I am looking into getting a cheap hollow body or semi hollow body guitar; more specifically I am looking at the Ibanez Artcore (price). I liked the AFS75T because it has the tremolo but when I finally played it, it is considerably thinner then the rest of them. Acoustically I like the sound of the AF75 the best, it’s about twice as thick as the AFS75T but it doesn’t have the tremolo. Sure I could put a Bigsby on it but since it is larger I am concerned about the increased feedback problems. For the most part it will be my church guitar so feedback won’t be a problem but I need it as a backup when I play with my band doing Switchfoot and Foo fighter’s kind of stuff as well. Any thoughts? Does anyone have any sound clips of a hollow body on high gain so I can get an idea of how much gain is manageable (of course volume will play a huge roll as well)?
Ibanez Artcore
- Thread starter Fret
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Chris Meck
New member
Any big, fat hollowbody is going to be a feedback nightmare with more than very moderate gain.
The thinner '335 type guitars with the solid center block are a decent compromise; they'll handle a bit more gain, but even they will feedback at a certain point.
This is why you rarely see hard rock guys using them. You CAN use them, but usually folks that do have incorporated the feedback issues into their playing style (i.e. lots of palm muting, volume knob working, etc.)
Chris
The thinner '335 type guitars with the solid center block are a decent compromise; they'll handle a bit more gain, but even they will feedback at a certain point.
This is why you rarely see hard rock guys using them. You CAN use them, but usually folks that do have incorporated the feedback issues into their playing style (i.e. lots of palm muting, volume knob working, etc.)
Chris
gvarko
New member
My friend bought the Ibanez
Or as I like to call them, Ivebeenhad... We tried 3 different pickup configs in that Artcore and could never get it to stop with feedback. There is no center block and I think that is a poor design for this guitar. We thought about strapping a 2X4 to the back to see if it would help. The guitar is now a dust collector sitting in a corner, gutted of all PU's. IMO they are garbage, to be avoided... I would get the Epi 335 dot before I would consider the Ibanez....
Or as I like to call them, Ivebeenhad... We tried 3 different pickup configs in that Artcore and could never get it to stop with feedback. There is no center block and I think that is a poor design for this guitar. We thought about strapping a 2X4 to the back to see if it would help. The guitar is now a dust collector sitting in a corner, gutted of all PU's. IMO they are garbage, to be avoided... I would get the Epi 335 dot before I would consider the Ibanez....
Fusioninspace
New member
I've been using a Hamer Echotone (335 style) for years with only minimal feedback at high volume levels - it's so controllable, it's nice to use the feedback as an effect.
From the Ibanez's I've seen and played with, they should be similar if it's the 335 style one. I think the Artcore is more of a jazz guitar (if it's got the thicker body and no 2x4).
If you're look at price, then you seem to be on the right track - Ibanez makes good stuff. Check out the Hamer Echotone, Epi Dot and few others and see what you think. I remember trying out the Ibanez 335 when I got my Hamer, but I don't remember if there was something in particular I didn't like - totally personal preference, nothing about the build quality or anything.....
.... unlike those pesky Gibsons. I'm not quite sure why people spend a ton of money on those things. The frets were sharp on the ends, the f-holes where not sanded down very well, it never really invited me to play. To each his own I suppose.
Good luck on your next guitar!
From the Ibanez's I've seen and played with, they should be similar if it's the 335 style one. I think the Artcore is more of a jazz guitar (if it's got the thicker body and no 2x4).
If you're look at price, then you seem to be on the right track - Ibanez makes good stuff. Check out the Hamer Echotone, Epi Dot and few others and see what you think. I remember trying out the Ibanez 335 when I got my Hamer, but I don't remember if there was something in particular I didn't like - totally personal preference, nothing about the build quality or anything.....
.... unlike those pesky Gibsons. I'm not quite sure why people spend a ton of money on those things. The frets were sharp on the ends, the f-holes where not sanded down very well, it never really invited me to play. To each his own I suppose.
Good luck on your next guitar!
Thanks for the input. One thing I do need to add though is that it has to be a single cut away. Visually I love the AFS75T, think of a 335 with a single cut. I’m just so used to listening to a guitar acoustically before electrically that when comparing the two Ibanez’s of course the thicker acoustic sounds better. I’ll have to take a look at what Hammer has to offer though.