A quick look at the Ibanez AS53 guitar with its original pick ups and a pair of Belcat humbuckers. Theme music 'Mustang,' from my album, 'Warbirds,' by Harpaxe. Available from Amazon & i-tunes.
RU-vid Comment of the Month!!! Lol! You said it perfectly! I love is laidback style! He makes it look too easy! Like Bob Ross! Great Comparison with Bob Ross! RIP Bob!
When I saw the price, I figured it was JUNK! I played around with one at Guitar Center, and I was SUPER SURPRISED!!! Definitely not a $299.99 guitar! Probably the best guitar for anyone wanting to tryout the Semi-Hollow body style guitar!
I always feel like I'm getting the straight goods when John showcases a guitar. The guitars get a fair shot and important details are noted. (Polished frets)
GOOD review sir. That Ibanez sounds good. I think I just found my next guitar. And I don't have to rob a bank to get it. $299.99 at guitar center plus free shipping to my front door. You cant beat a deal like that.
Hi John🤗long time no see.. I am considering a Ibanez Semi-hollow either the 53 or the 73 model.. So cool I found your review of the 53.. I have watched your reviews for awhile now however it has been some time I must admit.. I hope all is well.
Everyting is fine with us but the second hand market has ground to a halt and so I have had to stop buying guitars. My friends are in the same position so that explains my lack of output on this channel. However I am still busy with my Christian channels. ru-vid.com where I do a daily bible reading and a weekly 20 minute service and ru-vid.com/show-UCAzNKJwbEeftWwm0BriCTUw where I use an AI female singer to perform my current output of hymns. God bless.
Thanks for the review mate, I like the profile/size of the guitar, it sounds very bright. Simple design and I am all about simple, ask my wife. Now I just need to figure out how to have one arrive in the post and explain it to the Mrs, LOL ! Thanks John, Cheers !
The tone is far superior with the replacement pickups in my opinion. Much more depth. Hard to tell on here i know but...I've used an old Ibanez bass since 1981 and replaced the original ceramic pickup ( Did the job back then but after i mothballed the bass for 20 odd years and revived it ,it sounded hopeless) with a Seymour Duncan Alnico 57 P bass copy and that suits my sound so much better now great demo many thanks
Great Review of an extremely surprising guitar! Sounds Amazing in your Review too! Still can't believe this is a $299 guitar! I have a vintage Epiphone Dot Gibson USA and I've yet to find a better playing and sounding Semi, but for $299, you can't go wrong with this Ibanez. Thanks again for an excellent review! Love the way you play! You make it look toooo easy! :)
Definitely Subscribing to this guys channel! Absolutely Love his laidback style of playing & review! The guy in the previous comments said it perfectly! The Bob Ross of Guitar Reviews! :D
Really enjoying your videos. I'm hunting for a guitar after not playing for a few years (had to sell mine during harder times...) But I must say we have the same taste in mellow sounding tones and playing style, so I feel like I've tried a lot of these hollow bodies myself now!
As usual, John, a top notch review with excellent examples and objective opinions. Especially liked the combined mic/pickup blend for the first examples of sound and tone. I've been looking for an affordable ES335-style guitar for some time and only landed on this model whilst doing a general sweep on Google. Also VERY useful to know your demo was using D'Addario Chromes. Also very interesting at the end of your demo with the Alnico pickups. I've played a couple of Ibanez in the past and can agree about the tuners - they work but do really need changing on any guitar which ends up being a 'keeper'. I've just ordered one of these guitars so will return later on with my own thoughts about it. Many thanks once again.
From their introduction back in the 70's their tuners were always the weak point. While they made good mid-range guitars, their pick-ups ran out of steam in their top models.
@@JohnCouplandguitar Hi again John. I now have this guitar and it certainly matches your review. Really versatile and very well made - no flaws or faults anywhere. Mine came fitted with roundwounds but I will soon re-string with 11-50 flatwounds and then come back with a new main comment about the guitar. If I can, I'll change the tuners ... I think Ibanez use a Schaller-style so it will be a case of identifying a good make which uses that design but isn't quite so expensive.
Been looking at Squier affinity Starcasters to add a semi hollow to my collection but was not impressed w the couple i played. might go ahead and give this one a try
Thank you for explaining in general terms how the sounds of ceramic and Alnico humbuckers differ. Somewhere down the road I'll be buying an electric guitar and had no idea. In someone's review of this guitar, or perhaps it was the Ibanez AS-53, the reviewer suggested that Alnico humbuckers are a step up from ceramics. Is that the general consensus or is it a matter of taste or style of music you want to play on the guitar?...
It really is down to personal taste. This may be coloured by where you use your guitar, in a band or solo. In a band you have a bass player covering the bottom end so you can use a thinner sound to complement this. e.g. telecaster + bass = good but Tele on its own, not so great.
@@JohnCouplandguitar That is good to know and contrary to the impression I've gotten from many people talking about Alnico pickups. if you might be kind enough to answer another question I'd much appreciate it: I'm a beginner bass player thinking about buying a guitar when I get a bit further along with my bass playing. When that happy day arrives I was thinking about buying an AM-53. But I live in an apartment and don't want to drive my wife crazy constantly listening to my attempts at guitar playing. I can of course play with headphones on but even so the guitar strings/body will produce some sound inside the apartment. I understand that an AM-53 sounds louder unamplified than a solid body. But is the difference all that great? Let's say I'm a room, door closed, I'm playing plugged into an amp whose output goes into headphones. Would my wife sitting in another room down the hall hear me playing and AM-53? Under those conditions would solid body electric guitar be imperceptible, or significantly less noticeable?...
Hello! Do you think I can learn to play on such guitar? I mean, can I skip the accoustic/classic guitar and learn like this? :) I was looking for a affordable semi-hollow guitar and this one looks really nice. I can see that you are real pro player which knows the best. Wish you the best! thank you.
John, I'm considering doing my first pickup change (Seymour Duncan humbuckers in an Epiphone LP Standard), and was wondering if you could help me with something; when soldering the pickup wire into the volume\tone pots, should I solder it straight into the pot, or place a layer of solder over the wire and the pot? If you have any advice I'd be happy to hear it. Thank you.
Any unsoldered piece of wire has to be, 'Tinned,' by covering the first 5mm or so with fresh solder. The terminal on the old pot should have as much old solder removed as is practical. While holding the iron against the pot's contact try to get the wire through the hole (if there is one.) If you are replacing the pots themselves, they often come with an anti-corrosive covering on the terminals and on the body. This has to be scraped off for the solder to adhere properly. Safety first: never leave the room without unplugging the iron. John
To be honest, I think I preferred the original ceramic pups. Nice to hear the difference though, thanks for that. I think that Ibanez an amazing guitar for the money; I might get myself one as I fancy having a go at jazz guitar but don't want to spend a fortune if I don't take to it. How would you rate it for playing in a ceilidh band? I currently use a Godin Multiac Steel Duet Ambiance but think I'd like a more electric sound at times.
John I was wondering what was the name of the item you have on the table next to you that you used to get the guitar to make the more rocky and jazz sound?
That is an Ashton Tube Amp Simulator which I have had for at least 25 years. I do not think they are still made but they do turn up on E-bay every so often.
Which 355 replica is the biggest in size? Im really keen on replacing my old ibanez joe pass hollowbody, but I dont like the small or thin modells. Its hard to find a good 355 copy
I have never noticed any difference in the various copies. In fact if they did vary from the original Gibson's dimension they would not really be 335s. You might want to try the Epiphone 339 which is about 1 inch smaller all round. It sounds much the same electrically but is quieter acoustically.
My preference is towards Fender and Peavey amps with Marshall being best avoided. For the house then 10 watts is enough although you will have to go to about 20w to get an amp with reverb which is always nice. For playing in a small bar then 50w will do but if you are playing with a drummer then 100w + may well be required. Something like a Fender Champion 20 would be a good starter.
Short answer, the next one. If funds permitted then the two I would go for are the Yamaha SG2000 and the Gordon Smith Gypsy 2. Of the two I have just now, the Ibanez AS53 and the Harley Benton Les Paul kit, I prefer the Ibanez.
An acoustic guitar which has a round sound-hole such as a Dreadnought is, when fitted with a pick up, an acoustic-electric guitar. A guitar with f-holes, like this Ibanez, when fitted with a pick up is a semi-acoustic.
