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Hey,
And what about chrome vs gold hardware?
At the main picture, this guitar seems to have chrome hardware, which i like much more than the gold that now is everywhere. However it seems to be a fault picture, at the specifications the hardware appear as "Gold".
In my opinion, much pretty as appear at the picture: blue-chrome
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01-10-2017 06:41 PM
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to me, ibanez has always been a bunch of lily-gilders, and this isn't any different, but i admire the incredible amount of restraint it must have taken to not use gold hardware on it, which would have been even worse. in this case, i'd ditch the abalone, go with an ebony headstock and do something about the pickguard, perhaps reconsidering it all together.
that older green prs up there, however, pleasantly reminds me of the chatoyance of a blow pop, of all things. the bits of brown evoke the bits of gum peeking through the candy. its very nice.
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Funny, nobody disses the L5's out there and other "hi end" gits with gold hardware.
ALL AS-153's have gold from the link above. "Hardware color Gold"
The pics are deceiving in the link and pics, mine and every other 153 has gold hardware.
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With respect to Gary/GNAPPI I do wonder if they've actually decided to go with chrome hardware on this one - it really does look like that in the picture, and the description is general, and maybe a decision to use chrome on this specific version was overlooked when setting up the web page. If so, then yes I agree that chrome works nicely for a cool, crisp "flying above the clouds" vibe, very suited to the "jet blue burst" colour name. Having said that, I often like a bit of gold bling on a guitar myself, and it can give a warmer look - if it is gold hardware on this guitar, then it will still look good to me I'm sure.
I don't find I agree with the "lily-gilder" comment in general though, although of course respect that it is very much a matter of personal taste. I like the pickguard shape, which is the same as on my AS103, and I love the abalone diagonal stripes on the fingerboard inlay - that's actually one of Ibanez's older style touches - I have the same kind of inlays on my 1980 JP20.
Re the headstock - yes, maybe ebony is an improvement, but in the end I don't find the dark brown wood looks bad to me - as I said earlier, for my taste I'd ideally go with a matching blue-burst flame veneer for that - even more bling! - just me I guess
Last edited by Meggy; 01-11-2017 at 02:48 AM.
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It's interesting that they discontinued the natural / blonde finish, I think that was stunning. I guess it either did not sell or the bursts are better for covering wood flaws in manufacturing?
Well Meggy, suffice it to say your 103 was a GR8 find.
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I'm also surprised they don't do more blonde or natural type finishes - personally, I think that's about the nicest of the classic kinds of look for an f-hole guitar. As you suggest, perhaps the bursts help with less than perfect bits of wood, but I doubt that would be the only reason. And cheers for your remark re my recent 103 purchase - it's really become my new favourite and main guitar. I don't like to tell my other guitars in case they get upset, but I think they know anyhow somehow...
Originally Posted by GNAPPI
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Back in the mid-late '80's Ibanez Artstar came out with a limited number of natural/blonde finishes for their AS200. Originally Posted by Meggy
I'm also surprised they don't do more blonde or natural type finishes - personally, I think that's about the nicest of the classic kinds of look for an f-hole guitar. As you suggest, perhaps the bursts help with less than perfect bits of wood, but I doubt that would be the only reason. And cheers for your remark re my recent 103 purchase - it's really become my new favourite and main guitar. I don't like to tell my other guitars in case they get upset, but I think they know anyhow somehow...
I agree with you that IBZ should reissue naturals. It was a beautiful look for that model.
Here's one I once owned...
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i do! there's a way to do it and there's certainly a line that shouldn't be crossed, and gibson does find themselves on the wrong side of it. not that often, since they essentially drew that line themselves, but they tend to cross it at their highest price points, which i find distressing. Originally Posted by GNAPPI
i hate it when brands simply default to nickel (or chome) and i hate it when gold is used as a sort of short hand for "class". or when they default to gold because the guitar is expensive (hi, gretsch!).
i don't hate the brown, and it doesn't look wrong (blue suit, brown shoes!), its just kind of a visual non sequitur. especially with an ebony board. if they found a way to tie it to some other element of the guitar, fine, but they didn't. its just draws attention to itself for no reason. its just a bit of style without substance or thought. or... lily guilding! Originally Posted by Meggy
Re the headstock - yes, maybe ebony is an improvement, but in the end I don't find the dark brown wood looks bad to me - as I said earlier, for my taste I'd ideally go with a matching blue-burst flame veneer for that - even more bling! - just me I guess
all that behind us, i don't mind the blue, or the flash, or the idea of guitar makers having fun. all for it, really. especially for this sort of thing, where we are overrun with sunburst and natural guitars, and the death grip on tradition. its all a bit quotidian after a while.
i should note here that i have several sunburst, natural, gretsch and gold hardware-d guitars, and i love them dearly.
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I do get where you're coming from feet - certainly re the brown wood headstock, although I'd rather have that than a finished black plastic or black sprayed headstock. An ebony veneer would do better though, I'll grant you. Originally Posted by feet
i do! there's a way to do it and there's certainly a line that shouldn't be crossed, and gibson does find themselves on the wrong side of it. not that often, since they essentially drew that line themselves, but they tend to cross it at their highest price points, which i find distressing.
i hate it when brands simply default to nickel (or chome) and i hate it when gold is used as a sort of short hand for "class". or when they default to gold because the guitar is expensive (hi, gretsch!).
i don't hate the brown, and it doesn't look wrong (blue suit, brown shoes!), its just kind of a visual non sequitur. especially with an ebony board. if they found a way to tie it to some other element of the guitar, fine, but they didn't. its just draws attention to itself for no reason. its just a bit of style without substance or thought. or... lily guilding!
all that behind us, i don't mind the blue, or the flash, or the idea of guitar makers having fun. all for it, really. especially for this sort of thing, where we are overrun with sunburst and natural guitars, and the death grip on tradition. its all a bit quotidian after a while.
i should note here that i have several sunburst, natural, gretsch and gold hardware-d guitars, and i love them dearly.
With the bigger manufacturers, I do often think that there can be a general lack of thought about the finer details of a guitar's appearance, or the parts used, or construction. There's a kind of factory-mentality that I've detected when working on my own, and friends guitars in the past - sometimes I feel they "spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar".
Really it just needs someone with a bit of artistic flair, judgement, and an overall vision to make a few key decisions, but I get the impression that doesn't always happen. Instead it's a case of "what can we change to make it different from last year's model?" or "what will sell?".
Sometimes they do come up with very nice guitars anyhow though, as I find this blue-burst AS153 to be, and to be fair I have to say for me Ibanez is one of the better guitar brands.
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Now that you have finished modding that 103 you really NEED that blue burst for a live comparison
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I really need that blue burst anyhow - just such a pretty-looking guitar. After a natural blonde guitar, which is an itch I've now scratched, a beautiful transparent blue burst would have to be next on my list, and Ibanez have got that one about perfect for my taste. I'm not sure that colour is being released in the UK/Europe, as it doesn't appear on Ibanez's Europe version website. So I would have to hope to be able to special order it or something, but don't be surprised if later this year I do exactly that! Originally Posted by GNAPPI
I think the AS153's currently have the proper Super 58 pickups fitted, rather than the S58-customs, so hopefully I wouldn't feel the need to change the wiring on that one - it would be a hell of a job with the extra 3-way mini toggle as well.
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this is way old, but i'll just chime in on seth lovers, i had one in a G&L bluesboy semi hollow neck position and it was just perfect... so sweet
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I've purchased a used AS153 for a bargain a couple of weeks ago after I compared one in a shop with a Japanese John Scofield model. I thought the AS153 was the better guitar. So I decided to invest in this 153. My luthier did a fret dressing and changed the nut cause the preowner used a 13 to 56 string set and I prefer 11 to 49. And then I swapped the pickups for Seth Lovers, which sound clearer and more acoustic than the original ones, great pickups! The 153 is now a discontinued model. They sell for so cheap that I think about getting another one ;-)
The only thing not perfect on this guitar is the bridge. The radius on the bridge is flatter than the radius of the fingerboard. So when both e-strings have perfect hight, the strings in the middle are too close to the fretboard. So I've ordered a bridge from ABM which should arrive this week.
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I first bought a natural AS-153 in late 2016 or early 2017 and was stunned by its quality and sound. Then early this year I stumbled on another one in Jet Blue Burst that was so silly cheap I "almost" apologized to the PO for buying it at his low asking price.
Having several Gibson semi hollows to compare its materials, visual appearance and build quality to including a Gibson 335 "figured" and the 153 beats the Gibson hands down. As far as sound goes, the 153 is all I can ask for, and I like its sound better than the "figured" 335 with BB's and will at some point be removed for 57's.
Also unlike the variability in Gibson 335 quality and sound due to the several different pups Gibson uses, the AS-153 is very consistant. I had planned on selling one of mine after picking the best of the two but other than color they are identical in every way. Such a problem!
Modalguru, I haven't found the radius of the 153 bridge to be off, I'm wondering if the PO of yours changed it? The OEM Ibanez bridge has the posts adjustable by a screwdriver not a thumbscrew as on a Gibson. A GR8 idea!
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Juck Zucker has one for sale on this site currently.
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I've given that one some thought. It's a lot of guitar for not very much money. Originally Posted by Wildcat
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I lusted after one of these for some time, so imagine my disappointment when I ordered one online from French dealer Woodbrass in Paris, only to find that although the fret ends were finished perfectly by the Ibanez proprietary system the 20th and 21st frets had been filed way down flat and glued back in with a surplus amount of super glue. The 'sunburst' was incredibly brown in tone and the 'gold' plating on the TOM + was thick in places and almost flakey. All of which made me wonder if online retailers are capable of reserving faulty stock like this for online buyers. When I bought my Eastman in Toulouse at Stars Music, every guitar on the wall - all price points, was well set up and without flaws. I still think it is a good buy - if you get a good one. Shook my faith in Ibanez only having had good experiences in the past.
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You and me both Jim. Regardless of the 16" lower bout its alot of guitar for the money. Just can not justify another guitar in the house as I have become to disliking selling equipment other than here.
Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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