Ibanez AS73

2003 model made in China, 22 Frets, Lamintated, etc. Features are the same as was posted in the previous reviews. However, I orderd mine without the hardcase, since I like Gigbags more.

I play blues and fusion, and this guitar more than fits the bill. I currently play clean thru amp, or on occasion use a Boss ME-50 multi-effects box throuh my Carvin MTS3212 tube combo. The supplied pickups are OK, and are medium output, and have a rich sound, but the brige pickup is a bit bright in my opinion. No worries though. Overall, the guitar sounds great for the style of music I play. May swap the pickups for Semour Duncan 59's or Seth Lovers in the future.

The intonation was set, but the frets were a little dirty, so removed the strings (replaced them with 11's w/wound G), and cleaned the fingerboard and frets. The finish and binding were near perfect. Amazing for a guitar of this price range, but then overall, Ibanez is great in the Quality Control department, regardless of the price of the guitar you purchase. The bridge pickup needed to be lowered, but other than that, everything else was fine.

Haven't played live with this yet. (don't gig much) The chrome plating on the hardware looks like it may were off eventually or chip, but if you take care when cleaning, it should be fine. I feel it is durable enough for live playing, but I would still have a backup available.

Have not dealt with CS.

I've played for 20 years, and I have about 7 other guitars. (Main guitar is '76 Gibson ES-335). Simply put, I heard great things about Ibanez, and was interested in what they had to offer as far as Semi-hollow guitars go (that's all I play, no solid bodies), and I was torn between the Artcore and Artist series and settled on the AS73. I like the warm sound, though I wish it came with a pickguard, though I will probably install one myself. If this were lost or stolen, I would probably get another one.

I cannot add anything to what has been said, really, except the addition of a pickguard would marr the minimalist aesthetic this thing's got goin' on.

I haven't played it through an all-tube amp, yet, but I suspect that when I finally mate it to my Peavey Classic 30, "5" on the amp and maybe "7" or "8" on the ax with the neck pickup wll produce the warm somewhat fat growl I desire. I am essentially the bass player (Epi 1961 EB-3 copy) in a band that does whatever it feels like. I suppose my ideal guitar sound is something like Clapton at anytime before he wussed out and started playing Strats (I fear if Cream ever DID reunite, he'd bring Blackie, oy ve). I also dig the Bakersfield sound of guys like Don Rich, so. . . I need medication to avoid neurosis. I read that some think the pickups too thin, and I am ambivalent on this point as well. Once I have played it more, I may retrofit some PAFs but, as everyone else asserts, for $300, shucks. It had a nice "chunk" in the store through a Crate 15-watter. The bridge pickup could be a little hotter, but again, the amp will help or hinder that somewhat. The throw on the selector switch is positive and quiet. No jangling or buzz on this baby.

Played better off of the rack (possible the store owner tweaked the action ,etc. upon receipt)than I could have dreamed. I once had an 87 Les Paul that gave my smallish hands grave difficulty, and my '91 Mexican Strat's banjo thingy is too SMALL for me to articulate (admittedly, I switch back and forth from bass). The AS 73's neck is thin but relatively wide and man, oh, man I may have found the neck for me. The one complaint I have at this stage is the tuners: I had to retune twice in the store! Once strings are played in, though, it may be less of a problem. Besides to again refer to the "gold standard," the Les Paul never stayed in tune either.

Full binding, and everything seems nice and solid.

Again, too soon for me to tell, but holding this guitar, it impresses me as a solid tool, hardly fragile.

I have been playing around with electrics since I was 17 (seventeen years), and although I am an amateur/aspiring semi-pro, I have played or tried lots of different guitars, including (in trials) the prestigious ES-335. Getting an Epiphone Elitist EB-3 proved to me the quality of "satellite" workmanship, and as previously stated, this Ibanez SEEMS nicer than my old Nashville Les. The workmanship is on-par with that of the Epi Elite (no difference from any "genuine" Gibson I have seen). Like some others, I was a "brand namer" until I realized how little those names mean in this day (excepting "Custom Shop" stuff). Reiterating what some others have written, I might prefer an extremely expensive Gibson, but not being a Rover-driving poseur, I need to also consider other things like amps or food. This is a danged nice guitar, and if it were lost or stolen I would look for another one

The fit and features discribed by the other other fine folks ahaead of me discribe the AS73 to a tee.

I love the Blue's - Jazz apprroach that this guitar provides. For the money and the number of 335 - Epiphone Dots, Casino's that i tested in the store the overall warmth and feel of the guitar matched my playing style.

Fit and Finish were perfect. The guys at Guitar Center ( the Tech) went over the guitar.

Hve not broken it yet.. will let you know.

Here's why i entered this review. I was looking for a case for the guitar other than the IBANEZ as100c Plywood and Tolex wrapped case. Ibanez also has a AS200c case that in some web sites are listed for the AS brand guitars. SKB was also an option. I attempted to contact Ibanex at Contact@ibanez.com. No reply as there server is rejecting the mail.. No telephone numbers in their site for suppport. I guess that they leave this to the local dealers. Result was having to purchase the SKB and Modify to fit the AS73.. It does fit after some minor "MOLDING" changes..

I would have to buy another AS73...

This is the usual AS73 model, in blue-burst paint. No mods to the guitar; it's absolutely stock. Purchased for female lead singer of my band. The feature set (hardtail, 2 humbucker, dual vol-tone) is pretty amazing for a guitar in this price range: it has a bound top, a bound back, and neck/headstock binding. And it's tight. Scores 8 because it's basic.

The humbuckers are a little dry and not terribly loud. Conversely they're very quiet. They suit the personality of the guitar; they're not supposed to be very hot. Improved pickups would likely add to the sound of the guitar.

Out of the box, action was perfect. The guitar came installed with extra light strings, which were too light. I tried light strings (9s) and then a set of LTHB strings (10-52) and the guitar feels great now after a neck adjustment.

Fit is perfect. No flaws.

Finish is rather mindblowing for a guitar in this price range - it's practically piano quality. Durable so far and absolutely beautiful to look at.

No problems yet. Played live several times. No problems with jacks, pickups, string hardware, or anything for that matter. Nothing cries out "cheap" on this guitar; but nothing is terribly expensive-looking or fancy.

I would feel perfectly comfortable with this guitar at a gig with no backup.

Ibanez has a mature, well-developed support strategy that I've never had to use.

This is a great bargain. If you're looking for a distinctive hollowbody for little money, this will get you the look and general tone of a 335 for about $2000 less.

I hate to say "copy" so lets say similar to the venerable Gibson ES 335, pretty basic; stop bar bridge, two humbuckers, three-way switch and non-locking Grover type tuners. Jack is on the side instead of the top like the Gibson and I like that. No pickguard and I like that too. Shows more of that beautiful body. Mine is the brown sunburst. Nice...AWESOME neck on this thing. Fairly slim, a little flat and a teeny bit wide, an extremely comfortable instrument!

I play now mostly for fun and the occasional blues jam. I toy with writing a bit. I have and will probably gig with band in the future. My style of music is mostly blues, from old Delta (with some slide) to British and American white-boy blues-rock. I am currently obsessed with surf ala, Dick Dale etc. Reverb city. I also mess around with twangy "Bakersfield" kinda country as in Dwight, Buck, Merle... this guitar has a sound to fit every occasion. Both pickups have a distictly different tone and a third in combination. The volume and tone contols allow an incredibly wide varience, There are alot of tone here for a $300 guitar! BIG TIME!

Unreal for the price! Beautiful binding all the way around, even in the F holes! The finish is so sweet. I just can't believe the craftsmanshp on this thing. Only flaw on the body is a yiny indentation on the wood visible underneath the finish on the BACK, but I ain't bitchin. Nut seems ok, switch feel good and solid, I like the bridge set-up. I adjusted the intonation and lowered the pickups a hair but hey, I would probably do that with any guitar after I had it at home for a spell.

Feels very solid but time will tell, I have had it a couple of months now and have babied it to be honest. Actually I baby all my babies. It just don't feel like it would break on me...feels like quality in my hands.

Never dealt with them. If their customer service is half as good as the value of their products we will have no worries.

I have been playing on and off for about 35 years. I own and have owned lots of gear. I have mainly been a single coil Strat/Tele type guy on the electric side. I have been shopping around for a semi-hollow with humbuck's that wouldn't break me. Looked seriously at the Epiphone Dot and Sheraton. Almost bought the Sheraton (great guitar too) but this guitar just kicked the Sheraton's ass in my opinion. After playing this thing for a couple of months I went out and played a couple of Gib 335's and the truth, and I swear I am not makining this up, this guitar felt and sounded at least as good...I think better!

My wife, who is beautiful and wonderful, got tired of all my BS and made me buy this guitar, actually bought it for me, just so I would shut up. But....

If you are looking for an instrument like this please check one out. This is one of those awesome "most bang for your buck" kinda deals. The people at the music store tell me that they can't keep them on the rack...and they all agree that this is an unreal value.

I would get another in a heartbeat!

laminate top, 2 tone, 2 volume, 3 way.

the humbuckers sound pretty good for such a cheap guitar. Theyre pretty transparent and medium output. You can really hear the detail and nuances when playing clean. The bridge pick up is slightly muddy but it doesnt make it sound bad. I play through a peavey deltablues, so the distortion with this pair is very smooth. Its the opposite of raw, so you couldnt get a crazy jagged tone out of this thing. On the neck pick up, you can get a textbook santana distortion. The bridge pick up gives you a tight distortion which sounds most similar to my ears, to jonny lang. It has a nice tension to the sound, it can you that suction sound when you rake the pick across the strings, ive noticed some humbuckers cant pull that off. All in all you get a nice, round, quality sound thats on the same track as a nice gibson obviously not quite.

The finish is nice to my eyes, i really dont care too much about this however, its a tobacco sunburst, thats all i care about. There are a couple flaws near the neck joint.
The neck is the best part of this guitar. Its straight and the frets are perfect. Its a little thin, like most ibanez's, slightly thinner than a strat, but i it feels fine. Its really solid and its pretty unbelievable to get this kind of quality and playability for the $280 i payed for it.
I liked the red finish too, for this guitar i think the red looked better than my sunburst, but i always get sunburst guitars.

Mine came with a problem. Theres a loose wire that causes the bridge pick up to cut out whenever it hits just right. I didnt fix it yet but i dont think electronic problems are a big deal because theyre easily fixed. The pick up selector is flimsy and the rubber cover always starts to unscrew itself. Obviously minor issues. Regarding the most important things, the neck, tuners and pick ups, all of those work and sound great.

This is my first ibanez, im a little annoyed by this wiring snafu but i figure ill have to put in some work on such a cheap guitar.

I play mainly blues and rock stuff. This guitar coincidentally fits that perfectly. Its not the fattest sounding beast out there but that may also be my deltablues 210, but i can still tell it doesnt have the fatness you normally get with more money. However, i think its worth a lot more than 280 dollars. Definetly sounds and plays better than epiphones and you get way more for the money then any fender and approximates a quality 335 way better than 280 bucks should. I bought it on a whim when i picked one up randomly in a store. For the price, i coudlnt afford not to get it.

you know the features

sounds warm and full. i play lound and agressive and very dreamlike mellow type with a flip of a switch and the guitar reacts like it should. i would even play deathmetal with this guitar though it wouldnt quite look right. In the studio this guitar was right next to a lespaul and the difference in quality was negligable.

sunburst looks good

i through it around alot. it hasnt broke yet. played about 25 shows since i got it and its all still there.

I recently purchased the AS73, Cherry finish. Beautiful to look at an a pleasure to play. Has all of the features I was seeking is a jazz/blues semi-hollow guitar

I play jazz and blues for the most part and some 60's Rock. The sound exceeded my expectations for an instrument this inexpensive. It is relatively quiet and I play it through a Crate, GS20 practice amp (soon to upgraded) I am able to go from a substantial bass sound to warm and comfortable jazz tones, bright, but not twangy

The set up was good out of the box, but I did immediately replace the stock strings with a set of D'A 11. This change made a good sounding and playable guitar, substantially better. The guitar is seems to be well constructed, the fit and finish are excellent.

The AS73 is a well made instrument and I would trust it to gig w/o a backup. I have not owned it long enough to evaluate its reliability, but am quite certain it will be around for a long time.

I have not been in contact with customer support.

I resumed playing 2 years ago after a 30 year hiatus. I also have my original 1964 Epiphone Casino as well as a Fender Strat (Made in Mexico, another terrific buy) and an older Yamaha acoustic. As each of these guitars have their own unique voice and are all good quality, fine sounding instruments, I would have a hard time comparing them to each other. I am very pleased with my purchase of the Ibanez and would,without a doubt purchase another one if lost or stolen.

EArly 2003 model. Solid maple top, semi-hollow body, neck thru the body, 2 humbuckers...standard model all around. Very pleased.

I've been playing for over 15 years as a hobby & owned 15 to 20 guitars (I trade on Ebay alot). Rock, hard rock, blues,jazz & anything else appealing is my style (I just love the guitar & what it does). Suites my style. I didn't know how great the orignal PUs sounded until & installed some Gibson Burst Buckers 1 & 2. The orignals are well suited for this guitar & I plan on reinstalling them. They're very balanced & warm & produce that classic bridge/neck tone. It could sound warmer & not so much tinny but can't complain for the money spent.

Set up from the factory was ok but I made some adjustments myself. It's very balanced when standing. The finish is perfect but some of the binding does look cheap, again...can't complain for the money spent.

Stays in tune w/ heavy bends. Tuners are high quality. Great quality.q

No problems so far.

Would buy agagin if lost or stolen. I really like this guitar & consider it a GREAT value. Ibanez knows how to make good electric guitars for an affordable price. It's a $300.00 worth $600.00

I have had this guitar a year now. Tobacco Burst 335 copy. For specs please see the other reviews. I changed the strings to 10's in the store while trying it out. This definetly improved the tone.

It has all the features you want in a 335 knock off. Does not feel like a cheap guiar.

I play Blues, Jazz, Folk and some classic rock. This guitar fits in real well with my style.

I have been toying with the idea of upgrading the pick ups and decided to go ahead. The stock pick ups are very quiet. Have a nice bright clean sound. Sort of a compressed sound. I love it for chord work. To my ears it seems to lack a bit of bite and sizzle for solos.

They are good pick ups but i think i can get a little closer into 335 territory with an upgrade.

Besides changing the strings it needed no work. All parts still are original and working well. The finish on this guitar is excellent. The extensive binding adds a classy touch. Amazed at how much you get for so little money.

I have had this guitar for a year - NO PROBLEMS! I think it is a great value.

NA

I have been playing, hmmm about 7 years a long time ago and took it back up a couple of years ago. So collectively 9 years.

I compared this guitar to Gibson 335s at the store. Interestly, one was a POS and the artcore sounded better. The second, well it had the artcore beat ( it was a tone machine).

I think this instrument is a great way to get the feel and experience the 335 type tone and vibe without spending a lot. A low risk way of finding out if this is the type of guitar for you.

If it were lost or stolen - well i'd probably upgrade next time.