Ibanez Artcore Expressionist AS93FM Semi-hollow Review

Willy

Im a 67yr old novice guitar player; just started during Covid 19 hibernation. I previously bought 2 budget guitars at to begin learning to play. After 2 years I decided to upgrade my guitars. I am not a professional musician, but wanted the best bang for my buck, I purchased the Epiphone Standard Les Paul solid body, Bourbon Burst with ProBucker pickups. For my novice level this… read more is also a really great sounding guitar. I love it. I began to investigate hollow body, and semi hollow body guitars, for a deeper richer tone, and a semi hollow for good sustain. The best bang for the buck, for me, was this Ibanez Semi-Hollow, Les Paul with GOLD Super58 Humbuckers and Cherry finish. First, the Ibanez is a very beautiful guitar. the finish is excellent. It is a little larger in size compared to my Epiphone. But I was blown away with the tone quailty of this Ibanez played through my Roland Jazz 40 and Roland Blues Cube artist Amps. (quality Migami cables help also). The Ibanez is my best guitar purchase to date. Ive purchased all my gear from SweetWater. I highly recommend this guitar, not cheap, but it sounds fantastic and didnt cost me $2500 either. Thanks Sweetwater Willy

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Exceptional

..I went to Carter's Vintage guitars here in Nashville today to try out some semi-hollows, most of which were/are 5X the cost of the AS93FM for the same features. When I got home, an As93fm was waiting for me via a Fedex delivery from Sweetwater. To my hands and ears, this guitar beats the hell out of any semi-hollows at Carter's at the moment, in terms of playability, tone, acoustic… read more resonance, features, look, etc. This is an Indonesian gem (once adjusted to the right setup for my own taste). Bravo to Ibanez for making a stunning keeper like this!

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Stunning

This guitar is just as stunning as it looks in the pictures. I'm a little bit OCD, and I looked over mine very thoroughly when it arrived, and the fit and finish are simply perfect. Some reviewers mentioned rough frets and even visible file marks, but the frets on my instrument are perfectly smooth and great for bending. My hat's off to Ibanez for making such an incredible instrument… read more at this price point. This is my first semi-hollowbody guitar, so I can't compare the sound to others, bit it plays as beautifully as it looks.

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Awesome sound, awesome guitar

You cannot go wrong with this guitar- it was beautifully built, looks great, sounds great, plays great. I pared mine with an Orange combo amp and they mesh well together. Look, we would all like an ES-335 for sure , but most of us don't have the extra cash laying around to afford one. But I'm very pleased with this guitar and the buying experience with Ben Elder from Sweetwater… read more was excellent- no complaints.

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Solid Classic

This is my third Ibanez but my first Artcore. Shipping was securely packed as always. The action was perfectly set and played great right from the box. I was going to upgrade the pickups and have it tweaked by our local Gibson store but it is too close to perfect. I've had it for a few years now and it is always in tune. Thank you Sweetwater and Ryan Holquist for recommending… read more this awesome guitar!

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One of my favorites

it's balanced, sounds great, and comfortable in my hands. it has quickly become the one i pick up the most out of the locker.

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Amazing quality and craftsmanship

After set up, this instrument is so easy to play. The resonance without amplification is rich and warm even with the 10-46 gauge strings. Ibanez continues to produce quality instruments at reasonable and affordable prices. I've been an Ibanez fan for years and they never disappoint.

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Great Value/Great Looks

Hi - For the money, a fantastic guitar. Well finished, looks better in real life than the Guitar Gallery pictures. Fretboard radius quite flat approaching some acoustic guitars but nicely in between. Unplugged, bright loud tone - Perfect for playing n Bed on the weekend "unplugged". Plugged in tone warm. For the price - 5 stars

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A BEAUTY

AWESOME I waited a few months for this model to become available and it was worth the wait. A stunningly gorgeous flamed maple top. The pictures from Sweetwater are great but in person it's AMAZING. The super 58 pick ups deliver a warm clean tone great for jazzy stuff, add a bit of overdrive and you get rocking blues sound. The neck is fast with a bound ebony fingerboard. This… read more is my first semi-hollow body and is a great addition to my Epiphone Les Paul and Fender Strat. This is my 2nd guitar purchase from Sweetwater. They deliver great music gear with great customer service. I love how you can see the exact guitar with serial number you will receive, not just a stock photo. I have already suggested to some friends to check out Sweetwater and will use them again in the future(new amp?). THANKS SWEETWATER!

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The one guitar I keep going back to.

I'm reviewing the 2017 version of the AS-93, I don't know what differences there are between that version and the new one, so please bear that in mind. 1) The finish and craftsmanship are flawless. Simply gorgeous, well put-together, and well set-up. 2) The tones vary from mellow and jazzy to tight and punchy to spanky and sparkly. It's suitable for jazz, blues, rock, rockabilly,… read more country, and so many other genres. No need for better pickups - it sounds amazing. 3) The tone circuit handles roll-offs quite well. It's not abrupt and it never gets muddy until you're almost all the way down. Volume roll-off doesn't get muddy at all. 4) The sure-grip knobs are super nice. I love them so much I ordered a set for a different guitar. 5) The AS-93 is comfortable, despite being so big. I'm a pretty big guy, so smaller folks might have an issue with it. If you fit that category, look to its little brother, the AM-93. 6) Did I say it's beautiful? It really is. Beautiful to look at, beautiful to play, beautiful to listen to. I currently own more guitars than I should. Many more. This guitar is the one I keep picking up whenever I want to play. While I can think of a few things I'd like it to have as far as hardware upgrades (stainless steel frets, Ghost pickup bridge, Seth Lover pickups, Hipshot locking tuners, etc), I can't really find fault with it as-is. I don't feel it actually needs anything more than it already has. Except a case. Get the hard-case for this beauty and protect it properly.

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