atop the rings, which prevents it from flopping around. The two-part truss-rod cover
can also be removed without a screwdriver
for quick adjustments.
Overall, the fit and finish on our
AFS80T is very good. Fretwork is tidy,
with just a hint of roughness at a few
edges, and the nut is cut with precision.
The finish is generally quite smooth and
devoid of orange peel, though it’s a little
irregularly applied where it meets the binding on the body and f-holes, and seems
thick in other spots. Still, the craftsmanship is arguably as good as that on archtops
costing many times as much.
Acoustically and
Electrically Lively
Slender and light, at just under seven
pounds, our AFS80T is super-comfortable
to hold either seated or standing. Its
C-shaped neck is thinner and slimmer
than those you’d encounter on a typical
’50s-vintage guitar, but very playable over
the length of the fretboard. And while the
43 mm nut width is slightly wider than
say, a standard Gibson neck, there’s more
space for fretting cowboy chords and rocking flatpick moves.
Before you ever plug a lead into an
amplifier, the AFS80T is impressively
loud and lively. Chords ring out with
plenty of overtones and more sustain than
you might expect. And individual notes
have a strong presence bolstered by a light
natural reverb that’s generated by the
surprisingly resonant body. Given that it’s
such a comfortable and fun guitar to play
and that it sounds so good before you
plug it in, you’re likely to spend a lot of
time with it that way—just as you might
with a nice acoustic.
Make no mistake though, it’s a blast
to play the AFS80T electrified. Given
the clear rockabilly leanings that inform
the design, I plugged the Ibanez into my
Fender Pro Junior and worked out some
Brian Setzer-inspired runs on the bridge
pickup, which delivered plenty of spank,
sass, and definition. It seemed appropriate
to try some Chet Atkins-style picking too,
considering the many Gretsch-like aspects
of the design. So I tuned to open G and
ran through some fingerstyle patterns trac-
ing an arc from Merle Travis to Chet—all
of which sounded warm and balanced
with a well-defined thump in the bass and
sweet clarity in the treble. Switching to
the bridge pickup worked great for some
Keef-flavored open-G crunchy rock. And
the tone was tight and free of mud—leav-
ing chords to ring so I could clearly dis-
cern the individual notes and overtones
within each grip.
