Is the ARC100 the Ibanez Guitar for you?
Posted on December 28, 2007
Filed Under Guitar Talk |
As I posted earlier, Ibanez began as a copy-cat company, producing Fender, Gibson, etc. sound alike and look alike guitars of high quality. Ibanez continues to emulate the classic guitar companies today, although the instruments are designed with enough diffferences to avoid lawsuits. The ARC100 Artist is one of those such quality copy cat Ibanez guitars.
Like the Gibson Les Paul, the Artist has a Mahogany body, Rosewood fingerboard , and a set neck. The guitar's shape looks vaguely familiar to the Les Paul with a single cutaway. Ibanez does have another guitar that looks even more like the Les Paul in its body shape, this is the ART100. Again that one has a set in neck and mahogony body like the ARC. The ARC Artist also has double humbuckers, fixed bridge, and simliar hardware to the old Gibson Les Paul. However this guitar has only one master volume knob where the Paul has one per pickup. Also you may decide to replace the nut with one of better quality.
Ibanez guitars are universally of high quality and this axe is no exception. Soundwise it's very reminiscent of a Les Paul. It has a full sound and the neck position pickup can provide some sweet tone. It comes fairly well set up from the factory so you should be ready to rock right away. One difference from the Paul is that Ibanez has included fine tuners in the bridge. That's killer if you ask me!
Shockingly, this durably, high quality, toneful Ibanez guitar is only about 300 bucks at guitar shops online. Now certainly, you must play one before you even consider buying a guitar, so head down to your local guitar store and try it out. If you're too short on cash for a real Gibson Les Paul, the ARC100 Ibanez guitar may be the axe for you.
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En ik ben niet eens gitarist…….
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Got to correct you on one thing: Ibanez did not start out copying Fender and Gibson, but in distributing in Japan for a Salvador Ibanez, a Spanish luthier in 1929. In 1935 they began making their own instruments under the name Salvador Ibanez and later, just Ibanez. Copying only came about in the 70’s when Fender and Gibson were putting out inferior instruments, and stopped by early 1980’s. As for the ARC 100, it is a great little guitar and worth every cent of the little it goes for on ebay.