Can the Ibanez GB10 thunk?

[Dutchbopper]

Been thinking about the GB 10. Could you get some thunk out of it? I generally prefer darker, woody sounds. Thunk but no Plink. ES 175, Tal Farlow, Es 350 etc . How about the GB 10 for old school jazz guitar sounds? Could that work for me? Generally speaking, I do not like floaters much. Does the GB 10 really have a solid top?

Opinions appreciated.

DB

[jads57]

I’m not a an owner ,just played some in the past. My observation is it doesn’t have that top mounted pickup sound you describe,like an ES-175.
Much like a Johnny Smith sounds airier and brighter than a L-5CES.

[Gitterbug]

Thunk is also a cab thing. Some of mine do, some don't

[Crm114]

Exactly correct
the 175 has a deeper body, mahogany neck and set pickup. Both are fantastic guitars, you want a GB WITH THUNK BUY A GB5 or GB200

BigMike

I’m not a an owner ,just played some in the past. My observation is it doesn’t have that top mounted pickup sound you describe,like an ES-175.
Much like a Johnny Smith sounds airier and brighter than a L-5CES.

[Rob MacKillop]

I hate to ask, but don’t you have enough thunk-ascious guitars already? Your videos always seem to be very thunky. What is the quality of thunk you are seeking that you don’t have already?

[Dutchbopper]

I hate to ask, but don’t you have enough thunk-ascious guitars already? Your videos always seem to be very thunky. What is the quality of thunk you are seeking that you don’t have already?

You are right of course. I am well provided for in the thunk department. But there was a GB 10 for sale over here for a good price. I just heard it was reserved for some other guy so it no longer matters that much. I have always wondered about this model though. The clips on Youtube with one do not give a satisfactory idea of its sound. Often very plinky, sometimes good.

DN

[Archie]

You are right of course. I am well provided for in the thunk department. But there was a GB 10 for sale over here for a good price. I just heard it was reserved for some other guy so it no longer matters that much. I have always wondered about this model though. The clips on Youtube with one do not give a satisfactory idea of its sound. Often very plinky, sometimes good.

DN

GB guitars have a tight sound like the man himself. The GB100 offers a little more body depth so has a slightly deeper tone (but not by much).
The GB 200 is like the tone of you FG-100 but with a spruce top and more depth/low end.

I don't know if Spruce provides thunk, over or in place of Maple. If it does, then a GB200 o ran AF200/2000, is as close as you'll get. Again just think of your FG-100 but with the response you get from laminated or solid spruce.

[Jimmy blue note]

Does the GB 10 really have a solid top?

Opinions appreciated.

DB

Laminated. It's not a particularly "woody" sounding jazz box, because it's got a relatively substantial laminated top on a small body width. That means for a given amount of energy, there's not a lot of top to vibrate. And of course, it was designed from the drawing board as a stage guitar, plugged in and road worthy but not for resonance of tone that marks those instruments with a decay you describe.
For a plugged in voice then, those pickups tend to accentuate high frequencies. I have a GB-10, and a Korean version (rosewood fingerboard, more resonant) and on both I've had Seymour Duncan wind me floaters with the specs of their jazz and 59 pickups. WORLD of difference. I get the warmth of an L-5 and the little body gives it that acoustic edge on the attack.

I love the sound of my modded Ibanez Bensons. People can't believe it's a small bodied guitar.

[gitman]

I have owned 3 GB-10's and one GB-20 during the past 35 years (!!) and just recently a GB-15 model came into my possession. I modded the last GB-10 with a set of Bartolini pups (wasn't aware of Kent Armstrong back then) wanting to get more "thunk" but alas, it didn't work out the way I had hoped.
Forward 23 years to the GB-15 : I snapped that one up because the price was just too good to pass up, the model is rare and a re-sale will not be too difficult and the red lacquer looks so sexy ... not to speak of the superb playability and super stable construction of these guitars. When I got it the tone was nothing unexpected, the typical percussive and bright-ish/slightly nasal tone we all know BUT since this model is built with a 1 cm deeper body the acoustic resonance is def. more noticeable and has an audible influence on the depth the tone, both unplugged and amplified. I then tightened down the 2 tailpiece prongs as far down as it is possible and by doing so the break-angle of the strings over the bridge is increased, more down pressure is asserted and this made a major difference : it now sounds much more like a traditional archtop, the lower mids are more pronounced, volume + sustain has increased and with some patience I was able to dial in a nicely "thunky" tone plugged into my Bud 6" amp. My initial idea of swapping out the original pickup for a KA singlecoil/P90 type is on the shelf again for the time being. The guitar is strung with medium gauge D'Addario flats with an 013/017 for the top 2 strings. It plays like butter, is super comfortable both seated and in a standing position, it holds the tuning even in colder surroundings (it's a solidly built guitar !) and simply sounds great ! You might find a GB-10 and try this set-up with the tightened tailpiece - could very well work for you.

Check out this clip with Henry Johnson playing his butt off on a GB15 - the guitar def. does not sound thin or plinky !

[Cunamara]

Depends on the amp, the knobs settings and touch. With heavy flatwounds it is thunky- not ES-350 or GTF thunky, but thunky. Roll the volume down to 4-5, the tone changes towards a more traditional sound (the hot pickups make this practical). But it will never be as deep a sound as an ES-350, GTF or ES-175; if nothing else, it's a bit more percussive like a snare vs. a tom.

[jim777]

Wow, the price of GB-10s has gone through the roof lately

[gitman]

Wow, the price of GB-10s has gone through the roof lately

It‘s been a sleeper for many years and many players just gave up trying to make it sound like something it‘s not … it’s popular with the smooth jazz crowd though !

[TedBPhx]

I had a GB10se for a few years. It was BRIGHT. Probably because of the China built pups. Wasn’t worth it to me to upgrade to the Japan made versions. Especially after I got a Gibson 175. Traded the Ibby for a ToneMaster Twin.

[Woody Sound]

Maybe with some thick flats it might do it? My advice, try it. You a can always flip it if you don't like it. But you might like it a lot.

[Dutchbopper]

Maybe with some thick flats it might do it? My advice, try it. You a can always flip it if you don't like it. But you might like it a lot.

Unfortunately the GB10 is reseved for somebody else. I was too late.

My FG 100 is soooooo good that I am beginning to think there are other Ibanez gems out there!

DB

[2bornot2bop]

Thunkalicious!

[Crm114]

Looking good 2B !!!!

BigMike

Thunkalicious!

[Woody Sound]

I thunk so.

[guavajelly]

What is thunk?

I love my GB10 for what it is. A solid and comfortable working guitar with a nice and precise tone that doesn't get lost even on crowded and loud stages. I wouldn't want it to sound like a Gibson.

[Dutchbopper]

What is thunk?

I love my GB10 for what it is. A solid and comfortable working guitar with a nice and precise tone that doesn't get lost even on crowded and loud stages. I wouldn't want it to sound like a Gibson.

What is a good price for a GB10?

DB

[gitman]

What is a good price for a GB10?

DB

https://www.zikinf.com/annonces/annonce-1992495

[Dutchbopper]

Post-pandemic I've lost touch with prices, but pre-pandemic in the period 2017-2019 I passed on 3 GB10s at 1350 euro here in Copenhagen .. They started higher off course, but as the weeks went by they all ended at 1350 (or rather 10000 DKK, which is such a nice round amount)


1900 euro for me is ok, if I suffer from GAS and am impatient, but I don't think I'll ever see it as a good price.

So 1200 is a good price?

DB


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPad met Tapatalk

[gitman]

So 1200 is a good price?

DB


Verzonden vanaf mijn iPad met Tapatalk

As far as I can remember the prices for a good+clean one were quite a bit higher, at least here in Germany. Too many of the original models from the 80's and 90's suffer from more or less severe binding rot which cannot be stopped. The only remedy is a complete removal and re-bind of the guitar which is not cheap and also a chore that not every luthier will take on. My colleague Wolf Martini (lives + works in NL - you'll find him on FB) had this done with his GB10 and Ellio Martina (one of the Best) did a great job.
So take this into consideration ....

[Dutchbopper]

As far as I can remember the prices for a good+clean one were quite a bit higher, at least here in Germany. Too many of the original models from the 80's and 90's suffer from more or less severe binding rot which cannot be stopped. The only remedy is a complete removal and re-bind of the guitar which is not cheap and also a chore that not every luthier will take on. My colleague Wolf Martini (lives + works in NL - you'll find him on FB) had this done with his GB10 and Ellio Martina (one of the Best) did a great job.
So take this into consideration ....

Thanks. Is there any difference between the Fujijen and the later Terada made models?

DB

[gitman]

In what year did Ibanez move the production to the Terada plant ?