Is This Ibanez Hollow Body A Good Buy?

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soundchaser59

Reluctant Commander
Ok..... so I'm dinking around town on my "day off" (which is every day at the moment!) and we stop in to the newest latest and greatest music store in town to see what they got!

I dont see anything special, Behr*****ger amps, Danelectro pedals, some nice Fender leather straps, the used Baldwin 6 foot grand needs work but is fun to test drive, a couple of used Crate amps.......and.....

An Ibanez AF75D-TRO hollow body electric, similar to this one in every way (except color).


Here is the sales hype:

-----------------------------------
Big archtop tone for little bucks.
The Ibanez Artcore AF75 Electric Guitar has a fully bound all maple body that provides tight resonance without feedback. This guitar is perfect for that muted jazz tone and fully flexible for everything from alt rock to pounding punk. Mahogany neck with bound rosewood fretboard is a delight to the digits. ACH1 humbucker at the neck and ACH2 at the bridge provide a beefy, quiet signal with pronounced mids.


Ibanez Artcore AF75D Electric Guitar Features:

Maple top, sides, and back
Full hollow, no soundblocks
Mahogany neck
Bound rosewood fretboard
ACH1 humbucker at the neck
ACH2 humbucker at the bridge
-----------------------------------


Any advice or opinions? Why do some of these Artcore guitars say "Mahogany neck" while others say "Mahogany SET neck"? What's the difference? Is this a decent and reliable instrument at a fair price? Or is it a fall apart in 6 months piece of smoked carp? I thought the sound was pretty nice, and it played in tune all the way up and down the neck with leads and chords. It was definitely easy to play and easy to like. Is it sugar coated lemons underneath the shiny coat? Or is it a decent piece of ear candy inside and out? We are only talking about $350 bucks here, but I cant afford to break the bank on the Chet Atkins Gretsch stuff, so if this is worth the price I would probably go for it just to have a compliment for the Strat I already have.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or opinions!
 
I had an Ibanez AG75 (sunburst) for about a year and a half. It was a pretty nice playing guitar, good action and intonation (which took some doing), pretty good acoustic sound.....all around pretty solid guitar for the $250 i spent on it. it was an impulse buy.

It had the same humbuckers as the one in your link and after a while i found them grainy and cloudy. This led to its downfall. I eventually decided i needed to swap em out for a Duncan JB/Jazz combo. Installing pickups on a hollowbody sucks, so I got a quote from my local guitar shop to do it. Between the pups and the labor (swapping all the wiring and pots too), it was going to be another $150-175 and I decided that just wasn't worth it.

In the end I sold it for $200 to a friend and put the money towards a couple boxes of rockwool. ;)

It satisfied my hollowbody jones for a little while, and it provided a sound i didn't have......and there are some times where i kiiiiiiiiiinda miss it.......but not a whole lot. it actually did hard rock better than it did jazz, surprisingly--it was a lot better sounding through an overdriven amp than it was a clean one.

just my $.02


cheers,
wade

PS--all hollow body guitars are "set neck" guitars. you have either a bolt-on (strat/tele), set neck (les paul/hollowbody) or through neck (some alembics, etc).
 
mrface2112 said:
I had an Ibanez AG75 (sunburst) for about a year and a half. It was a pretty nice playing guitar, good action and intonation (which took some doing), pretty good acoustic sound.....all around pretty solid guitar for the $250 i spent on it. it was an impulse buy.

It had the same humbuckers as the one in your link and after a while i found them grainy and cloudy. This led to its downfall. I eventually decided i needed to swap em out for a Duncan JB/Jazz combo. Installing pickups on a hollowbody sucks, so I got a quote from my local guitar shop to do it. Between the pups and the labor (swapping all the wiring and pots too), it was going to be another $150-175 and I decided that just wasn't worth it.

In the end I sold it for $200 to a friend and put the money towards a couple boxes of rockwool. ;)

It satisfied my hollowbody jones for a little while, and it provided a sound i didn't have......and there are some times where i kiiiiiiiiiinda miss it.......but not a whole lot. it actually did hard rock better than it did jazz, surprisingly--it was a lot better sounding through an overdriven amp than it was a clean one.

just my $.02


cheers,
wade

PS--all hollow body guitars are "set neck" guitars. you have either a bolt-on (strat/tele), set neck (les paul/hollowbody) or through neck (some alembics, etc).
Click to expand...
In the years I've been here dishing out my 2cents here I rarely if ever give opinions on guitars because it is down to so many things. To the OP I'll just say this. If it's right for you, it's right. Just be aware that archtops more than maybe any other style of guitar don't translate to the lower end of the market as well as other types. I'd hate for a one off purchase to put you off them for years to come.

The bit of the quote in bold, no they are not. There are quite a few makers doing bolt on necks on archtops these days much the same as Taylor acoustics. Admittedly not the big names but there is a ground swell of opinion about them among us smaller archtop makers and custom shops.
 
muttley600 said:
In the years I've been here dishing out my 2cents here I rarely if ever give opinions on guitars because it is down to so many things.
Click to expand...
This is sage advice. As I had a guitar extremely similar (nearly identical in most respects) to the one in question, I felt I should give my plusses and minuses. In the end, i felt that there were more minuses than plusses.

muttley600 said:
There are quite a few makers doing bolt on necks on archtops these days
Click to expand...
Really?!?!? I think that's splendid and I happily stand corrected!

Truth be told, I prefer bolt-on necks on electrics. The cheap chinese epi LP Jr i have is a bolt-on and i think that really adds to the overall tone and sustain of the guitar. I'd really like to give an archtop with a bolt-on neck a go. Can you point me in any directions? Please send me a PM if you don't want to say anything in the public context.

The set neck was one of the issues i had with that guitar, actually--the previous owner had cranked the trussrod so far (all the way and TIGHT) that over time the neck had developed a back bow. i brought the truss rod a considerable bit back the other way in an attempt to "fix" it. As a result the neck relief was better (the buzz was gone) but it was never quite right--bringing it back the way it needed to go for proper relief played into the back bow and it was always a compromise from there on out. A neck reset would've probably been called for......but who resets a neck on a $200 guitar? :p

i gave full disclosure to the guy i sold it to, but he liked the way it played and was fine with it as is. he never plays with a capo either, so he might never encounter it.

if it had been a bolt-on, i would probably have kept the guitar--and simply sourced a new one and replaced it. but between that and the pickups.....not so much.


cheers,
wade
 
mrface2112 said:
This is sage advice. As I had a guitar extremely similar (nearly identical in most respects) to the one in question, I felt I should give my plusses and minuses. In the end, i felt that there were more minuses than plusses.

Really?!?!? I think that's splendid and I happily stand corrected!

Truth be told, I prefer bolt-on necks on electrics. The cheap chinese epi LP Jr i have is a bolt-on and i think that really adds to the overall tone and sustain of the guitar. I'd really like to give an archtop with a bolt-on neck a go. Can you point me in any directions? Please send me a PM if you don't want to say anything in the public context.

The set neck was one of the issues i had with that guitar, actually--the previous owner had cranked the trussrod so far (all the way and TIGHT) that over time the neck had developed a back bow. i brought the truss rod a considerable bit back the other way in an attempt to "fix" it. As a result the neck relief was better (the buzz was gone) but it was never quite right--bringing it back the way it needed to go for proper relief played into the back bow and it was always a compromise from there on out. A neck reset would've probably been called for......but who resets a neck on a $200 guitar? :p

i gave full disclosure to the guy i sold it to, but he liked the way it played and was fine with it as is. he never plays with a capo either, so he might never encounter it.

if it had been a bolt-on, i would probably have kept the guitar--and simply sourced a new one and replaced it. but between that and the pickups.....not so much.


cheers,
wade
Click to expand...

At present the only guys doing it are top end makers. Your talking prices in excess of 5k. That being said I'm not sold on the idea. I've done a few and the results were OK but I wouldn't say they added anything that a decent dovetail joint didn't have. The way they are done is similar to the Taylor acoustics so its not quite the same as a bolt on strat or LP. I'd have to check to find out who's still doing it but I've talked about it with quite a few makers.

Just for the record if the neck has a back bow or any bow or twist that is so severe that it effects the action, playing or intonation then a neck reset isn't the answer. You need to address the problem with the neck. A neck reset is done on acoustics to overcome the problems encountered when the top has pulled up raising the action beyond an acceptable level. It won't help a twisted or bowed neck. On an archtop it would only be done if the top had sunk to the point that the bridge was too slight to get the action required. That rarely if ever happens.

Incidentally, A set neck or bolt on doesn't dictate more sustain as you seem to suggest. It can influence the tone yes, sustain no. If anything it would be the other way round.
 
High end, eh? None for me, thanks. At least, not with the wife in charge of the funds! :p

A buddy of mine who built guitars for PRS in the pre-factory days told me "you've got two options......cut the neck out and put a new one in, or get rid of the guitar". I opted for #2 since #1 didn't sound like a project worth undertaking. Fun....but not worth undertaking. Maybe if i hadn't had kids......

I didn't know that a reset wouldn't have helped. I would've thought you could put some shims in there to help offset the bow somewhat, but I suppose that wouldn't make a difference if the neck itself is warped. Learn something new every day!

While I'm learning and hijacking this thread :D, would putting a bigsby on aforementioned bolt-on LP Jr negatively affect the sustain or tone in your opinion? I know opinions on bigsbys are widely varied......and i was thinking one might be real cool on this guitar.


cheers,
wade
 
I've played a couple of the Ibanez artcore style guitars and thought they were actually pretty decent for the money. But I think that way about Mexican Strats too. I'm no guitar expert except that I've been playing for over 45 years now.
 
The artcores that I've played have been pretty good guitars that have held up for at least the year I owned it. I had the semi-hollowbody bass and it was an excellent bass for any amount of money, my guitar player used the same model as you mentioned for a rockabilly band we were in and he liked it for what it did.
 
I have a AFS -75 and I think they're great for the money. Keep in mind these have a floating bridge - the bridge isn't attached to anything. Take all the strings off and the bridge falls to the floor. So you have to change strings one at a time.
 
I bought a used Samick art series L5 copy alot like this for $80...I think it has a nice tone too....YMMV
 
those ibbies aren't bad to hot-rod, but those ACH pickups are aweful (and wrong for this type of guitar).

You could always buy this:

http://www.rondomusic.com/product724.html

or

http://www.rondomusic.com/product1242.html

or

http://www.rondomusic.com/product1243.html

Most likely pickups will need replaced too, but the prices are better AND the guitars are better. I have the orange WNO-630 - they're really good guitars.

I also can't stand Ibanez Artcore's neo-f-holes - they make the whole guitar look like it was made with an axe. Otherwise they're not bad for the money - lots of people at Gretsch forums hot-rod them - they'll sound good with right pickups (GFS Retrotrons). I looked into them before I scored the Douglas, even compared them to the cheap and the real Gretsches and other archtops in the store. I'm glad I got the Douglas - best value in a budget archtop.

Just so you know the WNO-650 dual cutaway is full hollow (not semi-hollow like Epi Dot and Gibson 335)
 
Gear_Junky said:
those ibbies aren't bad to hot-rod, but those ACH pickups are aweful (and wrong for this type of guitar).

You could always buy this:

http://www.rondomusic.com/product724.html

or

http://www.rondomusic.com/product1242.html

or

http://www.rondomusic.com/product1243.html

Most likely pickups will need replaced too, but the prices are better AND the guitars are better. I have the orange WNO-630 - they're really good guitars.

I also can't stand Ibanez Artcore's neo-f-holes - they make the whole guitar look like it was made with an axe. Otherwise they're not bad for the money - lots of people at Gretsch forums hot-rod them - they'll sound good with right pickups (GFS Retrotrons). I looked into them before I scored the Douglas, even compared them to the cheap and the real Gretsches and other archtops in the store. I'm glad I got the Douglas - best value in a budget archtop.

Just so you know the WNO-650 dual cutaway is full hollow (not semi-hollow like Epi Dot and Gibson 335)
Click to expand...

Ah now I'm gonna pull you up on that one.;)

The Ibanez f-holes are almost a direct rip of D'aquisto's style which are kind of the starting point for many builders these days. They are a good developemnet on the deco styles he was steeped in.

The Hondo's on the other hand are neither old style or more modern. Ok I'm being hyper critical here but that's what my main working life is like building these things.

As to the best of the bunch. You are just as likely to find a decent player in either brand but be prepared to sift through a few. In truth to get the real big bodied archtpop sound you need a good floating pickup and a solid spruce top that has been voiced correctly and that doesn't come cheap.. Again a bias, but you can get a decent generic archtop rockabilly or Gretsch sound from either of those with careful choice of replacement pickups and strings.

As this is essentially a preference thread ymmv.:D
 
yeah, my dislike for the artcores is purely visual. they're probably about the same quality, but since the Douglas comes cheaper - it just seems a no brainer.

and since we're talking about a budget under $400, i doubt we should even invoke solid spruce tops :p

And I'd just assume that most people want these as a gretsch-alike for rockabilly, etc.
 
Oh....I thought someone would want to wear loin cloths, climb PA stacks, have a furry tail and a quiver and have their own hunting show....

rockabilly... that sounds like goat molestation.
 
For what they charge for them, I think Ibanez archtops are a very good value. They must be at least pretty good, since George Benson uses one as a stage guitar (not this model, but they are still a big step down from his D'Aquisto), and Pat Metheny has retired his ES-175 in favor of one (again, not this model, and Pat would probably go back if he would just let someone refret and fix up his 175, but he's afraid they will mess up the guitar - as if it could be worse than having the sides held together with duct tape and tailpiece held on with a toothbrush!). Granted that those are both signature models, but the production line archtops from Ibanez are as good as you will get in this price range.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Ok, now I have thrown a new twist into this deal..... the other local music store here, the one with the used stuff, has this guitar for $350 with Ibanez hard case included:

(this is the actual axe and case for sale, I played it earlier today)
ibanez_am78t.jpg



(and a better photo of an identical model)
ibanez_am78t_b.jpg



This one is semi-hollow, and consequently feels way more solid and sounds and plays much better than the full hollow AF75 at the other store for $450 with case. Plus this one is very slightly used, and I could tell as soon as I started playing it that the original owner had someone set it up. The intonation was perfect all the way up the neck, the frets were dressed, tuning heads are solid with no play in them at all, the bigsby-imitation whammy works fine, stays in tune, perfect action, not a scratch on it, neck is straight, it's 3 years old, made in Korea in November 2005. I believe this guitar was retailing new for about $450-500 bucks. Very tempting. I like it, and I have a pretty good idea what I am and what I am not paying for. So all things considered, this looks and feels like a slightly better deal than the first one I played at the other store.

Looking at the second photo again, I just realized one other reason I like this one better........it doesn't have the "large frets" like the others, it has medium frets. CoooooL! No wonder it played so well for me.

Any more thoughts on this new twist? Again, we are only talking about $350 bucks here, and this would not be my main axe. This thing would only be for some basement recording or lite gigs when the Strat sound just isn't exactly what the bluesy or lite jazzy side of me needs. I would also be tempted to put flatwound strings on this thing.
 
well, with case it sounds like a really good value. IF that's the sound you like/want. And if you like it visually. I couldn't like it, but that's taste and you might PREFER it to stuff I'd like - so then you should get it. :)
 
I'd jump on the AM78. They are a very decent guitar in terms of build quality and playability. They are also pretty rare. That price is about what you'd pay for one on ebay. I have an AM77(same guitar minus the vibrato) and its one of my main players after replacing the electronics and hardware.
Mine:
new009.jpg
 
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