Ibanez AF55L-TF

I'd been looking for a left handed jazz hollowbody for a while and the one I was originally going to buy wasn't available anywhere! So I had a re-think and took a look at the reviews for the Ibanez AF55 and they all seemed positive so I decided to go with one. I am so glad I did, the guitar is very well made, seemed well set up straight out of the box and plays beautifully. I did have to remove the foam from under the bridge but I marked the position with a pencil and got the intonation spot on when I replaced it. The sound is clear and the pickups are excellent. The controls are straightforward, one volume and one tone and a three way switch. The neck is silky smooth and really comfortable to play. You can get great jazzy tones from this guitar if you roll off the treble but that's not all, I took it to an open mic to try it out in a live situation and got some great clean and overdriven tones from it. Blues, rockabilly, it does it all. The other guitar I was looking at was more than twice the price of the Ibanez and I'm glad I didn't hang on for it. This is a great guitar for the money.

I recently picked up the Ibanez AF55L-TF, and I’ve been really impressed with it. It’s a solid semi-hollow guitar that’s perfect for players at any level, especially if you’re looking for something versatile and affordable. It’s a great guitar for the price, with a smooth feel, awesome sound, and a look that stands out. If you’re after a reliable semi-hollow, this one is definitely worth considering.

It's beautifully built and the satin finish does wonders for the wood grain and the tactile qualities of this excellent guitar.
It suits my hands perfectly and it plays wonderfully. I have found no quality issues with the build. The pick-ups have extremely impressive sensitivity and power, so much so that it is one of the few guitars I have that I needs to shape the tone at the guitar level before getting it to the amp.
It's loud when unamplified, and many hours will be spent with different strings and mics to explore the range of sounds. Can't fault it.
In my view, it's great value for money, and in a market where left-handers are the poor relation, it's inspiring to be offered a quality arch-top like this. Well recommended.

Es gibt wenig, was man hier verändern oder verbessern möchte. Ich werde bei Gelegenheit die Pickups austauschen lassen, nicht weil sie schlecht wären, sondern weil ich für diesen Typ Gitarre bereits Shadow AZ Pickups bereit habe.
Ansonsten klingt diese Gitarre bereits unverstärkt voll und kann auch so gut verwendet werden. Mit Verstärker geht die Sonne auf, und das liegt auch am Typ - Hollowbody ohne Centre Block. Man muß das mögen, gibt es wenig Bedarf für Pedale und andere technische Hilfsmittel bzw. Spielereien. Es ist was dran, daß etliche Jazzgitarristen unverdrossen bei diesem Typ blieben, statt auf "Moderneres" wie Les Paul umzusteigen. Man spürt den Klang förmlich. Es ist schwer zu beschreiben, man muß es ausprobieren, wenn man noch nie diesen Typ E-Gitarre nutzte, sondern nur Solidbodies.
Die Werkssaiten habe ich mit Thomastik Swing .10-.44 ersetzt, später vielleicht mal dickere.
Ansonsten nur Positives. Winzige Unregelmäßigkeiten beim Binding, wenn es interessant ist. Alles und viel mehr bei "großen Namen" und teueren Gitarren gesehen. NB, die Tuner sind viel besser, als ich erwartete. Man sollte überlegen, ob man den xten Klon von ST und LP wirklich benötigt, und stattdessen diese Gitarre kaufen und behalten. Sehr groß ist das Angebot für Lefties für Hollowbodies ohne Centre Block nicht, jedenfalls im einigermaßen bezahlbaren Rahmen.