I’ve woken up to the news that one of my all-time heroes passed away. I’m terribly saddened. BB King was one of the most amazing musicians that ever lived. I was very forunate to have watched one of his concerts a few years ago – he even gave me a guitar pick in the middle of his set!!
The world will miss you, BB, but your music lives on! Say hello to Jimi and Stevie Ray for us!
Read the full news story HERE
If you are worthy of its affection, a cat will be your friend, but never your slave.
–Theophile Gauntier
I bought this guitar about 8-9 months ago due to my obsession with jazz guitar music and BB King, plus I liked how semi-hollow bodied guitars look- even though it made me look smaller when I’m on stage. Originally, I wanted to buy a Gibson 335 but I simply can’t afford it. So I went to about seven music shops in Wales to try out alternatives. I tried several Epiphone guitars, including their take on BB King’s Lucille, and I settled on buying a John Lennon Casino. However, 2 days before I was about to buy the Casino, I stumbled upon a youtube clip that featured the Ibanez AS73. I was fascinated by how good it sounded on the video, and after a few searches online, I found that it costs cheaper than the casino.
Having 3 Ibanez guitars so far back then, I already know how good the quality of their guitars are. Particularly how the neck feels when playing. So I went back to the music stores and tried one. Whilst noodling around, the shopkeeper said that if I bought the particular one that I’m playing right then and there, they’ll give me a 10% discount and a free case. So I did.
Here she is:
I didn’t have to change anything on the guitar apart from the strings- i like 12s on the 6th and 5th, and 10s on the others.
The playability is exactly what you expect with an Ibanez guitar. I feel like I’m playing a super-strat up until the 20th fret-which is pretty good for me. I am able to play fast-picking runs and emotive bends very very easily.
The sound is really good as well. As mentioned, I haven’t changed anything so the pick-ups are still stock. I am planning on replacing them with Seymour Duncan Jazz and JB soon, but don’t get me wrong, the stock pick-ups work really, really well. I play this guitar through a Vox Valvetronix amp set in the AC30 output, without any effects in between. That set-up responds very well with picking dynamics, resonating every note played. With the right amount of overdrive, feedback is not an issue.
The guitar is so versatile, it allows me to play songs from BB King’s catalogue upto AC/DC!
If any of you are thinking of getting a semi-hollow guitar, I suggest you seriously consider the Ibanez AS73 before buying anything else!
😉
Understanding and Embracing Diversity 