I continue to be drawn back daily to gaze at the picture of the AS103 on the website.
Since I can't play one first, I was wondering if any one who has one, in addition to one
with the ACH p/u's could describe the difference in tones?

I read the descriptions of "classic warm versatle" and "clean with slight over drive".
One is alnico and one is ceramic. Are the Classic 58's in line with a 57 classic style
sound? And the ACH's more of a PAF? (Sorry, those are the only references I have).

Thanks.

I agree with this, but if you roll the tone knob down too far the resulting sound is very unpleasant (to my ears, anyway). A thin, "bleep-boop" video game sort of sound.



I agree with most of this except for the P90 comparision. I am not a fan of the ACH pickups. They are decent, mediocre, okay, but that's it.

My Gibson P90s give clearer cleans and grittier growls, just all-round better whether I'm playing clean with lots of headroom or distorted.

Peace

Mike

P. S. Billy, I love talking Artcores, but your good questions about neck profile and pickups tone would be much better answered by getting an AS in your hands. There's not an Ibanez dealer near you?

Its been said many times btw, but lets not forget that the AS103 and all guitars in the Artcore custom range have super 58 customs, not the super 58's as found in guitars like the JSM100 John Schofield.
They are only alike in name - not tone.
I state this only to save any future confusion in this thread.

I don't have any ACH's in my Ibby Artcores, just s58c's so can't comment on tone back to back. All I would say is then I have tried ACH's in a store they were pretty uninspiring.

Thanks everyone. I can get a hold of an AS73 at Guitar Center.
But they don't have an AS103 in the store. It would have to be
ordered. I held an AS73 last week and strummed in unplugged to
get a feel for the neck. I like that too.

I'm interested in the tone of the 103. I have a Gibson Std. Trad
with 57's and a Casino. I'm not totally in love with the Casino,
so would most likely be selling it.

I want a good semi-hollow, but don't want to pay the 335 price.
Hence the AS103 keeps calling me based on its looks and positive
reviews

BillyG, I own a AS73TCR and a AS83VLS, both with the ACH pups, I absolutely love the sounds and tones I get out of these guitars/pick-ups. Maybe a comparison of output would help. Anyone know what the ACH's output is? compared to 58 customs and super 58's?

Also perhaps it depends on what your plugged into, I love the ACH's through an older Peavey Bandit 112 (Solid State) and a Peavey ValveKing 212 but I usually play through the clean channel with B,M,T all at Noon and go through a Digitech RP300a multi-effect pedal, (mainly on one settings) with great results, Now I recently purchased a couple new effects pedals which I mentioned in another thread, The ACH's sound great too, but at totally different settings on the guitars volume and tone, but equally sweet to the ears too. :-) Any how since I have two artcores with the same pick-ups, I just may experiment in the future with a different set on one of them, but every time I pick up these guitars and plug in I say to myself " Maybe another day " I just enjoy the heck out of them I get a beautiful tone very much like the sound you hear in this Magic Sam video. The music starts at the 48 second mark if you impatient :-) Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S5DGqCfk8o

Great stuff, thanks for introducing me to this artist.

Any time :-) That video of him live is great, but I do get similar tones with my ACH's and thats a beautiful thing, atleast to my ears. The ACH pick-ups may not be the best but they can deliver.

Was it this guy?

I put a set of Super 58's in an AS73--HOTTT DAYAMMMM!!! What a difference. I took it into my favorite store [a plug for Bill's Music in Catonsville, Maryland, USofA] and A/B'd it with a Gibson 335. Blew it away (the Gibby that is)!

I've been to Bill's dude. A great place. The squirrel working there wasn't to cool. I was up and around the eastcoast for 2 years recently. Went in to buy an AF105 spalted maple without the map for 899.00. I had seen it on fleebay. They said it was in the store somewhere? Got there and Bill wasnt around. The squirrel tells me the ebay employee wasnt there and they coundlnt sell it while it was on ebay. So I tell him, well i'll open an ebay account and do the buy now option, so go get it.He did not know if he could so I walked out the store. As I was leaving, a cool employee felt bad and told me Bill would have squared it up, so I gave the cool dude some tickets. Nice place though, lots of guitars, lots of Ibanez!!!