- Very affordable, bare-bones hollow body electric guitar
- Very high price to value ratio
- Great craftsmanship and build quality
- Very warm, round tones
- Doesn't come with a gigbag
Hello there, back again with another real review; this time we will be looking at the Ibanez AF55 electric guitar. Before we begin, I highly suggest you have a look at my “Why Should You Trust My Reviews Article?“. I’m sure you will understand why my website is way different from other musical instrument review websites that only list items they come across online! As many of you know, Ibanez is well known for its modern, edgy guitar styles such as the RG series.
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However, Ibanez also produces excellent hollow-body guitars for the masses! I have had the chance to play some of the hollow bodies by Ibanez, like Pat Metheny’s model. 
You might say this is a signature model, and it has to be a top-quality guitar, and you are right. But what about entry-level hollow bodies? I remember we sold one of the Ibanez AF55 back in the day, and I played a short jazzy (full version) solo on it. Let’s hear the guitar in action first, below. There have been some negative comments on how we set it up and played for the video. Some people told us that we needed to remove the foam protector placed under the wooden bridge, so it would resonate much better. 
But we had to just test the guitar both in terms of functionality and cosmetics and were not able to alter any parts, even the foam protector. We used a Shure SM57 microphone and a Fender Pro Junior valve amp to record. No reverb, no EQ, no nothing!
Sound Demo (no talking)
Old information: According to Ibanez’s website, it features a maple body (top + back and sides), Artcore AF Mahogany set-in neck, and bound rosewood fretboard with dot inlays. It also has 20 medium frets with an ART-ST model bridge and a VT06 tailpiece. 
Update: As these are considered entry-level guitars, their tech specs may change frequently. When I rechecked it, I noticed these changed a bit. So please take this tech specs table below as the most recent one.
Tech Specs
| Ibanez AF55 | Tech Specs |
|---|---|
| Neck | AF Artcore, Nyatoh, Set-in |
| Top/Back/Sides | Linden |
| Fretboard | Bound Walnut with dot inlays |
| Scale | 628mm |
| Nut Width | 43mm |
| Radius | 305mm |
| Frets | 20 Medium Frets |
| Bridge | Gibraltar Performer |
| Tailpiece | VT06 tailpiece |
| Pickups | Infinity R (H) neck and bridge |
| Factory Strings | 10-13-17-30-42-52 |
| Hardware | Chrome |
The guitar comes with a pair of humbuckers called the Infinity R models, which are described as passive, ceramic pickups, and they are uncovered. 
And finally, the factory string gauge is 10-46, but not sure about the brand! I must say, I fell in love with the guitar due to its warm tones, easy playability and beautiful satin finish.
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It felt like wood resonating and producing warm, fat sounds. Also, the out-of-the-box intonation and setup were really top-notch, which is surprising for entry-level guitars. Also, as hollow bodies tend to have full, thick bodies just like acoustic guitars, it’s always more difficult to control the instrument, but with the Ibanez Artcore AF55, the body is not that thick, so very, very easy to control.
I would definitely recommend the Ibanez Artcore AF55 to anyone looking for a very affordable hollow-body guitar. It was so much fun to play, and it played very well both unplugged and plugged in!
Pricing & Availability
I was reviewing my older articles, and I seriously expected that this guitar would be long discontinued. However, surprisingly, AF55 is still manufactured! You may purchase one from Thomann, Reverb and even Amazon (sometimes they pop up there, too!)
Check out the Ibanez Artcore AF55 on Thomann here
Although you may expect multiple used listings on Reverb naturally, it’s usually all brand-new AF55 model guitars listed there. You may sometimes find a couple of used items, too.
Check out the Ibanez Artcore AF55 on Reverb here
I wouldn’t expect AF55 model guitars on Amazon, but you may sometimes grab a couple of these over there. Usually, Amazon stores list other Artcore series more often than the AF55.
Check out the Ibanez Artcore AF55 on Amazon here
Hope you have enjoyed this short article on one of the best value-for-money hollow-body guitars around! Thanks for visiting my blog and supporting me so far! I will hopefully see you in the next review here!
