Ibanez Artcore AS7312 Semi-Hollow 12-String - Transparent Cherry Red

"Oh, let me just get my 12-string, hollow body, electric guitar!", said no one ever... since the 1960s.I got this guitar because I love to play the 12-strings as my main instrument. I saw plenty of review, checked out the Ibanez wiki page for further specifications, checked out forums. I conclude that this is a WEIRDO guitar, but not in a bad way, it's just a lot of strange elements all at once.First and foremost, this is NOT a true "hollow bodied" guitar. This is a Semi-hollow bodied guitar and I believe that makes this guitar even better. No awkward feedback from the amps meaning you can hop and skip around to any genre.Second, my guitar is apparently manufactured in Indonesia and has a serial number "PW22XXXXXX", which if you look everywhere on the internet, "PW" is not a known factory to Ibanez. I had a small episode on whether I got a counterfeit product, and eventually concluded: Who cares? I'm not a guitar nerd.Honestly, "PW" is probably recognized somewhere, but I never cared enough to confirm with Ibanez support. The guitar feels great and doesn't look cheap by any means, definitely worth the investment if these types of guitars are your thing.There are some nice video reviews of this product on the web that I invite you to search. It is a great guitar.Yes, this is the latest version of this model, meaning the wood is different and cost efficient; and no, that doesn't mean that Ibanez is getting the ugly looking low-quality thrifty budget wood. I don't hang my feelings on that, the guitar is crafted beautifully. And again: I'm not a guitar nerd. I'm not going to sit here and explain how maple sounds better than coconut (this guitar is not made with coconut). The guitar will last if treated with the love and care that any good guitar deserves.So how does this guitar feel and why do I not recommend this to beginners?12 string acoustics have wider necks as a standard, which makes learning how to play those instruments a journey on it's own. However, you learn the fundamentals to play a 12 string including how finger positioning and hand strength are both crucial elements to employ. The AS7312 has a smaller and tighter neck, similar to your standard electric guitar. I think that is TOTALLY AWESOME, but some might say that those strings are too close together.As someone who loves playing the 12 string guitar, this guitar is worlds of fun. I love playing it and I love owning it.

I read several reviews about this guitar having a neck that was very narrow, thus hard to play. I will say that it is narrow and I have fat fingers, however by adding lighter gage strings and doing a good setup on it, I find it easy to play with some adjustment to my lazy playing style, the rich and full sound is awesome, it also has the ablity to have a light and delicate tone as well.Over all in my humble opinion this guitar is a great value, outstanding quality, looks and sounds fantastic.David

First the good: instrument arrived today in as advertised condition p, in spite of damage to exterior carton. Visual inspection was good no cracks or defects. Tuned to pitch and did a set up check and it doesn't need more than a t week here and there. Unplugged it is loud enough fro a library but plugged into a jangle box and fender style amp its close enough to a 360-12 to be happy about the sound.Now for the bad: guitar was ordered because of the projected receipt date of the 6th. Tracking showed good moment from ordered to shipped but stopped short of out for delivery Sunday afternoon. On Tuesday morning when I saw no movement I started trying to fund out where it was. After several hours I located the origin point and found out how to contact. To their credit they worked through the problem and got things resolved and guitar arrived this morning. This is what earned the 4th star, although I will have trust issues for awhile.

I lead a Tom Petty tribute band in Rochester NY. I needed a 12 string for some of the songs. Something reliable for intonation and sound. This has it in spades. Beautiful, sounds great, plays great, and didn't break my bank. Buy it. No regrets.

The 12 string Ibanez Artcore is definitely not a Rickenbacker for tone and feel. But for 1/6 the price it is definitely a goof buy. The action on the one I got is good - not high and just right. The neck could have been wider as it feels a bit cramped.

A year ago, I was forced by financial circumstances to sell my Gibson MemphisES-335 12 - string, and I thought I would never play another electric 12 - string that even came close. The Gibson cost $3000, and I'm not likely to have that any time soon. However, after reading great reviews from everyone who reviewed it, I picked up this AS7312 for around $500 new, with hard shell case , and I am at a loss to find anything that doesn't compare favorably to the Gibson, a guitar that cost 6 or 7 times more. The feel, the setup, the sound, the finish, the fretboard, all are first rate. I have had this for a couple of months and it stays in tune really well, which is really important with twice the strings. If you are considering picking up an electric 12'er, you owe it to yourself to try out one of these before spending 5 or 10 times more for something that isn't any better