Ibanez IJS40 Pack w/ GRX22 Reviews 
5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI have been playing the drums for five years and am the drummer in a band. Watching our lead guitarist play, I just started thinking it would really cool if I could learn guitar. So I began looking around online and at various music stores for a good, inexpensive guitar to start off with. I found a few that interested me, but I just couldn't stop turning back to this one. I decided on it because it was cheap, got really good reviews, and contained everything needed to start playing the guitar. It came with the guitar, an amp, a gig bag, a tuner, picks, an instructional video, and a cool Ibanez t-shirt. Next, I looked around for places to buy it. I went to the Ibanez official site and looked for places that sell Ibanez guitars. I found a Ken Stanton Music store in Roswell, Georgia, near where I live. I called them and asked if they had it in stock. They said they had it for $269.99, which was actually cheaper than the online prices at Music & Arts and Music123. I went the next day to pick it up and jammed on it all night.
This guitar is everything I expected. It has good distortion and a crisp sound. The humbuckers pump out some awesome rock sound. Although I've read many reviews that say that the amp isn't loud enough, I'd have to disagree. Unless you plan on playing on a stage in front of an audience, the amp is perfect for a beginner. The pack also includes a chart of all the major, minor, and 7th chords, which is very helpful to a beginning guitarist.
The only major complaint I have about this pack has nothing to do with the guitar. As this is a considered a "starter" guitar pack, I expected a good instructional video to help guide me while I learned how to play. However, the minute I put the video in, I knew it wasn't going to be much of a help. All it shows is the chords, scales, and basic guitar knowledge. I was expecting some practice rythms, demonstrations of different styles of music, but mostly just a video that would guide me along, not start me off. The only other minor thing that I don't like about the guitar is that it has to be constantly tuned.
The guitar is well-constructed. It has three pickups and a shiny black finish. The strings are wound good and are sturdy. The amp has two channels, one for distortion and the other for a clean sound, and has options for bass, middle, and treble volume. It offers a variety of sounds and the high notes play good, unlike some cheap guitars. The guitar has twenty-two frets, each providing a crisp, unwavering sound. However, I was walking down the stairs with my guitar and it accidentally touched the wall. When I got downstairs, I checked the guitar and found a little dent in it. That surprised me, because it had barely touched the wall. Now I'm a lot more careful with it. Overall, the guitar has very high quality for a cheap guitar.
All I have to say here that this has been a great way for me to learn the guitar and I recommend it to all of you. When I decided to learn guitar, I never imagined I'd fall in love with it like I did. This has been a great experience!
Ryan Tinetti rated this unit
on
2002-02-14.
