Ibanez Artist AR320 Electric Guitar - Midnight Black Metallic

Bought an AR320 while on the search for an AR325 & I must say, my search is over. There is NO difference in the playability between the two so a continued search is no longer relevant. I had wanted the dark brown offered on the 325 but the transparent red on mine, is just as beautiful. I was thoroughly impressed with the tri-switching capabilities on this guitar & the warm tones, hard crunch & everything in between, that they can produce. The sure grip knobs on the volume & tone pots, make on the spot adjusting while playing, a piece of cake. The Super 58's are superb pickups & produce a professional quality sound. Although a little weighty, it's not too much so, that it becomes uncomfortable for long standing playing, certainly not as much as an Epi or Gibson LP. I had read on an Ibanez site, where a few were of the opinion that these AR series were dated & not fitting for on stage performances, simply because...get this...nobody famous plays one! HORSE HOCKEY! I have no qualms playing with this guitar in front of any crowd. Dated, shmated...this guitar is BEAUTIFUL & stage worthy anywhere!

I've been biased against guitars made in China for a long time but got over it after buying this guitar. It feels great to the touch and more importantly sounds amazing even without any effects. Absolutely in love with it.

Unless, of course, you really really need an SG because your heart is set on it. I'm not much of a guitar player, but at the same time, I'm super picky about what's in my hands. I've been searching for a guitar that was informed by vintage rock, not modern metal. I play simple solo stuff, but mostly I'm a rhythm guitar player. This guitar it the bill very nicely. Let's run down why you should buy it.. 1) It's pretty. The finish and binding are flawless. You'll hear this a lot about Artcore guitars, and this must an Artcore guitar. It's not listed on Ibanez's website (possibly this a custom order for the GC/Musician's Friend Empire of retail outlets) but I have the Artcore AF105, and the brown sunburst finish is IDENTICAL. Wherever this factory lie in China, the products that come out of it are exceptional. All the binding, abalone inlays, and hardware are exquisite. The flame maple and sunburst stain are as good as it gets. 2) The guitar is exceptionally balanced. The instrument, to my intermediate's hands, feels playable everywhere on the neck. I set the action very close (1.5 mm at the 12th fret, maybe a touch less) and there is very little buzz anywhere under the 15th fret. I've played some guitars that are twice the price of this and they don't have the ease this one does. 3) The tone capabilities are top notch. The tri-sound switching for each pickup gives this guitar a lot of different voices. While it never delves into strat or tele territory, it really shouldn't given the build materials. I find the middle position single coil tap gives the pickups a funky pluck that shines on clean settings. The "up" position does something else, like a parallel tap of some sort, and the down position is standard humbucker. The pickups themselves are Ibanez's near top of the line p'ups, also. There is some debate whether the magnets inside are AlNiCo or ceramic, but it doesn't matter. These pickups have a great deal of touch sensitivity and tone versatility, even without delving into the tri-sound weirdness.The pickups have every bit the range in tone, it just lacked in definition (but after 5 minutes, the disparity eases as you get used to the Ibanez). I haven't compared that Gretsch to a similarly priced SG, but I can guess the SG would end up crying the whole way home with a bloody nose. The AR320 took a punch, but stood it's ground and kept it's place in line. 4) This guitar's price feels about $200 less than it should be. Honestly. For being Chinese and all, it is just excellent top to bottom. I've played on Indonesian guitars that cost $200 more than this, and I've ditched them for one fault or another. Too "metal", bad necks, harsh tones, etc. etc... This guitar is very well rounded. Drawbacks? None yet. Like I said, next to Gretsch Duo Jet with Tv Jones Filtertrons, this guitar was a little meh. Most guitars next to that thing are meh or worse. But next to everything else I've tried in it's price range, this guitar is a serious player. If you're looking for anything in a double cutaway, skip Epiphone, Vox, Schecter, ESP and low end PRS. The AR320 has a lot of those guitars beat in price and craftsmanship. I love mine.