SeriesIbanez AM

I wanted to buy a high quality, play at home, guitar. I asked a local Yamaha for a few different guitars I was considering and he brought them all into his shop for me to try. I paid $299 for my Artcore The Artcore was impressive right out of the box and has only improved with more use. I have a Strat too, which is an exceptional instrument, but the vibe from the Artcore, although entirely different, is just as brilliant. Although the factory PUPs are very good, I’ve now installed a set of Seymour Duncan ‘59s that compliment the AM73 perfectly. The Artcore now positively glows and the variety of sounds that can be coaxed from it are amazing. It can go from dark and sweet, to badass raunchy, along with everything else in between. I was disappointed this classy guitar didn’t include a pickguard and really detested the knobs for tone and volume. Finding a case for it has also been a hassle. Aside from those minor details, this guitar is perfect. For the price, you just know some corners had to be cut. Ibanez was smart to reduce production costs on these minor and easily corrected details, instead of on the quality of construction (which is superb), wood or electronics. Good job Ibanez! I haven’t been playing that long, so I’m not yet biased by brand loyalty or image and I take very special care when buying a guitar. I’m not embarrassed to ask more experience players for advise either. Before buying my Artcore, I did a LOT of strumming on EVERYTHING available on the showroom floor. I had narrowed it down to two guitars, The AM73 and an Epiphone Sheraton. I played both and asked some other players to do the same. EVERYONE liked the Artcore more, even though the Sheraton costs twice as much. I think that’s a pretty good endorsement. The neck just pours itself into your hand. This is a very, very, special instrument. Quality is very important to me and it just oozes from this guitar! The blue finish is perfect. Nothing was skimped in the construction, the build is top notch. The pots and switch feel solid and it stays in tune no matter what. The black headstock looks classy with the Ibanez name in mother of pearl and silver logo. I didn’t find this quality even on guitars that were MUCH more expensive. It’s a set neck and interior kerfing. This sucker is solid! This is a perfect beginners guitar. The price is right and this axe will lead you down the road a loooooong ways. In the hands of an experienced player, it can do anything! Twenty years from now, the AM73 will be a classic; it really is a sexy beast. Everyone who has seen mine, think it cost me at least three times more than I paid for it. It’s stunning. I know a lot of people like the brown, but the blue is gorgeous. My next-door neighbor is a Sound Engineer and says it has great “stage presence”… all I can say is that it looks impressive in my practice room! If for some reason I lost my Artcore, I would unquestionably get another immediately. Heck, buy a bunch of them now while they’re cheap and make a truckload of money off them twenty years down the road. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this guitar online through a Canadian music store named Capsule Music. I payed $750 for it, and it came with hard case. It was made in 1985 in Japan. The AM205 is the coolest guitar you could ever have. It's a double cut-away semi-hollowbody with a body size no bigger than a double cut les paul. Those kinds of guitars are just so hard to find. What I love about it is that it never gets out of tune, has the richest, warm, yet clean sound you can imagine, and looks amazing. It sounds like Trey Anastasio's languedoc, and looks a bit like it too. The neck is fabulous, with beautiful pearl inlays, nice round frets and a great action. It's also relatively light and that makes it easy to play it standing up for hours. It's the perfect all around guitar, with the clear and warm jazz sound, and an awesome sustained rock sound. perhaps the only thing I don't like is that you can't get the twang out of it, like you can from a strat. I still miss the great note-to-note definition of the strat, where each note has its own little click. On the Ibanez, that doesn't happen, because it has a slightly shorter scale, and humbuckers. A whammy would be nice, but that's too much to ask for. The Ibanez AM205 it a semi-hollowbody, with a pair of very nice humbuckers. It has gold hardware, although the gold has peeled off the pickup covers a little. It has two volume and two tone knobs, just like a les paul, except the 3-way toggle switch it right next to the upper volume knob, and not on the upper "wing" region like on the gibson. It has an ebony fretboard, with triangle-inside-a-square pearl inlays, and 22 frets. There is a gorgeous inlay on the headstock, like most Ibanez Artists do. This guitar is amazingly crafted. every detail is done with great care and attention It's the best guitar I've ever had, and I've had les pauls and epiphones and hammers and strats. It kicks the les pauls ass - much more pleasing to play, own and pay for. If you want an awesome hollowbody and can't afford the overpriced PRS and Gibson, and don't want to settle for the dot, try to find one on the web. many people have them for sale. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com