Anyone play one of these...Ibanez semi hollow body

[bbl4ck]

Hey DMRACO,

Did you ever end up getting a hollow body?  If so, was it that Ibanez with the cracked finish? 
I have been checking out that Ibanez Artcore series since you posted this and they have some pretty cool looking boxes.
But, I would like to hear a forum review of one. 
Be cool &  :rock-on:

 

[pabloman]

Just a thought, if you're going to spend $400 on the guitar and another $200 to make it cool why not get a Gretsch Electromatic??

 

[dmraco]

still looking on ebay for the perfect deal.  Trying to keep it under $300.....

 

[Cagey]

still looking on ebay for the perfect deal.  Trying to keep it under $300.....

Speaking of ebay and good deals...

There's a nice-looking chambered quilted maple over mahogany Strat body up right now for $150, and nobody's bidding on it. It's got some finish flaws, and the finish probably isn't one you'd try to preserve anyway due to serious quality issues, so you're probably looking at a strip job to start with. But that's a $300 body from Warmoth. Anybody who's willing to do the work could save themselves a chunk of change and end up with a really nice-looking Strat.

 

[dNA]

Without reading the whole thread (for time constraints) I want to throw in my 2 Cents:

I've been playing an  ibanez full-hollow artcore for about 8 or 9 years. It's been my main axe since I was a teenager, and over the years I've owned a lot of other guitars.

1) I think the artcores (and other vintage-style ibbys) are perfect in terms of playability. The necks are a medium profile- not horribly thin like other ibanez guitars, medium-jumbo frets, and you can get the action really nice and low. The only guitar i've owned that played better was my Carvin.
2) In terms of build quality, you are getting a monster of a deal. Yes, the hardware is cheap, but the fit and finish of everything else is perfect. Most of them come with binding on the body and neck, and the fretwork is excellent.
3) The hardware generally sucks. The stock pickups are mudbuckers, the tuning machines feel cheap, and the nut is plastic. For les than $200 you can get one of these guitars refitted with a new nut, nice new pickups, and Schaller locking tuners are a direct-replacement in terms of fit.
4) They have a sweet aesthetic
5) They ARE made in Korea, so you can't be 100% sure on quality control. Definitely only buy one if you've played it first and liked it.

Honestly, i would own 3 of the full hollows if there was a way to keep them from feeding back on stage, because i love everything about mine. If they start offering the AS103 in a wider variety of finishes i'll probably pick one up. the blonde just doesn't do it for me
In terms of tone, I think there's a science to finding the sweet spot. You gotta get the right combination of strings and electronics. Personally I've been tuning mine up to F# standard with 10's on it for almost 3 years, because it just came to life in a unique sorta way, and the DiMarzio PAF classics sound PERFECT in that guitar. I just wish they made a model with a single coil in the neck...

 

[bagman67]

I had an Ibanez AS73 for about 4 years - their ES335 copy.  I was very happy with it.  I found the neck contour more comfy than the Epi DOT, since there was a little more meat to it - I don't care for slim necks.  Fit'n'finish were tremendous considering I bought it for 175 bucks "used" (it was a bass-player's guitar, and he hardly touched it).  It was a factory second, since one of the pickup bezel screw holes was stripped - otherwise, flawless.

I agree with whoever it was above who said you should play the one you want to buy before you lay the money down, since there are QC inconsistencies coming out of Korea.  Otherwise, they're a great deal.

Sold it off to fund an amp purchase, you know the deal... gotta turn over the stock.  I am a huge fan of Ibanez's low end guitars - they put a lot of value in your hands for minimum cash outlay.  I can't figure out >2000 bucks for a Jem, though...

Peace

Bagman

 

[dNA]

Sold it off to fund an amp purchase, you know the deal... gotta turn over the stock.  I am a huge fan of Ibanez's low end guitars - they put a lot of value in your hands for minimum cash outlay.  I can't figure out >2000 bucks for a Jem, though...

i know the deal. I can think of at least one ibanez that i got $320 that I loved and i really regret selling it. I was "buying up" and got one of their Prestige models and hated it. haha
I do think it's odd that Ibanez has this big gap. it's like they make a ton of guitars for $300-$750, but there's a big gap with almost nothing until you hit the $1500+ range again.