Rank #6 in Best Electric Guitars 2026: 10 Ranked, 3W to 40W Amps
Ibanez GRG131DX GIO Electric Guitar, Black Flat
- Rating
- 4.5
- Ratings
- 596
- Rank
- #6
Price and rating as shown on Amazon when we collected them. Both change.
The Ibanez GRG131DX-BKF is a solid body electric guitar from Ibanez's GIO line, sitting at number 6 in this guide at £189.00. It is the most expensive instrument here that does not come as a bundle, and the listing makes clear what is in the box: the guitar, a strap, a cable and picks. No amplifier. That is worth spelling out next to the cheaper kits in this guide, where £119.99 buys a guitar plus a 40W amp and £116.99 buys one with a 3W amp. At £189, this one includes neither.
The hardware is set out in more detail than most listings here: a poplar contoured body, a GRG maple neck, a bound purpleheart fretboard with 24 frets, dual passive ceramic Infinity R humbuckers and an F106 hardtail bridge. It carries 4.5 out of 5 from 596 ratings. The figure to look at twice is the weight. Amazon catalogues this guitar at 3.5 kg, while the other two Ibanez electrics in the same guide are catalogued at 3.2 kg and 454 g. Two Ibanez guitars at around three and a half kilos and a third at under half a kilo, in the same list, does not hold together, and nothing in the listing explains why. Everything on this page — price, rating, specifications, that weight — comes from the Amazon listing and not from our own testing.
How those 596 ratings break down
An average hides its own shape. This is the spread behind the 4.5 stars.
Specification
Exactly as published on the Amazon listing, field for field.
| Price | £189.00 |
|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5 out of 5 from 596 ratings |
| Item weight | 3.5 kg (as listed) |
| Body and neck | Poplar contoured body, GRG maple neck (as listed) |
| Fretboard | Bound purpleheart, 24 frets |
| Pickups | Dual Infinity R humbuckers, passive ceramic |
| Included components | Guitar strap, cable, picks |
| Rating breakdown (as listed) | 5★ 74, 4★ 13, 3★ 5, 2★ 3, 1★ 5 — the listing does not say whether these are counts or percentages |
What it is up against
The rivals it was ranked against in Best Electric Guitars 2026: 10 Ranked, 3W to 40W Amps.
Questions people ask
Does the Ibanez GRG131DX-BKF come with an amplifier?
No. The listed included components are a guitar strap, a cable and picks. No amplifier appears anywhere in the listing, unlike the cheaper bundles in this guide which name a wattage.
What does the Ibanez GRG131DX-BKF weigh?
The listing gives an item weight of 3.5 kg. That is the figure recorded for this model, and it sits alongside two other Ibanez entries in the same guide listed at 3.2 kg and 454 g.
What pickups does the Ibanez GRG131DX-BKF use?
Dual Infinity R humbuckers, passive ceramic, fitted at the neck and the bridge. Ibanez describes them as delivering clear tone with headroom.
What is the rating of the Ibanez GRG131DX-BKF?
4.5 out of 5 from 596 ratings. The listing does not say whether its star breakdown shows counts or percentages.
What wood is the Ibanez GRG131DX-BKF made from?
The body is poplar in a contoured shape, the neck is GRG maple and the fretboard is bound purpleheart with 24 frets. Country of origin is listed as China.
What is the finish on the Ibanez GRG131DX-BKF?
A matte black flat finish, described in the listing as a satin black coating over the poplar body that resists glare and fingerprints, with red accents.
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