Ibanez AS50

It's basically a Gibson ES 335-clone, as everybody knows. Mine's an AS50/AV from 1991 and was made in Korea. It has all the necessary features and sports a lovely warm "antique violin" sunburst. It's all original and still in near mint condition, despite heavy playing. It has aged very gracefully and still looks georgeous to me. Don't believe the people who claim the Korean made models are inferior to the Japanese. This is nonsense. In fact, the first generation Japanese models were very poor quality instruments, though they fetch high prices. It was only around '77/'78 that the Japanese had gained enough expertise to begin to turn out really good guitars, and that's when they started to seriously hurt the American competion, often outclassing them at half the price. However, guitar players seem unwilling to spend the amount of money on their instrument that keyboardists and even bassists take for granted, so when the cost of producing guitars in Japan began to climb in the mid 80-ies, the makers began to look elsewhere for cheaper manufacturing sources. Korea, with its suitable climate for guitar building (much more so than China or Taiwan, who are actually disastrous in this respect) was an obvious choice. So when the Japanese moved their operations over there, they took all their technical expertise and all their knowhow with them. It's not as if they had to start all over: they had it all down pat by then. No wonder they immediately achieved a very high level of perfection, in fact a straight continuation of their Japan made models. However, on the market these instruments are generally rated lower than those made in Japan, though they are every bit as good. This makes especially the first generation (roughly from '88 till mid 90-ies) Korean made guitars of the Japanese majors truly outstanding value for money. You cannot go wrong with these.

The sound of this guitar is really sweet. The original pu's give a very warm, full, rich tone, loaded with harmonics. It has great sustain and a nice fat bottom, without cannibalizing the trebles. I also have a Gibson ES 335 and so can compare the two guitars: the Gibson sounds a bit rougher, has more edge to it, a little more bite, but it's also a bit thinner, harsher. The Ibanez actually has more output than the Gibson, yet the tone is richer, warmer, rounder. I'd say the Gibson is more a bluesguitar, the Ibanez more a jazzguitar, although you can play both on both guitars, of course. I prefer the Ibanez to the Gibson, because of it's intimate, seductive and more personal voice. It outplays any ES-335 I've ever played and the Epi's aren't even close.

Setup is a strictly personal matter. I bought the guitar secondhand and adjusted it to my needs and preferences, just as I would have done with a new guitar. The building quality of this guitar is truly outstanding. Nothing is less than firstclass. It's better made than the Gibson, which, I'm sad to say, is far from flawless. (I don't understand that a major brand can cut corners in such a miserable way. Don't they earn enough money convincing middle-aged dentists that they need a 4000 dollar Les Paul reissue?) I've played it through a large variety of amps incl. a 1968 Fender Tremolux, a 1964 Ampeg Reverb-Rocket, a Polytone Mini Brute II, a Peavey Delta Blues, various Line 6-es (don't care for them), a Carvin Bel Air, a couple of Marshalls, and a heap of cheap study-amps. It sounds like itself through all of these, makes even the miserable little solidstates shine.

I've used this guitar intensively for 11 years, both at home, in class, live, at rehearsal and in the studio. It performs perfectly in all situations and it's as solid as a house. Never had the slightest issue with it. It will easily outlive me and still sound terrific 50 years from now. In fact, probably even better. It's that kind of guitar, it's that well made.

Never had to deal with the company.

I've been playing for more than 30 years, 20 of them professionally. My main love is rootsmusic (both electric and acoustic) and jazz, but I've done just about everything else, excepting metal. For money, yes, but hey: a guy's gotta pay the rent, right? So when they ask me, I play pop, and rock & roll, punk, blues, r&b, funk, disco, fusion, soul, bossa, worship, avantgarde, folk, country, singersongwriter, you name it, usually in someone else's band and/or in the studio. I teach guitar and also write music to order. I own and have owned tons of stuff. I currently have about 25 acoustic guitars (the great brands: Martin, Taylor, Gibson, Santa Cruz, Collings, Lakewood, Lowden, Breedlove, Larrivee, Goodall), two Weissenborns, a few vintage axes for special purposes (Gibson, Martin, Kalamazoo, Epiphone, Levin), the Gibson ES 335 mentioned above, some jazzboxes (Gibson ES 175, H??fner New President, Ibanez 2355, Epiphone Emperor Regent, Aria Herb Ellis, Yamaha AEX 1500), a nice Fenix late 80-ies telecaster, a few Fender tele's and strats in various states of usage, a whole bunch of amps (see above), a collection of stompboxes etc. etc. and all the rest of the paraphernalia of the profession. It looks like a music shop at my house, but man, it's what I do, it's my living. I love this Ibanez AS50/AV so much my girlfriend is jealous of it. It's one of the best bargains I ever struck and I will never do away with it. Truly fatastic value for money. Get one while the going is still good, because one day soon people are going to wake up to these sleeping beauties and then their prices will rise and rise and rise...

I bought my AS 50 in 1981. It is brown sunburst,made in Japan, a downsized 335 styled semi accoustic. The pickups are still original, humbuckers. Original tuners (which have functioned well all these years). The neck has typical Ibanez quality - thin and easy to play.

The humbuckers produce are suited for "all-round rock", blues and jazz, but the sound is not that rich and full compared with similar guitars I have tried or owned. I guess a change of pickups will be an essential improvement. The small body makes it well suited for overdrive/fuzz ( the right and clean sound for hard rock). At the moment I'm using a Peavy Bandit amp, which I'm content with.

Well made, no particular need to make major adjustments or changes.

I've had this guitar for 26 years, without any need for repairs. The guitar itself has improved during the time, as good instruments do.
I use it as an "extra guitar" on stage. Everything functions well. I want to change the pickups with Gibson classic 57s - and I assume this will improve the sound.

I have never needed any help from the Ibanez company. The local
guitar store give me the support I need.

I appreciate my Ibanez AS 50 more now, partly because it has become a better guitar during the years, but also because it was only made for a few years.
I would have bought the "flag ship" the AS 200 If I'd had the money back in 1981, but the AS 50 has the same qualities, it is only a stripped version.
I think it's a pity that Ibanez change models so often. There are several classic high quality Ibanez models from the 80s that are now difficult to purchase (like the Blazers and the Artist series).
If I were to sell any of my guitars, this would be the last one.

Okaaaaay ... 1981 Mk 1 Ibanez AS50: a downsized 335-alike 25 years ahead of its time: everybody from Gibson themselves through upmarket competitors like Hamer and Collings down to cheeky punks like Vintage are doing them now, but as far as I know this was the first. This one dates from the Golden Age Of Japanese Luthiery, when Gibson and Fender had lost their way and companbies like Ibanez and Yamaha were proving that they could not only build a cheaper guitar than the faltering US giants, but a better one. This lovely creature has a tobacco sunburst (laminated?) maple body; 22-fret 24.75" scale glued-in birch neck with dot-marked bound rosewood fretboard; a plain version of the most elegant 3-a-side headstock Ibanez ever had; Quik-Change tailpiece; Gibsonesque control layout with four goldish 50s-style knobs and unbranded Schaller-style tuners. The Mk 1 was fitted with Ibanex V@ pick-ups ??? Super Distortions in all but name and, for all I know, made by DiMarzio, and they were totally miscast pn this instrument: it was like a movie which seemed to have been written for George Clooney arriving on screen starring Sylvester Stallone. The Mk II swapped the birch neck for a maple one, replaced the V2s with the far more appropriate Super 59 PAF-alikes and was also available in red. The Mk III was outsourced to Korea, had a bolt-on neck and should be avoided at all costs.

The 10 rating applies to the way the guitar sounds now, with the V2s drop-kicked into the middle distance and a set of Trev Wilkinson's Platinum Series 'Lemon Drop' Peter Green-style PAF-alikes installed. With low-to-medium gain PAF-style HBs replacing the grotesquely overgained V2s ??? which have rated a 5 at most ??? this guitar sounds lovely: like a cross between an airier Les Paul and a less woofy 335. The previous owner had installed a pair of minitoggles: one to throw the PUs out of phase and the other to split the neck ???bucker, as well as wiring the neck tone so that it was full off at 10 and full on at 8. I now have both minitoggles as coil-splits and the tone control operating normally. The result is a sweet-sounding, versatile guitar that works for blues, rockabilly, funk, reggae and most forms of rock up to and including punk. I haven't yet tried it with my two main amps (Fender Super reverb and Vox Valvetronix AD120VT) because they don't live at home, but it sounded fantastic through a real-life Fender Bassman and as good as anything else would with the Twin and AC30 models on a MicroCube. can't wait to open it up through the Super Reverb or the VT's AC30 models.

Both of my previous AS50s (see below) were bought new and played fine straight out of the shop, and this one arrived from the previous owner in fine condition, needing only to be adjusted for my preferred string gauge. The fingerboard is a little flatter than I'm used to (Fender guy, right?) but the mental adjustment is fairly untraumatic. A friend of mine who's a Les Paul nut described the AS50 neck as 'the width of a Standard and the depth of a Custom' ??? whatever that means.

This guitar is over 25 years old and, apart from the odd microding, looks brand new. The previous owner told me that he played it A LOT, so its current state is a tribute both to his careful handling and the sturdiness of its construction and finish. I would be reluctant to take it out by itself, partly because I'm fundamentally a Fender guy and I get hysterical, neurotic and insecure without a Strat or Tele in easy reach, but I consider that ??? for the first time in my guitar-playing life ??? all my humbucking needs are finally catered for.

A 25-year-old used guitar? What do YOU think?

In the past I've either played P90 guitars like Juniors or assorted Teles and Strats; I've had two Gibson semis before (a ???68 Trini Lopez Standard and a ???67 355) but this is the first humbucking guitar I've liked. It's actually my third AS50, but I got rid of the first two back in the early ???80s because I couldn't stand the V2 pickups and I was much more inhibited about PU-swapping back then (plus we didn't then have the wide variety of choices available today). I recently got nostalgic about it and started an eBay hunt, which was amply rewarded. The size and weight are far comfier than a real-life 335/345/355; the sound ??? post-Wilkinson, that is ??? is the perfect LP/335 compromise; it looks lovely (though the cherry version might be nicer: bitch-whine-moan-complain); and it was ludicrously cheap: even with the new PUs and a professional set-up/installation/rewiring, the whole thing, including case, came in at not much over ??400. Anyone excited by the Gibson ES-336, Hamer Newport or the new Collings and in the market for a downsized 335-alike should seek out one of these. It's not (yet!) a cult guitar and can therefore be picked up for chump change, they're INCREDIBLY well-made and if you're lucky enough to find a Mk II, you won't even have to change the pickups. In fact, I'm seriously considering going back to eBay to see if I can find a red Mk II with Super 58s. In fact, I'll race you ...

Es 335 type from 1981. Actually, the last 335 series (along with the as100 and 200) that came from good old Japan. Only the 200 would survive as the Scofield, later 335's would come from Korea. There is a lot of hype around the lawsuit thing but most of those Eastern guitars were not that great. Stay away from the bolts where it should say setneck is a good rule. This setneck birch mahogany affair came in two flavours, antique violin and red (this one) and though a little smaller than a regualar 335, it had the right body contours, the 100 and 200 had odd horns. Funny thing is, Gibson would copy years later the AS50 with their Es 336! Anyway, after Ibanez decided they would't do copies anymore they produced their best guitars ever. It is a shame they outsourced most of their production after '83 to Korea. The As50 is theirfore made by the best Japanese luthiers that had 20 years of experience in making guitars and boy, it shows.

A bit tarnished but after 25 years it still looks as new. Great wide flat neck, outstandig fretjob and great eye for detail. The pickups it came with -powerfull V2's- I swapped for a Super 58 in neck and a Super 70 in the bridge, giving it a more bluesy traditional sound. I tried a Fralin humbucker once but liked the Super 70 more. Nothing against the Fralin though, it is a great pickup. Neck sounds warm and open, very woody and mature. The neck has a great sting that likes it hot but not to midrangy and honky like a lot of those semi's can sound.

It has a low action and no buzz at all. The neck is perfectly straight, not even the tradtional relief in the middle and no matter what everybody says, I am from the Holdsworth school and I think it plays better that way. About the finish, it is flawless but to bad the Japanese used in those days the best Acrylic availible, nowadays we think that the inferior nitrocellulose looks and sound better. So, after all those years the color didn't age well, it just looks like a brand new guitar with some small dents.

Is it reliable? It came from Japan! The Germans of the East! Toyota. Honda. Seiko. Sometimes this guitars scares me cuz I dont like the idea that it will still be here after I am long gone...

Well, I have this idea that the Japanese make their products so good so they dont have to deal with those sloppy western people.

In fairness, as a tele player I really tried to love the 335 but it always wat to bulky for me. Not the As50. Though it is hardly noticeble smaller, it makes a world of difference when playing it. Is it better than a Gibson? I dont know, never had one. But I had a Heritage and a Epi 335 (Epi not bad but you get what you pay for) and I would choose the Ibanez over the Heritage 535 everytime.
Late seventies Ibanez 335's are going through the roof now and the AS50 is one of the last guitars that is relatively affordable. Ebay prices rang between 650 and 900. Get them while you can!

My AS 50 was built in '98 or '99 in Korea.. Pretty standard Gibson 335 clone, I chose this one over an Epiphone Dot (of course, I was 12 at the time). 2 volume, 2 tones, 2 open coil pickups, etc.

My understanding of tone has changed a lot in the 7 years I've owned it. It was my first electric guitar, bought so I could use it in my middle school's jazz band, and it was "adequate". I was playing it through a Peavy Studio Pro 112, which was also "adequate". I now know that this is what this guitar is for: entry level, young guitarists. Granted, it is a very versitile guitar, it doesnt feed back too much through high gain, and you could really (almost) get just about any sound youre looking for out of it, but for me.. the tone was either dull and muddy or way too bright, and I've experimented with different strings (gagues and types), different pickup heights, and different tone settings... The verdict is in. It simply sounds bad. Diverse, but bad.

The guitar looks really good for the $500 or whatever paid for it. Once I hit the sweet spot in the setup, the neck profile and action are great, it plays faster than just about any guitar I've played. The satin finish neck helps with this a lot. It does, however, weigh about a metric ton (actually, I would guess 8.5 pounds or so). Those of you who also own this beast, imagine a dorky, porky little 7th grade kid trying to play this thing while standing.. yeah.

The metallic elements of the guitar seem solid, the tuners, the bridge, all of the pots etc. I had a big problem years ago with the housing for the patch output falling into the guitar, which was a big pain. The glaring problem, though, and I believe it's been mentioned before in this forum, is the neck joint. I can bend the notes considerably, but I'm very wary to do so as I feel like I could just snap the neck off. I think I've even taken a screwdriver to the bolts in the back to no avail. If you're serious about intonation and a solid setup, this is not your guitar.

Never tried to contact them, but I've heard they suck.

Like I've said, it was great for me to learn on and play as a kid when I had no idea that I didnt sound anything like Eric Johnson... I really respect what Ibanez can put out for the price, but with a wobbly neck and dead tone, I think I'm going back to my PRS Hollowbody II.

My AS50's serial number indicates it's manufacturing time was in Dec 81 in Japan. Perhaps it's a transitional model, but my '81 AS50 came stock with a pair of Super 58 Pups and a Tri-tone switch down by the knobs...Since the guitars are an odd size, I think the case I got with mine is the original because it fits it perfectly.

Sounds warm, Gibson-y, round, smooth and jazz/bluesy. Everything you want and nothing you don't.

The pickups sound great. I also have a Super 58 in a Pat Metheny PM20 guitar, and these pickups just sound wonderful. The finish of this AS50 is translucent cherry with Ivory binding. Wonderful.

Feels very solid in all aspects or workmanship and hardware. I NEVER gig without a backup unless it's a folky/songwriter type gig.

Never had to deal with them.

AWESOME... GET ONE!!!! I bought one for $340 WITH the hardshell case included. You CANNOT buy a new guitar like this anywhere near this price...you have to spend at least a grand, no question, maybe more.

I don't have this guitar any more, but I wish I hadn't let it get away. For any of you out there looking for a budget 335 alternative, the early 1980s Ibanez AS's were IMO quite well made guitars (one used guitar store owner told me he thought of them as "335-killers"). If you see one at a good price, give it a look. I wasn't crazy about the stock PUs on my AS50, but if you slap in some PUs more to your taste and get a good setup, you'll have a nice little guitar. Oh yeah, and the AS50 is a little smaller in the body than a 335 (or the bigger AS's from that era), so some folks might find them more comfortable to hold (I did).

Well, I've forgotten some of this, but I will say that my AS50 had a great neck. It was able to be set up very nicely, and it seemed to hold that setup forever.

Just bought this, serial no. D804871, made in Japan. Has open coil V2 humbuckers,3 position switch, 2 volume/2 tone knobs. I believe it was made in 1981 or 82. If anyone can confirm the date, I would appreciate it.

Everything on it is original. Brown sunburst top, maple I think. Finish is in great shape other than 1 ding on the top. I may have to replace one of the tone pots, it is loose.

Nice warm tone for jazz (which is what I bought it for), doesn't cut enough for blues. I'm sure an effects box could fix that.

Great set up. Very well made guitar. No flaws in how it was put together.

If it is still kicking after 22+ years, with all of the original hardware, then this guitar is going to last a long time !

I would use it on a gig w/o b/u

Never called them..............

Been playing 30 years, own 4 other guitars (3 acoustic, one Gibson SG). This AS50 is going to be one of my favorites. Reminds me a lot of a Gretch semi-hollow body I foolishly sold 20 years ago (Gretch Anniversay model).

Very playable neck, very solid sound, glad I found it.

'82 AS-50, crafted in Japan. Not to confuse with the (after 86) Artstar AS models from Korea (made by Samick) Body made of lam. Maple, set-neck is birch or Maple and rosewood board These guitars came original with open coil creme V2 humbuckers, after 83 it came with the chrome cover super 58's. The Ibanez V2's were made by Dimarzio and sound very like a seventies Dimarzio Super Distortion but it little more refined and open. Nevertheless, with those pups the AS50 goes for the Al Dimeola/Steely Dan aproach, rather than the Wes & George school.
This guitar is very very well made. Much better than the Gibsons from that period in my experiece. It feels solid and sturdy, very good fretwork and the finish is like new, after 22 years. Only the metal has to be polished to make it shine again. This guitar has to problems; the tuners feel a bit week and have a very low ratio and second, it's impossible to find a decent case since the AS50 is like 13/15% smaller than a regualar 335. And mayby a third.. because of the placing of the strap it tends to fall over a bit. I dont do numbers but boy, those Japanese luthiers knew what they were doing.

As I said, because of the V2's, this guitar is more like a semi Les Paul then a big jazz box. Right now, I am looking for some old 3point super 58's cause I really think the output of those V2's are a little to much and Dimarzio SD's are not your first choice for a clean bluesy sound. But hook it up to a Ibanez tube king and a good amp (I use a Vox AC15 and fenders) and it is Royal Scam all over the place. Very "in your face" with pronounced mids and enough high end. Because of the maple acoustic body it wont do shred or SRV of course but put some SD paf pro's on your 335 and you get the idea.

The pricetag of this guiar was like $900 (?) in '82 and that was really expensive for a japanese guitar. But stupidly low compared to a Gibson 335. Of course, if you want japanese quality like this nowadays (the Ibanez Scofield or Benson) you pay top dollar too.
But for this price you get a flawless guitar (japanese are picky about this)that will be a joy forever. Ebay prices go around 750/800.

Ohyeah, about the quality... the finish of my Gibby 2000 LP junior (polyurehtaan) looks already much more worn than on this old Ibanez (millitary acrelic?) Hmmm, i dont know if this is a good thing soundwise...

dont know the Ibanez people, but in movies those japanes people are awfully polite

playing 30 year. Bought lots of stuff just to find out the best things are pretty simple. Went to 20 old strats and telecasters before I found the magic ones (a jv tellie and a tokai springy sound) Went to a dozen of semi's of Gibson and Guild before I stumbled on this Ibanez. Life is simple folks. Now, just hand me over that old 18 watt Marshall...

mine is a 82', brown sunburst, 2 super 58's. a little smaller all around than a 335. i think its a little more comfortable too...

ive always loved the super 58 p/u's and these ones sound nice cause there older ones...nice full sound on the neck, very scofield-ish on the bridge which i like alot.

when i got the guitar, it was set up just fine by the previous owner. the overall construction of the guitar is fantastic. no finish flaws as far as i can tell. great overall.

i think i could gig with this guitar without a backup...although i never would, just cause ive had bad exp. w/ not being prepared. its solid feeling, and everthing feels very quality. i did however put on some big fatty strap buttons, but that was just for my personal taste.

never tried it, hope i never have to.

ive been paying for about 13 years in the style of blues/jazz/funk. (hendrix/grant green/scofield) and i have owned alot of guitars in the past. currently i have 2 ice strats, a heritage 575, a 63' ES-335, a 61' ES-125, and this ibanez. i really feel an attachment with this guitar already, and i dont think ill ever part with it

Since two years I'm the proud owner of a Ibanez AS50.
I think it's the first type of the 1980 wonders from Japan.
The guitar is equiped with 2 Dimarzio p.u.
What could is say, this guitar is a miracle and plays much beter then the idiot priced ES335 from Gibson.
I fall in love with guitar and believe me I can compare 'cause I play more then 30 years blues and some jazz.
Nothing can beats this guitar even me Gibsons.

I play mostly blues and jazz

No comments, excellent after fine tune it.

Now I will look up for a secound AS50 as backup

Never have ask them something special

More then 30 years. Love everything on this guitar!
Money for value!

Japanese make, Maple top, see-thru "butterscotch" transparent good look, heavy solid feel, two PU passive "335 type"

Lacking crisp bite, or a sound that'll cut the mix, muddy, not like the 335, or starfire personality.

Excellent action, somewhat narrow fretboard width, thin neck..Quite playable. Solid construction

Good solid 335 type guitar, abominable pickups.........Haven't replaced them, so don't know how good it;ll sound with after market PU's....VERY playable, solid and nice feel, quite heavy. Not sure if bolt-on neck is a "bad thing" vs sustain of setneck

just a reasonable Japan made Ibanez -- 1982 -- ES 335 copy, see other reviews for details. Still looks great although used for so many gigs and rehearsals.

Jazz, from electric heavy Scofield to even tradiditional gipsy style swing gigs, experimental music, in some cases I even used the guitar to record grunge tracks with lots of controlled feedback, even tapping etc.

No noise, cool sound, flexible depending on action, strings, playing style. You should not try very thin strings or very low action due to my experience.

Sounds great with Fender 75 (early 70ties), Roland Jazz Chorus, Polytone, or a small Fender Junior Pro, the results were fine during most of my rehearsals on "whatever amp is available".

Probably not ideal - but I played it with several string combinations - even round wounds all these years and adjustment was never a problem.

No problems at all, every 2 years or so I asked my luthier to have a glance on it but never spent a buck for that service. The case wasn't that solid, but I am not sure...

Best support is probably to need no support.

25 year of playing experience, great guitar, never thought of selling it... I would always try to get a similar one...

1981, made in japan, but if that's a downside, I can't tell.
It has 22 frets, which bugs me but not enough to want anything else.
It has two volumes and two tones and a 3 way switch between two humbuckers (don't know what type).
Passive electronic.
It's a half sized semi-hollow body with f holes.
the neck is rosewood i think, and it has a perfect width for a neck... but I have long fingers so it might not work for everyone.
It came with a custom sized case which had the hell beaten out of it but I kept it around cos its the original case. I bought a new case for gigging and I couldn't find any half-sizes so I had to put a T-shirt in there so it wouldn't slide around.

I play hard rock mixed with trippy stuff and a whole mix of other things. It has a rich full sound, which sounds great clean or distorted. I've been able to get any sound out of it from thick metal to Pumpkinesque fuzz to sharp harsh punk distortion. It sounds good in regular tuning, Drop D or even capoed.

It can be noisy cos it has F holes, which causes more feedback. I happen to love feedback and incorporate it into a lot of my songs, so it fits perfectly.

The bass pickup is excellent for thick meaty distortion or clean almost acoustic-like tones. The treble is great for soloing, creating feedback or ear shattering harsh distortion. I don't try having both of them on at the same time to much, but what I have done sounds prety cool.

My setup:
Electro-Harmonix octave multiplexor
Proco Rat II
Danecho
sundown head on a standard marshall cabinet.

Action is excellent for anything from folk style strumming to hard rock thrashing (I've never had a buzzing problem.. not even in drop D).

It has great action for octaves or jazz chords (it is a jazz guitar).

no main flaws.. I bought it used and there's a crack running to the input jack in the finish... not actually in the wood though so its ok.

It's a semi-hollow jazz guitar, so I can't do any major guitar slams like I'd like to do and did do with my old junky solid body, but its taken its fair share of unfortunate knocks and hasn't sustained any damage.
the hardware is older than I am, but has never given me any problems.
One strap buttons a little loose, but the thing is 22 years old.

I depend on it... it's never failed me in practice or a gig.

I have no backups, but i dont worry.

The finish hasnt come off in 20 years and isn't coming off any time soon.

no clue... allegedly they suck, but I have no idea... the guy who I bought it from is a genius and knows everything there is to know about guitars so I haven't had any problems.

I've been playing for 5 years... Its my passion and my hobby so I've absorbed all the info and experiences I could.

If it were stolen, I'd kill myself. Then maybe I'd buy another type of guitar since I'd be hard pressed to find another 81 model in such good condition.

My favorite feature is the beautiful feedback it creates... it sounds like a mix of whales singing and violins. It's rich without anyother effects other than my rath II.

1980 Ibanez Artist AS-50. Gibson es-335 copy. Made in Japan. 22 frets. 3 way pickup switch, 2 humbuckers (covered with silvery plate) Rosewood fingerboard with dots. Sunburst finish. Original Tuners replaced with Grovers. Hard Case with Truss Rod Key.

I have had this guitar for more than 10 years and have had it set up many different ways. There were no flaws when I bought it, though I did have the tuning pegs replaced with Grovers on the recomendation of a tech and added a strap lock cause I jump around a lot. This guitar has always been great.

I use this guitar for gigs in NYC often without backup. I sweat all over it - the finish is still good - it hold tune, even if strings break. Occasionally the little plactic doo-dad on the pick up selector will come off, but some crazy glue sets it right again.

never tried. never expected any. I bought the instrument used.

I have had this guitar more than 10 years and used if for Rock and Jazz gigs. One band likes it so much that they won't let me use any other guitars (I have a 75 strat that I would love to use more...) I have been told by 2 different techs in NY that this is a lawsuit model but I have not seen others in this forum discuss that. I am looking for verification of this fact. In anycase my friend likes this better than his roommates es-335 which cost close to twice what I paid. The only thing that I sometimes wish is that it had nicer inlays on the neck, but that ain't got nothin to do with the essence of this thing - and it is a fantastic all around instrument.

Body is nice, Neck so-so, sound is abominable

This guitars sound stinks, acoustically it sounds like a banjo, and this is an improvement over it's "lower" action awfull dead sound..(yes I tried new strings, not the strings) This is one of those guitars that has such a bizarre muddied tone it's tough to even tune..Heck, the tele on the bridge PU is easier to tune than this dampened, dead sound.

I'm getting rid of it, it's by far a goose-egg among the lower-end semi-hollow guitars

1998 Art Star AS50 (supposed limitted release, according to some sources, I dunno, the serial number is hand written though,)
...features two open coil humbuckers gracing a laminated maple top semi-hollow ES-335 style body, tune-o-matic style (Fulltune) bridge, 3 bolt bolt-on 22 fret neck (supposedly a George Benson style, seems that way, doesn't it?), bound body . . . just a really nice guitar.

I wonder what it would be like with a Bigsby? That might make it a 10.

This is a really nice sounding guitar. It can conjure up a wide variety of tones when plugged in. Very "woody" as my friend Dale put it, he said it gave him one just listening to it. Nice sounding even unplugged, the acoustic tone is full, bright, and pleasing to the ears.

It can jazz it up, rock the house, freak the funk, and wail like a stood up Banshee in a grave yard. This guitar can cry, really weep if you want it. It can make you feel all warm inside. You can damage your hearing just letting this baby feedback.

I am actually a big fan of having both pick-ups on and just blending the two together by adjusting the tone and volume knobs. One set for each pick-up with a three way toggle up the top - this really can make all sorts of sounds, I like that in a guitar. It can be quiet plugged in, and as for sustain, well, if you can ride it through, this guitar will sustain for you. I have gone for about 6 1/2 minutes on a D5 chord with both pick-ups blended through a Marshall 75 reverb with a Classic Fuzz in front. I had to stop it, not the guitar...

I guess it is not a metal guitar, but, it did sound good laying down Anthrax's "I Am The Law,"

I can bombard this instrument with all the toy boxes -DOD Classic Fuzz, Stereo Chorus, Stereo Phaser, Analog Delay; EH Small Stone; Dunlop Wah; Marshall VibraTrem; Ross Flanger...it sounds great. Really a tonal machine when you sit down and play it. I use an Accoustic 134 and a Marshall 75 Reverb, it sounds great through both.

Hey, try one out...what have you got to lose?

I pulled it off the wall, and it was set up perfectly, believe that or not, Mr. Ripley...

Fit was great. Everything was well seated and lined up. Great action with 9's on it. No funny "creaks" or "sprongs" or "chirps". No static plugged in. Electronic are nicely done, routed and tubed up. Knobs and jack were tight and solid.

If you want to split hairs, the yummy butterscotch finish had a couple of lumpies on the inside of the f-hole, but what are you doing looking there and not playing this guitar, are you soft or something?

The pick guard had this thing where the nut would come off and it would dance around a bit, I dunno, I just tightened it up and it has been good. The input jack nut washer thingee can come loose some times, but hey, show me a guitar that doesn't ever have this happen, and then I'll pinch you and you'll wake up, bub.

Really well made, plain and simple recipe guitar, no frills all thrills...

Let's see, finish is intact. A bit of it has worn of on the back of the neck from playing. The frets and fret board are great. None of the metal plating has worn off or oxidized. Still solid, stays in tune every time, New England winter or summer.

I have knocked this around a bit, and the finish is so thick that it won't ding. Sweet...

Strap buttons, fine. The pick guard came loose a few times, that's all set.

I don't gig with it (only because I don't gig, yo), but it does travel around. I record with it, play a party or jam with friends, it is solid and well built. I can always depend on it, like a good buddy. It always rings true, stays tuned, plays through, etc.

You know, just get a hard shell case, and this guitar will last forever, duh...

This guitar is solid...cue the Chevy theme, thanks Bob...

Oh, and if you don't own a back up, you aren't thinking. Anyone and everyone needs a back up, just like the police, you got to call in for it sometimes, like when a string breaks and the audience doesn't want to watch you change it while your singer tells stupid jokes. Get real, people...

Yeah right, are you flipping kidding me, I think the last guy who talked to Ibanez for support was the same dude who saw a unicorn in the forest...Ibanez for support gets the capital S Capital U capital C capital K capital S...SUCKS

I got more answers from the voices in my head...

ATTENTION IBANEZ/HOSHINO whoever you are:
PEOPLE HATE THE FACT THAT YOUR CUSTOMER SUPPORT SUCKS!!! WE DON'T LIKE THAT. YOUR EQUIPMENT IS GREAT, BUT YOUR SUPPORT IS NON-EXISTANT. DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS, NOW!!!

Warrantee, what is that?

They are just lucky, and me too I guess, that this guitar is so well made...

I pulled this off the wall at the store about a week after having wrist surgery (oh yeah, they went inside and fooled around a bit and put me back together like Steve Austin, the 6 Million Dollar Man. Think of a golf ball sized cyst, mmmmmm appetizing,)on my left wrist, and you know, maybe it was fate or something like the stars lining up right, whatever, but it didn't hurt to play this guitar...it is probably the only guitar I have tried and spent a straight hour and a half trying out unplugged...it was like running into the right woman or something, you just know that's it, don't run away from this...

Really, it fits me well. The neck seems made for my hands, and the body just lines up right sitting or standing. Sounds good picked, thumbed, or strummed.

I'll try to play other guitars, and you know, this is my benchmark. A beautiful, simple, well made, humble, organic, earthy guitar. It can sing you to sleep and it can rattle your fillings, it is all in how you use it.

You know, when you come across something like this, just buy it.

Mine was new, I traded my prized 12 string for it (see -wrist surgery) and I have not regretted it at all, I am glad I got this guitar...

Lost or stolen, NO WAY. This is family, and you don't mess with my family, when I finally go on to the next world, this guitar is going with me. You steal this guitar from me, I'll find you and do terrible things that would require books to be written about and specialists to analyze, I would invent and create new forms of horrible torture, and I would resussitate you and do it over and over and over and over and over until I wanted to play this guitar again, then I'd just let you rot...

1999 AS50 ArtStar
Gibson Scale ES-335 w/bolt-on neck.
Korean made
Butterscotch Transparent finish

I play in a classic rock band running it through an RP-7 a MuTronIII and a CryBaby into a Bassman 10. It sounds great on the neck pickup. Plenty of gain really makes my amp crunch. The bridge pickup is clean and fat. I don't use it much in what I play but it wouls kick butt in a jazz group. The reason I bought the guitar was it's sound.

Big dissapointment on the lack of finish fretwork of the neck. This guitar is very well put together. I did however need to have fret work done to get the g-string to play in tune at the second fret. I had the frets leveled and crowned. It was a very fast neck before the crown, It is scary fast after. I also had a bone nut put on it for grins while the frets were done.

Had it since February. so far so good.

No customer support at all. I was unable to contact Ibanez at all on the guitar and the dealer I bought it from sucks.

Now that it is set the way I want it. It plays great and sounds great and all totaled up it plays far better than guitars in the same price range(after set-up and fret work and nut about $600.00)

1980 Japanese Made. Semi-hollow Laminated top with maple center block, smaller body than ES-335. Gibson style controls (two vol., two tones and three way selector. P/U configuration H/H (Ibanez Super 58's). Three piece laminated neck (I believe to be maple). The neck is set as opposed to bolt on, like the newr Korean made AS-50s. Tune-O-Matic bridge with stop tailpiece. Non-locking "velvet tune" Tuners (not the greatest). Neck scale semms to be the same as a Gibson (did not measure).

I play mostly acoustic, this is an electric that I happen to own. Suits me fine for when I play blues or rock. The smaller semihollow body gives me just the right amount of ring on top of a "clean electric sound". Can get a decent crunch when I run it through a marshall combo. Mostly play it through an older 60w Ibanez 1 x 12 Combo with a Electro-voice speaker; this works quite well to get a nice clean sound. Almost allways use the neck P/U. Will work adequately for most styles of music (not a metal guitar though). Not really there for the hollowbody sound. This guitar is more of a solidbody sound with a touch of "ring" to it.

Bought used, had setup with tens. Neck and frets are fine. Action is perfect for me (I like it a little high). I was able to bring the action down pretty low with no buzz; so I believe this guitar can be set to anyones preference if need be. Frets are well set and at a nice fit. The Fretboard is Rosewood. Neck P/U is fine. I don't use the bridge P/U much. Top is vintage sunburst, looks like they painted it heavy on the sides by the F-holes (to hide the laminate look). Also, the top looks all right but not as nice as a Gibson. Nickel Hardware has oxidized a bit over the years. The binding has yellowed too (although this adds to its "vintage like" look). Note: have played the newer, larger bodied, bolted neck, Korean versions of this guitar and was not thrilled with them. In my opinion the older (Japanese made) models are a better ES-335 alternatives.

Overall the guitar has lasted well for ten years, seems more solid than an ES-335 (due to the smaller body; not workmanship). Tuners are OK. If I really relied on this guitar, I would replace the tuners. Finish will last, its to thick if you ask me. Strap buttons are small, wpuld replace if I gigged live. Guitar is dependable. I bring a backup when I jam, but never needed it.

The company sucks when I tried to e-mail them. Basically told me they don't support older models and have no interest in them. I basically have no interest in there newer models.

Been playing for 15 years; but only seriously for the last three. I also own a Martin HD28, Ovation Celebrity and a very old Hagstrom electric. My Amp is a reworked 60W Ibanez Solid State (Adequate but whish I had something better). If it were lost or stolen I would buy it again (but never saw anything simular); most semihollows have to big of a body for me. Would probably get a Les Paul style instrument or something with an Artstar shape. I have come to love its ES-335 looks (and sound) with its smaller body feel. I also like its clean creamy tone with a slight ring to it. I whish it had a coil splitter at the neck position and the plug output on the side.

This is a 335 style guitar 2 humbuckers maple body bolt on neck 22 frets 2 volume 2 tone controls

I play any thing from hard rock to heavy jazz for an amp I use a crate vc30 all tube on both chanels this guitar has a warm fat sound B.B. King sound on clean and great crunch on dirty. Pickups are very quiet even at higher volume settings. I dont think I will change the pickups as it seems to work well with everything I play and my style.It also has a really nice feeling thin wide neck with decent size frets plays very well

From the factory they sent the guitar with light strings and super low action some buzzing. heavy guage strings and raising the bridge just a little really made it come to life. The pickups were a little low also, but an easy fix. As far as flaws the guitar is about as flawless as it gets I could find nothing to complain about.

I play out with freinds once a week and I feel safer taking this guitar than my gibson it just feels rock solid. The hardware is very good for a guitar in this price range. The finish is really nice and holds up well, it is very hard to scuff or ding. I play this guitar a lot and it always gets the job done with style and I never have taken a backup.

Ive played for 12 years and have a gibson nighthawk and yamaha acustic and the ibanez gets the most playing time. I love the neck and the body shape better than other 335 style guitars, it has sharper horns and wider F-holes. If it were stolen I would feel like I lost a friend but I would buy the same guitar again.

Semihollow body, bolt-on neck two humbuckers tuneomatic bridge and tailpiece. Laminated maple top. Typical 335 style.

The stock pickups were'nt that bad but I replaced them with PRS McCarty Archtop humbuckers. What a difference. This puppy really sings now. Even with the original pickups this guitar can handle jazz or rock. My rating is based on the PRS pickups. New pickups can make all the difference. I'm a big PRS supporter and own a Custom 24 so I knew the McCarty's were the pickups I wanted. Check them out.

The butterscotch color finish is beautiful. I did replace the tuners with Grover Imperials which really are classy. Neck is thin and fast. Set up was pretty good but I did adjust for string height. I saw another of these guitars in the same shop I bought mine at a few months later and the body wood was not near as nice as mine so guitar quality does vary from one to the other. Interior is a little messy but not bad.

Seems very durable. I don't gig so I can't say how well it would hold up live but it is a very strong instrument even with the bolt on neck.

Pathetic. Never got an answer when I e-mailed a question about this guitar.

I own various other guitars from top of the line to budget models and this Ibanez is very good and a good value. I did replace the pickups which did make a difference in sound quality. A bolt on neck on a semi-hollow is somewhat foreign but it is fast and smooth. This contributes to the cheaper price tag. If it were stolen I would probably spend the extra money and get the set-in neck AS80 model but I am happy with this guitar. I also have an Ibanez George Benson model and my experience with these models has been positive. Very good quality.

The AS50 is a version of the Ibanez AS series of semi-hollow body Gibson ES335 copies, but comes with a bolt on neck. The AS50 was made in Korea. Equipped with two humbuckers (open windings, no chrome cover), two volume, two tone controls, and a three position selector switch. Uses a tune-o-matic style of bridge, with a stop tail. Body is construced of laminated Maple (I think). It is an attractive guitar.

The sound of this guitar is very good. I only had a practice amp (Park G10R) to use, but was quite pleased with the range of sounds possible with this instrument. The humbuckers (Ibanez) are quiet and produce a great deal of drive.

The neck is a very flat and is quite fast. This neck shape works well for me, and should work well for others with relatively long fingers. The factory setup was very poor, no buzzing, but intonation was slightly off on the "G" string, and there was not enough adjustment range on the bridge to cure this problem. The low depth profile neck was quite whippy, the neck is easily bent giving a trem effect, not something I liked or wanted, although others might like this.
Ibanez fell flat on their face with the neck attachment on this guitar. After owning the guitar for a about 2 months, it started to not stay in tune. I tried all the usual stuff suggested for this problem to no avail. I finally removed the neck and found two pieces of emery paper strips about 3/16" wide placed between the neck and the body of the guitar (where the bolt on neck attaches to the body). Why, I asked were these strips of emery paper there? I quickly found out. When I reassembled the neck (without emery paper shims), put the strings back on and tuned up, the strings were really high off the finger board, and I could not adjust the action to an acceptable level, no matter what I tried. To remedy the problem (neck angle/lack of adjustment range) I fabricated a brass shim (0.035" +/- thick) of the same area of the neck attachment at the body and installed this shim between the neck and body. The shim raised the finger board enough to allow acceptable action adjustment. (This did not correct the intonation of the "G" string however).. The shim corrected the 'not staying in tune' problem. At the next string change, I replaced the stock 0.09's with 0.10's GHS boomers, adjusted the truss rod and action and found the sound to be smoother (my preference, BTW), and alas the intonation problem with the "G" string was gone, now there were six stringe, all in tune upto the 12th fret!
Whoever put this guitar together at Ibanez must have had a bad day, and their QC dept. must have been on vacation that day. Instead of fitting the neck to the body for proper neck angle/height, whoever put this baby together found two pieces of emery paper (120 grit) strips, placed them between the neck and body to raise the finger board height/angle, and passed this unit along to the next step...and eventually to me, very cheesy, indeed!

See above, I would expect other construction problems to be present based on experience with the neck attachment. I don't trust Ibanez, so I can't honestly give a good grade here.

I tried to contact Ibanez in the USA about the neck attachment problem. No luck, I even wrote them a short note asking them to call me, no response. I didn't expect Ibanez to do anything for me personally, I knew very well that I had voided their "Warrantee" when I took the neck apart and made modifications (put my shim in there), but I thought Ibanez should know of possible quality issues in their Korean manufacturing plant. If someone from Ibanez reads this and wants to change my mind about Ibanez product quiality, I would welcome your e-mail. So far, the customer support function at Ibanez has been non-responsive.

I've been playing nearly 40 years, mostly acoustic. It was an educational experience to fix Ibanez's problem on this guitar. It turned into a project of sorts, and I did learn alot about electric guitars in the process...and in retrospect, I had fun doing this repair.... but if I wanted a guitar I would consider playing I will never own another Ibanez product again. I have since replaced this guitar and now own a Fender Am Std. Strat, what a difference in quality!