(see rating details)

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

I was attracted to this guitar by the reduced size for what was described as a jazz dedicated issue from Ibanez. I own two other Ibanez guitars (George Benson GB30 and Pat Methany PM2) and have been impressed with the quality of the build and ease of playability of these Chinese built guitars. The AM153 is a beautiful guitar to look at. I couldn't locate a build flaw upon arrival. It was heavier than I anticipated but I reminded myself that this is a "semi-hollow body" as opposed to a full hollow body guitar. And although it had the same pickups as my Benson model, the tone was considerably brighter than a full hollow body jazz box. (note: I still need to switch out the included strings with some chrome flat wounds in an effort to obtain a fatter, warmer tone.) I'd also say that Ibanez might do a better job at concealing the wire works inside the guitar as viewed through the F-holes....they might be described as "in your face". The "star" of the guitar would be the neck. It is fast and smooth and lends itself to playing jazz genre chords up and down the neck with a nice clean, melodic sound. The exaggerated cut-aways, (as compared to a deeper classic jazz box cutaway) allow for easy access to the high registers, enabling more efficient finger placements with the resultant smoother tones. While I would have liked it a bit lighter (feels like 7.5 pounds) and a bit fatter in its native tone, the AM 153's shear beauty and build quality will force me to keep it for a spell. I'd also mention that ZZsounds had this ax in my hands in less than 24 hours. Imagine my clicking on the FedeX track button the day after ordering and getting the message...."package left on front porch" and peeking out the door only to find it there first thing in the morning. Astounding efficiency!

Musical Background:

Musical Style:

(see rating details)

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

Appearance; looks fantastic! Crafmanship; exceptional down to every detail. Quality was better than my custom Gibson Les PaulSet up; truss rod set up was perfect. Action was set @ 5/64 low side and 4/64 on the treble side 17th fret. Intonation only needed minor adjustment.Sound; impressive! Ran it through a Marshall, Boogie and Fender Twin from clean to distorted and was very pleased.Pros: great guitar for the price and a real looker. A joy to play!Cons: the gold finish on the bridge and tail piece rubbed off within six hours of play.

Musical Background:

Musical Style:

(see rating details)

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

Was thinking of getting a semi-hollow Epiphone but did not want the larger sized guitar. Really don't like the lack of flexibility (and/or need for effects) with solid body electric guitars. So I was very happy when I saw this listed. When I received it, I was very happy with both the design, aesthetics, and flawless quality. I am mainly an acoustic player, and so really wanted one electric that met my needs. This plays wonderfully with or without effects from my foot pedals and amp! Plan to keep this baby A LONG TIME! It is a unique electric.

Musical Background:

Musical Style:

(see rating details)

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

I bought this guitar for jazz, I needed something to keep flatwounds on. When it arrived, the magic just wasn't there. There was some buzzing, so I took some tension off the neck and it helped... but not all the way. I gave it to a local luthier, and he diagnosed it as a fret level issue. After I got it back, it plays really well. As tone goes, don't expect a full hollowbody sound out of this guitar. It gives a very full, woody sound that is good for jazz and great for B.B. style blues... but the depth isn't there, probably due to it only being a semi-hollow guitar. This does, however, make it fairly versatile. I purchased the blemished option for this guitar. I don't fault zZounds for there being an issue that had to go through a luthier to fix, due to my purchasing a blemished guitar. If I had purchased a new guitar that had also not been looked over by the folks over there, I would have been quite unhappy. The result is a great guitar that was purchased for $350 less than the normal price, with $120 worth of setup and luthier work, still placing me $230 less than the advertised price. It also looks absolutely enchanting. The negative to my experience is that I have been convinced of the 'always play before you pay' school of thought. Work can always be done on guitars to get them ready to roll, but if I had played this guitar before ordering it I wouldn't have purchased it.

Musical Background:

Musical Style: