Ibanez AS73

Set-In Mahogany Neck
Bound Rosewood Finger Board
Laminated Maple top/sides/back Body
22 frets
Tun-o-matic Style Bridge
ACH1 Neck, and ACH2 Bridge Humbucker Pickups
Chrome Hardware
Transparent Cherry Finish

Overall I like the sounds I get from this Guitar. I was thinking about new pickups until I took some time to adjust them up and down and now I am satisfied with the tone I'm getting. I believe it is very versitle.

I find the action, fit and finish great. I have had many nice complements on its appearance. I havn't found any flaws and have had it for 9 months. Some have said the neck is set to high. It wasn't until about a month ago that I noticed that it's not that the neck is set high it is that the body and neck together create a sort of shallow v shape that wraps the guitar around you. At least that's how it appears to me.

I don't play out but I do practice/play every day. All in all it seems solid.

Haven't needed it.

Been playing for about 4 years. Have a Ibanez acoustic, Squire Strat and a SX LP Junior. I have no regrets about buying this guitar. I tried out a few others such as a epiphone dot and a samick RL1 a Peavey JF-1 and a Washburn HB32. I just like the way this felt and played better.

Basic brown tone body. Bought used in excellent condition. Stock pickups, tuners and everything.

I traded/sold this for another import, a Danelctro Convertable. The latter guitar could be a collector's guitar in 30 years, but I just didn't enjoy playing it. I have 3 other "vintage" guitars, to include one Ibanez, Shredder, Tele, Hamer. I don't have any hollow bodies and I expect this to suffice. I believe it has not only met my expectations, but exceeded it. Having dealt with cheaper imports (3 total) before and selling them, I was expecting to sell if disappointed.

I am amazed that the bridge is solid and intonation perfect. I made one neck adjustment, whereas I always play with lowest string setting allowed by God. Volume and tone pots work amazingly fluidly. I'm not a big neck position player. I use 11 guage and I am ready to upgrade to 12.

Most of the guitar seems reliably solid. Due to the fact that it is made in China, I believe that something fatally could go wrong if the guitar is neglected for some odd reason.

No warrenty, bought on Ebay.

This guitar, I think, is a keeper. It looks wonderful and plays well. I play through about 6 boxes and 4 racks, so the pick ups taper off a bit; and I may put quality ones in. But the originals have a certain beauty of its own. I compensate with either a clean boost or GE 7. All of the great 60s and 70s rock classics can be reproduced with this guitar. The feedback response is flawless. I can't compare it to the original because I have always been a student of other classic guitars. But the rosewood neck feels all right and the action smooth.

Part of the Ibanez Artcore, made in China, series. This AS-73 was purchased new in March 2006. Deep burgundy finish, nice wood graining visible, rosewood neck, gold hardware. Attractive cream-colored binding along neck, body, and inside f-holes. Two Ibanez humbuckers and standard tone and volume controls for each. No pickguard, I had a 3-ply black one installed professionally. Basically, this is an entry-level 335-type guitar. The lack of a pick guard is a bit disappointing.

335-type guitars are versatile for pretty much any type of music (blues, country, rock, jazz). These standard pick ups, in my view, are a bit muddy or bland sounding (lacking in definition and clarity) -- but they are fine for this price range. The Ibanez AF103, 105, and other "upper end" Ibanez guitars have better pickups (Super 58s). Up-graded pick ups would greatly improve the character of this guitar. Through a Polytone Mini Brute, with neck pick up, this Ibanez produces a nice sound for jazz (warm and smooth). Through a tube amp (Fender Hot Rod Deluxe with upgraded speaker and tubes), using other pick up seetings, the guitar can crank out good tone for rock and blues (especially with a Tube Screamer or similar effect for a gritty sound). Don't be fooled by the low price, this is a fine instrument. This guitar is incredibly quiet. Ibanez Artcore guitars aren't perfect 10s, but they are above average (esp for the price).

As most Ibanez guitars I've had and played, the set up and quality are spectacular. Neck is easy to play: straight and fast, great finish on frets. The detailing is wonderful and surprising for a guitar in this price range. Workmanship on Ibanez guitars often puts high-priced American axes to shame. Straight off the hanger in the store, this thing was ready to play. I merely put on new strings and gigged that night.

Very solid. Hardware tight, excellent finish (no flaws), very dependable.

So far, no need of repairs, only had an after-market pick guard installed. Standard Ibanez warranty.

Been playing for 40+ years. Now in a jazz ensemble and a classic rock band. This has been a great substitute for high-priced 335 guitars. Only negative would be the pick ups. They are OK, but an up grade is needed. Compared to the Washburn "335" (made in Indonesia and $600) this Ibanez was far superior in every way. The AS73 is smallish, light, and fits comfortably. Simply put, the guitar is easy to play. I have Ric 360/12 and an American Strat. Have had an Ibanez AS120 (1990s Korean-made 335 type), Ibanez AF75 (hollow body akin to a 175), Gibson L5 (a work of art but costly). If this were lost or stolen I'd probably try something new (not that I don't like this guitar--it's an incredible bargain for the price). I'd probably try the new AF103 Ibanez (blonde 335 style with Super 58 pickups).

Everybody else has already filled-in all the details. I'll just add that I bought the Brown Sunburst because it looks so good. I love sunburst finishes, but this one is gorgeous! Stock pickups are great-sounding and compete favorably with most aftermarket p/u's, but I replaced mine with a pair of Jason Lollar P-90 black dog-ears because I love P-90's and his are the best on this planet. Because of the string spacing on the neck of this guitar, I had to have the bridge pickup modified slightly. With the black color and funky dog-ear shape, the guitar now looks better than it did before and sounds like a $10,000.00 semi-hollow archtop from the golden age of jazz and the blues. (Sounds great for rock and hard rock, too.)My only criticism of the standard equipment is the tuners. They're weak, so I had mine replaced. Parts and labor came to $50.00. Now she stays in tune. If it weren't for that, I'd rate this category a 10.

Rock, hard rock, blues, flamenco, jazz and folk plus my own compositions which feature all of the above. My main amp is a Marshall JCM600 with EL34 tubes. I use various pedals, but now with my new Jason Lollar P-90 pickups, I hardly use anything because the guitar, amp and pickups sound so fine together. (See my review of the Jason Lollar P-90 pickups at harmonycentral.com. They really are the best P-90's in the world!) P-90's are often noisy, but in the absence of neon lights and if not played within three feet of the amp, these are nice and quiet. The sound varies significantly according to amp setting and picking style. With a clean setting and a light picking style using a thin pick, the guitar sounds angelic--it reminds me of an acoustic guitar amplified. It's wonderful for delicate picking and strumming. But use a heavier pick and hit it hard and this baby rocks! On the distortion channel, she has lots of bite, bark and authority. If you have an amp with different tubes than EL34's, you'll get a different tone. I played it through a Crate Red Rocker with 6L6's in the store and it sounded fat and smoky, like bacon grease in a Mississippi juke joint. Love that, too! The only thing I disliked about the stock pickups was they just sounded like nice, well-rounded humbuckers; well-behaved and lady-like, but without any significant character of their own. With the P-90's, this girl's got attitude--she can purr, she can pout, she can rip and bite. I'm giving it a 9 with stock pickups and a 10 or 11 with Lollar P-90's.

Action is very good. I read the review by the guy who complained that the neck on his is half an inch high at the joint and wondered what he's been smoking. Mine is maybe a quarter of an inch, if that. But then, semi-hollowbody archtops are supposed to be higher than solidbody flattops, so he should have done the math before he wrote the review. The neck plays very fast. I play some of my best rock leads on this neck. I've also got a Charvel Journeyman and Gibson Les Paul Classic. This one's faster than the Les Paul, but just a touch slower than the Journeyman. That's amazing since Charvel's are among the fastest guitars on the planet! Action is very good for my style.
No complaints at all!

I've been playing this guitar for a year and a half. It has been utterly dependable the whole time. Finish holds up well, although if you bang it, the wood dents or scratches. I've got a couple dings on mine and am trying to be more careful. I often gig with this guitar. It's also my practice guitar of choice and I use it for songwriting and recording as well. Very dependable. I've never had any problem with the strap buttons, but should replace them with straplock units just because that's always the best idea.

Never needed it. That says something very good about Ibanez right there.

I've been playing since I was 12 or 13. Now I'm 54. As mentioned, I also own a Charvel Journeyman and Gibson Les Paul Classic. Both are wonderful guitars, but this one's my favorite to play. I'd buy this one again in a heartbeat if anything happened to it. I'd immediately put Jason Lollar P-90 pickups on it because nothing else gives me this sound. I can hear my guitar breathing with them! The only thing I would like to change, but can't is the weight. It's not a heavy guitar, but since it has the solid wood anti-feedback block inside, it's heavier than say an Epiphone Casino. Still, it doesn't feedback like an Epiphone Casino, so there you are. Having said that, it's not nearly as heavy as my Les Paul. I've never weighed it, but would guess it's halfway between my other two guitars. My favorite features are it's looks, playability and sound. I can rip on this neck, the Brown Sunburst finish looks as tasty as butter and maple syrup on golden brown pancakes the binding and shape of the f-holes look just plain sexy. After playing it, I hang it on the stand and just admire the guitar for its sculptural beauty before turning off the light and heading to bed. You can buy these new online for $239.00. I paid $240.00 for mine and it's a better guitar in every way than the $2,000.00 Gibson ES-335 except one: The Classic '57 pickups on the Gibson are darker and badder. However, you can easily mount '57's on this one or Lollar Imperial Humbuckers or P-90's like I did. This is a phenomenal guitar! Buy one!

The finish is a nice transparent cherry. Double cutaway semi-hollow body along the lines of a Gibson 335. Two humbuckers (ACH1 & ACH2)and pretty standard control setup... 2 vol, 2 tone, 3 way switch. It has a set mahogany neck, bound rosewood fretboard with pearl dot inlays and 22 large frets, a maple body, and chrome hardware. Case was not included, but Ibanez does make a case for these that costs about $70 new.

I play heavy rock along the lines of the Melvins, Queens of the Stone Age, and Sabbath. I play tuned down a full step through a Soldano HR50 and Soldano 4x12 cab w/ 75 watt Eminence speakers and no effects. This guitar sounds great through the Soldano. It's not noisy and gets great sustain. The bridge pickup produces a great distorted tone with a good bite that's not too brittle. The neck pickup gives a nice smooth tone with a good amount of lows without being muddy. When I bought it, I thought I'd possibly need to upgrade the pickups, but as it turned out, the stock PUs sound just fine. Being a semi-hollow body, it get's great, controllable feedback with ease.

The set up was good. I normally set up my guitars when I get them, but I didn't need to do a thing to this one. Even after dropping it down a full step, the intonation stayed true without any adjustments. The frets feel great, the action is nice, and everything feels solid. The finish and binding are perfect. The tuners keep it in tune pretty well even though I do a ton of bending and play pretty hard. The 3 way switch gets a good amount of work and has held up wonderfully. The only thing I would (and will) change is the nut. I've hade no problems from the stock nut, but I think it's the one thing that could stand for an upgrade on these guitars.

I bought it to be a backup for my Travis Bean Artist, but I will sometimes start out a set with the Ibanez and just stick with it for the rest of the show. It's been played at several shows with no problems. Like I said, the hardware and finish seem remarkably solid, especially for a guitar with such a small price tag. I move A LOT when I'm playing, so I wouldn't play any guitar without some kind of strap locks. This guitar has been extremely dependable so far.

Haven't had any problems with the guitar, so I've had no reason to contact them.

I've been playing, touring, recording, etc for 15 years. I needed a backu for my Travis Bean, so I looked at several different guitars... Gibson SG faded, Epi G400, Epi Dot, Casino. I saw the body of the AS73, picked it up, played it, and it immediately blew the others away. I couldn't believe it when I realized it was an Ibanez. Even more shocking was the super low price tag. I don't like taking the Travis Bean on the road, as it's near impossible to replace, and may actually get another one of these Ibanez in another finish for when we're touring. I would encourage any one looking into a good sounding, solid, cheap guitar for any purpose to try one of these.

It's all been stated before

Not bad. Pickups are decent. As with most of these lower priced guitars, pickups should probably be upgraded.

Here is where I have a problem. As with most of these Artcore guitars, where the neck comes into the body, it is raised. Meaning, the fretboard is about 1/2" or more above the body, which is NOT comfortable when you play high up the neck.
And you have to raise the neck pickup way up which, to me, looks terrible.
If you look at the better made guitars, you'll notice that where the neck comes into the body (even on the Epi Dot) it's about 1/4". And that makes it easier to play high up on the neck.

When I was around 10, my parents bought me a really cheap guitar. The neck was at least 1/2" or so above the body. I HATED it!
With the old Artstar (which Ibanez no longer makes, sorry to say), the neck was not like this. It was done right.

So for the life of me I can't understand why people haven't said anything about this in these reviews. It's terrible! This is a CHEAP way to make a guitar.
The AS83 is the same way, as is most of the Artcore series, if not all.

There is no way I would buy one of these guitar. No wait. I did buy one off the internet but quickly returned it. Personally, I would rather get an Epi Dot with the huge chunky neck than one of these.
But then again, I wouldn't get an Epi Dot.

Remember back in the 70's when Ibanez used to make some of the best guitars? I liked them better than Gibson.

Ibanez, what happened??

Ibanez have been good in the past.

The Artcore are beginner guitars. If you can play, then why would you want one of these??

Ibanez, why are you making the necks of your guitars like this? Aren't there any guitar players employed with you? They should know better.

9
Rate this Ibanez Artcore AS73 a 9. It is incredible just wish it had a whammy. The frets are perfect and much much better than any other copy of a Gibson ES335 that I have played. Matter of fact why would anyone pay so much for the Gibson when this guitar is available? I would say it is one in the same as the 335. Mine is a Sunburst and I paid no stole this baby for 135.00. Yes sir I am a lucky and very HAPPY fellow. Can't find anything to complain about other than I wish I had gotten a case for it as well. Ok truth be told I wanted a red one, but hey for 135 bucks the Sunburst FLAMES just fine for me.

10
This baby sounds like your a player in a rock & roll band. It is crisp and full and wonderful and I do not think I will let it go. Might just get a Red one too. I play this on a Peavy home amp and the sound in a normal spare room is still incredible.

The action is just perfect for me not to low not too high. Kind of like baby bears chair... Just right....

Sorry Gibson, I do not see any difference in the strength of the ES335 that I don't see in this AS73. Ibanez is easy to contact but I have had NO PROBLEMS..

I will rate this an 8 only because I have not need any help for this baby. However I have called them on other matters and always got excellent attention and gotten my questions answered.

I have been playing, writing and recording for over 37 years and this guitar is likely the best I have ever held in my hands and I have played all of them. Heck go to your local Guitar Center and try this one and then try a ES335,,,, Oh don't forget to pick up the case.. You can afford it if you bought the Ibanez AS73... If you take the 335,, maybe after you pay off that loan you can get the case :) Sam

I just bought a cherry red Chinese made AS-73, not many variables in the options. First I have to say, I owned an Epiphone Dot Deluxe that I sold and regreted it later so I wanted another hollowbody for the studio. I didn't want to spend big bucks so I was going to buy another Epiphone and I stumbled onto this. For the money this guitar is crazy. It feels, plays, sounds, and records way better than the Epiphone. The fit and finish is amazing, and Ibanez never seems to let me down with their fretboards. When using it in the studio the sound was bright & clean but when overdriven it has a great crunch. The Epiphone needed much tweeking with factory pickups of course.

I use it mostly for recording through a Vox Tone Lab. The clean tones are great and the overdriven sound is Crunch Supreme! No noise at all. The pickups are very peppy... not like others in this price range. I have played many ES335 models, I can't hear the $2000,00 difference.... sorry Gibson.

I am pretty picky and I have not been able to find anything to mention with the fit & finish. The cherry color and the woodgrain are beautiful. Also, looking into the "F" holes the guitar is clean, no overspray, glue drops, scratches, ect. And the finish around the holes was a lot better than the Epiphones.

It's very solid. I do lots of bending and this thing stays in tune. Also it needed some set up when I got it and the truss rod responded acurately when adjusted. For $300.00 bucks this thing is amazing. I was going to drop some money for pickups & tuneomatic bridge but now I don't see the need. The only thing I changed were the nobs... they just didn't fit the look of the guitar.

I have owned several Ibanez guitar in my career, they have always been great and I never needed any support.

I have been playing guitar for 36 years, I now have my own studio and do work for others. I am loving these times.. great guitars for under $300.00. I have owned more guitar than I can remember, my baby is a 62 Reissue Strat I use for most recording. If you want that Gibson ES335 tone but don't want to take out a mortgage on a Gibson, this is your guitar. I have done the research for you, this is the best inexpensive hollowbody I have found.

I have a korean ibanez as73, blue sunburst, great looking guitar, all the fine made ibanez goodies, humbucker pickups

great sound, crisp, a nice jazzy sound.

It was a great guitar when i had it, everything was top notch and well adjusted. no flaws as far as i can see, u can never go wrong with an ibanez built guitar

my as73 was a 2000 model, as far as durability it was a piece of crap. while i was jamming in my room, my strap failed to keep it in, so the neck broke right in half. what i dont understand is that my floor is heavily padded with rug, and the fall was no farther then 3 ft. the neck is extremely weak, and as i further examined the wood inside, it wasn't as durable as you expected a ibanez FIXED neck to be.

I have a Chinese AS-73 from 2004. Standard goodies. Strong tuners, excellent body construction, good finish. It's a bare bones guitar, but that's what I like about it.

I play a mix of Hawthorne Heights / MCR. Hard rock with some jazz thrown in every now and again. The guitar has a great distorted sound. The bridge pickup is sharp and can cut through the mix well. The neck pickup is warm and blends well. Good sustain, good for jazzier passages.

I play a bare-bones setup: Guitar -> Wah -> Amp, so variety of sound isn't a huge deal for me.

The first AS73 I purchased quickly fell apart. The nut began to disintegrate, there were finish issues, and the 12th fret wasn't set well and produced dead notes. I swapped the guitar out at Guitar Center (place of purchase) and played all the other AS-73's before settling on one. Looking critically at all of them, I settled on one after playing every fret, looking over every inch of the guitar. I'm satisfied. The new one has no cosmetic issues, has stayed together perfectly, and plays like a dream. If you pay attention when you're buying a new AS-73, you should be able to find a good specimen, but they're not perfect across the board.

The guitar can stand up to most anything. It's fallen off a stand because of bass rattle and was fine. Most of the hardware feels and is sturdy, but the screws around the pickups are beginning to rust, and I may change those out soon. I swapped the buttons out for straplocks, but the buttons on there worked just fine. The pots are solid and sound free, and the pickup switch is very definite and crisp. I don't think I'd play any gig without a backup guitar, but if I only had this guitar, I'd be confident that the worst thing to happen would be a broken string.

I haven't dealt with Customer Support.

The sound is amazing, the construction is great. It outplays any Epi DOT 335 clone out there. Any time I see someone trying to buy a DOT, I hand them an Artcore first. They usually buy the Artcore.

I need to qualify this review by saying that I've only owned the guitar one day. So, like Chrysler, it leads the nation, as far as I'm concerned, with initial quality...LOL.

This is a new MIC (Made In China) dual passive humbucker, semi-acoustic, double cut-away electric guitar.

Features include:
Artcore Set-In Neck
Mahogany Neck Material
Bound Rosewood Finger Board!!
Laminated Maple top/sides/back Body
One volume and tone control for each pickup.
22 Large frets
Non locking Ibanez no frills machine tuners
ART1 Tun-o-matic Bridge (with unique design for ease in replacing strings)
ACH1 Neck, and ACH2 Bridge Humbucker Pickups
Perl Dot Inlay
Chrome Hardware
Transparent Cherry Finish

I'm a professional player and have been playing guitar, off and on, for nearly 36 years. My other guitars are a Hwy1 Strat and a MIM reissue 72 Tele Thinline.

I have played an ES335 so I can comment on how the guitar compares. Compared to the ES335, the Ibanez has less high end definition on the neck pickup. I may, one day, put Gibson Classic 57 pickups in my AS73, but for now, the Ibanez does have just enough of that ES335 sound to keep me happy.

Played by itself with no regard for the ES335, the AS73 sound is sweet and balanced played through my Vox AD50VT modeling amp (the best modeling amp in my experience/opinion). The neck pickup is full with lots of bottom end. The bridge pickup kicks the guitar into cut through the mix lead mode. With the AD50VT, I can get any sound out of the guitar that I want. I play through the 2X12 (Twin Reverb model) channel on clean, and through the Boutique (Dumble) lead channel. I haven't yet compared the AS73 to my dual humbucker 72 Thinline reissue as the Thinline needs new strings...wouldn't be a fair comparison.

I purchased the guitar for looks, quality for the price, and sound! I play in a band where we do R&B, funk, soul, blues. We do a little Aretha Franklin, Franky Beverly and Maze, Average White Band, James Brown, Al Green, etc. The guitar ought to fit in well with all of that.

As these are my initial impressions, I'll learn more about the guitar as I play. But I must say that it is very surprising to get this much quality in a $300 guitar. Put a Gibson sticker on it and charge $1000...no one would know the difference.

I must say that upon initial inspection of the guitar, that the finish is nearly perfect. If Ibanez cut corners anywhere else on the guitar to get the price down, then they surely didn't do it on the finish. The cherry finish is, in fact, a little darker on my guitar than the picture on the Ibanez website. The woodgrain that shows under the finish is very beautiful.

I owned an Epiphone DOT (which I gave to my brother) and I can compare the AS73 to that. Over all fit and finish is better than the Epi DOT. The pickup selector switch on the Epi was a piece of crap and the switch on the Ibanez is rock solid. Paint trim around the F holes on the Ibanez is properly applied and it was not on the Epi. The Epi had a good setup and so did the Ibanez...not too much of a difference there.

There was a little problem with the back pickup not working on the Ibanez. Might be a cold solder joint on the volume pot (that is easily fixed). Jiggling the wiring got it to work. That's the only flaw in an otherwise perfectly made and setup guitar.

Binding around the body is perfect. The guitar has stayed in tune despite string bends and heavy handed playing.

The guitar plays like butter!!!!!

I owned an Ibanez AS50 years ago and it was rock solid. Never had any hint of a problem with it. I would use it at a gig without backup (nothing should go wrong except a broken string). The finish thickness seems substantial and durable. The hardware seems solidly made. My impression is that it will be a dependable guitar.

No opinion here as I've never dealt with Ibanez. The folks at MMI where I bought the guitar are, however, very, very good in the customer support department. They can work on the guitars in house and my AS73 was expertly set-up by them.

Price for the value, fit and finish, sound. This guitar has it all. I may one day upgrade the pickups to Classic 57's, but it's not a must do thing. It looks good...damn good. Like an all-you-can-eat buffet!

All relevant details in other posts. Supplied with "free" gig bag. Quality of wood is not the best, looks dull and a bit cheap.

I am using this guitsr through a Line 6 210, a Vox ADVT30 or direct into my Zoom MRS-1608 digital desk. The sound is a disappointment, very flat and dull with surprisingly little sustain for its body type. Not a great deal of variety in any of the switching positions. Produces neither a decent "jazz" tone nor bites when wound up. Only way to get a decent response is to beef it up through effects (I use a Vox Tonelab) which somewhat defeats the point of having this guitar in the first place.

All okay except arrived with the strings wound down virtually off the posts.

Hardware seems okay but the bodywork seems a bit frail - not sure I would want to gig with it, but as much for its sonic properties as its construction.

I ordered this through a major French internet supplier who quoted 48 hours delivery and took nearly three weeks - didn't respond to e-mails chasing up delivery either. Has 2 year warranty but, given the delivery problems, not sure the dealer would honour it (this is fairly typical of suppliers in France, by the way)

Been playing many years, have several other guitars, electric & acoustic, this is probably the most disappointing I have bought. To be fair, I bought without trying so I guess I have only myself to blame though it in no way lives up to the advertisers description. Reading some of the other comments on this guitar I do wonder if I have simply got a duff one out of the run. An Epiphone 335 copy would have been a better bet. Would not replace it with the same model if nicked.

Chinese made, 2 tones, 2 volumes, rosewood neck etc... read the above reviews for features

I play jazz/funk and i use it frequently at gigs, the jazz sound is great, nice and bass'y, i tend not to use it for funk/rock as the bridge pickup is not really up to it. The Neck pickup produces a nice warm sound but its not perfect.On recordings it sounds great.
i give this 8/10 because the pickups could be better.

Finish is great, perfect even, action is great for jazz.... what more can i say.. tuners are fine, bridge is fine..

I have used this at around 20 gigs so far and have owned it 6 months nearly. it once broke at a gig, the jack socket came loose and dissappeared into the guitar : / !!!, luckily it was fixable and i managed to play it that night. That wasnt really Ibanez's fault, i just had not checked it thouroughly.

never had to.

for me this guitar is great, im considering changing the pickups as they are cheap and nasty but the rest of the guitar is superb and great value for money. Again, the pickups are the only thing that lets it down.. not for a ROCK player at all... jazz blues etc... GREAT!

Made in China. Really great neck. Width, thickness, radius, scale all perfect for me. That's the most important thing for me in a guitar, and this one's got it. Regarding features, it would suit me better if it had fewer. I'd get by with just one volume knob, anything more is too confusing for me. I'll work the wiring, once I get around to it. (which is very difficult on this guitar, you have to tie strings on all the knobs and then pull them inside and out the sound hole just to solder one connection differently for example)

This guitar has a very loud and articulate acoustic sound. and that's the second most important thing in a guitar to me, and it's got that to. The acoustic sound actually records well, making this guitar even more versatile. I've had to change the bridge pickup because it was to wooly and bassy and soft (the neck pickup is even more so, but I havent felt the need to change that yet, since I dont use it very often) I went for a Gibson P-94 for the bridge position, and it turned out to be a very good match for the inherent sound in this particular guitar. It really bites and and cuts, and it has a snappy quality to bass notes, which is great for 50's rock n roll. I am stringing it high action with daddario xl .12-54 (or 52 dont remember) and they work well in enhancing the acoustic tone and the P-94 goes well with fat strings. I use this guitar mostly for bluesy rock metal, perhaps somewhat like sabbath with a modern flavour, nothing too nu though... also greatly inspired by 50's guitar rock n roll. For something else I'll use something else but this guitar is great for that 'old n new' sound and feel. and the feedback, lovely. sounds alot better now than stock, but I'll rate it stock

cosmetically this thing is gorgeous. and it feels very solid. like the feel you get from the door handles on really expensive cars, like limos or something. it just feels like quality. even more so bearing the price in mind.

again, solid. I've also put strap locks on it, and they've liberated a lot, now I have complete faith in myself and the guitar when picking it up. I never thought straplocks would improve my playing, but they have, I play much more relaxed now. but the guitar itself oozes durability, my grand children will be playing this I'm sure

I have been playing since age 8 or 9, so that makes it 10 years. wow, more than half my life, that's something. I own only used instrument, I love to go look for guitar treasure in stores and in the paper. many of them are self-restored, and I do a pretty good job. I have been tinkering with guitars as long as I've been playing them. I haven't had to do much work on this one, but it will come over the years (I'm plannning on keeping this one.) I think I would look for something like this, If it were lost or stolen or broken beyond repair, yes, but if such a thing should happen, let it happen soon, before it gets played in real good. I've been playing this every day for about a year and a half, and it just gets better by the hour, thus becoming more and more valuable to me.

The playability and feel of this guitar is the number one selling point. It is not one for shredding, but there are guitars for that. I compared this to many a hollowbody, but this one had the neck I wanted. if i ever were to have a guitar custom made, the neck would be exactly like this, in fact, I should have a neck made in these dimensions to bolt on to a tele a have been reluctant to buy becuase of the neck on it. so... I'd say get it if you like the neck. I did

Right, this is a 22-fret semi-solid archtop. Sunset sunburst with a rosewood fingerboard, pearl inlays, 2 HumBucks, 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way selector. high gloss finish and quality accessories. Follows the ES shape without looking too much like a copy. Larger-than-usual fingerbaord, great for bends and blues. A very fast guitar for it's style class, Ibanez Gibson-copy tone-o-matic bridge.

Technical: Almost-flawless design, quiet, clean pickups, a bit fiddley in the volume department,volume tends to "jump". Mates with any amp just great. has a very full sound with sustain that can make cats sing. Blues and jazz players will feel at home here, especially considering the Price tag. Pickup selector can be problematic with hard playing (one tends to bump it)

Nothing lacking here, one of the very few guitars that once intonation is set ACCURATELY, will not give problems with the G-string. The factory setup also leaves something to desire. you will have to set it up correctly. The finish is high-quality, but see if you can buy the one "still in the box", I have seen people wreck these in the shop because it is so playable.

This guitar WILL compare easily to it's 10x priced partners. good quality finish, very well constructed. Under EXTREME scrutiny small asthetic issues can be seen, but for a stage guitar, very worthwhile. I would take a backup with, another one like it.

Quite simply, after being offered cash for it by a pro after he lauged at me for buying it, it says something. yes, the price is oddly low, but that is the beauty of this instrument. It oozes confidence and style, not to mention real playability, this is not a guitar one has to be careful of and deliveres every time. I have played this instrument live 9 times, and I have had it for a month. Go Figure!!!

The features have already been outlined, I liked the basic 335 style knockoff and have a transparent cherry. And for the price can't complain. I do like the separate volume and tone controls for a varity of sounds, would like a serial/parallel pu switch. I am scheduling some changes: ivory/graphite nut, schaller finetune tail piece, and am considering different pu's but basically no complaints with the stock pu's for they are quiet and transparent but would like them abit more warm, full and robust.

Blues, jazz, young, dead, santana, cowboy junkie, scales in the living room or basement when the misses is at home. Using an old 80's Fender solid state M80 combo 1x12. Nice quiet pu's, transparent sound, can easily dial in a variety of sounds and has a ton of sustain. Really like that you can do controlable/predictable feedback due to it also being semi-hollow body and a nice clean sound for jazz. Again for the $ can't complain. Sure I'd like a warm full smooth sound with a real 60's 335 and a fender/music man twin tube but for 10x the price...hey married with kids and a bad snowboarding habit.

Bought used, so the action and intonation was already set up and to my liking. Only complaint is the frets are abit raw, too high and need to be finished. Thus schedule to get the frets flattened, smoothed and polished which should greatly improve the playability on the finger board. Compared to acoustics, which I am used to, this guitar plays like butter...however there's definite room to improve the frets.

It seems durabile and reliable, but time will tell how it holds up, ask me in 30 years.

Haven't tried and don't expect to.

Been playing for 25 years, mostly on acoustic guitars. Did run sound board for a decent bar band for a few years so have some knowledge of what I wanted. So I expect I will put about $150 more dollars in it for an ivory/graphite nut, tailpiece, fret job and then for a total of $300 have a very playable and decent working guitar that I can bang around and not worry about as if it were a real 335 for 10x the price. I highly recommend it for for its price, playability, variety of sound including the predictable feedback and sustain potential.

This is a Chinese-made semi with the usual 335-type features, in a very unusual kind of blue-to-black sunburst finish which looks really smart.
Overall, the build-quality and workmanship is quite outstanding for the money - far better than the equivalent Epiphones which I was originally considering. The binding on the neck and f-holes is especially impressive.
Mine came in a fitted hard case.

I had planned to upgrade the pickups, but his guitar sounds great as it is, with the stock pickups - again, much better than the Epiphones I tried at the same time.
It's used mainly for blues, through a range of amps - Fenders old and new, Trace Elliot Velocette Twin, Wolftone - with an Ibanez TS 9 reissue with the TS808 mod to ad overdrive.
Basically it gives me the full range of sounds I require. I'm sure a #2,000 Gibson would sound better, but for what I paid for it, it's just amazing!
I'm usually a Fender player and I LOVE the way the thing comes to life at volume - you can feel the air coming out of the f-holes!

Dislikes? Well, as a Fender player, I'd prefer it if the guitar had a single volume and tone.
Also, the way the neck has been fretted means the fret ends are very slightly prominent, which feels a little odd - it's not a problem, but just a little strange.
Finally, I find the strap button positioning on the heel of the neck a little strange - another Fender vs Gibson issue, I guess. I've got a bit of a belly and the guitar hangs a bit oddly compared to my Strats and Teles.

Quite simply the best-playing guitar I have ever owned. Quite astonishing, considering the price

The guitar seems to be really well made, so I don't anticipate any problems - I've now had it six months without any complaints.

No cause to deal with them

I have been playing guitar for about 25 years,gigging in in good, semi-pro bands on the UK circuit mainly, but also on continetal Europe.
I own a total of 12 guitars - mainly US, MIJ and MIM Strats and Teles, plus about a dozen tube amps of all sizes - combos and heads and cabs.

These guitars reatil in the UK for about #275 - far less in the USA - and even at this price they are an incredible bargain. For the price I paid, used but just like new (the case had clearly never been out of the guy's house!) it was the most incredible bargain!

I would not hesitate in recommending one of these to anyone who wanted a good solid semi for a really good price... In fact, Owen, the guitarist my band has just bought one, after borrowing mine so often I had to fight him to get it back!!!

I'm assuming 2004/5, made in china, 22 frets, laminated top, standard ES-335 style set up: 2 humbuckers, 3 way toggle, 2 sets of volume/tone knobs. input jack on the side of the guitar as opposed to on the top--not sure if that bothers me yet. No accessories-- this budget model ships in a box with no case or bag. Nice tuners for a 300 dollar axe, hardware looks solid all around, nice big frets with no sharp edges (often a prob. with guitars this cheap)Would have liked a case, ibanez.

Nice sound for what i want it to do. I'm playing it thru a VOX modeling amp (the 60 watter) on the AC15 setting, treble rolled back a little, and it's a great clean jazz tone. pickups are basic stock stuff, nothing extraordinary, but they don't adversely effect anything either. i might replace them w/ p-90's someday. The thing i really liked was that this guitar has a nice sound "unplugged," Not very loud (it's a thinbody) but i think the sign of a good electric is if it sounds good un-electrified. I played guitars quite a bit more expensive while looking for this one, and i'm not sure they sounded any better. Bravo

Action was a little high at the store, but that's an easy problem to fix, and when i did, i had no problems with "fretting out" or buzzes on open notes. If you look closely, it's obvious that this isn't a handmade guitar, but the casual glance could have you believing otherwise-- it's really a good looking guitar. not a very interesting wood grain, but the deep, glossy cherry color makes up for it. Binding is well done, neck feels broken in-- the neck actually reminds me of the neck on an old Gibson SG a buddy of mine owned. Once again, this is a 300 dollar axe, so that's a pretty high compliment. I haven't noticed any flaws, and i don't expect to.

I'm using this guitar for mostly living room jazz sessions, so it's not even going to leave the house, so i'm completely confident in it's reliability. I would think that agressive playing could be brutal on such a glossy finish. I'd always replace strap buttons with something that locks. Hardware is impressive, i think that's the last thing i'll have to worry about. I've always felt that bolt on neck guitars have a better track record with necks staying straight, and i'm using some heavy strings, so time will tell on that. I would imagine Ibanez saved themselves some money with the toggle switch and the input jack, so i'm guessing i'll need to replace those possibly sooner than on a more expensive guitar. no big deal, eh?

haven't had to deal with ibanez...

I've been playing @15 years, so this isn't my first guitar and it probably won't be my last-- My main axe is an am. std. tele, but i was looking for something totally different when i bought this guitar. i got that. I have to be honest, picking up my tele i can totally tell it's a more expensive instrument, and it's definitely more versitile, and easier to play. but i wasn't looking for a replacement, or even a back up to that guitar. For 300 bones, this is impressive bang for the buck-- my girlfriend thought i was lying for days when i told her that's all i spent. if you're looking for a hollowbody for that jazz tone, you gotta try one of these out before you shell out the big bucks.

Features have been well - documented here and are also available on the official Ibanez website. Very well - rounded 335 type setup. I took away a point for headstock insignia. Rightly so.

I'm playing the guitar through a Vox valvetronix 30 watt amp. It is a quiet guitar with suprisingly robust tone, capable of many differnt and usable sounds. I am finding it to be quite versitile (no heavy metal of course) and use it as my main guitar. I play my own brand of spacey rock fusion type music as a hobbyist and this guitar suits my style very well. It is an expressive instrument in that the tone changes with your playing more than any other guitar I have used. I'm going to leave the stock pickups in it for now. I may change to SD '59 in the bridge and SD Jazz in the neck at some point though.

I bought the guitar brand new at a local music shop for 300 bucks and it came with a free hardshell case. That is not the kind of priceline where I would expect much in the way of Fit and Finish. I was pleasantly suprised to find upon thorough inspection that this guitar is well-made, boasting very even binding work, great action, and no defects that I can find. The wood if fairly plain, though. I would be upset about that if this were a $3000.00 Gibby but it is not. Very acceptable quality, was past acceptable when taking price into consideration.

I have not had the guitar long enough to comment on this.

No dealings with Ibanez at all.

I have been playing for 20 years. I own a Fender Stratocaster as well. I have owned well over 15 other guitars, from 60's Gibsons, Rickenbachers, Ernie Ball Music Man, etc. I have only recently begun playing again after a 5 year hiatus. I kept my Strat and sold all my other guitars 5 years ago. I am very happy I bought this guitar. It was inexpensive and its quality far exceeds its price point. I wish it had locking tuners, AAA woods, ebony fingerboard, real abalone inlays, etc. but for the price I am not complaining at all. I advise anyone interested in a 335 type semi hollow to give one of these a try. Even if you are dead set on a Gibson and don't mind paying for it, buy one of these a back up. Sheesh, if you don't mind paying 3k for a guitar what's another 300 bones for a back up. :)

This is a semi-solid translucent cherry stunner ! It was made in 2004 and has a Larry Carlton (Mr. 335) type sound. It has a maple top that looks boutique-like thru the translucent cherryburst. Two nice sounding humbuckers (with chrome covers). Take the covers off and it looks better IMO. Setneck/Mahogany with jumbo frets on rosewood board.

I use it for classic rock and funk. I play it thru either a Fender Deluxe Reverb or a Fender 112SE and it sounds sweet thru either. It has a generally warm sound, but by rolling some bass off the tone it becomes a 'ripper' and sounds like a Les Paul on steroids. With the 3-position toggle, I can even get a warm, bluesy sound from it.

The guitar was set up well. I ordered it and requested the setup to be done as my preference and they did it exactly. Low action and VERY easy string bending, even using 10's because of the jumbo frets. Everything was adjusted perfectly as requested.

This guitar has already done about 35 gigs and over 100 jams, rehearsals, etc. and still plays like 'butta'. The hardware is top shelf and the finish is beyond beautiful :-)

They set it up exactly to my specs and have been very responsive in answering any questions I have had. It has a 5-year warranty.

I've been playing since 1962 and I've always played solid bodies. Mostly Gibsons and Fenders, but I don't care what it says on the headstock, as long as it sounds and plays well, and it does. I had compared this with an Epi Dot, Sheraton, ES-333 and a Oscar Schmidt 335 style and this was the nicest looking and sweetest sounding as well as smoothest playing of them all. I used to bash Ibanez, but this guitar has made me a supporter in the best way and I'm so happy that I've found it.

Pick-up selector counter-intuitve and also not very tight.

Played long and hard for nearly a year. Put Seymours on it and still never got a really good sound. Couldn't even cut through a Strat when played through a 30-watt with EL-48s and the Strat was through some solid-state thing. Compared it finally to an Epi ES-335 and the Ibanez just doesn't cut it, even tweaked. Traded the AS-73 in on the 335. Man, does the 335 sustain!

Whacked a doorknob with it pretty hard, didn't even ding it.

FOr the money, get an Epiphone Dot neck.

A basic copy of a 335. I like the location of the input jack better on this (on the guitar's side) guitar than on the Gibson (on the guitar's face).

Two covered humbuckers, 3-way switch, set-neck, maple body, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, and a really stupid looking lightning bolt on the headstock?

Minus two points for the stupid looking lightning bolt!

It does what it is supposed to do here: Some people complain about the pick-ups, and that's cool. What I think people need to understand is that they can't please everyone all the time. If they put Duncans in it and marked the price up accordingly, then Joe Schmoe whose favorite pickups are Dimarzios might noy buy it.

If you have a favorite pickup, I'm sure you'll only be happier with the guitar. It sounds quite good, however, as is.

These are really well-made guitars and the only thing that sucks about the "finish" is, again, that stupid looking lightning bolt. That alone somewhat removes this guitar from the realm of 'professional gear. Again, minus two for that stupid looking lightning bolt.

I have owned alot of Ibanez gear in my time and most of it has been pretty reliable. The '7' series effects have switching issues, and I'm sure there are other common gripes with Ibanez, but over all they have been pretty good.

The stupid looking lightning bolt has no detraction from the guitars reliability. Only deductions are for the '7' series bad switches.

I've never dealt with them, but I have heard some stories... The word on the street is that they are a big pain in the ass to deal with, but I don't know from experience.

I didn't actually BUY the guitar... I just can't get passed how amateur the lightning bolt makes the guitar look. Everything else about the guitar is great. If they make one without the lightning bolt, they'll have another customer in me. With out the lightning bolt, I'd have to give it a 9 or a 10.

Ya'll know 'em all by now, mine is in trans Cherry.

Fits my sound to a tee, as I play Funk-inspired rock and soul.
I use it through a Boss ME-50, and an Ampeg J12T all tube amp biased class A. I agree with a previous statement about the bridge PUP being a bit bright, but with the tone on 6 or so, it's not a problem. The neck PUP, on the other hand, is as rich as Ben&Jerry's. It's possible to go from pure jazz tone, to full growl with one roll of the tone control. Best of all, the ME-50 has settings to make a humbucker into a single-coil sound, so the Ibanez does it all for me. Until I get an AR-3000, this is my main guitar.

Setup was good, and all I did was to raise the PUP pole pieces to get a bit more out of them. The top was the best shade of red out of about seven I saw, and the grain in the wood has really interesting shadows in it. Finish is great, but the 22nd fret stuck up a bit on the high side. The stop bar isn't perfectly in line with the bridge, but I've had it out ten times, and haven't ever had a problem, except esthetics. Everything else is rock-solid and works flawlessly.

Like I said, I've had it out ten times now, and it has held up great. It goes out of tune a bit after I've wailed on it really hard, but then, all hollow-bodys slip a bit due to heating up, and being played hard, so I'm not worried. Finish looks thick and tough, but only years will tell. I replaced the stock butons with Schaller lockers, and they are solid as the day I put them in. Very dependable(more-so than my Epi. Alleykat) and after I get my Ar-3000 this one will get to be my backup.

N/A

20 years in, and this thing feels and sounds at least 8 of 10 in comparison to a new ES-335 I tried side by side for about two hours. I think the PUPs might be the one thing I'd fix if I ever modify it, but the 8 out of 10, when taken in light of the price difference is nothing short of brilliance on the part of Ibanez.

2004 model in the Transparent Cherry finish. Laminated semi-hollow body with dual humbuckers, 3-way switch, 2 volume and 2 tone controls. Looks and plays beautifully. I compared this with an Epiphone DOT and chose the AS73 for the sound and because of the neck. The neck has a very comfortable feel with the string spacing just perfect for me. The frets are perhaps a little thinner than what I'm used to, but I put flatwound strings (D'Addario Chromes .11's) and it is not noticable anymore to me.

I was looking for more of a jazz sound, than a rock/blues sound and this does the trick for me without breaking the bank. I normally play a Fender Strat into a Fender HR Deville and was looking for something different. I play the AS73 with the neck pickup only through the clean channel and am very pleased with the sound. It has a medium output pickup and occasionally can produce some faint hum if my fingers are not touching the strings. I wrote to Ibanez telling them that their pickups need better shielding, but it really is a minor issue. The sound quality itself is great, and the guitar has an incredible amount of natural sustain. I'm sure that an ES-335 is a better guitar, but I still can't see how it is $2,000 better.

The action setup almost perfect from the factory. After I put on heavier strings, I lowered the action slightly. No finish flaws and the controls seem solid. Mine stays in tune with no problems.

Everything seems solid and well built. I like that the tuning machines are smooth.

I have not had to deal with Ibanez customer support.

I've been playing for over 20 years (all styles of music). I've only played solid body electrics until now. The AS73 is a fabulous addition to my collection. I would definitely buy another one again, and am already thinking about getting one of their full hollowbody models.

No need to go over the features again here as they're all the same. I had a choice of cherry finish and the blueburst so I took the blue. Great finish and looks great under stage lights. The tuners are a little suspect though. The center posts move when there's no string attached and that could cause tuning problems. I may change to a good set of grovers but we'll see.

I play everything from classic rock to progressive fusion originals to Satin Doll and Mack the Knife. This thing has tone. I also use a Musicman Sillouhette. The Ibanez will overdrive better. I use a Carvin SX200 head into a Carvin 4X12 bottom. My effects are a Zoom GFX-8 and a talkbox. The zoom set on the acoustic simulator gives the guitar a jangly sound a lot like a Ric. This thing is dead quiet too, no hum or buzzing. Great sound.

I took mine right off the shelf at my local Guitar Center and stuck it into the not included gig bag (I remember a time when you got a case with the guitar you bought at n/c). The action was already set where I like it and with a change of strings (d'addario xl 10's) I was off and gigging. The finish is stunning, the nut seems ok, no problems with the pickup switch although locating it in a different place would help quick pickup changes. Again though I'm going to watch the tuners.

So far no problems. Only had a few gigs though so time will tell. I play every weekend and if there's a problem I'll find out soon. I bought this to be my backup so I won't leave the house with out my M-Man. I hate when a guitar goes out of tune or pops a string during a song and you don't have a backup.

N\A. Never used.

I've been playing since Beatlemania was around and have only owned one Ibanez. I bought that one in 1983 and was an artist AR100. I kept it a lot of years because it was just a great guitar. This one may stay around as long. I've owned a lot of guitars, Fenders, Gibsons, even a Hagstrom 335 copy (sucked). This one impressed me right away with it's look and it's tone. The playability is great too. My board player's first guitar was a 68 335 which he still has. It's very very close to it's feel. So really for under $300 how can you go wrong? I like this so much that I'll be getting it's big brother the AF75 jazz box. That played like a dream too.