the AX120 - was it MEANT to be a cheap guitar?

BZ Beetle · #1 01-27-2002, 12:21 AM

I was in a local shop a couple days ago, and this funny lookin Schecter scorpion looking thing caught my eye. turns out to be the ibanez ax120. so i pick it up and start strummin it. feels OK, plays GOOD (not orgasmic but good). then of course the salesman comes over to me n throws me the old 1 2 sales pitch. i bout soiled my pants when he says its a set maple neck and a solid mohogany body, and less than 300 us bucks. I always assumed that it was sort of like the Epiphone SGs. great guitars with huge cutbacks (usually in electronics) to make it dirt cheap. Is this the case here or was it MEANT to be a runt low end beginners guitar?
IMHO (granted i never heard it plugged in) but a nice set of 10 ga blue steels and a few nice humbuckers that guitar should be smoking!!! unless of course it sounds like crap. someone fill me in here!

Polaris20 · #2 01-27-2002, 10:29 AM

It was meant to be a cheap guitar, but the last time I played one it was really damn nice for a cheap guitar.

I think it'd make a great project guitar, as far as tearing the pups out and changing the tuners. Maybe even stripping the body down to bare wood, since it's mahogany underneath.

jeff l · #3 01-27-2002, 03:32 PM

I put a couple of DiMarzios in one of those for one of my students. It's a good guitar for the money, imho.

butch · #4 01-27-2002, 09:59 PM

The GAX and AX series of guitars came as a result of artists' input. When Ibanez reissued the Artist solidbody, many players liked the shape, but thought it was too Les Paul-like.

Once you stripped away the weight and the carved maple top, the AX was born. It was an attempt to make the Artist series of guitars a little more "edgy" and rock and roll. The tone of the guitars is very "SG" like, while it still feels like an Ibanez.

Definitely a good guitar for the dollar.

Cheers,
Butch

BZ Beetle · #5 01-28-2002, 04:34 PM

oh yeah, thats my next guitar. lol id actually get an AX125 but i dont like the d tuner. Im a big fan of the shortstop 2 bridge, but that tuner has to go! so my next axe might very well be an ax120. rip out the pups, put some nice schaller locking tuners on there, perhaps a nice heavier stop bar (who knows maybe ill put a SS2 on there lol) and i might consider a new paint job. damn! for under 300! im still floored. maybe a nice duncan invader *drools*...

screw the ESP EC-300!
thanks for the input guys

yurich · #6 01-28-2002, 06:10 PM

my friend has an AX220QM. I played it quite a bit and have to say I really dislike it. the pickups are crap, and I don't know it it's the neck or the location of the strap buttons, but every time I put it on standing up, the neck will just slide down to be almost perpendicular to the body. I can't play it like that!

don't care for the neck profile either, but it's nice for chording. and btw, all AX models have 22 frets :angry:

Polaris20 · #7 01-28-2002, 06:36 PM

the necks aren't set-in either, they're bolt on.

BZ Beetle · #8 01-29-2002, 12:49 AM

i have to say tho, ive always been a fan of bolt on necks. if you break the neck its easy to change, same as to work on it. granted, it sacrifices SOME tone, but the only difference between that guitar and the EC-300 is the esp is a neck thru (or set neck). is it worth that 150 bucks for a set neck? I dont think so. i also have to say most bolt ons just have a more original sound to them. more of a punk rockish pixiesish, ramonesish sound which is what i like (And usually sound great through my fender amp). *for 300 bucks thats damn well possibly my next guitar.