Cheap Ibanez Hollow Body -- kinda good

Aeon · Post by **Aeon** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:09 am

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My next big instrument purchase, which probably won't be for a couple years, is probably going to be a hollow body with P90s. I love Casinos and ES330s and hope to get one of them someday.

I stumbled upon something in the meantime to keep me occupied. It's an Ibanez AK85, sort of a copy of the Gibson ES175. It has a mahogany/maple neck, laminated spruce top, and laminated flame maple back and sides. Rosewood fretboard and tailpiece. It was used and sold for $200. I traded in a couple pieces of obsolete gear to cover most of the cost.

The pickups are typical import garbage, but I was thinking of putting in some humbucker-sized P90s, maybe GFS. Just kind of worried about installing them since it's going to be a bit more complicated than something with a pickguard or backplate. (Anybody have some spare P90s laying about?)

I have it set up with 11 gauge flat wounds. It plays pretty nicely and sounds alright. However, I am not a big fan of humbuckers and find them to be generally pretty muddy and lacking definition since I am more used to single coils, specifically Jazzmaster and Telecaster pickups which are very bright in comparison. It does the stereotypical jazz and rockabilly tones quite well.

It's fun to play but will eventually probably get sold when I am ready to fund a higher quality model. (Or maybe I can find some guy on craigslist to trade a MIM Strat or Tele so I could have a backup beater Fender.)

superfuzz · Post by **superfuzz** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:57 am

I've always thought the Art core series stuff was pretty good, though I agree with you on single coils. They're just so defined, and crisp.

Looks nice!

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 7:56 pm

I've got an artcore that i luv. I put a GFS Mean 90 in it a while back.

It's not really all that bad.

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 8:16 pm

that guitar looks hot.
and artcores are good

Ty · Post by Ty » Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:53 pm

Love my artcore as well. I think I might go put some new strings on it and play it.

izodiak · Post by **izodiak** » Sat Jul 04, 2009 10:20 pm

I played one in my local (one of two) guitar shops and it was quite good(the sound part).. but something in the design didnt seem just for me.. jaa.

Aeon · Post by **Aeon** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 12:48 am

Sloan wrote:I've got an artcore that i luv. I put a GFS Mean 90 in it a while back.
It's not really all that bad.

Was it hard to install? How would you rate those pickups? Was it a significant improvement?

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 4:55 pm

Aeon wrote:
Sloan wrote:I've got an artcore that i luv. I put a GFS Mean 90 in it a while back.
It's not really all that bad.
Was it hard to install? How would you rate those pickups? Was it a significant improvement?

I put a mean 90 in the bridge position. I thought the stock humbucker was a little too muddy. the mean 90 helped out.

It wasn't really too bad to install, you can use some string on the pots to pull them back through when your done, i actually used a guitar string to fish the post back through. I think it probably took me about 2hrs?

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 5:05 pm

I've recently got an Artcore that I love. I've always like the look of them, and this one plays brilliantly.

It has a GFS Mean 90 in the bridge from when I got it, so I don't know what the stock bridge humbucker is like, but the stock neck humbucker is very bassy and boomy. I think I'll change it soon for a Mean 90 too, then eventually, when I have money, I'll stick P-rails in it.

Reece · Post by **Reece** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 6:06 pm

stock humbucker sounded as generically humbucker-y as possible.
i put it in my jazzblaster for a bit and it just sounded kinda, uhh, hard to explain. just a bit dead really.

do show pictures if you put a mean 90 in it paul, i always meant to and i'd like to see what it looks like with both in.

artcores are well built but the pickups are meh. the guitar was definately quality though, just add another 50 or so quid for some GFS pups and you're sorted.

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 6:19 pm

Reece wrote:artcores are well built but the pickups are meh. the guitar was definately quality though, just add another 50 or so quid for some GFS pups and you're sorted.

+1

Noirie. · Post by **Noirie.** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 6:21 pm

I do wonder what the Prails in single coil mode would be liek in the artcore. Hmmm i wonder.

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 6:23 pm

Me too, which is why I want to do it.

That, and awesome humbuckers and P-90 tones.

mellowlogic · Post by **mellowlogic** » Sun Jul 05, 2009 6:30 pm

nice looking guitar. Those things seem like a nightmare to work on though