Cross post. New guitar day for BAZGUITARMAN..

[BAZGUITARMAN]

I meant to cross post this Friday for you guys, but forgot. I know it`s not an acoustic per say, but is a semi-acoustic. Some of you rocking flat toppers might be interested.

 

 

 

Yeah, my Ibanez AGS83B semi-hollow finally came in today. Turned out to be well worth the wait. It`s freaking awesome.

 

For those of you who are not familiar with this model, it`s new for `06 and has been back ordered constantly. I had to wait three weeks for mine, but it`s so sweet.

 

*Single cut semi-hollow

*Flame maple top, back and sides

*Three piece mahogany/maple neck

*Rosewood fretboard

*Pearloid and abalone inlays on fretboard, MOP Ibanez and Artcore inlays on headstock

*Dual Ibanez ACH humbuckers with (2)volume, (2)tone controls and three way toggle switch

*Cosmo black finished TOM, quick change tailpiece and enclosed "Gotoh like" tuners

*Multi layer body and headstock binding, single layer black binding on F-holes and neck

*Satin tungs oil finish on entire body, satin black finish on headstock

 

 

My initial impressions are very, very good. I`ve gone over the guitar with a fine tooth comb and can`t find any flaws at all. Every aspect of the finish, binding, hardware and fretwork are really, really good. As good as I`ve ever seen on a production guitar.

 

I played the guitar without an amp for a couple of hours. Plays like butter. There is no buzzing or dead spots anywhere up and down the neck. The action was moderately low and needed no adjustments at all. The frets are evenly finished and there are no raised frets or jagged fret ends. No file marks either. The intonation is spot on and all the guitar needed was a quick tuning to be ready to play. An added extra with this model is the 17th fret neck joint rather than the standard 14th fret. Upper fret access is very easy.

 

The tone is typical maple semi-hollow. Bright top end with plenty of spanky mids. The bass responce is pretty good for a semi-hollow. Nice and tight, but not huge or over-whelming. The body resonates like crazy. It speaks out loud and is very pleasant. The pickups are PAF`ish in nature and warm the guitar up through an amp. I would rate them at medium output and classic tone. Pretty good for factory pups. Not magic, but not bad at all. I don`t plan on replacing them in a hurry.

 

The fit and finish is impressive to say the least. I`ve never seen this type of guitar with a tungs oil satin finish. It`s understated and very classy. The finish feels like silk. Total sex under the finger tips. I couldn`t find any flaws in the finish at all. The body is very well figured all over. Not a bad looking spot on it. The rosewood fretboard is dark and rich in color and has great looking full length grain. It`s even well oiled. The binding is very clean and front and back. It`s multi-layer on the top, back and sides. The fretboard and f-holes are bound in single layer black binding and the headstock in the multi-layer binding. The inlays are well done. Pearloid rectangles with abalone centers on the fretboard and MOP Ibanez and Artcore inlays on the headstock.

 

Tuners and bridge/tailpiece are high quality and finished in Ibanez`s "cosmo black" chrome finish. As are the pups. All the pots feel smooth and the toggle switch is positive in all positions. There is no extranious noise from any of the electronics. Everything is tight and right.

 

Now to the pics. Sorry about the crappy quality, but I always loose some detail when I upload them to Photobucket. Probably because I`m on dial-up. Enjoy.

 

Eric

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ace1979]

that is a pretty damn sexy lookin guitar...if it sounds as outstanding as it looks you are in for a great guitar...where did you end up finding one since they had been backordered?

[BAZGUITARMAN]

I bought it from my local Ibanez dealer. He had two on back order and I picked between the two. The other one had a little more distinct flame on the top, but the one I picked was lighter, more resonant and completely flawless. I think he sold the other one the next day. That makes three of this model he has sold in about two months.

Oh, by the way. He gave me a great deal. $520.00 with matching HSC out the door.

Eric

[mikeSF]

thanks for the review, Eric. that thing looks beautiful with all that flame and great color too. how would you compare it to say an ES-175 or ES-125? what kind of music are you playing on this?

[BAZGUITARMAN]

Originally posted by mikeSF thanks for the review, Eric. that thing looks beautiful with all that flame and great color too. how would you compare it to say an ES-175 or ES-125? what kind of music are you playing on this?

 

 

 

I think it compares very favorably with all the Gibby semi-acoustics. I won`t say it`s the same thing as a $4,500 Gibson, but I`ve never seen better for the money. It really feels like high quality in your hands. Very satisfying and pleasing.

 

The differences are subtle, but do make a big difference. The neck profile is vintage, but has the very slightest V-ridge down the center. It`s very, very slight. So much that I wouldn`t consider it a V-profile per say. The frets are vintage large and are fairly narrow. Meaty enough to dig in, but not modern fat.

 

Other than that, it`s fairly standard fare for a semi-hollow. Laminated maple construction with a three piece neck made of two mahogany strips sandwiching a maple center. Rosewood fretboard, etc.

 

The biggest difference is the type of finish. I`ve never seen a semi-hollow with an all over tungs oil finish. It`s earthy and classy without being showy and over-whelming. It feels and looks great. Smooth as a baby`s bottom and it augments the flame effect of the wood. If you change the angle you are viewing from the wood actually has a flame affect. It seems to ripple and move. I wish I could capture that with my camera.

 

I actually bought the guitar for a specific rig I wanted to put together. I`m a dyed in the wool metal head, but I wanted to put together a small, inexpensive "blues" rig. Something to scratch around with and maybe do some small jams or open mic nights. I wanted to buy a well made, classy looking semi-hollow for this rig, but didn`t want to spend too much money. I`ll be playing the Iby through a Epi. Valve Jr. head and into an Avatar closed back 2x12 loaded with Greenbacks. That`s it. Super simple and the whole rig cost less than $900.00. Just going for a classic low/medium gain blues tone. The VJ head has a raunchy, ratty tone when pushed hard and it sounds so good for a stand out blues tone. Combine that with the feel and playability of the guitar and it makes for a very personal and almost sexy vibe.

 

Eric