Looking for a artchtop

[LucVic]

I want to buy a new guitar soon.

I've been reading for a while, looking at comparisons, reviews, etc.


Some of the options I shuffle, I don't have them in my city, so the purchase has to be online.


My budget is around 1000/1500.


Among the models I shuffle are The Eastman AR-372, AR403, Ibanez LGB30 and GB10ES.


Any opinion is welcome.


Thank you very much!

[AllanAllen]

Eastman’s are good. I haven’t played the others, I like an epiphone Broadway the best because the 25.5” scale.

[dconeill]

At least you specified a budget.

Any of the guitars you mentioned would do as well as any other in this price range. Just pick the one whose appearance appeals to you most.

[trailmixer]

If you are open to buying second hand I recommend old Ibanez like Artcore Custom or Artcore United from mid-2000s. It will be $500-1000 depending on model. Then spend rest of your money to upgrade bridge, install bone or Tusq nut, get nice strings, perfect setup. I think it will be better than to buy $1500 guitar new today which will be not made as high quality and still need work to sound and play well.

For example Ibanez AF105, AF125, AG195, etc.

[58flame]

Used USA Guild X170 Manhattan can be had for $1500. I'd get that.

[GuyBoden]

Used USA Guild X170 Manhattan can be had for $1500. I'd get that.

Yes, I played a great Westerly Guild X170 for a lot of years, great guitars for the low price.

[Boze]

I like my AR403CE quite a bit after replacing the pickup with a 57 Classic. I briefly owned the 503ce but didn't like it nearly as much: the ebony fretboard and dual action truss rod made it neck-heavy. The x brace on the 403 gives it a nice voice and the upgraded pickup gives it the clarity I was looking for. It's also very light and comfortable with the shallower depth compared to the 372.

An older MIK Epiphone Triumph or Emperor is a good option too if you come across one used.

[arnie65]

There's a Guild (one pickup) X-150 on Reverb for a superb price, those sound amazing and the one pickup one's are rare! It's a solid one from the Westerly , RI factory too..


The Marketplace for Musicians | Reverb.com



Arnie...

[LucVic]

If you are open to buying second hand I recommend old Ibanez like Artcore Custom or Artcore United from mid-2000s. It will be $500-1000 depending on model. Then spend rest of your money to upgrade bridge, install bone or Tusq nut, get nice strings, perfect setup. I think it will be better than to buy $1500 guitar new today which will be not made as high quality and still need work to sound and play well.

For example Ibanez AF105, AF125, AG195, etc.

I do see the AF105 second-hand. I'll take it into account, and I'll take a look, although I have a certain preference for something more like ES-175. Would this AF105 be above the LGB30, in terms of quality?

[LucVic]

I like my AR403CE quite a bit after replacing the pickup with a 57 Classic. I briefly owned the 503ce but didn't like it nearly as much: the ebony fretboard and dual action truss rod made it neck-heavy. The x brace on the 403 gives it a nice voice and the upgraded pickup gives it the clarity I was looking for. It's also very light and comfortable with the shallower depth compared to the 372.

An older MIK Epiphone Triumph or Emperor is a good option too if you come across one used.

The AR-403 is beautiful.

I want one that has a sufficiently addictive sound so that I don't have to change the pickups.

[dconeill]

The AR-403 is beautiful.

I want one that has a sufficiently addictive sound so that I don't have to change the pickups.

There's a problem with this requirement: "a sufficiently addictive sound" could mean anything. Johnny Smith? Herb Ellis? Joe Pass? Jim Hall? Wes Montgomery? Kenny Burrell? Grant Green? Emily Remler? George Benson? Somebody else? What is it that you want the guitar to sound like?

Do you have the touch to produce "a sufficiently addictive sound"? This is where we enter "it's the player, not the guitar" territory.

[58flame]

There's a Guild (one pickup) X-150 on Reverb for a superb price, those sound amazing and the one pickup one's are rare! It's a solid one from the Westerly , RI factory too..


The Marketplace for Musicians | Reverb.com



Arnie...

And it looks like the bridge has been properly shaved down to accommodate the shallow neck angle. I'll bet it plays nicely.

[LucVic]

There's a problem with this requirement: "a sufficiently addictive sound" could mean anything. Johnny Smith? Herb Ellis? Joe Pass? Jim Hall? Wes Montgomery? Kenny Burrell? Grant Green? Emily Remler? George Benson? Somebody else? What is it that you want the guitar to sound like?

Do you have the touch to produce "a sufficiently addictive sound"? This is where we enter "it's the player, not the guitar" territory.

Well, it's a way of speaking. I mean, at least I don't need to change the pickups.

By the way, I don’t play very well,especially music jazz, but I keep trying. I keep untangling the ins and outs of harmony and the fretboard.

[dconeill]

Well, it's a way of speaking. I mean, at least I don't need to change the pickups.
By the way, I don’t play very well,especially music jazz, but I keep trying. I keep untangling the ins and outs of harmony and the fretboard.

Your tone and your note choice will both improve with practice and experience. At this point in your path one guitar or another won't make all that much difference. All of the guitars you've cited so far, and all of the guitars recommended by others, will do the job satisfactorily. As you improve, you might find that you develop preferences for one over another, but the time to engage with that is later, not now. I think we all make the mistake of being too gear-obsessed. As long as the gear reaches a threshold level of functionality, and all of the gear you've cited does that, it will be fine until your tastes and knowledge develop further.

(BTW, Ed Bickert played wonderfully using a Telecaster and any of several amps. Listen, for example, to the album Pure Desmond by Paul Desmond.)

[Cunamara]

Where are you located? Someone here on the forum may have a recommendation for where to look in your area.

I have a 1981 GB10 that I've owned for 43 years and is a wonderful guitar. It is very versatile and can cover anything from pop to blues to jazz very easily; not sure it would be suitable for metal or rock 'n' roll with a lot of overdrive. Played it tonight at a jam and playing it at rehearsal tomorrow. However, it sounds as though the non-Japanese made GB10s are fairly hit and miss so I am a little leery about recommending that one.

The LGB30 seems to be a well-reviewed guitar. I have played an Eastman AR403 at Dave's Guitar in La Crosse WI and it was a very nice feeling guitar; I did not have a chance to plug it into an amp, though. Looked well made. I played a 371 (1 pickup version of the 372) quite a few years ago and it was also a very nice guitar with a rather large and wide neck, which is fine for me as I'm tall and have big hands. It was stupidly easy to get a really nice sound out of it. Eastmans usually have a 1 3/4" wide nut, which is fine for me but some people find too wide. The Ivanna should have a 1 11/16" nut.

[LucVic]

Where are you located? Someone here on the forum may have a recommendation for where to look in your area.

I have a 1981 GB10 that I've owned for 43 years and is a wonderful guitar. It is very versatile and can cover anything from pop to blues to jazz very easily; not sure it would be suitable for metal or rock 'n' roll with a lot of overdrive. Played it tonight at a jam and playing it at rehearsal tomorrow. However, it sounds as though the non-Japanese made GB10s are fairly hit and miss so I am a little leery about recommending that one.

The LGB30 seems to be a well-reviewed guitar. I have played an Eastman AR403 at Dave's Guitar in La Crosse WI and it was a very nice feeling guitar; I did not have a chance to plug it into an amp, though. Looked well made. I played a 371 (1 pickup version of the 372) quite a few years ago and it was also a very nice guitar with a rather large and wide neck, which is fine for me as I'm tall and have big hands. It was stupidly easy to get a really nice sound out of it. Eastmans usually have a 1 3/4" wide nut, which is fine for me but some people find too wide. The Ivanna should have a 1 11/16" nut.

I live in Valencia, Spain.

Here in Valencia there are not many stores that have guitars of this type to go and try them.

[LucVic]

Your tone and your note choice will both improve with practice and experience. At this point in your path one guitar or another won't make all that much difference. All of the guitars you've cited so far, and all of the guitars recommended by others, will do the job satisfactorily. As you improve, you might find that you develop preferences for one over another, but the time to engage with that is later, not now. I think we all make the mistake of being too gear-obsessed. As long as the gear reaches a threshold level of functionality, and all of the gear you've cited does that, it will be fine until your tastes and knowledge develop further.

(BTW, Ed Bickert played wonderfully using a Telecaster and any of several amps. Listen, for example, to the album Pure Desmond by Paul Desmond.)

I've been playing the guitar for many years, but most of them, playing by ear.

I have taken several online courses, one of them focused on jazz, but I realize that, the more I learn, the more I have to learn, because I am aware of how little I know, especially if I want to play minimally jazz music, but well, I think the travel is interesting and motivating enough to think about the end of the road.


I usually play at home, and usually with headphones, which has made me "obsess" a little with the tone, although it is also true that I realize that it is relatively easy to find an acceptable tone "almost" with any guitar.

[DanielleOM]

There are quite a few Godin 5th Ave Kingpin P90 guitars listed at Sweetwater. Are the Godin guitars available in Spain? How do prices there compare to Eastman? You might want to take a look at the Sweetwater site and note the weight of the Godins they have in stock.

Although I have several Eastman guitars, I find it difficult to view them as the bargain I used to view them as. Prices in the USA have gone up substantially for Eastman.

[Pierrot]

Como cada guitarra es un mundo, y cada guitarrista también, el mejor consejo que me atrevo a darte es que, compres la que compres, la pruebes con tiempo y calma antes.

Si te es posible, desplázate a Madrid o Barcelona para tal fin.

Allí tal vez te sea factible encontrar una buena guitarra que te sea cómoda y cuyo sonido coincida con lo que tienes en mente.

Hay grandes subfamilias en las guitarras de jazz.

Por ejemplo, maderas macizas o laminadas.
O también, puramente acústicas, con pastilla(s) flotante(s), o incrustada(s). Su sonido es por lo general MUY distinto.
Otra cosa importante pero que no se ve es su "bracing". Este suele ser paralelo o cruzado y también tiene mucha relevancia en la calidad tímbrica del instrumento.
Por no hablar de su tamaño y formato, de si tiene o no "cutaway", de sus maderas, de la o las pastillas en sí, largo y ancho y radio y forma del mástil, y de un interminable etc.
Así que antes de gastar tu pasta, documéntate bien en internet, analiza vídeos en YT, eventualmente pregúntale a alguna IA, parece mentira lo que saben estas granjas de silicio hoy en día, y acierta en tu búsqueda.

Un buen sonido invita a tocar, y seguir tocando, y seguir y seguir, mientras que uno malo tira "pá" tras después de dar dos acordes.

Suerte, compañero.

[joe2758]

Como cada guitarra es un mundo, y cada guitarrista también, el mejor consejo que me atrevo a darte es que, compres la que compres, la pruebes con tiempo y calma antes.

Si te es posible, desplázate a Madrid o Barcelona para tal fin.

Allí tal vez te sea factible encontrar una buena guitarra que te sea cómoda y cuyo sonido coincida con lo que tienes en mente.

Hay grandes subfamilias en las guitarras de jazz.

Por ejemplo, maderas macizas o laminadas.
O también, puramente acústicas, con pastilla(s) flotante(s), o incrustada(s). Su sonido es por lo general MUY distinto.
Otra cosa importante pero que no se ve es su "bracing". Este suele ser paralelo o cruzado y también tiene mucha relevancia en la calidad tímbrica del instrumento.
Por no hablar de su tamaño y formato, de si tiene o no "cutaway", de sus maderas, de la o las pastillas en sí, largo y ancho y radio y forma del mástil, y de un interminable etc.
Así que antes de gastar tu pasta, documéntate bien en internet, analiza vídeos en YT, eventualmente pregúntale a alguna IA, parece mentira lo que saben estas granjas de silicio hoy en día, y acierta en tu búsqueda.

Un buen sonido invita a tocar, y seguir tocando, y seguir y seguir, mientras que uno malo tira "pá" tras después de dar dos acordes.

Suerte, compañero.

I took the liberty of running this through a translator:

Since every guitar is unique—and so is every guitarist—the best advice I can give you is this: whatever guitar you decide to buy, make sure to test it thoroughly and unhurriedly beforehand.

If you can, make the trip to Madrid or Barcelona for this purpose.

There, you’re likely to find a great guitar that feels comfortable to play and produces the sound you have in mind.

There are major sub-categories within jazz guitars.

For instance, solid wood versus laminate construction.
Or the distinction between purely acoustic models and those with floating or built-in pickups; the sound difference between them is usually massive.
Another crucial, albeit invisible, factor is the bracing. It’s usually either parallel or X-braced, and it plays a huge role in the instrument's tonal quality.
Not to mention the size and body shape, whether it has a cutaway, the specific woods used, the pickups themselves, the neck's length, width, radius, and profile—the list goes on and on.
So, before you part with your hard-earned cash, do your homework online, watch YouTube videos, maybe even ask an AI—it’s incredible what those silicon farms know these days—and make the right choice.

A great sound makes you want to keep playing—on and on—whereas a bad sound makes you want to put the guitar down after just two chords.

Good luck, mate.

[LucVic]

Como cada guitarra es un mundo, y cada guitarrista también, el mejor consejo que me atrevo a darte es que, compres la que compres, la pruebes con tiempo y calma antes.

Si te es posible, desplázate a Madrid o Barcelona para tal fin.

Allí tal vez te sea factible encontrar una buena guitarra que te sea cómoda y cuyo sonido coincida con lo que tienes en mente.

Hay grandes subfamilias en las guitarras de jazz.

Por ejemplo, maderas macizas o laminadas.
O también, puramente acústicas, con pastilla(s) flotante(s), o incrustada(s). Su sonido es por lo general MUY distinto.
Otra cosa importante pero que no se ve es su "bracing". Este suele ser paralelo o cruzado y también tiene mucha relevancia en la calidad tímbrica del instrumento.
Por no hablar de su tamaño y formato, de si tiene o no "cutaway", de sus maderas, de la o las pastillas en sí, largo y ancho y radio y forma del mástil, y de un interminable etc.
Así que antes de gastar tu pasta, documéntate bien en internet, analiza vídeos en YT, eventualmente pregúntale a alguna IA, parece mentira lo que saben estas granjas de silicio hoy en día, y acierta en tu búsqueda.

Un buen sonido invita a tocar, y seguir tocando, y seguir y seguir, mientras que uno malo tira "pá" tras después de dar dos acordes.

Suerte, compañero.

Pues en lo de desplazarme a Madrid o Barcelona es algo que me he planteado , aunque no creo que lo haga, por eso intento documentarme al máximo ,para evitar devoluciones en el caso de comprarla online, más que nada por el mareo que supone devolver algo tan voluminoso.
Y en esto último que comentas, también creo que es así, un tono que te guste, hace , al menos en mi caso , que esté más tiempo enganchado al instrumento.

Por cierto, eres español?

[LucVic]

There are quite a few Godin 5th Ave Kingpin P90 guitars listed at Sweetwater. Are the Godin guitars available in Spain? How do prices there compare to Eastman? You might want to take a look at the Sweetwater site and note the weight of the Godins they have in stock.

Although I have several Eastman guitars, I find it difficult to view them as the bargain I used to view them as. Prices in the USA have gone up substantially for Eastman.

Yes, here the GODIN guitars are available, in fact it is another model that I value, especially the 5th avenir kinping II with Humbukers.

[Pierrot]

Pues en lo de desplazarme a Madrid o Barcelona es algo que me he planteado , aunque no creo que lo haga, por eso intento documentarme al máximo ,para evitar devoluciones en el caso de comprarla online, más que nada por el mareo que supone devolver algo tan voluminoso.
Y en esto último que comentas, también creo que es así, un tono que te guste, hace , al menos en mi caso , que esté más tiempo enganchado al instrumento.

Por cierto, eres español?

Soy francés, pero vivo en Galicia desde el año 1978. 48 añitos...
Así que...frampañol.

Suerte en tu búsqueda.