Ibanez AS53TKF Artcore Semi-Hollow Electric Guitar – Transparent Black Flat

The Artcore AS53 brings semi-hollow warmth and versatility to an accessible price point — a double-cutaway thinline body with a center sustain block, dual Infinity R humbuckers, a bound rosewood fretboard, and the Quik Change III tailpiece that makes string changes painless.

Who This Guitar Is For

The AS53TKF is the guitar for a player who has been curious about semi-hollow tone but hesitated because of the size, the feedback potential, or the price. Ibanez addressed all three with this instrument. The body is compact — roughly the same dimensions as a traditional solidbody guitar — which makes it immediately comfortable to hold and eliminates the awkward feeling that can come with larger jazz-box bodies. The center sustain block runs through the body under the pickups, which dramatically reduces acoustic feedback at amplified stage volumes while adding sustain that fully hollow bodies can't match. The Infinity R humbuckers deliver warm, round tones unplugged and translate that warmth cleanly to an amp. The Transparent Black Flat finish is understated and clean — the satin surface shows the natural texture of the wood grain without the reflective distraction of a high-gloss finish. If you play blues, jazz, indie, rock, country, or R&B and have been looking for a way to add semi-hollow color to your sound without committing to a full hollow body or a premium price, the AS53 makes that move easy.

Key Highlights

• Double-cutaway semi-hollow body with center sustain block — delivers the warm, resonant character of a hollow body while significantly reducing feedback and adding sustain compared to a fully hollow design
• Linden top, back, and sides — lightweight and resonant, contributing a warm and open tonal character well-suited to clean and lightly driven tones
• AS Artcore Nyatoh set-in neck — Ibanez's comfortable Artcore AS neck profile in a warm-sounding Nyatoh build; set-in construction contributes to better sustain and resonance compared to bolt-on
• Bound Rosewood fretboard with white dot inlay — warm, focused mid-range character with a smooth playing surface; binding gives the fretboard a clean, finished appearance
• Infinity R (H) neck and bridge humbuckers — Passive/Ceramic design tuned for warm, full-bodied semi-hollow tone with good note definition and minimal unwanted noise
• Gibraltar Performer bridge — solid, stable, and adjustable for intonation and action; low-profile saddle design for comfortable playing feel
• Quik Change III tailpiece — strings feed directly through the tailpiece for faster, easier string changes compared to traditional stopbar designs
• 1 master volume, 1 master tone, 3-way toggle — clean, simple control layout that stays out of the way when you're focused on playing
• 24.7" scale length — slightly shorter than standard 25.5", reducing overall string tension for a looser, easier feel that suits bending and jazz-style legato playing
• Chrome hardware throughout — classic, understated look that pairs cleanly with the Transparent Black Flat finish
• Transparent Black Flat finish — satin semi-transparent black that shows the natural wood texture; refined and stage-ready without the fingerprint-magnet risk of a gloss black finish

Why You'll Love It

Great Fit For

• Solidbody players who want to explore semi-hollow tone without committing to a large, fully hollow body
• Blues, jazz, indie, country, R&B, and rock players who want warm, complex tonal character from their electric guitar
• Gigging musicians who need a semi-hollow that stays quiet and manageable at amp volumes — the center block handles this job
• Players who prefer shorter scale length and appreciate a looser, more expressive feel for bending and sustain-heavy playing styles
• Beginning and intermediate players looking for their first semi-hollow body that plays and sounds like a real instrument without a premium price tag
• Anyone who has wanted an all-black semi-hollow with a mature, understated look instead of a traditional sunburst or cherry finish

Sound, Feel, and Use

Semi-hollow guitars occupy a tonal space that neither solidbodies nor fully acoustic instruments can replicate — there's a warmth, a bloom, and a sense of natural resonance in every note that comes from the hollow chambers vibrating in sympathetic response to the strings. The AS53 delivers this character while the center sustain block keeps the low-frequency buildup that causes feedback at bay. On clean settings, the neck Infinity R humbucker is especially expressive — round, warm, and full, with a tonal complexity that rewards light picking dynamics. The bridge pickup brightens up the response for rhythm work, giving you enough cut to sit in a mix without losing the warmth that makes this body style worth using. The 24.7" scale is noticeably looser than a 25.5" guitar — string tension feels softer, bends come more easily, and legato runs feel fluid. Players who come from shorter-scale electric guitars will feel immediately at home. The 305mm fretboard radius is relatively tight for an electric guitar, which provides good chord stability and a comfortable grip for rhythm playing while still being friendly for lead work. The Artcore AS neck profile is one of Ibanez's more comfortable acoustic/electric hybrid shapes — not as thin as an Ibanez Wizard electric neck, but slim and inviting enough for players coming from solidbody backgrounds. The Transparent Black Flat finish is practically speaking excellent: the satin surface resists fingerprints and sweat marks in a way that gloss finishes don't, and it shows the natural wood grain texture beneath the black tint in a way that reads as genuinely sophisticated. On stage under lights, the subtle transparency of the finish gives the body a visual depth that plain opaque black doesn't achieve.

Specifications