The Ibanez Artcore Expressionist AF95FM-AYS Antique Yellow Sunburst is a classic Jazz -guitar with a beautiful Look and first class sound. Accordingly, the traditional Hollow Body construction with back, top and ribs and laminated maple frame is used Ibanez , while the glued neck is made of three pieces of mahogany and maple. The " Expressionist AF" neck profile lies optimally in the hand, so that every note plays itself on the ebony fingerboard. two Ibanez Super 58 Humbucker promise a warm sound on the amplifier, which skilfully conveys the woody resonance of the Hollow Body construction and supports expressive electric guitar playing with its lively dynamics. Last but not least, the Ibanez Artcore Expressionist AF95FM has the classic Ibanez ART-1 bridge with the matching VT06 Tailpiece and precise Ibanez Die-Cast Tuner .
I´ve played the guitar for several decades, a variety of styles from classic to rock to Jazz. My current focus is on the classic but still, 18 months ago I decided to get a hollow body which I felt I was lacking.
So now, what are the time seasoned impressions?
Pros
+ Beautiful and very classy looking instrument. Gorgeous
+ Well built, well finished, apart from some very minor details
+ Very comfortable neck, 1.5 mm string height at 12th fret, after slight home adjustemnents
+ Decent, usable acoustic sound (using a smartphone dB meter at 0,5m and comparing to my FG180 dreadnought I got around 77dB for the DN and circa 73dB for the AF95, and yes I know, just FWIW :-)
+ Good sounding pickups (similar to my 1984 Ibanez AM50)
+ Holds tuning quite well for weeks
Cons
- Minor and almost invisible imperfections on top, hidden between neck pickup and under fingerboard
- Toggle pickup switch a bit "lazy" sometimes. Maybe not top quality hardware, or may need cleaning - but how?
- Available Ibanez case (MF 100) a bit expensive and does not do justice to the beauty of the instrument
Conclusion
Lovely instrument, affordable and very good value for money. Love those maple tiger stripes!