Ibanez AS73 Vs AS93 – Which Guitar Is Better For You?

As guitarists, we often care too much about our accessories that we neglect the most important tool we need, our guitars. Today, we bring you two of Ibanez’s fine guitars, the Ibanez AS73 Vs AS93, to find out which guitar is better for you.

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Ibanez AS73 Vs AS93 – Comparison Overview

If you do not have the time to read through the whole of this article, it is a pretty lengthy read, here are the details of the Ibanez AS73 Vs AS93 debate you do not want to miss:

The first thing we looked at was the specification of the two products. This you would find in the table below, be sure to check it out.

The AS73 is made with maple, while the AS93 is made with flamed maple. The flamed maple doesn’t alter the sound, but it looks way better.

The AS73 has a rosewood fretboard, while the AS93 has an ebony fretboard. There is a spectrum of sounds produced by the three most popular fretboard options.

The first is maple, which is at the brighter end. Rosewood, which is at the warmer end, and ebony, which is at the middle, closer to maple, though.

Ebony basically combines the look and feel of rosewood with the sound of maple, to produce a blend of goodness.

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Which Is Better For You? – Ibanez AS73 or AS93?

	Ibanez AS73	Ibanez AS93
Tonewood	Maple top, back, and sides	Flamed maple top, back, and sides
Fingerboard	Rosewood	Ebony
Neck	Art core AS Mahogany Set-In Neck	Maple/mahogany set-in neck
Body style	Semi-hollow body	Semi-hollow body
Pickup model	Classic elite	Super 58
Fret size	Medium	Medium
Number of frets	22	22
Left-handed version	Yes	Yes
Tailpiece	Quik Change III Tailpiece	Quik Change III Tailpiece
Hardware	Different types of hardware available.	Different types of hardware available.

Ibanez AS73 Vs AS93 – What Situation Is Which Guitar Best For?

Ibanez AS73

Ibanez AS93

If you’re looking for a mixture of old and new, then you certainly want this guitar. It’s the mixture of the old and new because of its body type.   Being semi-hollow, this provides you with a mid-point between the heavy full-bodied guitars, and the completely hollow, newer versions. This provides you a reduction in weight, without affecting the sound as much as the completely hollow guitar types. If you’re a beginner, this is something you should be looking at getting. Yes, the price might not be extra-friendly right now, but looking at the quality you’re getting, it’s worth the price you’re paying.   This is one guitar that you can comfortably use from your beginning stage, well into your intermediate stage.

This guitar is also a mixture of the old and new, with its body type, as it is also a semi-hollow type guitar.   This guitar is meant for those already in their intermediate stage. Naturally, this version is a step higher than the AS73, as you can tell from the names, 93 is greater than 73. However, you are sure to get value for every penny spent, with this guitar. Because of its quality, this is one guitar that can last you well into your expert years. You can comfortably take this to gigs and feel confident when you bring it out.   Also, both of these guitars are available in left-handed versions, which is simply a great move by Ibanez. Most of the time, 10% of the world’s population that are left-handed don’t get catered for when making products.

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What Features Do The Ibanez AS73 And The AS93 Have In Common?

Maple tonewood

Semi-hollow body

Fretboard design

Left-handed versions

Multiple hardware types available

Tonewood: Maple

The first similarity between these two guitars is their tonewood. Both of these guitars are made with the same wood as their top, back, and sides. Because of this, you can easily tell that they would have similar sounds and feels.

The tonewood used for both these guitars is maple, a very popular tonewood for electric guitars. The other popular choices for tonewood include mahogany, alder, ash, and the infamous basswood (with the bass sounding like the fish, not the musical instrument).

Maple produces a bright-sounding tone, something we’re sure you want with an electric guitar. The sound produced from the maple often comes with a reasonable amount of sustain, more than you would find with other tonewoods.

The reason for this sustain is one part about maple that is not very loved by the public, the weight. Maple is quite heavy and very dense. This is the one reason why maple is often used as the fretboard, as opposed to the body. That way, it doesn’t really contribute much to the overall weight of the guitar.

We can see something with these two guitars. Because they’re made with maple body to give that bright, snappy tone that you love with electric guitars, they’re a bit weighty. To reduce this weight to the barest minimum, Ibanez decided to make both of these guitars semi-hollow.

Flamed Maple

While both of these guitars come with maple as their tonewood, the AS93 comes with flamed maple, as opposed to the normal maple wood that the AS73 comes with.

What’s the difference between maple and flamed maple?

The only difference between maple top and flamed maple top is their looks. Flamed maple is the result of  distorted growth in the wood fibers of the maple causing it to produce wavy lines that resemble flames. As a result, they look much better than plain maple and are more expensive.

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Body Style: Semi-Hollow Body

Just like we mentioned earlier, maple is a really heavy and dense tonewood. Because of this, Ibanez decided to make both these guitars semi-hollow.

Being semi-hollow basically means that the majority of the inner parts of the guitar are empty. This is as opposed to a solid guitar whose insides are completely filled with wood, and completely hollow electric guitars that have nothing inside them.

Being semi-hollow, both of these guitars are in the sweet spot between solid guitars and hollow guitars. So, they share some advantages and disadvantages with both guitar types.

First, weight. They are not as lightweight as hollow guitars, but they are definitely not as heavy as solid guitars. This is a good thing considering the fact that both these guitars are made with maple, which is pretty heavy and dense.

The sound produced by semi-hollow guitars is a very resonant sound and a really warm tone. This is to compensate for the really bright and snappy tones produced by the maple tonewood.

With this combination of maple and semi-hollow body, you can go bright when you want to, and go warm when you want to.

Finally, semi-hollow bodied guitars such as the ones we’re looking at in Ibanez AS73 Vs AS93 work really well with amplification. Although, there are a few concerns about this guitar type with regards to feedback when on high volumes.

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Fretboard Design

Although both of these guitars come with different fretboard woods, they carry the same fretboard design. This fretboard design includes 22 medium-sized frets, and a scale length of 24.75 inches.

The first thing we see about this fretboard design is the number of frets that the guitars come with, they both come with 22 frets. There is often an argument between 22 and 24 frets, and which one is better. Well, can we just say that the there isn’t much of a difference.

One misconception people have is that with 24 frets, the fretboard is a bit crunched up to accommodate those extra 2 frets, that is wrong. Rather, the 24 frets fretboard is ¾ inches longer than the 22 fret fretboard, those extra inches giving room for the extra 2 frets.

So, choosing between a 22 fretboard and a 24 fretboard should be determined solely on preference, as there isn’t much difference between them. To find out all about this, check out this video that explains this extensively:

Also, just to note, all the 44 frets in these two guitars are medium-sized frets, perfect if you’re a beginner who isn’t accustomed to the smaller or larger frets yet.

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Left-handed Version

Well, we have to commend Ibanez on getting this one right. The left-handed community makes up 10% of the world’s population, 10% that is often ignored in the manufacturing process of a lot of products.

Because they are so often neglected, it is a breath of fresh air to see that Ibanez had them in mind with these two guitars. The left-handed versions of both of these guitars resemble the right-handed version in all aspects except the orientation.

This means that as a left-handed person, you don’t have to worry about getting something that’s substandard simply because that’s all that’s available in the orientation you associate with. With these guitars, you can get really great guitars that are not just great, but great for you.

The left-handed versions of both of these guitars are represented by an “L” at the back of the product’s original name.

Different Colors Of Hardware Available

Both of these guitars are available in various different finishes and hardware colors. The initials of the color for that particular type is often added as a suffix to the original product name, to describe its color.

For example, you have the Ibanez AS73OLM, which means “Olive Metallic”, and the Ibanez AS93G, which means “Gold”. There are actually quite a lot for both these guitars that it can be difficult to count just how many they are.

However, this finish and different color options do not affect any other thing, apart from the looks of the guitars. We know how superficial guitarists can get with their guitars.

So, if you need to, check for all the numerous options available to you, and get the best-looking that suites your taste.

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Ibanez AS73 Vs AS93 – Features Unique To Each Product

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What Are The Best Features Of The Ibanez AS73?

Rosewood fingerboard

Classic Elite Pickups

Fingerboard: Rosewood

When it comes to fretboards, there are a few kinds of woods that are considered good enough. In fact, for most people, the choice is between rosewood, maple, and ebony.

However, the major argument is usually between maple and rosewood, which represent opposite ends of the spectrum.

Although some other people use mahogany and other woods, the choice is often between the former three mentioned. Ibanez decided to go for rosewood for the fretboard of the AS73.

The feel of the fretboard is often overlooked. However, when you look at the fact that that is the part of the guitar that you interact with the most as a guitarist, you begin to see the gravity of the matter.

With that said, rosewood has a very nice feel. It doesn’t require a finish, so it feels like pure, natural wood on your fingers.

Although, it’s not all great news. Because it doesn’t come with a finish, rosewood has to be conditioned once in a while.

However, this is not a tedious task, it can be done under five minutes while changing your strings. For this, you might need to get a conditioner for guitars. 

Pickup Model: Classic Elite

This guitar comes with classic elite pickups.

Classic there refers to retro. These pickups are made with a retro, classic design, kind of like a blast from the past. However, they work as good now as they did then.

Classic elite pickups are an Ibanez original that often produces rich sounds. These sounds are a bit nuanced oftentimes emphasizing on the lower ends and fat notes.

While this might not be very popular with many people because this is an electric guitar, and not a bass, we cannot negate the fact that this is unique. This is something you won’t find with many other electric guitars.

Also, because it’s an electric guitar, every other electronic attached to this device aims at improving the high-end, lighter notes.

Which makes it that bit special that this pickup makes good low-sounds even as everything else allows for the high-end notes to sound properly. So you’re getting good high and low notes.

Want to hear how this guitar sounds? Check out the video below:

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What Are The Best Features Of The Ibanez AS93?

Ebony fingerboard

Super 58 Pickup Model

Fingerboard: Ebony

The first thing we see about ebony is that it is dark wood, in terms of color, which is no surprise, looking at its name. It is also a pretty dense wood that has a sleek and smooth feel.

Like rosewood, ebony does not require finishing. Which in turn means that it needs to be conditioned as often as you would, a rosewood fretboard.

In terms of sound, ebony lies somewhere in between the brightness of the maple, and the warmth of the rosewood. However, it is to be mentioned that it leans heavily towards the brightness of maple.

Although, because of the excessive strain on the harvesting of ebony wood, it is becoming more and more scarce. Because of that, the ebony we see in the market today cannot be compared in purity and look to ebony that was harvested in times past.

So, to summarize, ebony produces a bright sound like the maple, although not as bright. Plus, it has a sleek feel, doesn’t need a finish, and requires conditioning, like the rosewood. So, if you want something that’s bright like maple, but with a rugged, natural feel, you definitely want maple.

Pickup Model: Super 58

Super 58 are very popular pickups within the Ibanez family. They are used in a wide range of guitars, from mid-priced intermediate guitars to pro-level, expensive guitars.

There are a few people with the notion that the name of these pickups was changed to Super 58 to reflect equality across all price ranges, which is they claim, is not the case.

While there is a sense in that, we will have to trust that Ibanez will not wrongly market a product, simply because that will attract more customers.

Obviously, a pro-level guitar will sound better than an intermediate level guitar, but the difference just might not lie in the pickups.

With that said, Super 58 pickups produce a smooth sound. This sound, like the classical elite pickup sound, is a bit nuanced.

However, this does not emphasize on the lower, fatter, notes. Rather, it carries a biting growl like you would hear in blues.

To find out just how good these pickups are, you would have to hear the guitar and judge for yourself. To do that, here’s a quick video that shows the Ibanez AS93 being played:

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Why Some People Prefer The Ibanez AS73 Over The AS93

Some musicians prefer the Ibanez AS73 over the AS93 for a few reasons:

1. The Ibanez AS73 comes with a plain maple top. Although this doesn’t look as good as the flamed maple top on the AS93, it sounds exactly the same for a lesser price.

2. The rosewood fingerboard on the AS73 produces a warmer sound that complements the maple body. This makes the guitar produce a mix of warm and bright sounds.

3. The guitar is equipped with Classic elite pickups. These pickups produce great tones that have really nice low-ends.

What Some People Prefer The Ibanez AS93 Over The AS73

Here are a few reasons why many people prefer the AS93 over the AS73:

1. The AS93 comes with a flamed maple top that looks really good with all those curvy wood grains.

2. The gutiar is equipped with Super 58 pickups. These pickps produce a smooth sound with a kind of growling bite that blues players love.

3. Some people prefer the Ebony fingerboard because it doesn’t require regular conditioning like rosewood.

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Ibanez AS73 Vs AS93 – Unique Cons

Ibanez AS73

• The maple top doesn’t look as great as flamed maple.

Ibanez AS93

• No noticed unique con.

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Ibanez AS73 Vs AS93 – Pros Common To Both

	Ibanez AS73	Ibanez AS93
Price	Both of these guitars are reasonably priced when you consider the amount of quality they offer.   More so, is this particular guitar. The AS73 is more affordable than the AS93. This is, amongst other things, because it comes with a plain maple top, that doesn’t look as good as the flamed maple top.   There are also other things, like the difference in the pickups and fretboards that contribute to making this more affordable than the AS93.	Being that this is an upgrade from the AS73, you can tell that it would be slightly more expensive.   Although this is slightly more expensive than the AS73, it is still to be said that this is an affordable guitar.   It’s something that you can use well into your intermediate years, without feeling weird on stage. Plus, it looks really great, something your fans would love.
Tonewood	Generally, maple tonewood is great for electric guitars. It is really nice because of the bright and punchy sounds that it produces, which is great for rock and roll music.   Although many people might say maple is not such a great pro because of its weight, both these guitars immediately counter that fact with the next point.	This also come with a maple tonewood. However, this is not a plain tonewood, but a flamed maple.   Flamed maple refers to maple whose wood grains grow in distorted fashion, forming wavy, curly lines along the surface of the wood. Although this doesn’t alter the sound, it does look great.
Semi-Hollow Body Design	The semi-hollow body design substantially reduces the weight of the maple, making it a lot more bearable.	Apart from the weight, the sound produced by the semi-hollow guitar is very resonant. It also has good amplification.

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Ibanez AS73 Vs AS93 – Cons Common To Both

	Ibanez AS73	Ibanez AS93
Intermediate Level Guitar	If you’re an expert, then this is not a guitar for you.	This is also not a great guitar for you if you’re already an expert.   Although, this would serve you better than the AS73.

Check out these other articles

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• Ibanez SR300 Vs YamahaTRBX304 – Detailed Comparison
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• Ibanez AS73 Vs Epiphone Dot – Which is the better option?
• Ibanez TMB30 Vs TMB100 – Which is the better option?
• Ibanez AM93 Vs Epiphone ES339 – Which is the better electric guitar for you?

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Ibanez AS73 Vs AS93 – General Feeling Amongst Users

Ibanez AS73	Ibanez AS93
People who got this guitar actually liked it. It gave them good value for money, and they were appreciative.   Another thing is that this catered for both right-handed and left-handed people, with their AS73L.	This guitar also got a really good reception. The people who loved this better were those who were slightly more advanced players than the ones who got the AS73.   Also, people who are quite superficial got this because of its fire top!

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Ibanez AS73 Vs AS93 – Our Verdict

Ibanez AS73	Ibanez AS93
Both of these guitars are really great. To pick between either of these guitars is really down to preference.   There are a lot of options to choose from, in terms of finishes, and you would have to cruise through the options to find the perfect one for you.	This guitar is also great. If you want a sick looking guitar, with better pickups, and generally upgraded mechanics, then you should get this guitar.   It’s also available in various finishes for you to choose from.

Ibanez AS73 Vs AS93 – Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Ibanez AS93 made?

Although Ibanez is a Japanese company, the original Ibanez AS93 which was made in 2007 was made in China. Ensure that whenever you want to buy this guitar it’s actually made in China. There are a number of counterfeits that are made in other countries but they’re not as good as the originals.

What is Ibanez Artcore?

The original Artcore was created way back in 2002 by Ibanez. The goal of the company with this guitar series was to create an affordable range of semi-hollow and completely hollowed body guitars that are great for entry-level guitarists.

Over the years, Artcore guitars have built a reputation for being some of the best entry-level to mid-range electric guitars available on the market.

Why are some guitars hollow-bodied?

Hollow-bodied guitars are basically electric guitars that are designed like acoustic guitars. Just like acoustic guitars, hollow-body electric guitars a completely empty soundbox, unlike a solid-body guitar that’s made of solid wood without any holes.

They are designed this way to give them clear warm tones just like an acoustic guitar. However, people who play music genres like jazz and blues often gravitate more towards hollow-bodied guitars because unlike the acoustic guitar, a hollow-body electric guitar produces a smooth sound.

Are hollow-body guitars good for rock?

Hollow body guitars are not ideal for rock or metal unless you prefer the uncontrollable howling feedback that you get from them.

However, generally, solid-body guitars are better suited to rock and metal music. In fact, it is for genres like this that the electric guitar was created in the first place. It sounded much better and heavier than the regular acoustic or acoustic-electric guitars.

Do heavier guitars sound better?

Heavier guitars do have a richer and fuller sound which is down to the massive size of the wood that’s used to anchor the guitar’s strings and pickups. However, whether that is a better sound, depends entirely on your preference.

On the other hand, some people feel like lighter guitars sound better because they resonate better with the entire spectrum of string vibrations. This allows them to produce an overall better tonal sound.

So, it’s all down to which of these sounds you prefer.

What guitar has the most sustain?

Generally speaking, heavier guitars pack more sustain than lighter guitars. So, if you want a guitar that’ll hold the longest notes, then you should be looking at solid-body guitars.

If you’re looking for a particular guitar, then we suggest the Gibson Les Paul.

The Gibson Les Paul has gotten a lot of accolades over the years for its brilliant sustain. This sustain is gotten from the guitar’s maple neck, mahogany body, and arched top.