Ibanez PM120

**KirkP** · 12-16-2015, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by nikotro

I followed your advice (I think).

Is this a proper way to fasten the strap?

The Planet Waves quick release works well if you lack a strap button. I use one often on a couple of guitars because I haven't been able to decide where I want the button to go!

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...FQqPfgodfqEEEQ

**nikotro** · 12-16-2015, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by whiskey02

Is this a proper way to fasten the strap?

Yeah, but I think you'll be happier if you install the button.

I have ordered the button, and I think it arrives within three week. Thank you for the advice

**nikotro** · 12-16-2015, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by KIRKP

The Planet Waves quick release works well if you lack a strap button. I use one often on a couple of guitars because I haven't been able to decide where I want the button to go!

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/deta...FQqPfgodfqEEEQ

I have allready ordered a button, but thank you for the tips

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 12-17-2015, 11:56 AM

I guess I like guitars that are a bit different, so these sig models always appealed to me. Has anyone ever compared them to the 2** series PM guitars?

**nikotro** · 12-17-2015, 02:53 PM

I have not seen a comparison with the PM2** series. Maybe someone in this forum has?

**secretlis** · 12-30-2015, 12:28 PM

Hi from Paris- France every body,

I just joined this site, and red some forums (pm 120, pm35), and so decided to ask you guys for an advice :

After a music break I'm renewing my guitars..I have a specific game style, mix of jazz/bossa, and also rock fusion and spanish music.

So I need 2-3 guitars..

This evening I'll try an used PM120 Ng, the guy asks 1 600€ for it, what do you guys think of this price ?

Something else by the way : This PM is an archtop It seems, and I'm also thinking on buying an Godin 5th avenue Hollowbody (I tried it last week but without amp..).

>>I know my question may seem a bit stupid but does'nt matter : what are the main differences beetween this 2 type of guitars, (archtop/hollowbody) ? isn't a hollowbody good enough to play jazz ?

And most of all I'm a bit surprised by the difference of price, the archtops are 2 ou 3 x more expensives than hollowbodies such as 5th avenue, PM35, or Ibanez John Scofield JSM10. In other words, I'm wondering if it's worth paying that difference of price.
By advance many thanks for your advices or suggestions,

Miguel

**secretlis** · 12-30-2015, 12:46 PM

Hi from Paris- France every body,

I just joined this site, and red some forums (pm 120, pm35), and so decided to ask you guys for an advice :

After a music break I'm renewing my guitars..I have a specific game style, mix of jazz/bossa, and also rock fusion and spanish music.

So I need 2-3 guitars..

This evening I'll try an used PM120 Ng, the guy asks 1 600€ for it, what do you guys think of this price ?

Something else by the way : This PM is an archtop It seems, and I'm also thinking on buying an Godin 5th avenue Hollowbody (I tried it last week but without amp..).

>>I know my question may seem a bit stupid but does'nt matter : what are the main differences beetween this 2 type of guitars, (archtop/hollowbody) ? isn't a hollowbody good enough to play jazz ?

And most of all I'm a bit surprised by the difference of price, the archtops are 2 ou 3 x more expensives than hollowbodies such as 5th avenue, PM35, or Ibanez John Scofield JSM10. In other words, I'm wondering if it's worth paying that difference of price.
By advance many thanks for your advices or suggestions,

Miguel

**nikotro** · 12-30-2015, 01:15 PM

Hi Miguel
Welcome to the forum.
I am also new on this forum.
I had a test period before I bought the Ibanez PM120, but since arch top guitars are new for me, I have not been capable to compare the different guitars that I tried (Gibson ES 174, L-4 and L-5, Eastman AR 805, Peerless Monarch, Ibanez GB10, PM120 and PM 200), Sadowsky Jim Hall, Robert Toth Benedetto-style L-5 custom made (Norwegian luthier)). The reason I bought the PM120 was a combination of the fact that I like the Ibanez archtop necks, this guitar was one of just a few archtops for sale where I live, and the price was within my budget.

If the guitar is in good condition, I think the price you are offered is good.

Good luck with the purchase!

**Stbatz** · 12-30-2015, 10:04 PM

After having many Ibanez, I keep The PM120, GB10 and PM100 this last not is my cup of tea and will soon be for sale
I think they are very good options for its price
Good luck with the purchase

Ibanez PM120-nice-trio2-jpg

**agentsmith** · 09-20-2016, 09:50 AM

This is the 3rd one I've owned and I fully admit that i'm a bit neurotic when it comes to this so take my thoughts with a grain of thought.

It's a great guitar. On par or exceeding Gibson quality. Flawless playability and workmanship. All 3 guitars were able to be adjusted to super low action with no buzzing. Gibson and Heritage should take a look at what Ibanez is doing in terms of neck straightness and fret leveling because their process is head and shoulders above gibson and heritage.

Compared to my '88 Gibson 175, the PM-120 is a bit more semi-hollowesque. Not quite as full sounding but it has a percussive quality that I cannot replicate with the 175. Perhaps a '60s 175 would be a bit different but I get a really great approximation of Metheny's tone with this guitar (big surprise, right?!?)

I have not played the new PM-200 but I'm guessing it's got more of a bigger hollowbody vibe than the PM-120 but the PM-120 is a super comfortable guitar to play with it's thinner depth.

I'm currently suffering some bad tendinitis in both elbows which is limiting the amount of time I can spend on guitar lately but the PM-120 is much more comfortable to play than my bigger hollowbodies and while it's not as full sounding, it's a great sounding axe for ensemble playing and is pretty versatile.

I have it setup with d'addario .011 flats and I think i'm going to switch to these on my other archtops and get away from the $25 thomasik strings assuming I don't run into the problems with non-ground G strings that seem to plague the "chromes" line.

**helios** · 09-20-2016, 12:33 PM

"Gibson and Heritage should take a look at what Ibanez is doing in terms of neck straightness and fret leveling because their process is head and shoulders above gibson and heritage"

Nice articulate assessment! My AF200 is the nicest playing guitar I've owned (not nicest sounding, but it's quite decent there too), so I can totally agree about the neck statement.

**jads57** · 09-20-2016, 07:42 PM

I have no issues with any of the Gibsons I have purchased in the past 10-15 years. And that includes Pat Martino CS,ES -335 Memphis 1963 Historic.ES-339 Studio, Firebird Non Reverse CS, ES-345 pre Memphis era, Johnny A Custom, and even before those a 1992 ES-775. Not sure what issues others have had, but none for me!

**agentsmith** · 09-20-2016, 08:29 PM

Originally Posted by jads57

I have no issues with any of the Gibsons I have purchased in the past 10-15 years. And that includes Pat Martino CS,ES -335 Memphis 1963 Historic.ES-339 Studio, Firebird Non Reverse CS, ES-345 pre Memphis era, Johnny A Custom, and even before those a 1992 ES-775. Not sure what issues others have had, but none for me!

i have no problem with the $300 artcore either.

**pingu** · 09-20-2016, 08:47 PM

Originally Posted by agentsmith

i have no problem with the $300 artcore either.

What do you think of the low dollar Ibanezes generally Agent ?
Are they built too heavy ?

**agentsmith** · 09-20-2016, 09:16 PM

Originally Posted by pingu

What do you think of the low dollar Ibanezes generally Agent ?
Are they built too heavy ?

yes, they are built pretty heavy but I think they sound good. I like them better than the epiphone archtops generally. I think ibanez has more on the ball than gibson does. They are much more consistent with quality both in their on-shore and off-shore shops. To me , ibanez proves that country of origin doesn't matter because all their instruments are very high quality whether they are made in china, south korea or japan. Again, gibson should take note.

**Guitarbean25** · 09-21-2016, 03:12 AM

Hhmm...you should maybe refer to the various guitar brand "feel" threads from a couple weeks ago. Basically the final word on everything.

**Lobomov** · 09-21-2016, 05:51 AM

I saw one of those in Black for sale af few months ago and kinda regret not biting. But anyway .. I have the single pup '98 PM100 and it is a great guitar .. Nice neck and great sounds. Previous owner replaced the pup with a SD Benedetto A6, so I don't know how the original pups sound tho.

Also my wrist are failing me as well, so I'm down to 11s chromes as well, where I replace the wound g-string with a plain .19

Congrats!!

**A440** · 09-21-2016, 06:22 AM

I have an Ibanez Artcore (AG85) which I bought new a few years ago. When I first got it I found that the ends of some of the frets were very sharp. They were cutting into my skin as I moved my hand up and down the neck. However it was easy enough to smooth them off with a nail file, and otherwise the quality was fine. It just goes to show that the finish is not always perfect, but as the guitar was so cheap (less than £300 for a GB-type archtop) I'm not complaining.

**agentsmith** · 09-21-2016, 06:48 AM

Originally Posted by Guitarbean25

Hhmm...you should maybe refer to the various guitar brand "feel" threads from a couple weeks ago. Basically the final word on everything.

wow, imagine that. Having an opinion on the internet?!?

**rquattro** · 09-21-2016, 03:06 PM

JZ in the hizzie!!

**agentsmith** · 09-22-2016, 10:34 AM

One of the ways they reduce cost is by using less expensive, kiln dried wood. Then the guitars are shipped on a boat from china to the usa. Lots of changes in humidity occur from the point of manufacture to getting it into your hands. The problem you describe is pretty typical for wet wood as it dries. It shrinks and the fret ends protrude slightly.

Originally Posted by A440

I have an Ibanez Artcore (AG85) which I bought new a few years ago. When I first got it I found that the ends of some of the frets were very sharp. They were cutting into my skin as I moved my hand up and down the neck. However it was easy enough to smooth them off with a nail file, and otherwise the quality was fine. It just goes to show that the finish is not always perfect, but as the guitar was so cheap (less than £300 for a GB-type archtop) I'm not complaining.

**A440** · 09-22-2016, 05:02 PM

Thanks agentsmith, I hadn't thought of that. It's not the only guitar I've had to do a bit of filing on either. I've also had fret ends lifting out of the fretboard, perhaps for a similar reason.
I have two other Ibanez guitars, but they are both more 'top end' and are faultless.

**rob taft** · 09-22-2016, 05:31 PM

Originally Posted by agentsmith

This is the 3rd one I've owned and I fully admit that i'm a bit neurotic when it comes to this so take my thoughts with a grain of thought........

jack, Having read your posts for years beginning with the jazz guitar newsgroup, I'll tend to agree.

That being said, I really look forward to your unbiased and frank opinion. I may not always agree with you but I definitely respect your opinion. Thank you for the review.

I recently suffered with tendonitis of the upper left hand as well as forearm pain. I tried a number of braces, remedies etc but only rest worked the trick. I recently sent my primary guitar in for repairs (3" thickness) and have picked up my Aria PE-190 which has a 3 1/2" thickness. While I love the sound and play-ability of this guitar, I find the extra 1/2" too uncomfortable. rob

**Bluedawg** · 09-22-2016, 06:00 PM

Would love to have one of the Japanese PM sig guitars ..

But I would probably go for a Tal Farlow Gibbie first for that kind of money

**agentsmith** · 09-23-2016, 06:47 AM

Originally Posted by Bluedawg

Would love to have one of the Japanese PM sig guitars ..

But I would probably go for a Tal Farlow Gibbie first for that kind of money

you're not going to find a tal farlow for $1250-$1500, the typical used price for a PM-120. I like this better than any of the Tals I had by the way. And the construction, build quality and neck/action/playability blows away the Tal. No comparison.