Ibanez GB10

[Bob_Ross]

The GB10 is depth: 86mm / 3 3/8" (65mm / 2.56" at tail)

Huh... I don't think I've ever measured -- or even thought about -- the total depth of an archtop at whatever it's highest/deepest point is (which is presumably how Ibanez came up with that 3-3/8" number...I'm guessing that's measured from the center of the arched back to the top of strings as they cross the bridge saddles?). I've always just looked at the body thickness at the edge of the instrument. 2.56" sounds much more like what I expected from a GB10.

[Tangental rant: Don't you hate when someone mixes fractional and decimal measurements in the same spec?!?!]

Any idea where that 3-1/8" depth measurement for the Gibson Johnny Smith was taken?

[GuyBoden]

Tangental rant: Don't you hate when someone mixes fractional and decimal measurements in the same spec?

I agree, I blame calculators, when converting mm to inches using a calculator it gives the result in decimalised imperial not fractions.

It's all wrong, but it's the common denominator, calculators can't do fractions.

Anyway, I still don't understand why the small bodied laminated top GB10 has floating pickups.

[supersoul]

Anyway, I still don't understand why the small bodied laminated top GB10 has floating pickups.

Someone wrote earlier in this thread that it was to suppress feedback by decoupling the pickups from the top. Which makes sense to me, since a lot of the GB-10s design seems to be around being able to play with loud amplification.

[Woody Sound]

Someone wrote earlier in this thread that it was to suppress feedback by decoupling the pickups from the top. Which makes sense to me, since a lot of the GB-10s design seems to be around being able to play with loud amplification.

Mark Whitfield’s new D’A model has the same setup. (But one pu.). Interesting that he is a GB “disciple.”

[casmirkid]

Hi,
While we are on the topic of gb pickups...has anyone compared of the variation in the pickups between the Japanese GB10 and the Indonesian Ibanez GB10sefm and GB10se. I had the chance to demo both the GB10 and GB10sefm in a store in a quiet room with a Fender Twin and they are VERY different. The more expensive model was much louder, very *hot* and had much more high end. The GB10sefm was still bright but not nearly as loud or hot. The SEFM was still a good sound and somewhat more suited to "traditional" archtop sounds. I looked at the Ibanez website and they have different model numbers, so I assume that they sourced in a different place. Does anyone have any experience with this?

[Oscar67]

Several times I’ve read statements here on this forum that people think the Japanese GB10 pickups are hot and bright. Personally I don’t consider my GB10 to be hot or bright at all. How you pick totally matters: pick or fingers, hard attack or soft, thin or thick pick, the material of the pick, etc. Perhaps my GB10 might be bright and hot if someone attacked it. I tend to play gently and let the amp do the heavy lifting and my GB10 sounds woody, warm and pleasant with the guitar’s volume control on 10 and tone on 6.

[Skip Ellis]

Several times I’ve read statements here on this forum that people think the Japanese GB10 pickups are hot and bright. Personally I don’t consider my GB10 to be hot or bright at all. How you pick totally matters: pick or fingers, hard attack or soft, thin or thick pick, the material of the pick, etc. Perhaps my GB10 might be bright and hot if someone attacked it. I tend to play gently and let the amp do the heavy lifting and my GB10 sounds woody, warm and pleasant with the guitar’s volume control on 10 and tone on 6.

Never noticed it myself - I have a '22 MIJ and can dial it down to be pretty 'smoky' if need be. I'm using Chromes and my amp is an Evans RE200; never noticed anything overly hot or bright. Could be more noticeable for those who play at higher volumes, I suppose. Honestly, I don't even know what my bridge pickup sounds like ........sometimes I think I should have kept my '93 ES165 but the Ibanez is just so nice to play.

[GuyBoden]

Never noticed it myself - I have a '22 MIJ and can dial it down to be pretty 'smoky' if need be. I'm using Chromes and my amp is an Evans RE200; never noticed anything overly hot or bright. Could be more noticeable for those who play at higher volumes, I suppose. Honestly, I don't even know what my bridge pickup sounds like ........sometimes I think I should have kept my '93 ES165 but the Ibanez is just so nice to play.

The GB10's are extremely nice to play, my friend has a 1979 GB10 with an amazing setup with low frets. it's such a pleasure to play.

But, I still don't understand why the small bodied laminated top GB10 has floating pickups. To assist stopping feedback from the vibrating top has been the most convincing idea to date.

[Skip Ellis]

The GB10's are extremely nice to play, my friend has a 1979 GB10 with an amazing setup with low frets. it's such a pleasure to play.

But, I still don't understand why the small bodied laminated top GB10 has floating pickups. To assist stopping feedback from the vibrating top has been the most convincing idea to date.

Seems like someone mentioned somewhere that GB was playing a Johnny Smith at the time he designed the GB10 and he wanted something smaller to combat feedback but stayed with the pickup style that he was used to. I doubt that he was thinking of the science involved in the whole undertaking - he just sorta wanted a 'baby' JS. Yes - extremely nice guitar in every way except I wish it was about 6 lbs.

[mvp019aa]

Curious how people replace the neck pickup on a GB10 - how does it "connect" to the neck brace?

[Jimmy blue note]

Curious how people replace the neck pickup on a GB10 - how does it "connect" to the neck brace?

It's mounted by two tabs which fit into a recessed slot in the chin block of the neck overhang then secured by two screws on each side. It is an exact fit to the traditional Gibson Johnny Smith pickup.
I had the custom shop at Seymour Duncan wind me a mini pickup with the sound of a PAF. They did a lovely job, fit in like a glove and transformed the GB10 to give it the warm woody and smooth envelope that one thinks of as a jazz box sound.

[yebdox]

It's mounted by two tabs which fit into a recessed slot in the chin block of the neck overhang then secured by two screws on each side. It is an exact fit to the traditional Gibson Johnny Smith pickup.
I had the custom shop at Seymour Duncan wind me a mini pickup with the sound of a PAF. They did a lovely job, fit in like a glove and transformed the GB10 to give it the warm woody and smooth envelope that one thinks of as a jazz box sound.

I’m curious, what specifically did you ask them on your order? Magnets, output? Braided lead?

[Jimmy blue note]

I’m curious, what specifically did you ask them on your order? Magnets, output? Braided lead?

I had two GB guitars. One made in Korea and one Japanese Fujigen. I always liked the the korean one more but I was never partial to the sound of the Ibanez pickups. So I wrote to MJ at Duncan, she handles the custom shop and asked for a mini JS mount pickup with the same sound profile as the Duncan Jazz in a the small floater. That, to my ear brought out the acoustic quality of the GB10J (I think they called it. It's a GB10 with rosewood fingerboard and bridge, which has a more defined resonance to it than ebony, a more "acoustic" decay). The Duncan jazz felt closer to the sound of the Guild pickups which is an ideal for me, not as mellow as a PAF and more in line with the sound of wood in the sustain. I told her I wanted the "Guild or Jazz sound" and Seymour himself wound my pickups for me. I believe he put an Alnico 5 in that one.
For the Fujigen, I wanted a rounder warmer sound. I believe he used Alnico 2 in that one. Braided wire in both.
In both guitars I kept the ibanez original floaters in the bridge so I could blend in that treble heavy balance just a touch if I ever wanted it.

Basically I told them what I was after. We discussed it and I left it to them. They also offered a tab mounting like the BJB. Nice people at Duncan. I have been very pleased with their work. Highly recommended based on their work and professionalism.

[GuyBoden]

Is there an "Off the shelf" PAF sounding pickup for a GB10?

[yebdox]

I had two GB guitars. One made in Korea and one Japanese Fujigen. I always liked the the korean one more but I was never partial to the sound of the Ibanez pickups. So I wrote to MJ at Duncan, she handles the custom shop and asked for a mini JS mount pickup with the same sound profile as the Duncan Jazz in a the small floater. That, to my ear brought out the acoustic quality of the GB10J (I think they called it. It's a GB10 with rosewood fingerboard and bridge, which has a more defined resonance to it than ebony, a more "acoustic" decay). The Duncan jazz felt closer to the sound of the Guild pickups which is an ideal for me, not as mellow as a PAF and more in line with the sound of wood in the sustain. I told her I wanted the "Guild or Jazz sound" and Seymour himself wound my pickups for me. I believe he put an Alnico 5 in that one.
For the Fujigen, I wanted a rounder warmer sound. I believe he used Alnico 2 in that one. Braided wire in both.
In both guitars I kept the ibanez original floaters in the bridge so I could blend in that treble heavy balance just a touch if I ever wanted it.

Basically I told them what I was after. We discussed it and I left it to them. They also offered a tab mounting like the BJB. Nice people at Duncan. I have been very pleased with their work. Highly recommended based on their work and professionalism.

Thanks! I may look into that one day, but I’m one of those weird people that actually like the stock higher output pickups on my 2002 fujigen, or at least the neck pickup. I almost never use the bridge pickup and could live without it.

But, sometimes I wonder what a warmer sounding neck pickup might bring to the party, particularly on those few versions I have seen that people have routed out for a top mount ( Benson being one of them.)

[Room135]

I remember trying the GB10 version made in Korea or Indonesia, I can't remember which. I recall it being a good guitar. Since then, I've bought a MIJ GB10. I have many beautiful guitars, and it's among the best instruments I own. However, I find it hard to imagine that the Korean version is superior to the MIJ one.

[Jimmy blue note]

I remember trying the GB10 version made in Korea or Indonesia, I can't remember which. I recall it being a good guitar. Since then, I've bought a MIJ GB10. I have many beautiful guitars, and it's among the best instruments I own. However, I find it hard to imagine that the Korean version is superior to the MIJ one.

The Korean one was intended to be a more affordable version of the Japanese GB10. It was only built for a couple of years. It had simpler inlays (no pearl on the bridge foot, and nice dark streaked rosewood instead of ebony, etc), and it was made in Korea by Peerless rather than Japanese Fujigen. But in build quality, specs and the overall point by point construction, it was top quality. More modest but it packed the same punch as the Japanese brother GB10. In fact, these early Korean Bensons, built to the specs of Hoshino (Ibanez) are often preferred and treasured by those who own them and play them. They're more resonant in the way that the Japanese were intended to supress feedback. The neck is indistinguishable to my hands, from the Fujigen, and I own both.
It's a shame they stopped making them. This was years before the Chinese or Indonesian makers built for Hoshino.
I wouldn't say it's inferior or superior, just less expensive off the shelf and built with woods that cost less from a country that had a lower labour bottom dollar.
Often it's the case that an instrument built in a country with a lower labour cost will be more affordable, or an instrument will have a "prestige" price bump built in, but the real value to a player is how well it brings out what the player puts in.

[Jx30510]

The MIK version is called the GB10JS. I read many comments saying it sounded much "woodier" than the MIJ version.

[Rodney Gene]

Personally, like all things with sound reproduction, woods and human interaction... I think it depends on intent. There is something about vintage GB10s, the original early runs that started it all, that have a very woody, old-school large archtop sound (only when played plugged in). I have a '79 GB10 that has an unbelievably nice woody amplified tone and the neck, top and back woods are gorgeous. The finish, while being a violin burst/tobacco burst type is very transparent and reveals the woods as was common at that era. And while I also have several vintage Ibanez semi-hollow guitars, all of which share a similar quality to the finish and crafstmanship, they do not sound like the GB10.

However, I have a '81 fully hollow 16 3/4" GB20 that has a distinctively bigger brighter sound acoustically as clearly would be expected, but a slightly smaller though near identical tone plugged in. Its the same pickup in the '79 GB10 though it has no tone control. I suspect the one major intent that drove decisions in designing the GB10 was to reproduce as close of a sound of a full size archtop plugged in, consistently, without feedback. The GB10 can sound remarkably woody (though clearly not with everybody)

[Cunamara]

Anyway, I still don't understand why the small bodied laminated top GB10 has floating pickups.

Because George wanted them. He was involved with the design of the GB10 from the blank piece of paper stage (in an interview he said the Ibanez guy- Jeff Hasselberger, maybe?- came over to George's house and they drew it out on his table while drinking Courvoisier).

[Room135]

I often hear that GB10s from the 70s/80s sound better than recent GB10s. I've never tried the early GB10s; mine is from 2019, and I think it's a great guitar, both for its playability and the tone it offers, with its archtop sound and floating mini-humbuckers. George Benson wanted a Johnny Smith L5 but in a Les Paul format and without the feedback problems of the L5. Remember, Les Paul wanted to improve the jazz guitar, not a rock 'n' roll guitar!

[Cunamara]

I've never had a chance to play a recent GB10, mine is from 1981. Allegedly the first few years the pickups were made with alnico magnets and later ones with ceramic magnets. I think mine sounds just great, especially after recently switching to Chromes (I have not been a flatwound fan, but the Chromes won me over on the GB10 and my Tele. For now at least). With the hot pickups and the pot tapers, there is a lot of tonal flexibility.

[Wrogsprit]

Just checked the weights on a bunch of GB10s on sweetwater. Why is the GB10 close to 8 pounds? The GB10SEs are closer to 7 pounds. The GB10EMs weigh around 5lbs 5 ounces to 5lbs 10 ounces. I would have assumed they'd be close in weight. I would not have expected a 2 to almost 3 pound difference.

[Mick-7]

Just checked the weights on a bunch of GB10s on sweetwater. Why is the GB10 close to 8 pounds? The GB10SEs are closer to 7 pounds. The GB10EMs weigh around 5lbs 5 ounces to 5lbs 10 ounces. I would have assumed they'd be close in weight. I would not have expected a 2 to almost 3 pound difference.

The GB10 & GB10SE have identical specs so must have a similar weight (what does the SE stand for?). The EMs are made of lighter woods (linden, nyatoh, rosewood), so it would make sense that they weigh less -- GB | PRODUCTS | Ibanez guitars

I've never had a chance to play a recent GB10, mine is from 1981. Allegedly the first few years the pickups were made with alnico magnets and later ones with ceramic magnets.

On their website it says they have alnico passive pickups (see the link above).

[jzucker]

the '78 version had 21 instead of 22 frets and had more mellow tone because of the forward pickup location