Ibanez AF95-DA

The Ibanez AF95-DA really impressed me. It is well-finished (I couldn't find any imperfections after a thorough inspection, which is relatively rare at this price point). In particular, the binding (both body and f-holes) looks really classy. It is well set up - no sharp fret ends, and the action and intonation were spot-on. The feel of the neck is just right - there's no sense of "bulkiness" that you sometimes feel with archtop necks. The tuners are really smooth (gold, unbranded Grover-style); the volume & tone knobs look classy (and have numbered dials, which I find helpful). The pickups (gold Ibanez Super 58 humbuckers) are good (warm and smooth-sounding), and the floating wooden bridge is height-adjustable. Plugged in, it sounds great - like everything you would expect from a good jazz guitar (and the fact the body is made of linden (aka basswood) makes no discernible difference to the sound as compared to the more commonly-used maple).

It is a testimony to both the Indonesian factory where it was made, and Ibanez's quality control, that they can put out a jazz guitar as good as this at such a bargain price-point. I would recommend the Ibanez AF95-DA without any reservation - it's a superb jazz guitar!