Product Review: Ibanez Artcore AF75D AG75 Hollow Body Electric Guitars

If you should be considering a reasonably priced hollow body guitar, Ibanez is a company worth your time to investigate. The Artcore series produced by Ibanez yields some of the best low priced hollow bodies in production. This line of guitars ranges between three and five hundred dollars and is well worth the money. Other manufacturers such as Gibson, Epiphone, and Gretch do produce wonderful guitars however they are very pricey compared to the Ibanez Artcore series. The Artcore series of hollow body electric guitars produces very similar sounds to their Gibson and Gretch counterparts but are much more affordable to the musician on a budget.

The guitar that I purchased was the AF75D model, which is a full hollow body using humbucker pickups and looked similar to a Gibson ES175, which would have, ran for over $2,000. I purchased the guitar in 2005 when the Artcore series was introduced at Guitar Center. I normally stick to Fender Telecasters and Stratocasters, but I wanted something that could vary my sound a little bit and not be hard on the wallet. The AF75D I found, was orange in color and reminded me of the Gretch guitars many country players like Marty Stuart and Chet Atkins used. The tone of this guitar was truly awesome and so was the price tag of $350! The setup and intonation right from the factory was perfect as well.

I myself am more into playing country, however I do play blues and rock as well and this guitar is perfect for any of the above and more. Played through a Fender Twin Reverb, this guitar can just blow you away. The stock pickups are bright in the bridge and smooth and mellow in the neck. The Gibson style tone and volume controls are very useful for producing any combination of both pickups. A great application for this guitar is playing country music. It's got the look and the feel, plus an awesome tone that can be very unique and different. The bridge pickup is nice and bright, which is great for twanging country lead and at the next chord change just flip the switch and strum some smooth rhythm. This hollow body produces a country tone very similar to the guitars most musicians used in the 50's and well as that nice rockabilly tone with some thick reverb. It is great for any type of music but I found its ability to make a great country tone unique for a guitar with humbucker pickups.

After over three years of service, this guitar has stood the test and passed. I have yet to have any problem with it at all. It also holds potential for upgrade and personalization. Many people have purchased Gibson pickups and had them installed in these guitars with great results. I prefer the mellow output and brightness of the Ibanez pickups myself but everyone's taste and application is different. I took the pick guard off of mine, which also changed the look of the guitar and make it look a little more unique. I accidentally dropped it the first month I had it, which broke the wood around the input jack, so be careful with your strap! After the repair, a friend and I sanded down the neck and rubbed it with tung oil, which helped feel as well as making it look very vintage.

After 2006 Ibanez changed the model number of this guitar to the AG75. Should you run across a used model made before then, there aren't many differences. A used AF75 might go for about $200 or so, which is a total steal for the versatility of this guitar. Also, with it being a full hollow body, the tone is very round and room filling which can be hard to do with $200-$350 dollars. Using different gauges and brands of strings on these can also change the tone a little bit without having to do any modifications. I have found that using Fender Super Bullet strings is a good fit if you would like it to sound bright.

Even if you happen to be a guitar collector and own higher priced models, I still recommend this guitar. I have played many gigs with it, it's never let me down, and for the price it's the perfect gig guitar. For the musician on a budget, this model is the perfect way to get that thick hollow body tone with out breaking the bank. For the die-hard Telecaster player, this guitar is a great secondary that will provide a lot of pleasure for playing those beer drinking, tear jerking country sounds as well as blues and a little rock and roll. The Ibanez Artcore series won't disappoint anyone from the professional to the high school student learning to jam. I would very strongly recommend trying one out before looking at an Epiphone or Gibson. The price might even give you something to write a song about!