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Ibanez GSZ120
List: $470
The Ibanez GIO family is clearly aimed at players with limited coffer contents but the offerings, to date, aren’t dead end products as we normally associate the lower end line up of various brand names. The GSZ120 is a simple, dual humbucking guitar that works.
Build/ fit/ finish
The GSZ first debuted in 2005 featuring a mahogany body which was subsequently replaced by basswood in 2006. This body wood is maintained for the current offering, ditto the Full Tune III bridge/ hard tail. Unlike its regular SZ siblings, the GSZ is a bolt-on make but the 25.1” scale length is preserved. Frets here are of the medium cut & the buyer is advised to test the fretwork before parting with cash, simply because the standards of fittings differ between each guitar which is rather reflective of the workmanship in this price bracket. The author managed to audition two guitars for this appraisal & one of them manifested some sharp neck edges (badly cut frets) over at the 17th fret vicinity.
The overall finish of the GSZ is impressive; no messy paint job was discovered. The fitting in particular is praise-worthy as the instrument feels very sturdy upon handling. Other hardware appointments here may be budget grade but they aren’t disgraceful by any means.
Rating: 80%
In use/ tone
Even before plugging in, the GSZ exudes a certain midrange ear candy akin to that of semi-acoustic units which is indeed good news to the tone critic. Nevertheless, with the amp’s EQ settings set at noon for the electric initiation, this guitar produces a typical midrange whine only a cut-rate guitar could produce; Ibanez’s in-house STD humbuckers have to take the blame for this. There’s nothing excessively repulsive in this light as the clean tones here could rival some fine single coil units elsewhere but for driven settings, it’s next to repulsive. However, the (tonal) surprise is uncovered when one employs this guitar with a saturated gain setting (this author opted for the amp’s drive boosted dirty channel) with a liberal employment of an EQ pedal. The result would give the average mid-priced, set-necked guitar a run for the money in terms of sustain & tonal girth. It is rather unclear if the manufacturer intended the guitar to perform as such but having an excellent singular tonal performance isn’t quite the characteristic of a dynamic guitar but let’s get back down to earth- it’s an entry-level performer to begin with.
The GSZ has everything right in the playability department; the neck is very inviting for fast runs as well as deep bends. One does not get the skinny Wizard profile from this guitar, the dimensions of which are best described as a slender-C with enough grab factor to appease the Fender camp. In fact, all SZ models (the GSZ included) move away from the shred-inclined Wizard make & represent one of the meatiest dimensions the manufacturer has to offer.
The only gripe here would be the location of the pickup toggle switch which is well away from the comfort picking zone so the Malmsteen clones who would go flick-flick-flick on every other picking interval, would find very little incentive to own this guitar.
Tone test equipment:
• Amps: Ibanez TBX30R/ Randall RG100
• Pedals: BOSS GE7/ Ibanez TS7
Rating: 80%
Last say
We all know what to expect from the pickups of entry-level guitars; acceptable tones at best, nothing stellar. Do keep in mind that the GSZ performs rather well with drive/ pedal supplements but a true measure of a dynamic workhorse is its capacity to offer various voicings convincingly which is what this guitar misses. Try as one might but there weren’t any warm blues-crunch to be had from the GSZ. In terms of playability & overall craftsmanship, the GSZ is one of the better Gio guitars for keep; thanks largely to the well made/ finished neck.
Overall rating: 80%
Likes:
• Neck feel/ construction
• Overall craftsmanship
• Price
Dislikes:
• Pickups
• Pickup switch location
Product availability:
• Swee Lee Co.
