Anyone who knows their guitar history will tell you: Ibanez spent much of the 1970s in the role of the prodigious student-building copies that exceeded the quality of the originals. They'd proven themselves quite capable, but would they ever make their own distinctive contribution to the guitar pantheon? The Artist proved Ibanez was hell-bent on standing shoulder to shoulder with the industry's veterans.
Made of mahogany, just like the classics, the AR325 Artist's symmetrical double-cutaway body style was a first in the production guitar world. But Ibanez's biggest leap forward will continue to be appreciated by today's player: the tri-tone switching system-a unique configuration that opens up the number of pickup/tone possibilities. But no matter what the setting, the Super 58s pack this axe with rich tonal palette. Gorgeous old school pearl/abalone block inlays make for a path back to one of rock's most dynamic chapters.
Case sold separately.
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Against the age-old wisdom behind the phrase "try before you buy," I bought this guitar online because it was just plain gorgeous. And after I got it, I knew it was the right decision.NECK AND FRETBOARD: The 3-piece maple neck is solid; not too thick, but thick enough that you can really grab onto it while you play. The neck's width makes bends easier, and leaves good room between the strings for finger-picking. The frets are great, and the 12" radius is very comfortable.
BODY: The body is a bit on the heavy side, but feels pretty nice. The bubinga top is absolutely beautiful. The strings sit at a nice height above the body, which gives me room to dig into the strings the way I like without scratching the body.
BRIDGE: The bridge is nice, but because of the way the strings just slide in over the top, it can be difficult to change the strings out because they'll want to fall out while you're threading them into the tuners. I usually have a friend hold the end of the string down onto the bridge while I wind it up. Also, the screws which adjust the intonation are in a very awkward position, facing the bridge pickup. So if you have trouble with the intonation, have fun adjusting it. But once you have it set, it's very stable.
PICKUPS: The pickups are very versatile. There are three-way coil-splitting switches for both, giving you the option of humbuckers, single-coils, or parallel humbuckers. Each pickup also has its own volume and tone knobs, so you can get some great tones from messing with all that. The bridge pickup, specifically, is fantastic. Great solid tone, with plenty of meat and high-end, but not too much of either one. The neck pickup, though, is much too muddy.
MISC: The tuners are great, and hold a solid tuning. The balance of the guitar is a bit odd; it wants to hang very evenly, so you have to pull up on the neck to get it into a better slanted position.
OVERALL TONE: This guitar is a regular "jack of all trades, master of none" that does very well for blues, metal, jazz, or whatever you want it to do. But it doesn't really stand out for any of those in particular. It's just a great all-around guitar, and it's great for somebody who wants to play a lot of different styles, but doesn't have the money to get the best blues guitar, best metal guitar, best country guitar, etc.
Ibanez AR325 Electric Guitar Dark Brown Sunburst
.The craftsmanship as far as how the guitar looks is flawless. Unfortunately this is a guitar to hang on your wall. The action is high with the trussrod properly adjusted. (capo on first, fretted at the neck joint and .010" between the high and low E strings and the 8th fret). I can't get the action to a 16th" at the last fret which I can usually do even with less expensive guitars. The other problems are the fretwork which is horrible and feels like sand paper when bending a note. Also, it NECK DIVES and is horribly ballanced. I had a 2000 AR 250 that had the same problem and it is unfortunate that Ibanez knows about this and has neglected to fix it after all these years; however, other than that the guitar played like a dream compared to this one. I also had a 1983 vintage AR105AV that was a beast at close to 15 lbs. That guitar would rival any Les Paul. This guitar is a far cry form the vintage Artists of the 70's and 80's. Plus, for the price it isn't cheap and a high price to pay for a wall ornament. For the price there are much better guitars out there. I have an Ibanez AM73b that costs much less when I bought it new in 2012 and that guitar is fantastic in every way; craftsmanship as well as playability.
Ibanez AR325 Electric Guitar Dark Brown Sunburst
.This guitar has amazing attention to detail. Super quality construction. I had had high hopes it would have come with a slightly thicker more rounded neck(it 'is' rounded just not as much as I would have liked). This is not a flat neck by any means. The width nice. Not a slim tapered neck at all.
My problem is with the sound. The sound is not nearly as fat as would have thought when considering it comes advertised as having the "Super 58" pickups. When I opened up the back plate there was the culprit... tiny little pots. Sorry, I just fail to comprehend how they could build such a beautiful guitar and cheep out on the pots? When I tried out the "Tri-sound" switches there was almost no audible difference?
Bottom line: I will more than likely keep the guitar because it is so beautiful and the craftmanship so superior. However, it will need to have the electronics switched out.
Ibanez AR325 Electric Guitar Dark Brown Sunburst
.This is a gorgeous instrument, but let's get the bad out of the way. Ibanez needs to work on their quality control. The first two AR325s I got had problems. One was missing a nut for the pickup switch; the second had a dent on the face that was actually finished over. The third was fine. The gold hardware really accents the finish. The body is not as thick or as heavy as the original Artists. The micro switches change from HB to single coil to series or parallel. Great value for the buck.
Ibanez AR325 Electric Guitar Dark Brown Sunburst
.I bought this guitar because of its beauty. I had nearly bought a second hand Artist some time ago, and I was looking for one This was new and the last one in the shop, sold With 20 % discount. The guitar looks great, and with new strings and lowered action, it's easy to play. The neck is slim, like many Ibanez guitars. The body is thinner than I had expected, but on the other hand this is not an expensive axe. Good pickups, but poor functioning tone controls. I have an Epiphone Les Paul which maybe is a better guitar, but compared to the price, this is also a good one. I have used it once on stage, and it was a good alternative to the Epi.
The two phase switches don't change the sound that much, but they're fun to use. It's a quality instrument, and if necessary I can change the tone controls.
Ibanez AR325 Electric Guitar Dark Brown Sunburst
.This is the "lost treasure" i was looking for since i sold my ex Ibanez AR300 from 1984 long time ago. Is the best thing it happen to me this year. This axe has it all! Sounds as deep as a Les Paul and a PRS and you can also get the a similar tone of a Fender Strat. Beauty, well made and the action is like butter. Mine is the AR-325-TDR. I guess i was lucky cause only have to buy a couple of Dunlop Straplock to complete this weapon. My advice to anyone is that if you are going to play on a live gig always use a wide strap instead a thin strap. Otherwise you will experiment a diving neck. Thats the reason why you always see Carlos Santana wearing wide straps. This guitar is very similar to that one. In my opinion this is the best buy if you are looking for! An A+1 Axe! You won't regret it!
Ibanez AR325 Electric Guitar Dark Brown Sunburst
.Just received this beauty last week and oh boy this is one of the best guitars I have owned. The bubinga top and Super 58's along with the tri-tone switching system gives you a plethora of tonal options. Just for clarification it is made in [*]no big deal!! I inspected the guitar from top to bottom no finish checks and the guitar came perfectly set up and the intonation was perfect as well.Great homage to the artist guitars of the 70's and 80's. Would buy again if I had to will be playing this one for a while.
Ibanez AR325 Electric Guitar Dark Brown Sunburst
.This is 18 months after my first review and I still like the guitar. Although I would never buy an Ibanez again. After getting the guitar properly set up I was informed that it hadn't been fretted properly! I know it was a relatively cheap, made in China guitar but how can a company like Ibanez put its name on this product is beyond me. Their quality control must be awful. I will never buy a Chinese made guitar again no matter the brand. Pickups are OK but you will need to swap them out. Bridge also is of low quality and needs to be replaced. The guitar is still nice to play but is really only above the 10th fret. Anything below that won't be in tune. If I sold it to another person I would feel like I would be ripping them off. So I will replace all the poor parts and try to find a use for it. Lesson learned don't buy Chinese Ibanez. Spend you money elsewhere.
Ibanez AR325 Electric Guitar Dark Brown Sunburst
.NOTE: I am just learning to play so you need to read this review from a beginner's perspective. This is my first electric guitar and bought it on the recommendation of a guitar tech. I am glad I did as I am very impressed with how easy it is to play, even for an inexperienced player like me. It can play nice clean tones with the single coil option selected in the neck pickup. With the bridge pickup set to humbucker you can get a real good "snarl" out of it with a bit of overdrive. Seeing I am practicing chords and learning some easy rock tunes it suits me just fine. Great value for money. I tried out many guitars of comparable price and nothing stood up to AR325 in terms of quality. Also it is great to look at. The only thing that I would recommend is that you buy a thick strap to go with it as the neck does dive. Just saying that I do sound like I am being a bit picky though.
Ibanez AR325 Electric Guitar Dark Brown Sunburst
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