Ibanez Artcores

[cassius987]

Okay, here's how it goes down. I go all around town yesterday playing Artcores and Epis. The Artcores I tried yesterday weren't as good as the first ones I had tried, except for one, a "Santa Fe" looking thing, oil finished. It was $450--about as much as I was willing to pay--and I decided to think about it. Later I hit up High Strung Music, a bluegrass/roots style music store. I know the owner. I really didn't expect to find anything at all but oddly enough there were two Washburns in stock. One was a semi, one was full.

I ended up absolutely loving the full hollow J-45, which was marked $585. The owner, who says he is never able to sell anything that "plugs in" due to his strict roots music demographic, was moving all of the amplifiers, electric guitars, etc. out of inventory by selling them at manufacturer's cost. In addition to that I noticed that the treble pickup was not wired in correctly--something I don't mind repairing myself. I talked the owner down to $315.

So now I own a Washburn J-45. Didn't expect to or plan to but I do and for what I intend to use it for--home recording--I think it's going to be great.

Now, if I ever get to a point where I can actually play guitar rather than fake it, I may buy a Ric. In the mean time thanks for your advice!

[deaconblues]

You mean a J-5, right?

[cassius987]

My bad, yes. I'm not familiar with Washburn. I just know I like this guitar.

[brammy]

I have a Burgundy AFS75T and I've always like it a lot.... its my number one "play unplugged while watching TV" guitar. Sure it's a copy. So what? The price was very good and it's a well made guitar. My local music store guru was recommending some new pups for it.... I'll post more on this later.

Wow, a Washburn J-5 for $315 is a great deal! Are those the same pickups that come with the Artcore AFS75T?

Washburn J-5

Ibanez Artcore AF75

[cassius987]

I'm not sure if they're the exact same but they sound quite similar. Kind of "wet" and full, with a nice sheen to the overall picture.