Enjoy the full acoustic tones in a easy to handle thin body design. The original design tremolo completes the retro look. Make it cry, make it sing, make it scream!
Featured review by:
lexical_, on september 13, 2005 2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Features: 22 small frets with artcore set in the neck. Has a mahogany neck with maple top sides and back. Beautiful transparent finish that leaves the viewer looking at there own reflection as well as the grain of the timber behind the finish. VBF70 tremolo and the roller bridge work great together as the guitar stays in tune when you use the tremolo, amazing! 3-way selector. 1 neck volume nob and 1 body plus, 1 neck tone nob and 1 body tone. Double "F" hole style body with floating scrath plate and dual humbuckers. Mother of pearl bars in frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 17, 19, 21. I wish the cutaway came back a little further. I can comfortably reach the 18th fret but a little more would have been better. Unfortunately it didnt come with a case but I did get it cheap. // 8
Sound: The sound is the best part of this guitar. Has a very bright sound and with a little distortion it soulds alot like a Stratocaster. I use a Fender 80 watt with it and the humbuckers perform very well. As well as this there is suprisingly no feed back. I thought the "F" holes would produce atleast a little feed back as it is a semi-acoustic but there is none at all. I play it a punk/rock band at it performs very well. It has the strait out grunt it needs for power cords yet individual picking remanins delicate and has a full sound. Plus great harmonics and is very responsive when I'm shredding lead. An ideal guitar for a lead guitarist. Also has great sustain. A hollow body with the characteristics of a solid body guitar. Just awesome! // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The guitar was set up exactly the way I would want it. Has a beautiful transparent blue finish that would withstand a descent scratch (lets not try and see though). Action is excellent, it's very low and this makes it very responsive and easy to bend the strings. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This is definately a guitar to depend on. I have used in on stage and it doesnt feedback at all. The stap buttons are a good size. I don't even need strap locks. The hardware is very solid. Even the machine heads are good and strong as the guitar stays in tune very well even if I realy push it to its limits. The finish is great and should last well. I think that if you never wiped the guitar down with a rag that the finish could become foggy as it gets touched alot. But it looks great so its best to keep it looking great. // 8
Impression: Overall it's a very impressive guitar. It performs very well for the style of music I play (punk/rock). It sounds alot better then both my Samick and the Squier I play whether it be unplugged as the Ibanez is a semi-acoustic, or plugged in. Now that I have this I want more guitars from the Ibanez Artcore range. All the features are great. I wish it cut away a little more though. I've been playing for nearly 13 years and I feel as if this guitar has the feel of a Les Paul and the sound of a Stratocaster. What better a mix could you want? // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 05, 2004 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 480
Purchased from: local music shop
Features: Mine is a 2003 model, brown, made in China. This is a thin hollowbody, about 1.5 to 2 inches deep, single cutaway with f-holes on either side; it's equipped with 2 high-impedance humbuckers, with a 3-way Switch and tone and volume for each pickup (knobs are perfectly fine, but a little lacking in character compared to an otherwise beautiful guitar). The neck is fast and thin; joins the body at the 14th frets; 22 total frets. The neck has pearl inlays behind every other fret, which aren't BAD looking but not especially pleasing either. Also notable is the Bigsby-style vibrato bridge, which distinguishes this from the AFS75 and is a lot of fun to play with (though the mechanism doesn't allow notes to be bent up as far as solid-body tremolos).
Of course, it may put light-gauge strings out of tune, but any Bigsby-style will do that, so it's no design flaw. The guitar also has a floating adjustible bridge (meaning the bridge isn't connected to the body at all, and each string length can be fine-tuned separately), allowing you to set the intonation yourself, which I like. The bridge is also Tune-o-Matic style, meaning you can adjust the height, so you can set the action yourself if that's your preference. So basically, all this adjustibility means that if the factory setup is inadequate for you (in terms of intonation and action), it can easily be fixed to exactly your demands. // 10
Sound: This guitar, like any hollow or semi-hollow, is best at delivering warm, bluesy tones it is, after all, traditionally a jazz or blues guitar. The neck pickup is deliciously warm, while the bridge is a bit more trebly (nothing like a Strat, of course but who would mistake this guitar for a Strat anyway?) I play into a Fender Blues Jr., a small all-tube amp; the clean sound is beautiful and hearty, good for BB King or the like; and a little bit of natural overdrive makes the tone absolutely Shine for soloing (which this guitar can do just fine). This guitar can hold up for a wide variety of styles, but will probably do best for blues or Vintage Rock (don't try using it for punk, though like I said, this isn't a Strat). It is hollow, so feedback can be a problem if you're not careful, but spend some time with it and you'll be able to figure out what it can and can't do. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: See above: the factory set-up (or shop set-up) was just fine, but the action and intonation can be easily adjusted. The pickups were set up well, and are pretty nice for the price; sometime in the future I will probably replace them, since pickups are the easiest improvement to make on a guitar, but for the time being they're just fine. The finish is beautiful, certainly in keeping with the Vintage character of the instrument. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This is a sturdy instrument, perfectly dependable. The guitar is very well-made, with no glaring flaws, which is kind of remarkable for this kind of price. The strap knobs are bigger than usual and so probably adequate, though I put a nice pair of strap locks on anyway. The strap knobs are bigger than usual and so probably adequate, though I put a nice pair of strap locks on anyway. // 10
Impression: This is a nice guitar, especially for the price; Ibanez never ceases to amaze me, making premium-quality instruments for exceptionally low prices. A guitar like this from a rival company (like Epiphone) would cost something like 150 dollar more. If Ibanez is just looking to gain a loyal following well, they've certainly suceeded in me. If this guitar were lost I would certainly replace it with the same one. // 10
Reviewed by:
-@GIAN@-, on october 20, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 379.99
Purchased from: Guitar World
Features: This Chinese-made guitar features 22 frets, Vintage vibrato, pearl block inlays, and a set in neck. It is a fully hollowbody guitar played through classically-styled F holes. The transparent blue finish I picked looked gorgeous and it still does. The adjustable bridge is ok, though, if placed in the wrong spot, will mess with the tuning. I keep the bridge closer to the tailpiece and it's the perfects spot. It has all the right nobs, two volume controls, and two tone controls and a 3-way selector. The body features a single cutaway, but is uncomfortable to play anywhere past the 13th or 14th fret, so it's not the best for soloing. // 8
Sound: This guitar is perfect for jazz, rock, punk, funk, and blues. It's tone is perfect and it's great for rhythym guitar, though it's not good for soloing too far past fret 12. It sound has no flaws in it and I've recreated tones identical to Billie Joe's Les Paul Jr., Andrew Stockdale's ES-335, or even the gritty sounds you can here from a Fender Strat. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: This guitar was flawless when it came out of the box. No scratches, no dust, and everything was set up right. The pickups were adjusted the way they should've been, and all I had to do was tune it a little, and I plugged this baby in two minutes later. Let me tell you, I didn't even bother to pick up the bubble rap or cardboard. // 10
Reliability & Durability: After what I've put this thing through just playing at home, I'd say that live playing wouldn't be a challenge. The hardware is as well set up as any guitar I've played, and it's better than some. The strap buttons are very solid, and they just won't let go. It's reliable for jamming and live play and a backup would only be needed in case of the most improbable situation. The finish is one of it's great features. It's the most beautiful finishes I've seen yet, and it will last. // 9
Impression: Overall, I believe this guitar is pefect for me. I play lots of punk rock, some alternative rock, a little funk, and a little blues. If this was stolen, I'd weep and then buy another one. I'd reccomend this guitar to any rock guitarist. Overall impression? Great guitar. // 9
Reviewed by:
Pompman, on june 30, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Musician's Friend
Features: The AFS75T Artcore archtop is one of the few Chinese-made guitars that don't get me pissed off about outsourcing (theres rumors Gretsch is doing the same with their high priced models). I was getting sick of the singlecoil hum from my Squier Affinity Strat, so a cheaper archtop with humbuckers was a gift from God for me. The tuners seeem to be Grover-style, which are very durable. The floating adjustomatic bridge is nifty, but I never move it so as to not screw up the intonation. The vibrato tailpiece is Bigsby-licensed so thats really cool. The finish is breathtaking, mine was the translucent blue, makes people call it pretty and thats when you start jamming out psychobilly to change their tune. My only complaint is having to hook the string ends on studs welded on the vibrato bridge instead of pulling em through holes, but I was just spoiled from string-thru designed guitars. // 10
Sound: I've tried this in the store on high end Fender combo amps, and it sings like a bird, but when I received mine from UPS (poorly might I add) and played it on my cheap Frontman 25R amp it sounded damp, and the distortion if above 4.5 will sound muddy. SO I've invested in a better amp so as to get the full taste. Like many acoustic and semi-acoustic guitars the lower strings will "thump" on the higher frets, but the higher strings will sound like something out of a Stray Cats hit, very twinkly and bright like a bell. I'd reccommend using medium gauge Gretsch Electromatic strings (only available from Musicians friend) because you will get the best archtop tone. Just be careful as it is quick to feedback, so unless you can tame it like Jimi Hendrix did, stand about 2 feet or more away from your amp. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: My action was too low for me and any thing less than light classical songs made my strings buzz like a swarm of pissed off hornets, so I simply detuned all the strings and heightened the bridge a couple milimeters and the problem went away. The Vibrato bridge had a brushed finish instead of mirror, but I guess thats the way they designed it, if it works I don't care how ugly it is. The finish and binding were emmaculate (considering UPS dropped it off in my backyard without knocking on the door on an 87F degree day). I managed with the original strings for about a month until I eventually ordered the Gretsch strings. When you read reviews and people say change the strings right away, they know what they're talking about. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I have a friend in a psycho/rockabilly band Who owns the now discontinued double cutaway version of the AFS75T and never had a problem while performing. If it comes time when I get good enough to gig I won't think twice about bringing this guitar. The overall weight is very light, I can even comfortably play this while wearing a Vintage Fender skinny strap, and those would dig into your shoulders with a Strat. This guitar can take a thrashing, but be careful if you lean it up against the amp or anything besides a guitar stand, the weight displacement is a little lop-sided on account of the vibrato tail piece, I have already put a couple dents in the backside, but no ones gonna see that when you're playing it. The finish seems to be generously applied so don't worry about fade spots, this bad mother will hold its own, and your own, and the person next to you's own. // 10
Impression: I'm big on rockabilly, which an archtop will suit, and this is better compared to what the originals started playing on (Danelectros with lipstick tube pickups, sticks with rubberbands, etc). I also like AC/DC, and can get those fat tones Malcolm Young plays on his Gretsch. As this guitar is built like an expensive axe, it seems to have picked up the expensive taste, so don't be surprised if it sounds cheap through a cheap amp, save the extra $100 to get a better Vox or generously respected used Fender amp. Love, piece, and hair grease! // 10
Reviewed by:
SuperAnalytical, on march 11, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 269.99
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: The fully hollowbody Ibanez Artcore AFS75 is my new favorite guitar. I believe it was made in 2001 in China. Although not a superior Japanese Ibanez, it still performs quite excellent with "Vintage" style frets (similar to those on a Mexican Stratocaster) on a set-in Mahogany neck (a first experience for me) with cream-bound rosewood fretboard. Made of Maple on top, back, and sides, it sustains wonderfully and sounds beautiful unplugged. For some reason, not only have I not seen this model on the Ibanez website (the most similar model to this is the Ibanez AF75) but I cannot find even the similar models in a full transparent blue finish. The tailpiece to tune-o-matic bridge gives this jazz box of a guitar a cool, sophisticated look. With the passive electronics, you are given the option of 2 tones and 2 volumes, 1 tone and 1 volume for each pickup, and a 3 way pickup selector. Ibanez-made ACH-1 and ACH-2 humbuckers in the neck and bridge are nicely calibrated, the neck creating a great jazz and solo sound and the bridge making a more defined crunch. The tuners are non-locking Ibanez-made, which will be replaced by me sometime in the near future, for they get flat somewhat quickly. I got this guitar in a selling of my old gear (a Schecter Gryphon and Line 6 Spider II amp which wasn't to my liking) along with a Vox AD15VT and an acoustic gig bag (this guitar wouldn't fit in anything smaller). // 9
Sound: I am currently in a band that does similar things to Foo Fighters in variety and sound. This guitar does anything fairly excellent, except for metal, because this guitar doesn't need such crap to be played on it. I'm using it through my Vox AD15VT with a Digitech DF-7 Distortion Pedal and Electro Harmonix Small Clone. My only complaints about it are due to my amp and pedals really. I get a very loud humming when I use a distortion pedal model on my DF-7 (meaning models 3, 5, 6, and 7 are unusable) because of my amp for some reason. My amp only accepts the overdrive pedal models easily without having to fiddle with the amp too much. Very nice sounds from soft unplugged sounds to fairly overdriven punk. // 9
Action, Fit & Finish: The only thing I found wrong with this guitar is about a week after I purchased it, I started breaking high E strings like crazy. I went through 3 of them before I ended up getting a saddle filed down. The setup was nicely done and just to my liking. The pickup adjustment is slightly strange to me, for the neck pickup is slanted toward the bridge of the guitar, making one end of the 'bucker closer to the strings. The bridge pickup is also very close to the strings, which didn't help me at all in removing the factory plastic coating off of them. The thing that I had to creatively fix was pickguard buzz. Instead of the bracketed pickguard (as seen on Les Pauls) being fastened to the pickup ring, it just slightly floats above it, creating a slight buzz everytime I played it. To fix this, I put a folded piece of paper underneath it to stop it. // 8
Reliability & Durability: So far, this guitar will withstand live gigging, as long as I don't get any more saddle issues. The tuners make everything flat after almost an hour of playing, but I'll be solving this soon with locking Grovers of some sort. The strap buttons are a bit too stubby for my liking, but I can get used to them. The only thing that won't last on this guitar is the tuners. They're going, soon! // 8
Impression: The great thing about the Ibanez Artcore series is that they are totally versatile machines. I have been playing almost 2 years now, the first year of playing being on an acoustic guitar. I've been through 2 electric guitars and 2 amps now, and this is my favorite setup of the two I have tried. My $400 Schecter Gryphon was overly hardcore for the styles I played, and the Line 6 was just, well, bad. The only thing I need now is a solid body guitar of some sort for the overdriven punk stuff my band and I play, because the hollowbody just doesn't seem as right for it. I would still keep this guitar, but the solid body would serve as a back up and second guitar for the harder stuff. The most enjoyable thing on the whole guitar is the sheer sophisticated and mature look it has. You would not expect some teenager whipping this across the stage or anything. This was the first guitar I checked out the day I got it, and I compared it to an Epiphone Dot Studio, Fender Standard Telecaster and by sheer looking at it, a BC Rich Hollowbody (the one with the rediculous dagger f-holes). This sounded the best, and it just handled a whole lot better then the others I tried. The second best of my comparison can't even be said, due to the fact that the others had nothing against this beast. For all you hollowbody lovers out there, this one is for you. // 10
Reviewed by:
anjin89, on may 03, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Features: // 10
Sound: Great for that jazz rock kind of feel. Using a Crate GLX15 amp with a wha wha pedal. Can be nice and loud to quiet and relaxing. Deep sound brightness can change a lot depending on settings. Guitar has great flexability can do most jazz and rock. Love everything about it except needs a bigger cutaway. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: Nothing was wrong with it except the front humbucker is a little loose but only if you mess with it, playing with it you wouldn't notice it all. It was in perfect condition when I bought it and I'm in love with it. // 10
Reliability & Durability: // 10
Impression: I like to play rock, jazz, and folk so this guitar was perfect. I've been playing a couple of years I own 2 other guitars, and own two amps. I don't regret anything about buying this guitar. If it got stolen I would hunt down and kill the person that took it, but this probably wouldnt happen because I sleep with it. I love everything about the guitar, the sound the shape the vibrato the pickups everything. I love the vibrato with a passion. I compared it to an ESP an Epiphone and a Gretsch, then I realized I didn't have 3400 bucks lyin' around so I got the Ibanez but it was definately better than the ESP and Epiphone. This is a great guitar I would buy it again in an instant. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on june 01, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 299
Purchased from: eBay
Features: Ditto just about everything the other AFS75T owners have said. No need to repeat the basics here. No knock-your-socks-off bells and whistles but better than average features for this price, that's saying it. // 8
Sound: Just got this box very recently and I haven't given it a real workout yet. But it seems to put out a decent standard jazz sound (my repetoire) and will be taken on gigs as a backup to my 20+ year old main box, an Ibanez Benson. I'm putting it directly into a Peavey XRD-680S head with 2 SP-5XT speakers. The only effect I use is about a 1/3 mix medium-room reverb. The pickups don't seem as bright or hot as my Benson or my other Ibanez (an electric baritone). // 6
Action, Fit & Finish: No noticeable flaws and the set-up is fairly good though I'm picky and I'm about to redo the entire intonation, etc. Right now, the trem is putting the strings out of tune pretty quickly but that may be a matter of the strings being new. My biggest gripe here though is that the trem bar action is not comfortable. Specifically, it does not rotate far enough counterclockwise so I can hold it easily with my hand over the strings. // 6
Reliability & Durability: I have no crystal ball to forsee the lifespan of this inexpensive instrument but, if I get 5 or 6 good years out of it, I'm happy. My other Ibanezes have held up very well so that's saying something. And everything looks solid on this one. I'l give it a top rating in this category based on that. // 10
Impression: I've been playing about 45 years, first '50s-'60s rock (Ventures/Johnny & The Hurricanes type stuff) and then evolving into jazz. This AFS75T will fill my need for an inexpensive back-up jazz box with a tremolo, providing I get the staying-in-tune issue under control. I have too many other instruments to list here but nothing real pricey. If this one walked, I'd probably get another. No real strong feelings though so far positively or negatively other than it seems a very good value for the $. // 8
nacho229
: Is this a good guitar for someone who just left the beginner status of guitar playing? POSTED: 06/24/2006 - 09:16 pm / quote|
Pompman
: Yes, I am just above intermediate now, and bought this guitar when I "grew out" of my crappy Squier strat. This guitar is built solid, but sounds better through better amps. My Frontman 25R makes the pickups sound damp, which isn't great if you want AC/DC style bright tones. I have just purchased a Vox AD30VT and it sounds a helluva lot better. POSTED: 06/30/2006 - 04:03 am / quote|
Is this a good guitar for someone who just left the beginner status of guitar playing?
This guitar is great for anyone that plays guitar. Not just beginners. POSTED: 06/30/2006 - 03:30 pm / quote|
MyNameBeMikal
: It is a rather good guitar for anyone. Great as a backup for someone with a more costly guitar, and a great transition from beginner over to intermediate or better. I use it with a BD-2 Boss Blues Driver, and it gets awesome straight rock sounds. It can touch upon metal riffs and stuff like that, but I think my combo is best for straight, classic, or alternative rock. POSTED: 06/30/2006 - 06:15 pm / quote|
gutfeeling666
: Could this guitar be used for Metal?(metallica ect.)
I'm almost considering buying and a answer would help me tonnes.
Thanks nice article. POSTED: 07/01/2006 - 12:19 am / quote|
Could this guitar be used for Metal?(metallica ect.)
I'm almost considering buying and a answer would help me tonnes.
Thanks nice article.
honestly, for metal i'd personally look into a ESP, or LTD(if you're) on a bit of a budget. They're straight metal guitars and they serve well. This guitar would probably be more suitable for more classic rock, blues, or alternative rock.
This guitar is looking pretty good and i might look into it. I personally haven't played it or anything but it sounds good for some of the other stuff i play. POSTED: 07/01/2006 - 03:50 am / quote|
Bleeding_me
: esta guitarra ta fixe, gostei do artigo. POSTED: 07/01/2006 - 07:58 am / quote|
The Demiurge
: sounds nice think ill pop down the shop on me break and have a go off 1 POSTED: 07/02/2006 - 05:46 am / quote|
floydman_4140
: i really want to get this guitar. ive been playing for 4 years but still only have a beginner ibanez. its only about $400 at guitar center and everything about it great except for the cut not being deep enough. great guitar!!
Esnake
: WOW I love thias guitar I got it this weekend! Amazing sound and look for such a low price! POSTED: 12/18/2006 - 01:46 pm / quote|
punkrockdude2
: I got one yesterday It was only 250!! POSTED: 06/24/2007 - 11:38 am / quote|
Spay
: Beautiful guitar, I got one in blue and it plays great. Only complaint is that you can't really reach the upper frets unless you're sitting down, and even then it's hard to reach past the 16th fret POSTED: 12/19/2007 - 10:41 am / quote|
guitarslimm
: i have an af95 with the same bridge how can i get all of the styrofoam shit out from under it? POSTED: 01/02/2008 - 07:57 am / quote|
seven leven
: i got an off white one with gold humbuckers, bridge, tailpiece, and whammy bar its awesome for only 450.00$ POSTED: 08/08/2008 - 12:15 am / quote|
thrash-it-up
: does anyone know if these are good for ska??? POSTED: 02/28/2009 - 05:11 pm / quote|
/ my profile 
Was this review helpful to you? 
