Introduction
The Ibanez Artcore series has become a favorite among jazz, blues, and rock guitarists looking for an affordable hollow or semi-hollow electric guitar. First introduced in 2002, the Artcore line revived the construction techniques and designs of vintage hollow body instruments, while adding modern appointments liked sealed humbucking pickups.
The AG75BS is a full hollowbody electric guitar from the Artcore series. Featuring a maple top, back, and sides, the AG75BS produces a warm, resonant tone perfect for jazz, blues, and classic rock. Its full hollow construction gives it excellent feedback control for a guitar in this price range.
With its classic looks, comfortable playability, and budget-friendly price, the AG75BS Artcore is an excellent choice for beginners looking to explore the world of hollow body electric guitars. The warm, vintage-inspired tone makes it a great fit for blues, jazz, and mellow rock. The AG75BS provides fantastic value for intermediate players or working musicians who want an affordable workhorse hollowbody.
Body & Construction
The Ibanez AG75BS features a full hollow maple body with 3" depth, providing warm resonant tones. The top, back, and sides are all crafted from maple, which gives a balanced sound across the frequency range.
The AG75BS has a set-in mahogany neck that provides stability and sustain. The neck joints precisely to the body for excellent resonance and tone transfer.
The elegant body binding on the top and back along with the f-holes gives the AG75BS a refined, vintage look. The f-holes also allow the hollow body to breathe and project its acoustic character.
Overall, the AG75BS body construction produces full, rich tones thanks to the hollow maple build. The set-in mahogany neck offers stability and sustain while the body binding and f-holes provide vintage aesthetic appeal.
Neck & Fretboard
The AG75BS features an AG Artcore mahogany set-in neck for great resonance and sustain. The neck has a comfortable C-shaped profile that provides an excellent playing feel.
The fretboard is made from rosewood and has 22 medium frets. It has a 25.5" scale length, 1.69" nut width, and 12" fretboard radius for smooth and comfortable playability.
The mahogany neck provides a nice balance between brightness and warmth, while the rosewood fingerboard offers crisp note articulation. Overall, the neck is designed for fast, fluid playing across various musical styles.
The set-in neck construction allows greater resonance and sustain compared to bolt-on alternatives. This design approach is common on many hollow and semi-hollow body guitars.
Some players may find the nut width on the narrow side, but it should accommodate various playing styles and hand sizes. The medium frets are an ideal height that makes string bending comfortable without being too tall.
Pickups & Electronics
The AG75BS is equipped with two Classic Elite humbucking pickups that provide warm, full tones. Humbuckers feature two coils that cancel out noise and interference, resulting in a focused sound perfect for jazz and blues.
The guitar has a 3-way pickup selector switch, allowing you to choose between the bridge pickup, neck pickup, or both pickups together. Having separate volume and tone knobs for each pickup gives you excellent control over your tone. Dial back the tone knob for a smooth, darker sound or increase it for more treble bite. The volume knobs allow balancing the output between the neck and bridge pickups.
Overall, the electronics package on the AG75BS delivers versatile tone-shaping capabilities despite the guitar’s affordable price point. The Classic Elite humbuckers and 3-way switching provide classic hollowbody tones, from warm and round to brighter and punchy. Ibanez didn’t cut corners with the electronics on this model.
Hardware & Tuners
The AG75BS features quality hardware and tuners that complement the guitar’s design and playability. It comes equipped with chrome hardware including a tune-o-matic bridge, trapeze tailpiece, and volume/tone knobs. This shiny chrome hardware matches nicely with the elegant sunburst finish.
The die-cast tuners help keep the AG75BS in tune through changes in temperature, humidity, and playing conditions. The tuners are smooth and accurate, providing reliable tuning stability. While the hardware and tuners are not top-of-the-line, they are very good for an affordable hollowbody guitar in this price range. The chrome pieces are also durable and stand up well to regular use.
Overall, the hardware and tuners on the Ibanez AG75BS Artcore get the job done admirably considering the affordable price point. The guitar stays in tune nicely and the chrome appointments complement the hollowbody design. While more premium tuners could provide incrementally better performance, the stock hardware performs reliably for most playing applications.
Sound & Tone
The AG75BS produces warm, resonant clean tones thanks to its full hollow body construction. The all-maple build allows notes to ring out with richness and clarity, perfect for jazz chord melodies or bluesy solo lines. Even when played unplugged, the guitar resonates with acoustic-like tone.
When adding gain or distortion, the AG75BS handles it extremely well. The pickups have enough output to push a tube amp into overdrive nicely. Chords sound full and saturated, while lead lines soar with singing sustain. Feedback is controlled well for a full hollow body, allowing for more gain before uncontrolled squeals.
Overall, the guitar’s tone palette makes it suitable for a diverse range of genres beyond just jazz and blues. The warmth and resonance lends itself nicely to classic rock and indie music. With the right amp or pedal pairing, the AG75BS can tackle modern metal, punk, and hard rock too. It’s a versatile instrument tone-wise, especially for the price.
Playability & Feel
The AG75BS features a comfortable C-shaped neck profile that provides excellent playability. The neck has a thickness that works well for a variety of hand sizes, allowing easy fretting and chord changes across the fretboard.
The medium jumbo frets combined with the 25.5" scale length make bending strings and vibrato effects smooth and easy. The action and string height from the factory is set up well for most playing styles, without being too high or too low.
Despite being a full hollow body, the AG75BS is fairly lightweight compared to other similar guitars. It weighs in at just 7.2 lbs, making it comfortable to play even during extended practice or gigging sessions. The weight is balanced nicely on the player’s shoulder with the contoured body binding. This allows the guitar to stay in position without slipping.
Overall, the Ibanez AG75BS Artcore offers very comfortable playability. The smooth neck, great factory setup, and lightweight body come together to make this hollowbody electric a joy to play. Guitarists looking for excellent playability at an affordable price will be pleased with the AG75BS.
Design & Aesthetics
The Ibanez AG75BS Artcore has a classy and elegant aesthetic, with several vintage-inspired design elements that give it a sophisticated look. The gloss sunburst finish on the maple top and back is beautifully executed, providing a rich gradient from dark brown in the center to a warm honey-gold along the edges. The sunburst effect gives the guitar a refined vintage vibe.
The iconic Ibanez headstock shape is present, with the Ibanez logo displayed prominently. While simple, the headstock design matches the guitar’s overall aesthetic.
Adding to the vintage appeal is the bound body top and back, which provides a nice contrast to the sunburst finish. The crisp white binding accentuates the guitar’s shape. The f-holes are also outlined with binding, allowing them to stand out. The f-holes have an aged appearance, looking like they belong on an old jazz box.
Finally, all of the hardware including the bridge, tailpiece, and control knobs are finished in gleaming chrome. This contrasts well against the darker sunburst finish, giving a stylish two-tone look. Overall the Ibanez AG75BS Artcore has a truly elegant aesthetic that belies its affordable price point. The luxurious sunburst, classic body binding, and other vintage design touches give this hollowbody both beauty and visual intrigue.
Value & Cost
The Ibanez AG75BS Artcore offers tremendous value for the money. With a street price typically ranging from $300 to $400, it’s very affordable for a full hollow body electric guitar.
The guitar alone offers great bang for your buck. But some retailers sweeten the deal by including useful accessories. For example, Guitar Center includes a gig bag for the guitar, while Musician’s Friend throws in a clip-on tuner.
Overall, the value proposition of the AG75BS is excellent. It gives you the warm, resonant tone of a hollow body guitar without breaking the bank. Many comparable models from Epiphone and Gretsch cost significantly more.
The AG75BS punches above its weight class in terms of build quality and tone. You get a real maple hollow body construction, not laminate. The hardware, tuners, and pickups are decent quality for an entry-level instrument.
While the tone woods and electronics are not as premium as a high-end hollow body, they still deliver pleasing vintage character. And the playability rivals more expensive instruments thanks to the comfortable neck and smooth frets.
For beginners, students, or working musicians on a tight budget, the Ibanez AG75BS is a smart choice. It provides an accessible way to explore the world of hollow body tone without draining your wallet. Overall, it’s one of the best values out there for players seeking an affordable hollow or semi-hollow guitar.
Alternatives & Comparisons
The Ibanez AG75BS holds up well when compared to other hollowbody electric guitars in its price range. Here’s how it stacks up to some key alternatives:
Other Ibanez Artcore Models
The AG75BS is part of Ibanez’s popular Artcore series. Other Artcore models provide different takes on the hollowbody guitar:
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The Ibanez AF75 has a smaller, thinner semi-hollow body with twin humbuckers. It has a lively, resonant tone at higher gain settings. Street price is similar to the AG75BS.
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The Ibanez AM73B has a larger fully hollow body and neck humbucker/bridge single coil pickup configuration. It’s ideal for jazz and has a full-bodied voice. Sells for around $100 more than the AG75BS.
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The Ibanez AS73 semi-hollowbody has a slimmer profile and Super 58 pickups for increased mid-range punch. The sharp double-cutaway provides easy upper fret access. Costs around $50-100 more than the AG75BS.
Competitor Hollow Body Guitars
Here are some other hollowbody electrics that compete with the Ibanez AG75BS:
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The Epiphone Dot has a laminated maple body and alnico humbuckers. It has a bold, rounded tone that excels for blues and rock. The Dot sells for around the same price as the AG75BS.
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Gretsch G5420 models have Filter’Tron pickups for a bright, twangy sound. The jumbo frets and slim neck make it a favorite for rockabilly lead playing. The G5420 is more expensive, usually $500 and up.
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The PRS SE Hollowbody II has stunning visuals with a flamed maple top. The dual humbuckers and 3-way toggle provide tonal versatility. It costs significantly more than the AG75BS at around $700-800.
Overall, the Ibanez AG75BS competes very well with other hollow and semi-hollow electric guitars at the sub-$500 price point, offering great value for the money. The Artcore series provides players with several high quality, affordable hollowbody options for a variety of musical genres and playing styles.