Ibanez GB10 or LGB30

[swivel]

Zombie thread, but I thought a couple things that may help someone searching out there could be noted. I picked up a LGB30 a couple months ago and I just love it. I love longer scale guitars but after playing one of these in my local shop I decided to go for one. I'm getting old and it doesn't hurt. For the $ it's a work of art for sure, but more importantly it a great playing guitar.
-it's a warm sounding guitar. It's the wood+construction and just the way it is. Not so much so that you can't get any bite on the higher strings. But definitely basically a warmish tone.
-The controls and pots work very well. It seems that having smooth tone adjustment is a rarity now days, but this guitar has a nice taper from bass to treble without jumps.
-The bridge is floating and you will have to do something about that or it will move a bit after a few hours of playing. At least mine did.
-The wood covered tailpiece is nice, but it is a bit difficult to get the ball end in the tailstock when changing strings. Not too bad though.
-The fretwork is great and everything is smooth. With a fret rocker I couldn't find any with more than maybe .001" height difference.
-The Super 58's are nice pickups. I replaced the neck one with a bit hotter pickup and Alnico ll poles. I'm not sure I improved anything but it allowed me to back the pickup down so I don't tap it with a pick.
My only real complaint, and it's just a personal thing, is I would like a bit more depth to the neck. I wouldn't call it real thin, but tends toward that. I like some fullness in the neck profile.
-To my surprise, the fingerboard radius is 10" which I love. I thought it would be 12" based on the specs. I have both plastic and metal radius gages.

[Maxxx]

it's a shame this review wasn't available when this dialogue was up and running.

I think it ends the debate as to whether the GB10 can deliver a thick, warm, snappy tone.

This is about as snappy as it gets..

[Maxxx]

It's all about budget .. If you're more comfortable with the price of the GB30 then buy that .. The cheaper Ibanez guitar are a bang for the buck and feel pretty good. Not as good as the MIJ ones, but pretty good.

The pups are a bit bland, but a new pup won't ruin you


That being said, with my budget I'd go with a used GB10

I was.. but now I'm looking at a Gibson L5 or similar.

[AllAboutMusic]

I have a LGB30 coming in next week. I played it a couple of weeks ago in a bid store around the corner in cologne and was able to compare also to the GB10 SE and some Epiphones (Imperior, ES 335, Joe Pass) and some Gibson ES335

I hooked up to a Roland blues Cube and the LGB just stuck to my hands. It delivers exactly the Jazz Sound I am looking for. Warm, yet crispy, implacable intonation across the fretboard, rich harmonics and a super easy handling. A lot of that already unplugged. The neck was just amazingly easy, the action perfect for me.

The GB10 SE I’d say came along with a similar sound, a bit fatter maybe, and I almost fell in love with both of them. The final call for the LGB was due to the better handling. I just couldn’t get over how easy chord changes and melody flows came along.

similar experiences I had when I was purchasing my Duesenberg Double Cut.

so, I am looking forward to the Jazzbox coming in and keep the thread alive for any future buyers.

[Brooks]

I've owned an AG75, and have been playing a GB10em for the last few months. Both are great cheap guitars, and the GB10em plays exactly how I like, low action and slim neck (the AG75 had a slightly fatter neck). This week I got a LGB30 and WOW, I love this guitar! Neck & action feel identical to the GB10em, but the tone is fatter and deeper, exactly what I was hoping for. Played it on a gig last night and got a bunch of compliments on my sound. It is a beautiful looking guitar. I have never played a proper GB10, but I am satisfied with the LGB30 and wouldn't want to go back to what I'd assume would be a thinner tone from a smaller body & floating pups.

[Brooks]

UPDATE; curiosity got the better of me and last week I bought & returned a GB10se. It is a higher quality version of the GB10em I had (duh). I am just not a fan of the tone of the floating mini hums and smaller body. I do love the ergonomics of the smaller body, but my larger LGB30 has a deeper rounder tone that is fantastic. Last year I replaced the goofy looking stock wooden tailpiece with a normal looking one from Guitar Fetish (my tech did it, as the holes didn't line up). I will never sell this guitar!



PS - I've been told on another forum that the GB10 is the best sounding model, but I am satisfied w/ my LGB30. And TBH, with the ~ retail prices being GB10em $700, LGB30 $1200, and GB10se $1400, and the GB10 jumping up to $3600, it's not in my budget to find out