The low end Ibanez archtop will benefit from a pickup upgrade. The Chinese "Super 58 Custom" stock pickups are cheap copies of the Japanese Super 58s. Swapping them out for Duncan, Bartolini or other high quality humbuckers will yield excellent results and a huge improvement in tone. I put a pair of Bartolini pickups in my 2014 AF125 and the guitar came to life.
Nice video. For blues I'd go for the am53, the as93 is too bright and the as53 seems to be a bit muddy across the range. The am53 just seems to have that nice hollow body sound.
I don't know if it's a celebration of the value of the cheaper 53s, or an indictment of the more expensive 93s, but these guitars sound just about identical. If you guys can hear difference between these guitars, your ears are better than mine.
tmlplus It probably has to do with hearing this in a video on line as opposed to hearing them in person. I tried the 53 and the 93 at Motor City Guitar and bought the 93. Actually it's the Artcore Expressionist 93. The pickups on the 93 are far superior to those on the 53. In fact everything about the 93 is better: hardware, electronics, finish. Apparently there is a problem on the 53s with it not staying in tune. The tuners are cheap. The 93 looks and feels so much nicer. It's by far the best electric out there for $650. It's the most versatile electric I've ever played. It's great for jazz, blues, country, rock.
@@willyevans I'm pretty sure the tuners are Ibanez brand tuners that they put on most of their guitars in this price range. I have the AFS75T and it stays in tune fine. I really dont get this stuff about tuning. We've been making tuning pegs for 500 years. Im not an expert but if my 50 euro classical guitar stays in tune I'm guessing its not down to the quality of the tuners. In response to tmlplus ....I could hear a difference in that the cheaper ones sounded muddier in the bass region and less clear. But two points on that... 1. I'm sure he didnt change the amp settings when switched guitars. As i've heard the other guitars in demos and they didnt sound muddy Im not gonna take it too seriously. 2. Those two cheaper ones come in at under 300euros. You could get a sick set of humbuckers and it would still be cheaper than the other guitar.
That AS93 has the other 2 beat hands down but I also think the AS53 sounded a touch sweeter than the AM53 at times. I just bought a lightly used AS53 in near new shape for 150 bucks USD. I gotta say all 3 axes sound decent but I like the position of the volume pot on the AS53 much better than the AM53 as the toggle switch is in the way for volume swelling and control on the AM53 so for the money I think I did pretty good to get the bargain I did. I want to replace the machines to help it stay in better tune and am thinking of putting a Bluesbucker in the bridge PU pos.
I think the AS-93 has Super 58 pickups in it, so it will sound much better. Plus, it has better electronics and so forth going on. The 53's sounded harsher to me. Must be the ceramic based pickups.
I have the AF55 which is a hollow body, with a center block attached under the top plate but with an air passage under the center block to the back plate. So I call it a hollow body. Once I strung it with flat wounds it came alive. I also have an AS73 with round wounds and that one sounded good from the mfr.
For my taste based on how you presented the guitars I likes the 93 for its slightly better definition and 53,s gave a better slide sound if you lean toward a more swampy sound. I'm thinking the 93 could cover the same ground and a bit more than the 53's by dialing the tone.
I know the 93 has covers on the pickups, but it's shocking how similar they sound. I'm pretty sure the 53 has the same PUs as the AM73B that I have, but I just expected the 93 to sound better somehow.
tmlplus The 93 sounds way better. I own one. Vidoes on RUclips are not a good place to demonstrate the sound of an instrument. Compare the sound of a guitar on RUclips with the sound of you playing at home. I'm not criticizing you just pointing out a fact. I also tried the 53s at the store when I tried out the 93. The 93 crushes the 53 in every respect: sound, the feel of the guitar, the quality of the hardware and electronics, the finish. Try them out for yourself if you get the chance. You'll love the 93.
Nope, its just the same which is same.. The pickups on AS-93 are Alnico II pickups whereas the pickups on the Scofield/Metheny models are Alnico V www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guitar-amps-gizmos/42150-myth-super-58-pickup.html
So I was looking at the Epiphone versions of semi-hollow guitars but they are made out of ply-wood... they give the ply a fancy name and who knows if ply makes that much of a difference but for me there is no substitute for a real wood instrument.. a these are as cheap or in some cases cheaper!!
Just to confirm I heard correct. On the AS-53 you added frames around the pickups but the pickups themselves are stock? Thanks! I have all acoustics and want a low buck blues tone electric (much lower budget than the AS-93, so I tried not to fall too hard for it!). This is a great video!
Thanks ! Yes that is correct, I only replaced the plastic frames for the looks, the electronics are original. If you are interested in a good swampy tone, take a look at the AF-55. I love that one and it's full hollow, which gives it more bass which is great for picking. However, the neck is shorter which makes the high notes less accessible.
Ah, great! Now I know why I have always thought there is something wrong with the AS53 Tobacco. It should have cream pickup rings/frames of course. Looks much better that way. Are they a generic model or specific rings for the AS-model?
I get lots of congratulations on the looks of this guitar. P) They are generic Thomann.de brand "Harley Benton", the fit is not perfect but it hasn't managed to bother me so far.
The tone you achieved (and/or maybe it's the style of playing) between 5:27 and 8:00... drives me up the wall (in the best way.) I've heard this before, but it's rare and I can never pin it down. Anything and everything you can tell me about this tone and/or playing style would be greatly appreciated. Does the style have a name? What settings did you use on your amp? Pedals? Like I said.... anything you can tell me would be awesome! Thank you for your time and this great video.... oh and for what it's worth, the AS53 is my choice for best overall sound...not to mention ergonomics. But I'm biased, because I want one so bad!
Hello Lonn Thanks for your encouraging words. Getting this tone, in short : (semi-)hollow-body guitar, neck pickup with low treble and a good bluesy amp. PLAYING: I learned to play the "walking bass" technique at some point, which I end up applying on many songs I learn. Corey Harris was one of my main influences, in particular this song and training video: ruclips.net/video/DzS1B5LQicw/видео.html In the demo, I'm playing something with this technique which ends with a lick from the song "Baby Please Don't Go". AMP: I am a fan of 1x12' speaker combos. If you can't afford a Fender Blues Deluxe, I can recommend the Peavey Bandit red stripe, which I was inspired to acquire after watching many of Shane's great videos about that product in particular. ruclips.net/video/ERJ84Lm1_60/видео.html Set the gain of the amp and the volume in such a manner to get the crunch you need, and there you go. GUITAR: Out of the guitars of this video, I agree with you, I prefer the AS-53. But my favorite to do this is the IBANEZ AF-55, which has a fully hollow body and similar cheap ceramic pickups as the AS-53. It's dirt cheap, easy controls, many great tones. For this tone : volume somewhere around 5-7 and treble at 2 or 3 (same settings apply for those models in the video). Good luck !
Thank you so very much for the detailed reply! Most folks wouldn't bother with more than a few words, or say "figure it out for yourself!" It's funny that you should mention the AF-55... I came "THIS" close to getting one in a trade just recently! Still, I'm a bigger fan of double cutaways and thinline bodies, so I'll be picking up the trans-red AS-53 soon. I have wanted a simple 335 clone for some time to play blues and slide with, and I think the time has finally come. Thanks again for all the advise on tone and style. I do have a Peavey Vyper 30w head w/ a pair of 12" cabs... it has TransTube tech and about 12 amp models, half of which have really nice cleans that break up nicely, and a couple dozen or so stomp/rack effects... so I should be able to pull out some similar tones with enough fidgeting around. I will keep my eye out for an old Bandit red stripe though... one can never have too many amps lying around, right?
The AF-55 was my first Ibanez. The "longer" neck and the slim body was my attraction for the AS-53, which I like very much. But tonewise, I like the AF-55 even a little bit more.
Thank you! Very enjoyed. Listening to and then relaxed to your play with a Wild Turkey bottle. So, how about a AS95, now I would like to have. Too small for you? Thanks a lot, from Japan.
I got them from Thomann and their shape doesn't perfectly fit the Ibanez rounded body. Close enough for me though and mechanically quite okay. www.thomannmusic.ch/harley_benton_tonabnehmer_rahmen.html
Nice video! Would you mindo to help, please? I wonder know if the Ibanez AS 53 and AS 73 are correspondents to Epiphone Casino or are they smaller, please? Thanks in advance!
The Casino is fairly different in that the Casino is a ES-330 sequel (single coils, hollow body), whereas the Ibanez AS 53 and AS 73 are ES-335 sequels (humbuckers, semi-hollow). Epiphone Casinos also come in the "coupe" variant, which has a smaller body.
my am 53 has a very thick chunky neck not at all what I was expecting on an electric guitar...in fact my Ibanez acoustic electric has a much thinner slimmer neck..i wish I could swap them....
Kenny H Actually he's right in a way. Not trying to criticize our gracious video maker, but these guitars sound great with a clean tone. Particularly the 93. It's the best all around electric I've ever played.
So tired of hearing ALL guitar reviews with shitty distortion. People doing reviews ask yourself. Am I qualified to do reviews of guitars .Do I know how to get a good sound out of a guitar , Do I have the technique to bend a note properly . Can I play chords other than Rock chords without distortion .
whats with the retarded heel joints now ??? the 70-80-90s had fast necks and really comfortable normal neck joints not like these chunky stair case logs
Posso essere sincero? Ma perché tanti video sono solo in inglese e, tra l'altro, senza possibilità di essere tradotti? Se vi beate della sola lingua vostra, i video, teneteli per voi.... E che c......!!!!
God bless you for this unique comparison
The first thing I said in the music store when I bought my AM-53:"Hey,this Guitar has the Blues!" The owner smiled and agreed.
Just got the AS53. Thanks for this! It was very helpful. I'm just starting out... so the AS53 is great for me, love the looks and sound.
My AS53 is the most beautiful and best built guitar Ive ever owned...and Ive had real LPs and Yamaha SGB2000 and the like...
Love it dude , thanks , been looking at those exact guitars.
The low end Ibanez archtop will benefit from a pickup upgrade. The Chinese "Super 58 Custom" stock pickups are cheap copies of the Japanese Super 58s. Swapping them out for Duncan, Bartolini or other high quality humbuckers will yield excellent results and a huge improvement in tone.
I put a pair of Bartolini pickups in my 2014 AF125 and the guitar came to life.
ALL THREE SOUND GREAT....NICE FOR SURE...
Great vid, helped me decide on which one!!!(AS 53)
Amazing sound and beautifully presented.
Nice video. For blues I'd go for the am53, the as93 is too bright and the as53 seems to be a bit muddy across the range. The am53 just seems to have that nice hollow body sound.
you have two tones and two volumes though on the as93 to alter with that
I agree 👍
I don't know if it's a celebration of the value of the cheaper 53s, or an indictment of the more expensive 93s, but these guitars sound just about identical. If you guys can hear difference between these guitars, your ears are better than mine.
tmlplus It probably has to do with hearing this in a video on line as opposed to hearing them in person. I tried the 53 and the 93 at Motor City Guitar and bought the 93. Actually it's the Artcore Expressionist 93. The pickups on the 93 are far superior to those on the 53. In fact everything about the 93 is better: hardware, electronics, finish. Apparently there is a problem on the 53s with it not staying in tune. The tuners are cheap. The 93 looks and feels so much nicer. It's by far the best electric out there for $650. It's the most versatile electric I've ever played. It's great for jazz, blues, country, rock.
@@willyevans I'm pretty sure the tuners are Ibanez brand tuners that they put on most of their guitars in this price range. I have the AFS75T and it stays in tune fine. I really dont get this stuff about tuning. We've been making tuning pegs for 500 years. Im not an expert but if my 50 euro classical guitar stays in tune I'm guessing its not down to the quality of the tuners. In response to tmlplus ....I could hear a difference in that the cheaper ones sounded muddier in the bass region and less clear. But two points on that...
1. I'm sure he didnt change the amp settings when switched guitars. As i've heard the other guitars in demos and they didnt sound muddy Im not gonna take it too seriously.
2. Those two cheaper ones come in at under 300euros. You could get a sick set of humbuckers and it would still be cheaper than the other guitar.
@Willy mine does a great job staying in tune that’s what I love about it
Great video! I just picked up an AM53 off Thomann on the strength of your recommendation! Thanks for putting the video together!
Incredibly interesting and helpful ! Thanks !
As93 sounds great definitely the best of the 3, but for the money the other 2 sound pretty good!
Awesome, I might buy the AM-53!
That AS93 has the other 2 beat hands down but I also think the AS53 sounded a touch sweeter than the AM53 at times. I just bought a lightly used AS53 in near new shape for 150 bucks USD. I gotta say all 3 axes sound decent but I like the position of the volume pot on the AS53 much better than the AM53 as the toggle switch is in the way for volume swelling and control on the AM53 so for the money I think I did pretty good to get the bargain I did. I want to replace the machines to help it stay in better tune and am thinking of putting a Bluesbucker in the bridge PU pos.
Please post here if replacing the machine heads actually improves the situation. I wonder if it's not also a question of the neck quality.
@@oldRagsBlues "vvvvv"vvv"vvvvvvvvvvffgv v f:v
I think the AS-93 has Super 58 pickups in it, so it will sound much better. Plus, it has better electronics and so forth going on. The 53's sounded harsher to me. Must be the ceramic based pickups.
monkymonk6 They do have Super 58s on them. I own a 93 and it is far superior to the 53. You can't beat it for $650 IMO.
Great video! Exactly what I was looking for
I have the AF55 which is a hollow body, with a center block attached under the top plate but with an air passage under the center block to the back plate. So I call it a hollow body. Once I strung it with flat wounds it came alive. I also have an AS73 with round wounds and that one sounded good from the mfr.
They are really close, as they feature similar (if not absolutely identical) pickups. It's down to playability, volume/tone configuration and looks.
They all sound great, I'm looking to get the AM53
For my taste based on how you presented the guitars I likes the 93 for its slightly better definition and 53,s gave a better slide sound if you lean toward a more swampy sound.
I'm thinking the 93 could cover the same ground and a bit more than the 53's by dialing the tone.
Great comparison. The 93 sounded more “spacial “. But they all sounded great to me. Thanks for letting us hear.
I know the 93 has covers on the pickups, but it's shocking how similar they sound. I'm pretty sure the 53 has the same PUs as the AM73B that I have, but I just expected the 93 to sound better somehow.
tmlplus The 93 sounds way better. I own one. Vidoes on RUclips are not a good place to demonstrate the sound of an instrument. Compare the sound of a guitar on RUclips with the sound of you playing at home. I'm not criticizing you just pointing out a fact. I also tried the 53s at the store when I tried out the 93. The 93 crushes the 53 in every respect: sound, the feel of the guitar, the quality of the hardware and electronics, the finish. Try them out for yourself if you get the chance. You'll love the 93.
They all sound sick!
good video, could you make another video showing the clean sounds of each guitar? I kann not hear a big difference sound with that od.
the AM53 for sure
hey dude, your studio is a big tent! fine guits! for me the am AM-53 sounds best! rocknbluesy!
Another man done gone... Nice playing! :-)
AS-93 have the same pickups than the John Scofield and Pat Metheny signature which are far more expensive.
Nope, its just the same which is same.. The pickups on AS-93 are Alnico II pickups whereas the pickups on the Scofield/Metheny models are Alnico V
www.jazzguitar.be/forum/guitar-amps-gizmos/42150-myth-super-58-pickup.html
So I was looking at the Epiphone versions of semi-hollow guitars but they are made out of ply-wood... they give the ply a fancy name and who knows if ply makes that much of a difference but for me there is no substitute for a real wood instrument.. a these are as cheap or in some cases cheaper!!
Just to confirm I heard correct. On the AS-53 you added frames around the pickups but the pickups themselves are stock? Thanks! I have all acoustics and want a low buck blues tone electric (much lower budget than the AS-93, so I tried not to fall too hard for it!). This is a great video!
Thanks ! Yes that is correct, I only replaced the plastic frames for the looks, the electronics are original. If you are interested in a good swampy tone, take a look at the AF-55. I love that one and it's full hollow, which gives it more bass which is great for picking. However, the neck is shorter which makes the high notes less accessible.
the bass on the am 53 is a bitt tighter
i own a as 53
it sounds more bassy to me i like that on hollowbodys
I jumped all over video..and its almost the same...:) ..nice..thanks
thanx for the review
Just might buy the 53 today, how do you only have 69 subs? unless you just prefer that number
Muy bueno , traigan las guitarras a la Argentina
Ah, great! Now I know why I have always thought there is something wrong with the AS53 Tobacco. It should have cream pickup rings/frames of course. Looks much better that way. Are they a generic model or specific rings for the AS-model?
I get lots of congratulations on the looks of this guitar. P)
They are generic Thomann.de brand "Harley Benton", the fit is not perfect but it hasn't managed to bother me so far.
@@christophwalker1219 Thanks :)
The tone you achieved (and/or maybe it's the style of playing) between 5:27 and 8:00... drives me up the wall (in the best way.) I've heard this before, but it's rare and I can never pin it down. Anything and everything you can tell me about this tone and/or playing style would be greatly appreciated. Does the style have a name? What settings did you use on your amp? Pedals? Like I said.... anything you can tell me would be awesome! Thank you for your time and this great video.... oh and for what it's worth, the AS53 is my choice for best overall sound...not to mention ergonomics. But I'm biased, because I want one so bad!
Hello Lonn
Thanks for your encouraging words.
Getting this tone, in short : (semi-)hollow-body guitar, neck pickup with low treble and a good bluesy amp.
PLAYING:
I learned to play the "walking bass" technique at some point, which I end up applying on many songs I learn.
Corey Harris was one of my main influences, in particular this song and training video:
ruclips.net/video/DzS1B5LQicw/видео.html
In the demo, I'm playing something with this technique which ends with a lick from the song "Baby Please Don't Go".
AMP:
I am a fan of 1x12' speaker combos. If you can't afford a Fender Blues Deluxe, I can recommend the Peavey Bandit red stripe, which I was inspired to acquire after watching many of Shane's great videos about that product in particular.
ruclips.net/video/ERJ84Lm1_60/видео.html
Set the gain of the amp and the volume in such a manner to get the crunch you need, and there you go.
GUITAR:
Out of the guitars of this video, I agree with you, I prefer the AS-53. But my favorite to do this is the IBANEZ AF-55, which has a fully hollow body and similar cheap ceramic pickups as the AS-53. It's dirt cheap, easy controls, many great tones. For this tone : volume somewhere around 5-7 and treble at 2 or 3 (same settings apply for those models in the video).
Good luck !
Thank you so very much for the detailed reply! Most folks wouldn't bother with more than a few words, or say "figure it out for yourself!"
It's funny that you should mention the AF-55... I came "THIS" close to getting one in a trade just recently! Still, I'm a bigger fan of double cutaways and thinline bodies, so I'll be picking up the trans-red AS-53 soon. I have wanted a simple 335 clone for some time to play blues and slide with, and I think the time has finally come.
Thanks again for all the advise on tone and style. I do have a Peavey Vyper 30w head w/ a pair of 12" cabs... it has TransTube tech and about 12 amp models, half of which have really nice cleans that break up nicely, and a couple dozen or so stomp/rack effects... so I should be able to pull out some similar tones with enough fidgeting around. I will keep my eye out for an old Bandit red stripe though... one can never have too many amps lying around, right?
Haha, no one can only run out of space :P
The AF-55 was my first Ibanez. The "longer" neck and the slim body was my attraction for the AS-53, which I like very much. But tonewise, I like the AF-55 even a little bit more.
Thank you! Very enjoyed.
Listening to and then relaxed to your play with a Wild Turkey bottle.
So, how about a AS95, now I would like to have. Too small for you?
Thanks a lot, from Japan.
Hi, thanks ! I'm sorry, I don't know about the AS95...
The pickup rings on the AS53 are very cool. Where'd you get them? ...you think they'd work fine on the AM53?
I got them from Thomann and their shape doesn't perfectly fit the Ibanez rounded body. Close enough for me though and mechanically quite okay.
www.thomannmusic.ch/harley_benton_tonabnehmer_rahmen.html
@@oldRagsBlues Thanks for the info dude. Appreciate it.
Man I really wish you had the as 73. I want it cus it’s lighter but I don’t know if it’s worth another €130
thanks!
Gak! Why start out with distortion? I was expecting to hear the guitars, not the over-driven amp.
Nice video!
Would you mindo to help, please? I wonder know if the Ibanez AS 53 and AS 73 are correspondents to Epiphone Casino or are they smaller, please? Thanks in advance!
The Casino is fairly different in that the Casino is a ES-330 sequel (single coils, hollow body), whereas the Ibanez AS 53 and AS 73 are ES-335 sequels (humbuckers, semi-hollow). Epiphone Casinos also come in the "coupe" variant, which has a smaller body.
@@christophwalker1219 Thanks a lot!!! But the Ibanez AS 53 and 73 are the same size of the Casino, ES-330 and ES-335, please?
@@ggp... Yes their physical size is similar as far as I know (except for the Casino Coupe which is smaller).
@@christophwalker1219 Yessss!!! Many, many thanks!!! :-)
my am 53 has a very thick chunky neck not at all what I was expecting on an electric guitar...in fact my Ibanez acoustic electric has a much thinner slimmer neck..i wish I could swap them....
Poop
Pooppooppooppoophy youth er tji heigh ftf thg ung hyvd g.j j
thnx
Does the AM53 feel well built or does it feel like it will break if you drop it?
All of these guitar are great builds and finishes for this price. I have used all of them a lot by now and they have kept up fine.
Hi, I find semi-hollow, what is semi-hollow? Thanks you very much
Semi-hollow means there is a big bar of wood through the body, prolonging the neck inside the body.
53 lets just leave it at that
are the neck shapes all the same?
They feel the same to me, all of them are great.
too much distortion we cant hear the actual tone of this guitars...
Kenny H Actually he's right in a way. Not trying to criticize our gracious video maker, but these guitars sound great with a clean tone. Particularly the 93. It's the best all around electric I've ever played.
So tired of hearing ALL guitar reviews with shitty distortion. People doing reviews ask yourself.
Am I qualified to do reviews of guitars
.Do I know how to get a good sound out of a guitar ,
Do I have the technique to bend a note properly .
Can I play chords other than Rock chords without distortion .
Then they just turn the volume knob down on the guitar and say here's the clean sound ...more hair than a 🐫..
Very annoying.
shake your moneymaker
suenan igual.
Jajajsjaj
whats with the retarded heel joints now ??? the 70-80-90s had fast necks and really comfortable normal neck joints not like these chunky stair case logs
Хоть кто то нормальное видео снял
Posso essere sincero? Ma perché tanti video sono solo in inglese e, tra l'altro, senza possibilità di essere tradotti? Se vi beate della sola lingua vostra, i video, teneteli per voi.... E che c......!!!!
Im not a fan of the tones you achieved on any of those guitars sorry.
Is it just me?
It sounds as you're under a blanket.
Sorry, maybe tweak the tones.