Ibanez Artcore AM53 Semi-hollowbody Electric Guitar - Tobacco Flat Reviews

For the price, this is a well constructed guitar. Sounds really good and it's very confortable to play.

I wanted a semi-hollow, which I had a feeling would be my main guitar. I also have a hollow body and solid body Ibanez. Yes, I'm in love with Ibanez guitars. As soon as I took this out of the box, it was my favorite guitar. I love the size, it's well balanced and comfortable to hold. As with the other Ibanez guitars I have, the playability is a joy. This guitar was perfect right out of the box, just needed a minor tuning. But, I live in AZ and sometimes the humidity is only 10 percent, so not long after I had to do a more thorough setup, adjusting truss rod and bridge. But now it's perfect again, at least until we get some more humidity. As for the sound, I find it works for me, but I only have a small practice amp with headphones, since I live in an apartment, so I haven't tried cranking it up yet. I really like that I can practice quietly without the amp and still hear what I'm playing, unlike the solid body. I'm still very much a beginner, so I may someday outgrow this, but I do know a lot about guitars, and I think even if I go for something more expensive, this one will stay in my guitarsenal.

First of all I'm a drummer and a pianist, not a guitarist. That being said, my singer/guitarist had this guitar for several years. After purchasing several more semi-hollows and a couple full hollow body guitars, he passed this art-core tobacco flat to me for my new home studio. I have to say I think it's tone sounds pretty darn fantastic. Sounds great with my 1980 Gretsch USA Customs (inherited from retired drummer Granpa) and my 1957 Hammond/ 122 Leslie. I give this one an 11!

Amazing quality for such an affordable price.
Smaller comfortable shape and lighter weight makes this a joy to play.
Very responsive pickups and great got and finish.
I've been playing Ibanez guitars since 1982!

This guitar is really nice for the price. I love the finish and the fact that you can see the natural wood grain. The controls are simple and work well. I got this guitar for my dad, who started playing about a year ago. He has often mentioned wanting a semi hollow bodied guitar because they were very popular when he was younger. So far we have both been impressed by this instrument. I have been playing for over twenty years, and this unit feels great to me. The neck is just slightly chunkier than the Fenders I own, and it plays great. The guitar is lightweight and the pickups sound good. I am very happy with this purchase. Also, Sweetwater's customer support is unmatched and my sales engineer Jerrod is awesome.

I was looking for a light weight, easy playing, good looking guitar for my retirement years. - This is it. Ready to play out of the box. Great sounding, and more.

This model and the AS53 are both ridiculously well made for the price. If you can get over snobbery about brand names and wood species and just play one of these you'll see what I mean. Don't get me wrong, if I were gigging I would treat myself to something a little higher end, but if I'm honest the difference is mostly cosmetics. The pickups are a little one-dimensional sounding but that's my only complaint. Gives me an excuse to put in something custom. The fretwork is very good. If you polish the fret ends it would rival anything out there. The nut is cheap plastic as expected but it's cut properly and I have no complaints. The hardware has nice plating on it and is pretty impressive for the price range.

I've had this a few months now. I love the natural wood look with the flat finish. I have enough high gloss finish guitars. lol.. The pickups actually have a lot of output and sound great to me. I also like the flat finish neck. The fret work seems really good. This can be hit and miss on lesser expensive guitars. All in all I am extremely happy with this guitar, especially for $...! Looks beautiful on the wall in my collection. You won't regret buying this.

I really like this guitar its great to play its pretty & has great tone Ive been looking at it for a long time Thanks !!!!!

This instrument exceeded my expectations

Sweetwater does it again! I received my new Ibanez AM53 and could not be happier. The set up was on the money. The action is butter smooth and plays as well as my Schecter pt telecaster. I don't know how they do it but this guitar is hard to put back in the stand. This guitar cannot be beat at this price for a semi hollow. The sound, feel and playability and fit you need to experience to understand. I recommend this guitar to anyone who wants to improve their playing enjoyment. Thanks again Sweetwater!

I'm an old man who likes to keep things simple. "Lily" has a soft warm tone and feels good in my hands. Polished the frets and a new set of cobalt strings and she plays like buttered glass. Then I plugged her in… everything I ever… and she's mine.
Yes, I'm happy.

This is a rocking semi hollow body, don't hesitate buy.

Really nice affordable guitars are coming out of Indonesia these days. The AM53 is a definitely one of them. The frets were a little rough but a quick polish took care of that in less then 5 minuets. The finish on the guitar is pretty much spot on. The neck is very comfortable but that"s a very personal preference thing. Simple switch, volume, and tone all work well. The pickups are pretty good considering the price. The AM series is not too much smaller then the AS, maybe the body is 1/2" less, but it does feel more comfortable to me. Only reason it looses a half star is the headstock logo...kinda airbrushed on...looks cheap...better they upgrade the name Ibanez and leave off the artwork. Great guitar to use for hot sweaty summer gigs!