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Guitar of the Day GadgetAF85 Artcore Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar
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| Price: $419.95 at ZZounds | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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User Reviews
Review by GP
Overall
The AF85 VLS first appeared in Ibanez catalogs & NAMM in 2004 (some models were already being manufactured in 2003.) Only made for 2 ½ years. Body is flamed Sycamore (not the same species as maple.) Originally comes with chrome hardware. Color is “violin” (light brown.) Same body shape as the AF75D. Lower bout measures 15 3/4" across. Has abalone inlays surrounded by pearloid. The neck is 3 pieces… mahogany with maple sandwiched in between.
I’ve done numerous upgrades and modifications. The neck pickup has alnico magnets in one of the coils and I replaced the black rings with cream ones. Specially made ebony bridge with compensated bone saddle. Tailpiece and tuners have been replaced with gold parts. Pickguard has been cut down ¾ inch to make it appear slimmer and the bracket is now hidden underneath. The knobs have been replaced with darker, skirted ones. Bone nut installed.
Sound
Unplugged it sounds great... much better than many other jazz boxes. Plugged in it sounds very good too. I like to have a clean sound most of the time, but it's also very good for distortion rock. I use medium strings for the middle four strings and light guage on both “E” strings.
Look
Looks even better with gold harware.
Reliability
Very reliable. I use it without a back-up.
Value
Surprisingly low cost for such a great guitar!
Other Comments
Here's some info on Ibanez AF models:
All models below are “Deluxe” (DX), meaning they have 3-piece neck of mahagony-maple-mahagony and abalone inlays. Differences are in fret size, tailpieces and type of wood.
AF85 VLS in catalogs & NAMM in 2004 (some 2003 models already manufactured.) Only made for 2 years. Body is flamed Sycamore (not the same species as maple.) Chrome hardware. Color is “violin” (light brown.) Same body shape as the mass-produced AF75D.
AF86 VLS in catalogs & NAMM show in 2006. Similar to the AF85, but has a better tailpiece (VT-100DX) and larger frets. Also has flamed maple top. Dark brown. Chrome hardware.
AK85 DVS arrived in between the AF85 and AF86. Same shape but has pointed (sharp) cutaway and the bridge is all wood. Body is spruce with sycamore back & sides. Frets may be small or large (advertised both ways.)
AF95VLS in the 2007 catalog. It replaced the AF85 and AF86, which have been discontinued. Similar to the AF86 but has flamed Sycamore body. Gold hardware. This is different from the darker colored AF95's that you see around.