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Jazz guitarist like Ibanez jazz guitars... Why?
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02-12-2011 03:23 PM
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I have an Artcore AF85-VLS and think it's a great guitar for the money. Sounds better than a lot of more expensive guitars I've played, though not so good as the *real* expensive guitars that I can't afford. The sustain is good, the tone is good, very playable, sounds great through my Polytone Mini Brute II. I don't know of a better deal for the money.
Originally Posted by kris
jazz guitarist like Ibanez jazz boxes...why?
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I love Ibanez jazz guitars. I agree with kris, some jazz guitars are unaffordable... plain and simple! That's why you see so many posts here about folks (and blokes) searching for a decent guitar without breaking the bank. It's hard to beat the value you get with an Ibanez, considering the nice price.
This might be a good place to compare Ibanez to Gretsch.
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Originally Posted by kris
jazz guitarist like Ibanez jazz boxes...why?
They have a reputation for well built, affordable guitars that play well and sound good. Excellent value. I never heard anyone complain that their Ibanez cost too much, like some other brands. They have a strong commitment to compete in the jazz guitar market. They make guitars that people want. What's confusing about that?
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I have a GB20 and have played others they are very well built instruments for reasonable prices. I would like to get a Pat Metheny model one day.
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I play a lot with my old /1982/ Ibanez As-200 semi-hollow.
This guitar play like a dream.
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My cheapest guitar is an AF75, and it's the only one that gives that 'classic' jazz guitar sound, plays well, and is very nicely built. It's a proper 'jazz box' as it's a full hollow body.
Why do you ask the question?
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because top players like:
Metheny,Benson, Scofield plays Ibanez...:-)
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I think that the low cost of the Artcores and the fast, familiar feel of the neck makes Ibanez a good choice for the guitarist that wants to transition to jazz from rock.
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because Ibanez pay them, give them free guitars and let them 'design' their own signature instruments. Ibanez also have a very good reputation for quality products, especially at the top end of their ranges, which is where all the sig models are. Originally Posted by kris
because top players like:
Metheny,Benson, Scofield plays Ibanez...:-)
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kris, it's almost always about marketing. In this fickle world we live in people are more interested in following the pack (or herd) than taking a step out on their own.
In the world of clarinets (which is my professional world) people won't believe you can play unless you own a Buffet. And this is because Buffet had the best marketing and PR work done in the late 19th Century and other companies that produce equal if not better instruments simply didn't do as well due to this simple fact.
Same with Gibsons and Fenders. A lot of undiscerning people will play any old plank of wood so long as it's got Gibson or Fender on the headstock and luckily for Ibanez, they produced really great instruments at a time when people where beginning to get tired of the expensive American brands as the overall quality of the American brands was waning.
I prefer late 70s early 80s Ibanez semis to Gibsons from the same era. The AS100 I have now beats them hands down. However there are also really great instruments from that period that didn't get such attention due to marketing. Take Aria Pro IIs for example. And they're cheaper than Ibanez and many were made in the same factory using the same components.
Go figure.
Just listen and feel. That's all you need. Oh and endorsement, get endorsement if you can.... ;-)
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umm, because they're good guitars and are a good value? Originally Posted by kris
jazz guitarist like Ibanez jazz boxes...why?
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I had the opportunity to compare side by side my AS120 bought in the nineties with a genuine 1963 Gibson ES335 borrowed from my friend and both plugged into my Twin.I prefer late 70s early 80s Ibanez semis to Gibsons from the same era. The AS100 I have now beats them hands down. However there are also really great instruments from that period that didn't get such attention due to marketing. Take Aria Pro IIs for example. And they're cheaper than Ibanez and many were made in the same factory using the same components.
Well, the Gib sounded really good but not that far, and certainly not enough for me to break the bank account.
Maybe that's just me.
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Not surprising. Take any two similarly equipped guitars of at least decent quality and I think 90% of the difference in sound is perceptible only to the player. Originally Posted by mambosun
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Posted this in another forum but...it applies here, so...
I've had over forty guitars and currently have fourteen. Gibson's, Fender's, Ibanez, Epi's, Hamer, Yamaha, a few custom made. I currently have two Ibanez Artcore Customs, an AK 100 and am AS 103. They have the finest fretwork and of any guitar I've ever played or owned and overall build quality is easily up there with the best. I did change PUP's, pots and caps, but I do that for most of my guitars regardless of brand or origin.
I'd recommend an AK 100 (if you can find one) up there with anything short of a Sadowsky or the like.
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Ibanez man all the way...
I have played the newer ones as they came out...great for the money...remember its not the organ but the musician playing it...
I have mine since 1977...(others too)...2355 (ES-175)...sunburst finish...through a polytone mini brute...14 ga flatwounds...med action...and over 50 years playing the guitar...
time on the instrument...pierre
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Key Is:
good instrument at good money!
I think old Ibanez/77-80's/ guitars are exelent instruments.
I play different guitars but always back to old Ibanez/As-200/.
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Hello everybody,
I am a new member of this nice community, and I am looking into buying my first jazz guitar.
I have a budget of about 1400 EUR, but the real problem is that I live in a small area with very limited "exposure" to musical instruments. Which means I cannot get to try out many guitars.
After the mandatory research and listening of countless brands and models online, I figured out I want an old Ibanez - so I decided on one of these 3 models:
- Ibanez Joe Pass JP20
- Ibanez AS200
- Ibanez LR-10
They do fit in the budget, their overall condition is quite similar (usage, fret level etc.), they are all made in 1980 - and, after checking the youtube videos, they all sound great in their own ways. So if anyone can post some advice or mention the pros and cons of these models , I would be grateful.
Thanks a lot!
Alex
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What style of music are you going to be playing?
Will you be playing with other musicians or solo quietly at home?
What amplifier will you be using?
All of these factors will influence your choice.
Yes, you can play any type of jazz on any guitar; but as a rough rule of thumb, the semi-acoustics (AS200, LR-10) will work better for fusion styles and the JP-20 for more mainstream jazz.
Try them, see what you like. There is no one right answer.
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No right answer from me. Just anecdotal evidence.
I used to own an AS200 from that period (1981) for a while but couldn't bond with it at all, which I thought was funny, given the universal acclaim that the guitar seems to enjoy.
It somehow reminded me of a Russian tank. Huge, unwieldy and indestructible. Sort of heavy, too. And much more bright-sounding than I liked, without offering anything like a smooth transition to darker sounds.
Of course there's the Scofield connection, but he's a tall and sturdy guy using a Rat.
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I got an IBz af120 (80's korean) when I got into jazz ten or so years ago .........
thinking hey it was £120 used and if I like archtops and this Jazz thing and get serious
I can get something better later on
Well its still my main guitar (and I have a '63 335 under the bed)
I found the most important thing was getting a good big thick single note sound
which is mainly about thick strings , TI flats for me , and a highish action so I can dig in
when needed
I always fancied an AF200 (Japan) or a PM20 (japan) and the board on the only
JP20 I've ever tried was superb
So I'd say the JP20 , but you might like a semi if you like an overdriven vibe
all those 80s Japan IBZ are good
Budget for a set-up with big strings tho
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The JP20 is not easy to find. When you can find one in good shape, they are a real gem for the warm sound of a hollow body, especially if you opt to change out the pickup. Which to? Matter of choice and too much debate for this space but on mine I put in a Duncan Jazz, and had I been able to find a Guild blister humbucker, I would have. They feel great, those Pass'es and the QC was very high back then.
For the semi family, the LR was hollow but filled with insulation. I've felt that it lost something in that route. If you want a really nice double cutaway, the AS200 from '82 onward until they took on the Artstar name (about 4 years I think) are the sweet spot in the Ibanez vintages. Before that are the ones palindrome owned, OK, better than what was out there but not yet to the state of the art that late 82 brought about. My personal taste is not for the stock Ibanez pickups, personal taste, so I have always switched to Duncans and loved my Ibanezes as working and playing instruments. Sco's is from 83 I believe. They have made some really nice instruments since then, I think it was the 180 that had a Korean body to AS200 spec and Japanese Fujikken neck. I had one of those and it was a keeper.
As mentioned, the GB guitars have been consistently very nice guitars, and worth checking out. On the older instruments, make sure the bindings are in good shape. They can and have dried out in some I've seen.
In the early 80's vintage, since you're not afraid to hunt up some of the oldies, the AS50 was a smaller size body, REALLY nice guitar. Rare, underpriced and a treasure if you like a smaller body. The AS100 was also the modest rosewood fretboard brother of the early 80's AS200. A warmer sound to my ear. I loved them.
The Pat Metheny PM10 was a nice maple topped take on the Joe Pass. A warmer neck and harder top (Pass had spruce laminate) it's a nice guitar too.
Yes there are subtle differences, do try some if you can ever get your hands on them.
David
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I have played many guitars in my lifetime....many...
My main ax now is a 1977 Ibanez 2355 (ES-175)...
Through a 1985 Polytone Mini Brute II
Thomastick .014 flatwounds...
Low to medium action...
It's enough for me...
Some favs include but not limited to..
Wes Montgomery...Tal Farlow...Herb Ellis...Howard Roberts...Chet Atkins...Joe Pass...Rene Thomas....Barney Kessell..George Van Eps...Johnny Smith...etc...etc...also Charlie Byrd style on my classical guitar...
Time on the instrument...
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Just so you know. Even though the joe pass guitar has his name, he preferred his Gibson. Just something to be aware of, it's all preference though. You just gotta play them
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Joe also had guitars built by Jimmy D'Aquisto that he performed with and never gave away. I might assume he liked them too. Similarly with Jim Hall too I suppose. The Ibanez Joe Pass was the guitar that was built using the model of the D'Aquisto, which Jimmy built as his take on the 175. I look at the Ibanez as the first in a long line of guitars inspired by Jimmy's workhorse guitar, and it's still one of the best out there.
Yeah, but never forget that if you're a musician, it's only a tool. Names, endorsements, mystique, collectibility, advice... it's all a distant distraction when you're using your own inspiration as the true criteria.
Alex, you are very specific about the models and even the years of these guitars on your list. Does someone you know have these guitars? Otherwise, limiting yourself to such a tight search for a long gone, and admittedly small manufacturing run, this set of guitars is curious to me.
Have you been able to conduct any kind of research, compile any kind of list based on your own hands on experience, rather than the second or third hand opinions of others? Remember, after you exchange the money for the instrument, it's just you, your music and an instrument that will endeavour to realize it.
Beware of the seduction of reading old manufacturer's ads. One suggestion might be that you find and work with an instrument that's not so hard to find, and less expensive as a tool- to understand what you need as a guitarist. Buying a guitar has never before afforded such a wide range of choices for so little. It'd go a long way towards your knowing firsthand whether a semi or a fully hollow instrument suits your needs. Just one option for you.
David
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