Buying a hollow guitar, opinions, ple...

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Author Message Hollowfan Username: Hollowfan Registered: 09-2005 Posted on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 2:26 am:    I am going to buy an IBZ semi/full hollow guitar. Now I focus on these two: af 195 & jsm 100. But I still have some questions about them. 1. where are they made in? I know JSM 100 must be made in Fujigen, Japan, but how about AF 195? a China-Japan-US united? 2. what kind of wood are they made from? laminated or solid? 3. are the super 58S on these two the same? AF 195 is not well-known as his other famous bothers, such as AF 200, AS 200, GB, etc and yet much cheaper. I am wondering if my choice is right. thx for help! Artfield Username: Artfield Registered: 04-2001 Posted on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 8:17 am:    my advice to you is to look for a model between the "80"-"90"....great quality instruments, very good investment, wonderful sound...personally i would avoid the Chinese models... a friend of me just got a FA300(1980)for € 1000 so its possible. Wildfield Username: Wildfield Registered: 05-2005 Posted on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 10:02 am:    I have the AG195 which is manufactured in the same factories and manner as the AF195. The body (lam maple top, side & back w/parallel bracing) is constructioned in China (same factory as Artcores) then sent to Japan. Japanese factory manufactures the neck (3pc mahogany/maple/mahogany lam) and attaches to body. Finish and setup is completed in Japan. Personally, I like my AG195 better than I liked my GB200. Plusses (in my opinion): 1. excellent finish 2. construction seems very good to excellent 3. super 58 pickups sound excellent 4. neck is very comfortable 5. nice details - wood p/u frames, decent tuners, lam wood pick guard, decent flame in the top 6. excellent price (close out at most stores) I see that Guitar Trader in San Diego still has both the AF195 and AG195 in stock - check out their website. The AF is priced slightly lower that the AG. I like my AG195 so much, I'm tempted to order the AF while it is still available. Funkle Username: Funkle Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Friday, September 23, 2005 - 11:25 am:    Hollowfan, Please do a keyword search on "artcore united". You will find more info on the AF195, including how and where it is built. I'd say the 2 guitars you are looking at are very good representations of 2 different classic guitar styles: the 16 inch hollowbody, and the ES335 style semi-hollow. They are both fine pro-level guitars, however, the JSM is at the high end of the price spectrum, while the AF195 is much lower. Which makes me wonder why you have ruled out some of the other similar options like the AS200, AS193, AF200, GB200. I'd say they are all good choices. Short of actually playing these guitars, you could narrow things down by better determining your price range, and you need to determine which type of guitar you want. The JSM is a versitile guitar that will cover many genres from rock to bright jazz tones, while the AF195 is a much more specialized instrument. For what it's worth, I did spend quite a bit of time playing an AF195, and I was impressed with the quality, but just like Wildfield, I ended up walking out the door with the AG195. I also feel a love affair developing with my "new" 1980 AS200, on which the JSM was based. -Sven Hollowfan Username: Hollowfan Registered: 09-2005 Posted on Saturday, September 24, 2005 - 2:55 am:    thnx for info. i am a big guitar fan in china. i used to be a strat lover until i bought an ibz ar 300 4 months ago......... i plan to get a full hollow, 2 semi hollows,and the 195 is my first aim. JSM maybe later. it is pretty hard for me to get a beloved guitar as i am in china. i didnt action any guitars on ebay, because most of nice giutars would be "shipped within US & Canada". i asked the local ibz dealer who said wouldnot get the 195. i dont know if guitar trader would ship guitars overseas to china. Or i would ask my sisiter in NY to buy it for me, then ship it to me. what a trouble.......... Funkle Username: Funkle Registered: 12-2001 Posted on Saturday, September 24, 2005 - 12:02 pm:    Hollowfan, there are lots of great guitars available in Japan and Europe. I'm not sure how difficult or expensive it is to ship to China, but places like http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/ will ship anywhere. They seem to have everything in stock, including lots of models we never see in the US. I imagine if you're willing to pay some shipping fees, you can find just about anything you want. -Sven Hollowfan Username: Hollowfan Registered: 09-2005 Posted on Sunday, September 25, 2005 - 9:36 am:    Thanks for your info and suggestion, Sven. The basic shipping fees for a guitar from US to China is around US$200 by ups. Plus some extra cost, total 300 is enogh. I guess it is a little bit high for me. I'd like to ask my sister to bring it back for me to save some money. Eric Jeffsailor Username: Jeffsailor Registered: 01-2004 Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 1:48 pm:    I found an 80 AS50 advertised locally for sale. I plan on getting a look at her over the next week or so but was hoping some of you more experienced with semis can give me opinions on the guitar and/or a price range that I should be looking at. I may just buy it anyway(because I'm an idiot and that's what I do) so if someone else is interested, let me know. Maybe we can work out a trade... js Michaelkaufman Username: Michaelkaufman Registered: 11-2002 Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 4:32 pm:    JS: I'm looking for an AS-50. Let me know how it looks. mk Acetan Username: Acetan Registered: 09-2003 Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 5:01 pm:    The early 80's AS-50's are great guitars. They are a full pound and a half lighter than the AS200 and AS100. Partly because they are slightly smaller but more important, they have thinner front and back which I think make them more resonant and have a livelier tone than the full sized ones. I currently own ten Ibanezs with f-holes and my 1981 AS-50 is my favorite. Michaelkaufman Username: Michaelkaufman Registered: 11-2002 Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 10:06 pm:    Ace: How much larger is the AS-50 over the AM-50? I love the size of my AM-50. mk Jeffsailor Username: Jeffsailor Registered: 01-2004 Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 10:59 pm:    Ace thanks for the info. I really appreciate your opinion. Michael, I have an AM50 that I absolutely love. That guitar is a real solid body lover's semi-hollow (if that makes any sense). But then again, I love super 58s, and they sound fantastic in the guitar. I'm just not sure how (or if)I will warm up to the larger body on the AS. I will arrange an appointment to see the guitar and will let you know what I find out. js Acetan Username: Acetan Registered: 09-2003 Posted on Thursday, March 16, 2006 - 11:16 pm:    The AS50 is standing next to the AM255 which is the same size as the AM50. Ace Gramatica Username: Gramatica Registered: 07-2005 Posted on Friday, March 17, 2006 - 9:22 am:    Say... Acetan... you need an AM100! Peter Joevocht Username: Joevocht Registered: 08-2005 Posted on Friday, March 17, 2006 - 3:10 pm:    Hollowfan, grab that AS120 quickly because its the guitar you will love forever...its the one in red on your right

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