Ibanez AR50 Artist

I just picked one of these up from ebay and paid $600. It was worth every penny. All original. Great pickups. Nice and heavy great sustain. Basically a Les Paul. Same feel and sounds just as good. If you can find one of these and it's all original you should jump on it as fast as you can. There is a good reason why these don't come up for sale very often. I was looking for this guitar for 6 months before I found one in the original condition. Why someone would replace these pickups is beyond me. They sound full and mean. Great cleans to ripping rock.

This guitar is perfect for rock; classic rock; heavy rock; does the blues great and the clean sounds have that incredible spank to them. It sounds great through my Heritage Victory Head.

Great action on the guitar. Nice and low and easy to play. Solid black finish with a beatiful creme binding on the body, neck and headstock. Looks great.

The guitar is solid. Mine was made in the 80's and it will probably last another 30 years easily. It just get's better with age.

No need.

Bottom line. If you can find one of these in their original condition buy it. You should be able to find one of these for around $600. If they are not original you can pay less for the guitar and still get a great guitar. If it is original you have found a real gem. Buy it! They don't come around often and have gone up in value and will probably continue to do so. These Artist series Ibanez's from the 70's and 80's are some of the best guitars made. Just do yourself a big favor and buy it.

Ibanez AR50 made in December of 1980 in Japan. 22 Frets. Mahogany body with maple top. H/H super 70 pups. Mine came with the original velve tuners. These tuners are great; hold their tune well. The guitar is all original. Came with the original case.

The AR50 sounds just like my Les Paul. I've had my Les Paul for 20 years. I actually prefer playing the Ibanez ar50 over the paul. It just feels better and sounds spot on. The sounds is mean and full. Perfect for rock and blues. I love this guitar. I bought this from the original owner who took great care of this guitar. She is approaching 30 fast and it looks like she will outlast me. The neck is great for soloing. You can really dig into the neck. Great frets.

The guitar was set up perfectly. I love the necks on these artist series Ibanez's. This is now my 3rd artist. It's solid black with a creme binding. Very classic looking guitar with the double cutaway for easy play up on the neck.

This guitar is 30 years old and she has a lot of life left in her. I play out several times a week and the ar50 has never given me any problems. She holds her tune well. Very dependable guitar.

If you can find one of these in their original condition you should jump on it. If you can find one that has been moded you should still jump on it.

Not an issue

This is one of the best LP style guitars that I have owned in my thirty years of playing. I have been playing as a professional for the last 10 years. I have had the luxury of owning some of the best equipment out there today and this Ibanez AR50 is definetly close to the top of my list along with my other Artist series Ibanez guitars. If you can find one of these do yourself a huge favor and buy it. They are going up in price and should be worth a lot more than they are. If the guitar is all original you should expect to pay a little more. They are getting hard to find these days in their original condition. Many of hte ar50's that I have seen have been modded. The original pups make this guitar sing. If you are looking for that classic vintage rock sound this is the guitar to get. Don't waste your time on spending thousands of dollars on the newer LP's. They just don't compare to this Ibanez AR50. This guitar get's solid 10's in my book. Defintely worth it. Buy it!!!!!!

Japan 1982, 22 frets. The thing different about mine is that there are 2 mini- toggle switches and it has a natural finish, not black like most. Only a couple of hundered ever made. And those INCREDIBLE CREME HUM PUPUS!

I play light jazz, rock, country,classical. Play through a classic Peavey tweed 2/12 tobe amp with Ibanez 1982 UE 400 multi effect rack
The only way to hear how great one of these AR-50's sound is to actually play one.
One of the previous posters said if this guitar was lost, he might get a Fender Espirit? Right! That guy was definitely very, very high indeed.

Fast neck.
For a 23 year old guitar, the previous owner took great care of it. Beautiful guitar

Very reliable and durable with no need for back up.

no need.

Lets see been playing about 35 years for money. The band I'm with I play fiddle, steel guitar, banjo, mandolin, and tele with Dimarzio Twang Kings with Hipshot B-Bender.
This was a steal for 375.00$
The guitarists for Shenandoah, and Barbara Mandrell used Ibanez Artist's and these guys were nashville session players. Back in 1979 I had a nashville studio player who was in a band I was playing in turn me on to a Ibanez AS-200 Artist 335 semi- hollowbody model. A couple years later I traded it in. Dumbest thing I ever did. If you can find one of these JUMP ON IT it and KEEP IT as has been stated by many of the previous posters. P.S don't be concern it doesn't say Gibson, or Fender on the headstock. Whats in a name.

1982 AR50BK, jAPAN, 3pcs AR set-in neck, Mahogany body, 22 Medium frets, Full tune-o-matic bridge, Quik Change tailpiece, "Super 70 creme colored coverless" humbuckers, 2 vol & 2 tone, passive, 3 way pup sel sw, H/H, Black Laquer Finish, Body-neck-headstock cream binding, Pearl Dot markers, Ibanez tuners, Double Cutaway LP style, Nickel Hardware, Gold Plastic & rubber Ibanez Knobs, incl HSCase. Should have sold for twice the $200 I got it for.

Sounds Like a LP....only better, I think.The "Super 70 coverless" humbuckers sound great. The AR50 was the "economy" model of the artist line, and I sometimes wish it had more of the features the AR100, AR200,AR300 etc had. IE; Tri sound PUPs, Active electronics, 'N'such.
But since I usually play on the bridge PUP at vol and tone set to 11 (HA) coil taps and such are frosting that this guitar does not need. It's a straight ahead rock'n'roll machine of the LP variety (only better). Me likie much good!

After 22 years this little "Black Beauty" is still seductive. Binding has gotten that cool vintage amber color. She's still straight as an arrow, low action and HOLDS a tune PERFECT! Pots are quiet and smooth and the jack is sturdy, good contact, doesn't pull/fall out. The nickel looks good and has not worn through to the under-metal at all. VERY WELL MADE.

LIKE A TANK....BULLETPROOF!
Has lasted 22yrs and shows zero stress.

dunno, never tried.

This was the first Artist I ever touched and immediately bought it, I found it hangin used in a music store. Now I refuse to play anything else. Been playing for 33 years. I have owned too much gear to try to remember. Currently I play through my own designed and built, class A, all tube amps. They are close to a Mesa sound (better I think, Ha). I build my FX too, I use a little reverb, a little digital delay, a little chorus...all things in moderation.
This guitar has all the positive features of a LP, without the drawbacks. It's a little lighter and the neck radius is not as round, which works better for me. Again, I will only play Artists and I got this one for a song.

Mine is a 1980 AR50 made in June (check out www.ibanezregister.com for full details of how to date your ibanez guitar) made in Japan and bought from ebay for $300. As mentioned in the other reviews its basically a double cut-away les paul style guitar, which plays excellently. Mine hung in some guys garage for 10 years so it had a fair few chips in it and the metal work was a bit tarnished but it cleans up excellently and holds its tune fantastically (which is a real testiment to Ibanez). This is a SOLID guitar that really feels like its not going to snap in half or anything (despite the lack of the bolt on neck). The cream edging kinda fades and goes yellowish I've noticed in pictures and from my own guitar but hey its 24 years old!

I play it through a basic Marshall stack and it sounds pretty damn good. In the band I play in we usually play in C# tuning which this guitar copes with well. The pickups (Ibanez Super 70's I read somewhere) don't overly impress me they are a little bit muddy (although my setup obviously contributes to this!). I've replaced the bridge pickup with a DiMarzion PAF Pro which has made a big difference in my opinion.

Excellently well put together guitar, considering the abuse mine has suffered it plays extremely well and I have no fear of it falling apart in my hands. It has that indescribe-able feeling of quality like you get with a decent Les Paul or Strat. These guitars can be picked up fairly cheap if you shop around and I would highly highly recommend them.
I would imagine they will become alot more popular in the near future as they are very similar looking to Josh Hommes very rare Ovation model electric guitar and fairly easy to get hold of at the moment (unlike the Ovation).

This guitar would definately survive anything I could throw at it. One thing I would say is that with it being a gloss black guitar it obviously gets covered in greasy fingerprints etc very quickly but as long as I keep it clean and take care of it hopefully it'll last at least another 24 years!
I must say that I had doubts about the strap buttons ability to hold a strap well so I swapped mine for a pair of black schaller ones and haven't looked back.

Never dealt with Ibanez, one of the guys below comments that he got them to send him a pickguard for this model of guitar but as far as I'm aware this guitar never actually came with one? Maybe someone can clear that up?

If you find one of these....... BUY IT!

Honest you won't regret it, excellent guitar!!!!

I've got a 1981 AR50. Black dual cutaway Les Paul type with 2 coverless pickups and cream (now yellow) binding. And lemme tell you something, it ROCKS!

This was the strangest guitar purchase of my life, and probably the best. I saw this guitar online and was inexplicably compelled to buy it (nice that it was affordable). Sure, I was taken with the great shape and cool black duds, but I had never played one of these before. Crazy. Anyway, this little guitar has amazed me ever since. It rocks harder and sweeter than anything I've put my hands on since. I honestly don't get it. I literally bought four Les Pauls, trying to replace this Ibanez with something better, and returned every one. This is a $400 guitar people!! and it eats Les Pauls 24/7!!!
I play original rock ala Tom Petty/Replacement, and I use a Bogner Shiva (praise the lord) with a Line 6 DL4. With this combo, the Ibanez can just about do it all. From the fattest rock to blues to clean sweet single note lines to funky thin jangly rhythm. It's an absolutely magical instrument. And the sound is more open and complex than any of the Les Pauls I've owned, especially when clean. LP's tend to be more thick around the middle and less breathy, fuller perhaps, but less musical. The only thing the Ibanez will not do is feed back as controlably as a Les Paul. But I'm still gonna give it a 10 here because it deserves it.

A total player, with no frills to get in the way. It's not the greatest neck ever (I have a Tom Anderson Strat which takes the award there), but its easy and comfortable to play, has a nice weight, and stays in tune really well. It's a perfect performance instrument that has never let me down.

It's a workhorse all the way. Super solid neck. When I first got the guitar it actually needed a truss adjustment. I take my guitars to a tech who's worked with all kinds of big name artists, he's seen it all. Anyway, he raved about it, saying it was the most perfectly responsive neck that he's ever dealt with. He was really excited to set it up for me, because he knew I was in for a surprise. He was right, it immediately became my main stage guitar and remains to this day. It's been totally abused, living in the back of a tour bus, which offers little shelter from outside temperatures. It has been dinged, scraped, scratched, sweat on and ground up against mic stands--all the great stupid rock moves. And still... ...it rocks like nothing else.

Never dealt with Ibanez, nor would I with an old instrument like this.

I've been playing for 16 years, and have more guitars than I need (but not as many as I want). I even have a few holy grail things (a '65 Strat, a '66 Tele)--which makes this little Ibanez even more amazing. It's the best value I've ever encountered in the electric guitar world (yes better than the cheap a** Danelectro reissues). This is a guitar that can be found for less than $500, that can compete, and in my opinion, destroy, most Les Pauls or Les Paul type guitars on the market. It's baffling. As you've probably gathered, I love this thing. I would buy another in a second if it were stolen or lost. Do yourself a favor: find one, find an old one. And forget about the high end Artists with the flame tops, they don't sound the same. You can't go wrong with a lil' black AR50.

Described better than i can do by previous posts. This was the
stripped-down version of the Artist. I think it only came in
black (remember the first honda cars that came in only 2
color schemes?!?) It was the only artist guitar i remember
that had no pickup covers. I bought it for $400 mail-order in 1981
while i was a college student. I sold a 3 screw neck 70's
strat i could never keep in tune to buy it. My homies thought
i was nuts to sell an american piece of maple for a japanese
guitar, but i never felt like i could afford a les paul (still
don't) -- only the rich kids in my town had them ;-). There is
a funny irony here because right as i bought the artist, i
got religion about my erstwhile education in engineering,
decided to go on to graduate school, & haven't played in a
band until a couple of years ago.

I must say that I never fully appreciated this guitar until about
2 weeks ago, after owning it for 23 years! I loaned it to a friend
learning to play guitar because i downsized my house & added 2 kids
& there was no room in the inn. I mostly play an american 40th
aniversary strat, with a custom neck built by a luthier friend,
and a gk2a pickup thru a vg88->PA. My friend bought a Santana SE
PRS & returned the artist. I started comparing his $400 2001 guitar
to my $400 1981 & the artist just blew it away. I brought it
home & played it thru my vg88 amp sims & it really sounded good.
The pickups sound just so good & mellow. A really nice, balanced
sound. Maybe erring a bit on the sweet side instead of the hot, but
just too nice to complain. The neck is perfect after 23 years. The
workmanship is just flawless -- especially when you compare it to
some of the comtemporary korean ibanezes. I really do think it is
as nice as some of the $1000-1500 les pauls out there today,
although i'm not much of a les-paul-aphile & have played only
a few.

So what took me so long to like it? I think the problem is that
I played it through a 71' Proreverb amp for years & could only
get one sound. I liked the sound, but it was just ok. I recorded
on my 4 track & no one ever said, 'hey, that guitar sounds sweet.'
So I was not unhappy but underwhelmed, you know? I think I was
always comparing it to a bandmate's 70's les paul & music man
amp -- that was the ticket back then! That les paul just
played beautifully & that MM amp was like nothing i had ever
heard. I got tired of the maintenance on the proreverb & bought
a 2nd hand crate chorus amp. I wanted a solid state because i
play my Yamaha APX-6N nylon string through a PA, but thought
a solid state amp would be more versatile when i played somewhere
without a pa. The AR50 sounds pretty good thru the crate, but it's no
tube amp. I think if i could get a good tube amp -- i'm thinking
about the Carvin 50 watt vintage with 1-12" -- this guitar
would be a sweet guitar. I'd like to go back & compare the
AR50 through a modern tube amp to my friend's les paul + MM.
Maybe it would be like meeting that girl you had a crush on
in high school, but now you'd scratch your head & wonder what
you saw it her!!!

I've never tinkered with the setup, except experimenting
with the raising/lowered the bridge (no individual string
height.) This is not for fear of trying -- i've changed
necks, neck angle, truss adj, everthing on my guitars &
basses. The neck is perfect after 23 years. I have trouble
playing some riffs on it, but i don't know if that is
technique. I guess i need to log some time on a custom
shop guitar that is 6-8x times the cost of this guitar
to see if is something that is better on a better axe.
I would say it plays better than 80-90% of the guitars
i've played & the top .01% of $400 guitars. A few dings but
the paint job & binding are gorgeous.

The only thing i can complain is the tuners. Ibanez raved
about the "velvet tune" mechanism. I've had trouble keeping
the thing in tune in live situations. I know another post
said differently. I guess i'm comparing to the stock fender
& schalers on my custom neck.

This guitar has withstood the test of time. What can i
say except that it has been a marvelous investment. It's
basically the same guitar i got out of cardboard ups box.
I wish i had held up so well!

Nothing really to offer.

In general, all the artists from the same period are nice
instruments. I think they never really caught on because
they were quirkly looking & never had the les paul curb
appeal. No one has ever picked up this guitar & went on
over it [sniff :-(...]like they have over my strats (which
were chunky old maple boxes, but i think that is because the
les paul & strat looks are iconified into our deepest
memory by the haloed guitar saints.

For the money, this guitar cannot be beat. I think it could
compare against $1000 guitars very easily. It is the only brand
new electric i have ever bought. It had a ridiculous low value
in a blue book. If you ever get a shot at one for $250, jump on
it.

1981 Ibanez AR-50 Artist ,made in Japan, mahogany body w/maple top, laminated 3 ply set-in maple neck w/rosewood fingerboard, dot abalone markers, 2 open-coil design humbuckers (no covers), 2 vol/2 tone conrols, 3 way toggle switch. All in all, it's Ibanez's version of a Les Paul, with double cutaways instead a single one. It has a jet black finish, including the back of the neck. The body, neck and peghead have aged white binding. One of the most interesting and practical features is a body contour on the upper back of the guitar that makes it more comfortable to play sitting down. The quik-change tailpiece is a nice improvement on the typical stop tailpiece setup. The slanted slots allow you to change the strings quickly and more easily as compared to the regular design. Ibanez's 'Velvetune' machines are dead ringers for Grovers with the same smooth feel and they work very well - the guitar always stays in tune. It also came with an excellent quality hard shell, form-fit case with light blue plush lining.

Like most guitarists (although the may not admit it), I hear a lot with my eyes and the first thing that grabbed me was the look. It really is a beautiful looking guitar. When it played it, I was hooked. The sound was incredible: rich, warm and full. Straight into the amp (my preferred setup), it's got that TONE that guitars with this construction and design have become famous for and so highly coveted. It doesn't matter what type or brand of amp you play it through. I've tried it with Marshalls, Fenders, Hi-Watts, Mesa Boogies, etc., tube or solid state, and it sounds fantastic every time. I can't understand why some people would want to replace the pickups, as I've read elsewhere. You can't get a better sound, regardless of whatever popular name-brand ones you use, than you have with the Ibanez ones. They got the combination perfect the first time. Even running through effects, this thing has clarity and BALLS at the same time. And yes, believe it or not, I was shopping for a Les Paul (I finally had the money for one) and chose the Ibanez instead simply because it had that TONE and it was beautifully made; it didn't matter what the brand name was or the price for that matter. The fact that it was cheaper than the Les Pauls was just an added benefit, in my estimation.

The craftsmanship is top-notch all the way around; the finish and attention to detail are all superb and that was the first thing that made it stand out when I spotted it. The quality of this instrument is definitely equal to that of any new or vintage guitar of similar design. In my nearly 40 years of guitar playing, I've been lucky enough to have had the chance to try out a few of those immensely prized guitars that collectors go crazy over and this guitar is of the same caliber as any of the others. If I had anything I'd have to nitpick about, it would be the lack of binding at the top of the peghead (it would have looked better with it up there, too) and the absence of a pickguard. Very minor stuff, in my opinion, that in no way compromises the quality.

The guitar is solid and it still looks and plays like new after 21 years of constant use. While I'll admit that I do take very good care of my guitars and don't abuse them, I'd still say it's 'built to last' as any excellently crafted instrument should be. I've only had to touch up the intonation a few times since I've had it. All the hardware is still solid and the chrome shiny with no hint of deterioration or rust. I've NEVER had to adjust the truss rod once, something of a miracle in my book. All my other guitars have needed adjustment at least a few times over the years, but the Ibanez was good right from the factory and the action is still on the money. I've never had any problems with the electronics, it's very quiet plugged in, no buzz or hum, even standing close to the amp. I wouldn't hestitate going on stage without a backup.

The only contact I've really had with Ibanez was shortly after I had bought the guitar. Being a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to how a guitar looks, I wrote to the company's Pennsylvania address to inquire about purchasing a pickguard (the guitar came without one as was the fashion at that time) and a truss rod cover with the Artist name engraved on it. Imagine my surprise about 4 or 5 weeks later when I received a package from them with a Artstar pickguard, mounting hardware and an Artist truss rod cover! Also in the package was a hand-written note addressed to me personally from the factory in Japan (in English!) containing detailed installation instuctions (with very accurate measurements) and a thank-you for buying their guitar. I was very impressed, to put it mildly. That thoughful gesture really said a lot about the company. Thanks, Ibanez! I was told the guitar had a lifetime warranty. As it stands now, the guitar will probably outlive me easily, barring any disasterous accidents.

I've been playing for nearly 40 years now and I also own a 1955 Gretsch Jet Firebird w/ matching Electromatic amp, a custom-built Stratocaster, a 1963 Gibson Melody Maker/SG, an early 60's Gibson acoustic, a Yamaha 12 string acoustic, various other instuments and I also have a mid-60's Super Reverb amp. I'd have to say the Ibanez is the prize of all my instuments, yes, even over the Gretsch. While I dearly love all my guitars and would never part with any of them, the Ibanez is a real special guitar that sets it apart from the others. It's sound and feel are like having one of those five or six-figure vintage babies every guitarist or collector dreams of owning. Will it ever gain the mythical stature of any of those 'holy grails'? I doubt it, but who cares? To me, it's priceless right now. I don't even want to think about what would happen if it was lost or stolen. If I were ever to stumble across another one and had the money, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. It's a classic instrument in it's own right.

This guitar says it was made in japan. 22 frets. standard four control knobs, 2 humbuckers, rosewood. Finish is black with lemon colored trim (may have been white at one time? looks lemon shaded but not a heavy yellow). Has the old style tune-o-matic bridge system. No case came with it when I bought it. I believe this is a early mid 80's model, it's hard to be exact.

Sound is fantastic.

The guy at the shop said it was previously owned by a music teacher (? who the hell knows), but one things for sure, this guitar is set perfect. I'd have to say this is the second used Ibanez (old model) guitar that I've owned and damn if it's not better than any guitar I pick up and test play off the racks. Even new Gibsons dont match up to the quality. Set neck rocks. This guitar is heavy but well balanced on strap or knee.

No trouble.

N/A

this is a japanese made guitar from 1980, 22 frets etc pretty much as above. I bought the guitar about 2 years ago passing a second hand guitar shop i looked in(as you do) to spot this baby sitting on a stand in the window. I had been interested in a Robben Ford Fender but couldn't justify that #4000+ tag. This seemed to cover those bases apart from the tone chambers and looked as pretty. It has two super 70's but currently has two paf style hbs in it. Better than a Les Paul in my opinion.

It has a wonderful sound, very rich and thick.Expressive and fat on the back and round full and jazzy on the front (I don't do Rock as a rule). I feel it is perfect for that bluesy/jazz Robben Ford, Larry Carlton crossover. I have a treble bleed cap on the front volume so it can even pass for a strat with the volume down, and a tele in the inbetween position.

second hand so no setup. I removed the 8's!!!!! and went with 10's, raised the action ALOT and hey presto! toneaplenty. Finish is well worn but in black you can't tell past six feet. It has its quirks ie tuners fairly dodgy, bridge rusty etc but I call this mileage.

It has lasted 21 years so far, and would probably last 21 more. My only worry with any glued neck guitar is breakage in that area. I use a tele mostly and throw that around like there's no tomorrow but I feel I have to treat this slightly gentler. I would use this without a backup if I get over my tele obsession/comfort blanket.

N/A

I've played for 24 years and own mostly teles and strats, this is the only twin HB guitar I own. All go through a ts9, an ibanez delay and ocassionally a tech 21 tri.O.D. into a fender blues deville (the early sort without the more od) If this got stolen I would probably seek an old Fender Esprit. Both seem few and far between though.
This is generally my second or third choice with ny '73 tele in 1st place and a '77 strat depending on what the gig calls for.

Mahogany body, carved maple top, birch neck, 2 Ibanez Super 70 humbucker pickups, 2 volume, 2 tone and 3 way toggle switch. Basically a double cutaway Les Paul.

It sounds pretty much like you would expect, like a Les Paul. Actually, it sounds better than my 83 Gibson Les Paul Custom. I'm not sure if it's the pickups or not, but it has awesome tone. Like I said, better than my Gibson Les Paul Custom.

This guitar was made in August 1980 and it still looks and plays great. The action is nice and the workmanship is superb. The neck on this guitar is perfect for me. Everything is nice and snug. This is a very well made guitar.

I'm at least the 3rd owner of this guitar. It's been around for 21 years and has held up just fine. This is a solid guitar that has proven over the years that it's both reliable and durable.

I have been playing since 1979 and have several guitars. This has become one of my favorite guitars and it was a great bargain. It sounds more like a Les Paul some of my Gibsons! They don't make this model anymore. If I lost it or it was stolen, I'd comb the earth for a new one. This is an excellent guitar. If you stumble into one, buy it!