Best Budget Ibanez Electric Guitars
Published on 09 December 2024
For over 50 years, Ibanez have been the choice for any discerning player who wants quality and something a little bit different. As one of the most innovative guitar brands in the world, Ibanez have continually offered head-turning designs with technical prowess built into every instrument. Best of all, they’ve continually offered such instruments in a wide variety of prices, so even those on the tightest of budgets can enjoy a well thought-out, well made guitar.
It’s that type of guitar that I’ll focus on today. For every top-end J-Craft masterpiece that Ibanez build, there’s an excellent and affordable guitar, and for every sharp looking rock axe there’s a traditional hollow body, so Ibanez really do cater to all. They do it their own way, with stylish and unique guitars that are played by many of the world’s greatest guitarists.
If your wallet barks at you every time you open it, then today’s guide is for you. Here are some of the best budget Ibanez guitars around…
The Guitars At a Glance
Best All-Rounder: Ibanez AZE40
Best Beginner Guitar: Ibanez GRX40
Best for Hard Rock & Metal: Ibanez RGA42FM
Best Budget Shred Guitar: Ibanez JEM Jr
Best Budget 7 String: Ibanez GRG7221QA
Best Budget Blues Guitar: Ibanez AS53
Best Budget Jazz Model: Ibanez AF55
Best All-Rounder: Ibanez AZES40
My first choice is the one that I would happily recommend to any player. The Ibanez AZES40 covers all of the major guitar playing bases comfortably, and has a great stylish look to it, too.
The shape is a lovely retro-modern (can that be a thing?) take on the Strat, and the 25” scale length and 9.8” fingerboard radius place this guitar right in the middle ground between ‘Fender-style’ and ‘Gibson-style’, from which almost all guitars take their cue. I feel like this makes this AZE a great pick, and also because of its versatile, snappy sound.
Best Beginner Guitar: Ibanez GRX40
That super-cool AZE40 I just showed you is pretty much a wonderful guitar for beginners, but if you don’t want to commit as much cash, I’d say that the Ibanez GRX40 punches well above its weight, too!
It’s a versatile, bright sounding guitar that carries enough distinctive Ibanez DNA to help it stand apart from the rest of the contenders out there. The pickups will give you lots of choice, the neck feels good to play on, and overall, I just think it’s a great thing to reach for when you want to have some fun playing.
Best for Hard Rock & Metal: Ibanez RGA42FM
I’ve put this into a category for hard rock and metal, but it could do well anywhere you need a great looking guitar with a powerful sound.
The Ibanez RGA42 has a carved ‘arched’ top made with a very striking veneer of figured maple. It looks like a million dollars, basically, and also gives you great levels of sustain, thanks to the hardtail bridge and hot humbuckers. 24 frets and chunky tones mark this as a no-brainer for rock fans of all descriptions.
It’s maybe not one for the indie kids or jazzheads, but as performers go, this one brings an ‘A’ game to proceedings, along with looks that definitely imply a far higher price. I deliberately chose this partly because of the hard tail, but I understand that lots of players attracted to Ibanez really want a whammy bar, so here’s one for you folks…
Best Budget Shred Guitar: Ibanez JEM Jr
Realistically, what other guitar could this be? It’s the most wallet-friendly take on shred maestro Steve Vai’s mighty JEM, the very guitar that inspired Ibanez’s RG line of Rock Guitars.
I’m impressed at how many of Steve’s eccentricities have made it to this modestly-priced Ibanez JEM Jr: you DO get the monkey grip handle in the body (don’t overthink it, just use it!), you get the Lion’s Claw routing for the locking tremolo system, and you get a full fingerboard’s worth of Tree of Life inlays! As I say, it’s pretty remarkable what they’ve packed in at this price. Squint your eyes and it looks just like Steve’s own JEM!
JEMs are actually very versatile guitars, but I think we can be honest with each other and safely assume you’ll be using this ‘shred stick’ as its designer intended: for rattling around it at a thousand miles per hour!
Best Budget 7 String: Ibanez GRG7221QA
Ibanez were the first brand on the block to mass produce 7 string electric guitars, so it’s only right that I check out the affordable models available today. There used to be no such thing as a ‘cheap 7 string’, but thankfully the whole notion of extended range guitars is more normal nowadays.
This lovely Ibanez GRG7221QA is from the RG stable, and preserves those famously sleek ‘superstrat’ angles nicely. The top of this is impressive looking, and though it's worth noting that this is a printed graphic (not a true piece of figured timber, such as on the RGA42 we just saw), I think that’s acceptable at this very low price.
So, Ibanez are kings of the 7 string and it shows even here in this budget model: the guitar plays well and handles its extra sonic girth well, with pickups that largely deliver the requisite thunk. As a first 7 string, this is a very capable choice, and has some brand provenance too.
Best Budget Blues Guitar: Ibanez AS53
As noted before, Ibanez may be a brand for shred fiends, but they’ve also been a prime choice for jazz and blues players for decades, too. Most of their f-holed guitars are more affordable than you’d maybe assume, considering people like George Benson and John Scofield use them! Though they certainly do also make some very costly instruments, the ones at our end of the price scale today are built to perform.
I’ve called the Ibanez AS53 a great blues choice - and it is - but it’s as good for indie and rock styles, too. Basically, this is a good looking, solidly built semi with a warm sound and plenty of sustain. The satin finish works for me - this guitar is ready to take care of business - and the binding on the body and fingerboard elevate the whole production a few notches higher than the price might suggest.
Best Budget Jazz Model: Ibanez AF55
Following hot on the heels of the AS53 is this fully hollow model, the Ibanez AF55. This follows a similar aesthetic with the worn satin finish and bound edges, but adds some other elements that keep it more distinctly ‘jazzy’, such as a floating bridge (only string pressure keeps it in place), a metal VT06 tailpiece and a cutaway in the larger, deeper body for high-up jazz excursions.
The AF55 looks great in my opinion, and wouldn’t seem out of place in a punk band as well as in a trad-jazz combo. It has a lovely warm tone, very easy playability and is about as good as a guitar can be made for this very reasonable cost.
Quality at Every Price
Ibanez’s top end instruments are world-class stuff. That’s hardly a revelation to anyone these days, but the whole thing about today’s blog is just how eminently giggable and playable the guitars at the beginner end of the spectrum are.
I’ve said this loads of times in blogs before, but it never ceases to impress me that Ibanez don’t hide their cheaper guitars under another brand name. I really love that: the name on the headstock of the £200 RG is the same name and logo as the one on Joe Satriani’s headstock, with no qualifications. That’s confidence. I admire it, and I picked every guitar on this list because I think they’ll deliver more bang for your buck than you’ve been led to expect. I think you’ll have a wonderful time with them all (depending on your tastes…) and there’s a whole bunch more of them, if you want to keep looking.
Have fun checking these out, and hit the button below to see all of our Ibanez guitars, arranged to begin with the lowest price. Enjoy!
