The guitar builder for the giants of jazz, Ibanez now introduces the Artstar AS153 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar, to answer the needs of the working professional player. Crafted from specially selected tone woods, this guitar features a bone nut, ebony fingerboard, hand-rolled frets and Ibanez's famous Super 58 pickups-capable of tone magic any place between "jazz-clean" all the way to "blues dirty." If you're aiming high, Ibanez has an ARTSTAR for you.
Antique Yellow Sunburst finish Artstar AS set-in neck Flamed Maple top/back/sides Medium frets Bound Ebony fretboard Bone nut Pearl/ Abalone block inlay ART1 bridge Super 58 Custom neck pu Super 58 Custom bridge pu Tri sound switch for neck puExperience the jazz-fusion soundsand playability of this well-crafted instrument. Order today.
Custom Guitar's Friend Gold Coverage
Gold Coverage goes above and beyond the manufacturer's warranty to protect your gear from unexpected breakdowns, accidental damage from handling and failures. This plan covers your product for one, two, three or up to five years from your date of purchase, costs just pennies per day and gives you a complete "no-worry" solution for protecting your investment.
Gold Coverage Includes:
Unexpected and unintentional spills, drops and cracks Normal wear and tear Power surges Dust, internal heat and humidityOther plan features include:
For products over $200, No Lemon Policy applies. If it fails for the same defect 3 times, it is replaced on the 4th breakdown. (Does not apply to failures due to drops, spills, and cracks) For products under $200 experiencing the above failures, a Custom Guitar's Friend gift card will be issued for the full price of the product + tax. Shipping fees covered if required for repair or replacement Plans are transferable in the event merchandise is sold Plans are renewable on new gear*Limitations and exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for program details
Term for New Gear begins on date of purchase but does not replace the store return policy or manufacturer coverage.
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Been playing 50 yrs and Iv'e played es-335, 175,345 etc. I own gibsons up to 6 grand and this is on a par with any gibson hollow body I have played. And as good as my artist PRS. And the coil splitting toggle is a great addition to an already great guitar. I do set up professionally and this came out of the box set up perfectly and the neck is fast and feels like butter.You will not be dissapointed.
Ibanez Artstar AS153 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar Antique Yellow Sunburst
.FINALLY. Ibanez really got it right with this model! I have owned (and sold due to disappointment) two Artstar AS-200's, two Artcore AS-103's, and one Artcore AS-93. I just received my AS-153 from Custom Guitarsfriend,com, and it is everything I've been seeking all this time. Weight, balance, neck feel, looks, and TONE are superb. The Trisound SW switch is a great feature for varying the neck pickup tone (split-single, series, or parallel coil switching.) I can get a thick jazz tone with extremely rich note articulation in chordal voicings. The Super 58 customs overdrive nicely as well, so this is truly an all-purpose guitar. nice solid tuners as well!
I own a Gibson Custom Shop ES-335 that I try not to overplay, and I truly won't be missing it with the AS-153 around. It's a serious pro guitar for serious pro musicians. HIGHLY recommended.
Ibanez Artstar AS153 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar Antique Yellow Sunburst
.I once owned a Gibson ES347, but I was poor and had to decide between that and my #1 Strat when it was time to pony-up first month and security for a new pad... I've regretted that sale ever since and planned to replace it with another genuine Gibson at the next opportunity.
Flash forward 15-years and I still have not been able to justify the price tag for the Gibson name. I took an intermediate step two years ago and purchased a used Ibanez Artcore AS73 just so I would have a semi-hollow in the arsenal... It plays very nicely and is set up well, but the electronics left something to be desired compared to the upper end of the category. I was in the process of pricing-out the upgrades I'd like to perform, but things added-up quickly and I'd have been REALLY close to the price of the AS153 in the end... with no increase in resale value! So I purchased the AS153 as the next interim step... Honestly, I doubt now that I'll upgrade anytime soon!
I've been practicing on the AS153 for about two weeks now, and I've yet to find anything... anything... that I'd consider to be a negative! Setup was great out of the box, the fit and finish was PERFECT! I can't find ANY flaws anywhere!
Then there's the tone! Ohhh that sweet tone! The Super 58's that come in this guitar are absolutely amazing! If I decide to keep the AS73 as a knock-around guitar, I would seriously consider going with a set of these instead of Seymour Duncan 59's or Gibson 57's (my original plan). They are soooo sweet whether playing clean/jazzy or dirty/bluesy...
The fretboard is also a nice upgrade from the AS73 (from Rosewood to Ebony and bigger frets), and the finish on the frets is as nice as I've ever seen on any guitar regardless of price. All other hardware and electronics are of a quality I'd expect on American-Made instruments. Even the case is top notch!
If you're still reading, and you haven't picked-up on it yet... I'm a huge fan of this guitar, and I'm extremely happy with my purchase. Anyone seeking a quality semi-hollow in any price range would do well to give one of these a try before sinking 3x the money into something "better".
Ibanez Artstar AS153 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar Antique Yellow Sunburst
.I have spent the past few months looking for a new semi-hollow body guitar. This guitar is THE BEST value that you will find right now. Every single guitar I own is an American made guitar – until now. But the cost of the American instruments has spiraled out of control because of the quality construction and sound. Try to find an ebony neck, flamed maple top back and sides, with a tri-tone switch that switches the p-ups from humbucker to single coil and in series in the price range.
The most important thing to me is quality woods and construction and this guitar has everything I was looking for. This is the kind of guitar that will sound better with age because of the quality tone woods. Ebony neck and FLAMED Maple are something you find in the high end guitars.
You can dial in any sound you want. I got some a real nice deep jazz tone with the neck pick up and some awesome blues tones. This guitar takes the Blues Driver and MXR Bad A55 Overdrive into outer space.
The neck is slightly bigger than most electrics. Almost has the same sized neck as my acoustics. It feels great. The attention to detail is remarkable for the price of this guitar. If you are serious about buying a semi-hollow: I challenge you to find something as nice as this guitar. There is no way. I highly recommend – thank you Ibanez for making a guitar that I can be proud of without sacrificing food for a year or two to save the money to buy it…
Ibanez Artstar AS153 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar Antique Yellow Sunburst
.This is a great sounding guitar. It plays good and has a very smooth neck. This will be my number one guitar from now on. The price is right to. I have a Les Paul that I paid twice as much for. This guitar plays and feels 10 times better.
Ibanez Artstar AS153 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar Antique Yellow Sunburst
.When Ibanez first introduced this guitar I knew I had to check it out. For around a grand and the look of the classic AS200/Scofield model - I would be crazy not to.
I had my local dealer order 1 (the system glitched on him and it placed 2 orders) so I got to check out 2 of them in the store, and pick the one I liked. Surprizingly there weren't a lot out there at the time.
I got it home and found a dead spot on the neck, luckily the other guitar was still at the store and I made the swap.
The replacement guitar had a very slight bow in the neck and I was able to quickly resolve it with a truss rod adjustment. That was 2 years ago and it is still perfect.
Okay, now on to the important stuff. I have a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender Clapton Strat. I haven't played either guitar since I got the AS153. No joke. This guitar is butter. It looks great, plays great, sounds great - period. I play funk/jazz/fusion so it is right up my alley. I occasionally get a vibration ont he guitar when the bass guitars tones pumps but that is par for the course with hollow body guitars.
The construction on the guitar is geat too. Solid maple block going all the way through the body - no "block" under the bridge/tailpiece - this is a REAL semi hollow. Great finishing work. All the hard ware is pro quality. Case lid fitting is slightly off, and the accessory compartment lid "hinge" is a bit flimsy, but overall decent.
The PUPS put out great tone and it is very versatile. I totally recommend getting one.
Ibanez Artstar AS153 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar Antique Yellow Sunburst
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I followed review threads for a year before purchasing this guitar. When I finally did, I didn't totally need it - but in the four months that I've owned it, it has definitely become my go-to guitar. My American Deluxe HSS Strat and Texas Tele are going sadly unused these days.The guitar looks stunning under stage lights, and has action and playability that suits me perfectly. If you're in to finishes, you won't be disappointed.
The tone is superb. I agree with the other reviewers who say that Ibanez has a tone all it's own. It certainly doesn't sound like a Gibson to me. On rhythm, (in contrast to my Fenders, which I love and am so used to) it shuns the stringy janglyness in favor of warmer, balanced pickup prescence. On leads, it voice cuts through without me reaching for a volume boost.
I almost exclusively use the middle pickup position for both rhythm and lead. This came as a surprise to me as I tend to love and overuse the neck pickup position - but the middle is just so versatile on this one.
Even experienced band mates, who usually know better than to gratuitously hand out complements to the guitar player, have told me that they are especially impressed with the tone of my AS153.
I was really curious about the tri-tone switch before my purchase. Turns out to be a kind of useless feature, if not a bad one. I think it is a coil tap in the up position, and the down position turns it off. In between their is a position that just seems to suck all the life out of the tone. If I ever need work done on this guitar, I'll probably just have it removed. For the most part it doesn't get in the way, but there have been occasions where I think, 'OMG why does my tone suddenly suck?' and sure enough, I have accidentally activated the stupid tri-tone switch.
So I don't really count that against the AS153 as it is basically a feature I don't use. My only real complaint is the input jack, which is constantly falling apart under normal use. Oh well.
Ibanez Artstar AS153 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar Antique Yellow Sunburst
.Very solid guitar!! Fit and finish was literally flawless (seriously, it was perfect). Setup was good. Plays nicely. PUPs are a little bright but easlily adjusted without getting muddy. All in all, very fine guitar. As someone said in another review, if a player can't make this guitar work, maybe they should be doing something else... Also, MF was easy and great to work with.
Ibanez Artstar AS153 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar Antique Yellow Sunburst
.Excellent setup out of the box. Beautiful craftsmanship and high quality electronics, superb tone, great for blues, jazz, and overdrive for rock. I have a Gibson 1960 ES-320 and this guitar can hold its own. The neck is smooth and is effortless to play. I can't say enough about this guitar. Ibanez sure knows how to make some excellent and very well priced instruments, no doubt about it.
Ibanez Artstar AS153 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar Antique Yellow Sunburst
.This guitar looks much better than my Gibson ES-339 with its beautiful bindings. I haven't played it that much yet since Im busy with my real engineering work.
Ibanez Artstar AS153 Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar Antique Yellow Sunburst
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