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Ever since seeing this guitar when it was announced, I had my eye on it. The striking red really appealed to me but it wasn't until the recent thread that I actually pulled the trigger. It sure is a good guitar. Unfortunately it had a couple of very high frets, otherwise it is top notch (I fixed the frets and 12th fret and below the fretwork was impeccable). The neck is totally straight, no twisting and no extra room on one side of the neck when putting the neck flat like I like it (which is a big pet peeve of mine - and lots of guitars have that problem, although I have never had an Ibanez with that problem). Stunning is a good word for the design and color. Striking would be another one. I wasn't sure if it would look garish in person but it doesn't - it is classy and sophisticated while having a bold visual statement (in my opinion).
The pickup sounds excellent but I wish it had pole pieces. I am going to live with it and might change it down the road. The neck is not super hefty but not thin like I have played on some of the Artcores. It is very comfortable. I really like how the round the frets at the fret ends - you can't see it in the video but it looks cool and is very comfortable.
I wish the cutaway was a little bigger because playing on the highest frets is difficult - harder than with a 175 or L5. Other than that, I have no complaints and this is a fine instrument that I will be playing a lot - it looks and feels like a more expensive instrument but I don't have to be afraid of taking it to outdoor gigs since it is affordable and feels really sturdy. Also, I should have thought of this for the video but the acoustic sound is surprisingly good.
Here is he video demo and review. Chord melody for the head and just single note playing for a chorus afterwards to show what it sounds like for both. I then ramble out a review after the 3 minute mark...probably should have come up with an outline to not be all over the place but oh well. There is only one other review on YouTube and it is the black 2 pickup version so I thought it would be good to get one up.
And some photos
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06-27-2017 11:05 PM
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Congrats and thanks for doing the video.
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What a lovely sounding guitar. Very, very nice.
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Thanks - I am very pleased with the sound so even though I would like pole pieces I am going to keep it as is. I am more concerned with how it will translate into playing with a group so as long as the string balance is ok there then I'm fine with it. With the Chromes it came with the balance was fine but I really do prefer nickel.
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Nice! Great playing, great tone. Congrats on a great guitar!
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Nice guitar and nice playing. Thanks for making the video. Another guitar that I wish they'd make left-handed...
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That does sound very musical and nice. Thank you for the demo, rio. It ain't the arrow...
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Thanks for the review. Was curious about that guitar..
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Very nice, guitar and playing. I'm pleased they are beefing up the neck a little.
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I like the slightly over driven tones like Wes & Kenny sometimes get.
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Thanks a lot guys - I'm digging the guitar. Rob, I'm glad about the neck too. Some of the Artcores are nice but I just can't play them because of the necks. Too uncomfortable playing thin necks for long periods of time for me, except for whatever voodoo is in the PM100 neck which is both on the thin side and very playable.
Me too - this is one reason I like the Mustang GT100 since I can dial that in easily compared to the Bud which will never get anywhere near breaking up. The search for something small to put between my guitar and that amp that will give it some color is still on - like, if they made only the preamp of the Mustang GT in a pedal, that would be cool.
Originally Posted by helios
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Try the mojo mojo by TC electronics; cheap (50€) and sounds really good. Great sound and playing, by the way!
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That is one sweet sounding, sharp looking axe! Cool video, thanks for making it. Looks like a keeper - Congratulations, and play it in good health!
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Rio, oh sole mio!
it has the same sound that it had when the kid played it. It sounds kinda like a Pagelli a little.
Beautiful demo. Real nice guitar man. I hear you loud and clear about the thin neck being a pain in the hand.
Nice job. Demos help others make decisions. Way to go.
Joe DLast edited by Max405; 06-29-2017 at 06:45 AM.
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Nice informative video, thanks for making it.
Picked up my 151 SRR today
Workmanship is impeccable and the color that was a concern is no longer a concern, the guitar, as you stated is 'stunning'.
I was surprised that the color was darker than what I had seen in photos before which is a nice surprise and you capture the color tone pretty much as it really is.
Almost the same as my PM2 but still a worthy purchase!
The tech at GC did a small truss rod adjustment but all is seems to be about perfect!
All in all, a great guitar!
Last edited by jazzimprov; 06-28-2017 at 10:53 PM.
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Congrats on the new guitar. Play it in good health! Originally Posted by jazzimprov
Picked up my 151 SRR today
Workmanship is impeccable and the color that was a concern is no longer a concern, the guitar, as you stated is 'stunning'.
I was surprised that the color was darker than what I had seen in photos before which is a nice surprise and you capture the color tone pretty much as it really is.
Almost the same as my PM2 but still a worthy purchase!
The tech at GC did a small truss rod adjustment but all is seems to be about perfect!
All in all, a great guitar!
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Thanks guys! Brubra - that looks like a cool pedal - have you tried the BB Preamp pedal? I got that to put in front of the Bud and it does nicely - it's a very good pedal but not 100% what I wanted.
Jazzimprov - congrats! Interesting to compare it to the PM2 - does that have a thinner neck? Comparing it to the PM100 it does have a different sound so that is interesting that it sounds almost the same as the PM2.
Another thing I was impressed with was the bridge - the intonation is spot on. I've had and played more expensive "nicer" guitars that didn't nail the intonation as well as Ibanez did on this one.
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Jazzimprov - congrats! Interesting to compare it to the PM2 - does that have a thinner neck?
::Slightly more body on the neck of the 151 than the PM2
22 frets on the PM2 20 for 151 -slightly less space between the frets.
No heel on the PM 2 on the neck.
Comparing it to the PM100 it does have a different sound so that is interesting that it sounds almost the same as the PM2.
:: Hard to say right now with the flats on the 151 and the strings sitting a bit higher on the 151 than the PM2.
Last edited by jazzimprov; 06-29-2017 at 05:41 PM.
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Rio, very nicely done review and of course great playing. Enjoy your new axe. You are a asset to this forum.
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revised answer:
Jazzimprov - congrats! Interesting to compare it to the PM2 - does that have a thinner neck?
::Slightly more body on the neck of the 151 than the PM2
22 frets on the PM2 20 for 151 -slightly smaller fret space on the PM 2
No heel on the PM 2 on the neck.
Comparing it to the PM100 it does have a different sound so that is interesting that it sounds almost the same as the PM2.
:: Hard to say right now with the flats on the 151 and the strings sitting a bit higher on the 151 than the PM2.
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How would you compare it to AF155 or AF200?
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I haven't tried either of those but I would love to try an af200 some day based on how that looks. I have an af75trs that I got to test out to see if I would recommend it for students and it isn't in the same leave as this guitar, but it is an entry model so that's to be expected. My other Artcore experiences have been students who have bought them and they were all sub 500 dollar instruments and for the price they were good but, again, not in the same league.
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