Amazing jazz boxes

[Dave_M]

Last year I found an AF85 on sale and was overwhelmed with the sound and feel of it. A few years ago, I paid almost four times as much for a Heritage H575 and back in 1987, I paid a rediculous amount for an ES175. This week I found another incredible deal on an AF195. I browsed around these forums and found no mention of either of these guitars. That's almost as incredible as the prices I paid for two fine Ibanez instruments. I guess nobody's playing jazz - or at least not on Ibanez guitars.

[j.arledge]

i was extermly impressed with the artcore line as a hole, all of them were of excellent quality, and the prices were extermly reasonable. I was tempted to get an am73 or something like that. Made in china doesn't mean much except extermly reasonable prices, there is no quality cut though.

[Rich]

You've got to be kidding me. If you think there's no quality cut with MIC then you're looking though rose colored glasses. Chinese guitars are fine if you don't mind bleeding from the unfinished fret ends.

[jemsite]

the AF195's body is made in China, then assembled & finished in Japan. At $699 closeout they're a great deal, but don't get too much excitement due to the China involvement ...glen

[Rich]

The 195's have MIJ necks and Super 58's. The rest of the line is, well, entirely Chinese.

[jemsite]

have you sold any of those Rich? ... glen

[Rich]

I don't even offer them.

JSM's are beautiful and extremely high quality guitars, I've sold several. I'm never sold a GB or a PM even though I do offer them [I do have a GB2K in stock though]

[jemsite]

yes indeed they are sweet, but it's a shame they killed the AS200 in the process... glen

[j.arledge]

the ones i played had no such fret problems and played extermly smooth. Prehaps i over exagerated a bit in saying they dont have quality cuts but they are nice for the money you pay and the guitar you get.

[Rich]

Not one of them on display at NAMM [typically the best of the crop only are displayed] had any fret end finishing at all. Zero, zilch, nadda.

[Jemwielder]

unfinished fret ends are an easy fix that most repair shop guys will do for free, I've always been thoroughly impressed with any ibanez hollowbody i've played. Granted there might be some finer details that aren't as taken care of as with a more expensive instrument but let's face it, they're an excellent deal

[Rich]

They are not an easy fix, and nobody is doing them for free. That is the one critical point in fretwork that actually requires some craftsmanship, although there are many grades of finishing from extremely poor to extremely fine. It is one of the tells as to the quality of the build, the quality of the hands that worked on it, and of course attention to detail.

But yea, the guitars are cheap, but that's still what you're getting, a cheap guitar.

[frankfalbo]

I can at least say this, they're so cheaply priced, that I've considered some models. Then again, I can give it the full treatment. Pups GONE, frets dressed or possibly replaced, nice setup, etc. But it's like, I'd only be getting one because I don't want to drop the big bucks on the real thing. It's like this: for $250-$450 you can get a Korean RG or for $600+ you can get "the real deal" made in Japan. The gap between "almost good" and the real deal is small. But for a jazzbox, the gap is huge. $300+ for an Artcore, or $2000+ for the real deal. (GB2000 included) Since it's not something I'd play that much, I could definitely see going to Korea or China for a toy jazzbox. But then since I wouldn't play it much, I can never find the $300 for one, because it's always getting used for something else. I guess it's about priorities. Plus I've designed a unique mini-jazzbox that I'll probably build over the next year or two. If I get an Artcore I'll probably never build it!

[j.arledge]

thats why i never got one, i always had something else i needed or wanted to get, i would like to have one, but it wouldn't be totally practical, so i never got one.