This article will provide you with all the necessary information about the great-sounding guitar Ibanez AF55. If you are interested in buying the Ibanez Artcore AF55 or you just want to know more about the guitar, you should keep on reading.
Product Description
The Ibanez AF55 Artcore Hollowbody electric guitar delivers quality devices in a stripped-down, aggressive-looking package, a true artcore profile. The full-hollow Sapele body of the AF55 offers you a large, round tone with plenty of woody warmth that’s well-suited for jazz, blues, funk, and older country styles. The flat finish and lack of extra ornamentation give the guitar a no-nonsense look that will be right at home on stage with a loud rock band. Ibanez’s Artcore series delivers great quality instruments, such as this AF55, at an attainable price.
The prices can vary depending on the website and country you are buying her from, but mainly the price stays between 200 and 300 euros. You can check the latest offer here!
Pros
- Lightweight but packs a lot of tones to experiment with, not only one tone
- Sounds great both as an acoustic and electric guitar
- High-quality sound for a moderately proceed guitar
- Store pickups
Cons
- Case not included
- No jazz box
Benefits of this Ibanez electric guitar:
Identifiable and versatile Hollowbody tone – The Sapele top, back, and sides bring out clarity sound and note definition in an otherwise warm and great sound design. Also the Ibanez artcore. The deep body cavity ensures you’ll hear plenty of woody resonance sound while playing. Working in conjunction with the wood and design, the uncovered Ibanez Infinity humbucking pickups have enough output to perform music and play well in many genres but are subtle enough to bring out the clarity and nuance of your playing. The guitar also has a rosewood fingerboard and is fully hollow-bodied.
Straightforward aesthetics – The first thing you’ll notice when seeing the AF55 is the no-nonsense appeal of its design. Sweetwater guitarists agree that the flat finish begs for the device to be playing music hard, but it also has a quiet elegance. The uncovered Infinity pickups continue the aggressive aura of the appliance and allow for more attacks to come through when you play. Dot inlays on the fretboard, minimal chrome hardware, and single-ply binding round out the aesthetics.
Specifications :
- Neck Type – Af Artcore / Nyatoh / Set-in neck
- Maple fully hollow-bodied – Top/Back/Side
- Lined top / Lined back / Linden sides
- Fretboard – Bound Walt fretboard / White dot inlay
- Fret – Medium frets
- Number of frets – 20
- Bridge – Gibraltar Performer bridge
- String space – 10.5 mm
- Tailpiece – VT06 tailpiece
- Neck Pickup – Infinity R (H) neck pickup (Passive/Ceramic)
- Bridge Pickup – Infinity R (H) bridge pickup (Passive/Ceramic)
- Factory tuning – 1E, 2B, 3G, 4D, 5A, 6E
- String gauge – .010/.013/.017/.030/.042/.052
- Hardware color -Chrome
- NECK Dimensions – solid wood blocks, machine heads, not only one volume control
BODY Dimensions
- Length – 19 ½”
- Width – 15 ¾”
- Max Depth – 3 ⅝”
Quality from guitar center
Body & neck pickup (mahogany neck)
The guitars utilize strong mahogany and a hollow body, mixed up with a mahogany neck, a classic rosewood fingerboard, a set of 22 frets, white dot fret inlays, and two lovely F-holes and body cavity. The use of mahogany brings in a booming sonic foundation with plenty of resonance. The guitars feature a classy Gibson-like headstock and a smoky finish that perfectly matches the sonic attack. Guitar also has solid wood blocks ad a mahogany neck. Also great strings.
Hardware – We’re looking at floating bridge features, a set of standard tuning pegs, and no pickguard. These components may not be the instrument’s strongest points, but they do a solid job in keeping the AF55 in proper shape. While some users have reported minor tuning issues, a proper intonation is almost always secured.
Electronics – The pickup features certainly give guitars a healthy load of charm and volume control. We’re dealing with a classic pair of humbuckers, but they’re a bit on the hot side, securing plenty of versatility and tonal freedom, but also a constant presence of the “hotness” factor. The pickups are connected to a single set of control knobs for Tone and Volume adjustments. Also included in the mix is a standard three-way pickup selector.
Sound – Ibanez is a manufacturer typically associated with the realm of hard n’ heavy music features, but this fella still has a sonic foundation deeply rooted in the world of jazz. Bright, sharp, articulate, and resonant – those are the keywords. However, the use of booming mahogany wood and slightly hotter pickups opened this fella up for musical endeavors outside of the jazz domain, going from harder blues all the way to alternative rock. This is great, although there are some players who are looking for a full-on jazz guitar and simply won’t appreciate the extra gain punch.
Additional Features:
- Hollowbody guitar with a rock ‘n’ roll look
- Straightforward aesthetics look great on any stage
- Uncovered Infinity pickups deliver a warm but clear tone
- Minimal hardware keeps clean lines uninterrupted
- The single-ply binding adds an air of elegance
- Gibraltar Performer bridge
The Gibraltar Performer bridge provides rich sustain and tuning stability. The low-positioned saddles promise comfortable playability.
Ibanez provides a warranty with a period of one (1) year from the date of the original retail purchase.
Who Is It Best For?
Combining brightness with a more beefy vibe, this six-string is a valid choice for a modern jazz player looking for a great mixture of versatility and traditional values. The Guitar utilizes some of the well-known pros of Ibanez guitars and sets them up in more blues- and jazz-driven environments.
Overall the Ibanez AF55 has been rated on average 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon Review and also with the same rating on Thomann. Due to the poor amount of reviews on Amazon, we have provided you with Thomann reviews.
Thomann Feedback #1 – “In my opinion, compare to others, as for the model AF55 what can I say other than astounding value for the really low price charged and maple body by Thomann, I was impressed.
At first I had no idea what to expect from the features, the sound, bass and beat side. After the obligatory fret polishing, fingerboard oiling, very minor adjustments to the neck, and intonation the instrument plays beautifully, no buzzes or extraneous noises, and the sound from the stock pick-ups is purely played, not like other guitars of this kind.
If I have any negative comment it is regarding the stock tuners, which while they keep the appliance in tune, are unpleasant to use…so much free play. This is a low-priced stripped-down guitar that has everything it needs, and nothing it doesn’t. So I will replace the tuners eventually, and stick on some flat wound strings…This instrument looks great, feels great, sounds great by having a great tone, and holds its own with others costing four or 5 times more. Oh, and the recommended ‘Rockbag 335’ style gig bag fits like a glove.”
Thomann Reviews #2 – “I bought Ibanez because it was cheap enough to take a gamble. I’m very glad I did. I like its fully hollow body, Artcore profile and how it meets jazz standards when its played.
Stock tuners: I found them to be a bit on the cheap side. I was having tuning issues. I decided to change them for locking tuners which helped loads for stock pickups. Stock tuners are acceptable for home, but wouldn’t depend on them for a gig. I got a bit confused with this.
I was told it had ACH pickups, it doesn’t. Mine says ‘hot ‘n’ nasty’ on the back of them. Regardless of that, they are non staggered flat poles with ceramic magnets. Not exactly quality, but for home volumes, I was pleasantly surprised. Slightly scooped sounding but good clarity (I’m always on the neck).
I did change them out for something else but didn’t like that. Also tried changing the magnet on the stock pickup to an Alnico V or II magnet. The jury is still out on that one. If you are after distorted noises I think they’re fine, a bit boomy if you ask me. Body/neck: really good! Frets and neck were great. Really pleased. Can’t fault it. The body is also a work of art, with no faults at all. Loved the burst on it. Great worn look. Not a fan of the matt finish. I compound polished the whole body and buffed it to shine. Gleams now with a satin/gloss finish. You can see the grain much better.
Overall: great Ibanez guitar for any time you need an archtop. It is not my main ax currently but when I found a pickup I’m happy with it certainly might be!”
Youtube reviews
YouTube Review #1 – “In my opinion, the Ibanez model Artcore AF55 Hollowbody Electric Guitar sets the standard for Ibanez’s full-hollow body design with a vintage look and vintage finish. . Their long-standing partnership with jazz greats such as George Benson and Pat Metheny has resulted in pioneering advancements in the world of hollow-body guitar building. The AF55 with its choice selection of tonewoods, high-quality appointments, and superb electronics continues that tradition of daring design and passion for tone.
Youtube Review #2 – White Christmas played on an Ibanez AF55 guitar.
The Verdict: Is it Worth It?
If you want to get the best of both worlds, here’s a guitar that sounds great both as an acoustic guitar and an electric guitar. The Ibanez Artcore af55 doesn’t just have a beautiful body, it has an amazing fretboard that guarantees easy playability.
If you like this article and found the provided information useful, you might want to check out our other reviews at AalbergAudio.com