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heads on fire « Save your pennies for the AS103. »
Published on 11/23/11 at 18:20SPECS
Neck Material: Mahogany
Neck Type: Artcore set-in
Body: Maple top/back/sides
Frets: Large frets
Fingerboard: Bound Rosewood
Inlay: Pearl dot inlay
Bridge: ART1 bridge
NeckPU: ACH1
BridgePU: ACH2
HW Color: CH
Finishes: IV, BS, TCR
All-Maple, semi-hollow body.
AS SERIES BASICS
Set-in neck
Large Frets
ART-1 Bridge
Quik Change III tailpiece
Depth: 43mm at tail
Left-handed model available
Scale/Length 628mm/24.75"
a: Width at Nut 43mm
b: Width Last Fret 57mm
c: Thickness 1st Fret 20mm
d: Thickness 12th Fret 26.5mm
Radius 305mm
PICKUPS
Bridge Pickup
Name: ACH2
Model No: ACH2
Construction: Humbucking
Magnet: Ceramic
Description: Bridge version of ACH1.
Neck Pickup
Name: ACH1
Model No: ACH1
Construction: Humbucking
Magnet: Ceramic
Description: Clean sounding with a slight overdrive.
UTILIZATION
This guitar is alright. It's good, but rough around the edges. It can be setup to play very well, but the neck still feels a bit lacking compared to even slightly higher priced Ibanez models. The hardware feels a bit cheap, the electronics seem a bit rough, and the pickups are unimpressive.
SOUNDS
I'm not a fan of the pickups. They are average-sounding at best, and mediocre at worst. They are nothing special - they pickup the string vibrations, so they work, but they just don't sound good. The guitar is meant to be played in almost any genre, and the AS73 could be used for nearly anything but metal, but I wouldn't use it without an overhaul of the electronics and pickups.
OVERALL OPINION
This guitar gets a 6 overall from me. The AS103 is a bit more expensive, but a ton better in quality. The nut that keeps the 3-way switch fastened to the body was machined poorly, and had a sharp twisting shard of metal sticking upward that actually drew blood from my hand! That's just poor-quality craftsmanship at that point, and I wouldn't even bother with this guitar when the AS103 exists. Not recommended.
Neck Material: Mahogany
Neck Type: Artcore set-in
Body: Maple top/back/sides
Frets: Large frets
Fingerboard: Bound Rosewood
Inlay: Pearl dot inlay
Bridge: ART1 bridge
NeckPU: ACH1
BridgePU: ACH2
HW Color: CH
Finishes: IV, BS, TCR
All-Maple, semi-hollow body.
AS SERIES BASICS
Set-in neck
Large Frets
ART-1 Bridge
Quik Change III tailpiece
Depth: 43mm at tail
Left-handed model available
Scale/Length 628mm/24.75"
a: Width at Nut 43mm
b: Width Last Fret 57mm
c: Thickness 1st Fret 20mm
d: Thickness 12th Fret 26.5mm
Radius 305mm
PICKUPS
Bridge Pickup
Name: ACH2
Model No: ACH2
Construction: Humbucking
Magnet: Ceramic
Description: Bridge version of ACH1.
Neck Pickup
Name: ACH1
Model No: ACH1
Construction: Humbucking
Magnet: Ceramic
Description: Clean sounding with a slight overdrive.
UTILIZATION
This guitar is alright. It's good, but rough around the edges. It can be setup to play very well, but the neck still feels a bit lacking compared to even slightly higher priced Ibanez models. The hardware feels a bit cheap, the electronics seem a bit rough, and the pickups are unimpressive.
SOUNDS
I'm not a fan of the pickups. They are average-sounding at best, and mediocre at worst. They are nothing special - they pickup the string vibrations, so they work, but they just don't sound good. The guitar is meant to be played in almost any genre, and the AS73 could be used for nearly anything but metal, but I wouldn't use it without an overhaul of the electronics and pickups.
OVERALL OPINION
This guitar gets a 6 overall from me. The AS103 is a bit more expensive, but a ton better in quality. The nut that keeps the 3-way switch fastened to the body was machined poorly, and had a sharp twisting shard of metal sticking upward that actually drew blood from my hand! That's just poor-quality craftsmanship at that point, and I wouldn't even bother with this guitar when the AS103 exists. Not recommended.