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Ibanez AR Series AR420 - Violin Sunburst

Solidbody Electric Guitar with Okoume Body, Flame Maple Top, 3-pc Maple Neck, Jatoba Fingerboard, and 2 Humbucking Pickups - Violin Sunburst
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Ibanez AR Series AR420 - Violin Sunburst
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Unique Look, with a Wide Tonal Range

It's a good thing the Ibanez AR420 solidbody electric guitar has a unique look, otherwise you might make assumptions about how it plays and sounds. Part of Ibanez's Artist Series, the AR420 has a feel and playability that will appeal to a wide range of players of all types, and the versatile tone, combined with quality construction and tonewoods, adds up to a value-packed guitar. You get rich tone, sustain, and a classy look from an okoume body topped with maple, while two Super 58 Custom humbuckers with Tri-sound electronics give the Ibanez AR420 undeniable tonal tenacity.

Rich, vintage tone from okoume and flame maple

The arched flame maple top on the AR420 looks beautiful, and with the gold hardware it puts out a classy vibe. But it also enhances the rich tonality and sustain of the okoume body for a powerful sound that can sound warm and soulful or aggressive and biting when you match it up with the appropriate amplifier.

Sonic flexibility from Tri-sound electronics

Each of the Super 58 Custom humbuckers on the AR420 has a Tri-sound switch, which lets you choose between series, parallel, and coil-tap operation. There's a lot of tonal territory to cover here, and you'll love exploring how each configuration sounds through your favorite amplifier.

3-piece neck is ultra-rigid for exceptional performance

Multiply necks are ultra-rigid, which means they help transmit string energy to your guitar's body faster and better. So the 3-piece maple neck on the AR420 adds clarity and detail to your performance, which balances nicely with the richness and depth of okoume and maple.

Ibanez AR420 Solidbody Electric Guitar Features:

  • Tonally-versatile guitar with okoume body and figured maple top
  • Dual Super 58 Custom humbucking pickups with Alnico magnets have a smooth, wide-ranging output
  • Tri-sound electronics for each pickup give you series, parallel, and coil-tap wiring options
  • ART-1 bridge and Quik Change Ultra tailpiece were designed for long sustain and tuning stability
  • 3-piece maple neck plays fast and smooth, thanks to a slim profile and smooth heel
  • Sure-Grip control knobs are easy to manipulate while you're performing

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Tech Specs

  • General
  • Number of Strings 6
  • Left-/Right-handed Right-handed
  • Body
  • Body Type Solidbody
  • Body Shape AR Standard
  • Body Material Okoume
  • Top Material Flamed Maple
  • Body Finish Urethane
  • Color Violin Sunburst
  • Neck
  • Neck Material 3-piece Maple
  • Neck Shape Slim
  • Neck Joint Set Neck
  • Radius 12"
  • Fingerboard Material Jatoba
  • Fingerboard Inlay Acrylic/Abalone Blocks
  • Number of Frets 22, Medium
  • Scale Length 24.75"
  • Nut Width 1.693"
  • Nut Material Plastic
  • Hardware
  • Bridge/Tailpiece Gibraltar Performer Bridge with Quick-change Classic Tailpiece
  • Tuners Sealed Die-cast
  • Electronics
  • Neck Pickup Super 58 Humbucker
  • Bridge Pickup Super 58 Humbucker
  • Controls 2 x volume, 2 x tone
  • Switching 2 x Tri-Sound switch, 3-way toggle pickup switch
  • Miscellaneous
  • Strings .010-.046
  • Case/Gig Bag Sold Separately
  • Manufacturer Part Number: AR420VLS

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Great Guitar

This is an awesome guitar for under $800 it has amazing feel and great sound, and it looks great. After having it set up and changing to a lighter gauge strings it plays great. The neck is small and easy to grip, making it great for leads as well as chords on both upper and lower frets. I love the multiple sound option using the 3 3-way toggle switches.
A great guitar to add to the collection.
Music background: Been playing guitars for 40+ yrs, music producer and audio engineer.
Rated 3.5/5

Disappointing

First the bad:
Pickups are extremely bright and the pots are very irregular in taper. I've had this guitar for a couple of months now and the tone pot for the neck pickup is already hissing when turning and it's the worst of the four pots as nearly all of the taper occurs within the lowest tenth of knob turn.
The pickups are impossible to get leveled as they both ride higher in the front than the rear.
This guitar is so neck heavy that it makes an SG feel like a well balanced guitar! You literally can not let go of the neck if you're playing with a strap standing up.
The slots on the tail-piece are aggravating as all get out. When you're re-stringing the guitar it takes constant tension to keep them from springing out.

The good:
It's gorgeous. Flame is well defined and well matched. Binding is gorgeous. Looks-wise, it's very luxurious. 10/10
Finish is smooth and glossy and also very luxurious. 10/10
Setup was excellent. Required no intonation, relief or action adjustment until I swapped strings for a heavier gauge.
Did I mention it's gorgeous? This is the main selling point of this guitar imho.

Bottom line:
I like this guitar enough to work around the problems. I'm going to completely re-harness it and I believe then it will be one of my favorite guitars. So for the price for the guitar plus some more in parts it will be an upper tier instrument.
If it wasn't so pretty I'd have given 2.5 stars.
Music background: Metal, Classic Rock, Fingerstyle, Spanish Classical
Rated 5/5

Ibanez AR 300

I have this guitar but slightly different 2007 model i've hot rodded it with some seymour duncan slash pick-ups,sperzel locking tuners that i regretted putting on years later. This guitars a beast sound amazing for rock,blues,metal can't beat the price it's sounds good stock to. Beginer to pro a good buy with out the expensive price to get the job done. If this guitar was damaged to were i could not use it i'dbuy another one.
Music background: Bedroom fiddler
Rated 5/5

Great instrument!

It's a really well-crafted guitar, even though it tends to slightly be unbalanced toward the headstock side. The electronics are just amazing, and they really offer a variety of tones. In addition to that, it's also beautiful! You couldn't ask for more, given the price. I'm very happy I purchased it.
Rated 5/5

Very nice guitar

I love it as much as i love my gibson Les paul...they are both similar in my expectation of what a beautiful guitar tone is supposed to be. The differences between both are that the les paul has a much fatter tone and it weighs more ...much more.The tone on the ibanez is delicately just as rounded as the les paul but in a more delicate way...another difference is that the ibanez is more beautiful to look at ...im so glad i got this guitar it is one that i play more than any of my other awesome guitars and they are 20 others.
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