New (entry level) Ibanez Artcore Jazz Box

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studio1087

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AF55 Artcore Hollowbody- it's destined to become my dedicated flatwound guitar.

I think that Ibanez jazz guitars are as good as affordable hollow bodies get. It has full binding and nice satin finish. Sounds nice acoustically. I bought chrome pickup covers, might install them today.

I told the sales kid that I was an old fart and this would be my Elvis Costello scooby-do-whah guitar. He commented that he was a young fart and his band covered Elvis Costello tunes. Good kid. Nice kid.

These are only $329 less the GC 15% deal on Black Friday deal so $279 all in. The case is $85. o_O.

Been a long time since I had a floating bridge.

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I'll crank it this morning after I work on it. Deluxe Reverb time.
 
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raysachs

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Nice! I just bought one of their semi-hollow bodies from the same Artcore series (and then within a week returned it and upgraded when one of their higher end Artstar guitars went on sale for the same price). I'm astounded at how well these budget Ibanez hollow and semi-hollow bodies play. Really well done guitars.

Enjoy!
 

Sparky2

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I have an older version of that same guitar, the Artcore AF-75.

It's a wondrous guitar, and really versatile!!

I bought it used a few years ago, and it cleaned up real nice.

It has a really funny (dated) lightning bolt symbol on the headstock.
;)

sparky band pic.jpg
 

Controller

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Congrats to the OP. Bought an Ibanez AS-73 in the used rack of a music store. Couldn't believe the amount of guitar I got for the $$$. A lot of fun and like the resonance of the ES-335 body. Replaced the nut and pickups and it is a keeper. Your guitar looks really nice as well. I like satin finishes.

I also got a hollowbody recently (avatar) and I had some trepidation about the floating bridge. I was amazed at how easy it was to find the intonation point and on mine it stays put really well. I played acoustic almost exclusively for many years and I love Teles but I am now finding semi-hollow and hollow bodied electrics fill a really nice niche for me. I use them when I need a fuller sound for lower volume gigging. The Teles are still my go-to for cutting through in a more complete band setting. Rarely play acoustics out any more.
 

Steve Holt

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I have an older version of that same guitar, the Artcore AF-75.

It's a wondrous guitar, and really versatile!!

I bought it used a few years ago, and it cleaned up real nice.

It has a really funny (dated) lightning bolt symbol on the headstock.
;)

View attachment 469772

I have that exact guitar. Picked it up new in 2003 so I could play it in the High School Jazz Band. It's a great instrument. I got it out around this time last year and started playing it, it was pretty junky to start with because nothing had really been done to it the whole time I'd owned it. The neck had some backbow so I got it going the other way, did a full setup and that thing was playing better than it ever had.
 

Sparky2

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Studio1087,

I much prefer your newer Artcore.

I love that natural wood finish, and I have always been a fan of the naked black pickups.

:)
 

Zipslack

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I've got a blue AF75 exactly like @Sparky2 ..still stock with the ACH pickups. Very limited upper-fret access, but great playing below the 15th fret.

Recently got an ASV10A-TCL (relic AS73) with the Classic Elite pickups...also still stock. Different sound, of course, but same great playability.

Both guitars have decent sized necks that just feel comfortable...more so with the ASV10A. Ibanez hollow/semi-hollow guitars are a great bargain.

Through a '73 SF Twin, SuperChamp X2, home-brew coversion Champ, or even the Orange MicroTerror, they sound great. Of course, not all jazz ;-)
 

raysachs

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Studio1087,

I much prefer your newer Artcore.

I love that natural wood finish, and I have always been a fan of the naked black pickups.

:)
I tried out one of the semi-hollow AM73B guitars, which has that same finish and same uncovered pickups - probably the exact guitar except for the body shape. And it was a shockingly nice guitar, but the one thing I had a bugger of a time with was the lack of a pick guard on an arch top like that. The way the body falls away from the strings left me no place to stick my little finger down to anchor my picking hand. I didn't even fully realize I did that until I played that guitar and it was so much longer a reach for a place to stick a finger down. But I really dug everything about that guitar. Ended up with a higher end version of the same thing, and like it more, but not that much more - that AM73 was punching FAR above it's weight...

-Ray
 

LGOberean

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Congrats, John! I started out learning on my Dad's jazz box nearly five decades ago, and still periodically suffer GAS pains for one, all these years later. I've looked at both Ibanez and Epiphone. Have you done any comparisons of the two brands? Regarding Epiphone, I don't think they offer a stripped-down simple (read that 2 controls, not 4) version like the AF55. I've been eyeing the Joe Pass Emperor II.

Oh, and it's just me, but I'd put those chrome covers on there.
 

studio1087

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Congrats, John! I started out learning on my Dad's jazz box nearly five decades ago, and still periodically suffer GAS pains for one, all these years later. I've looked at both Ibanez and Epiphone. Have you done any comparisons of the two brands? Regarding Epiphone, I don't think they offer a stripped-down simple (read that 2 controls, not 4) version like the AF55. I've been eyeing the Joe Pass Emperor II.

Oh, and it's just me, but I'd put those chrome covers on there.

I bought a satin Ibanez 335 copy a few years ago after shopping Ibanez DOTs. I looked in the F holes on the Epi guitars snd saw glue bulging out of the ribbon. The inside rife of the holes was painted black in a very sloppy way with missed spots. The gloss looked heavy and cheap. I asked if all the zepis were B stonk and the sales guy said that they were A stock and the always came into the store that way.
 

rickthescot

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I bought an AG75 a few years back and really love it. A set of flatwound strings are the only change. The quality is really top notch for a real hollow body jazz box. Love that thing.
 

Kerberos

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Nice, Really Nice! That's a really nice guitar for the $$$. Enjoy it, bet it's gonna sound great!
 
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