Ibanez AM153QA Artstar Series Electric Guitar Dark Brown Sunburst

I'm a performing jazz guitarist and fortunate to own a range of high-performance guitars (Ibanez, D'Angelico etc). As I typically perform with hollow bodies, it struck me, following some of the reviews that THIS particular semi-hollow could be a great addition to my performance gear. Well, after some adjustment (changing the strings which were 10-52's to 12-52 flat wounds) I have to say this might have the potential to be my true 'go to' guitar! I was /am about to semi-retire some of the hollow-bodies and replace them with something more modern. Without question, the BUILD on this instrument is superb. It is set-up almost perfect from the Indonesia factory and apart from the sheer beauty of the appearance, it plays incredibly. The included case is a clear great value and is truly beautiful, SOLIDl and functional. I did change the strap buttons to fit my locking systems and the balance and stability is good. The tri-sound switch is actually effective. If you are seeking a more mellow jazz tone, this could help a lot on the neck pick up but using both neck and bridge pick ups with treble rolled off a bit is actually very nice and smooth sounding. I am very particular about tone but to my liking , with a bit of toying around with the options, you can get a really, really nice sound out of this guitar. The full ash wood and nut bone definitely do it justice and contribute to the tonality. All that aside, I have to share that once I changed the string gauge and experimented with the EQ on my amps it is quite literally an incredibly well-made and highly playable instrument, I actually find my speed increasing vs my arch tops. Guess I'm evolving at this late age! Net net..... I would not hesitate to buy this guitar. I waited four+ months for it and it was definitely well-worth the wait. Have fun, Play hard and celebrate your music! My best to everyone.

I've been waiting a few months, expected in December 2023 but told then new arrival will be in May 2024, will it ever arrive ? this happened to me on a mandolin and I had to order an upgrade in order to get one. I've seen many youtube videos on those model and ibanez has a history of getting a good value for your money. just bought another electric as a Christmas gift and receiver is well pleased. is it worth the wait ? will the quality be any better or atleast the same ? why the delay ? anyone ?

Currently using in my home studio.

First off, i had a pretty dissapointing experience with guitar center. I understand things happen but i ordered this under the understanding it would take a month. It ended up taking 4 months. I still would've bought the guitar knowing it was 4 months but i felt led on from the beginning and the delivery date just kept getting pushed back further and further. They did give me free 2 day shipping when it came in but after 4 months an extra 3 days wasn't going to kill me. Questioning myself if i want to buy from guitar center in the future. This is one of the best guitars i have ever played, especially for the money! It plays and sounds better than some guitars that are twice the price! The frets are rounded and feel great. The craftsmanship and attention to detail is incredible (no flaws anywhere, even the f hole binding). Neck feels full in your hand but its not a bat (this is coming from a stray guy). I actually now prefer the feel over my strat now. The coil split gives a very convincing single coil sound. You can even combine neck coil split and bridge on a clean patch and get that John Mayer "slow dancing in a burning room" sound. The tuners hold tune fine but 2 of them are just a bit jumpy (not a huge deal). I couldn't be more happy with this guitar, except for one problem... the hardware is cheap. I went to lower the action and intonate at the bridge to meet my preferences and the intonation screws were binding. On the high e string i could not get the screw to move through any gentle means and ended up taking off the head of the screw. Couldn't find a replacement screw and didn't want to deal with guitar center so i just bought a graphtech bridge and it matched in color perfectly. I will NEVER get rid of this guitar, if you're looking for a solid es 335 style guitar don't waist 2.5k or more on a Gibson.

Guitar looks great! Sound is amazing. Great election!

Has a beautiful clean tone with lots of options through my Blackstone amp. Very nice feel and heft. I bought this over a Gibson after a lot of serious research. I'll check back after a year playing.