Ibanez AX7221 - is it shite?

[Jan]

Ibanez AX7221 is actually a mahogany-bodied guitar and it's really cheap. I thought I might buy it as a backup to my RG 7421XL and then possibly equipp it with a SD JB Sh4... But isn't the very guitar crappy? I mean for the price...
Thanks

 

[sakeido]

People really love the sound of those things. I kind of like how they look, too. I remember a thread on here awhile ago where people were saying how great of a deal they are.

 

[THE VILE]

If memory serves me the AX7221/7521 was the first 7 string I ever put my hands on. I don't know the spec's off the top of my head but I do remember the width of the neck being rather wide compared to other Ibanez 7's. At that time the width was the only gripe I had about it.

 

[mefrommiddleearth]

there pickups have a bad reputation they are reputedly neck heavy there made in china whether or not that makes you think it's likley to be bad quality is a matter of opinion some people think there ugly and the neck on them is reputedly not as good as the AX7521 please take note that I'm mearly repeating what I've seen writen and you really need to get a hold of one yourself and talk to some people that have owned them

 

[Rick]

It's actually not bad. It was the first 7 I bought and I sold it to get the 7421 I used to have. Then I actually won another one in a contest and sold it because I had already purchased my 7420. I thought it would be a good idea to keep it as a backup but I like the Wizard neck too much to keep it.

 

[ohmanthisiscool]

The AX7221 was the first 7 I ever bought. I loved it and then hated it for some reason that escapes me. I do remeber it being neck heavy but I like the toggle switch Tom Morello action it had. I sold it and now regret it because I want a hardtail 7, only thing is that its a 24.5 scale and I want a hardtail so I can mess with some lower 7 string tunings. oh well

 

[Shawn]

I never cared for the shape of the AXs and I remember playing one that was neck heavy way back when they first came out. I later tried out a friend of mine's AX 7 and I started to like it a little more. They're not all that bad.

 

[JPMDan]

if I were to buy one it would definitely be a AX7521, its made in Japan and looks a bit more better IMO.

 

[Christopher]

I just bought one here off Rev2010 for a backup and it's actually pretty cool. I could only guess how bad the set up was new but besides it needing a little neck shimming, it's fairly solid. I can't comment on the stock pickups, mine had a JB7 in it, which rocks.

 

[noodles]

I had one for about a month.

--The neck was a baseball bat.
--Upper fret access was non-existent.
--It neck dove like a bitch.
--The pickups sucked.
--The tuners were crap.
--The 24.75" scale made it sound too muddy.

 

[Aaron]

I had one for about a month.

--The neck was a baseball bat.
--Upper fret access was non-existent.
--It neck dove like a bitch.
--The pickups sucked.
--The tuners were crap.
--The 24.75" scale made it sound too muddy.

all the ingridiants for poop; 24.5" scale wtf?

 

[Jason]

there pickups have a bad reputation they are reputedly neck heavy there made in china whether or not that makes you think it's likley to be bad quality is a matter of opinion some people think there ugly and the neck on them is reputedly not as good as the AX7521 please take note that I'm mearly repeating what I've seen writen and you really need to get a hold of one yourself and talk to some people that have owned them

Are you sure? I didn't think Ibanez had any chinese guitars..

 

[mefrommiddleearth]

Are you sure? I didn't think Ibanez had any chinese guitars..

pretty sure though for the life of me I can't remember where I read I dunno maybe I've just lost it but I'm sure I saw it somewhere in a thread on this site.

 

[Jason]

http://www.jemsite.com/ibanez/spec_ib7.htm

this says china..

 

[ibzrg1570]

more likely indonesia, but i know they make some of their acoustics in china.

 

[NiMH]

I had one for about a month.

--The neck was a baseball bat.
--Upper fret access was non-existent.
--It neck dove like a bitch.
--The pickups sucked.
--The tuners were crap.
--The 24.75" scale made it sound too muddy.

+ the guitar is uglier than most cardinal sins.

 

[siggy14]

And he got the guitar from me, basicaly I loved the tone, hated the baseball bat. Neck dive was never a big thing for me, i thought it was balanced ok, could have been a little bit better.

I had one for about a month.

--The neck was a baseball bat.
--Upper fret access was non-existent.
--It neck dove like a bitch.
--The pickups sucked.
--The tuners were crap.
--The 24.75" scale made it sound too muddy.

 

[budda]

i dont see why it'd be bad. it'd be like every other non-handmade guitar out there, as its made in the same place by the same machines. I'd get one, if the body style is your thing.

 

[Metahedron]

I purchased one aproximately a month ago as a "back-up" guitar. Admittedly, the pickups are miserable, but the balance problem is remarkably simple to resolve...
All you have to do is remove the strap button from the upper wing and screw it directly into the center of the four neck bolts(a failure to do so is just lazy or uninformed, I estimate it is a 2-15 minute procedure, and it will cure neck dives outright). A point should be made of the fact that it has 22 frets, and enables an arguably better tone if you invest some into new pickups. If you are to feel the neck too wide and the electronics to any degree difficult for you to exchange, it will never produce satisfactory results, but otherwise I feel it is a perfectly sound decision.
Appearances are always a matter of taste, but I enjoy its aesthetic, it comparable to a Gibson Ripper Bass if you are familiar, but most compare it to an SG for its contours or a double cut Les Paul for its silhouette. The metallic grey you most frequently see it in isn't particularly flattering in photography, but it is no bother to me(though I will be custom painting mine and giving it a Les Paul pickguard).

 

[Drew]

all the ingridiants for poop; 24.5" scale wtf?

It's what Gibson uses, which is what this is targeted at.

Is it crap? sure, but it's also dirt cheap, and if you're just looking for a cheap backup axe for rhythm guitar then one of these with a JB in the bridge probably isn't half bad - it's certianly up there with anything else ou'll find for the price.