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This is one great guitar. You can get most any tones out of it. I was going to get an ES 335 until I played this one. It is more comfortable and feels more solid. Color, fit and finish are beautiful. Neck is amazingly comfortable. For the money you can't go wrong with this instrument. I've been playing for over 40 years and have many high end guitars and this is right up there with the best of them.

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I had the chance to test a friends Gibson 335 and my Ibanez 153 back to back through my Super-Sonic amp and here is what I found. The neck of then 153 is thinner and the fret board wider. For me the 153 neck felt better and the ebony is much nicer that the rosewood on the 335. The action on the 153 was smoother. The flame body of the 153 is nicer to look at. The build quality for both guitars was spot on. As for the sound, I found the 153 to be warmer, more of am jazz sound. I'm not a fan of gold hardware on a guitar and the gold on my 153 has not worn well. So give the 153 a look if you are in the market for a great semi hollow.

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Got this as scratch and dent or factory repackage. Looked like new to me. First the fit and finish is very nice. Beautiful to look at. I also love that the pick guard flamed sunburst too..I've never seen that on another guitar. The headstock is like a nice cherry finished mahogany and is very beautiful. Gold hardware looks great with the colors. I had to add some nut sauce when I changed the strings, as it was constantly going out of tune, but that was an easy fix. I will say I'm not a nitpicker with frets and fret edges. I've seen many reviews that say they needed to file and sand etc..guess I'm less fastidious about that. As long as it doesn't look or feel to the touch like something is wrong, I usually don't seem to notice what some consider necessary out of the box. It has a nice thick wide neck. I kinda hate the strap button on the back of the neck and would rather have it on the top of the cutaway, but I guess aesthetics won out here, and not a big deal really.I like the super 58s, I can usually get a nice growl from them even on my solid state fender champion 50xl. I'm without a tube amp atm, but im looking forward to getting some time to play this on a nice saturated tube amp.The tri-sound switch is sometimes useful. Though I admit I haven't messed with it that much. The case that came with mine is a serious MS100C which is more like a ABS plastic airline case. This was a surprise, as I thought it'd be a basic hardshell. Overall this is a beautiful guitar. I believe mine is made in Indonesia. I believe the only AS made in Japan, is the AS200.

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This Guitar plays like a dream and the sustain is amazing! You can actually feel the quality in the neck when playing. It feels solid and smooth. The action was perfect right out of the box. I got the Jewel Blue burst and man oh man, she is purty! You wont be disappointed if you purchase this guitar. Its amazing!

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Just received this guitar today. Im blown away by the tone. Rich full sound with crisp sizzling highs that bite. Great dynamics... Hard to put into words but the character and range of tones this thing can produce are a delight to the senses. Almost like its alive. Im playing clean through a Blackstar HT CLUB 40 and a BOSS GT-10. Im really not that great of a player but ive finally found the tone ive been wanting after many years of searching on a budget. This guitar sounds as pro as anything ive ever heard. Definitely inspiring. Get one. This is one guitar you will be proud to own.

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I wanted a Gibson 335. I went to several stores trying different 335 models and came across this guitar. I liked this guitar better than most of the 335s I played. The 335 I did like better than this guitar cost around 3 grand. I bought this guitar and haven't looked back. The only complaints I can think of would be it only comes with gold hardware and there are only 1 or 2 colors to choose from. Otherwise, this guitar sounds amazing.

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Upon opening the case I amazed a the beauty of this instrument. The flame isn't perfectly bookmatched but stunning as it is. I've owned all ranges of Ibanez guitars, except J Custom, and the fit and finish is more like a JP Prestige than a regular or Premium... it's literally perfect. I'm very particular about my guitars and I went over everything, all the frets, binding etc... were perfect. There was a smudge on the bridge and one of the tuners but a polishing cloth and it was all cleaned up - hey that tells me someone actually touched it during inspection.In regards to sound it's very mellow clean, the tone knobs are very sensitive. As I haven't opened it up I don't know what pots they are using but it definitely doesn't seem like the small cheap ones. The pickups are much better than expected. They aren't as dark as a Classic 57 but not at bright as a Burstbucker... with a clean tone bass notes are full and ring out rather than being muddy. In regards to being a PAF clone these hit the nail on the head IMHO.Jazz type clean tones are simply amazing... this is why I purchased the guitar and I couldn't be happier. What I wasn't expecting was how good it would sound for classic rock, it's definitely more than a Jazz box.The setup, mine was inspected in Sept, was perfect. All I've done at this point is tune it up. In my opinion the neck is similar to a 58 Les Paul, it's not a thin "wizard" type neck. The radius is about 12" so it's similar to a LP / 335, however the action is about as low as most Prestige RGs with no buzz at all. This actually feels a little odd almost. In my experience I've seen few LPs / 335s that can get the action this low. I have my LPs setup to Gibson spec and it's not a major difference but it's definitely not this low, kudos to Ibanez on the tolerance levels, color me impressed. Please note that I mean odd as different rather than bad, play ability is fantastic, just a little different than what I expected.Inlay in the headstock, the binding, the inlays etc... a very impressive. This looks and feels like a much more expensive instrument.Finally the tri-sound. I purchased this rather than other models specifically for that switch. I'm often playing a lot of clean rhythms lately, very Jazzy, but need to switch to a fuller lead tone quickly. I have achieved that with the parallel option on my RG 652 AHM (with the volume rolled off a little), going from position 4 to 5. The tri-sound switch is exactly what I wanted, I don't have to change any setting, one click and I have a little extra body for clean leads then can switch back to rhythm when needed.I believe Ibanez uses multiple factories for this model. I have heard some made in China but mine is from Indonesia. From all the other reviews I have read I don't think it matters but I did want to note it in the review.

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I read reviews and watched what videos that are out there before my purchase, and I have to say this guitar has exceeded my expectations! I have been playing it for a week now and am starting to figure out just how veratile this guitar is. The Tri-Tone switch is really cool. It works great for getting different lead tones. Fit and finish right out of the box were spot on! I put 11-49 gauge strings on it with no buzzing or dead spots. Action is low and fast, the neck profile is great, not too beefy, not to thin, comfortable! Very pleased with my purchase!!

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I purchased the AS153 Artstar in Antique Yellow. Out of the box the strings were low and the action fast. It's like your fingers are gliding along, and stands up to both the American Deluxe Strat and Gibson Les Paul i own. The D neck is wide. I have smaller hands and the depth of the neck still allows me to wrap my thumb over and be comfortable.I found that jazz sound I was looking for without anything more than a practice amp and the guitar. The tone and volume knobs have am interesting textured rubber ring to aid in your grip when you are making adjustments during playing.This is a beautiful guitar. I bought the last blemished they had, and searched for the flaw, finally finding on the coil tap switch, a very small metal spur on the nut that holds it in place.I searched for a jazz type guitar for months and played about every brand you can imagine. This is a very fine instrument that looks and sounds fantastic. I am still shaking my head at the thought an Ibanez rivals the more expensive guitars on the market.

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If you want a semi-hollow in the vein of an ES-335 but cannot afford,or just justify, the cost of a Gibson, this is your guitar. Fit, finish, and craftsmanship are first class and the Super 58 pickups are a good as Gibson 57 Classics.As always, zZounds is a number 1 retailer.

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This is a great guitar. It has a good feel on the neck, elegant looks and the sound is great. I love the different tones i can get form the tritone switch with the dual volume and tone controls i had a vintage modified jaguar that i ordered from another company but i took it to a luthier and he showed me the problems with it. I used the money i got back from it and used it to make my first payment with this guitar. I believe i made the right choice! Don't pass this guitar up get on and you will be glad you did!

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I did a lot of research before this purchase, and I have to say this guitar has exceeded my expectations! I bought a blem and the only thing I found was on the back of the guitar. There is a very small hairline finish crack, you can barely see it, other than that, the guitar is perfect. Fret work is awesome. I put 11-49 strings on it and didn't have to adjust anything. Neck is great, nice medium profile, action is low and fast with no dead spots. The tri-tone switch is very cool, making the guitar even more versatile. The pickups are great too, they have a nice clarity, but when crank the amp, they have a nice growl to them. Awesome for blues/rock! Nice case too. Buy one you won't be disappointed!

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When the guitar arrived yesterday, it was packaged well and when I first opened the case, my first thought was beautiful! The finish and attention to detail is outstanding (the pics online don't even come close to showing its actual beauty).I was amazed that right out of the box, this guitar was perfectly set-up. The only thing I had to do was tune it, and after a day of playing it, it's still in tune. I don't know what brand tuners are used, but they are smooth and sensitive as are all of the controls. The super 58 pickups sound fantastic, maybe a little nicer than the 490r and 498t pickups that are in my Gibson Les Paul and more versatile thanks to the tri-sound neck pickup.I've been trying to find something not like about this guitar, but I have yet to find anything. I highly recommend this guitar!

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This guitar is absolutely the best guitar ive ever played. Although im not a pro ive been playing for half a century. Ive never owned any high dollar guitars but ive played several and this has the best sound and ease of playing of any ive had my hands on. I was skeptical at first but it has absolutely no flaws. Action was perfect out of the box. Pickups are capable of beautiful clean to rockabilly to blues to screaming solos. This will probably be the last guitar i ever own. Now to get the perfect amp.