Ibanez AS53-TF

I bought this guitar to use purely for jazz, not wanting to invest a huge amount of money. I had an early Ibanez top of the range Artcore some years back and regret selling it as it was a superb guitar so I had no worries in buying Ibanez again. This guitar is the cheapest in the Artcore range. Its a semi-solid 335 style. All I can say is its a dream to play, very well made and looks great. No, its not a Gibson (I do have a 20 year old 335 also). The pickups are not top of the range but you can dial in plenty of tones with the right amp (I use an old Fender Blues Junior). Acoustically its vibrant and warm. You would not have been able to get a guitar this good in this price range 10 years ago. Congratulations to Ibanez. If this is the bottom of the range I'd be very interested to try some of the more expensive models. Mine is made in Indonesia but some could be made in China. Not an issue due to Ibanez quality control. Have to say, fab service from Thomann too.

For sub-300 euro, I doubt you'd be able to find a nicer guitar. First off, being semi-solid, it's light, which means you can have it on your knee or slung over your back for extended periods of time - it's very comfortable. The neck is really nice (has a great feel), and the factory set-up is very good (I've no plans to change it). Electronics are nice, quality if fine, and the sound through my equipment is very good. It really is a nice looking guitar - the wood grain especially. My guitar arrived from Thomann is perfect condition - not a mark on it, all I had to do was tune it and go. This very much feels and plays like a guitar which should cost much more than it does. Again, being semi-solid, it doesn't always have to be plugged in to play - it actually sounds quite nice with no amplification. If you are in the market for this type/style of guitar, this entry-level Ibanez is well worth considering - the quality if top-knotch. I love it!

I bought this guitar as my first hollow body. I immediately connected with the instrument and realised that for the price it's a really good instrument. The guitar has a slim neck and a nice wide nut, so it's easy to play and very comfortable to hold as it's fairly light and portable. I think that in this sense Ibanez guitars are offering a lot of value even in price ranges under 300 euros. I would advise to buy this instrument to both beginners looking for an affordable instrument as well as professionals, looking for a spare. The fact that it's semi hollow also carries additional benefits, you can play it without an amp and still have sufficient volume to practice.
The one issue I have with it is that you only have two knobs (one for each pickup) without the knobs for tone. This limits in my opinion the sounds you can get out of the instrument, but of course this can be adjusted down the signal path. In all honesty I think it's possible to have great guitars nowadays for 500 euros or less and this is certainly a great example of this. I recommend it very warmly!