Ibanez Artwood comments? Specifically AJ307CE??

[bduersch]

I was recently offered an Artwood AJ307CE-NT in trade. I'm intrigued by the idea of having a 7-string acoustic, but really just want to know a little more about the Artwood series in general.

For Korean guitars, how does the quality stack up? Decent craftsmanship?

What's the tone like? Is it balanced?

How's the action? (I just can't stand the feel of a cheap acoustic!)

Any comments are welcome and appreciated!!

Thanks,
--Brent

[Rich]

307's are MIJ aren't they? Nothing cheap about them, List is $1100.

[darren wilson]

I haven't had any time to play with mine since getting it back from the shop, but i will tell you that with a good setup and some compensation work on the bridge, the action and intonation are 10x better than they were when i got it. (Why Ibanez ships these with non-compensated bridge saddles, i will never know.)

It's a really nice guitar. I really like the sound of jumbos, and the 307 is about a 3/4 size jumbo, not as gigantic as a full Gibson. The materials are very nice. Rich-grained rosewood and a lovely clear solid spruce top. It has a nice full tone with clear high-end and good projection.

The Fishman electronics are also really good... i took it to rehearsal one night and plugged it into the PA through my SansAmp Acoustic DI and it sounded absolutely amazing.

And yes, i do believe it is made in Japan. I'll double-check when i go downstairs later, but i'm pretty certain all the Artwoods are Japanese, being the higher-end of the Ibanez acoustic line.

[bduersch]

Originally Posted by Rich

307's are MIJ aren't they?

Perhaps they are... I just noticed on the Jemsite 7-string page it says they're made in Korea--as always, I believe everything I read until I read something that says otherwise.

The more I think about it, the more I'm interested in this guitar. I've always wanted a jumbo, and always wanted to try an acoustic seven. I've had good luck with all the Ibanez electrics I've had and also with all my acoustics that have Fishman preamps. And, history has shown, that I write better songs on acoustic than I do on electric. So hopefully all will work out and I'll be able to get me a new geetar!

--B