| Author |
Message |
Sabeking
Username: Sabeking
Registered: 06-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 3:33 pm: | |
I have an opportunity to buy an AF105 for $650 new at one of the big box retail stores. I liked the way it played and sound, but I am trying to figure out whether I should buy one of those or a vintage full size hollowbody.
I have not had a chance to play anything like a 2355, so I would be going completely on peoples suggestions.
I am soliciting opinions...
AF105 vs. anything in the 1K range or slightly more of vintage hollowbody
Thanks, Stacey |
Wildfield
Username: Wildfield
Registered: 05-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 4:27 pm: | |
I cannot suggest which guitar you should select, but I can surely give my opinion on the AF105. Having recently purchased an AF105FNT, I am somewhat familiar with this model.
Likes:
1. Excellent neck – great playability and feel; very nicely finished including the fretwork binding, inlay, etc. About the only thing I wish Ibanez would have done differently to the neck would have been to install larger gauge frets. Having said that, I still love the feel and playability of the AF105F.
2. Hardware – tuners are excellent; very smooth and they seem to hold tuning just fine. Tailpiece is decent looking and matches the overall aesthetics of the guitar. Volume and tone knobs are wooden (rosewood looking) – nice touch.
3. Pickup – I purchased this guitar mainly because I wanted a guitar with a floating pickup. The tone from the pick up is very nice although the high E seems noticeably (but slightly) less loud than the other strings. Nonetheless, overall tone from the p/u is fine. Too bad it does not have adjustable poles.
Dislikes:
1. Pickguard – wow, I wonder who came up with the size and shape? I replaced the pickguard with a Benedetto style (ebony) finger rest. I wish it were a tad larger but given the choice, I’d take the Benedetto every time.
2. Lightning bolt on the peg head – seems more appropriate for a budding rock star guitar than a jazz guitar. Granted there may be those who use the AF105 for music other than jazz. Anyway, it’s not as bad as the other Artcore bolts but not as stylish as the bolt on my AG195. I would have preferred blackness to the bolt.
3. Pickup – wish it had adjustable poles…I know, I already mentioned that.
4. Platimum Blonde finish – wish they would’ve tried to achieve a more classic blonde (natural) finish. Oh well…
5. Grey Alligator Skin case – the alligator skin covering felt very sticky/tacky to the touch and looked kind of cheap. Well, in my case it was no problem…not because I’m tacky or cheap. The case itself had been damaged in the retailer’s warehouse. I bought the guitar without the case at a substantial discount and used a TKL case I already had at home in its place.
At the end of the day, I like the guitar very much. Great playability, nice tone and decent fit and finish. It is a very practical guitar and has already gotten a lot of playing time. I have already replaced the pickguard to be more to my liking and I will probably order a new pickup sometime soon. The case sort of resolved itself and I have grown fond of the lightning bolt…I’m now thinking of purchasing some spandex gigging pants.
Good luck with your decision, and I for one will look forward to hearing about which guitar you decide to go with. |
Gemberbier
Username: Gemberbier
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 4:34 pm: | |
Stacey,
I think there's no reason to hurry. They will be producing new Artcore for many years to come.
If you want to try a few vintage jazz boxes first in order to know what sounds best and what feels best, then do so.
As long as the money is in your pocket, you are in the position to make a decision. If you spend it on a new Chinese guitar you won't get the same money back if you sell it in order to buy a vintage guitar after all. Perhaps you will 25 years from now. If you wait long enough they
might become vintage too...
The proof of the pudding... |
Sabeking
Username: Sabeking
Registered: 06-2006
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 9:28 pm: | |
Gem, If I buy a new artcore (AF105), I will keep it. I was just wondering if the older models were any better in the following areas:
Neck action
Overall feel and construction quality
Sound (I know this is subjective)
Also, I have heard, but not played an Epiphone Emperor Regent and I was wondering what everyone's opinion is on this guitar with the same comparison as above.
Thanks, Stacey |
Gemberbier
Username: Gemberbier
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 9:18 am: | |
Stacey,
I was going to write that the Emperor Regent would be more expensive guitar. But I saw they adjusted their prices because of the Artcore competition. They're $700.= now. And the Zephyr Regent (my ES-165 model) is only $500.=
http://www.nextag.com/emperor-regent/search-html
What I remember is that almost all Epiphone jazzguitars had the scarf neck joint. Not everyone wants that. It's environment friendlier, because you need less neck wood to make separate necks and headstocks and then glue them together. But both, the Emperor Regent and the Sheraton II have laminated maple necks without that scarf-joint headstock.
They are the two Korean made Epiphones with the best necks. (The Broadway and the ES-335 DOT have the scarf-joint headstock). The best way to see whether it has a scarf-joint headstock or not is to try a NATURAL, so that the headstock joint isn't hidden under black paint.
Is the scarf-joint that bad?
Both, d'Angelico and d'Aquisto used the scarf-joint to repair broken headstocks.
But their original necks didn't have this construction. So they didn't consider it first choice.
A good glue joint is often even stronger than the wood itself. But the neck is not homogeneous. The glue joint will handle vibrations differently than the wood. So there will be consequences for the sustain. These consequences are different for each material/ guitar.
The best way to find out whether you find these consequences acceptable for YOUR EARS is to try the guitar yourself.
The same goes for the neck feel. Let YOUR HANDS decide. If you take 100 opinions of people with different musical taste and different hands, they won't point in one direction. You can apply statistics on their answers, but for YOUR EARS and YOUR HANDS statistics could seem a big lie.
Visit a few shops to try the guitars. If you like the guitar and the shop, but you don't like the price, just confront them with the internet prices and offer them to pay the same price.
If they agree you have a lot of advantages:
You felt YOUR guitar;
you heard YOUR guitar;
you have a service address for it: YOUR shop in the neighbourhood!
Don't demand a lower price, but show them prints from the web and ask them to sell for the same price!
The Ibanez AF105NT is $730.= on the website above, so the $699.= you mentioned is a good price.
http://www.nextag.com/Artcore-AF105/search-html
My personal opinion is that the AF105 NT is a more versatile guitar, with TWO built-in humbuckers instead of ONE floating PU.
The Emperor Regent is more like a Gibson Johnny Smith / Ibanez 2461;
The AF105 NT is more like a Gibson ES-175 / Ibanez 2355m but then with a Venetian cutaway and with gorgeous flames (more whitish less amber) and a wider neck than the 2355m.
$30.= more for the extra humbucker seems reasonable, but since you have a better offer...
Trust you own EARS and HANDS only, in the same shop using the same amp.
I'm sure you'll make a wise decision!
Good luck,
Ginger Ale |
Garyelcrrt
Username: Garyelcrrt
Registered: 03-2006
| | Posted on Friday, August 04, 2006 - 11:22 am: | |
2 humbuckers may be more versatile than 1 floating pup, but THAT sound is exactly why I bought the AF105FNT in the first place. I've heard cleaner, richer, more complex floaters, but absolutely none in this price range. This jazzbox rules! (I have other guitars to give me other sounds.) |
Gemberbier
Username: Gemberbier
Registered: 05-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, August 05, 2006 - 11:10 pm: | |
But Stacey was negotiating about a pre-lawsuit 2355 with Jazzzbo in the first place. But Jazzzbo decided to keep it (which is wise).
After that Stacey had the opportunity to buy an Artcore AF84EDVS for $350.= with a floating PU which he did.
So what he needed was not a second floater but the other side of the spectrum to make it complete. That became the NT and not the FNT. He bought both worlds for about $1000.=
That's just perfect.
I have one floating PU jazz guitar too, but the others are different, instead of more of the same: 1 floater, 1 L-5 CES type, 1 ES-175 type, 1 ES-165 type, 2 ES-335 types, 1 small body AM, 2 ES-345 types and all Japanese or Korean (3 Ibanez, 4 Aria, 1 Suzuki and 1 Epiphone).
If Stacey hadn't bought the AF84EDVS he would probably have bought both AF105 types. But now it fitted exactly into a $1000.= budget. IMO he made some wonderful deals. |
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