Are Ibanez Gio Guitars Good? – Owners Perspective

Can these budget-friendly GIO guitars be any good? I mean they say “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is”. And the price tags of the GIO’s definitely look really good…

Well, I have played several GIO’s over the years and owned 1 for over a year now. And personally, I like them a lot. But of course, they are not perfect…

In this post, we’ll look at the pros and cons of GIO models and also look at which models are available in 2022. Then I’ll answer some frequently asked GIO questions.

Let’s get started!

My Personal Experience With Gio’s

I have tested plenty of GIO’s during my playing years. Over the last 2 years, I have probably played at least 5 of them, plus this one that sits with me in my home. 

They are not perfect, but I fell in love with easy playability and versatile tones. It’s really likely that I’m going for another GIO this year, or at least for some other Ibanez model.

But let’s look closer at the good and bad that can be present with GIO’s…

The Good

• Fast and easy playability
• Slim neck
• Solderings were done great in models I have opened
• Versatile tones
• I like the sound of GIO models
• Offer really high value for the money (one of the best electric guitars in value)
• Tuning stability has been on the same level with competitors
• Hardware doesn’t lose to competitors
• Usually plenty of different color options to choose from

That’s a great stack. But let’s look at the bad things next.

The Bad

• Minor finish issues can be present (sharp fret edges etc.)
• Sometimes fret buzz out of the box
• Clean tones of some GIO’s lose to competitors
• The tone can get a bit fuzzy sometimes (for example, my GIO was not a good pair with VOX Pathfinder 10)
• Tuners are not better than most competitor models

To me, the good aspects stack is much heavier, but there’s no denying that GIO’s are not perfect. Most of these issues are really common with all budget electric guitars, so GIO’s don’t have some really annoying issues that are not happening with other guitars.

How Ibanez GIO Sound?

Here’s a sound demo where tones of 4 budget electric guitars are tested head to head, Ibanez GIO being one of them. I used Boss Katana 50 MKii amp:

I think that the GIO held its ground well. In general, GIO’s offer versatile tones from gentle cleans to mean distortion.

I compare my Ibanez GRX70QA to other similar priced models in this article: Best Electric Guitars Under 200.

Ibanez GIO Models Available in February of 2022

Let’s look closer at the GIO models available right now. I’ll also mention the key features of different models.

Price symbol meaning:

$= 150-189 Dollars

$$= 190-210 Dollars

$$$= 211-230 Dollars

$$$$= 231-250 Dollars

$$$$$= 251-299 Dollars

Model	Key Features	Music it Handles	Price Level	Check Latest Prices (affiliate link)
GRGM21	– 3/4 Sized – 2 Infinity R Humbucker pickups (Ceramic) – Solid guitar, but still probably the weakest GIO model – Fixed bridge, no tremolo	Metal Rock Hard rock Blues Classic Rock	$	Sweetwater
GRX40	– Infinity R Humbucker and 2 Infinity R Single-Coil pickups (Ceramic) – Versatile rock guitar – Tremolo bridge – Jatoba fretboard	Rock Hard rock Blues Classic Rock Funk	$	Thomann
GRX70QA	– 2 Ceramic Infinity R Humbuckers and 1 Infinity RS Single-Coil pickups(Ceramic) – Really versatile – Tremolo bridge	Metal Rock Hard rock Blues Classic Rock Funk Jazz	$$	Sweetwater
GRG140	– Infinity R Humbucker and 2 Infinity R Single-Coil pickups (Ceramic) – Versatile rock guitar – Tremolo bridge – Purpleheart fretboard	Rock Hard rock Blues Classic Rock Funk	$$$	Thomann
GRG121DX	– 2 IBZ-6 Humbuckers (Ceramic) – Build for Metal – Fixed bridge, no tremolo	Metal Rock Hard rock Classic Rock	$$$	Sweetwater
GRGR131EX	– 2 Infinity R Humbuckers (Ceramic) – Wide 1.692″ nut width – Handles Metal Well – Fixed bridge, no tremolo	Metal Rock Hard rock Blues Classic Rock	$$$$	Sweetwater
GRG170DX	– 2 Ceramic Infinity R Humbuckers and 1 Infinity RS – Single-Coil pickups(Ceramic) – New Zealand Pine fretboard – Really versatile – Tremolo bridge	Metal Rock Hard rock Blues Classic Rock Funk Jazz	$$$$$	Thomann
GRG120QASP	– 2 Infinity R Humbuckers (Ceramic) – Wide 1.692″ nut width – Handles Metal Well – Tremolo bridge – Quilted Maple top	Metal Rock Hard rock Classic Rock	$$$$$	Sweetwater
GRG7221QA	– 2 Infinity R Humbuckers (Ceramic) – 7 Strings – Wide 1.889″ nut width – Handles Metal Well – Fixed bridge, no tremolo	Metal Rock Hard rock Blues Classic Rock	$$$$$	Sweetwater
GRGR221PA	– 2 IBZ-6 Humbuckers (Ceramic) – Build for Metal – Fixed bridge, no tremolo – Poplar Burl Art Grain top	Metal Rock Hard rock Blues Classic Rock	$$$$$	Sweetwater

Our Favorite Music Store in The World!

Why?

– Excellent Customer Service (4.7/5 Trustpilot Score)

– Fast & Free Shipping

– Gear is Inspected, Tested, & Ready to Play When it Arrives to You (We love this)

– Fair Prices

Visit Sweetwater:

Browse Ibanez Gio Guitars

Check Today’s Guitar Deals

Who Ibanez GIO’s Are Good For?

Do you value these qualities:

• Versatility
• Really high value
• The fast and slim neck
• Easy and fun playability
• Solid tones
• Hardware, tuners, and finish quality are in general on the same level as with competitors (not better or worse)

If all the things above sound good, I would suggest you try GIO’s out ASAP. 

FAQ

Here’s proof: 

I also checked other GIO models and they are also made in China.

Conclusion

Ibanez GIO’s are versatile, high-value electrics. Not perfect, but still great budget guitars. I definitely recommend that you test one out as soon as possible if you haven’t already. Maybe you fell in love as I have done.

Check this post if you want to learn mode about cheap Ibanez guitars.

Hopefully this post helped you out. If you have any questions, leave a comment down below. I wish you all the best and keep rocking!

Teemu