Gibson ES-135 vs Ibanez AF155

**dino79** · 08-05-2013, 01:59 PM

Hi everyone,
I am interested in your opinion on these two guitars. I am planning to get one of them, can you comment on some differences. I know that 135 has a balasa block and is semi hollow body af 155 is full hollow body. Which one would you prefer and why?

Thanks

Dino

**GNAPPI** · 08-05-2013, 09:58 PM

I don't own a high end Ibanez model but I have a 1xx series and a 135 and I'd take my 135 over any Ibanez I've played. A GB or original PM might be a very different story.

**Kojo27** · 08-06-2013, 01:52 AM

Depends on what sound you want, for one thing. The 135 is a thinner body (I think) and with a block, it won't ever give you a jazz box tone. The Ibanez 155s are Cadillacs. I'd give my left testicle... well, it's a figure of speech.. for one of these babies. Some people like to diss *ALL* the Ibanez boxes, but the difference between a 125 or 155, and an AK75 (still good) is substantial. I'd go with the 155. Although I don't profess to be an accomplished bebop player, I do know guitars a bit, and I betcha you won't be disappointed when you take this eye-popper out of the case.

I own an AF95, which I love dearly and have played the SH*T out of, mostly unplugged. The pickups aren't much, but then it's a 95, and you're talking about a 155.

If you're buying new, see can you buy from Amazon. They have the most hassle-free return process (all online, not even a telephone required!) I've ever had to use. Five minutes tops and UPS is headed your way. So if you simply hate the thing, no sweat. You even get your postage back. I think.

My 2 cents, anyway : )

kj

**helios** · 08-06-2013, 02:58 AM

I have been quite interested in the AF155/AF151. I hope a forum owner chimes in. I've noticed that a blonde version ( AF155AA AF) is now available:
Image courtesy of Leitz Music on Ebay (with whom I have no connection)

**Drifter** · 08-06-2013, 03:26 AM

It really depends on the tone you're looking for. I have an ES-135 (Lollar P90s) and an AK-105 (Lollar CC and Gibson P94). Totally different guitars so difficult to compare. The Ibanez is more a Jazz guitar with the traditional laminated archtop tone. The Gibson is more a Fusion / Blues / Rock guitar but of course, you can also get a nice Jazz tone out of it.

The Gibson feels (much) nicer because of the nitro finish opposed to Ibanez' way too thick poly finish. The Gibson plays great but the Ibanez' playability is even better. The Gibson has a fat neck, the Ibanez a medium neck. The Gibson is a no bling workhorse with still very nice wood, the Ibanez pretends to be a noble high bling guitar which it isn't because of the damn thick poly finish and its cheap hardware. To me the Gibson is the better guitar with a livlier tone and a lot more soul and personality in it, the Ibanez is just a pile of CNC shaped wood glued together and preserved for eternity under (did I mention that already?) a thick layer of plastic. It's a miracle it sounds as good as it does. For a full hollow guitar, the Ibanez sounds plain dead unamplified. Still, for let's say Joe Pass style Jazz I would prefer it over the ES-135.

Hope that helps a little.

**Drifter** · 08-06-2013, 03:29 AM

I must admit, that blonde AF155 looks very nice.

**dino79** · 08-06-2013, 07:31 AM

Thank you all for your replies. Overall I think its a good comparison, 135 has become a relatively poor man's gibson, its now selling for about a grand online and af 155 is grand brand new. If price is a measure stick, that just tells you something.
I think there are advantages to both of these axes and those refer to one bing jazz box and the other semi-hollow body with all that comes with that. I do really like that jazz box tone.

My other question is , I am looking at this 2002 es 135. They say that later versions of 135 have mahogany block and humbackers instead of balsa and p-90's. Does 2002 fall under this 'new 135' or is the older kind. If anybody knows. Thanks

**dino79** · 08-06-2013, 08:15 AM

Originally Posted by Kojo27

Depends on what sound you want, for one thing. The 135 is a thinner body (I think) and with a block, it won't ever give you a jazz box tone. The Ibanez 155s are Cadillacs. I'd give my left testicle... well, it's a figure of speech.. for one of these babies. Some people like to diss *ALL* the Ibanez boxes, but the difference between a 125 or 155, and an AK75 (still good) is substantial. I'd go with the 155. Although I don't profess to be an accomplished bebop player, I do know guitars a bit, and I betcha you won't be disappointed when you take this eye-popper out of the case.

kj

I hear ya, I just don't know if I want to buy a guitar for just one thing...if I plug this thing into any kind of effects units, will it just give a horrible sound...I have seen videos on you tube of these with boosters, reverb... and I must say they sound great, I just don't know if I will be able to get that sound

**dino79** · 08-06-2013, 08:16 AM

**mongrel** · 08-06-2013, 08:35 AM

I'm not sure about the blocks but am sure that many of the P-90 135's are actually equipped with P-100's. These are stacked humbuckers a la Kinmans that look like P-90's. Some prefer the tone of the real P-90's while others prefer the lack of hum with the P-100's. If and when I get a 135, it will have the 57 Classic humbuckers that only came with certain models in several years while the rest have the typical Les Paul humbuckers.

**palindrome** · 08-06-2013, 10:18 AM

I have owned three different ES-135s and two different Ibanez Artcore Customs (AF105 and AK105) over the years. Sold all three ES-135 and don't look back really. Well perhaps a little. On the whole, however, I would have thought that the quality difference between both guitars is so obvious as to be ridiculous. The ES-135s do not even come close in terms of jazz sound, and they feel cheap by comparison.

I agree about the plasticky appearance (and the thin unamplified sound, although this also applies to the ES-135) of the Artcores, but the amplified sound is always great, and they always give you a feeling of holding a well-crafted instrument in your hands that has received very decent attention to detail.

None of this can be said of the ES-135s with their invariably shoddy neck-to-fingerboard transitions, cheap-looking rosewood fingerboards, and balsa center blocks looking like a piece of firewood.

However, if you get hold of an ES-135 at a good price, you can always somehow miraculously sell it with a margin.

**Kojo27** · 08-06-2013, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by dino79

Very good playing, Dino... never heard it as an instrumental. Sounds awesome.

Kojo

**dino79** · 08-06-2013, 12:39 PM

Hey thats not me, but thanks! I found it on youtube and thought it would be cool to post. ITs af 155 on there.

**Frank67** · 08-06-2013, 12:51 PM

I like the sound as well, smooth, poppy and bright ... bet it sounds even better with the foam under the bridge removed though :-)

**Kojo27** · 08-06-2013, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by dino79

Hey thats not me, but thanks! I found it on youtube and thought it would be cool to post. ITs af 155 on there.

Oh - well, you have good taste in music -- and guitars!

This might have been mentioned, but the only gripe I have with the Artcores (very slight) is the thick polyurethane finish... they don't really look like wood sometimes. But they do have a single pickup, wooden bridge Artcore, and (I could be wrong here) I believe it has a much more woody look. Seems they even the less expensive single-pickup box, AND a really flashy, nicer one - I think.

**helios** · 08-06-2013, 04:08 PM

" But they do have a single pickup, wooden bridge Artcore, and (I could be wrong here) I believe it has a much more woody look"

Hello,
The AF151 Artcore is the single pickup version of this guitar. They cost about the same as the AF155.

**Kojo27** · 08-06-2013, 05:55 PM

I want one!!!!!!!!!!!

**barrymclark** · 08-06-2013, 08:32 PM

Played the AFJ91....LOVED IT!

**rpguitar** · 10-07-2013, 10:51 AM

Thought I'd reply to this thread as I just picked up an AF-155 in antique amber. No pics yet, sorry... First let me say that it's really quite yellow. It's similar to the Korean D'A "vintage natural" finish from a few years ago. There is nothing vintage or antique looking about it!

Finish is perfect, your basic dipped in glass poly variety, not my cup of tea aesthetically but hard to fault for practicality. It's just something you accept in a guitar from Asia at this price point. That said, I owned a far more expensive Sadowsky that also had a poly finish, and frankly it wasn't much different in feel.

Frets are really nice and smooth; you barely know they are there. Tuners are Grover clones. They are accurate and hold pitch well, so I have no complaints. Wooden bridge fits the top nicely and intonates beautifully, easily better than some vintage Gibsons. You can play up and down the neck in any chord shape and expect it to be in tune.

The only setup gripe I had was the nut; I filed the wound string slots down a decent amount. String height over the first fret has a huge effect on playability and feel, and many guitars - including expensive new Gibsons and Martins - do not get the slots low enough. After the adjustment, the guitar plays really well. But this was necessary.

The guitar comes from the factory with D'Addario flatwounds, which I assume are Chromes in 11 gauge. I don't like flats, so I swapped them for D'Addario XL roundwound 12's. Neck relief stayed about the same, and to me the sound is smoother and the feel is better. I thought the pickups were quite bright, and adjusted their height along with polepieces quite a bit. The combination of nut work, string change, and pickup tweaking has my AF-155 playing in top order now.

In terms of sonic character, it is a fairly bright guitar. It is not the wooly ES-175 sound, despite being made of laminated maple and having a 24.75" scale length. The ebony board and heavy bracing (less top movement) probably help it stay in brighter territory, but whatever the reason, it does not get the prototypical dark jazz sound. I happen to like this, as I was not looking for that sound, but I'm on the fence about the neck pickup. It's nice and it does get a little bit of chimey "pop" if you pluck hard, but perhaps it could be a bit more dynamic. I have a couple of humbuckers in the parts drawer that I might try just for kicks. So the stock pickups are definitely adequate, but that's an area to explore if one wants to chase a little more character.

Also, the tailpiece - with its curly overlay - is fugly and looks cheap, despite the fact that they probably intended for it to look less cheap then the plain ones on lower models. The good news is that I had a gold ES-335 style tailpiece from StewMac lying around, and it was a perfect drop-in replacement - the screw holes aligned perfectly. Looks much better now! I also removed the pickguard, which is simply personal taste.

In short, and this has been said many times about MIC/MIK guitars, if you are willing and able to tweak them a bit, they are an excellent option at a low price. When I start thinking about the yellow color or heavy finish, I remind myself that most of the guitars hanging on my wall are 5-10 times the price. That reality check helps me view the Ibanez AF-155 as a workhorse that I could take anywhere with no qualms, and most importantly, with no reservations in terms of it limiting my musical expression.

**owencolby** · 07-20-2016, 11:31 PM

Originally Posted by rpguitar

Thought I'd reply to this thread as I just picked up an AF-155 in antique amber. No pics yet, sorry... First let me say that it's really quite yellow. It's similar to the Korean D'A "vintage natural" finish from a few years ago. There is nothing vintage or antique looking about it!

Finish is perfect, your basic dipped in glass poly variety, not my cup of tea aesthetically but hard to fault for practicality. It's just something you accept in a guitar from Asia at this price point. That said, I owned a far more expensive Sadowsky that also had a poly finish, and frankly it wasn't much different in feel.

Frets are really nice and smooth; you barely know they are there. Tuners are Grover clones. They are accurate and hold pitch well, so I have no complaints. Wooden bridge fits the top nicely and intonates beautifully, easily better than some vintage Gibsons. You can play up and down the neck in any chord shape and expect it to be in tune.

The only setup gripe I had was the nut; I filed the wound string slots down a decent amount. String height over the first fret has a huge effect on playability and feel, and many guitars - including expensive new Gibsons and Martins - do not get the slots low enough. After the adjustment, the guitar plays really well. But this was necessary.

The guitar comes from the factory with D'Addario flatwounds, which I assume are Chromes in 11 gauge. I don't like flats, so I swapped them for D'Addario XL roundwound 12's. Neck relief stayed about the same, and to me the sound is smoother and the feel is better. I thought the pickups were quite bright, and adjusted their height along with polepieces quite a bit. The combination of nut work, string change, and pickup tweaking has my AF-155 playing in top order now.

In terms of sonic character, it is a fairly bright guitar. It is not the wooly ES-175 sound, despite being made of laminated maple and having a 24.75" scale length. The ebony board and heavy bracing (less top movement) probably help it stay in brighter territory, but whatever the reason, it does not get the prototypical dark jazz sound. I happen to like this, as I was not looking for that sound, but I'm on the fence about the neck pickup. It's nice and it does get a little bit of chimey "pop" if you pluck hard, but perhaps it could be a bit more dynamic. I have a couple of humbuckers in the parts drawer that I might try just for kicks. So the stock pickups are definitely adequate, but that's an area to explore if one wants to chase a little more character.

Also, the tailpiece - with its curly overlay - is fugly and looks cheap, despite the fact that they probably intended for it to look less cheap then the plain ones on lower models. The good news is that I had a gold ES-335 style tailpiece from StewMac lying around, and it was a perfect drop-in replacement - the screw holes aligned perfectly. Looks much better now! I also removed the pickguard, which is simply personal taste.

In short, and this has been said many times about MIC/MIK guitars, if you are willing and able to tweak them a bit, they are an excellent option at a low price. When I start thinking about the yellow color or heavy finish, I remind myself that most of the guitars hanging on my wall are 5-10 times the price. That reality check helps me view the Ibanez AF-155 as a workhorse that I could take anywhere with no qualms, and most importantly, with no reservations in terms of it limiting my musical expression.

Which archtops in this same price range would you recommend in order to get the darker sound of the 175?

**Doctor Jeff** · 07-21-2016, 02:20 PM

Originally Posted by Drifter

It really depends on the tone you're looking for. I have an ES-135 (Lollar P90s) and an AK-105 (Lollar CC and Gibson P94). Totally different guitars so difficult to compare. The Ibanez is more a Jazz guitar with the traditional laminated archtop tone. The Gibson is more a Fusion / Blues / Rock guitar but of course, you can also get a nice Jazz tone out of it.

The Gibson feels (much) nicer because of the nitro finish opposed to Ibanez' way too thick poly finish. The Gibson plays great but the Ibanez' playability is even better. The Gibson has a fat neck, the Ibanez a medium neck. The Gibson is a no bling workhorse with still very nice wood, the Ibanez pretends to be a noble high bling guitar which it isn't because of the damn thick poly finish and its cheap hardware. To me the Gibson is the better guitar with a livlier tone and a lot more soul and personality in it, the Ibanez is just a pile of CNC shaped wood glued together and preserved for eternity under (did I mention that already?) a thick layer of plastic. It's a miracle it sounds as good as it does. For a full hollow guitar, the Ibanez sounds plain dead unamplified. Still, for let's say Joe Pass style Jazz I would prefer it over the ES-135.

Hope that helps a little.

Zombie thread!

I have a 135 with humbuckers--sorry I don't know the year offhand, but it's recent and has a balsa block. I would absolutely disagree with others that it is not a quality guitar. One can get a great jazz tone, particularly if one is inclined toward Grant Green-style tones. The pickups on mine are Gibson PAF's.

Super playability and versatility, I agree without the bling but certainly nice in a understated way.

The only downside, which is not a huge issue as I play sitting down, is the weight. It is well over 8 pounds, maybe 9, so not a lightweight at all. If that's an issue, there are lighter alternatives.

I won't comment on the Ibanez since I haven't had one of their guitars. I like the GB models.

**RamiI** · 11-02-2017, 04:46 AM

I own an AF 155 and it's a good guitar for the money, I thought I would share a clip where whitfield plays a gig using it, also there is a couple of additional clips on YouTube.

**GNAPPI** · 11-02-2017, 06:01 AM

Originally Posted by GNAPPI

I don't own a high end Ibanez model but I have a 1xx series and a 135 and I'd take my 135 over any Ibanez I've played. A GB or original PM might be a very different story.

Fast forward 4+ years and nowadays I have an Ibanez AF125 AMB (Full Hollow) a semi-hollow AS-153 as well as an AS-103 with filtertrons. Not exactly the top of the heap but close enough to be able to append my previous statement which was based on my AS-73 (with ACH pups) and similar models.

Ibanez AF series (above model 10x) are well made, and easy on the eyes, but for the OP who likely has moved onto other issues the AF and any semi made are (IMO) different horses for different races.

Now the AS-153 as compared to the ES-135 is another story. My AS-153 is nothing short of sublime in appearance, playability and sound.

The box stock Gibson 135 (or 137or 335 etc) is a very different sounding and playing git but, the higher end AS models are easily pressed into the same music genre, and if not, a pup exchange just may be the ticket. But I think changing pups is a slippery slope on the quest for tone.