Difference between Ibanez Artcore AF95 and AK95?

[sktsage]

Hi, I am in the market for a hollowbody guitar, mainly for jazz - more traditional like the style of Joe Pass.. I've been reading different threads and reviews, which enabled me to narrow things down, but trying to make some final decisions..

I went into a local guitar center and tried ones they had, and came to a conclusion that I liked Artcore AF95 the best in my price range. (around 500) While I was searching online, I realized that they had a variant, AK95 that has wood bridge and spruce top. On their website, they say those changes were for a warmer tone, but it was hard for me to find any clips.. And sadly from where I am (Salt Lake City area) it is hard to find a place where I could go try them.

Could someone let me know likely tone differences between the two? I'm thinking AK95 would be better for my taste, but AF95 was only one I was able to try and liked, so I'm not sure.. Right now, I'm leaning toward AK95, and would that lose the versatility if I ever want to play anything other than Jazz? Also, price of AK95 is lower than AF95, but I couldn't find any significant difference other than the bridge, top, and neck profile. Am I missing something..? I'd really appreciate opinions from those who have experiences on both instruments..

Any other suggestion in the price range would be appreciated as well. Ones I was able to try were Dot, Sheraton, 5120, and different artcores.

[abracadabra]

Also the AK95 has only 20 frets and the neck pup is therefore placed slightly further away than the bridge than the AF.

I have the AF105 and it came with a TOM and a wooden bridge (which I've just installed). I presume the AF95 would also come with both options.

I've never played the AK, but I'm quite sure you will like it. The Artcore series seem to have a good consistent quality to them.

Someone on here has an AK, although it may be the slightly higher spec AK105. I think it's martinopass but can't remember.

I played the Dot and the Sheraton in my quest for a guitar, but they are both semi-acoustics not full-hollows, so a bit different. I liked them, but I think the Ibanez is better quality.

[mcbrandt13]

I scored an AF95 brand new with warranty from a store selling it on ebay for like $365. It came with the case and case candy, but I didn't receive a wood bridge with it, so I think that option doesn't start until you get to the AF105. I liked the looks of the AK95 better in terms of finish and the pointer shaped cutaway, but I got a good deal on the AF and went with that. I'm really happy with it though. It can sound really jazzy, but you can get great tones otherwise, too.

[bkdavidson]

The biggest difference is the cutaway. For 2010, they shortened the fingerboard on the AK to 20 frets and moved the neck pickup back, which abracadabra mentioned. This will warm up the tone a little bit. The wood bridge warms up the tone also, but the spruce top doesn't matter, since the guitar is all laminate. FWIW, I have an AK95 from a couple years ago and am really happy with it.

[sktsage]

Thank you for your advices. Now I'm little more sure to get AK95. I have a somewhat random question.. So what makes the price difference between those two? It seems to me that they should be in a same price range;

[bkdavidson]

If you're asking about this year's models, the extra money for the AF95 could be for the inlay work on the body.

[sktsage]

This is not quite related to the topic, but I found an Epi Regent that I was able to try, and was surprised by the sound it had. I did some searches here and it seems to have a pretty bad rep, but could someone possibly tell me how it compares to Artcores like AK95?