Ibanez Artcore AS73G Semi-Hollow - Rose Gold Metallic Flat Review

Not just a pretty face...

Wow. If I'm being honest, I just bought this because I LOVED the look of the rose gold finish, and generally enjoy the 335 type sound, so I thought I'd take it for a spin. When I got it, I found out that Ibanez went and made a guitar that looks AND plays absolutely beautifully. The action was low and buttery smooth right out of the box; I'm not sure whether this is the QC at… read more Ibanez, Sweetwater's inspection, or some combo of both, but I have NEVER received a guitar bought online with such an amazing setup. I couldn't believe it, but I tested every single fret with full barre chords, and at every point of the neck on every string, the sound was crystal clear and sustained for 30+ seconds UNPLUGGED with NO buzz whatsoever. I have $1000+ guitars that couldn't boast that. As for the sound, overall I really like it, but it should be acknowledged that these are NOT your typical low-output PAF style humbuckers. These are ceramic pickups, which are almost always hotter and have a different frequency response than equivalent "AlNiCo" magnet based designs. What this translates to is a highly articulate, balanced clean sound, which maybe gives less "character" or "color" than a vintage-voiced Alnico pickup might, but I for one appreciate the relative "punchiness" I get with this guitar's cleaner sounds. I find myself gravitating toward more "modern" clean styles like neo-soul with this guitar, if that helps. All of this aside, the overdrive/distortion tone you can get with this guitar is stellar. Every dirt pedal I played it through sounded HUGE with this bridge pickup: The sound is rich while still retaining a crystal clear top end and that unmistakable "wide-open" roar of a 335 style guitar. I particularly recommend a transparent, gritty pedal like an Xotic BB preamp as a great pairing with this guitar. The awesome distortion sound combined with the smooth, low-action neck make this a total shredder guitar in disguise! I'm having a lot of fun with this guitar! For the price, you really can't go wrong here.

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BEAUTIFUL

First off, the customer service at Sweetwater is INCREDIBLE. It's the main reason I purchase from them. For the price of this guitar, I think it is a fantastic value for what you get. Everything from the looks, to the sound, to the action/playability is great! The matted rose gold finish makes it look like $1000 guitar and it's not an obnoxious color either, very classy.

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