BobD
Member
Posts: 4
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Post by BobD on Oct 27, 2004 11:39:11 GMT -5
I currently play a classical guitar. I own a Takamine C132s which is supposed to be a pretty nice student classical. Good basic guitar that won't hold me back at this stage. I'm pretty much a beginner on guitar but I play tenor sax so I can read music just fine. Currently working on the Carcassi method after going thru Arron Shearers first book. I would like get a jazz guitar to fool around on. Nothing fancy or expensive but a decent solid model that won't hold me back. I have done a little research and found the following cheaper models.
Ibanez AF75 $320
Ibanez AG75 $320
Aria FA70 $500
Aria FA71 $500
How much better would these models be?
Epi Emperor Regent $750
Washburn J6 Montgomery $799
I will need to save my pennies but I'm not in a rush. Plenty of practice to be done on sax and classical guitar.
Would it be wise to save longer and get the more expensive models? Can someone recommend other models that might be good in the 500-800 range?
Thanks,
BobD
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Post by Professor1 on Oct 27, 2004 16:46:55 GMT -5
Epiphone is no longer made by Samick, and there have been some very disturbing changes made in the specifications of the guitars. I have an Epi Joe Pass that is several years old, I would definitely recommend against buying a new manufacture version.
I don't know about the Washburns.
I have; however, seen quite a few of the recent Ibanez Artcore jazzboxes, and that is the way I would go. They play nice, look nice, and seem to be of a very high quality standard for the price range.
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Post by Petrucci's Little Helper on Oct 27, 2004 19:14:09 GMT -5
Epiphone is no longer made by Samick, and there have been some very disturbing changes made in the specifications of the guitars. I have an Epi Joe Pass that is several years old, I would definitely recommend against buying a new manufacture version. I don't know about the Washburns. I have; however, seen quite a few of the recent Ibanez Artcore jazzboxes, and that is the way I would go. They play nice, look nice, and seem to be of a very high quality standard for the price range. I second that. I recently bought an Ibanez AK85 for a little under $450 (I paid C$617 on a recent trip to Montreal), and although I was a bit iffy about the "Made in China" stigma before I tried it in the store, I can tell you that you would never tell it was made in China if you didn't know it... I've owned several guitars over the past 12 or 13 years, and this is definitely the one that has the highest quality/price ratio. Marc |
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Post by allblues on Oct 28, 2004 3:11:08 GMT -5
I can only confirm Marc's opinion. I have an Ibanez AG 75 and I'm really happy about it. Good soun, great playability, excellent neck, easy to play.
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Post by Mistral on Nov 29, 2004 20:26:04 GMT -5
The Ibanez Artcore guitars are OK. However, 12 months ago bought a new Ibanez Artstar AS80 semi-hollow guitar ($1200 Australian). It's a copy of a Gibson 335, made in Korea, and I can't fault it. Ibanez no longer make this model anymore but if you can get one I'd recommend it. Very comfortable neck, great pickups and sounds excellent.
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Post by jazzalta on Nov 29, 2004 23:44:48 GMT -5
Count me in for the Ibanez. I've heard great stuff about their entry level products.
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ZHeN
Member
Posts: 7
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Post by ZHeN on Dec 5, 2004 16:42:52 GMT -5
Yes!! Thumbs up for Ibanez Artcore series! I've played AS73 model a lot and was impressed so much that I even purchased an AK85 at musiciansfriend.com - can't wait till it comes to my country...
Hope chinese guys that make those guitars will go on producing such high quality pieces...
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Post by L4sleeko on Dec 27, 2004 23:25:17 GMT -5
Hey Bobd, I recently played an Ibanez Artcore. I do not know off hand what model, but it was made of Bubinga. I was real impressed. I owned an Epi Emperor Regent in the past and had good luck with it. Mine was made in Korea by Samick and was "screwed together" well. My only complaint was that the gold plating came off the tuners and tailpiece after a short spell. I was careful to wipe them down after each use, but the plating wasn't up-to-snuff. I had a few buzzes but switching to D'addario chrome 13 flats solved that. I understand the Epi Elitist Broadway is a high quality ax, made in Japan. Price is around $1900.00 range though. You may be interested in it as well. I'am kicking around the idea of getting one in natural finish as a backup. Chow buddy. ?;^)~
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Post by artstar on Jan 26, 2005 13:08:52 GMT -5
Hi everyone. Found this place today and will be here lots, I think. ;D I also have an AK-85,($ 350+$75 for a case) and can say for sure that the tone is good, and the build is flawless. The only thing I don't like about the Artcore models is the ceramic magnet pickups in them. They have a bit too harsh a high-mid tone for my tastes, but they are warm and beefy anyway. Super 58's would be a much nicer set of humbuckers, IMO. I think the Artcore line is a great place to start, but still wish they hadn't stopped making the Artstars. I just got a AS-120 yesterday, and am in love with it for sure. It has the Super 58's already, but I'm going to work a bit of alchemy on both of my Ibanezes. I have a set of Carvin Alan Holdsworth Humbuckers coming in the mail, and they are going straight into the AS-120, and the Super 58's in IT get to go and mellow out my AK-85.  Sorry to be so winded, so I'll quit for now. |
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Post by Professor1 on Jan 26, 2005 14:31:59 GMT -5
I think Ibanez is the way to go right now. They even have some really nice higher level guitars too, like the Pat Metheny models. Last one I saw was amazing. I haven't seen a new Benson model in a long time.
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Post by Henry48 on Feb 2, 2005 0:20:24 GMT -5
I too have been considering Artcore guitars. How do you guys feel about the versatility of a Semi vs Full hollowbody, or is it even a factor?
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Post by jazzalta on Feb 2, 2005 1:08:38 GMT -5
I too have been considering Artcore guitars. How do you guys feel about the versatility of a Semi vs Full hollowbody, or is it even a factor? Good question Henry. Obviously, a semi hollow is by nature a more versatile instrument if you're playing other styles. I prefer the full hollowbody, but that's because I don't play loud enough to have feedback to worry about, I pretty much only play jazz with it, and I like the full sound. The bottom line is, like Dr. Phil says, what works for you. |
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Post by slowpoke on Feb 3, 2005 16:30:59 GMT -5
Another point for Ibanez!
I just bought an AFS75T, which is a semi hollow guitar with a bigsby. Now, I'm not playing just jazz but this guitar plays and sounds great. It looks pretty sharp too. It was a hard decision but I think I made a good choice.
Hmm. I just noitced BobD made that post back in October... did you get a guitar yet?
Is he still posting?
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Post by L4sleeko on Feb 26, 2005 2:39:41 GMT -5
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Post by artstar on Mar 6, 2005 19:01:44 GMT -5
I debated between that one, and the AK-85 with the dark violin sunburst and spruce top, and got the AK-85. The only thing I would change about those two ( AG-85 and AK-85 ) would be to use black mounting rings and knobs. I changed my knobs to black, and painted the pickup surrounds black and it looks much more subdued. Now the dark color is the thing that catches the eye.
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