The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #51

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    I'm normally not a huge fan of black hardware .. But with the red guitar it actually looks extremely good!

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  3. #52

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lobomov
    I'm normally not a huge fan of black hardware .. But with the red guitar it actually looks extremely good!
    i'm not, either – but i'm definitely even less of a fan of gold-plated hardware – and realized only too late, when i was so rich and lucky to own a Sadowsky Jim Hall Signature, in a faraway past, that (one time too many) switching from gold to chrome doesn't really work...

    so black was it, out of my distaste for gold-plated hardware, simply for necessity and opportunity.

    then, it's funny how a friend pointed out that i was in reality just mocking up a model previously existing among Signature Hollow-Bodies in the Ibanez lineup, and one so far unbeknownst to me.

    well, seems my friend has a point:

    Has anyone seen the new Ibanez AMH90 yet?-2007_gb15_tr_00_01-jpg
    meet GB15, or the George Benson very-thin-like hollowbody model, that was in production from 2006 thru' 2010.
    source of picture (and other info) is ibanez.fandom.com website, as usual – to give credit where credit is due.
    Last edited by rbbrnck; 04-26-2021 at 04:06 PM.

  4. #53

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    "(ps: new bone nut pictured at its original factory size, before i trimmed its edges"


    Is that a Zero Glide nut?

  5. #54

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    yep, it is!

    found out that the Martin-sized one was a near-perfect match for the AG95, and it is for the AMH90, too.

    when i'll install one on an Ibanez baritone solidbody in the very next days, then i have not left a single guitar of mine that hasn't got one on it.

    ...definitely addictive, i can only and honestly say.

  6. #55

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    Quote Originally Posted by rbbrnck
    yep, it is!

    found out that the Martin-sized one was a near-perfect match for the AG95, and it is for the AMH90, too.

    when i'll install one on an Ibanez baritone solidbody in the very next days, then i have not left a single guitar of mine that hasn't got one on it.

    ...definitely addictive, i can only and honestly say.
    Thanks. I am planning to do this replacement on both of my Eastman [AR503ce and AR371] guitars and my Ibanez SJ300. Last time I tried one was when I had an Ibanez AFJ155 and my dog demonstrated conclusively that it was indeed a bone nut! The buyer did not even comment on the gnaw marks when I sold it. Knowing that the martin version is a close fit might reduce the work involved. Thanks.

    Cheers

  7. #56

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    Hi, first post on this forum for presenting my new AMH90 I got some 4 days ago. It is definitely a keeper, very nice sweet tone and excellent playability. Here is some remarks I have :

    - truss rod was loose (also reported by a previous user in this thread), however the neck had just the right amount of bow. This seemed weird at first, but I loosened the truss rod even more and the truss rod screw finally gave some resistance. So I'm wondering if it's some kind of special action truss rod where it is loose in the middle and offers resistance in the screw for both loosening and fastening. I tested both directions and found resistance both for loosening the neck and for straightening it, between both directions there is half a turn where the screw is completely loose. This seems unusual to me but it works perfectly.

    - I spent two hours trying to sort out a very weak output from the high e string. It turns out that the string saddle on the bridge for that particular string was dented right on its contact point with the string, killing its volume and sustain (sitar effect). I gently filed it with a spare A string and the high e is now loud and clear. The guitar seems to have been demonstrated on the wall in the store I bought it, it was tuned a half step higher and I wonder if someone actually dented the saddle by tuning too high. This leads to my next remark :

    - I'm no expert on metalworks but the bridge and saddles appears (to me) made of a quite soft, low density metal. I'm considering replacing it with something of higher grade but I wonder whether Ibanez used a soft metal on purpose or for money reasons. I believe that bridge density has an effect on the vibration transmission between string and wood, and I'd rather avoid modifying the guitar's excellent tone.

    - I found nearly no difference between two position on the 3-position tone switch for the neck pickup. Highest position (parallel wiring) sounds nearly the same as middle position (split-coil wiring), except that the latter has some expected single coil hum. This I need to investigate further.

    - there was no case or bag included and it doesn't fit anything I have. I need to buy something else.

    - I have some minor ringing noise from the tailpiece when playing unplugged, but it doesn't bother me

    - fret 15 needed a gentle hammer tap for solving a 'dead spot'. Apart from this, the fretwork is excellent and I experienced no rough edge like a previous user and the guitar plays 'smooth as silk' with low action.

    - it is mounted with light top/heavy bottom strings (010-052), which I usually find a bit unbalanced but quite pleasing on this guitar.

    - plastic nut could have been filed a bit better, but it is not worse than most Gibson I had.

    All in all, while I had the budget for buying the Japanese model (AM2000), appearance is also important to me and I found the black finish absolutely gorgeous. Usually I don't like black guitars but this one I love.

    My opinion on this guitar needs to be taken with a grain of salt because it's my first hollow body guitar. However I have owned, played, set-up and sold a lot of guitars and basses in my 20 years of playing guitar. So I believe I can discriminate between good ones and bad ones. But I cannot say if the nice resonant tone of this guitar is unusual or very common with hollow body guitar. Very happy in any case.

    I believe it will replace my guitar of choice for playing jazz music. Funnily enough, it is currently a Gibson SG.
    Last edited by dumoulin; 04-29-2021 at 02:39 AM.

  8. #57

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    ...a propos carrying case: my AMH90 was sold online by Thomann, and it came of course without a case.

    they had on stock the Ibanez MM100C hard case that, for whatever reason, Ibanez forgot to mention as suitable to AMH90 on its website, although it is listed as suitable to AM93 (which has the very same external dimensions of the AMH90).

    Thomann staff checked compatibility on my request, confirmed it was right for it, so i ordered it.

    upon arrival, i can confirm it's its right thing, the exact fit, and not a cheap one indeed...

    i know nothing about gigbags, an item i have no use for, but if you're searching for a case, the MM100C is about as right as one can be.
    Last edited by rbbrnck; 04-27-2021 at 02:38 PM.

  9. #58

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    Quote Originally Posted by dumoulin
    - I found nearly no difference between two position on the 3-position tone switch for the neck pickup. Highest position (parallel wiring) sounds nearly the same as middle position (split-coil wiring), except that the latter has some expected single coil hum. This I need to investigate further.

    - I have some minor ringing noise from the tailpiece when playing unplugged, but it doesn't bother me
    behaviour of the TriTone switch on my own seemed to be exactly the same you just described for yours - as i have replaced pickups (with active ones), i have no more use for it, and i placed a naked black new one in its place, unwired, just to fill in the hole.

    the ring-out of the portion of behind-the-bridge strings' length is one of the components that leads you to call its tone sweet and resonant... of course when you don't have the louder portion of amplified sound, such ring-out chatter becomes a lot more discernible, and not exactly pleasant, given how it's totally out of tune woth respect to the string "right" portion...

    you say you're not bothered by it, which is fine - shall you be, the old-world remedy is a strip of felt cloth, or wool, weaved across the strings before the tailpiece, like you can see inside a grand piano (or an upright).

    it'll remove that ringing chatter for good, but the tone will lose that resonant character it has, too - either way, your choice.

    and, in order to even increase this added effect, i have installed a half-length trapeze tailpiece on my archtop guitar(s), so that the length of string behind the bridge is doubled, hence halved in pitch, which makes it mellower - another easy, cheap way to shape your tone the way you may want to consider, or simply try out, maybe, at the 14.99€ that the replacement bridge might cost.
    Last edited by rbbrnck; 04-27-2021 at 02:42 PM.

  10. #59

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    Quote Originally Posted by thelostboss
    Thanks. I am planning to do this replacement on both of my Eastman [AR503ce and AR371] guitars and my Ibanez SJ300. Last time I tried one was when I had an Ibanez AFJ155 and my dog demonstrated conclusively that it was indeed a bone nut! The buyer did not even comment on the gnaw marks when I sold it. Knowing that the martin version is a close fit might reduce the work involved. Thanks. Cheers
    if i'm ever allowed the chance to offer a most humble tip here, may i suggest you consider installing the special stainless steel version of zero fret that ZeroGlide / GoldTone offers as an update option (on their US website)?

    the EU supplier i'm using doesn't carry it, unfortunately, and going the trouble of import from US (with customs, customs' duties, VAT on top of the whole iceberg, and undeterministic waiting-time for delivery) isn't worth to me, for a piece or two...

    but, if you're in US, or have another supplier that can sell it to you, the stainless steel zero fret is about the only silk carpet you can put on heaven's floor with the ZeroGlide nut, and the single piece i sadly miss – no matter how carefully and precise i shaped my own installations.

    the "regular" alloy (zero) fret suffers from strings being tuned all the time, and the guitar being restrung over and over (especially when your shaping your new ZeroGlide nut and fret... strings, all strings, start to dig a groove in the zero fret when the tuners pull them (in both ways)... when you're through with filing and shaping and trimming it right, and you're about to enjoy your newly "nutted" guitar, you realize the zero fret is already grooved.

    on an archtop with some headstock break-angle, and what's usually medium-to-heavy-gauged strings, the groove is just a pity you're aware of, in the back of your mind... but on a Telecaster™ neck, for instance, without the backward angle of the headstock, with quite a narrow nut, and strings that are often much lighter in gauge than those you string a jazz archtop with, the grooves on zero fret start to take strings in and out when you bend them, and it ain't a funny noise or artifact per se.

    sure, you can always install a higher zero fret right from the start, do the whole setup, and when you're finally gone through all motions (and have marred it with strings' grooves), you can file it down to exact height, and with this grind out the grooves, too... but it spoils the exercise of a quick install and setup that comes with ZeroGlide's very concept, and it hardly makes much sense...

    someone at GoldTone must have realised it, or have acted on users' feedback, because the stainless steel option appeared like magic, on their website... and it makes sense to consider, even if something as simple as cutting the fret to exact length will become harder, if it's made of stainless steel, than if it's made of nickel-silver...

    but, for you, before you get at that, it's probably worth to consider the extra effort and cost right from the start... and do it right from the start! :-)

  11. #60

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    Quote Originally Posted by dumoulin
    - there was no case or bag included and it doesn't fit anything I have. I need to buy something else.
    i just tried to put the AMH90 inside an SKB SC30 Thin-line/Classical "light" case that i bought for my AG95.
    as this fits the latter like a glove, being that the AMH90 is exactly 1" thinner, or 2.54cm, than the AG95, i have proof that there's of course some room to spare inside – but only in height, not in width!

    i've just folded a couple of very soft microfiber cloths on its bottom, those LP-sized of about 30x30cm that are ideally sold to mop the floor, and laid them inside on the bottom, to build-up about 1" of extra soft padding underneath the guitar... it's an easy and cheap exercise – and as the body width is exactly the same, the case might in this way provide an acceptable degree of protection, at a greatly reduced weight (almost 2kg less!), and cost, too (about 35% less) compared to the Ibanez MM100C.

    i am not affiliated with the vendor, just a returning client of theirs, and have no financial return at all from recommending the item to your attention... but just because fitting cases [one doesn't have] to a guitar [one actually has] is something of a lost art, i just thought you might appreciate this extra bit of information. just in case, feel free to lookup the item here, if interested:
    SKB 1SKB-SC30 Thin-line/Classical – Thomann UK
    Last edited by rbbrnck; 04-27-2021 at 02:44 PM.

  12. #61

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    Thanks for the useful advice Rbb.

    Just an update regarding my truss-rod issue, some other forum post about Ibanez Artcores specifies that they indeed use a double-action truss rod (loose in the middle position, clockwise for straightenig, counter-clockwise for loosening). Therefore, having a loose truss rod with just the right amount of neck-bow is normal, it means that the neck doesn't need the help of a metal rod for operating properly (if I understood correctly.

    Regarding the second tone switch for the neck pickup, I seems weird that we are now two users with that particular issue, and I'm starting to think that both positions (parallel and split-coil) simply have a very similar tone. If other users have the same issue, please share. I think I hear a slight difference when playing very loud on the amplifier. And having a single-coil tone without hum is quite nice actually.

  13. #62

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    Whether a single-action or double-action, the truss rod should be loose for shipment, to avoid damage to the neck during shipment. The strings should also be loose. It's entirely normal to need to tighten the rod after receipt. If I ship a guitar, it goes in the package with the truss rod loose and the bridge in the case pocket, and most I receive are the same, although I've received guitars still in tune, more or less. That's begging for trouble.

  14. #63

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    Guitar looks great. I have a red one too. I replaced the nut with a tusq xl, tuners with graphtec ratio and input jack with a pure tone.

    It's my first hollow body and Im really enjoying it.

    I want to replace the bridge too. Do you recommend one that I can use with the existing posts? I'm sticking with gold. Thanks!

    QUOTE=rbbrnck;1117215]mine arrived last week, its action on the high / too high side, too. and, on mine too, lowering the bridge all the way to the top didn't change it substantially, and my neck seemed straight, too... maybe i was shipped the very one you returned? :-) i'm just joking – mine came from Thomann, and was indeed still factory wrapped, but seemingly with the same issue as yours.

    i had planned to replace all gold-plated hardware with black-plated one anyway, and had planned to replace the pickups anyway, too, so i took it all apart on day one, and have little by little completed the "conversion" in the last days – to my full satisfaction, finally.

    to start with, mine was shipped with the trussrod entirely unloaded, like... it took three full turns before it even had any purchase on the neck.
    this was easy, and it brought the action into manageable ball-park – and the (black-plated) bridge i chose has its own (black-plated) inserts, which have a thinner upper lip to sit on the top, about 1mm lower, and the bridge itself is about 1mm lower... seeing how i've had to raise both thumbwheels for about 2.5mm, i can only guess that setting the trussrod to effective tension has put neck and fretboard on their respective right course, in the end.

    fret edges of mine, on both sides of the 'board, fell victim to lunch break, if ever craftspeople at the Indonesian plant even have a break during their shift, let alone lunch...
    not one of them, not one, had been crowned and rounded, despite the whole 'board being surrounded by a perfectly polished (and glass-like smooth) faux-ivory binding – just a tad shy of razor barbwire, they were, and i spent the best of an afternoon to crown them soft and round, then polishing them mirror-like with abrasive rubber-erasers and a final beauty massage with Gorgomyte.

    with the whole electronics replaced, and the new hardware in place... i replaced the only other original bit left on the strings' path, which was originally cut with utmost care – the plastic nut... some exact piece that was installed on my most recent AG95, except this one was made right (and that of the AG95 totally wrong) – now it has a zero fret like all other guitars i have around here, just a habit of mine i'm so keen to keep alive.

    took me a couple of minutes to assess why this is more neck-heavy than the AG95... scale is the same, body shape is the same, only the depth isn't, and then the weight isn't, either – but the AMH90 neck is set at 18th fret into the body, while the AG95 is set it at the 14th, hence pushing the strap hanging point in line with your shoulder some extra 3-4 centimeters on a neck "out-there", with a less favourable lever of balance (to the player)... couple this to a flat/satin finish, over a body significantly lower in weight... and choose a leather strap with unlined backside, so that the neck-heavy feeling is completely countered!

    i also changed the looky-looking dot markers on the fretboard: they were a lovely shade of green abalone, indeed classy, but they lacked enough contrast over the ebony hue to be spotted in a low light setting at first glance, to my eye at least. they now have a fake mother-of-pearl sticker thing in place, looking more silver-ish, not half as classy but four times more visible – which suits my tired sight way better.

    of course, before you ask, was this worth the exercise?

    had all of these adjustments have to be billed by a skilled luthier, no, definitely not – the price premium on the upper-range AM2000 model would have simply disappeared, no question – and since in my project the guitar was sort of a workbench in its "factory state", i saw no sense in claiming the 30-days money-back guarantee that Thomann kindly honored before without even flinching, my project involved time and labour anyway, and i can only admit i enjoy the task.

    do i like the final result, then?

    yes - in a certain way: it's a comfy, neatly engineered, feather-light guitar, and pretty resonant, and responsive, even more so in light of its diminished body db]
    I

  15. #64

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    Quote Originally Posted by cmmc45
    Guitar looks great. I have a red one too. I want to replace the bridge too. Do you recommend one that I can use with the existing posts? I'm sticking with gold. Thanks!I
    i chose a (black) unbranded thing that seems to be sourced where all other guitar parts come from (with tuners, for instance, you couldn't tell which is which, same as tailpiece)... other than signalling to you the name of the online shop (it's in UK, and i'm not), i wouldn't know how to tell you what it is – and i doubt this website's policy allows the open advertising of vendors' names in the clear.

    but, if this helps, the information of relevance here is: search for what is stated to be compatible with "metric" or "import" guitar, namely Epiphone Les Paul or SG or The Dot... mine came with such a description, and it matched.

    the original Ibanez has this very handy slots on each string's path, quite useful at extreme height settings, and no other replacement piece i've seen has anything similar on board... but it shall be no concern, as far as the AMH90 goes – if anything, the benefit in the replacement part with my own guitar is that between collars, thumbwheels and the very bridge, i reached 2mm lower in height, which made the action acceptable, while i conversely had to file off the original bridge from its underside, where eyes can't see it when mounted, in order to come to a comfortable action.

    what i like about the whole exercise, bridges of different makes and models span over a 10x price factor (mine was 13€, and i've seen quite noble ones retail at 130)... whatever the price, carrying live strings they all sure sound different, with saddles as diverse as pot metal, brass, vintage nylon, titanium, you name it – and the one you may like most might not be the most expensive one.
    Last edited by rbbrnck; 06-04-2021 at 04:26 AM.

  16. #65

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    I have one of these (in red also, I love the satin finish) and I really didn't feel the need to change anything other than the strings. The heavy bottom set didn't appeal to me, but with D'Addario 011 Balanced Tension it's playing great.

    The action was a little high to my taste, but perfectly adjustable to slightly below 2mm on the bass side. The tritone switch could lose the middle position, because parallel sounds so similar to single coil mode that I have no need for the latter.

    Funnily, this thinline has more acoustic volume than my, admittedly cheaper, Ibanez full hollow. And it has significantly less weight. I like this guitar a lot.

  17. #66

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    Couple of years ago bought a Dean S clone. This is the Dean company that’s actually owned by Dean. The intriguing part was the neck carve - a sort of filigree that made the neck resistant to sweat slipperiness. Worked and well tested here in Arizona. Made in Indonesia. After a year I noticed cracks starting to appear in the filigree. Probably improperly seasoned wood. Unloaded the guitar in a GC trade-in. Swore off Dean and added Indonesia as a suspicious place of manufacture for any future purchases.

  18. #67

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    I tried one out yesterday at a local guitar center. Straight out of the box it also had the same issue that several others reported with the action being too high and not enough room with body spacing to adjust down, with a visually straight neck. It seems this is just common with how these are manufactured, and will require modification or replacement of bridge hardware to get it to the a preferred action. Then again, I'm picky and have to have 1mm over the 12th fret on the treble and bass side.

    So I'm interested in getting one of these, but also factoring in cost of mods that will be necessary to make it a great instrument. I'm thinking though that even with the costs of mods and setup, nothing will touch this price point for a very compact full hollow body. Despite using non-traditional woods, the acoustic tone was quite good to my ears and I'm sure the electric tone will be A+, perhaps with an added neck humbucker swap for preference. I didn't bother hearing it through the rock amps that guitar center has available.

  19. #68

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    I played one at our local GC. That one is on sale for $550 (Middleton WI). Gorgeous tone. I would have bought it except the frets were sticking so far out that I would shred my left hand as soon as I stopped being extra-careful in how I played. Otherwise the fit and finish seemed acceptable.

  20. #69

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    Quote Originally Posted by Toat
    ...interested in getting one of these, but also factoring in cost of mods that will be necessary to make it a great instrument. I'm thinking though that even with the costs of mods and setup, nothing will touch this price point for a very compact full hollow body. Despite using non-traditional woods, the acoustic tone was quite good to my ears and I'm sure the electric tone will be A+, perhaps with an added neck humbucker swap for preference. I didn't bother hearing it through the rock amps that guitar center has available.
    i've brought mine back to stock, put back on all of its original hardware, after having tried to dress it black... it looked too much like the rock machine i have no use (and taste) for, and i just thought i could as well live with the golden hardware, as it wouldn't harm me. why am i replying to your post, then, is not for chronicling my mods, but to share a thought (and my own, at that) about the cost of modding.

    i tried other bridges, which would have solved the action matter in seconds. i liked the sound of the original one better – and, in the end, i didn't replace it, only went at its underside with a cheap flat file. took me less than 15' to shave about 2mm off each side, it ate like melting butter, and you can't see an iota of it, even at close scrutiny (unless you take the piece entirely off).

    i had the same thought of yours about the neck humbucker... i put in a piece borrowed from a 1987 AS-200 "not-yet-become-of-John-Scofield's-fame" model, believing the whole adagio of old pickups not at all like current ones but way better... and, when the files my teacher recorded with both "versions“ ended up being mis-named, i honestly couldn't tell which was which (and nor could he, btw).

    i used a popsicle stick with sandpaper glued to it for smoothing out the frets' edges (is what i do on all of my guitars that come home with me – i bought cheapos, when i was lucky enough to afford buying)... hasn't taken me more than one hour (masking the whole 'board with paper tape, and wiping it to shine with Gorgomyte cloth afterwards).

    not just my old self, which is worth only a fraction of what my young one was, but many pals find it quite hard to believe what this thing sold for, when i bought it... and two hours of my elbow time, these days, come cheaper than ever – less than a cup of coffee (which i don't drink, when i've to work on a guitar)... you ask me, the only wrong thing with it is its golden hardware, and that shade of red that's a tad too... loud, to my eyes: all the rest is just great.

    for sake of argument, i have an AG95, which measures about same overall body size with sides twice as deep as those of the AMH-90; it only has one cutaway, and neck's set more "into" body... a lovely jazz guitar for many, and count me in on it... i just don't know if it's its bridge (held in place by strings' tension only), or the deeper body, or what... fact is, my AG95 gets much less playing time than the AMH-90.

    your mileage may vary, of course – depending on strings, amp's voicing, whatnot...
    with .012-.052 Elixir Nanowebs, and the Fender George Benson Twin Reverb i sold last spring, i really couldn't find one reason not to love it, even more so for what it cost [as price often tricks one's judgement, i believe].

  21. #70

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    Protruding fret ends aren't really a problem. A few minutes of judicious use of a file will easily take care of the problem. It's not strictly necessary, but a longer session of rounding the ends nicely makes it look and feel even better. A triangular file with the corners smoothed off is the ideal choice, but again not entirely necessary if care is used.

  22. #71

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    Quote Originally Posted by cmmc45
    Guitar looks great. I have a red one too. I replaced the nut with a tusq xl, tuners with graphtec ratio and input jack with a pure tone.

    It's my first hollow body and Im really enjoying it.

    snip ....
    sorry to ask again , is this guitar definitely
    fully hollow , like a 330 ?

    can someone confirm this please ?

  23. #72

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lobomov;[URL="tel:1174358"
    1174358[/URL]]As I understand it there is a small post under the bridge, but apart from that yes hollow. It's not a center block guitar.

    Pictures of the inside in post #41 in this thread
    oh ok thanks
    btw the inside picture on post #41
    doesn't show the soundpost
    unfortunately ....

    I’m trying to work out if one of these
    would be good as an all purpose guitar
    to do bluesy , funky things but also
    be ok for more straight ahead jazz things
    (like an ES330 would which I can’t afford)
    someone mentioned some neckdive tho
    which I do not dig ....

  24. #73

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    Ibanez used to make a hollow 330 style with P90s called the ASR-70. I had one a while ago, wish I had kept it.

  25. #74

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
    I really like this one. A small hollow thin line and humbuckers with a variable tone switch. It has some bracing under the top to anchor the bridge and pickups but no center block. $1000 Canadian.

    AMH90 | AM | HOLLOW BODIES | PRODUCTS | Ibanez guitars

    Great review. Tried one today and thinking of buying.

  26. #75

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    Ibanez hit it out of the park with this one... I've always preferred Ibanez archtops and own several. But what's one more, well, two more. I bought the red AMH90, loved it, instantly ordered the black one. I am a professional solo "cocktail guitarist", fingerstyle chord melody. Being a female, I appreciate downsized guitars. The Ibanez AM93's and AMH90's are ergonomically spot-on. Love the neck profile, and thank goodness "medium" frets. Using a Bose L1 system for larger venues, and Bose S-1 for smaller -- the tone with the MH90 is more than impressive.

    Will mention that set-up on the red one was quite a workout for my luthier. It was way out of whack. But he was able to wrestle it into my low-as-you-can-go set up, and all is well.

    Set up on the black one was spot-on right out of its "gig box", but I did lower the bridge and pickups.

    Both are flawlessly made. I'm not crazy about the somewhat garish gold hardware, and might address that later. Or just get over it and enjoy these beautiful instruments as they are.