar.

Playability

The Ibanez GRX70QAT has an excellent playing feel thanks to its fast, thin neck and expertly finished frets.

The neck has a thin, flat profile that allows for quick lead playing and easy access to the upper frets. It's based on Ibanez's popular Wizard III neck shape, which many players appreciate for its comfort and playability.

The fretwork on this guitar is very well executed, with smoothly finished medium-jumbo frets. The frets feel comfortable under your fingers without any sharp or rough spots. The frets are long enough to make bending strings easy without feeling cramped.

The GRX70QAT also features a rosewood fingerboard which contributes to a smooth feel during faster playing. Overall the playability of this Ibanez model makes it a great choice for shredding, soloing, and playing quick riffs. It's designed for high performance while remaining comfortable during long practice or gigging sessions.

Sound

The Ibanez GRX70QA features two Ibanez Infinity R pickups that provide a versatile range of tones. The bridge pickup delivers crisp, articulate highs while the neck pickup has a smooth, rounded quality for blues and jazz.

The mahogany body contributes to a balanced, even response across the tonal spectrum. There's enough warmth and resonance for chords and rhythm work, but still enough cut and edge for solos and lead lines. The fixed bridge also provides solid sustain and intonation stability.

Overall, the Ibanez offers very good tonal flexibility for the price. While it won't have quite the same depth and character as a more expensive guitar, the pickups and wood combination give you a lot to work with from mellow cleans to aggressive distortion. It handles pedals well for shaping the sound further.

Versatility

The Ibanez GRX70QA is a very versatile electric guitar that can handle a wide range of musical styles. Its two humbucker pickups and 5-way switch allow for a variety of tones, making it suitable for rock, metal, blues, jazz, and country playing.

The dual humbuckers provide a thick, rich sound that works well for heavy rock and metal rhythms and leads. Switching to the 2 and 4 positions activates coil-splitting, which produces a brighter, cleaner tone perfect for blues, jazz, and country picking. This coil-splitting allows for the percussive chickin' pickin' style often used in country music.

The GRX70QA also has a full 24 fret neck, giving players great access to higher notes on the neck. This expands the range and makes the guitar a great choice for lead guitarists who need to shred. It's comfortable neck and playability also lend themselves well to fast soloing in a variety of genres.

Overall, the versatility of tones via the pickups and 5-way switch, combined with the comfortable full neck access, make the Ibanez GRX70QA a very versatile guitar suitable for everything from metal to jazz and country. It's an excellent choice for players looking for one guitar that can handle diverse musical styles.

Pros

One of the main advantages of the Ibanez GRX70QATBB is its affordability and good value. While not a professional level instrument, it delivers above average quality and performance for a budget electric guitar. This makes it an excellent choice for beginners and hobbyists looking for a good starter instrument.

The GRX70QATBB features quality hardware considering its low price point. It comes equipped with standard size humbuckers, a Tremolo bridge system and decent tuning machines. The pickups and hardware allow for versatility across genres like rock, blues and metal. This allows you to explore different tones as you develop your playing style.

The quilted art poplar body gives the guitar a more premium feel and look. The arched top is comfortable to play and reduces weight compared to a slab body. Aesthetically, the quilt maple top and matching headstock give the guitar an elegant appearance that punches above its price class.

Another strength of this model is its comfortable and easy playability. The fast GRX maple neck along with the rosewood fretboard facilitate smooth and low friction movement up and down the frets. The neck dimensions and 24.7” scale length allow easy forming of chords and fretting notes for both small and large hands. Overall, the guitar is designed for playability and accessibility to new players.

Cons

No guitar is completely flawless, and the Ibanez GRX70QA does have some minor drawbacks worth considering.

• The stock pickups are a bit muddy and lack clarity in the higher frequencies. Upgrading to higher output pickups like EMGs could help bring out more tonal nuance.

• The tremolo bridge doesn't stay in tune quite as well as a double locking system. Using a tremolo stabilizer or upgrading to a better bridge may help tuning stability during heavy whammy bar use.

• The neck finish is satin which some players may find too slick, especially for faster lead playing. This is personal preference though.

• The fretwork from the factory could be better on some models. Thankfully this is an easy fix for a guitar tech if needed.

• The tuners feel a bit cheap and loose compared to higher end models. Upgrading them can make tuning more stable and precise.

• There's no coil splitting option for more single coil-esque tones. Adding a push/pull pot could unlock more tonal versatility.

• The stock gig bag it comes with offers minimal protection. Investing in a hardshell case is recommended for serious players.

• It's made in China rather than Japan where Ibanez's higher end instruments are built. The craftsmanship is still good though.

Overall the Ibanez GRX70QA provides tremendous value for the money. These minor flaws just prevent it from being a pro-grade instrument. But they are easy to forgive given the affordable price point.

Comparable Models

The Ibanez GRX70QATBB is an entry-level electric guitar with a price point typically under $200 USD. Here are some other guitars that fall into a similar beginner-friendly price range and feature set:

Squier by Fender Bullet Strat

Like the Ibanez, the Squier Bullet Strat is aimed at new players looking for an affordable Stratocaster-style guitar. It has a basswood body, maple neck, laurel fingerboard, and trio of single coil pickups. The hardware and electronics are more basic, but it delivers classic Strat tone and playability.

Epiphone Les Paul Special VE

This stripped-down Les Paul from Epiphone offers newbies a taste of that legendary Gibson tone at a bargain price. With a poplar body, bolt-on mahogany neck, and 650R/700T open coil humbuckers, it provides thick, biting rock tones. The hardware is no-frills, but it gets the job done.

Jackson JS Series Dinky

Jackson's JS Series features lower-cost versions of the company's famously shred-friendly guitars. The Dinky model has a poplar body, bolt-on maple neck, 12"-16" compound radius fingerboard, and hot Jackson humbuckers designed for high-gain rock and metal tones.

Yamaha Pacifica 012

Known for outstanding quality in entry-level instruments, the Yamaha Pacifica 012 provides versatile HSS pickup configuration with a solid alder body and maple neck. The hardware is rugged, the neck is comfortable, and it punches above its weight class tonally.

Conclusion

The Ibanez GRX70QATBB is an excellent choice for an affordable, beginner-friendly electric guitar. With its lightweight and comfortable double-cutaway body, attractive quilted art grain top, and fast and thin Maple neck, it offers great playability right out of the box.

The humbucking Quantum pickups deliver a fat, warm sound that's versatile enough for rock, blues, and metal. Combined with smooth tuners and a quality tremolo bridge, this Ibanez can stand up to regular practice and gigging.

If you're looking for your first electric guitar or a backup option for the studio or stage, the GRX70QATBB is hard to beat in this price range. The quality and reliability of an Ibanez instrument paired with an eye-catching appearance make this a recommended choice for new players.

While it may lack some bells and whistles found in pricier models, it delivers an impressive bang for your buck. Overall, the GRX70QATBB is an easy recommendation for those shopping for an affordable, yet well-constructed and good sounding electric guitar.