Ibanez AM50

My AM50 was MIJ in 1984. It's got the brown sunburst finish which is more akin to an antique sunburst finish in Gibson-speak.

Dual Super 70 pickups, Ibanez-branded "Smooth Tune" tuners; Gibraltor II tuneomatic-type bridge and something-else II tailpiece.

The guitar is all maple with the front being very figured.

The strap buttons are Ibanez and meant to hold a strap on without extra gear.

It's got dual volume/tone controls for each pickup. The controls are called "Sure Grip" as they have a little rubber piece around each one for precise turns.

OHSC is in EXC condition, too.

It's got all the features I need, though I suppose some folks might want coil tap, so I'll give it an "8".

The AM50 is very versatile like a Gibson ES-335. It's smaller than a 335, though, but amplified, the AM50 sounds BIG!

If you know what a 335 sounds like and its versatility from country to rock and blues to jazz then you know what an AM50 sounds like.

On the neck pup, you get a rich full sound with a hint of vibrancy. On the bridge pup you can bright tones that are perfect for overdriven southern rock.

I'm well pleased with the sound of this guitar.

The guitar plays like a dream and is built with heavy duty hardware. The finish in EXC and all the mroe for a 24 year-old guitar.

It's 24 years old; looks nearly new; plays like a dream. Yeah, I'd say it's pretty durable and reliable.

Would I buy another AM50 if this one got lost? Yup!

I've owned several Gibson ES-335's, Aria 335 types, Epi 335 types, and others. The AM50 is every bit as good as the best Gibson 335 I've owned, except it's smaller and WAY lighter.

Even 5 years ago, played-in examples were going for $500. Now you'll pay $1000 for a really nice one. They've held their value well but haven't gone through the roof, so I'd say they are a fantastic value.

As per previous reviews - it's an ES-335 clone, slightly thinner, slightly better build quality. Mine's a 1982.

Oooooh, yeah. This thing sounds amazing. Super-distorted? Super-clean? Jazzy? Blues? Chicken pickin'? Just-on-the-edge-of-breaking-up rock? It does them all. Boatloads of sustain and character, dead-quiet. Good range of tone control. Really, really, really likes tube amps.

Unfortunately the truss rod appears to be broken on mine, so I'm stuck with 10s if I want decent action. As it happens, 10s sound great and the action is beautiful with them! Given how much I love the guitar, I'm seriously considering having the truss rod replaced.

So again, broken truss rod. I suspect that this is a result of someone over-torquing it in the past 26 years (I've had it for a year now), but there's no way to be sure. The finish is still beautiful, some scratches from picks, but nowhere near worn through. Shines up nicely. Everything else is still practically new.

Buy one if you can find one. They're worth whatever you pay - beautiful guitar to play and listen to. I enjoy handing it off to friends just to stand back and hear it!

Built in Japan 1983, brown-sunburst, chrome hardware. It`s got a real
nice, fast neck and perfect finish. Baught it about five years ago from a local dealer with a near-new case at a ridiculous price.

Better than the Gibson LP Studio i sold a few years ago. Fat distortion-sounds if needed for Santana-like, neverending sustain,
fits also perfectly for jazzy Pat M.-sounds. But even the neck-pick-up has enough brilliance and bottomtop smooth basses.

At the time I bought it, it was set-up perfectly. I only had to adjust the truss-rod once after chanching to thicker strings that made the AM sound bigger.

Very reliable, keeps the tuning perfectly.

Nerver needed

It was a real terrific bargain! I owned over the last 30 years about
twenty guitars ( Gibsons, Fenders, Ovations, Rickenbakers, Yamahas )
this one I`ll keep to the rest of my days.

1983 Japan, of course. Not sure of wood but think it is Mahagony. Standard configuration. Been thinking of putting a Bigsby on it but don't know if I should modify it. Must drill holes. Current has 10-46 strings on it.

Play blues, alt rock, rockabilly. Well suited to these styles. Use a Fender Deluxe 90 w/o DSP and an old Gorilla GS-80. Have various effects. Sounds bright to warm depending on settings. I sometimes like to have the bridge pup rolled all the back on and the neck pup rolled on the way on and play it in the middle (both pups) position. I like a warmer almost muddy sound compared to most people, but this sounds too muddy through the Gorilla, but it is just a cheap practice amp.

Bought it used about 3 years ago and the set-up was spot on. Maybe too low for some people, but perfecto for me. The manager of the store where I bought it has a similar Ibanez, so maybe he set it up. One pot seems like it may need replacing in the future, but all controls work well for now.

Withstand live playing? It's a 1983 and still makes noise when I plug 'er in. Hardwear is still wearing hard. Finish is very good, but had one or two scratches on the surface that I would like to get buffed out some day. Is dependable and would use without backup, but as many have said, better safe than sorry and a backup is a good idea and a different guitar is better suited to different styles, so take 6 or 7 and pretend that you are important! (or broke)

I contacted the company a couple of years ago and spoke or emailed a lady. Do not remember the particulars, but it was not a bad experience.

Been playing bass since 1970 and guitar for 4 or 5 years. I own quite a few elec guitars due to GAS. Have a 1979 Music Man Stingray bass that I bought new just before a gig in Alaska. Love some, hate some. Love this one for its smaller size and excellent tone and action. Also love a very cheap Jay Turser Tele that I got for about $100 new. Also great action but cheap pups, tuners etc. As I said before, wish the AM-50 had a Bigsby, but....Would probably try to find another if this one was lost or stolen or maybe buy a Gretsch with a Bigsby. As others have said, if you can find one of these in decent condition for a good price, buy it.

It's a 1983 AM50 in original state. The description can be found in other reviews on this page.

I play blues, Rock, Jazz, Ballads, the guitar is amazing. I play it with a Fender Bandmaster (1963) amp and a Boss ME-5 effect processor. Doesn't need the processor to have a great sound!
On both pick-ups you get a nice sound with a high output. From very clear to a deep warm sound.

I bought the guitar this year in a retail store. It's shines like new and is in a perfect condition. After the sale we looked together on this site and the salesman admitted that ?485,- could have been too cheap for this beauty,

It's looks like new. Play's wonderful and seems very reliable to me.

I play for 30 years. Allways played on Stat clones. Have some beautiful acoustics. If this guitar was stolen or lost I would turn the world upside down to replace it woth another AM guitar. Before buying this one I've played on several ES335 types, decided to save money for a Gibson, but after playing on the AM50 I knew that this is the best ?485,- I have ever spend. Now Iam looking for a suitable case, hard to find!

Semiaccoustic with slightly smaller body than the AS series (335 size). Made in 1982, superb antique violin finish. 2 humbuckers, 2x volumw, 2 x tone. A basic classic configuration, all you want on a guitar like this.

Superb and clearly one of the best guitars I ever owned. This baby sounds so mature, it's unbelievable. Does everything for me, Jazz, Funk, Blues. The pickups are pure quality, better than anything else. I would love to hear it with Super 80 Flying Fingers pickups as they are superb Ibanez originals as well. This guitar has bulkloads of character and sounds very "alive".

Bought it used and the setup was already very good. Because I play 13' flatwound strings I had to set it up completely. Neck is dead-straight and it plays like a dream. The overall quality of this guitar is high end, I think 1979 to 1983 were the best Ibanez years and the guitars are getting very rare nowadays. Would love to buy a second one.

This guitar will last a lifetime, the chrome hardware is still shiny. I use this guitar without backup.

????????? Why??????????

I'm so glad that I've got this lady and I will never sell it, never!!!!!!! The best #620 I've ever spent. Considering the quality it has been a real bargain. Compare the quality with a US Gibson if you've got the chance. The Gibson will loose, 100%!!!!!

I bought this guitar (new) in 1982, cost about #250 (two week wages+ in those days!). Construction is block through hollow body, 24 3/4" scale length, rosewood fingerboard and quite wide flat-top frets. Two humbuckers; volume and tone on each; three way selector. Solid tailpiece and lock-down bridge. Brown sunburst finish and cream bindings. Only modification is the addition of a 'master volume' knob just where I need it. Came with a solid shaped case (a bit too big)

The best thing about this guitar is its versatility. It can be sweet and silky, full and jazzy, raw and raunchy - all without resorting to effects. It responds to the way you play it in an almost uncanny way -almost as if it's hanging from your neck just waiting to sing. Can be a little over bright on new strings (I change them every 2-3 weeks depending on the weather) but that's easy to compensate for.

I use the guitar through a Marshall VS265 (still prefer it to the newer models); always have the amp at waist height and a few feet behind me. Feedback's not a problem, but is easy to achieve when wanted.

Other than the amp's three channels and chorus, the only effect I use is a Boss digital echo, though I have a Zoom 606, which I use as a tuner and for wah (resonable)and vibrato (nice on slow stuff). The rest of the effects are pretty yuk; far too electronic for my taste. The secret is getting the right combination of amp and guitar and I can cover a whole range of music from Glen Miller to Robbie Williams on one axe.

Can't remember how the guitar was set up 20 years ago, but the action now is superb. Very low, no fret buzz, easy to play. Intonation is spot on all over the neck.

I've used this guitar for twenty years and do about 100 gigs a year with it. The hardware and the body finish are like new, apart from the odd knock and broken pickup surrounds. Could really do with a re-fret, but I was saying that ten years ago and it's still going strong. Yes, I look after it, but its a working instrument and gets treated as such.

The tuning is rock solid (provided you put the strings on right!) In 20 years, I've broken less than 10 strings, all of which could be traced back to tiny burrs in the bridge saddle plating - one to watch out for, but you'll need a microscope to find and fix them!)

The strap buttons are a bit peculiar, but the trick is to make sure they're aligned exactly square to the strap (not the guitar body), points down, then all's well.

Dependable? My other guitar's in the loft....

Only tried once to get spares info from Ibanez (for the pickup surrounds). The guitar was already so old that they (Ibanez USA) didn't recognise it!!

I've been playing for 38 years, still do about 100 gigs a year. I don't own other gear, having been through quite a bit in the past (Fender guitars and amps, Marshall, HH, Yamaha amps). Don't need it with my current set-up. If the guitar were lost, I'd be gutted. IF you can find one of these, snap it up, keep it freshly strung and enjoy!

1983 AM50. It's from the Artist range and is a les paul sized hollow body. tobacco sunburst, chrome hardware...2 humbuckers plus tunomatic style bridge and tail piece. Dot markers on a rosewood neck. The body is maple. I bought it to replace my Gibson Les Paul Deluxe 73, which had to be sold and I pair it live with a modified Jazzmaster.

It is a very bluesy/jazz orientated sound. Quite Robben Ford between the pickups. Neck pickup can be a little muddy and bass orientated. Where as the bridge pickup is very good at hadling most distorted sounds. Clean on the neck, distroted on the bridge is my preferences.

The action, finish and comfort of playing are all superb. Only one small niggle, The strap buttons are a strange v shape and don't accomodate dunlop strap locks too easily.

Reacts to heat and changes tone. Becomes more SG like when cranked up. Pick ups slighly miicrophonic. Always take a back up guitar, but could use this for the whole set.

Wouldn't mind a case rather than a gig bag, but can't find one that fits. Great studio guitar and supplemental live guitar. Would be better with new pickups.

This guitar was made in 1985, I believe it was manufactured in Japan. It is an ES-335 style guitar, but the body is slightly smaller and thinner. Its a "Semi-Hollow" body electric, with slots for two humbucking PUs. Mine has Seymour Duncan PUs, a 57 and 59. The bridge PU has been set up to be either a humbucking PU or a single coil, by pulling up on one of the tone pots.
It has a single 3 way toggle switch for choosing the PUs.
The tuning machines are sealed, and I don't know what the neck and body wood is. Fretboard appears to be rosewood. The scale is 25 inches, and the frets are a bit wide. It has 22 frets. The bridge is similiar to a tune-a-matic, it has a stop tailpiece and no tremelo. Mine has had the pickguard removed, as well as the PU covers.

This guitar has a great bluesy sound. Would be good for jazz playing too.

The action and neck on this guitar are unbelievable, its a dream to play on. The neck is currently set up with little relief.
The finish is very nice, the guitar has been done in a tobacco sunburst and looks very classy. Both neck and body have bindings.

I think this is the best guitar I have ever owned: definitely reliable, but when its humid, the tone seems to be affected: that may cause some problems in live performance.

Ibanez no longer makes this model.

I have been playing for approximately 13 years. I also have a Fender F-35 acoustic and a Teisco ET-310, as well as a Trinity college Octave mandolin. I hope to god its never stolen! (because I doubt I could find another at an affordable price!)