I haven’t always been a big fan of Ibanez (mostly due to their rather metal-centric style,) but these days they seem to be really mixing it up style-wise, and putting out some great looking and solidly built instruments to boot. In fact, while perusing their website last night I came across this beauty – the Ibanez Artist ARC100.
While I haven’t a clue how these things sound, the user reviews are coming in very positive (9.5 stars out of 10 at one web site,) and there’s no doubt it’s a great looking guitar. I’m particularly diggin’ that rather curvaceous Les Paul style body. According to Ibanez, the ARC100′s mahogany body provides a rich, warm tone, and the Artist Series’ set neck makes for excellent sustain.
The Ibanez Artist ARC100 Features–
- Solid Mahogany Body
- Mahogany Neck
- Rosewood Fretboard With 22 Frets
- Fretboard Binding
- ACH1 Humbucker At The Neck
- ACH2 Humbucker At The Bridge
- 3-Way Pickup Switching
- Pearl Block Inlays
- Gibraltar III Bridge
Oh yeah, and If any of you have had the pleasure of playing the ARC100 I’d love to hear your comments…
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April 3rd, 2006 at 7:35 pm
We just purchased the Ibanez ARC300 for our son. It sounds wonderful! Keep in mind we don’t understand all the ins and outs of the guitar world but the quality so far is great. My son is thrilled. The styling of the guitar is what sold him. I will keep you posted as to how it holds up. Hopefully this will be a keeper.
April 11th, 2006 at 9:06 am
Hey, thanks for the input on your son’s Ibanez, and I’m sorry to be getting back to you so late – I was out of town for two weeks on vacation. I just love the way the ARC300 looks, and I’m happy to hear your son is loving his new guitar so far. I’ll be interested to hear how it holds up, so feel free to keep us updated :)
October 26th, 2006 at 2:30 pm
i bought the arc 100 at the music store in agust its an amazing guitar and has nice tone control it has 2 volume and 1 tone nob. the pick ups could be switched out for some active emgs or something as ibanez pick ups suck but the guitar overall is a good by the finish is amazingly thick and i figure might crack if put into a quick temp change so buy a nice case for this one. It sound good thru my peevy rage 150 but even better thru a marshal this is pretty muck a lespaul just alot cheaper. hope that helps
October 26th, 2006 at 3:38 pm
Hey, thanks for the comment Gusstro : ) Sounds like a beauty of an instrument… It’s amazing to me just how much guitar you can get for a small amount of money these days, partuclarly if you’re willing to eschew the “Big Boys.”
And you may be right about that thick finish… you might want to pick up a humidifier for your case, particularly for the first couple of years when the wood is likely to settle the most.
Have fun!
October 29th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
HI, I just boguht an ibanez arc100 yesterday. It playes great and the sound is crystal clear. I’d rate it 10 out of 10. I bought the guitar, a hardshell case, strap locks,and a strap for $600 soif your thinking of getting a great quality guitar for not alot of money I’d get this one instantly.
March 19th, 2007 at 10:33 am
I wanted a dual-humbucker guitar and didn’t want to shell out Les Paul bucks.
I assumed an Epi Les Paul would end up being my guitar, but I saw an ARC-100 at a local music shop and gave it a whirl.
It was lighter than the Epi, had cleaner highs, warmer lows (not muddier, but warmer), a nicer bridge… and cost $100 less.
I will probably upgrade to an ESP LP-style with Seymour Duncans eventually, but I highly recommend the ARC-100 as a low-cost dual-humbucker guitar.
April 7th, 2007 at 2:04 pm
Hi, i’ve just bought the sunburst arc 100. Paid £249. I have previously owned a Gibson lp studio, i rate the arc above the Gibson in every department. You can get a 300 with a flamed maple top for another £50. Got my first Gig with it tommorow. Can’t wait. Add a decent hard case and it’s still half the price of the Gibson.
December 14th, 2007 at 11:05 am
I’m thinking about buying this guitar
but what kind of styles/genres does it sound half decent with?
January 14th, 2008 at 11:13 am
I picked up an ARC100 two days ago when I went to Candyman in santa fe, nm looking for a “beater” guitar.
My requirements walking in were
1 : dual humbucker,
2 : fixed bridge (no floyd rose or whammy/tremolo),
3 : thin neck,
4 : quick action.
I was in the market for a guitar I could easily experiment with and floyd rose bridges (which i love despite all of its alternate tuning restrictiveness) were out of the question.
I started messing around with the ARC100 and quickly fell in love with the feel and action of it. The neck is noticeably thicker than typical speed-metal focused Ibanez’s but it still felt “right”. Upon getting it home and really giving it some volume and energy I found that it has INCREDIBLE sustain compared to the floyd rose setups i’m used to. The one piece design likely plays a large role in that. The wood is very solid/dense feeling without being heavy. The fine tuners by the bridge are an awesome addition and makes me feel right at home. The sound is thick and bright at the same time. It definitely has a powerful tone. Clean tones are the sorts of things I would hear on “real” albums. I usually get buyer’s remorse on purchases over $200 but after paying $300 for this guy I regret NOTHING. Great guitar, great price and highly recommended for any level of player. This “beater” might just become my new fav….
January 26th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
# Tori:
December 14th, 2007 at 11:05 am
I’m thinking about buying this guitar but what kind of styles/genres does it sound half decent with?
Sorry i didnt see this earlier, it can cover anywhere from blues, to metal just about anystyle you want. I use it for blues- rock stuff but have dabbled in some metal on it and it doesnt sound bad. But i mostly play blues any more so i guess that about all i can say about it. Search for guitar zentao and click on the Jam Session forum Sign up and ask in the tools of the trade section they are very help full and a no flaming forum. Best of luck
April 23rd, 2008 at 11:22 am
I’ve had this thing for a year or so, it was my first real guitar, it’s still great, I play it almost daily, even though I have since purchased 2 acoustics, a 12 and 6 string.
It sounds great on my vox, and stays in tune better than any of my other guitars. It looks great, and was only $300. I’m glad I didn’t just get a cheap $100 starter model.
June 25th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
It sure looks the business. A question for any of you who bought this guitar : Do you feel its noticeably smaller or lighter than say a telecaster?
January 18th, 2009 at 5:29 am
Ive had my ARC100 for about 2 years now and i love it
it has a really warm tone but is diverse enough to get a different tone out of each pickup.
the neck is fast and the body is light/small
it is a beautiful guitar and can withstand constant gigging.
the only bad thing that i can say about this guitar is that i dont love the thickness of the neck
but to be fair i do love really thin guitar necks so anything with a regular neck feels thick to me
January 19th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
what are the differences with her sister, ibanez art100???
October 28th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Ooh shoot i just wrote a long comment and when i hit reply it came up blank! Please please tell me it worked properly? I do not want to sumit it again if i dont have to! Either the blog bugged out or i am just stuipd, the latter doesnt surprise me lol.
October 30th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Hi just figured i would let you know i also had a problem with this blog coming up blank as well. Might be chimpanzees in the system.