Ibanez Artcore AM53 Review (2023)

Build Quality:
Hardware:
Electronics:
Sound:
Value:
Average:

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Pros:

• Incredibly Affordable
• Rustic Look

Cons:

• Cheap Nut
• Tuning Stability Issues
• Stock Pickups

There are not that many affordable hollow body guitars out there, especially ones that could make it onto a list of the best hollow body guitars. The reason is simple: hollow body guitars are notoriously hard to make right. Especially when your budget for making a hollow body guitar is low. Fortunately the best manufacturers on the market know what they are doing, most of the time, and make good affordable hollow body guitars. Let us look at the Ibanez AM53 Artcore Semi-Hollow guitar and see whether it is right for you.

Body Quality

The guitar manufacturer went for something simple and rustic in this case. The result is a guitar that looks rather handsome The double cutaway shape of the guitar provides a classic hollow body feeling to the instrument. The guitar is the same size as many other hollow bodies like it, making for a comfortable playing experience for any musician. The single, full body coloring of the guitar is rather classy looking. The red coloring especially gives the guitar a rustic look and is probably my favorite.

The body of the guitar is made out of sapele. This tonewood is not seen too often on the hollow body guitar market, though it has been gaining more and more popularity in recent times. Sapele has a lot of lovely qualities, most of them very similar to mahogany. The body, including back and sides, is very sturdy and dark thanks to the tonewood. The Sapele resonates well with the low tones, producing a beautiful, enjoyable warming effect on the instrument. The tonewood has a less pronounced midtone than mahogany does.

The neck of the guitar is made out of mahogany, which is definitely a decent choice for an instrument. Mahogany is known to be very sturdy, which is great for a guitar neck. It is resistant to warping and most types of damage. The neck is set into the body of the guitar, which results in great stability and alignment for the guitar. The fretboard of the guitar is made out of Rosewood, which is smooth and always nice to have on your instrument.

Hardware

The guitar comes with an adjustable bridge system. This allows the guitar to have a customizable level of action and some decent string stability.

The nut of the guitar is made out of cheap plastic material, which results in the instrument having a little bit of string noise. Not perfect.

The tuning machine of the guitar is designed to look well, but not work too well. The tuning stability, as a result, leaves more to be desired.

Electronics

The guitar comes with a dual pickup configuration, with one located at the neck and the other at the bridge. The two humbuckers are decent stock pickups which will do well for any beginner guitar player. They have decent output and nice sound cleaning capabilities. The sound they pick up is nuanced and enjoyable.

The controls on the guitar are rather basic, with the player getting a master volume knob and a master tone knob. The player also gets a three way switch for pickup configuration.

Ibanez AM53 Sound

The guitar sound rather decent, especially for the price it is offered at. The sound is diverse, with the low tones being very well represented. The tone is warm and enjoyable, and the high and midtones are expressive and nuanced enough for a lot of enjoyment. While the sound might not be the best on the market, it is definitely one of the best in the price range

Conclusion

This is a decent guitar which provides adequate quality for the price it is sold at. Highly recommended for a musician just being introduced to the world of hollow body guitars.

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