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They are not a 175 as others mentioned. While a good
guitar for me they don’t work at all. I compare them to Nike running shoes which are great but I cannot run in them. Give me almost any Gibson before the Ibanez.
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03-12-2019 08:46 PM
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if it's a '79 it will have 22 frets. Only the partial '78 year had 21 frets.
And yes, it was designed to be a mini L5
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One of my all time favorite guitars.
I have a ‘79 that’s has a ‘78 body, slightly thicker, with a wider cutaway. I’m a floating pickup sound guy, others like Jack are all over the map on what works
for Them
Dont ask us, go play the thing through your amp. Learn for yourself.
it could be your new best girl.
people can tell you what they like.
thats not you, go find out.
This is is my ‘79, was on the road for 17 years wth Doctor Johns band. Pickguard gassed, replaced with a lovely bound ebony guard, Bartolinni 5J pickup.
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GB10's are fantastic guitars. Folks all around the world have been buying them since their introduction in 1978. I find that if one picks closer to the bridge, they can be very bright. However, if you pick closer to the neck pickup, the tone thickens up very nicely.
I love my '79. It sounds just like Norman Brown on this track..."Lydian":
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I have 2 GB10s, the '79 and a 2002 that George Benson toured with for 6 years that he donated at the North Sea Jazz festival. I own 2 GB12s, a GB100, a GBY2K, a 2017 GB40thII (MIC) and George Benson's one off RED GB5 (that I won at Heritage Auctions in 2017.
And as far as the rest of my 40 or so jazz guitars, only a small handful are set pickup models. I'm a floating pickup guy and I know it. I just like the response of the GB10 and I play near the neck pickup. For ME, I like having it set in the middle position with just a pinch of the bridge pickup mixed in - I was playing convalescent homes for 18 1/2 years and our piano player was loud (a carpenter banging away). The GB10 really cut through just enough with some bass response through my old blackface Deluxe Reverb, not a reissue, a real deal '65.
Of the GB10's out there I think the most preferred are the very early ones, as Jack said, a they have a different pickup and with the original release the neck is one fret shorter and so there's a bit more of a bass response. DO CHECK THAT '79 out. The early ones Ibanez used real sweet birdseye maple for the sides, back and neck... Tbey're the bee's knees..
Big
Originally Posted by WillMbCdn5
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Aww man. That makes me miss mine - it looks so similar since I put a Benedetto in the neck (even though yours is a Bartolini. Haven’t seen any others with the black neck pickup so that really brings me back. Mine was destroyed. It was my first nice guitar that I saved up for when I was starting out, probably an early 90s model (it was before the Internet was big and either I didn’t know if there was a serial database or there wasn’t one yet). I buried it in the backyard funeral style. The fretboard was all that survived and I’ve had it on the wall in every home I’ve lived in since. Thanks for the photo - definitely brings me back. Nice pickguard too.
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Oh I feel your pain man. I got a really beat very early '78 that had a warped pick guard, no case and faded plating. Draper's in Palo Alto had a stock pickguard in their parts bin and they introduced me to their tech Dave Tupper. Dave did wonders with it and I loved that guitar to death, could play rock, blues, gospel, real old church hymns. While in Chef School in '93 I sold it, my Gretsch Tennessean and my Deluxe Reverb to put food on the table. Missed that '78 so much, in early 2001 I found an '81 that I had until I got married in 2007 and sold to move to Jersey. Couldn't wait to find another... My '79 has a slightly fatter neck than any of my other GBs...
Again sorry for your loss...
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I found the neck width to be too skinny for my taste. Otherwise, a decent guitar.
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Yeah, no one guitar suits everyone. I've had my '81 GB10 since 1985 or 86. Wonderful instrument that has provided thousands of hours of enjoyment to me (not, perhaps, to those around me since I'm a hack). Solid, stable, reliable, sounds excellent and has the best neck I've ever found on a guitar.
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This is an excellent review of the GB10
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Hello everybody
I'm starting this thread, hence the title, that may seem a little bit awkward on Jazz dedicated forum!
Well I love jazz guitar, I like to play in a jazz style, but I nowhere consider myself a pure jazz player.
I have a pretty good opportunity to purchase a used Gb10 (2013) in mint condition for 1600€.
It's a guitar I've been lurking on for years, and it may be time for me to go for it.
My question is, and asking for your advice and expertise on this guitar, does it work well with roundwounds, maybe 11-49 or so?
I've tried many many times to bound with flatwounds, and while I kind of like them on the moment, they aren't versatile enough for the style I play, which is more rythm&blues, Reggae, jazz rock, fusion... Kinda Scofield may I suggest..
I already have two guitars that I really love, a Ibanez AS50 from 1980 (a Es339 if you prefer) and a Fender Avri 57 for my hendrix/Srv crave.
I want a full hollow body, not too big (the size is a very important factor in my decision), great neck (I know the Gb30 neck will suit me), but not a traditional jazz box.
I play in a band with very different styles, going from Reggae, fusion, blues, calypso, funky groovy things some little overdrive sometimes, but no really distorted things..
In fact what I play is definitely related to George Benson in a way, Grant Green and stuff
So do you think the Gb10 can do it for me, or must I look elsewhere?
A very interesting alternative could be the Ibanez AG95QA (the new version with super 58's, Ash body and ebony fretboard) which has body mounted pickups..
Anyway I would really appreciate all advice from all you great guys here
Thanks in advanceLast edited by Jx30510; 05-30-2019 at 04:39 AM.
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I think you may be asking about an Ibanez LGB30 hollow body and not a GB30 (see image below), which was a small bodied semi hollow model from the mid-80's that lasted only a few years.
As for using roundwound strings on the LGB30 hollowbody, they will produce a brighter sound, but still be fine for some jazz tones.
You might consider trying 'Half-Round' strings as a compromise between rounds and flats. They should sound great on both hollow body or semi hollow guitars.
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There's nothing wrong with stringing an electric archie with roundies--Peter Berstein does it and he has the yummiest tone I've heard in the more current players.
Graham Dechter, another player with a pristine clean tone--he plays with rounds as well.
Billy Bean--from what I've read--round wounds.
Johnny Smith--he grinded his rounds from what another poster wrote here at JGF--very interesting. Many consider his tone--IT.
I think Tim Lerch plays with rounds as well, I'm sure he'd respond if we asked him on the forum.
I play rounds on a carved archtop, but it's a mounted pickup. If I played a floater, I'd still play rounds. It's definitely brighter than playing with flats. However, I never bonded with flats and I'm chasing a more "traditional(?)" sound. Many people here love flats and don't understand why anyone would string an archtop with rounds to get that "jazz" tone. I'm the opposite, I don't understand why anyone would string an archtop with strings that deaden the sound and cut out more than half of the tonal properties of the guitar. Everyone is different, you just have to find what's right for you.
That said, if you wanted to play authentic reggae--I'm pretty sure those kats played with flat wounds.
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No it's not the LGB30 that I'm willing to purchase, it IS the GB10
And that is why I'm asking myself if a fairly light gauged 11-49 round wound set will be sufficient to move the top, and won't the guitar work in a way that it was firstly meant to be.
I know a lot people put very heavy flat wound strings on this guitar 14 to 50 something
I've also tried heavy gauge (for me), 12 to whatever, I can't remember, on a few arch top I had, and I don't like them. I prefer being able to bend the strings, and like a slight slinky feel. That's what I'm used to now.
And I didn't know reggae players use flat wounds? I play a bit of reggae though, it's not the main style we play with the band, maybe 3 songs with a reggae favor on the dozen we have in our set.
I really like the sound I hear when listening to GB10 demos, but I'm pretty sure these guys use heavy flat wound strings. I know I won't have that plunky staccato sound with round wounds, but will the guitar work ti it's potential with the strings i'm used to? That's really the question.
And since I won't be able to try the guitar with my kind of strings before buying it, I don't want to find myself kinda upset when I'll have them mounted afterwards.
Maybe this guitar is not designed for what I want?
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oh I've just seen I've made a mistake on the name.... It is a GB10 YES .... SORRY
i'm going to try and correct the previous posts
----title and posts edited GB30 >>>>GB10----- Sorry !
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The GB10 will sound great with roundwounds. It certainly won't sound the same as if you had flatwounds on it, but you'll still be able to get great tone out of it—just a bit brighter. But for your needs that won't be an issue. I actually do the reverse of what you're doing. I put flats on my Strat! Sounds amazing to me. And that's all that counts.
Fear not. Grab the GB10, slap on some 11s rounds and don't look back.
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Oh thanks that is good advice
Maybe I should not ask myself so much questions
It's a big purchase for me and I can get a little nervous about it.. I've had a lot of guitars the past few years, sold them just to keep the really best for me.. I don't want to go threw the impulse buy and resale thing anymore.
It was really fun to do that for a while, but today I prefer concentrating on time on the instrument
But for the band I 'm playing these days, the Gb10 seems a perfect fit (and I have wanted it for years, but there are many guitars I have wanted to own for years..)
If anybody here has tested the Gb10 with roundwounds I would be very interested
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I have used round wound strings on my AG75. It was fine for pop/rock, and from what I have seen (not experienced) the AG pickups are brighter than any GB fitted pickup. If it is too bright you can roll off the tone control. A full hollowbody is IME not super for OD/distortion and at high volumes/small rooms it feed back (too) easily. Steve Howe knew how to exploit that in his playing. You might have the optimal tools already with the AS and the Fender - but if you lust for the GB - go for it :-)
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Nothing wrong with asking these questions! But sometimes we all getting too far into our own heads. Originally Posted by Jx30510
I have played a GB10 with rounds on it, though it was not my guitar. Through a Deluxe Reverb it sounds great. Brighter than your typical jazz box with flats, but not overly bright at all. Plus, I feel like it's easier to get rid of brightness from your tone than it is to add it into your tone, if that makes sense. I heard Nels Cline talking about this recently. He prefers a brighter guitar that he can adjust to tame some of the brightness rather than the reverse.
Anyway, be sure to keep us posted on what you decide, and good luck!
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No reason whatsoever to not use the strings you prefer, they will absolutely work just fine. Pat Metheny uses .11 roundwounds, seems to have done OK over the past 45 years.
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Tuff Lion talking about Reggae setup:
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Tuff Lion is a great guy... Gotta love that man.
You can't go wrong wit a GB10, my 1979 (used) came to me with round wounds on it. Though I prefer flats, TIGB12 flats to be precise, I left the round wounds on her. It sounds different but great. GB10s are such flexible instruments, and you will always have the option of going to flats and heavier than 11s would be a good idea.
Best of luck, go grab that guitar.
Big
Originally Posted by Irez87
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GB10's are fairly bright guitars. Using round wound strings will enhance that aspect of their tone, but as stated above, simply roll back your Tone control. Also roll off some of the guitar's Volume as well. That will warm up your GB10.
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I’ve never found GB10s to be particularly bright, but then I’m coming from my main guitars being Strats. So maybe compared to 175s or other hollowbodies the GB10 is bright. Originally Posted by Gitfiddler
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No worries. Maybe I should have been more clear. Compared to other larger body archtops, the smaller GB10 with its laminate Spruce top, Maple back and sides tend to not be as mellow. Originally Posted by rmpmcdermott
Benson wanted a hollow body jazz box that could sound fat AND cut through in a loud band situation. The GB10 is perfectly suited for its intended purpose. In order to do this, it had to be more bright than a standard large hollow body guitar.
I've played my GB10 with loud bands in medium sized venues, and it sounds fantastic. I hope the OP enjoys his GB as much as I have mine.
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