Pricing and availability
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Price
Average Price: $336
Budget/Beginner
$400
$1001+
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Budget
Standard
High-end
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Description
The Ibanez GRG 170 DX is a solid choice for any guitarist looking to merge style and performance with affordability. This solid body electric guitar is perfect for both beginners and seasoned players who want a reliable instrument without breaking the bank. The GRG 170 DX is part of Ibanez's renowned GIO series, which means it offers quality and craftsmanship that often surprises players at this price point. Featuring a sleek body shape and smooth neck profile, this guitar is designed to ensure comfortable playability during long sessions.
Equipped with a versatile set of pickups, the GRG 170 DX is ready to handle a variety of music genres, from rock and blues to metal and beyond. The HSH pickup configuration—featuring two humbuckers and a single-coil pickup—provides a wide tonal range, allowing players to experiment with different sounds and styles effortlessly. The five-way pickup selector switch offers even more flexibility, making it easy to switch between tones on the fly.
The guitar also features a double-locking tremolo bridge, offering stability and tuning accuracy even during aggressive playing. This is complemented by a sleek fingerboard with 24 frets, giving players ample room to explore their creativity across the entire neck.
Key Features:
- Solid body electric guitar
- HSH pickup configuration for versatile tone
- Double-locking tremolo bridge for tuning stability
- 24-fret fingerboard for extensive range
- Part of the Ibanez GIO series, known for quality and affordability
Product specs
| Brand | Ibanez |
| Model | GRG170DX Gio |
| Finish | Black, Black Night, Candy Apple, Jewel Blue, Metallic Blue Sunburst, Metallic Khaki, Metallic Red Sunburst, Metallic Silver Sunburst, Red, Silver, Sparkling Lime, Tri-Fade Burst, White |
| Year | 2004 - 2025 |
| Made In | China |
| Categories | Solid Body Electric Guitars |
| Body Shape | S-Style |
| Body Type | Solid Body |
| Bridge/Tailpiece Type | Tremolo Bridge |
| Color Family | Black, Blue, Brown, Green, Red, Silver, Tan, White |
| Finish Pattern | Sunburst |
| Model Family | Ibanez RG |
| Neck Construction | Bolt-On |
| Neck Material | Maple |
| Number of Frets | 24 |
| Number of Strings | 6-String |
| Offset Body | Non-Offset Body |
| Pickup Configuration | HSH |
| Right / Left Handed | Right Handed |
| Scale Length | 25.5" |
| Series | Ibanez Gio |
| Wood Top Style | Opaque |
FAQs
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What kind of pickups does the Ibanez GRG170DX have?
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The Ibanez GRG170DX features an HSH pickup configuration, which includes two humbuckers and one single-coil pickup, offering versatile tonal options suitable for a variety of music genres.
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Is the Ibanez GRG170DX suitable for beginners?
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Yes, the Ibanez GRG170DX is part of the Gio series, designed as an entry-level guitar with user-friendly features and affordability, making it a great choice for beginners.
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What is the neck profile of the Ibanez GRG170DX like?
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The Ibanez GRG170DX has a comfortable maple neck with a bolt-on construction and a 24-fret rosewood fingerboard, providing smooth playability ideal for fast playing styles.
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Does the Ibanez GRG170DX have a tremolo bridge?
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Yes, the Ibanez GRG170DX is equipped with a tremolo bridge, allowing players to perform vibrato effects and pitch bends.
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What is the scale length of the Ibanez GRG170DX?
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The Ibanez GRG170DX has a scale length of 25.5 inches, which is standard for many electric guitars and offers a balanced tension and playability.
Videos
Artyom Reborn
IBANEZ GRG170DX BKN - Demo Guitar
Reviews
PROS
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Excellent value for money, suitable for beginners and hobbyists
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Versatile sound suitable for rock, metal, and more
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Smooth, durable neck for easy playability
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Solid pickups for aggressive metal riffs
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Low action and already setup out of the box
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Thin neck enhances fast playability and soloing
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Reliable tuning with proper setup, especially for heavy genres
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HSH pickup configuration offers tonal versatility
CONS
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Tremolo bar lacks stability and tends to go out of tune
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Stock pickups often require upgrading for better sound quality
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Frequent maintenance needed for tuning stability
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Fret buzz issues, requires professional adjustments
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Output jack prone to becoming loose
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Gloss black body difficult to keep clean
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Clean tones not as satisfying as other guitars
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Ibanez Grg 170 dx.
Features and functionality
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The GRG170DX is known for having a floating tremolo, which can complicate alternative tunings due to the lack of locking nuts.
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The GRG121SP is praised for its roasted maple neck, which offers improved stability, making it preferable for beginners who might struggle with frequent tuning adjustments.
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Mods and upgrades
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Some users recommend blocking the tremolo with a wood piece to stabilize tuning, especially if the whammy bar is not frequently used.
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Some owners have upgraded to locking tuners for improved tuning stability, although changes to the bridge were deemed unnecessary by those who made the switch.
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User experience
Comparisons
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The GRG170DX and GRGR131EX reportedly have similar pickups despite a 17-year release gap, indicating minimal hardware evolution in this aspect.
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A user compared the GRG170DX to a Schecter Damien with EMG pickups, noting that while the Schecter is excellent, it’s not significantly better than the Ibanez in playability.
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The GRG121DX offers a 5-way blade switch and HSH configuration, enabling a wider range of tones, which can be beneficial for beginners exploring different sounds.
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Use cases and applications
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For genres not heavily reliant on tremolo, like rock or hard rock, a hardtail model like the GRG121SP may be more suitable.
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One owner successfully downtuned to A standard, highlighting the guitar's adaptability with proper setup, despite initial challenges with the tremolo system.
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For beginners interested in rock and hard rock, the GRG121SP's hardtail design is favored due to its simplicity and ease of changing tunings compared to the GRG170DX's floating tremolo.
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Setup and maintenance
Critic Reviews
3.5 out of 5
Based on 3 Reviews and 4 Ratings
80
shit
It's better to play on hippo's balls than on this shit.
It makes noise, it farts, you can’t adjust the bridge normally, you can stick the tremola lever in your anus and twist it there. The guitar doesn’t work at all on the high frets, even if you dance the fuck with the anchor, it won’t help. This guitar is a special facility that would take hell to make. The tone knob doesn’t work at all, it’s there just to give the appearance, the pickup switch is always in position 1 because in the others it’s so shitty that it’s just crap.
53
Amazing for beginners
This is an amazing guitar for most beginner rock and metal players, however it does other genres quite well too. A few problems I had were: Pickups aren't the best, a few rough fret edges and the tuning stability is really bad. Overall, a very fun guitar to start on, for any genre. The HSH combined with the tone pot gives you a lot of versatility.
Preferred Settings + Usage:
Best pickup for rhythm metal and rock: Neck humbucker Best pickup for lead metal and rock: Bridge humbucker Position 4 (Neck humbucker and Single coil) with tone and volume pots rolled off a little can emulate an acoustic really well with a clean channel.
92
good electric for a beginner
this was my first electric guitar , i got it for 200$ when i was 12 or 13 , the action isnt too high , i recomend it if you want to start playing some songs with distorsion but you dont want to spend too much
Genre Usage
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