ShortScale.org

A local guy wants to trade me his 84 Ibanez RS 430 (Roadstar II) upgraded to a 440 (HSS config)for my Ibanez Artcore AGS 83b.

His :

Mine:

Opinions?
I was trying sell my artcore local and got this trade offer. I can't find any info on the 84 RS 430, so I don't know if I should jump or not. He stripped the body to natural and stained it and left the headstock white. I'll refin, if I get it. I know it is in good working condition, because the seller happens to be the best tech in my region. All the locals here go to him as well as the local guitar shop. Only thing I don't like is that he changed the bridge pup to an EMG passive humbucker, I didn't even know they ever made passive pups.

At a guess I'd say there isn't much in it in resale value terms and the decision comes down to what sort of guitar you'd rather have. A quick search online shows the RS coming up at US$250-300 or somewhere around there and I'm sure you can check ebay where you are to see what the artcore is worth.

Don't hate on the passive EMG before you try it, you never know it could be a great pickup for that guitar.

James wrote:At a guess I'd say there isn't much in it in resale value terms and the decision comes down to what sort of guitar you'd rather have. A quick search online shows the RS coming up at US$250-300 or somewhere around there and I'm sure you can check ebay where you are to see what the artcore is worth.

Don't hate on the passive EMG before you try it, you never know it could be a great pickup for that guitar.

As I said, I was selling the Artcore in the first place. Never really bonded with it. I do love the look of the old RS series and have been looking for a good metal ax.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'm going to go see it and play it. I guess I'll know then. I won't care about resale if it plays and sounds good.

the reason I mentioned the EMG is because I can't stand their active pups, so I'm wondering if there's a possibility that their passives are good.

I gigged a Roadstar for years in the 90's, they were quality guitars. Mine was a HH coil tap model though.
The Artcore may go for more on ebay considering the Roadstar has been refin'd and upgraded, and decent archtop semi's always hold a good price. Having said that i dare say as a player the Roadstar will wipe the floor with it.
EMG passives are actually quite nice, they get no love because their more popular actives are associated with teH rawk/Zakk Wylde etc so they are instantly dismissed.

My advice would be to play the Roadstar first, if its good you wont get much better in the $250 region. Maybe a second hand MIJ Jackson at a push.

I would personally do it if it takes your fancy, they're nice guitars !!

the passive EMGz are not bad... but they are very dark sounding in my experience..not my taste

had a roadster at some point in the early 90's good guitars and passive emg's have a quite nice compressed clean sound, but like Fran said they get a bad press cause people think they're for teh metalz

do an thurstonz:

Going to check it out this weekend. It's so hard to sell guitars around here. I've been trying to sell the artcore for 6 months. It's set up perfectly and is in near mint condition, but I just don't get on with it. Nobody wants semi-hollows around here. They think they're jazz only instruments. They obviously haven't heard much Jesus Lizard or Ted Nugent.

I quite like that model. If you was in the UK i may have been interested, but shipping and import fees comedy tax puts me off ever buying from overseas again.

I talked to the local shop dude today and he said he'd take it in a trade for something. I may take him up on that and get a LPB MIM P-Bass so I can put a mirror guard on it and pretend I'm Steve Harris.