Ibanez: AR325

I ended Friday by testing this guitar- Ibanez's AR325 (at Swee Lee BB branch). This isn't a fresh idea by the manufacturer, in fact, it's a regurgitation of the Artist series. The new feature here are those mini 3-way toggle switch to provide parallel & split modes in addition to the standard humbucking mode. I kinda ignored this guitar in its previous incarnation because it sounded too much like an SG which was in need of a slightly clearer sounding pickups. However, this 2013, the AR is equipped with a pair of Super 58s so while hearing it in action, I was reminded of why I look up to these pickups, not because they are crazy high output units, because they are good in clean & driven settings without trying to be something else- it's not living in the shadows of any other Ibanez models (as far as I know). No list price as at testing time. Hmm...

Ibanez: AR series

The Ibanez community is currently abuzz with the AR series talk; yes, it's the Artist series which were once defunct but their recent resurrection had many players sing praise for them. (Above: AR325)

Unlike the previous incarnation, the current AR models sport 2 mini switches near the instruments' volume controls that allow both coil splitting & coil tapping voicings. The 24.75" scale length gave them a very Gibson-esque vibe. The Jazz players out there would tell you Ibanez's Super 58 humbuckers are some of the best in the business- just ask Scofield & Metheny. (Above: AR420)

If you possess the above instructional DVD, Marty Friedman used the AR exclusively in that recording before he received his SZ-based signature model.