Ibanez ART300 Electric Guitar User Reviews at zZounds

"Ibanez does it again - sexy guitar with great build quality" submitted June 14, 2009

By a customer from sbcglobal.net

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Features

Ease of Use

Quality

Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Active musician

Music Style: Progressive metal/rock

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Sound: It does have that active electronics sound. Not as heavy as the EMG 81/85 combination but a very nice in-between. VERY clean and noiseless. Low end has excllent definition and clarity for that metal crunch. It is quite versatile and you can get a very nice blusey les paul like sound from it as well. Feature: You just don't see active electronics at this price point. That in itself is a huge plus. The beautiful scalloped top is really something - I have all of my guitars hanging on a wall. This one always gets the attention from others. The bridge and tuners are very solid and it holds tune quite well. It's quite solid enough for the road. Ease of Use: Plays like a dream. I did have to adjust the action a bit (made it lower). It has a different feel than most other Ibanez electrics. This feels more like a les paul, but still very easy to play. If your used to the wizard and prestige necks as I was, this might take a bit of getting used to - but worth it. It is lighter than I had thought, but the sustain is still there. Quality: Build quality seems fantastic. Mine came without any flaws at all - intonation was perfect and was set up nicely right out of the box. The pickups as I described above are great - I don't think I'll change them out. Value: Ibanez shines here. I honestly don't think you can find a guitar with these features and awesome looks for this price or even several hundred more. Manufacturer Support: The best support is that which you never have to use.... The Wow Factor: Very sexy guitar - has a distinctive look that will get attention. All this with active electronics, set-in neck and great build quality made it irresistable for me. Overall: I see this guitar as one of my main instruments. I find myself picking this one up in place of my others quite a bit. If it were lost I'd definately buy anotther

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"Buy it. If mine were lost or stolen. If I lost mine, I'd be crying for days!!" submitted May 19, 2008

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Sound: This guitar has a very clean sound which is more clean than most normal Ibanez guitars Feature: You know the stuff from above/below Ease of Use: This guitar is quite easy to use-many different tone options are available and the pick-ups sounded great as soon as I bought them. Quality: Mine had a reptilian skin feel to it- and there were no scratches, but there was a miniscule wood chip at the back of the guitar. This guitar is quite sturdy otherwise. Value: N/A Manufacturer Support: Never dealt with Ibanez The Wow Factor: This guitar looks amazings like a les paul- and the pick-ups are awesome to! Nothing better than the black reptilian skin feel which feels very smooth and tempting. GOTTA LOVE IT! Overall: I have had another Ibanez guitar-(a GAX30), and this totally kicks that guitar's butt. It sounds wonderful and clear, but can get very distorted as well. The downside is that it doesn't have a whammy and it isn't as well known like a Gibson, but this guitar leads in its price range

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"Monster sound and killer looks. This is like a Godzilla guitar." submitted April 30, 2008

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Musical Background: Active Musician

Music Style: Pop Punk, Extreme Metal

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Sound: I bought this guitar for $800AU. This is by far the best sounding guitar I have played, I even tried it against a Gibson Explorer and felt the sound was superior. I have played it through a Marshall Stack, a Laney Stack, Kustom Combos and DI into my computer, and this coupled with my BOSS distortion is the loudest thing I have ever heard. I bought this guitar to take to the studio and I am glad I did. Feature: I wasn't real happy about the active pickups (despite the amazing sound) simply because I'm skeptical about adding in batteries where they aren't necessary. They will last months and months apparently but I still am not sure. Apart from this there is the Gibraltar bridge and quick change tail piece which are very nice (though I haven't restrung the guitar yet). Ease of Use: This thing is light! I am still surprised when I pull it out of the case. One thing though is that I have those silly plastic strap locks (the ones that just sit over the strap) and the top strap button has worked its way out. Not cool. Another thing I was unsure about is the lump behind the headstock. When sliding down to low E chords etc this can feel very unnatural. Quality: Great guitar. I haven't really owned anything like this before so I'm still in love with it. Definitely get a hard case though, because I have made the mistake of letting others play this and there is a chip on the neck. Everything seems strong and sturdy, even the pickup selector switch feels beefy which is unusual. I already have taken this to gigs with no backup but I wouldn't on tour because of the active pickups. Value: There are 4 things I look for in guitars. Looks, Sound, Feel and Quality. This guitar has very unique looks which always get great reactions. It sounds amazing and with the right distortion will come alive everytime. The feel of the guitar is so-so, nothing compared to the greats (custom shop strats and one particular firebird studio...) but still very solid. The quality on this appears great but only time will tell. I went out looking for a guitar to take to the studio and I was glad my friend pointed this out to me, though I'm sure I wouldn't have picked it up if it weren't for the finish. The Wow Factor: This thing is awesome. I think I've said whats great about it enough times already. Overall: This guitar is great, and though I was sure I wanted something else and didn't want a "metal guitar" I'm glad I bought it. It's not really a metal guitar, it is great for any style I throw at it from ska to extreme metal and funky jams. It has also stood the test of various live performances. The only things I don't like about it are the lump behind the headstock which is very awkward and the fact the pickups are active. It's a bummer to know that you need fresh batteries to maintain that amazing sound, but it's soooo worth it.

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"Great Value!" submitted April 4, 2011

Overall

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Sound: The pickups are very nice, certainly better than anything you are going to find within a couple hundred bucks of this. You can easily create a wide range of tones that hold up well even with pretty thick distortion. Absolutely no reason to swap out the pickups. Feature: The active pickups are nice and fans of the tuneomatic bridge will feel at home with the Gibralter III. Not sure why there arent two tone nobs, but otherwise it is all there. Ease of Use: Out of the box (after tuning of corse) you will have no problems getting the sounds you are looking for. Easy to play, the neck is comfortable and didnt take a lot of time getting used to. Quality: Excellent for the price. Nevermind the great looks, binds and everything look good and feel sturdy. Hardware is solid. I was impressed especially when you look at the competition at this price. I would definitely put this up against lower end Fenders and the "worn" Gibsons. Value: No option for an 11 or 12. You will not find an instrument with this quality, capabilities, etc. for the money. Guaranteed. Plug this in and an Epiphone LP. It is laughable the difference. The Wow Factor: This look is not for everyone, which makes me like it even more. It really is nice looking. If that gets you in the door the sound will close the deal. Overall: I have a short attention span with guitars admittedly. I may look for something else in the next year, but not to replace this. I plan on keeping this guitar for a very long time.

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"Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!!!" submitted December 18, 2008

By a customer from comcast.net

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The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Supurb so far

Music Style: All types

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Sound: The sound on this thing is wonderful. The pickups are perfect to me. I won't be changing anything about it at all. Sound beautiful not hooked up to anything with no amp as well. Any style of music you want to play it sounds wonderful. Feature: The features, finish and playability of this thing is awesome for this price. Ease of Use: Perfect, Perfect, Perfect. I own many guitars and this one is right up there with some of my most expensive axes. Quality: Not one flaw on this thing when received. I have never ordered a guitar on-line before and was hesitant to. Since it was a christmas present and I didn't have to pay for it myself, plus the store near me didn't have the brown caiman finish I ordered here. I couldn't have been happier with ZZounds and Ibanez. Not one flaw at all and I have thouroughly went through this guitar. Value: Well worth the price and more. Manufacturer Support: Ibanez has always been great to deal with in the past. The Wow Factor: I'm so happy to have one now and you know you want one to. Overall: I am going to have this thing for many years to come for sure. For gigging it's going to stand the test of time.

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"Buy it for looks" submitted April 6, 2009

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Sound: Its sounds great, just a little hollower when compared to emg 81's Feature: For what a guitar is supposed to have the "features" like knobs and strings are fine. Ease of Use: Ease of use on guitar depends on experience. But it has good useability. Quality: It's great to have some texture on a guitar it makes it different. Value: With the cost being $400, the pickups should be upgraded a little better. Manufacturer Support: Haven't needed it. Overall: Good guitar with the exception of the plain active pickups.

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"Great Guitar, But Construction.........." submitted November 13, 2008

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Sound: It sounds very clear- It's fantastic. It has clear sound that sounds beautiful. It's pretty good for blues and quite good for rock as well Feature: It has some Ibanez Lo-z humbuckers which are almost as good as EMGs!! It doesn't have a whammy, but it has 2 volume controls and one tone control. Ease of Use: It's feels great at touch- it is very easy to get into its style. I have one problem though- the strings are a little stiff and aren't as close to the neck, meaning it's not as easy (it's still easy though) to bend strings (well, compared to a STRAT). However, it's great for strumming and chords. Quality: Okay- here's the downfall of this AMAZING guitar. Mine had a fret break 7 months after I bought it. (Basically, the 14th fret sounded like the 15th fret). It cost $50 just to repair it. Otherwise, it's in pretty good condition. (It has very nice neck). Value: THIS PRODUCT IS SO CHEAP!!! It has great humbuckers, awesome feel, wondrous neck, and it's only $400!!!! Manufacturer Support: I'm not very sure. I sent mine to a local guitar store to be fixed. (It was quicker and easier.) The Wow Factor: I think it looks really neat with its leopard skin feel and les paul look. I personally think that strats just look cooler however. (and guitars with whammies too). Overall: Great product, fantastic price, great looks, and if unlucky, cheap construction. Oh well, the buy is still well worth it! (With the repairs, you still get a $150 value).

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"PRETTY AVERAGE" submitted June 9, 2008

By a customer from hotmail.com

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Sound

Features

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Value

Manufacturer Support

The Wow Factor

Musical Background: Semi-Active Musician

Music Style: Metal,Progressive Metal,Hard Rock

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Sound: The sound. Its okay. You have to fiddle and jimmy with the knobs a little but the sound is pretty good. Above average! Feature: Features aren't very many. the diamond inlay is nice, and the bridge is pretty cool too. Ease of Use: Ease of use is pretty average. It's more for beginers. But hey, If I had this guitar when I first started out, I would have gone berserk! Quality: Quality is okay. It's about as good as a foreign guitar can get... (0ther that the ESP EC-1000) Value: Value is pretty good. MSRP is way to high and the Zzounds price it about 50-40 bucks over what I'd pay. Manufacturer Support: I've had some dealings with the support but not for this guitar (I dont own it) and they're really great. The Wow Factor: It looks pretty fine. Girls will flock to you. And they wont want YOU on a date (if you know what I mean) Overall: Overall this guitar is alright. Great for beginners, nice looking, pretty well priced. But not for the higher skilled.

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