Any help here? It’s been my experience that Gibson, Gretsch, Guild, etc jack up their prices because of brand recognition and you essentially pay for the label. I already have a rather ragged out Ibanez AS-50 (essentially a Gibson ES 335 - same bracing and everything) from some time in the mid 70’s. I’ve heard that the new Ibanez Artcore series has a lot to offer, and I note that on Zzounds, the prices seem very reasonable.
Anyone know of any others? Are the Artcore guitars decent?
I’ve been in the same market myself. The artcore seem like decent guitars at reasonable prices but i found the neck a bit wide for my taste. decent sound, although not very ‘jazz hollow body’ sounding.
my favorite so far is an epiphone sheraton II, a tabacco sunburst. very authentic sound, comfortable neck, very round yet slim, and neck binding makes for a more comfortable feel across the frets.
tried this one a nightmare to keep in tune due to the trem. decent sounding though.
the joe pass has a great sound but the wooden bridge turned me off. a bit sketchy with intonation.
I’ll probably pick up the shereton II next time i see a big sale at sam ash.
I’d take a good hard look at Epiphone models. Depending on what style guitar you’re looking for there are some decent models at a reasonable price. If you’re into jazz or are looking at an archtop, I would strongly recommend the Joe Pass Emporer II model. They’re quite stunning for the price, and stand up well to their higher priced cousins.
If you’re looking for something more along the lines of the 335, check out the Dot Deluxe model. I’ve played a few and they’re about as good as you’ll get in the lower price range.
No matter what you go with, make sure the first thing you do is take it to a competent luthier and have a complete set up done to it. Have them pay particularly close attention to the bridge set up and truss rod adjustments.
Thanks, guys. I thought about Epiphone, but hadn’t researched any of the models yet. Thanks for the tips and the links!