Ibanez Artstar AS153 - Has anyone tried it yet?

**neatomic** · 04-29-2016, 05:32 PM

duncan was friend/student of great seth lover...got all the secrets...

having said that, lollar imperial neck pup and duncan seth are very close spec..winds and magnets

the bridge pups differ in that duncan uses alnico II's and lollar switches to v's

duncan seth lovers are great true vintage style pups...the lower gauss alnico II magnets make pup height adjustments crucial...so tweak and be rewarded

haha

lollar vs duncan..i mean two great informed american boutique pickup makers..can't go wrong

cheers

**A440** · 04-29-2016, 05:35 PM

Hi jbucklin. I have a similar guitar (AS103) and I find the pickups sound a bit too 'aggressive' for my style of jazz playing, so I have put it to one side in favour of one or two other 335-type guitars that I have (one of which is equipped with the fabulous Seth Lovers!).
The Ibanez is such a beautiful, well-made guitar that I would be reluctant to change anything on it. I'm also reluctant to play it because I tend to scratch the hell out of pup covers (especially gold plated ones), so sadly I may end up selling it.

**MaxTwang** · 04-29-2016, 05:37 PM

Nice looking guitar

**jbucklin** · 04-29-2016, 06:15 PM

Thanks guys for your very warm and informative input. I'm just now starting to buy less expensive guitars and am impressed so far by the Korean D'Angelicos and Chinese Ibanezes. I just sold a Benedetto Bravo and a '65 ES330 to pay for a 2012 '59 Historic ES175, which I love, so I'm used to somewhat high-end guitars. It's really been fun taking these cheaper guitars and upgrading them, being amazed at the results. I couldn't believe the difference the Lollars made in both the AM93 and the D'Angelico EX-SS. I'm glad to learn that the Seths are comparable with the Lollars! Thanks again. I have learned so much from this wonderful community of Jazz guitar lovers.

**supermaxx** · 04-30-2016, 12:14 AM

I had one for a little last year. Great guitar - sounded and played awesome and the neck felt great. The craftsmanship and finish was also very good for the price. A couple things that bugged me a bit and kind of gave away it not being made in Japan though. The neck joint is a little clunky and the body seems longer than it's MIJ comrades, and there were a couple weird places on the neck when I had the action how I like it. Maybe some high frets or not leveled perfectly or something.

Overall an excellent guitar for the price especially at used rates. I'd kind of like to get my hands on one of the MIJ versions. I can only imagine how nice they are.

**m_d** · 04-30-2016, 04:42 AM

I'm curious to know, in terms of body size, which of the two is more comfortable to you, or does it make no difference ?

**newsense** · 04-30-2016, 04:47 AM

I had a 153 for about 4 years. At first I thought I would swap the PUs, probably for SDs. I never did, so I must have been very happy with the stock provision. Would certainly recommend this guitar to anyone considering a 335 alternative. Eventually I moved on to the Godin in my Avatar; equally brilliant guitar, although a little pricey. Don't even have to think about a pickup upgrade, as I A/B'd this one with SD's against the standard Montreal that has "Godin" pickups - a world of difference. Is it better than the AS153 ?- no, its just different.

**Sonnyboy** · 04-30-2016, 08:02 AM

I have Seth Lovers in my Heritage H555, it is near impossible to dial in an unusable tone.

**Max405** · 04-30-2016, 08:15 AM

Beautiful Guitar.
ibanez sure makes a lot of different guitars, my god..
Really nice, enjoy it.
JD

**whiskey02** · 04-30-2016, 12:21 PM

Nothing at all wrong with Ibanez pick ups, even in very affordable models. As for the Seth Lover set, I find the trick for me is to keep the tone knob wide open at 10 and to crank the amp volume high enough that I get the volume I want with the guitar volume knob turned down between 2 and 4. This rolls off excessive or harsh brightness but still gives great clarity and note separation; it avoids the extremes of jangly and wet blanket.
Hope you enjoy your new guitar.

**jbucklin** · 04-30-2016, 04:12 PM

I see what you mean Whiskey. I just had the Seths installed and they are way more trebly than I thought they would be.

**whiskey02** · 04-30-2016, 05:20 PM

Humbuckers were designed to replicate the sound of a single coil….but without the hum. There were never meant to be "dark" sounding.

**jbucklin** · 04-30-2016, 05:30 PM

Interesting---I never knew that. What's odd is how the P90s in the 330 I just sold would sound rich and somewhat dark simply by rolling the tone knob down.

**jbucklin** · 04-30-2016, 06:04 PM

I had to take it to a different tech to have them installed since my favorite tech is busy all weekend at the guitar show here in Dallas ��. The guy today set the neck pup really low. I just raised it up considerably and it started sounding really sweet with very nice, crispy sounding highs. I'm diggin' it! It kinda has a Grant Green sound.

**neatomic** · 04-30-2016, 06:04 PM

backing the alnico II seths into the body a bit will warm up your tone...as will using pure nickel strings

cheers

ps- ok just read your new post...raising them will give you increased clarity on the fundamental...with a tighter low end

as i wrote yesterday ^ the alnico II magnets (being lower gauss) are very sensitive to string position...don't be afraid to tilt your pickups either.. ie bass side higher than treble etc

**neatomic** · 04-30-2016, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by whiskey02

Humbuckers were designed to replicate the sound of a single coil….but without the hum. There were never meant to be "dark" sounding.

but the very way traditional vintage humbuckers are made (to reduce hum) also contributes to the loss (phase cancellation) of certain frequencies...many of which are in the treble spectrum

cheers

**jbucklin** · 04-30-2016, 06:50 PM

I played it on a gig last night and will take it to tonight's gig as well. Perhaps I should take a screwdriver! The gig last night convinced me that the stock pups needed an upgrade. I've been so in awe of my '65 Princeton RI ever since I put a Weber in it that I've been neglecting my DRRI which has a Cannabis Rex and sounds much darker (also had the bright cap removed) than the Princeton. After I adjusted the neck pup I finally plugged into the Deluxe and it sounds great. I'll be taking that amp tonight!

**neatomic** · 04-30-2016, 07:14 PM

as per amp/speakers-increased thickness and stiffness of hemp cone speaker is going to darken tone...try an alnico speaker in there..a celestion alnico gold is $$$ but magick...tight low end and chimey highs..

have a good gig

cheers

**jbucklin** · 04-30-2016, 07:31 PM

Yeah, I'm on the fence about the C Rex. I'm waiting for it to get broken in but I have to play through it more! I'm tempted to just break down and get another Weber. Been hearing great things about the Celestion Gold. It actually sounds good for jazz?

**neatomic** · 04-30-2016, 08:10 PM

oh yeah celestion gold..has high power rating & high efficiency which means it can get loud without introducing tube distortion...has a 75hz resonant f which means it goes deep and solid on the lows...and has the classic alnico top end chime..a very hi-fi like speaker..that allows you to get the full benefits of your guitar and amp

truly one of the best speakers on the market today

cheers

**jbucklin** · 04-30-2016, 08:26 PM

Pricey little buggers. I have a feeling it's worth it.

**Archtop Guy** · 04-30-2016, 08:59 PM

Originally Posted by A440

Hi jbucklin. I have a similar guitar (AS103) and I find the pickups sound a bit too 'aggressive' for my style of jazz playing, so I have put it to one side in favour of one or two other 335-type guitars that I have (one of which is equipped with the fabulous Seth Lovers!).
The Ibanez is such a beautiful, well-made guitar that I would be reluctant to change anything on it. I'm also reluctant to play it because I tend to scratch the hell out of pup covers (especially gold plated ones), so sadly I may end up selling it.

You could swap out the covers with some beaters and keep the originals nice. Then you get to keep a great guitar AND play it.

**jbucklin** · 04-30-2016, 10:53 PM

Thanks Rabbit! I'm having a blast playing it tonight. Pickups sound incredible!

**A440** · 05-01-2016, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by Archtop Guy

You could swap out the covers with some beaters and keep the originals nice. Then you get to keep a great guitar AND play it.

Yes, true, but how could I change anything when it looks this good?
Ibanez Artstar AS153 - Has anyone tried it yet?-ibanezas103-jpg

**Ghostofachance** · 05-01-2016, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

It sounds so good, you've already decided to change it?

On the Fender forums (which I mercifully haven't looked at in years), I noticed a curious phenomenon. People would get a new Fender guitar, and say how super fantastic it is. Then they would announce that they're going to replace some or all of the following: the pickups, the pots, the switches, the caps, the tuners, the jack, the knobs, the pickguard, and the strap buttons. Sometimes they would even replace the neck. It was quite amusing.