Leaderboard

Ibanez Gio GRG140-WH - finest Japanese electric guitar technology with flawless sound, solid build quality, nice features and a really stylish design ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I kept putting it off, but in August 2024 I finally got down to business, ordered the long-awaited electric guitar from a well-known music store in my hometown - and in the last days of August this year, the extremely hot Japanese baby finally arrived at my home. Of course, my eyes lit up like those of a child who gets to celebrate his birthday, Christmas and New Year's Eve in one go. ... The Ibanez Gio GRG140 offers the following core features: - volume pot (to control the volume or to create volume-based effects such as tremolos or swells) - tone pot (for controlling the tone color from icy cutting to comfortably warm, full sounds or for creating wah-wah effects based on them) - T102 tremolo system with tremolo lever (should actually be called a vibrato or pitch system or lever, as this allows you to influence the pitch of a played string by changing the string tension and to create really cool electric guitar effects) - 2 Infinity single-coil pickups (for cutting, treble-heavy sounds) - 1 Infinity humbucker pickup (for powerful, warm and voluminous sounds) - 5-way pickup switch for controlling individual and combined pickups according to the following switching behavior from neck to bridge pickup: 1st stage >>> 1st single coil 2nd stage >>> 1st + 2nd single coil 3rd stage >>> 2nd single coil 4th stage >>> 2nd single coil + upper coil of the humbucker pickup 5th stage >>> both coils of the humbucker pickup Further features of this electric guitar can be found here under this link: https://www.thomann.co.uk/ibanez_grg140_wh.htm ... If you're interested in the background and history of Ibanez guitars, or if you're wondering why a Japanese company chose this rather Spanish-sounding name for its world-famous acoustic and electric guitars, you can take a look at this Wikipedia link here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibanez … As this is my first electric guitar, I naturally read through the instructions and notes on operation, care etc. first. And since I had already practiced using my Rode NT1 studio microphone via my audio interface and my DAW, connecting the electric guitar (which can be connected to the audio interface via the Hi-Z input with the higher electrical resistance) was no big deal. I made a few settings in the DAW and added my guitar amp plug-in Vandal to the corresponding track and after a few more settings I was able to get some nice 'n' smooth clean electric guitar sounds as well as heavier leads out of it, depending on the settings in the amp plug-in. Tuning the guitar using the integrated tuner in my DAW Samplitude Pro X4 Suite was also completely uncomplicated, quick and precise. Nevertheless, I still have to learn how to play and master such a stringed instrument properly over the years. However, as I already had some previous knowledge of electric guitars and had also written the one or other remix composition with electric guitar VSTis over many years, after a few hours I was already able to play my first small melody with various playing techniques such as legato, hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides, alternating between the index and ring fingers on the fretboard and using my right hand to strum the strings. However, I was still unable to play a beautifully shaped vibrato in the first few hours of playing with my raw beginner skills. But maybe I'll let you hear something from my first beginner lessons in a while. … The most difficult task so far in dealing with my first electric guitar was - no kidding - removing the protective adhesive foil from the pickguard without leaving pieces of foil sticking under the pots, which then make such annoying rustling and crackling noises when turned. I hadn't expected such obstacles - it's probably like the idiot test for electric guitar beginners. I watched a few tutorials on how to remove the foil as completely as possible, with the useful advice that you can sometimes unscrew the pots or, in the case of my guitar model, remove them straight away. Fortunately, I had bought some electric guitar accessories some time beforehand (see utensils in the small box on the right), including various picks of different shapes and degrees of hardness, guitar sliders made of different materials with different sound characteristics and some fingerpicks, which all can be used to implement additional playing techniques and create versatile sounds. I then used the finger picks to carefully lever up and remove the pots all the way around, remove the last remnants of the foil and replace the pots in a uniform position. … However, I haven't yet built the planned guitar holder construction for the door in front of my home studio at my new home, which in retrospect I'm actually quite happy about, as I can now take proper measurements with the electric guitar on site. That will certainly take a few more weeks before I even get around to it. But when it does, it should be good. I had an extremely suitable electric guitar holder with movable brackets and integrated stoppers at the ends (see right-hand side of the picture) to prevent the electric guitar from accidentally slipping out, which I would like to install in the planned wooden construction for the door, delivered directly to my home together with the electric guitar. The local music store Musikhaus Korn in Dresden's Neustadt district also made the delivery of the goods very easy, quick and relaxed. In addition to the original manufacturer's product packaging, the delivery also arrived in additional, very robust packaging made of fairly thick cardboard. … Now I basically just have to learn to play the electric guitar professionally. And somehow I'm really looking forward to it, especially as the next short vacation is just around the corner. But first comes the work and then the pleasure (or maybe a healthy mix of both). ... If everything goes well and I practise diligently, there could be another little rock star here in 5 years' time. ))