Ibanez AS80

I have no idea the year of manufacture. However, the dealer mentioned he brought this guitar in early this year (2001). The rest of the features are very well mentioned already by others here. Anyhow, the guitar does not come with a hardcase. I have to buy a SKB 335 case and the guitar does not sit very well due to the longer horns as compared to the Gibson 335. The dealer mentioned that this is a prototype Ibanez and as such does not have a serial number. I am suspicious initially but then this is a reputable dealer here. I reckon this is Korean made. Other owners please email me and let me know if your guitars come with serial numbers.

I love the tone of this guitar. If you are looking for a Gibson 335 sound I reckon you will be disappointed. My assessment is that the tone is a cross between the Fender and a Gibson. If you tweak your amp or roll back on the tone knobs you will be able to get a variety of sound. The pickups handle overdrive/distortion very well. Very versatile tones for blues and rock. A very unique and pleasing tone which you will not be disappointed. The tone was better through my Marshall AVT50 compared to the Peavey Bandit that I tested at the showroom.

The factory settings was quite satisfactory. The thin neck and low action is a joy to play. However, fret buzz was present on all strings of the first fret. The pick guard and the pick up selector switch was slightly loose. Nevertheless, I usually bring my guitars to be set up by a guitar tech. Overall finish is beautiful for a guitar at this price. Hey, it comes with binding all round and abalone dot inlays.

I reckon the guitar will last my lifetime as I tend to "baby" my guitars. I am mainly a hobby guitar player hence I cannot comment and rate in this department.

I tried to find out more from Ibanez about this guitar. What do they mean by prototype and the lack of serial number. Check with their website but there was no customer support or contact details available. I was actually scouting for the AS120 but sadly 335 type guitars are very hard to find in my area. I was actually a bit confused when the dealer mentioned this is a prototype when actually the AS80 is an old model. The dealer only brought in one unit which I bought. I would appreciate it if other owners out there can enlighten me on this issue.

I have been playing for 25 years, mostly accoustic though. Electric guitars in the last 8 years. I also own a Fender American Std Strat, Fender Traditional Strat and Taylor Big Baby. If this guitar was stolen or lost I would seriously replace with a similar Ibanez but higher range (AS200 perhaps).

This guitar is actually a 335 copy.A thin hollow body with two humbuckers, and all that usuall stuff for a blues baby. One thing unusual is the extension of the neck that continues all trough the body, so it doesn't feed like hell when you pump up the volume. Pick up are ok, fat cheesy classic humbucker sound, but bridge pick up seems to lack some high ends. Whatever, don't expect to get that 335 sound, but a more modern version of a blues twang sound. It takes a hole lot better overdrive and distortion, but clean seems a bit weak. I was searching for an okay guitar without having to sell my car to afford it, and I think this guitar overules the price range its in.

Shit I talked all of that below, mmm, whatever. So be aware this is a blues, jazzy sound with as much agressivity than a mid 60s hippie, but with a pleasing low end, comfortable to hear. Just plug it in, pump the thing high and start smmmmmohkin'(yeah.....whatever)

That is pretty unusual, since I had the chance to find a pearl, I mean, not all those as 80 out there are as well thigh as mine, you can always find one that does the job. Finish is okay, tuning is bad as hell as on all those blues shitty guitars, and fret work is just fine. But one thing for sure, take off that plastic tupperware pick-guard or else you'll get static electric shock when playing, i dont how the hell its happens, but it just does.

It depends on your habits, but I guess itll get very crumbled in my case because of the thin wood and the fragile tunning keys. Again the pick guard is really a fucking shit, mine blew off on an unnacurate chord slamming, just before I decided to take it off. Will last surely longer than an Fender guitar, still...

Ive been playing for now 10 years and studied it in university few years ago. it an okay guitar but try to get an erection from a 600 guitar, you know.It sounds fine on my peavey classic 50 (what a great amp), but im looking forward to buy a 175(gibson that is).

Whatever, if you think this guitar sucks, its only because you cant play the thing..Ha

I recently purchased a 2001 Artstar after reading copious reviews and doing my homework. I will say that the guitar plays incredibly well for its price and is a good bang for the buck - since I ordered it, it was shipped with guage .09 strings, which I find bizarre. I was also very displeased that it arrived defected - the tone knob for the bridge pickup was useless. I'd like to believe such misfortunes are flukes.

I play in jazz groups, funk groups and a jam band and this guitar shines, especially in the jazz setting. Typically, I don't use many effects, but when I do, my pedal board arsenal includes auto wah, delay, gain, volume and phase. The guitars tones are versatile. The tone is buttery and warm when played through my 2X12 fender tube amp. I probably prefer my custom american strat for funk, especially when handling rhythm chords, etc.

Like I said, I was disappointed with some of the craftsmanship; the bridge pickup tone controller did not function. Other than that, the knobs seemed strong and smooth and the finish and action were acceptable.

I was very pleased that I didn't find any buzz frets.

I will not hesitate to use this guitar for a gig, however, i would treat it with care. In a calmer setting, it's the perfect ticket - I've played plenty of frat parties and might worry about the guitar in that type of setting.

I ordered this from musicians friend and unfortunately had to return it right away because of a bad tone knob - it'll take them a little while to fix it or ship me a new one, so the wait is very unfortunate because I should be using the guitar for gigs. On the other hand, the return policy, valid within 45 days of receiving the instrument, seems solid and I'm assured of ending up with a quality product. I was also disappointed that the guitar did not come with a hardshell case - I had to purchase a seperate 335 case.

I have been playing for 8-9 years. I own a marshall amp, and solid state fender and my main amp is a 60watt Fender Hot Rod Deville tube amp. Like I said, this guitar plays wonderfully through the Deville.

I wish these guitars were easier to come buy in your average guitar shop - if that had been the case, I could probably have been saved the headaches of ordering via mail.

I bought this guitar a couple of months ago, so it's a 2001. I'm adding my review because after reading others' reviews, I felt this guitar was a little better than what was said about it. I've been playing for 35 years. I have had a Gibson 335, 175's (2), Les Pauls (2), Fender Strats (4), a Gretch, a Guild X-175, a Yamaha SA2000, an Ibanez 175, Johnny Smith and L-5 (all pre-lawsuit), and a few more. And to me, this guitar is in the same catagory as those. What does a 335 have that this doesn't? Two tone, two volume knobs and a 3-way toggle. To me, I can't tell the difference in quality between the two.

I play light jazz, blues, R&B and some rock. As far as I'm concerned, this type of hollybody guitar is extremely versatile. I play it through a Fender Princeton 65 amp (but am still searching for a great overdrive pedal. Let me know if you found one). It has a nice, warm sound. I like the sound better than the 335 I had. I like Steve Lukather's playing (and sound on his No Substitutions CD). I also like Larry Carlton, Frank Zappa, Pat Martino, Jeff Beck, Jeff Golub and a few others.

Well, the action was horrible when I purchased it. I even had to have the nut changed. (Bad, Ibanez!) But I had it set up and it plays absolutely great. I haven't touched anything else. No flaws. The finish is beautiful. Oh, one other thing. The pickup guard was loose. No big deal, but hey, these should be the "little things" Ibanez does to make sure what they send out is quality.
Nice action. Nice neck.

This guitar is as good as quality as any Gibson, to me. But what matters is the one who's playing it, right? I long for the pre-lawsuit days with Ibanez. But this one is a keeper.

Never dealt with them. Don't know.

Like I said, I've been playing for about 35 years. Along with this guitar, I use an old Washburn Nuno. I prefer the semi-hollow body feel and sound. I had looked for a long time for "the" guitar. I went to every music store in town and tried 'em all. And I bought this one. Hopefully that should tell you something.

essentially, a ES335 copy. Korean made (by/for?)Ibanez. Laminated maple semi-hollow body, maple center block,set two piece maple neck (ES335 has a one piece mahogany neck) joined under the first and second fret. Standard configuration with two humbuckers (Ibanez super 58), two tone controls, two volume controls, and one three-way switch. Abr-1 style bridge, and stop bar tail piece. NIce finish touches include bound neck, f-holes, and headstock, triple layer binding on body, and mother of pearl dot markers on the rosewood neck. Jumbo frets. The neck is thin and comfortable, and feels more like Strat dimensions, than a 335.

I stupidly sold a Gibson ES335 many years ago, and didn't have the money to replace it when I decided to recently (Gibson's prices are OBSCENE!). I tried an Epiphone Casino a couple of years ago, but after replacing the pickups, and trying to keep it in tune, I sold it too. I was originally going to buy an Epiphone Dot, to get the 335 sound back - Epiphone is using "Gibson USA" pickups now, or so the stickers claim, but they sound nothing like real Gibsons - no bottom end - and the guitar has plenty of acoustic bottom. This besides the open string buzzes on two of the epi's I tried, and the cardboard feel to the guitars, made me take a stroll around the store - and there were the Ibanez Artstars. The Artstars cost more, but the minute I picked one up... I'll get to that in the next section. Where the Epi's had been bassy acoustically the AS80 was a bit thinner, but then I plugged it in! The neck pickup had about 90% of the warm bass tone of a 335 with a little more treble (but with character). The bridge pickup has some bass, but definately more treble. This was something I always wanted in a hollow body - that warm bluesy neck, but more of a Fender/Gibson hybred to the bridge. The middle position produces that nice B.B. King sound (with the tone down and the amp UP!). The pickups are very quiet (they're humbuckers), and tehy sounded great with the Peavey Classic 30 tube amp at the store, And great with my Fender Ultra Chourus. The clean B.B. sound with this amp is SO clear and mellow. The jumbo frets allow finger pressure effects and great pull offs, and feedback is pretty well controlled.

What impressed me at the store was that the Ibanez FELT so good. The set up was almost perfect (I still played with it when I got it home). When I fine tuned the intonation it came out perfect. The action is very low with no buzzes, and the action is smooth and effortless. When I first played it I couldn't believe an moderate-priced guitar could feel that good and solid (it weighs almost as much as a Gibson). As with all humbuckers (Gibson or otherwise) I had to adjust the pickup pole pieces for even volume. The tone and volume pots are much smoother and more solid than the Epi, and even my Strat Ultra! The finish is a nice dark yellow, nearly invisable (just enpough for transition) red, and black sunburst. The finish seems very thick and durable, and very glossy. My only critisms here would be that the sunburst is applied to fade in, and out on the sides, and on the neck. I think it would have looked more like an expensive guitar if the neck and sides were solid black ( and it would probably cost the factory less). Also there are some faint sanding marks which come through the surface. There is a bit of quilting to the top, and although it is uneven, it is still welcome at this price point. The tuning pegs seems smooth and substantial, and the guitar stays in tune very well.

The thin dimension of the neck, while comfortable, makes me wonder about it's resitance to rough handling, but I baby my guitars so no problem for me. Everything else is very solid, and even the pickguard hardware is solid and built like a 335. I would use it without a backup.

One year warrenty

It is the closest thing to the 335 I have had since (including a very poorly made Gibson Lucille!), I sold my original, and probably the closest I will get now. I would definately replace it with another

Not sure when it was made, prolly late 70's or early 80's. Same features as everyone else here, no special mods. It's a ES-335 copy.

Bought it to gig. Needed a humbucker guitar. Not what I play at home typically, it's somewhat boring in my opinion. Nothing like a real 335. But then again, I don't like seeing a real 335 get beat to shit from giggin'.

Pick ups are nice and twangy. Lots of gain and high end. Good lows, and smooth mids. The electronics are... okay. They do the job (and that's what I bought it for, I suppose). Nothing special, though. They just do the job.

No ringing, chiming quality like a Gibson boxtop. I've played a few Gibson 335's, both old and new. This Ibanez looks nice, and is dependable. But it doesn't get me excited, like a true blue Gibson.

Nice finish.

The action... well, uh. It's okay. I got 10's on there. Maybe I'll try 11's next. Came with 9's, but it wasn't that thrilling to play and the tone sorta sucked. I'll probably get tendinitis with those 11's, but oh well.

It feels well built. Just lacking something, I don't know what. Doesn't RESONATE like a true blue semi-hollow, that's the problem. Sustain is okay. Build quality great. Just no personality.

Seems real solid. Totally dependable. I got it to save harm to my Gibson - I'd rather bust the headstock on this one, if I find myself in that predicament.

I don't speak Japanese, sorry.

Not a bad piece of wood. To me, it lacks the character of a real 335 or other box top. But then again, it's fairly free of defects too. A good solid, useable axe.

Nice finish too. Not really rock 'n roll, more sophisticated looking. The "supper club" model, woo hoo.

This 335 type guitar has your basic two volume, two tone control setup. It's all maple design has a laminated top, one piece maple neck with rosewood board, dual humbucking design (Super 58's) and tune-o-matic style bridge.
Its vintage burst finish is somewhat of an antique violin burst and it flawlessly applied. The cosmetics of this guitar are impeccable considering the price. The only flaws I have seen is the f-hole binding which is some what uneven. The rest of the antique binding is perfect. The only other niggle I have seen is a plastic nut, though not problematic seems to be a bit soft and not expertly carved. The tone and volume pots are robust and seem as they will last.

The sound of this Artstar is excellent for blues and jazz. Plugged into a Fender Vibrolux in the bright channel second input (less gain) this guitar exibits a natural warmth in that the guitar responds to the nuances of your fingering without the amp doing the work. It really breathes. The Super 58 pickups sound fine. These will probably remain on the guitar. Their medium output compliments the guitar well. Rolling off the tone control darkens the tone of both pickups though not excessively (it really works). The pickup selector switch allows you to dial in any amount of volume of each pickup (from 0-10) without shutting the guitar off which I feel is a great feature. My favorite settings are on the front pickup (volume at 8), middle combination (front at 8 - bridge 5) and middle position (front 6 - bridge 10). The bottom line is that this is a versatile guitar from rck to jazz.

The action from the factory was ok. The bass side was a little high for my taste and the strings came with 9's installed (????). I immediately installed 10's and will probably go up to 11's on the next changing.The neck is slightly on the thin side compared to other more rounded necks but is very sleek and fast. The action is very smooth and will handle the 11's nicely. The vintage sunburst is excellent and the hardware is robust. This guitar looks quite nice.

As far as the durability, this guitar will stand up to a live gig without any problem. It is in the ball park quality wise of a Gibson 335 but at a fraction of the price.

Don't Know

I have been playing for 30 years and have always loved the semi-hollow body sound. I have also owned my share of Strats,Les Pauls, SG's, Hamers, G&L, Epiphones etc. Having become disenchanted over the last years with the quality foremost and price (what are they thinking) of Gibson & Fender, I have searched out other manufacturers such as Hamer & G&L for their instruments which I feel are better quality than the standard manufacturers.
This guitar satisfies me for the 335 semi-hollowbody sound. Although there are guitars of higher quality this is a pro guitar that looks and sounds great for the price. If you are looking for this type of instrument, give this guy a shot. It is a league above the Epiphones and others in its price range.

Already been covered below. Pretty much a Gibson 335 with a different headstock. Standard 2 pickup, 2 volume, 2 tone controls, and a 3 way toggle switch. I prefer only one vol. and one tone ala Telecaster, but I can live with it. I've owned many Gibsons in the past, although I'm primarily a Fender player, but I can live with this setup. One thing that I should mention is that, according to Ibanez website, these guitars have slightly pointy cutaways compared to a real 335, and mine is exactly like a 335 - more rounded. Hmm... oh well, I like the looks of mine better that way anyway.

Sounds like it's supposed to for this kind of guitar. I find it to be a very versatile guitar for a wide variety of Gibson tones. It can do a reasonable Les Paul facsimile, or any other humbucking equipped Gibson for that matter. It won't do a proper jazz hollowbody tone, but it can get close - close enough for me. I play mostly blues, but do occasionally fill in with other bands that need a pickup guitarist for one evening. In those circumstances I'll have to play a wide variety of stuff - classic rock, country, R&B, oldies, some standards, etc. I feel that this guitar can do well with all of those styles except for trying to mimic Fender tones. You can use it for a country gig, but you may want to lay off of the signature Telecaster licks. I'm running this into a Sovtek Mig-50 head and a Peavey 410E 4X10 tweed cabinet. External attachments are limited to some kind of boost pedal(I have several that'll serve this purpose), and a little slapback delay, since I have no reverb.

I bought it used and I'm playing it as is at the moment. It's set up pretty light with what seems to be 10 - 46 gauge strings (my preference). I like to keep my Fenders set up ridiculously high - as high as the strings will go and still intonate at the bridge. I'll probably get around to raising the action on the Ibanez as well eventually. I like a guitar to fight back a little. It would be nice if the finish wasn't so thick, enabling the wood to resonate more, improving the tone, but it sounds great just the same. I noticed the tinniest little flaw on the neck binding right at the edge of the fretwire. No biggie. Other than that it's great.

I've only had it for a few days now, so it's hard to say, but I'm sure it'll be fine for the long haul. I'll just have to try to go a little easier on it than I do the Telecaster, which gets tossed around a lot. If I take only one guitar to any gig without a backup, it will always be the Telecaster, and most of the time I take only the Tele. This guitar will be a nice change of pace, but I wouldn't want to live with it all night.

Can't say

When compared to the Epiphone semi hollows, I thought the Ibanez was WAY better. The Epis just feel so cheap. Also the Epi's need a pickup makeover, the Ibanez pickups are not only fine, but they're actually quite excellent, as humbuckers go. I've noticed that people that buy this guitar are not changing pickups and hardware, which is a good sign. I'll keep it as is. I've always wanted a semi-hollow, and this fits the bill just find. If lost, or stolen, I'd scout around for another used one. If I could afford it, I'd go for the Heritage 535 I think, but in a blindfold test, the Ibanez doesn't present itself as being a lesser guitar.

The other reviews say it all. A nicely bound jazz, hollow-body with sweet, clean humbuckers.

Nice mellow jazz and decent blues tones (doesn't honk quite like I'd like, but the sound is sweet all around). The existing electronics also provide some nice classic rock tones straight into a fender twin. Through a decent floor processor this guitar is capable of some very nice Les Paul-esque distorted tones, despite the fact that the classic 58s are NOT high output by any means. This axe sounds best through a tube amp (I use a Pignose GT40 powering twin 1960s blue Alnicos in a closed cabinet. For an ultra-clean jazz sound, I run it through my little Fender Stage 112SE combo (it sparkles). For a smooth, thick jazz tone I keep it primarily set on the neck pickup with the volume between 5 and 8 at the guitar. Too, I have to keep the treble rather low regardless of which pick-up I use (set from 2-4) or else it tends to be far too sharp...almost twangy. To add dimension to this guitar I will almost certainly replace the bridge pickup with a Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB (Jeff Beck series).

This was what sold me on the AS80...at least the one I actually purchased. The action was perfect, the fretwork superb and the neck infinitely playable. I tried offerings by DeArmond, Epiphone and Gibson and the Ibanez won hands down for comfort, ease of play and sustain. The wood acceptable though not beautiful, but at the price I have no complaints. The binding work on the other hand is much nicer than I'd expected for a guitar at this price and the standard Gotoh tuners are quite good. One caveat I would offer is that the AS80 I purchased has really fine finish work. Ones I've seen since haven't all been up to snuff (some as good, several not so good). I would suggest you avoid buying an AS80 through a catalog as the craftsmanship varies significantly from axe to axe.

I gig with the AS80 regularly. The electronics are tried and true and the hardware is plenty stout. Of course it's a hollow-body, and thus requires a bit more care than my strat or tele, nevertheless, if you're strictly a jazzbo, you definitely won't need a backup. Hey...it's an Ibanez and I've never had a problem with one (this is my third)and the AS80 is well appointed.

I doubt I'll need support.

I've been giging for over 20 years. I play blues, classic and hard rock and I like to pretend I can play jazz. To that end, I purchased this guitar and have been thoroughly pleased. If it were stolen, I'd probably save up and buy the AS180 as it is just enough nicer to be worth a try. An added bonus of the hollow-body is that it is nice and light. I have a '78 strat (my workhorse) and it has a solid maple body...damn heavy. I loved it when I was 25, but it's getting awfully heavy anymore and I just don't play as much Hendrix as I used to anyway. With some modification to the electronics, the Ibanez could end up getting the lion's share of stage time (maybe).

1987, Korean made, hollow body with solid center block ES-335 type instrument, all maple constuction solid neck with scarf joint and 5 ply body, electronics are 2 passive super 58 pickups (standard on all AS and AF models) 2 vol 2 tone controls and a 3-way selector, vintage burst (2-tone tobacco sunburst) finish, Tune-O-Matic bridge, stop tailpiece, die-cast tuners, hardshell case.

This guitar really soars in the lite jazz and blues music genre. Overall, it has a very smooth sound when played clean or distorted. Think Larry Carlton or Lee Ritenour. The sound of this guitar is truly addictive and soul-soothing. It is also very satisfying when fingerpicked. In general, notes seem to swell after they are plucked, giving you a fabulous sustain with rich overtones. Did I mention I love the sound of this guitar? You will too! Of course versatility-wise, you are limited. This axe will not sound like a Strat or Tele. But by the same token no Strat or Tele will sound like this guitar. It does it's thing as well as most any guitar in its category and much better than any in it's price range. Have you checked out Ephiphones or Washburns in the $650 price range?

The setup was a little too low, I had to raise the strings a bit, but I can still get away with 2/32" on the bass or treble side of the neck without any major buzz. Most everything was fine, finish or fit-wise except for some roughness in the F-holes

It's not a solid-body, so it's not idiot proof. It is, however, pretty sturdy. As long as you don't pour lighter fluid on it and tosss a match I don't see why it couldn't withstand a few rough gigs or road trips.

Have no idea

Overall, I have to rate this guitar a 10. I realize I didn't give it a 10 in any previous categories, but this axe is equal to more than the sum of it's parts. There are no categories for "Vibe", "Groove", "Soul" or "Value" but if there were, this gem would rate 12 in all of them. And yes, if it were stolen I would look for another.