Ibanez AS73 Review – Beautiful Guitar, Beautiful Price!
If anyone knows how to make a quality low-cost instrument, it\’s Ibanez. The AS73 is one of their dozens of low-cost instruments where the price of the guitar doesn\’t indicate just how great a value it truly is. The made-in-China AS73 has a street price of less than $400, but the tones from this hollow-body instrument sound much more expensive. Let\’s take a look at the details!
Ibanez opted for maple for the top, back, and sides with a mahogany neck. This wood choice results in a crisp, clear tone overall. The fretboard is rosewood, bound, and has pearl dot inlays.
A double-cutaway permits effortless access to all 22 of the guitar\’s large frets. The guitar sports two humbucking pickups, an ACH1 pickup in the neck and an ACH2 pickup in the bridge.
We opted for the Transparent Cherry finish, though Ivory and Sunburst are also options. When you first pick up an AS73, the first thing you will notice is the build quality and how well balanced the guitar is on the whole.
We especially paid attention to the acoustic sound, since it is a hollowbody guitar after all. We liked what we heard and would indeed challenge anyone to find as good a hollowbody sound in this price range.
We also gave the guitar a workout using several different amplifiers (from a Mesa Boogie Mark V to a Fender Blues Junior), just to see what kind of sounds we could get from it. We were able to coax a variety of sounds from the guitar, and could see it being used in a variety of different circumstances.
We did have some very minor issues. The plastic nut is pretty cheap, and could stand to be replaced, but that\’s a relatively minor repair for a good repairman. While the finish wasn\’t 100% perfect, it was still excellent for a guitar at this price.
We\’re always on the lookout for a great guitar at a solid price, and we hit a homerun with with Ibanez AS73. Who cares if it was made in China? If you want a solid, budget-priced hollowbody guitar, it\’s not a bad choice.
If you are looking for the absolute cheapest price on a used or new Epiphone AS73, then you need to visit Ray\’s Guitar Shop, which offers the lowest prices on all new and used guitars (both acoustic and electric). Whether you want to buy a PRS, an Epiphone, or a Washburn, Ray\’s Guitar Shop has what you\’re looking for!
