"As rock solid a guitar starter package as you're likely to find"
by russtolium -
3/13/2009 9:03:37 AM
| Musical Experience: |
Style of Music: |
Hometown: |
| Hobbyist |
Metal,Rock |
Arlington,VA |
8 people
out of 8
found this review helpful
A few years ago I decided to dip my toe into guitar playing (and music in general) with a modest guitar. I was cost conscious and didn't want to break the bank on an expensive, custom SG, only to find out that I couldn't get into playing guitar. So after doing my research, the general word seemed to be that Ibanez starter kits offered the best gear and, most importantly, the best instrument for the price.
They couldn't have been more right. Three years and a moderate amount of practice later, I'm still using this guitar. It has a great, fast neck and the action is comfortable. My only real gripe with the guitar would be that the single coil middle and neck pickups are pretty weak and noisy sounding, I keep mine locked on the bridge humbucker, which is much better.
Early on I used the practice amp that comes in the kit often but eventually decided to invest in a Line 6 Toneport to expand tonal possibilities (which it does quite well). The DVD that comes in the kit is good for a watch but not terribly instructive. The headphones that come with the kit are very low end and broke quickly for me, but good sounding headphones go for a pittance these days, if you buy smart.
There really is a tremendous amount of stuff in the kit that leaves very little ground uncovered, it really is an all encompassing kit, even if a few of the accessories are a bit flakey.
Although I love leafing through music catalogs and ogling guitars and imagining what this guitar's successor will be, my Ibanez IJX40 is such a solid piece of gear that I have a hard time justifying a new purchase. I'm saving that decision for when I feel like I've reached a prominent milestone in my playing, but until then, this guitar's got a lot of time left with me.
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