Some thoughts on Ibanez GB10SE

[buduranus2]

Stopped by the local music store to get some strings and saw a GB10SE on the wall. Here are my impressions.

On the plus side, the neck is fabulous. It seems ever so slightly wider and had a very comfortable D-shaped contour. The body was a nice size, although I wouldn't have minded 1/2" thinner. Played fairly consistently up past the 12th fret.

On the not-so-plus side, I thought the sound was kind of nasal on the neck pickup. (I didn't try both together.) These days I'm playing through a Chinese "Alnico 3" humbucker that I paid $35 for and, after listening to the GB10SE, I much prefer its sound. It's more open and rounder – more "traditional" if you will.

The guitar I played had a noticeable back-bow causing the G string to buzz noticeably at the second fret. And the 13th fret had a high spot that made the C on the B string buzz too. So, to my way of thinking, perhaps acceptable on a $600 guitar but not one costing $1,600.

All this aside, it would be absolutely killer with a full-size humbucker installed in the neck position. Like I said, my two cents FWIW.

[dconeill]

[... tried a ] GB10SE ... Here are my impressions.
... it would be absolutely killer with a full-size humbucker installed in the neck position. Like I said, my two cents FWIW.

So would the Ibanez AG95 at $750 be worth a look? Similar specs to the GB10 but with top-mounted fullsized humbuckers. At half the price of the GB10SE (or a fifth of the price of the GB10) I wouldn't expect it to be as refined as the GB10 guitars. Any comments on the AG95?

[frabarmus]

Any comments on the AG95?

I think that's the one Jake Reichbart plays (it sounds great in his hands)!
Should be good enough, perhaps with a pickup swap and a nice personalised set up.

[buduranus2]

So would the Ibanez AG95 at $750 be worth a look? Similar specs to the GB10 but with top-mounted fullsized humbuckers. At half the price of the GB10SE (or a fifth of the price of the GB10) I wouldn't expect it to be as refined as the GB10 guitars. Any comments on the AG95?

I had an AF75 that I upgraded with Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pickups, TI Benson 12 strings, Artist-series tuners and a compensated rosewood saddle. All told I was into it about $575. My take on it is that compared to an ES-175D it was 80% of the guitar for 20% of the price. It sounded great in the sweet spot(s) and maybe not so great elsewhere, especially the low E string which became increasingly muddy and indistinct as I went up the neck. Also, there were notes on the B string that tended to jump out. Lastly, the design impeded access to the upper frets. A very shallow cutaway.

All that aside, for my level of development it was fine. The AG is the same thing with a slightly smaller body. They're all over the place for $350 used. And, at that price, they're certainly worth the money. Here's a clip of my AF75. You would expect the same with indentical upgrades to an AG.

[Jx30510]

My take is that it's really worth to wait a bit, add the difference in cash and find a used Japan GB10.
I know it's easy to give this advice, but having been thru this scenario, the GB10SE is far from the GB10.
When I try to convince myself a good guitar is too much money, if I think of it, what in life gives me more pleasure and hapiness ? Well apart family and freinds, nothing. So I just stop trying to find reasons keeping me from being happy and go for it.
The flaws you have found on the GB10SE will just not exist on the GB10.

[buduranus2]

My take is that it's really worth to wait a bit, add the difference in cash and find a used Japan GB10.
I know it's easy to give this advice, but having been thru this scenario, the GB10SE is far from the GB10.
When I try to convince myself a good guitar is too much money, if I think of it, what in life gives me more pleasure and hapiness ? Well apart family and freinds, nothing. So I just stop trying to find reasons keeping me from being happy and go for it.
The flaws you have found on the GB10SE will just not exist on the GB10.

Agreed and understood. That said, if I were to "go for it" I'd probably ask Jim Triggs to build me something to my specs (Byrdland-ish) and be done with it. I had a couple of his San Salvador models. Really nice instruments, just couldn't handle the 25-1/2" scale. Still and in all, I'd like to play a "real" GB10 (or GB15 better yet.)

[skiboyny]

If you like the sound, your really can't go wrong with the GB10. Top grade build and a little Benson right in there!

[buduranus2]

If you like the sound, your really can't go wrong with the GB10. Top grade build and a little Benson right in there!

I'll keep an eye out, but they don't come up here (Atlanta) very often if at all. Not the kind of expenditure I can make without playing one. As for the sound, obviously I can't go by the GB10SE I played. Appreciate the recommendation!

[Skip Ellis]

I'll keep an eye out, but they don't come up here (Atlanta) very often if at all. Not the kind of expenditure I can make without playing one. As for the sound, obviously I can't go by the GB10SE I played. Appreciate the recommendation!

I agree with the others - hold off until you find the real deal. I never played the SE but read enough reviews that convinced me I wouldn't be happy with it. I kept looking around and found a '22 on Ebay for south of 2K but the guy seemed a little sketchy so I kept looking . I finally saw a mint '22 on Reverb at Dave's in Madison, WI and contacted them directly and found it was a consignment so I made an offer several hundred dollars under the asking price and it was accepted, plus I got free shipping and I couldn't be happier. Even if you don't get to play it, you can't go wrong because these guitars are just stellar and it's the only archtop I've ever bonded with and I've had a bunch of them: Peerless, Eastman, Gibson 165, Fender D'Aquisto, etc. Now, I will say that these are not the best if you want good acoustic quality as they're built like tanks, but, plugged in they are phenomenal.