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Ibanez AS73 Artcore Semi Hollow Reviews  5 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI have puchased two. I aquired the first in Michigan for $299.00 and the second was purchased on ebay with a case for $270.00
The first artcore I purchased was on a total whim. I went into a store to purchase a set of strings for my washburn acoustic and was immediately taken by the look of the artcore. It's a brown sunburst. I picked it up and asked for an amp and the guy behind the counter said, "So, you're a jazzman?" NOT. I plugged this baby in and turned the distortion all the way up and I just couldn't believe the tone and the playability of it. Nice neck that's not too wide, easy to get around and easily controlled feedback. Because its a semi hollow and I really expected an unmutable squeal it just blew me away. And did I mention the tone? Like butter in my ears. thick and resonant and I can feel the guitar buzz a little as the strings vibrate as I play. Having only solid elecetrics up until this point it was a pleasant surprise. Makes me feel like the guitar is more alive. I walked out of the store with it and have since purchased a second. I was in a local store trying out other semi hollows and the epiphone model that looks almost exactly the same and costs the same was no where near as good as far as construction and attention to detail and unlike the store artcore which I played as well on the same amp using the same settings and was as quiet as can be, the Epiphone squealed the second that I plugged it in and just felt a little looser and more cheaply made. My second Artcore is blue and is the exact same model. It is assembled with the same attention to detail as my brown sunburst.
The tuners are a little tempermental. That's about all. After a few songs I find that I have to retune the instrument because it slides out a little bit.
As well built as guitars costing twice as much. The accents on the body are beautifully done, the F-Hole cuts are nice and even and not jagged on the inside. The finish is absolutely perfect, no ripples or random imperfections- Like a mirror. The accent lines around the body and the F-holes are perfect (no seams/bumps). The pickups are very quiet and installed well. The neck is solid as anything and the fretboard is lined up with the neck perfectly so there is no overlap/underlap/seams. The Floating saddle and bridge are both excellently made and there is slanted grooves in the saddle that make restringing a much easier task than a saddle that you have to thread the strings through. When you don't have wire cutters, you don't have to pull the twisted ends through little holes in the saddle, you can just lift the string out. Very well thought out in every aspect of the construction.
I have two. Primarily because I want a backup should a string go on stage and there is nothing that sounds like this guitar exept another one just like it. I might get a third. They have a model with bigger pearl inlays and a violin finish that retails for about $50 more that I think is gorgeous and I already know that it's going to give me the tone that I need. Who knows? Maybe I'll end up breaking 2 strings on stage and that would justify it right there. What better recommendation can I make? John B rated this unit on 2004-09-17.
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