Ibanez AS73

I have a 2009 model. I wanted the Trans Red, but that apparently isn't part of the 2009 lineup, so I settled for a Trans Cherry. Killer finish, Great bang for the buck. I installed a Bigsby B7 first, then a Wilkinson roller bridge and Kluson pearloid keystone locking tuners. The original tuners seem sturdy and capable, but I wanted the extra heavy-duty for use with the Bigsby.

The original sound was muddy, especially the neck pickup. I removed all the electronics and put in an ES/SG wiring kit, which consisted of CTS 500k pots, orange drop caps, and switchcraft jack and switch. The difference was immediately incredible. I had intended to swap the pickups next, but after the electronics change, I couldn't bring myself to touch it again. Absolutely great pickups!

I had to take it to my local guitar guy to have the sharp-edged frets smoothed down, and do a real setup. I adjusted the pickups myself using trial and error.

For the money, this is a great guitar. The Chinese are getting good at what they do for Ibanez. I replaced the strap locks with schaller locking ones, but I do that on all my guitars. The originals are fine. The AS73 is a tank.

Haven't had any need for them.

Well, I've replaced everything but the pickups, but that was my original intention. I took a sub 400.00 guitar and invested 500 more bucks in a 3 month period. AT the end, I have a beautiful instrument that I would put up against ANY other semi-hollow body. If you buy one and do nothing but replace the electronics, It'll make the value of your investment skyrocket.

I just bought a 2009 AS73 in white (brand new color btw). As a die-hard fan of Rush, especially their 70s stuff, I was inspired to find a good-quality inexpensive semi-acoustic after hearing the opening riff to Rush's classic "Working Man". In terms of looks, I was blown away. This thing looked like a cross between Alex Lifeson's white ES-355 (my personal favorite of all his guitars) which was his main guitar from 1976-1981 and the simple appointments of his sunburst ES-335, which he used on Rush's first 4 albums. I guess that's why I call it, I call it "The Working Man". (Yes that was another Rush reference) My AS73 came with a hardshell case due to a promotion from my local dealer. s

I have to give sound a 9 ONLY because I personally never liked stock pickups in store-bought guitars. Believe me, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SOUND ON THIS GUITAR!!! As a hard rock/progressive rock player, I was looking for something that sounded right in either genre. When I picked it up, the first song that I tried to play was, obviously, "Working Man". Through a Marshall combo, it nailed it right on the head. I played other 70s era Rush tunes on it, and the sound is quite convincing. I tried the same thing with an Epiphone Dot, but it didn't sound heavy enough. The next thing I tried to play on the Artcore was Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan". It has the sweetest clean sounds in the world. I'm changing the pickups to Duncan 59s at a later point, but the stock pickups are not bad in any way.

Everything in this category was perfect right out of the box.

Although the Artcore is great in the other categories I wrote about, here is where it absolutely shines! I believe that this guitar fixes everything thats wrong with a Gibson ES-335. First of all, the tuners are Grovers, which are a million times better quality than crappy Kluson tuners Gibson use. Second, on the Artcore, the input jack is on the rim of the guitar WHERE IT BELONGS!!! (Take a hint Gibson). On a 335, the jack is on the top of the guitar, making it a nuisance and making it easier to get damaged. And third, the Artcore just feels much more solid than a 335. I feel that if it fell, I could just pick it back up. Great job, Ibanez.

Havent dealt with them yet, but I don't think I'll need to.

On a scale from 1-10, this guitar is an 11. If you're a hardcore fan of Cream or 70s era Rush like I am, or if you're a longtime 335 player who's looking for something better, I got 5 words for you; BUY THIS ****ING GUITAR NOW!!!!

Features have been covered by others.

I bought this guitar expecting to immediately upgrade the pickups - I was already pricing some SD Alnico 2 Pros. But when I got the guitar home and plugged it in I was blown away by the tone of this thing! I have a Les Paul Standard (with Burstbucker Pros) and a Strat with noiseless Kinmans, and this AS73 fits beautifully between the two.

Neck PUP: The neck pup is rich, warm and buttery! At first it seemed a little too warm, so I raised it a little and the bright top end appeared as if I had turned up a tone pot. In fact, I had to drop the pup down a little lower after my first adjustment because the highs came out a little too strongly for my taste. I love this pup! It has plenty of mids like a humbucker should, with a big bottom end and nice smooth, buttery highs. It's just the sound I was looking for in a neck pup. I can't believe I didn't have to pay big dollars for a boutique pup to get this sound!

Bridge PUP: At first I thought that the bridge pup was a little too twangy. Then I rolled the tone pot down to 7 and there it was - sweet tones with just the right amount of twang for a bridge pup. In fact the tone pot allows you plenty of scope to produce all kinds of tones. Kick in some distortion and roll the tone back up to 10 and this thing will cut through any band without being harsh or ice picky. There's plenty of meat in this pup - just use the tone pot to find YOUR sound.

MIDDLE POSITION: Beautiful! These pickups are nicely balanced and the middle position produces a sound that I makes me want to play all day. I took the guitar to band practice a few nights ago and everyone commented on the beautiful clean sound from the middle position. With the both tone pots on 10 it produces a well balanced, slightly quacky, sound beautifully balanced across the tonal spectrum.

OVERALL: This guitar makes my strat sound thin and my Les Paul sound harsh. In fact, after comparing these guitars all week I have decided to get rid of the Burstbucker Pros in the LP and upgrade to something else. This AS73 blows the LP out of the water for clean tones. As I said before I wasn't expecting to like these pups but I have found the sound I have been looking for and they are definitely staying! Perhaps it helps that I have a fairly bright amp (50 watt Richards - a boutique hand made valve amp), but my advice to you is to play with pickup heights and tone pots for a while - give these pups a chance.

Action was terrible- way too high and the neck had quite a bow in it. The truss rod was completely untightened and was quite stiff to adjust. I was worried that there might not be enough adjustment in it to straighten out the neck. But my fears were unfounded - I was able to straighten the neck, and even had to back the truss rod off a little because I had straightened it too much. The top nut is too high for my tastes and the machines heads feel cheap and uneven. I have ordered some schallers and my guitar tech is going to install them, file down the top nut and do a full set up for me. The intonation seems quite good but the top nut is so high that fretting notes on the first 3 or 4 frets results in pitch change because you're having to press the strings down so far to make contact with the frets.

Apart from these minor issues, the finish on these guitars is amazing for the price. It is a very well made piece of gear. I've looked it over very closely from top to bottom and everything from the binding to the neck joint to the finish is first class.

Only had it a week but it feels and looks like it will be a very durable, giggable guitar.

Been playing for 34 years and owned lots of guitars (still do). This is my favourite. This guitar has shown up my LP to be harsh and honky. I play in a covers band (funk, rock, pop) and in church and this AS73 is going with me to every gig as my first choice guitar. I'm stoked that I found such a great sounding guitar at such an amazing price.

2008 transparent cherry. Model has been available for a few years, so I won't repeat the feature list. Review is for stock AS73, as shipped by Ibanez. It has the same "features" as the expensive model it replicates, but, obviously, is built to a much lower price.

That said, this is a Chinese-made, semi-hollow 335-style guitar. It equipped with better components than you might expect at this price point. I don't feel compelled to change anything (tuners are solid, pickups are fine for a hobbyist, etc.) but everyone has their own take on upgrading stock guitars. Some guys buy them just to hot rod them into something completely different. Me, if it doesn't sound good off the wall, I don't want it. And this one sounds good.

Sound with stock pickups is outstanding. I run it through an older Marshall valvestate amp, and it sounds great clean and dirty. Neck pickup is rich and full across the spectrum (unlike the muddy neck p/u on two different Epi Dots I tried in the shop the same day). Bridge pickup has a bit of twang to it, but that just adds to the versatility. Handles all musical styles well; it's a very adaptable guitar.

Action just a bit higher than I like, but easily adjusted and a personal issue, not a problem with the guitar itself. Finish was flawless, hands down the best finished guitar I've seen lately. Everything is solid and works properly. You'd never know this was a low-priced guitar from looking at it or playing it.

Don't gig anymore, but don't see why you couldn't. Hardware and finish seem solid. Stays in tune well. Always best to have a backup, but at $300 or so, why not have 2 of these?

Have not contacted Ibanez, as guitar has performed flawlessly. Most customer support for guitars is done at the store level anyway, so who you buy from is probably more important than what you buy.

I've played for over 35 years, and have had a variety of equipment during that time. Good guitars tend to stay around. I currently have a '79 Ibanez Artist 2617, a late '80s MIJ Strat, Ovation 12-string, mid-70s Yiari Acoustic, among others. I picked this one up to see if I could find the sound of a 335 bought and sold in my starving musician days. It's not perfect, of course, but close enough. Since I don't gig anymore, I can't justify big bucks for guitars, and this one is an incredible value for $300. I played a few others (Epi Dot, Sheraton, Casino, a couple of other artcores and a new 335 just for a sanity check) and could find no reason to choose anything else. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another if the need arose. Unless and until that happens, this one is a keeper.

Tobacco sunburst - bought in 2007, standard features, no changes made.

Sound is good - the pickups maybe could be a bit sharper, but give a lovely smooth sound played clean or through effects board. I use a Vox valvetronix and the guitar sounds great through this. The electronics are beautifully quiet.

Absolutely first class, don't know how they do it for the money, perhaps it is better not to find out... I lowered action, slight adjustment to the truss rod and the guitar nearly plays itself, it is very fast and the smooth frets make playing a real pleasure.

Looks bulletproof to me, mine fell off the stand at a gig and I just picked it up, slight ding, but no other issues.

Never tried with any Ibanez I've had, never needed to.

been playing more than 30 years now, rock, jazz, and church worship. So glad we can get really good quality guitars for so little money these days, not like when I started out, but I need a bigger house to store them all :)

You can get all the details somewhere else here. I just want to say I love this guitar. Trans Red version with really nice trim.

I have a Fender Strat for the sounds it gives and wanted a semi-hollowbody for those types of sounds. I play mostly rock and this Ibanez gets some great tones for the price. Played mostly through my Carvin Belair 50 watt tube amp it is sweet. I use a variety of pedals and they all sound good but it sounds wonderful with no pedals also. I may, or may not, change the tuners and pickups someday but for now it is very nice just the way it is.

I've had it about a week and it plays great right out of the box. It could probably use an overall setup and will get one when it needs new strings but for now all is good. Fit and finish seem perfect and I have no complaints.

Seems well built and since it won't travel much it should last a long long time.

Never had to deal with Ibanez. I also have one of their electric/acoustics and it is a fine piece too. No problems..

I've been playing for roughly 40 years in and out of bands. Mostly home recording now. I think I would buy another if something happened to this one. I looked at Epiphone Dot guitars before finding this one and the Epi's don't even compare to this. Cheaply made and put together they are, really, pretty crappy by comparison. I also looked at Gibson 335's but at $2500 not a reality......

For the money it is very much worth every penny. The guitar does even more than it's pricetag would have you believe. I had many tones pouring out of the beast when I first got it home and hooked up with my ROSS compressor. The neck is definately a very nice fit, I have bigger hands (skinny but long) and prefer a skinnier neck than most guitars seem to have. The neck was exactly what I was looking for and the tone was even better. Only thing I don't like is, as mentioned before, there is no whammy. However, I never expected one on this style of a guitar, it just wouldn't look good. Also the tuning keys do a great job of staying in tune, I usually only have to barely tweak a couple strings every couple of days. 9 just because of no whammy.

For the money, I don't see how you get much better. Since you're already looking for a hollow-body with humbuckers, it'd be pointless to say this doesn't pull off strat sounds, why should it? It has great warmth; especially when you crank up the volume with overdrive, the body really pickups the sound and makes the guitar sing. Like I said, I found very many different tones, most notably a Gilmour-esque tone on the neck with a very ZZ top via La Grange sound on the bridge. There are many types and a lot of versatility when it comes to finding tones.

10/10 for it's price range, body-style and features. There are no better Hollowbodies for this price range.

Action needed adjusted, as I am a pretty soft player the majority of the time. However, after getting the action adjusted to a pretty low action; it was perfectly set-up. The pick-ups were pretty horribly off-set and didn't hold the same volume, but this was easily corrected when they were alligned straight after getting the string action set up. Overall the guitar factory set-up definately needed work, but what guitar have you ever bought brand new that was designed at the factory to be exactly your set-up for every model produced?

Definate dependability. No problems here.

Never had to use them to this point.

Definitely a 10/10. There's no better value, versatility, and sound quality from a guitar in this price range and this type of guitar.

Really basic features, but what is surprising is the quality of many of the parts. For instance, the tuners stay in tune even with a heavy playing session, which is rather tough to find on a guitar in this price range. Only feature I would like that it doesn't have is a tremolo, but honestly it's not necessary. The stock gear is rather amazing, most notably the pickups that rival some of the big-name stock pickups and sound absolutely phenomenal going through the right tube amp. That is to say, they don't sound -bad- on a solid-state, but I'm just trying to allude to the incredible sound of this baby on the all-tube amps. The neck is fast, fits well in the hand and is perfectly balanced. Seriously, pop a strap on it and situate it, then just gently move your hands off of it, and it stays as is.

6/10 as it's rather standard, BUT bumped up to an 8/10 because of the quality of the stock gear.

Here's where your heart is. Obviously, the most important part of any guitar is how she sounds, and this is without a doubt, an intensely shocking ratio of price/sound quality. I played it in the store and thought to myself, "You've got to be kidding, there's no way this costs under $400." I even asked one of the salesmen, making sure it wasn't mis-tagged or anything like that. Luckily for me, it was not. I mostly play blues, but also dabble in heavy metal, basic rock, and ambiance music. An odd mix, to be sure, and it's hard to find one guitar that can cover a range like that, and this guitar honestly can. As I said in "features," this guitar is a king of the tube amp, and the hollow body sound chimes through perfectly. I've owned this guitar for a year now and I can safely say that the sound is incredible and doesn't diminish with use. If you're considering buying this guitar, but simply aren't sure, plug it into a tube-amp and play it for a while, and I have faith you'll make the right choice.

10/10 for versatility and quality.

The neck is well-balanced and very fast, comfortable in your hands and easy on your fingers. This guitar can suit a metal head and a blues boy both rather comfortably. Stock setup is solid and all the parts are installed right and in the right place, which should be a given, but I've seen guitars that came all willy-nilly out of the factory.

As for finish, this baby looks beautiful. Just the prettiest guitar I've seen in a while. I have the transparent cherry, and love it. I do not like the sunburst too much, but that's no matter as I was given the option of the pretty red! Seriously, the red is gorgeous and has a creamy-white trim on all sides that just perfects the image. Take a good, long look at it and I really think you'll agree.

10/10 for no complaints and a fabulous look.

Here is my single complaint. The input jack, on my particular guitar, was rather low-quality. After a few months, I plugged in an instrument cable and got nothing but electronic hum, and when I strummed no noise came out. The hum was loud, loud as my strumming should have been. The input jack had been broken and needed to be repaired. Easy fix, and the store where I bought it took responsibility, fixing it for free within an hour. However, a few months later it happened again, and upon further examination, I realized that the input jack was simply low quality and the problem would persist if not replaced. Took it to the store I bought it again and they actually replaced it free of charge. Now, the jack is perfect. Solid and tight and not coming loose anytime soon, the jack even picks up the signal better and I have a bit of a better tone. You might look into replacing the jack upon purchase, but honestly, if it costs you even a few bucks to get that upgraded, combine that cost with the cost of the guitar and consider the price of similar hollow-body guitars. You'll do the math and agree that this is a hell of a deal.

9/10 for only one, minor, easily fixed problem.

Have not dealt with Ibanez, only a local music store.

No opinion.

Overall, this is a guitar worth a -lot- more than her price tag. You really ought to take a look at her and play her a bit. You'll likely be as blown away as I was, and as a few other people who wrote reviews here. If this beauty was stolen, I'd scour the globe for it. Okay, likely I wouldn't but I'd make the police do everything they could, and if that fails I'd buy a new one and quickly get a new input jack on it! Anyway, give it a shot.

10/10, my personal favorite guitar, my main guitar, my friend.

Semi-hollow body, maple lam, two humbuckers with dual tone/volume and a single switch. Stop bridge, rosewood fingerboard, some sort of crazy "mahogany material" neck--whatever the heck that is--dot inlays, two f-holes, and binding out the kazoo. Feels fairly sturdy for its light weight. Mine's burgundy and the finish is nicer than on most of my guitars (including a Les Paul). Neck is very thin compared to almost all of my rigs, and access at the top of the fretboard is exemplary. It is effortless to hit those high notes.

I agree that it is a bit muddy when at low output levels. So why not turn it up? That's what I do (Marshall, Digitech modeling), and problem solved. I have always wanted to be Larry Carlton, and this Ibanez gets me a good part of the way as far as the instrument part of that goes. I love the semi-acoustic nature of this thing, which is tonally rich when played at sensible volumes through good electronics. I simply cannot tbelieve how good this guitar sounds for less than my pickups are on most of my other stuff. It definitely gives you more than a small glimpse of that 335 thing, whether you do the rock/metal thing, or more of a blues/jazz bit.I'm a classic rock and blues/jazz guy, and this is my axe of choice for the latter. However, I am increasingly using it for rock. I love the freaking neck! I am sure if you put some nice PAFs of your preference in (Wolf?) that it would really shine. Having several very expensive guitars, I just cannot imagine that paying two grand more for a 'real' 335 would get me two grand more fun or tone. This thing is shocking at the price.

This is where it gets hilarious. I am constantly messing with the intonation on my other guitars, as I am a whammy nut and an note bender-extreme. I will not tolerate my guitar being tonally less than perfect anyplace on the fingerboard. I have a very expensive Dean with about three gazillion pounds of mahogany in it that sounds, as a result, incredible. The neck is buttah. However, I don't play it very much because the intonation is a constant battle (yes I know how to deal with a Fl Rose). So, I open up this Ibanez, and I'm sort of dissing it as I do ("flippin two hundred dollars/friggin joke/whatamI doin' with this piecea-c-drap!'). I hook it up to the Marshall and start playing some chords that I know will reveal what a piece it is, and, presto!. Perfect intonation. Everywherre I go to try to reveal its pathetic nature is spot-on. So, I just start playing, and I'm, like, laughing after a few minutes because the whole thing just feels so comfortable, and easy, and sweet. I played for three hours that day before I realized what time it was.

Action was and remains the best of any guitar I own. No fret buzz, no crazy fret activity that one would expect at this price due to what I knew would be pathetic fret job. They're smooth, nicely rounded, easy to bend, tap, legato, staccato--whatevvah. My pickups are undoubtedly not ideally set up, I am no electronics expert on the guitar side of things, but there is no hum, little feedback, and the tone is pretty darn good for now. I would definitely spend the couple hunski to upgrade these. For me, the machine heads are fantastic. They hold like granite, way better than some Grovers, Schallers, and a locking nut or two I have. It's crazy. I will never replace these, as they rock the house. As others have well said, the finish on this guitar alone would cost you at the very least fivve hundred if done by any reputable person in the US. The binding work they did was not for the amnateur, and it looks beautiful How did they do it?

This is sort of the real question. I do not know how the AS73 would do with some real live gigging. It is, by its nature, not a heavy, sturdy instrument. The lacquer job is substantial, and that will help. But getting banged around and dropped and stuff? I dunno. I am one of the zillions who has had the misery of losing a Gibson Les Paul to a hard floor on a stage. Nuf said. I am always stressed when I see a set neck. You just never know. I think what I will do with this is take on stage, but use it only for those tunes it is best suited for (the few blues and jazz tunes I do). I am using this guitar every day in practice and it is not giving away any ground so far. I suspect this just happens to be one of those weird awesome values that come along from time to time.

No input here. I have no need for any support.

Been playing since 1970. Have owned or do own a bunch of stuff in that time: Ibanez Iceman, Epi SG (my first guitar), custom Explorer, MexiTele, 68 Les Paul Goldtop, Wolfgang USA, Deans, some good and bad Chinese copies, and I don't remember what all else. Couldn't really tell you. I use an old Marshall run clean into the Digitech Modeler (great fun) and I alter my sound markedly, sometimes from song to song. I am so very glad I didn't buy a Gib 335, which I was within minutes of doing. I can upgrade the AS73 and probably get ninety percent of the way there for peanuts. I'm taking that money I had set aside for the Gibson and buying a tricked out Warmoth Les Paul. I will always have one of these and, honestly, I now want the Ibanez L5 copy , too. I am sure the Agiles are quite good, or so I hear, but at this price point, the Ibanez cannot be beaten. The thing I love about this guitar is how it plays, the feel, the comfort. The neck is faster than my Wolfgang and makes the Goldtop feel like I'm playing in quicksand. I only wish it came with some killer PAFs, but that can be handled.

This AS73 I think brings up a really good point for consideration by all but the wealthiest guitar players. And that is, should you struggle and scrimp to buy a big-name guitar or not. I've done it, and I have a very valuable one in the 68 Goldtop. But I just told you that the two hundred dollar Ibanez is more fun to play. It doesn't sound nearly as good, but it provides more enjoyment. So, which is the better buy? Thousands and thousands for something with a big name that you sort of enjoy playing, or a lot less for something that looks great, seems well made, and is tons of fun? My own opinion is that the big American names have all become far too expensive when you look at their cost of goods. It does not cost three thousand dollars to build and market a Les Paul. Do you know what mahogany body blanks cost? Nuf said. What I would suggest, if you are contemplating not doing the amazing value thing (like the AS73), is to check out one of the reasonable custom shops such as Warmoth or USA. You can get a guitar exactly, completely the way you want it (want a panda bear guitar? they'll make you one)for a third to a half what you'll pay in the stores for an American-made rig. Just my opinion, worth what it costs, which is nothing.

This is an archtop semi-hollow body 335 style guitar with dual ACH Humbucker pickups. The body and neck are maple with a rosewood fret board. The neck and body are fully bound and mine is a brown sunburst. The finish is buffed out and this guitar is a real treat for the eyes. The guitar came with chrome hardware but this has been changed over to gold as I think it looks better with the color. The bridge / tailpiece are a Tune-O-Matic style and the tuners are Rotomatic style tuners. I have replaced these with a set of Grovers as I???ve heard the originals can start to slip as they age.
The neck is very comfortable and fast. To me the body is slightly less clunky feeling than the Gibson or Epiphone 335???s. I would suggest replacing those poorly designed strap pins with a good set of strap locks to keep that beautifully made guitar off the floor!
This guitar is Chinese made but don???t let that fool you. They???ve been making instruments and other fine wood products for a couple thousand of years. The people building these obviously take a lot of pride in their work and it shows in their product. My suggestion is buy one while they???re still inexpensive.

The sound this guitar pushes out is truly incredible for an instrument in this price range. I primarily use mine for Rock and Blues and can always find the sound I'm looking for. My primary amp is a Peavy Bandit 65 and I've never had any problem pushing enough sound to fill a venue with this combination.
The ACH pickups put out impressive volume and good clear tone. While these aren???t considered ???state of the art??? top end pickups they deliver the goods with surprising quality. The electronics are very quiet; I get no hum in any switch position or volume setting. This feature alone impresses me. The sustain is very good without having to use overdrive to compensate. The sound output can range from a mellow buttery jazz tone to a screaming lead. The only weak area I can find here is that the manufacturer used budget switches and pots in these guitars. This is a very inexpensive and easy upgrade that would make this an heirloom you could leave to your grandkids. Spend some money on a set of high grade Duncan???s along with the switch and pot upgrade and you have got a guitar that would rival any Gibson 335 for about a quarter of the price. Use the extra money for lessons they???ll take you further than a logo.

From the ones that I???ve played in the local music stores these guitars come from the factory very well set up. The action is very easy even with heavier strings like .011???s or .012???s. There are no buzzing or high frets and all the wires are well dressed making the neck very comfortable in your hand.
The fit and finish of the guitar is better than any of my other guitars and comparing it to a new Gibson 335 it???s as good as it gets. The binding on my guitar is immaculate and the finish looks like you could swim in it. All the joints are tight and I have yet to find a flaw in this area.
My guitar has been to the pro shop for overall check and setup. The technician said he did very little to the instrument other than minor adjustments for my playing and string preferences. This is something all guitar players should consider reguardless of the make they purchase.

This guitar seems to be built like a tank! I can???t think of a gig I???ve ever been to that it would have been out of place or not held up. The body is as solid as any 335 style I???ve ever played and the price tag means you won???t soil yourself if it gets knocked to the floor. As far as not having a backup I play this and a strat copy as my primary instruments as they are each good for different sounds. In that sense they act as backup for each other. Other than the very seldom broken string this rig has never given any sign of cut out.
The only drawback to this guitar right out the box is the strap locks chosen by the manufacturer. This is true of every guitar I???ve ever owned so when I buy a guitar I buy a set of Schaller???s to go with it. I also replaced the tuners with a set of Grover Rotomatics. This is just a personal choice, as I had no real complaints about the origionals but have heard they will start to slip as they age. At some point I will probably replace the electronics with upgraded hardware to make this a ???custom??? level instrument.

Never had to use the warranty or contact the manufacturer...just no problems with this axe.

I???ve been playing for 40 years, I primarily play blues and rock and this guitar fills this position well. It projects a lot of musical character for such an inexpensive instrument. I wouldn???t trade it for 2 Epiphone DOT???s and would replace it without reservation if it were lost, stolen or destroyed. I???ve played it against a Gibson and find that in my hands it feels better than the $2K flagship. The Gibson had all high dollar electronics but for around $250 this guitar could be brought to the same level. If you???re just starting out and want a 335 style guitar you can???t go wrong with this instrument. I never really considered Ibanez guitars until I played this one. From first sight it won me over???now I wonder what I might be missing in their other guitars.

Arch top, semi-hollow 335-style, all maple body and neck, rosewood fretboard, two ACH humbuckers, tune-o-matic style bridge with an Ibanez revision of the stop tailpiece (same basic thing as the classic, the Ibanez just looks different), ivory binding all everywhere, and a very nice deep transparent cherry finish. The neck feels thinner (both ways) than my Epi Dot, but it's comfortable, and it plays fast. The neck joint is extended as compared to the classic Gibson/Epiphone design, and that could be a good thing. Everything looks to be of good quality. If you compare this to the Epi Dot Studio (same price range), this guitar beats it in every single way.

For a $300 guitar, you'd expect to sacrifice some sound, but this guitar will really surprise you. I have an Epi Dot 335 from the mid 90's (not the clunky, new Dot Studio I mentioned before), so I can compare this guitar to that one. For off-the-body (meaning unplugged) tone, they are quite close. Granted, my Dot has the benefit of age, but this Ibanez can only get better. The Ibanez pushes out generous volume and good sustain (which is aided by its extended neck joint). The ACH pickups are not as good as my Dot's, but to be fair, I put Duncan Alnico Pro II's in my Dot. Those pickups, if you've never used them, are heaven in these type of guitars. That said, these Ibanez pickups are no slouches. They have good clarity; the neck pickup isn't too deep, and the bridge pickup isn't too bright. The middle position is my favorite. They are well-suited for any musical style (as most modern pickups are), but given that this is a semi-hollow guitar, I wouldn't use this for metal. Ibanez has plenty of other options for you if that's your thing.

Out of the box, this is a fine guitar. If you're really picky, you can change the pickups, but no audience will notice the upgrade.

The finish is flawless, and the binding also looks great - and this guitar is made in China! This guitar might change your mind about Chinese-made instruments. I've seen U.S. made guitars with really lousy work, and nothing about this guitar seems cheap or poorly made. The frets don't have sharp ends, and they're all leveled well. The action is good, and after a setup it's perfect. I use .012's with a wound third, and this guitar still plays great.

The only knock against my particular guitar is that the tone control to the neck pickup doesn't seem to be connected. The tone is stuck on 10. I did buy this off the wall of a Guitar Center, so that might not be Ibanez's fault. Anyway, I left it broken (they would have fixed it for free) and took a discount on the guitar. I never use the tone control on the neck pickup; I only use it on the bridge pickup. You'd really only use that tone control if you were trying to get a really dead, flat jazzbox tone. I like to play my jazz with some clarity, so I was happy to just take a discount.

It seems to be built well, and the neck joint especially makes it feel sturdy. I always gig with a backup, but now I can gig with two very nice 335-style guitars.

No experience with them.

If you're looking for a 335, and you can't afford to overpay for a Gibson, look here. The Epiphone Dot (the $500 version) may sound just a bit better (the new Anico V pickups in the Epiphones really sound great), but it's probably not worth the extra $200. If cosmetics are important to you, then the Ibanez will not disappoint. I still prefer my Dot with the Duncans in there, but this guitar will still get plenty of play time. The body on this Ibanez is a little more comfortable. If you're in the market for a semi-hollow guitar, you've got to check out the Ibanez Artcore series. The price is reasonable, and you get a great guitar. Forget about Ibanez's reputation for making only shred-metalhead guitars - they can make a very respectable, versatile semi-hollow as well.

The wood and construction is where this guitar really shines. The laminated maple body is just as good and in some ways better than my Gibson. The neck joint is more level and seamless. It has multiply binding on the body, bound head stock and F holes. For 3 grand you would think that Gibson would offer these accents. I gave an 8 because the hardware and electronics are pretty poor. I didn't score it lower because these things can be fixed. The tuners feel a little loose, but it does stay in tune, so I'm going to keep them for now. Replace the bridge, the electronics and the nut and you'll have an guitar that will rival the ones coming out of the Gibson custom shop (for 1/3 of the price)!. One other thing. I could do without the lightning bolt in the headstock logo. Looks a little cheesy for an otherwise very classy looking instrument.

I'm playing through a Marshall JMP-1 preamp and a Marsall series 9000 power amp. Its a very vintage rack setup. I also have a compressor, an Alesis quadraverb and BBE sonic maximizer in the effects chain. At full volume the tone is absolutley amazing. I'm not saying amazing for a $300 guitar, just plain amazing. The pickups have a good PAF flavor to them. I played it side by side against a Les Paul wired with the Wolftone Vinatge PAF pickups. Of course the Gibson came out ahead in this arena, but considering price - not an extra $2100 worth of better! Others have posted that it gets very muddy at lower volumes and I agree completely. A high pass filter similar to the one in my JS-1000 would help a lot. Considering I use the volume pots to roll of some gain from the preamp, this is a critical flaw, but as I said before, replace the electronics and you'll get blown away.

Out of the factory, the action was terrible and the pickups were too high. 10 minutes on the bench and it was like a whole differnt guitar. I'm not going to give it less than an 8 because the guitar is capable of very low action, they just didn't set it that way when they shipped it. The finish was flawless and the neck was set perfectly. The fret job was ok, but could use some dressing. Very mice job on the binding all the way around.

After the upgrades mentioned above, I would definitely play live with it. In fact, it would probably be my main guitar so I wouldn't get my expensive ones all dinged up. I would never gig without a backup for any of my guitars.

Never had to deal with them.

I'ver been playing for 25 years. From Gibson, I have a Les Paul and a Lucille. From Fender I have a strat and a tele. I also have a Satriani JS-1000. After the upgrades, I would put this up against my Lucille any day of the week. Would absolutely replace it if anything ever happened to it. Love the attention to detail in the construction. Hate the lack of attention to detail in the hardware and electronics. I will give it a 10 in the overall category because it truely is a fantastic value. I've played guitars with triple the price tag and half the tone. Go get one!

A 335 copy. It's blue. Not too sure about the specifics, because as soon as I played this guitar I decided I must own it.

It sounds like a 335! The original pickups were okay, but I switched them out with Semour Duncan Seth Lovers and now this guitar sounds incredible. Lots of sustain and midrange and a warm, round, smooth top end. Very nice! Sounds great with distortion, too! Both pickups are useable. I wouldn't change anything about this guitar's sound. It's great for jazz, rock and blues.

No flaws, pretty good action. I have mine set up with .11 gauge flatwounds.

Frankly, some of the hardware gives this guitar a flimsy feel. Mainly the tuning machines. Other than that, it's quite solid.

I will probably never buy another Ibanez again because the company has been so unhelpful. They never respond to their emails, and I must have sent a dozen. Well, there are lots of other companies out there who DO answer their emails and I think I'll give my money to them from now on.

I've been playing about 10 years, and owned guitars ranging in price from 200 dollars to 2500 dollars. This guitar sounds as good as the best I've played, but the pickups and hardware hold it back. Fortunately you can replace all of that! This guitar is a steal for how cheap it is.

Pretty standard for features.
I got mine from eBay.
Original owner upgraded the pickups with DiMarzio
"Humbuckers From Hell"...also came with a NICE
TKL hardshell case.
Very solid guitar...has some weight to it.

I wanted a 335 style guitar...
Big Scofield fan!
The upgraded pickups sound awesome.
I have heard the original Artcore pickups before.
Not bad...
This guitar rings...plugged or unplugged!
Great for rock, blues, jazz...
Check out some samples:
http://www.myspace.com/vonfacevirtualjazz
Keep in mind, my rating here is with DiMarzios!

Workmanship is VERY good!
This is my 3rd Artcore...
Ibanez really knows how to make a great guitar.
There was some slight "fretting out"...
I put a set of 10's on & raised the action just a bit...
Easy fix.
Another plus: This guitar STAYS IN TUNE!!
I absolutely love it.

Very solid guitar.
No worries here.

I have talked with Ibanez through their web site.
Fast & easy.

Been playing for close to 30 years...
Like I said...this is my 3rd Artcore.
Great guitars.
If stolen, I would get another!

I won't go over all of the features because they're covered in every other review. Transparent cherry red ES-335 copy, maple body with set neck. Two humbucker pickups, two volume, two tone and one 3-way switch.

I like blues and classic rock and this guitar is well suited for both. I play it through a Peavey Valve King with only three pedals. The sound is beautiful. Clear ringing notes, great sustain and it breaks up nicely with a little gain.

The finish is flawless but the hardware and setup left quite a bit to be desired. Two of the six tuning heads were useless so I replaced all six. The bridge screws broke so I replaced it with a Gotoh bridge. The bridge and the tuning heads set me back about $50. The intonation, action and neck were all off a little and it wasn't until recently that I had a proper setup job done. With a proper setup the guitar is absolutely amazing. The action is light and fast and this $350 guitar ($300 plus the $50 for new parts) plays better than any guitar costing twice that much or more. We need a category here to rate guitar techs or shops. Because of the hardware issues I can only give it a 6 out of the box.

The guitar seem to be very solid and well assembled. I've had it for almost a year now and except for the two hardware issues it has been rock solid.

I never called Ibanez regarding the hardware.

Every guitar needs to be set up properly so I can't ding Ibanez for that. The hardware that was faulty was inexpensive and easy to replace. The hardware would have bothered me if I had spent a lot more on the guitar. Given the amount of investment and how well the guitar plays, looks and sounds I have to give it the highest possible marks.

I think the features of the guitar have been covered in spades by other reviewers. All I can say is that it has the essentials of a semi-hollow so I gotta give it a "10"

I A/Bed it against an Epi Dot. I think I liked the Dot pickups a little better but I could live with these for awhile. Better than most stock pups. What makes this guitar better than a Dot or other inexpensive semi is that the body is MUCH more resonant -- almost in the territory of a Casino.

This is where Ibanez kicks everyone's ass. Honest to God, I looked at an ES335 for $1,999 in the store that had rough, unfinished fret ends, sloppy paint around the F holes and binding. This Ibanez was spotless. And so were every other one in the store.

The Dots (and I looked at 3) were, quite frankly, a mess. The very helpful sales guy told me that he preferred the Dot and when he picked one up to show it to me, the bridge pup volume knob fell off.
Hmmm . . .

Action is fine for 0.10s it comes loaded with. I plan to switch to 0.11s. Had to tweak the saddles a little but this is as good as you get out of the box.

The hardwar was really what made the deal for me. I bought this for $150 less than a Dot. I really dont gig so I cant vouch for the gigworthiness of this. But I would imagine this thing is gonna hold up very well.

Can't say.

Been playing for 4 year but I am a geek when it comes to gear. I try to read up a lot on stuff before I purchase.

Would definitly buy it again and again.

Compared to Epi Dot. Ibanez 3:16 - "I jest whupped yer ass."

Tobacco sunburst, dual humbuckers, binding everywhere,top, bottom,f holes,neck and head. As nice as it gets.

Sounds are clean clean clean to dark and very sexy when playing through a Roland Cube,my traveling amp. I am playing clean to distored via an Ibanez TS-9 and a DanElectro DanEcho. I usually like to swap pickups but these humbuckers are allright. The pickups are quiet and the tone settings are very usefull and musical. I like it dirty but it will play clean very nicely with good clear sounds. Like it! you bet,for one this is a very pretty instrument,it feels good while you play and is slick as hell.

Action needs to be set to user preference. I had to set neck relief and to adjust the bridge to minimize a little fret buzz. Every external aspect is superb from the head to the end pin, nothing is sloppy, messy or appears rushed. Beautiful tobacco sunburst finish. The guitar came with 10's and I put 11's on it. The strings were a little sticky in the nut slots but I worked them back and forth and put a little slick stuff into the slots and now the strings slide nicely and it tunes great and holds tune very well. I could not find anything negative about the build of this guitar.

I only play this guitar in the living room. I dont gig or carry it out of the house. That being said it is built solid. This is like a truck. I saw comments about the tuners and I would say that they are acceptable for my needs, if you play professionaly you may want to upgrade. Pickups are a matter of preference and some may desire hotter or warmer units.

Couldn't tell you

Been playing for 40 years. I have purchased several dozen guitars over the years and I currently own Gibson, Fender, Guild and many other brands. I am always looking for tone and this guitar has it. For less than 300 bucks you are able to score one great guitar. It is great just as it comes if you want more go somewhere else and pay through the nose. This is a great guitar for playing acoustically or really rocking out. If it was to go AWOL I would definitly get me another.

I bought this guitar new less than a year ago. Beautiful ES-335 style bound body (no pickguard), in vintage sunburst. Basic features; tone & volume for each pickup. The cable jack is on the side rather than the front as on the 335, which is convenient. 22 frets, bound rosewood fingerboard, and the neck feels very nice (at least compared to my very-fat-maple-necked Strat). Basic generic tuners. Nice pearl dot fingerboard inlay. Everything on it is stock for the AS73. Overall it is a beautiful, extremely well-executed instrument. I would, however, prefer that it had an ES-335 style pickguard. Also, I had to pay extra for a case, and the Guitar Center guy had to take time to find one that it fit into, so I'd also prefer that it came with one.

I play blues, rock, psychedelic blues & rock, a little surf, and some unclassified combinations of all of them. This guitar does extremely nicely on all of these except maybe surf. I play through a Fender Blues Junior from about 1995, American made, stock. The sound is very rich and strong, with extremely well balanced highs and lows, and a strong, punchy middle. The reason this guitar isn't perfect for surf music is that the highs are too well balanced with the lows, and when I'm playing surf music I prefer the highs to be almost excessively prevalent, with lows about two-thirds and middle nonexistent. But what the heck, when I play a surf tune I'll set down the AS73 and pick up my Strat! For rock and blues however, this thing is amazing. The neck pickup is the blander of the two, with more low end and less overall tone, and it sounds a bit jazzy, which I occasionally like on some clean blues applications. The bridge pickup, in my opinion, sounds beautiful. Just the right balance of underlying punch and overlying bright sparkle, with not too much of either. I can get a lot of that nice 60s style brightness out of this pickup by picking close to the bridge, but the brightness always drags some mid-level punch up with it, so the sound can never fully degenerate into a Captain Beefheart style pure twang. Either way, this guitar isn't made for "twang" like a Telecaster, but rather for "sparkle," like an ES-335. My Strat is more to the twangy end (with a great Hendrix-style throaty punch), so this AS73 balances that well. It has perfect strength and fullness for anything from Chuck Berry to Jefferson Airplane. Some of my band's songs have really strong, psychedelic, chord-based riffs with plenty of wah-wah. This guitar sounds absolutely beautiful for heavy chords. The sound is beautifully heavy in the Gibson humbucker style, with plenty of sustain (not a HUGE amount, though). Great clean through my Fender amp, with a nice vintage-50s blues style tone, and distortion is wonderful, and brings out the real strength and punch of the pickups. Soloing brings out a lot of strength in the lower ends backing up a pretty chimey-ness to the very-highs that is reminiscent of 1960s psychedelic rock & blues solos, for example, Jerry Garcia's work on the Grateful Dead's 1967 debut (which I believe was done with an SG). Overall the three words that come to mind when I play this guitar are strong, full and balanced. Maybe not the best choice for extreme-treble or extreme-bass situations, but absolutely beautiful, rich, full, powerful tone. For 300 dollars, I'd say the sound is worth about 800.

I haven't changed anything on this guitar since I bought it. It felt wonderful from the second I picked it up in the store, and it still does. The action was perfect. Nothing was wrong with it at all when I got it home. The finish is a beautiful brown sunburst, and the wood grain beneath is very nice. Both the body and the fingerboard are bound, which is very nice. Chrome finished pickups and black knobs look very nice. This guitar feels solid and well-built when playing, and the controls feel firm and durable. I've tried out $2000 brand-new ES-335s that feel almost like you have to tone down your playing so you don't accidentally snap the neck off, but this $300 Ibanez feels almost as solid and tough as a solidbody. I don't have any reservations about playing as hard and fast as I can, and it feels good to do so on this guitar.

Everything on this guitar is as solid-feeling as a fist-sized rock. There's no give or leeway in any part, it all fits together perfectly, and it feels like it would last a long time. I would absolutely use this guitar on a gig without a backup, if I didn't use multiple guitars anyway. Strap buttons are as trustworthy as any I've ever seen. As I said under the above category, I've played expensive Gibson semi-solids which felt almost as if they might fall apart. This guitar feels like I could play it at home, at practice, and at gigs for at least a few years and a few knocks before any issues. Again, it feels as strong as a solidbody. Also, I've found that this guitar tends to stay in tune almost as long as my strings last, which is longer than any other guitar I've owned or tried. I definitely trust this guitar.

I paid for a 12 month warranty (24 was the other choice). Apparently, it's a full warranty, covering anything that could happen to it. I have yet to need it.

I don't have huge amounts of money, so this guitar is an absolute miracle for me at only $300. I've been playing for a few years, mostly with a custom-built Strat copy that I bought from my uncle for $600. That one has Kent Armstrong Vintage Strat Pickups, locking tuners, 5-way switch with pull-up pot for "neck on," which allows all 7 combinations of the 3 pickups, sounds like Hendrix or Clapton, and looks identical to Clapton's Blackie. Being used to that, the AS73 is perfect. It fills in all the gaps in sound where the Strat was too twangy, too throaty, not heavy enough, or anything else. The Strat can still do things the AS73 can't do, but the AS73 is simply a wonderful guitar overall for rock and blues. I bought this guitar from Guitar Center in Hollywood, CA. Before buying this guitar, I took the opportunity to play some of the stores extremely expensive vintage guitars, including a $30,000 '61 SG, a $40,000 '62 Strat, a $40,000 '59 ES-335 and others, all through a 1960 Fender Amp. Even after playing these exquisite vintage instruments, which amounted to a who's who of electric guitar royalty, the $300 Ibanez AS73 still felt and sounded very nice to me, and simply felt "right" in my hands. I love it, and would definitely replace it if it were lost or stolen. The only drawbacks are that it has no pickguard, which I'd prefer it did, and it didn't come with a case. Other than that, this guitar is essentially a $1000+ guitar for only $300.

Basic no-nonsense but TASTY features. Flawless finish. I am lucky enough to have purchased one of the last natural maple production models, the AS-73NT, which came with gold hardward all around instead of the chrome. Because of tuning difficulties with an AS-73TCR (cherry finish), I returned the axe to Washington Music Center and they did an in-kind swap for the natural. They even knocked off $60 for the inconvenience! I'm not going to bore you by going into the features details. Let's just say it's flawless all around--I played and learned to love Ibanez basses and now adore their Artcore series.

A very critical relative--my mom, who was married to a professional musician who recorded with a lot of big-name jazz pros--said that I get a better sound from the gold-hardware natural AS-73 than the transparent cherry version. She said the intonation is definitely better...she thought the middle tones were very similar--I'm plugged into a Peavey 100W Valveking--to Joe Pass and Pat Metheny...exactly the sounds I was aiming for. I dialed up moderate distortion and played an exact duplicate of Santana's intro to Black Magic Woman. I would love to find something to criticize, I'm trying, but I can't find one. I'd love to say something about the pickups being crappy, but Ibanez even got this right--I've considered replacing the pickups but don't hear any reason to at the moment.

I can only find complimentary things to say about the finish. I've owned the guitar for more than 90 days now and still can't find anything flawed in the finish. The action is right on for my purposes. There are no misjoined parts, in fact it's hard to distinguish where the headstock joins into the neck. This may be the only strange appearance on the guitar, that the back of neck is mahogany colored while the guitar is a creamy French-vanilla maple. I'm glad it's mahogany because the sustain is incredible.

I have yet to gig with the guitar, but I have indeed put the strings/bridge through a torture test and it stays in tune. The only string I find myself tuning on a daily basis is G, and it's very minimal. Never had to touch the others after 60 days of ownership. Yes, the guitar feels rock-solid, pardon the pun, and I would comfortably use it as a primary guitar or even--maybe more importantly--as a day-to-day practice/studio instrument. Maple and mahogany are extremely strong hardwoods but are light enough that you don't get back problems.

Haven't had the need to contact them.

I've been playing (off and on) alternately as a pro and hobbyist for 30 years. Other than this guitar, I own a Gretsch G5120. Peavey Valveking 100W 212, fretless Fender J bass and Fender bass amp. Yes, if it were lost or stolen I would buy one again, but I think since I know so much more about Ibanez Artcores, I'd buy her sister, the AS-103NT.

A trans-cherry semi-hollow(ES335 copy) body guitar. The finish looks great, more of a walnut color with a hint of cherry. The tuners are pretty good(much better than my Gibson Gary Moore Signature Les Paul). 2 Humbucker pickups with 2 volume and 2 tone controls. Body is made of maple I believe, and the neck is mahogany.

I play mostly straight up rock music through a Line 6 PODXT Live into a Tube Works TD-752 1x12 combo amp. The sound from the pickups is pretty good for a guitar at this price, definitely not the best out there but they are good. The tone controls don't vary the sound too much, but they do well enough. Good sustain clean or distorted, not a Les Paul but it hold it's own.

Finish is beautiful, it came setup pretty good from the factory, but I set up the intonation, action, and pickup height for my personal taste(I do this on every guitar I own). I can't believe I paid 2 grand for a Les Paul when this guitar was only $350 and it looks just as good if not better!

I have no doubt that this guitar will hold up over the years. I haven't played out with it yet, but I'm sure it will do fine. I would bring a backup guitar no matter what I was playing.

Never had to deal with Ibanez, and hopefully I won't have to.

I've been playing for 15 years, and this is a great guitar for a beginner or veteran. You can't beat it at this price, trust me I've played a bunch of guitars over the years, and this one is up there with the best. If it was stolen I would cry then buy another one ASAP.

Chinese made (2001) semi-hollow body electric. Black satin finish.

No name tuners and pick-ups.

2 pickups, and a volume and tone control for each.

This guitar sounds ok acoustically. Plugged in, it sounds warm. The pickups are very quiet, and sound decent.

This is my first electric, and I mostly play classical, fingerstyle and soft rock. This guitar suits all of these pretty well. It seems to be able to go from a nice soft tone to an overdriven tone quite easily.

All in all, I quite like the sounds that this guitar can produce.

Action, fit and finish were all good. Could not find any blemishes, or flaws.

This guitar is built superbly. It will definitely withstand live playing.

I do not gig, and if I did, I would use a backup, no matter what.

Never had to deal with customer support.

This is my first electric guitar. I have played others, though - and this is the one I liked the best of the lot.

Other than this guitar, I own 2 acoustics.

If this guitar was lost or stolen, I would buy the same model again.

nice tuners that really keep the axe in tune, pickup switch feels more solid than the one on my gison custom shop. volume knobs are super comfortable and are perfect for doing volume swells.

I'm a jazzer who plays with a clean sound. I've used it with my polytone mini brute II and my fender deville 2x12 and it gets a great jazz sound out of both. it definitely could pass for a much more expensive guitar it doesn't sound like a cheap entry level axe.

nut needed to be sanded down a little bit when I put 12's on it. I thought it needed a fret job, but then I got it set up and it played _perfectly_ and it did not need a fret job. pick up position needed to be adjusted, but thats a preference thing, not a flaw.

I bought this b/c I needed something inexpensive to take to jazz gigs where I didn't like bringing my $2000 custom shop gibson, as I have had some incidents where drunks have tried to play that guitar. I've yet to bring a backup. this seems like it is rugged and will last a long time. as indicated above, the hardware seems extremely solid like it could withstand a lot of wear and tear. for the $280 I paid, this is perfect for an experienced veteran looking for something inexpensive, or a young player who wants their first semi hollow. I expect this axe to last a long time.

I've been playing about 17 years, besides the above mentioned gibson full holow body, I have also have a strat. in some ways I really like the neck on this axe - it is much more narrow than my gibson, so my hand doesn't have to stretch as much before and after playing. of course, my gibson has 13's and I have 12's on the ibanez which is a contributing factor as well.

The only thing I would consider changing is where the pickup switch is - perhaps where the switch goes on a gibson rather than near the volume knob.

I did compare this to other semi hollows in this price range but this one seemed to be of the highest quality and the least like an entry level axe.

Classic sunburst look on my model, though a wine red is available. Made in China, bought through Regent Guitars, a Warwickshire company in the UK. 335 copy in its conception, but has the extra advantage the output jack is not on the belly, but conveniently on the side. Although it has 335 look, it is different, and vastly preferable, with a nice "horn" shape to the cutaways, less rounded than the 335s. 22 frets are all I need. P/ups are Ibanez own, bridge/neck arrangement, and 3-way switch, vol/tone control for each p/up. Set-in neck makes guitar feel like "one instrument" rather than a bit of wood with a neck bolted on! Own tuners, good, keep the thing in tune.

I play latin, jazz and some rock (not that good at the latter!), and use it for gigs but also in church where I lead a worship band. Needed a good jazz guitar that could do open string playing well, and this stands up pretty well. Two Ibanez pickups, both good sounding. Contrast not always that great, but I love the sound made by the middle position on the switch (good for jazz sound with an "edge" to it, and also for playing Latin jazz). Neck p/u with tone pulled down to 6-7 is lovely jazz sound on this guitar. I play through a Roland Cube with no effects or pedals and really enjoy the fantastic straight sound I grt. The sound has really improved since I bought it.

Came with D'Addario 10s on - kept them on to see how the instrument settled - wasn't disappointed. Will move to 11s next change, but the 10s feel good. Set up was first class. The engineers at the shop I got them checked it over before shipping to me, and they did a great job. Early buzz on the frets disappeared in a couple of weeks as guitar settled. The finish is beautiful - mates have commented really favourably, and the weighting and action are first class. Nothing has broken so far, though I am keeping an eye on the pots as others have commented they are not always that durable. And then the frets! Fantastic, smooth and quick, an almost perfect neck for the player. Others have commented on the speed of the neck - I can only agree.

Great for live playing, and the finish seems pretty bombproof. In fact, the downright toughness of this instrument is a major plus. I usually gig with the 73 and a lovely Samick acoustic (also great for jazz). I wouldn't think of taking a back up for the 73. It feels reliable.

Don't know about warranty - but I know where the dealer lives and can corner him in an hour.

I have been playing non-professionally since I was 15 - over 30 years now, have always played jazz on acoustics, and with a folk background, have relied on a succession of Yamaha and Samick acoustics. The AS73 is my first semi - I saw a couple of UK jazz guitarists using this and loved the sound. It has a sweet and open sound for Latin that I have never really heard except on a 335 - I can play Metheny-type "liquid" lines as well as more grungy Ry Cooder rootsy stuff with equal ease. Never tried really murdering the thing with metal, though I am told it does this as well. The competitors for me were the Yamaha SA500 (headpiece too heavy, sound a bit dark, though fantastic looks) and the Washburn HB35 335 copy (more expensive). For under ??220 this has been a fantastic buy, addictive in the extreme, and I would replace it tomorrow if it got stolen.

Semi Hollow 335 style guitar. Two Humbers Neck and bridge. Two tone and volume knobs. 3 way toggle switch. two pice stop tail bridge. It's a 335 copy!

I put new pickups in it, so before this I say a 6. With the new pickups a 10. I put a Seymor duncan (SD) Jazz neck SH-2N (or something like that, i forget the model number) in the neck, and a SD scream'n deamon' in the bridge. I don't really use middle positions to much on toggle switchs, so the contrast between the two is awesome. I get Mellow amazing jazz tone, and crazy in your face metal, in the same guitar. So with the new pickups a strong 10.

Action is great if it is adjusted properly. The guitar is made extremley well

Have had no problems so far and don't expect any. 10.

?

Get it setup real nice, and put new pick ups in it and I promise you will love it. I do. I can't decide now between my PRS or the 73 (which to play on stage that is). Amazing deal for the money.

Bought new on ebay, dark red, with all stock features you can read on the other reviews. Made in China. Have it for a month now.

Sounds very good, stock pickups looks good to me. Real Hollow body sound. Can play very clean or very dirty if you wish. Surpringly good soud for the price paid. Sounds better than an Epiphone dot to me.

The guitar arrive perfectly set up...surprising from an ebay purchase. I adjust the neck and the bridge for personnal taste, but it was playable perfectly when it arrived. The quality of the finish looks a lot more expensive than what the price is. All the hardware looks first class, feel solid and respond perfectly...hope it will continue this way.

This guitar is perfect to gig. ( I did it and it resond like a $2000 guitar. The hardware seems it will last. The finish will stay nice as long as you take care, like any other guitar I presume. You can certainly depend on it, but no guitarist taht gig should take any chance to work without a backup. For instence, this Ibanez is my backup..Lolll

Never have to deal with Ibanez, no warranty, because was bought on ebay from USA dealer and I'm leaving in Canada...so I don't care...

I'm playing for over 40 years, in band over 35 years, giging regularely. My main axe is a Fender american stratocaster, and this Ibanez is the back up,but serve in 15 to 20% of the songs. Amp is a Fender Stage 1600 and both guitars suit with it pretty well, We are playing Classic rock. This Ibanez was a very good surprise to me. I tought I would hang it in my studio and play it a few times, but it really serve me well for more works. I would certainly buy another one if it get stolen. For the price/quality ratio, I don't think you could expect a better guitar in this category. I shopped a lot and I'm happy with my decision to choose that AS73. I would recommended it to anybody.

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.