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Ibanez ARC300 £329

Ibanez's famous seventies Artist moniker has been applied to a pair of new electric guitar outlines that share the twin humbucker/set-neck spirit of the original design.

The fretboard looks a little gaudy.

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Sounds

Revving up the ARC300 it quickly becomes clear that it's very difficult to split these guitars regardless of the amount of gain employed, even though their individual pickup pairings have different model numbers.

The ARX100 is perhaps a little more raw and aggressive, while the single cutaway ARC300 is possibly a touch more polite, the maple maybe reining in some of the mahogany's natural mid-range push.

We're talking the tiniest variations here though, and not something that is going to be particularly apparent at gig volumes or in a recorded mix, especially with compression and equalisation.

Verdict

You could do much worse than investing £329 in an ARC300, even if you've budgeted a bit more for something like an Epiphone Les Paul Standard or Korean Tokai. This Ibanez guitar is considerably better in terms of sound and feel than many of its closest rivals and it's testimony to the kind of quality to price ratio exhibited by modern Chinese manufacture.

MusicRadar rating:

4 of 5 stars

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MusicRadar rating

4 of 5

Pros

Snug feel. Big sounds. A little pricier than the ARX100 but still good value.
Cons

Tacky abalone fretboard inlays. Some might prefer a more old-school bridge and tailpiece.
Verdict

You could do much worse than investing £329 in an ARC300, even if you've budgeted a bit more for something like an Epiphone Les Paul Standard or Korean Tokai. This Ibanez guitar is considerably better in terms of sound and feel than many of its closest rivals and it's testimony to the kind of quality to price ratio exhibited by modern Chinese manufacture.
Review Policy

All MusicRadar's reviews are by independent product specialists, who are not aligned to any gear manufacturer or retailer. Our experts also write for renowned magazines such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Computer Music, Future Music and Rhythm. All are part of Future PLC, the biggest publisher of music making magazines in the world.

Where to buy

Specification

ARC300

Price:
£329
Available Controls:
2 x Tone, Volume
Available Finish:
Dark Violin Sunburst.
Body Style:
Single Cutaway
Bolt-on Neck:
false
Bridge:
Gibraltar III
Case Included:
false
Country of Origin:
UK
Cutaway:
true
Fingerboard Material:
Rosewood
Guitar Body Material:
Mahogany
Hardware:
Chrome
Inlays:
Abalone, Pearl Block
Jack Location:
Rim
No of Strings:
6
No. of Frets:
22
Pickup Configuration:
2 x Humbucker
Pickup Type:
ACH1 and ACH2 humbucking pickups.
Pickups:
2 x Humbuckers
Scale Length (Inches) (Inches):
24.75
Scale Length (mm) (mm):
628
Special Features:
Flame Maple Top.
Top Finish:
Flame Maple Veneer
Top Material:
Maple
Tremolo:
false
Weight (kg) (kg):
3
Weight (lb) (lb):
6.7
Width at Nut (mm) (mm):
43

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