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Somebody mentioned some time ago (I believe it was Rusty) that the Ibanez parts hub is listing the majority of the Artcore line up as ceasing production in October 2009. Anyway, I finally got around to checking this out and sadly it appears this is the case; having checked the parts lists for the USA, UK and Japan it would appear (I'm being carefull with my wording here as I don't wish to scaremonger) that the majority of the Artcore line has indeed now ceased production.
The only models I could find still listed as being in production (i.e. with no listed end of production date) are the AF125 AMB, AF105 NT, AF105 VB, AF105HK HAM (Japan only) and the AS103 NT, AS103 VB and the AS103HK HAM (Again Japan only). Hopefully if this is the case it is just a temporary situation brought on by the global recession and at some point a bigger line up will be re-instated. I was wondering if Hoshino USA had heard anything regarding the line up or if indeed anyone on this board had.
As I say, I don't wish to scaremonger I'd just like to know, as an Artcore fan, what the situation is.
2008 AK100 NT
2008 AK105 SM ABR
2007 AS103 BM ABR
2006 AK84 DVS
2004 RG450 MH BF - SD SH2N (N), SD STKS4 (M), SD '59TB(B)
2004 AK85 DVS - SD SH2N (N), SD APH1(B)
[color=brown]1993 AS120 VS
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The folks in PA know what is going on, but they can't tell us.
The only thing you can be sure about is that the AF and AS body guitars will continue on. Ibanez put lots of resources behind those models to make sure they would be good sellers - and they are... You can also be reasonably sure that the AM and probably the AGS body guitars will go away. Ibanez put little to no resources behind those models in comparison, so obviously they could not be such good sellers... Or at least not as good as they could have been if Ibanez had applied reasonable and equitable resources to them. We will see what happens in January.
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Wow, this is truly sad! Glad I got my AK95 earlier this year! I really had hoped to get an AG at some point in the not too distant future. I guess I'll have to buy used or get one from a dealer before they're all sold out. Thanks Ibanez 
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They'll be available for a long time either on evil bay or craigslist or the local papers. Discontinued stuff, like old soldiers, never die, they just slowly fade away (sorry to paraphrase General (Dugout Doug MacArthur) :-)
An aged British writer walks into a bar . . .
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Sven wrote:Wow, this is truly sad! Keep in mind that none of us really knows what is going to happen in January... Only the folks at Ibanez know what is going to happen... So don't be so sad. However unlikely it may be, it is still entirely possible that Ibanez will surprize and please many of us - if not most of us.
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rustyohus wrote:Sven wrote:Wow, this is truly sad! Keep in mind that none of us really knows what is going to happen in January... Only the folks at Ibanez know what is going to happen... So don't be so sad. However unlikely it may be, it is still entirely possible that Ibanez will surprize and please many of us - if not most of us. rusty, Probably good advice...it never hurts to be optimistic. I'm just glad I took the advice of a co-worker and decided to check into these Artcores last spring. For the money these are real gems!
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We need some optimism in the Artcore forum! Sometimes it gets too negative and pessimistic over here.
 
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akustikgitar wrote:We need some optimism in the Artcore forum! Sometimes it gets too negative and pessimistic over here. Well that is true, though honestly Ibanez has not provided any reasons for Artcore enthusiasts to be optimistic... So lets put it this way... Let us be hopeful without getting our hopes up... Does that work for everyone?..
One thing I want to make sure of is that AM guitar enthusiasts do not get there hopes up only to have them crushed when they see that the AM guitar is gone... This is going to be a blow that is more devastating than Ibanez is smart enough to realize... So it makes more sense to let everyone know well ahead of time that the AM guitar is no more. This way all the crying and venting should done and over with before the fact... Honestly, it is better for the AM guitar to go away completely than for all of us to have to put up with another round of butt ugly finishes - and another round of Ibanez's refusal to listen to what we want... Ibanez will never give AM guitar enthusiasts what they want. Thats just the way it is going to be and that is that... I am also pretty sure the AGS guitar is gone too, but I am not as sure about that as I am about the AM guitar.
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rustyohus wrote:akustikgitar wrote:We need some optimism in the Artcore forum! Sometimes it gets too negative and pessimistic over here. [I]Well that is true, though honestly Ibanez has not provided any reasons for Artcore enthusiasts to be optimistic... So lets put it this way... Let us be hopeful without getting our hopes up... Does that work for everyone?..[I] I believe the term you're looking for is "Cautiously Optimistic".....  That said, unless there's been some major shakeups within the Ibanez company, I highly doubt that they'll be changing their way of doing business.  BTW; I'm not a pessimist-I'm a realist. 
Artstar AS120TR My advice? Invest in LESSONS not gear.
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Mr. Ryte wrote:I believe the term you're looking for is "Cautiously Optimistic"..... That said, unless there's been some major shakeups within the Ibanez company, I highly doubt that they'll be changing their way of doing business. Believe it or not, I do want to be optimistic.
Ibanez does not need to change the way they do business, but they do need to learn how to do some things better. Every company does. Ibanez's current weekness is there unwillingness to listen to every customer... Ibanez focuses on one or two specific types customers - and forsakes the wants, needs and desires of everyone else in favor of those one or two specific types of customers. This is wrong as well as completely unfair to everyone else. Ibanez needs to fix that - and they have been needing to fix that for a long time now.
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akustikgitar wrote:Tracy Dae? Rusty? Yeah, Rusty. lol Yeh Rusty. I agree. Rusty aka Tracy wrote:Believe it or not, I do want to be optimistic You don't want to be optimistic - w'w'hat?? Rusty aka Tracy wrote:Ibanez focuses on one or two specific types customers - and forsakes the wants, needs and desires of everyone else in favor of those one or two specific types of customers. This is wrong as well as completely unfair to everyone else. Rusty, er sorry Tracy, lets face it this has nothing to do with fairness - nor should it be. Ibanez are a business and are in it to make a profit like all business's. I don't have an issue with that. Their mistake is not that they are fair or unfair, but that they don't have a clue how to market their goods to exploit the potential of the semi range. I agree they tend to concentrate on their cash-cow the RG range and that is understandable, but a mistake. This approach has nothing to do with fairness, it has everything to do with bad decisions on strategy and marketing. Gibson don't have that issue - look at the success of the 339. Gibson didn't bring it out to be fair - they brought it out to make lots of $$, and the've done a bl**dy good job here. But then, they know how to market their goods, unlike Ibanez.
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meggiedude wrote:Tracy wrote:Believe it or not, I do want to be optimistic You don't want to be optimistic... Erm... Umm... I DO want to be optimistic... It is very hard to do that however - given Ibanez's past performance these past several years... Now as long you are interested in a standard model AF or AS body Artcore guitar, you have a reasonable selection of colors to choose from... If however you are interested in any other Artcore model, Ibanez does not care enough about you to offer a reasonable selection of colors. All Ibanez will offer for those customers are "token offerings" avalailable in one color/finish - and ONLY one color/finish... Thats not even remotely reasonable - and it can't possibly be good for sales.
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Tracy Dae wrote:meggiedude wrote:Tracy wrote:Believe it or not, I do want to be optimistic You don't want to be optimistic... Erm... Umm... I DO want to be optimistic... It is very hard to do that however - given Ibanez's past performance these past several years... Now as long you are interested in a standard model AF or AS body Artcore guitar, you have a reasonable selection of colors to choose from... If however you are interested in any other Artcore model, Ibanez does not care enough about you to offer a reasonable selection of colors. All Ibanez will offer for those customers are "token offerings" avalailable in one color/finish - and ONLY one color/finish... Thats not even remotely reasonable - and it can't possibly be good for sales. There must have been something in my tea yesterday. I could have sworn your note from the other day said you did not want to be optimistic. My bad. Anyway, I think we are all on the same hymn sheet here (all bar Ibanez that is). Although I would add that with the obvious exceptions of the standard and deluxe models, the custom range is very, very limited when it comes to finishes. While I like naked flame maple I now have two customs in this finish (well three actually since I have two AWD102-NT's  ). Getting hold of any other custom finish is nigh on impossible unless you expect to pay top dollar locally or import from far flung areas of the globe. 
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