Ibanez AS103NT

Great Blues/Jazz box

I own a 2006 or 2007 model with micro tuner tailpiece. I got interested in this mainly on looks. No denying what everyone else has said here, it\'s a gorgeous guitar. Flamed book matched maple with a high gloss finish. I agree that the only discount on the rating is the matching \"flamed\" pick guard and the knobs. Both of these items don\'t seem to fit the overall fine look of the instrument. The used one I have had both removed with speed knobs installed on the pots. Definitely a better look. The hardshell case is typical Ibanez, It does the job, but why they have a hard time keeping the vinyl stuck on the case is beyond me.

Finish: Well, this IMHO is where this axe shines. I find the combo of the DR platinum\'s and the neck profile, to be one of the best I\'ve EVER played. I\'ve got a stable of around 10-12 guitars and this is by far the best playing electric I own. I find the quality and workmanship almost an embarrassment to American made instruments. If there is much of a difference in build quality and it\'s American counterpart, it would barely be a fraction of the $1 to $2 grand spread. I\'m sure you could pick it apart on some aspect but for under $800US new (and even sweeter for the 4 bills I paid) get real! The ear and the hands are not even paying attention to it.

Dual humbuckers crank out a good solid tone. The guitar came with DR platinum lights, which I found to my liking, so I replaced them in kind. The body is by no means hollow. It is basically a solid body from the neck, through the pickups, to the tail. The area under the f-holes is hollow, so I would refer to this more as a chambered guitar. This means you can get a bit of what you want in a hollow body while still being able to crank it up without too much feedback. I had to turn out the pole piece on the high E, as the light gauge .09 did not give enough output to match the other strings. I\'m running this through a Line 6 Spider 75, and it handles any of the multiple sounds that Line 6 hides in their boxes. I generally go for a blues/jazz sound, but my brief ventures into the heavy crank sounds seemed to do well for the guitar.

I had an EPI LP that I sold to buy this and the neck seemed to have a mind of it\'s own. This guitar has no flex and stays well in tune despite a LOT of string bends. For you jazz/blues players this is a steal. I will say that I don\'t expect the gold plate to last. For a used guitar, it seems to have held up well, but I am glad that the most wearable surface, the tuning pegs are plastic and not gold plate. Even when it starts to wear, it\'s going to be a good looking guitar.