Left Handed Semi Hollow Guitar For Sale (2024 Update)

After months of searching for my next guitar I finally settled on the Ibanez Prestige AZ series. As a lifelong strat player, my goal was to find a guitar that married modern features with classic American Strat-like qualities. The obvious choice might be the modern Suhr series, but the pricing on those was too high for me to even entertain exploring. The Ibanez Prestige AZ2402 is the perfect rendition of the featuree I was looking for and after 3 weeks of playing, I could not be happier with this purchase. I was able to secure the guitar for a few hundred less than new, as it was labelled as "minor blemish" on the AMS site. I immediately jumped on it and am ecstatic that I did so. To this day 3 weeks later, I cannot tell what the "blemish" could be. This thing looks, feels, plays and sounds like a brand new guitar. Out of the box the guitar was set up and only just slightly flat of tune. To meet my preference, some minor adjustments were made to the neck and bridge, but the 20 minutes or so that it took to slap some fresh strings on and make the measurements was well worth it. I have even had to do this on product that was brand new before, so I could not even attribute this to the "minor blemish" label. Th pickups are amazing. The coil switch mechanisms are great for added versatility, but the standard humbuckers are excellent and the guitar should still be considered even if you do not plan to use the switching system. The neck is super creamy and clear as a bell, while the bridge is just hot enough for metal and crystal clear enough to jangle some clean chords. The bridge is very solid with comfortable saddles and screams top quality. Tuning stability has not been any sort of issue, even with the use of the bar. I am not an extreme whammy bar user, but I did do some tests on deep dives and the guitar tuning needed no adjustment afterwards. In fact, since I changed the strings and did the setup on the second day, the guitar has not gone out of tune at all. I will highlight that the neck is way thicker than what I was anticipating, but in a few hours I was right at home with the feel. I have played many wizard necks and it simply was not what I was looking for, being accustomed to chunkier modern strat necks. The AZ neck is big, chunkier than the strat but I am now in love with it and this guitar has become my go to #1. Definitely recommend even at the full new price. This same guitar made in the US with all the exact same appointments would cost in excess of 4K. Great Guitar!Ryan

Sound: The Hyperion pickups do a great job overall and offer up a nice array of different sounds for just about every style of music. When in HH mode it goes from blues to rock and beyond with no problem. When the DynaMix switch is engaged the guitar takes on a completely different characteristic from jangly to warm and has some great tonal options for clean and crunch. I like the versatility of this guitar. It takes a bit of time to get used to all the options and you’ll have to tweak your EQ here and there to avoid them sounding thin or shrill, but I think you'll be able to find quite a few useful tones with this guitar. Features: The Gotoh tuners are sturdy and stable. The ratio is great and they really smooth with no issues at all holding tune. I had never used them before and I had to YouTube how to unlock them lol, but they work great. I prefer locking tuners with the knob on the back, but that's just personal preference. The Gotoh bridge feels spectacular. The titanium saddles are so smooth, no more rubbing your palm raw over rough saddles or screws. I don't use a trem much these days but it does a good job staying in tune even with some dive bombs and flutters. The roasted maple neck is beautiful and has a great smooth feel on the back. The cutaway and contours are very comfortable and the recessed input jack is a thoughtful highlight. And yes, most wireless transmitters will fit. I could not get my Line 6 G10 transmitter to fit in the AZ Premium I had. The Prestige is not as deeply recessed and the transmitter fits just fine. This is my first go around with stainless steel frets but I do like the feel of them and they look good too. Ease of Use: It’s a fairly straightforward guitar to use and maintain. Nothing overly complicated here. Changing strings on a 2 point trem is a breeze compared to Floyd Rose or Edge terms and with the locking tuners you can get through the task in just a few minutes. All the back panels open easily for access to trem springs, input jack, and electronics. The exposed truss rod socket makes adjusting the neck a snap. The included multi-tool is really all you will ever need for quick changes. Quality: This is where everyone will say they have high end made in America PRS, or Custom Shop whatevers and this is just as good or better. They will say that for a good reason because it’s the truth. Fit and finish are spectacular. No gaps or wiggles to be found. Fret work and fingerboard are simply top notch. It feels like it’s been your guitar for years. Electronics are smooth and there is an overall premium feel to this instrument. The hype is real…. FujiGen makes great guitars. Value: Value is a subjective measure. This is an expensive guitar for sure but when compared to similar “modern player” guitars out there the 2402 sits right in the middle price-wise. I feel it’s well within reason for what you get and it’s a good value for your money. I’d rather get a painted body with stainless steel frets than a bookmatched top and standard frets. Manufacturer Support: Haven't needed it The Wow Factor: In my humble opinion the wow factor is somewhat unseen. The story behind the AZ series is quite novel in that Ibanez reached out and met with some of the best and brightest guitarists around today. Over a period of 2 or 3 years and through several prototypes they compiled all of those suggestions into this amazing series of instruments. If all the artists involved really feel that this is their ultimate guitar then that’s pretty wow in my book. Overall: OK first let’s talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the room. That neck!!!! If you have done any research on the AZ series you already know it’s not a Wizard neck, but you may be surprised at how big it is. When I first grabbed it I was thinking I was going to return it, but after playing on it for a few days it felt like home. Like a lot of things about this guitar, the neck is a paradox. It shouldn’t feel this comfortable to someone who prefers Charvel and Jacksons, but it does. It doesn’t feel like a shred neck, but you can play that way remarkably well on it. It has its own unique shape like nothing I’ve played before. If I had to compare it to something I’d say somewhat resembles a Fender American Elite neck but more of a U shape with bigger shoulders. I can say that I don’t notice a huge change when going back and forth with my other guitars. It’s easy to transition between them without a lot of readjustment time to ‘get the feel’. I’ve seen a lot of forum posts asking about how the AZ Prestige stacks up to other instruments. Here’s my opinion. I own a Charvel Pro Mod DK24 HSS with the roasted neck and I really like that guitar a lot. The 2402 is a little lighter and sleeker and has a higher quality feel. I think the Hyperions as humbuckers are more versatile than the Full Shred. The 2402 neck is thicker and feels a little wider vs the DK which is more like a very thin Strat neck. I also briefly owned the Premium version of this guiAllan

So many professional guitar players choose this Ibanez Prestige AZ2402 and when you get your hands on one you know exactly why. Where to start?!? First off the Japanese craftsmanship on these guitars a second to none! Perfect execution in every way! Neck, body, frets, tremolo everything just fits together in joyful harmony to make for an awesome axe that practically plays itself. Stainless steel frets will last a life-time and pickups offer a wide array of tone arsenal. If you need just one axe in your collection i would recommend this for sure. Its worthy of calling it your #1 if you are a shredder, prog, or jazz player. This guitar is for everyone!usbzoso

Great looking guitar and sounded good out of the box. I'm just learning guitar and was very happy with it over all. My brother has a band and has played guitar for years and he was impressed with it. He said he would take it from me if it wasn't a left handed guitar. looking forward to learning how to play itcalwayne

I'm just learning how to play guitar. This is a well made instrument. My brother plays guitar and said if I didn't learn to play it he would use it in his band. The sound was good and the finish is greatcalwayne

Bought this guitar for the jazz songs we do in our band. It's also great for the blues. Powerful pickups. Played great right out of the box.dale57strat

I love this Casino. I knew I wanted a P-90, and I really wanted a fully hollow body. I wanted to see if I could replicate a I've been agonizing over the purchase for months, looking for every possible solution, and was almost ready to pull the trigger on the Epi USA version, and after MUCH research, finally decided to go with the regular Epiphone. The construction, from everything I read, is excellent, and I knew that if necessary, I could always switch out the pups. Well, I can't say enough about how good this guitar is! I am extremely fussy on setups (I do setups on my own guitars and for other people) and this thing was ready to play right out of the box! I literally didn't touch a thing except to tune it up. I won't even have to dress the frets. I may touch them up just a bit (again, I'm really fussy) but they feel better than most guitars that cost three times as much. It is really beautiful. I love the vintage sunburst. The finish is flawless. Now for the important part – it plays like a dream. The neck profile is extremely comfortable. I can move up and down the neck as fluidly as on any guitar I own. And the sound! I was amazed at how present it is, even before plugging it in. I see this little sweetheart spending a lot of evenings on the couch with me. Soft enough not to overly bother my wife, but again – very present. Plugged in – well lets just say I won't be replacing these pups. It is exactly the sound I was hoping for. I'm no Grant Green, but I can certainly understand why he loved this guitar. Would I recommend it? Heck yeah! Country? Check. Classic rock? Check. Rockabilly, surf, blues and even jazz? Check, check, check, and check.Jess

Had the money to buy any guitar in the shop. Liked the looks of the SG, worn ebony with rosewood fingerboard and the Gibson speed knobs. Having only played guitars with 9.5 radius, I found the 14 radius was better for bar chords. The craftsmanship is excellent, can find no flaws the body or neck. The truss rod was out of adjustment, considerable back-bow. I fixed that, and set the action low. The intonation was spot on. Frets were polished with no sharp edges. I plan to upgrade the cheap electronics with new pots. As for the pickups, they sound ok. Since I use a modeling amp, not a big issue for me. The nut is a GraphTech synthetic bone. Nice touch for an inexpensive guitar, since i do not like changing them out…too much risk of damage. I have fender Strat and Tele, but have not put this down since purchasing it. Once I upgrade the electronics, this will be a very solid guitar.Jeff

Sound: This guitar I by far the smoothest I have ever played. The tone is great and playing leads on it is like no other. Features: Everything about this guitar is perfect from the type of wood to the electonics. Ease of Use: This is an easy guitar to play if you have experience. Beginners will have to get used to it. The jumbo frets is where people will get messed up because of the spacing of the strings. Quality: This guitar will last a lifetime. Value: It is a very good price Manufacturer Support: I did not have to use any of the manufacturing numbers or talk to anyone this guitar was perfect right out of the box. The strings are great and it was in perfect tune right out of the box. The Wow Factor: The looks Overall: Great guitar for looks, price, and playability just get it. I own one and I will probably get it buried with me. This is the best guitar I played and currently own.Tom

I've wanted one of these for a long time and finally took the plunge. I'm very happy with the sound and construction of this guitar. Note that at least as of early 2018, there is no longer a "KH-602" inlay on the 24th fret. There are two small skull inlays like on the new Purple Sparkle model. The neck is super smooth on this guitar as mentioned by everyone else. The only thing I am having trouble getting used to is the extreme bevel of the fret ends. If I'm not careful it's easy for me to push the low E off the fretboard. Tuning the Floyd Rose bridge takes some patience, but once you get it dialed in it stays locked down. I like it.Rockman

I played on an Ibanez S-series for years and it was my go to for playing metal. I also own an American Standard Fender Stratocaster. I bought this guitar because I love playing Metallica songs and solos just jamming at home. This is by far my favorite guitar to play on now. The extra jumbo frets make soloing a cinch and have improved my capabilities. The heavy metal crunching sound is AWESOME and I only play on a Line 6 with one 12" speaker. My only disappointment is with some buzzing frets. The repair technician at Guitar center told me I have uneven frets, which would need to be repaired to get rid of the buzzing on both E strings, which is still present even after having the guitar set perfectly to spec by Guitar Center. You can't hear the buzzing through the amp, but I expected to receive near perfection from ESP/LTS when paying such as high price tag. QC those frets better before you release the guitars ESP South Korea! Or cut the price!Brosche

I had a red 2012-ish era Casino for a few years that I liked but didn't love. I was a big fan of the overall vibe of hollow-body plus 2 P90s, but the pickups were a little dark, and it didn't play very well (small cramped neck, some fit and finish issues, fret buzz even after a professional setup, etc). I ordered this new model back in December and just received it last week (7 months later). It was absolutely worth the wait. It fixes everything I didn't love about the previous model – better sounding pickups, wider neck, improved fit and finish. I wouldn't consider myself a "real" guitar player (mostly just play for songwriting and recording projects), but this new Casino is extremely fun to play and has reignited some of the passion I had for playing back in my teens. The techs at CME clearly did a great job setting up the action before shipping, and the color is truly unique and handsome – my partner has remarked several times about how beautiful of an instrument it is! Highly, highly recommended.Eric S.

First ever guitar that was perfectly setup out of the box. Not only is the fit and finish perfect, all it needed was to be tuned and played. I tried to do some setup, but I couldn't improve on it. It plays as smoothly as any guitar I've ever handled and I love the tone of the P90s on the hollow body. I've had it about two weeks. It took a while to get the hang of the breakup levels through my tube amps. It's definitely different than the humbuckers on my Gibsons. The finish is rich and deep. I have a Chinese Casino in the same finish, but you can tell the difference between them from a distance. Look closely and the USA is absolutely gorgeous. The difference in sound between the two is like night and day and I used to like the way the Chinese one sounded. I haven't found any flaws in fit or finish. I got it out of the box and put my gauges on it. Everything was in spec so I tuned it up. It was a half step low all the way around. Tuned up, the intonation was perfect. I've just been playing it ever since and it gets a little more comfortable every day. I love the neck and being light as a feather doesn't hurt either. This will be my gigging guitar for the foreseeable future.RTonka

Sound: YES COMPARABLE TO MORE EXPENSIVE MODELS THE AMERICAN MADE P90s sound outstanding….However the chrome finish wore OFF in just a few months. And the finish on the GUITAR BODY scratches VERY easy..The bridge saddles move on their own while playing..I would LOOK into that ..or change it to a roller bridge. It plays MUCH smoother and no more adjustments had to be made tuning machines are a little on the loose side .The pickup select switch on mine sometimes DOESN'T ALWAYS make a good connection on the bridge pick up (although I believe it's a switchcraft switch ) Also it took about a month of playing before the BLACK residue from the fingerboard stopped coming up on my fingers. But besides all that minor stuff I love the guitar… and is there any way you could bring the Cutaway up more about four frets?? Overall: It plays and sounds BEAUTIFUL…however the chrome finish wore off rather quickly…also the saddles in the bridge had to be reajusted frequently because they moved on their own.. Also went out of tune alot BUT..OTHERWISE plays like silk and I absolutely love the sustainability and sound of the P-90sLarry

Never played a seven before (20+ guitar owner) and actually was looking more towards a 6-baritone. But cripes, the sale price and hearing about how nice Jackson was making stuff…? Pulled the trigger. Still not too sure what the heck I am doing, but having a great time with it. Maybe I AM a nu-metal head after all. Regardless, it is fun to play. I was amazed that the fret ends weren't garbage, the they needed a bit of a polish, but were otherwise really nice. With the specs like carved top, compound radius, neck reinforcement (I think?), and maple board, the value is incredible. I'm a sucker for maple board too, really wish I wasn't, but I am and this thing is cool. Am I gonna play it all the time? No. But I might play it every day for a bit. Was really impressed with the pickups as well. Figured it would be a mud bath. Maybe the B gets more lost than I was expecting, but was way more articulate overall that I was expecting. I am assuming ceramics, and zero hangups about that. Cons: The tuning machines are poop. If you change direction, expect a 1/4 turn before anything moves. I mean they are pretty poor. And since it is a seven string, that is a touch more complicated to replace.Josh G

Got this guitar to get back into shredding again. Hadn't played metal since the early 90s and shredding is a good way to keep the arthritis from destroying the joints in my fingers and wrists. For the money, this is an overall great guitar. It does what I want it to and that's what matters. The only real gripe I have is the tuners. This is a guitar I can do a lot of mods on and not worry about lowering the value. For those who are beginners, this guitar is an excellent choice to get started on. For those who want to get into shredding – or get back into it as I am – you can do so without breaking the bank. This instrument is not on par with an American made Fender or Gibson but it will most certainly do the job it's designed to. A great buy!Chris S.

The Jackson JS22 Dinky is the best Sounding, and the best feeling guitar I own. I have used Washburn, Schecter, and a few more brands, but this one felt and sounded the best in my opinion. It has sharkfin inlays, amaranth fretboard, and the Jackson speed neck. My only complaints is that the stock tuners suck, and the pickups could be better, but still good enough for some Slayer songs. But get locking tuners. I will see if I can get some Seymour Duncan Invaders, or EMG H4 Pickups.Kawliga

This was my second run at a D'Angelico. My first try was an all mahogany acoustic offered through M/F as an exclusive. The neck on that one required the full run of the truss rod, and even then didn't come close to straight. I thought about sending that one to the luthier, but traded it at GC. So, this was my second try (I really want to like this brand). It is a pretty guitar (all white), but it just doesn't like to be looked at up close, like a car that looks great from fifty feet away, and then you find out it's all bondo… Again, neck straightness problems. But even more troubling, was a flaw in the neck on the treble side between the 6th and 7th fret. Looked like an impact to the neck, binding, and fret board during the manufacturing or packaging process, maybe after paint. The finish was cracked, and had a noticeable ridge when playing. A strong light source parallel to the neck revealed the damage that was clearly felt. There were paint runs on the neck, as well. The pickups were mounted in reversed position, neck mounted at bridge, bridge mounted at neck so it was impossible to level the neck pick up, and tone was weak and muddy, so the wiring was suspect as well. There were small wounds in the fret board that were visible. The binding didn't line up well at joints. Guitar was well packaged (so was the acoustic) and came in a hard case, so can't blame UPS. I didn't make it to checking out the setup and fret condition, as every defect showed itself in the first ten seconds. I hope other people have been luckier with this brand than I have, but sometimes it just works out like this. All in all, I regret going through the hassle of ordering this guitar, it was a stupid deal of the day/clearance special at more than 50% off list, even at that price, and then returning it. I'm afraid it will show up as an open box…. ps. gave it a star for the packaging and case, and gave it another star 'cause it sure would look pretty hanging on a wall somewherebarn

Guitar was not setup properly had to adjust everything. The cheap Vinyl that's glued on otter edge already pealing. When it arrived there was glue seeping from the edges, didnt realize until I touched it & ruined my $$60.00 gold plated strings. I replaced truss rod cover, junk. Knobs dont match/ugly replaced. Nut was junk, not cut right, made my own in my shop. The glue seepage awful. Removed cheap Vinyl treating guitar to remove exess glue, ridiculous. Huge scratch on back chip on rear bottom of neck where vynil was joined. For the 60th anniversary edition… Worst I've ever seen! My original 59 still looks plays and sounds fantastic. Cutting corners using cheap materials and trying to save money is no way to honor guitars from our past. Sound not that great but I'll have to replace some wiring & tuners as well. stuff to get it to sound halfway decent. I play in a Zeppelin tribute band at all the hotels and in Vegas, definitely not stage worthy! What a major disappointment. Way over priced. My appraisal $80.00 and that's being generous. If you want one, build your own instead.niceguyvinny1968

Someone in the band said we should do one of those early 60's songs. I listened to it, and it clearly had that 12-string jangle so characteristic of the period. The best thing for that is a Rickenbacker 12-string, but I wasn't going to spring for that for just a few songs. So I zeroed in on a few possibilities, including this Danelectro, and the Dean Boca and the Ibanez Artcore in about the same price range. But the Dano is of course pretty much the exact same instrument that they made back then, and it is arguably better now than it ever was. It was always an inexpensive brand, but had the distinction that a lot of famous people played them. Therefore it has that "original vibe", like the Rickenbacker, but at a fraction of the price. So the Dano was the obvious choice, and I got this NOS version (No-S = no S or F hole which some other models have and the originals did). They say it is still made from Masonite, but you can't tell since it is completely painted and while the website says it is laminated, it is very light-weight. And it still has that textured plastic tape around the whole perimeter like it's supposed to have. The neck strap button is in an awkward location, so you may have to cut a piece off your strap to make it fit (I did, and I replaced my strap buttons with Schaller black strap locks). These guitars are made in Korea, and the build quality is excellent. I was afraid that I'd have get a setup, but the one I received has a fine neck with a nice rosewood finger board, has low action and plays easily enough (for a 12-string), so I'm going to leave it as is. The sound is great! It has that unique Dano sound because of the two lipstick pickups. It may be too bright when using the bridge pickup only, but the thing is you get used to the tone really quickly, so it may work just fine. It certainly will cut through the mix! It is louder when using both pickups, which is probably what I will use most of the time. In sum, I'm very happy with it! It will do!Willy

I didn't have high hopes for a 12 string electric at this price point, but I also couldn't resist, and WOW – am I completely satisfied! This guitar plays really well. It came with a good set-up and when I fine tuned it all the systems worked as they should. You can even adjust intonation on all twelve strings. Thus far the neck has been straight and easily adjusts to string or environmental conditions – I've given it a slight adjustment once it acclimated to my desert conditions and since it has been stable and true. Of course I should protect my guitar from the elements, and I bought a gig bag, but it stays out pretty much constantly and is used daily. This guitar is tons of fun. It easily does the Byrds style of 12 string sound. Also, I never knew just how many early Beatles riff where on 12 string until I started messing with this guitar. It's a blast. I own a Rick 6 string and have always wanted an electric 12. This Danelectro is great quality and great fun and it more than satisfies my itch (for now) at fraction of the price. You will not regret buying this guitar – it will unlock a new world!Mike

Overall: I live in a large city and it is still impossible to find a Gibson 335 that plays and sounds great, has no issues or questionable history and comes with a price tag lower than a new one to justify the gamble. As a result, I decided to pull the trigger on a new one and went for the figured, not so much for the flame but for the lower weight and select wood, knowing both my back would thank me and that the guitar would probably be a bit more open and resonant. Block inlays are certainly nice and that may have helped sway my decision too. The 335 arrived with an impeccable setup, right out of the box from the factory. In my 35 years of playing, I’ve never had this happen. I’ve heard of it happening but never to me. I always have to tweak the truss rod to straighten the neck a bit, adjust the bridge action, widen the nut slots and intimate the guitar. Every time. The only adjustment I’ve had to make is lower the pickups a bit for balance, that’s it! Plays like an absolute dream. Here is why you want this guitar rather than a used one—. the neck. None of that weird pencil thin 335 necks from the past or those horrible and slow baseball bat necks… this is perfect. I don’t know what Gibson is doing in Nashville now, but they are making these guitars better than they ever have. Having always been a fan of Classic ‘57 pickups, I read about these T Type pickups being bright. It is true that they are bright, however it works so well in this guitar. Roll back the tone knobs for the mellower and darker sounds, especially when in the neck position for a classic straight-ahead jazz sound, or rolled back in the bridge to fatten up rhythms…but the thing is, roll the tone up for that beautiful bite and thunk in single line solos. I have had bright guitars in the past and there is nothing you can do for them. No matter the pickups or amp, it remains bright and pingy. This is not a bright guitar and has such a beautifully balanced and mellow acoustic voice, the pickups suit it well and I will not replace them. Is it an insane amount of money? Yes. It is. In 10 years when I have blown through $4K many times over and have nothing to show for it, will I still have this 335? Yes. I will. It’s an investment and zZounds makes it possible for someone like me to have something nice. This is an absolutely breathtaking guitar. In playability, sound, and appearance—Gibson is on top of their game these days and I think the future will look back at this era as their new golden age.Michael

Upon opening the case, the case was hard to open, like it didn't fit top cover to bottom cover. The guitar smells of cheap carnauba wax (if you wax your own car you know there are great waxes that smell good) this is not the great smell of the past Gibson guitars I have purchased in the past. There was a light haze to the guitar like the wax was dried but not wiped off completely. The was not common of years pasts Gibson's. Its a very light weight guitar. Nice to hold and even sitting with it to play does not dig into the underarm like a thick acoustic does over time. The ice tea version does look great front to back. I can't tell if it's AAA but its very nice. The head stock look s like it wasn't cut symmetrically compared to the other side or sanded to much. The neck is nice and thick and wider top to bottom which I like for fitting all my fingers on the 1-5 frets for chords. Their is a lot of fret buzz on the G string throughout the range of the neck, It looks like the G string is higher than all the other strings in an attempt to reduce the buzz. I thought these were machine prepped ?? I can most likely (hopefully)make some adjustments for this. The frets feel thinner than my Les Paul's. Not sure if I like this but I can get used to it. The sound on a clean channel is great. I really like the sound. The volume knobs have no volume from 0 – almost 2, they don't change the volume a lot from 3-7, from 8-10 is almost all the volume change. I have never had this experience before. The tone knobs actually lowers the volume from 1-3 which I thought is also strange. I have no experience with a ES model so maybe this is normal. If it is, then I am not sure I would have purchased. I don't regret the purchase but I was expecting perfection for this price.Just Me

I love 335 but played several that I found meh. Preferred the Heritage H-535 I bought to most Gibbies I tried. Until I played that one at my local GC store. Was immediately captivated with the tone. Went back several times, and took the plunge despite the sticker shock. At home, in my amp it sounded even better than in the shop. Absolutely wonderful guitar, that feels and sounds as good and sometimes even better than vintage 60s 335 I tried or owned. I am in love! But what a price tag…Gibson CS is becoming unattainable fast.Stéphane

Overall: I live in a large city and it is still impossible to find a Gibson 335 that plays and sounds great, has no issues or questionable history and comes with a price tag lower than a new one to justify the gamble. As a result, I decided to pull the trigger on a new one and went for the figured, not so much for the flame but for the lower weight and select wood, knowing both my back would thank me and that the guitar would probably be a bit more open and resonant. Block inlays are certainly nice and that may have helped sway my decision too. The 335 arrived with an impeccable setup, right out of the box from the factory. In my 35 years of playing, I’ve never had this happen. I’ve heard of it happening but never to me. I always have to tweak the truss rod to straighten the neck a bit, adjust the bridge action, widen the nut slots and intimate the guitar. Every time. The only adjustment I’ve had to make is lower the pickups a bit for balance, that’s it! Plays like an absolute dream. Here is why you want this guitar rather than a used one—. the neck. None of that weird pencil thin 335 necks from the past or those horrible and slow baseball bat necks… this is perfect. I don’t know what Gibson is doing in Nashville now, but they are making these guitars better than they ever have. Having always been a fan of Classic ‘57 pickups, I read about these T Type pickups being bright. It is true that they are bright, however it works so well in this guitar. Roll back the tone knobs for the mellower and darker sounds, especially when in the neck position for a classic straight-ahead jazz sound, or rolled back in the bridge to fatten up rhythms…but the thing is, roll the tone up for that beautiful bite and thunk in single line solos. I have had bright guitars in the past and there is nothing you can do for them. No matter the pickups or amp, it remains bright and pingy. This is not a bright guitar and has such a beautifully balanced and mellow acoustic voice, the pickups suit it well and I will not replace them. Is it an insane amount of money? Yes. It is. In 10 years when I have blown through $4K many times over and have nothing to show for it, will I still have this 335? Yes. I will. It’s an investment and zZounds makes it possible for someone like me to have something nice. This is an absolutely breathtaking guitar. In playability, sound, and appearance—Gibson is on top of their game these days and I think the future will look back at this era as their new golden age.Michael

Upon opening the case, the case was hard to open, like it didn't fit top cover to bottom cover. The guitar smells of cheap carnauba wax (if you wax your own car you know there are great waxes that smell good) this is not the great smell of the past Gibson guitars I have purchased in the past. There was a light haze to the guitar like the wax was dried but not wiped off completely. The was not common of years pasts Gibson's. Its a very light weight guitar. Nice to hold and even sitting with it to play does not dig into the underarm like a thick acoustic does over time. The ice tea version does look great front to back. I can't tell if it's AAA but its very nice. The head stock look s like it wasn't cut symmetrically compared to the other side or sanded to much. The neck is nice and thick and wider top to bottom which I like for fitting all my fingers on the 1-5 frets for chords. Their is a lot of fret buzz on the G string throughout the range of the neck, It looks like the G string is higher than all the other strings in an attempt to reduce the buzz. I thought these were machine prepped ?? I can most likely (hopefully)make some adjustments for this. The frets feel thinner than my Les Paul's. Not sure if I like this but I can get used to it. The sound on a clean channel is great. I really like the sound. The volume knobs have no volume from 0 – almost 2, they don't change the volume a lot from 3-7, from 8-10 is almost all the volume change. I have never had this experience before. The tone knobs actually lowers the volume from 1-3 which I thought is also strange. I have no experience with a ES model so maybe this is normal. If it is, then I am not sure I would have purchased. I don't regret the purchase but I was expecting perfection for this price.Just Me

I love 335 but played several that I found meh. Preferred the Heritage H-535 I bought to most Gibbies I tried. Until I played that one at my local GC store. Was immediately captivated with the tone. Went back several times, and took the plunge despite the sticker shock. At home, in my amp it sounded even better than in the shop. Absolutely wonderful guitar, that feels and sounds as good and sometimes even better than vintage 60s 335 I tried or owned. I am in love! But what a price tag…Gibson CS is becoming unattainable fast.Stéphane

I had played one of these in a store and liked the feel. After having one for a few weeks, I like it even more. I'm slightly taller than the average guy. Hence my fingers are a bit longer than the average guy. Maybe it is just because the neck seems to get thinner as you get up to the higher notes, but it seems like the neck is a little wider than the rest of my guitars up around the 15th to 24th frets. ("rest of my guitars" include Les Paul, Strat, Ibanez RG550, EVH Wolfgang, and others for reference). Aside from how great the paint job LOOKS, it does not have a gloss coat on it. This is a good thing since the paint job extends up the back of the neck allowing your hand to slide quite freely on the back of the neck. The bridge humbucker is fantastic. It screams the notes clearly with ZERO noise or hum when not playing. I'm not that impressed with the neck humbucker, but that's comparing it to the neck hum on my Les Paul, Carvin, and PRS Custom. AND, for about 90% of the 80s hair band songs you are never using that pickup anyway. The Floyd Rose is great! I got tired of waiting for it to need minor tuning adjustments naturally, so I'm to the point of TRYING to make it go out of tune even slightly and it STILL stays locked in tune. Overall, this guitar is now my GO TO for anything 80s (the biggest chunk of my playing preference).Steve

I was keen to find a 6 string that had a fixed bridge that I could use for covers and so I can retune to alternate tunings easily without having to get the screwdrivers and spending a lot of time retuning like a Locking Tremolo guitar. Thankfully the guitar already had Seymour Duncan pick ups in which are essential to having a aggressive tone but as well allow good expression so this meant it would be a case of getting the guitar out the box and playing rather than buying separate pick ups having to fit them in and so on. As I wanted a guitar that wasn't black or brightly colored the desert sand finish on the guitar really stood out and attracted me. Most of the SLP2's have a great selection of finish's. As for the neck and wood finish it is very smoothly and allows you to get quick access from from end of the neck to the other. Behind each the tuners on the headstock, there is this interesting circular turning device to help lock in the strings. This may help keep it in tune more but I also just attribute it staying in tune due to the general quality of the guitar. I bend the strings a lot for my lead playing and I play very aggressively with thick picks and rhythmically so once I put some heavier strings on (my preference) and configured the bridge saddles with a very small L shaped Allen/hex key the guitar stayed in tune.Tom H.

This is a excellent guitar for the money I absolutely love this sound in the play ability is unbelievable. Money well spent!jasohoudyschel-0

Looks and feels great, sounds nice out of the box but the stock pickups are not stellar. However, they will do everything upto 85% of high end pickups. These are actually pretty good. Unless you're very finicky, I don't recommend changing them. Can't say anything bad about it. I modified mine because my cover shield was cracked out of the box and I have not heard anything back about a replacement. I got some unique Lace Humbucker and slapped them on with some mad wiring that splits and parallels the hums. It sounds a lot better than stock. I also added a chrome cover shield.arcticwynd

It is close to being a 5/5 guitar for me. It plays very easily with the condition that the back of the neck feels a bit weird to me right now, I have only played it twice though so through playing this might very well go away. It's a maple neck and the back is non glossy which I like but the thin nitro coating they have sprayed it with feels a bit weird under the hand, it's not sticky in the slightest, it's just nothing like I am used to. Might just be me, and as always this should go away with playing. I like the colour and design of the guitar. I like the neck in general, I am not a metal player and thinner necks aint my thang but this neck is thin but also comfortable with it. The pickups are good, I have two Seymour Duncans in my only other *metal* guitar and I am not sure which set I prefer. This one has a JB in the bridge and a 59 in the neck. The 59 is well capable of Bluesy, rock and even Lead Tones. The bridge JB does Lead and can get clear clean tones especially if you roll some tone off on the guitar. I hear some people complain about the harshness or more like the bite of the JB but I think that's unfair. It's true this guitar does Blues, rock and metal well but for modern metal it is in the ballpark but not quite there. It's more suitied to 80's thrash metal than modern stuff and it does all rock well and you can do Blues with it in the neck position. So it's not an out and out metal guitar and so I like it better for that. It is versatile. I play Pink Floyd on it and it sings. Performs well with any type of rock and if you want Metallica early metal tones and onwards this does it really well. I am not much into modern metal anyway so I am not too bothered. I did Motorhead songs the other day and it kills it. The tuners are Jacksons sealed ones or whatever they are ,so not locking as far as I know but it stays in tune really well, maybe because of the floyd rose on it, which works really well. My first ever Floyd Rose guitar and it impresses me with how well it works and not as hard as you think when it comes to changing strings etc. Lastly the price is very good for what you get which is always a selling point for me.And what yiou get is a proper set of Seymour Duncans and a proper Floyd not the cheap ones you get in low budget offerings in a guitar that looks the part, the headstock alone is worth having it for! I got it for 600 quid. Complete no brainer.R O.

I had never played a 7-string guitar before but had been thinking about it for a while so I decided on this Dinky after seeing the price and reading the reviews. I didn't want to spend a ton of money since I didn't know if I would like the 7-string. After having it and playing it for a few days now, I must say that I'm quite impressed. Like so many of the other reviews say, it's set up pretty well right out of the box. I noticed that it is very lightweight compared to my Telecaster, which I really like. Some people mentioned some rough frets but I didn't notice that on mine; it feels really good. It took some getting used to the extra string but I'm really having fun exploring the new sounds I can get with an extended range. The pickups are decent for the price and I'm really happy with it. I may look at changing them out eventually but for now I'm happy with them. I agree with a lot of the other reviews that say that Jackson could easily charge twice as much for this guitar as they do. All in all, this guitar is excellent value for the price. If you're looking for an entry-level 7-string to noodle with and see if you will like it, you can't go wrong here.Madd Dogg

I purchased this guitar last year after seeing it in the "Open Box" listings. The photos were not clear but it was freight damaged in several places on the top and sides. BIG cracks. MF sold it me at cost. My guitar tech repaired the cracks which took a couple of weeks but didn't charge much for the repairs. When I finally played it after it was set up it was AMAZING. Even at the regular price point it's a steal. Blows Martins right off the stage. If buying it, like any other instrument, it needs to be professionally set up for it to play right and sound good. My tech found no other issues other than the freight damage. He agrees with me that it's an amazing instrument. If need be I would buy another without any hesitation.Sid

I plat solo with vocals in concerts, at church both solo and with a band, at sing-alongs, song-writing, jamming, Just about everywhere with and without amplification and sound modelling. I live in Pennsylvania quite near to a famous well established major acoustic guitar manufacturer. Most of my friends own guitars of that brand. But when they play my Artwood guitars they look at their CFMs with a jaundiced eye. Compared to their "auditorium" size X models my grand concert size Artwoods are equal to and in most cases superior to theirs. Both have solid sitka spruce tops chrome tuners and Fishman electronics. Mine have rosewood fretboards and bridges; theirs are made out of black plasticized paper materials called richlite and coriian. Mine have bone nuts and saddles and theirs have plastic ones. Mine have laminated mahogany WOOD back and sides; theirs have some kind of synthetic laminate material (Formica perhaps?). Mine have black and ivory perfling with mock tortoise shell bindings; theirs are unbound. Theirs were made in Mexico, where making quality stringed instruments is a 500 year long tradition; mine were made in China where quality stringed instruments have been made continuously for over three thousand years. Their guitars play well and sound good. Mine play and sound even better and cost hundreds less. QUESTION: Why pay extra Benjamins just for a name?Cat

I am a beginner (able to play only a few chords at this point). I find this guitar fairly easy to play. The neck feels good in the hand and the matte finish makes it easy to slide the fretting on the neck. The craftsmanship is very good. My only complaint is that one side of the back on my guitar is noticeably darker than the other (which is why I deducted one star). The finish looks and feels almost like smoothly sanded raw wood. Don't buy this guitar if you are wanting something flashy. Overall, I think it is a good value.Dennis

Right out of the box this guitar comes ready to play. I barely had to tune it. Tight tuners make tuning easy and help keep this guitar in tune. Nice fast neck with strings laying low across the smooth fretboard. All frets top to bottom perfectly intonated. Two Volume and two tone Controls. And besides the great looks, this axe can really swing. I don't care what type music you play, this guitar will do it. It's lightweight, in comparison to an ES335. Not top heavy, so it's not apt to tilt forward. And it sounds incredible. I have almost as many amps as I do guitars, and this sounds good through all of them. This is a really good guitar. The big problem from Gretsch in the past was way too much feedback. You had to stand a mile away from the amp. Not so with these. You can easily control the amount of feedback you want, if any.. I have this guitar in right handed also. I highly recommend this guitar, from Novice to skilled. I've given two to my niece, she loves them both.MRH

Appearance is beautiful. Nice clear coat on a beautiful finish (body wood, binding, fret board inlays,etc). The neck play ability is a dream. I have short stubby fingers. I usually like a narrow neck. This neck is a little wider so I had my doubts. I guess Gretsch had me in mind. They made the neck with a slimmer profile. It feels and plays like a dream. Sound? Look out Duane Eddy! Seriously another Gretsch homerun!Gramps

I cant believe how good this D'Angelico is. Workmanship is perfect – It looks stunning. I got the vintage tint natural color which looks so beautiful to me, and the flamed maple rims and back are very classy almost 3D looking and really set it off I removed the factory fitted roundwound strings which were quite bright to my ears, and put on a set of flatwound D'Addario Chormes 12's which made it sound so much louder and feel much nicer. Acoustically it is pretty loud. When plugged in, it sounds superb, the Kent Armstrong pick up is simply wonderful – full, clear and fat sounding and it has that big warm classic jazz sound. I tried out a lot of archtops in the same price range and this was way by far the best of them. I almost bought a Ibanez LGB30 which was fantastic, but this one for me was the better of the two and more of the jazz tone I was looking for. It came with a nice hard shell case too. I will be keeping this guitar. Its exceeded my expectations in every way.6 stringed picker

I'm a recent convert to D'Angelico guitars. I had seen them at big box retailers for a couple of years, but always dismissed them as overpriced imports until I saw one heavily discounted and picked it up. I had been looking for an inexpensive jazz box to experiment with and it fit the bill (EXL-1 model), so I took it home. Once I really starting playing it I was blown away by the quality. These are not your typical imports. The fit and finish are better than most and absolutely the equal of (or better than) any American made guitars. Once I was sold on the brand, I started checking out some of their other offerings. I have a custom shop '59 Les Paul reissue, but it's too expensive for me to leave it out as a daily player, so I've been looking for another HH to serve as my daily driver. The SS does everything I want. It's lightweight, but not so light that you get neck dive (like an SG). The neck profile is very comfortable to me – it's smaller than the '59's neck, but thicker than the typical modern C. The pickups on the Excel-level model are very good. I would say they're slightly warmer than a standard PAF but not muddy. The pickups on this Deluxe model are fantastic. Seymour Duncan '59's (you can disregard the mfg.-specific DA prefix – they're the SD '59's you'd get straight from them and you can find plenty of reviews and discussions of them online). They'll give you any tone you want from a humbucker. What sends this Deluxe model into "perfect guitar" territory is the addition of the 6-way switch. You can split any humbucker, but you won't necessarily like the single-coil sound from any humbucker. These could have been designed for splitting. Also, nearly every maker uses push-pull pots for splitting which, for me, is ridiculous. If you happen to want to split coils while playing, it's nearly impossible to pull the pot without turning it some at the same time. The 6-way switch is fast and snappy. When you throw Grover locking tuners and the other premium components into the mix, I can't think of anything that could possibly be done to upgrade this guitar. If you haven't played one – give it shot. You won't regret it.Big Pete

This is just a terrific instrument. It's what we've come to expect from the quality producers in S Korea. The trim is flawless, and the matte midnight was the perfect choice. Intonation is perfect. The sustain stays on or nearly on pitch throughout attenuation. Pots are sensitive/effective from ~2.5 to 10, which in my experience is better than most. The six-way switch locks in distinctly different sounds. I play mostly jazz/blues, so I can't comment on the harder rock side of things, but it's beautiful clean. And IMHO, clean is where the test should be.Delivery was impressive, ordered early Thanksgiving afternoon, delivered Saturday morning. They must have known I was going to buy, and had it on the truck addressed and ready to go when I made the purchase! Seriously, this is a fine instrument, and compares well to models up to twice the price.Rwjax-79612

I bought a Fender American Deluxe HSS Stratocaster almost ten years ago. It's absolutely gorgeous with its glossy, 3-color sunburst finish, aged white pickguard/controls and shiny chrome hardware and it plays like butter. The only problem? The Noiseless N3 single coils don't have that traditional Strat tone. I know I could swap pickups, but I wanted to keep it stock in order to maintain its value. I recently started looking for something that captured the sound I had in my head, but either didn't like the neck shape or fretboard radius of anything current or felt they sounded too much like what I already had. Enter the Nick Johnston Traditional SSS. This sweet baby IS the Strat sound, at 1/2 to 1/3 of the price of any of the made in USA Fender models. The tones range from low and throaty to high and scratchy, and the neck is one of the fastest I've ever played. Seriously, it's like my fingers just know where to go when I'm fumbling through scales or noodling unplugged in front of the TV. The roasted maple fretboard gives the guitar an aged appearance, like it has hundreds of stories from the road to tell, without the rest of the guitar looking beat up and rusty like a relic model. Too bad Atomic Orange is the only finish to offer that fretboard, but the combination of the two still looks sweet. Factor in the locking tuners, low action, a floating tremelo bridge that works well with palm muting, the Schecter reputation for quality at a reasonable price and you have yourself a winner. Tone is subjective, but with or without a Tubescreamer in front of my Twin Reverb, Deluxe Reverb and DSL40C, I am in sonic heaven. I rarely write reviews, but noticed this model didn't have any yet and am too excited about it not to recommend it to others. My Fender will soon be up for grabs on all the online sites, if anyone's interested…Craig C.

This is my second Schecter Nick Johnston traditional and the 2021 version has a roasted maple fretboard instead of rosewood that feels and looks great. I got it in the Atomic Orange finish which is the best looking orange guitar I've ever seen, and the light caramel color of the roasted maple fretboard looks incredible against it. If you are familiar with Nick Johnston's music then you know the pickups aren't voiced for metal, but through a high gain tube amp you can get an array of impressive tones. Though the pickups may be the same as in the 2020 version I had, they seem to be voiced differently. The bridge humbucker has a great roar and a really detailed lead tone, while the neck single coil has that warm tone that's perfect for everything from jazz style chords to shreddy leads. I usually blend the middle single coil with the neck single coil on clean tones for a warm sound with a bit of shimmer. Most impressive thing for me is the tremolo. I'm not sure if the guys at AMS did this, or if its something new from Schecter, but the tremolo came set up to float and it stays in tune really well. I couldn't believe how much smoother the trem on this new 2021 version was than the 2020 NJT that I had. It's really amazing for a strat style guitar, better than my comparably priced Player Strat and Schecter Van Nuys. Overall, I'm very happy with this NJ Traditional!Mark O.

Pros – To my own personal taste, these things play phenomenal. The neck makes the guitar for me. It's thin and wider than what I've always been used to on my MIM Strat. The frets are quite a bit wider and more forgiving. The color of the body and the color of the neck and fretboard make this thing beautiful in person. Pictures don't do it justice. It's a sea foam green, with a hint of blue in person. It doesn't have your typical Strat sound. My friend described it to me as somewhere between a typical single coil and a p90 when he heard it. People have called the pickups somewhat flat and dull, but I've gotten quite a bit of sparkle out of the pickups with just an eq pedal. I'm not much of a tremolo guy, but it seems to be well made, however I'll be switching to a 5 spring setup in the next few days so it'll basically be null and void anyway. Cons – I would absolutely give this guitar 5 stars if it wasn't for a few issues I ran into. The set screws in the back of the headstock that go through the tuning peg plates were drilled and screwed in at an angle and weren't tightened very well. Tightened them all LIGHTLY and broke the G string screw off into the headstock. Had to drill it out, dowel the new hole and redrill and put in a new screw. Could've filed a claim, but I liked the guitar too much to send it back and I knew I could fix it myself. Other little things are the setup wasn't the best and pretty much all of the nut slots needed work to either stop various strings from binding or notes going sharp. If you've read this far I'll tell you something else.. Before I bought this I went into my local GC and played several monetarily comparable Fender Strats. Player Series and the Deluxes. This thing kills them. I picked up EIGHT different ones and every single one had QC issues and felt horrible. I do not want to knock Fender in any way because my first electric guitar was my MIM Strat from around 2004 and I love it. However, at the price point, I'd recommend the Schecter just from my own personal experience.Coley

I cant believe how good this D'Angelico is. Workmanship is perfect – It looks stunning. I got the vintage tint natural color which looks so beautiful to me, and the flamed maple rims and back are very classy almost 3D looking and really set it off I removed the factory fitted roundwound strings which were quite bright to my ears, and put on a set of flatwound D'Addario Chormes 12's which made it sound so much louder and feel much nicer. Acoustically it is pretty loud. When plugged in, it sounds superb, the Kent Armstrong pick up is simply wonderful – full, clear and fat sounding and it has that big warm classic jazz sound. I tried out a lot of archtops in the same price range and this was way by far the best of them. I almost bought a Ibanez LGB30 which was fantastic, but this one for me was the better of the two and more of the jazz tone I was looking for. It came with a nice hard shell case too. I will be keeping this guitar. Its exceeded my expectations in every way.6 stringed picker

I'm a recent convert to D'Angelico guitars. I had seen them at big box retailers for a couple of years, but always dismissed them as overpriced imports until I saw one heavily discounted and picked it up. I had been looking for an inexpensive jazz box to experiment with and it fit the bill (EXL-1 model), so I took it home. Once I really starting playing it I was blown away by the quality. These are not your typical imports. The fit and finish are better than most and absolutely the equal of (or better than) any American made guitars. Once I was sold on the brand, I started checking out some of their other offerings. I have a custom shop '59 Les Paul reissue, but it's too expensive for me to leave it out as a daily player, so I've been looking for another HH to serve as my daily driver. The SS does everything I want. It's lightweight, but not so light that you get neck dive (like an SG). The neck profile is very comfortable to me – it's smaller than the '59's neck, but thicker than the typical modern C. The pickups on the Excel-level model are very good. I would say they're slightly warmer than a standard PAF but not muddy. The pickups on this Deluxe model are fantastic. Seymour Duncan '59's (you can disregard the mfg.-specific DA prefix – they're the SD '59's you'd get straight from them and you can find plenty of reviews and discussions of them online). They'll give you any tone you want from a humbucker. What sends this Deluxe model into "perfect guitar" territory is the addition of the 6-way switch. You can split any humbucker, but you won't necessarily like the single-coil sound from any humbucker. These could have been designed for splitting. Also, nearly every maker uses push-pull pots for splitting which, for me, is ridiculous. If you happen to want to split coils while playing, it's nearly impossible to pull the pot without turning it some at the same time. The 6-way switch is fast and snappy. When you throw Grover locking tuners and the other premium components into the mix, I can't think of anything that could possibly be done to upgrade this guitar. If you haven't played one – give it shot. You won't regret it.Big Pete

This is just a terrific instrument. It's what we've come to expect from the quality producers in S Korea. The trim is flawless, and the matte midnight was the perfect choice. Intonation is perfect. The sustain stays on or nearly on pitch throughout attenuation. Pots are sensitive/effective from ~2.5 to 10, which in my experience is better than most. The six-way switch locks in distinctly different sounds. I play mostly jazz/blues, so I can't comment on the harder rock side of things, but it's beautiful clean. And IMHO, clean is where the test should be.Delivery was impressive, ordered early Thanksgiving afternoon, delivered Saturday morning. They must have known I was going to buy, and had it on the truck addressed and ready to go when I made the purchase! Seriously, this is a fine instrument, and compares well to models up to twice the price.Rwjax-79612