1997 Ibanez Artstar AM200 Semi-Hollow Guitar, Near Mint w/ Super 58 Pickups, Case & Tags

Up for sale, a 1997 Ibanez Artstar AM200 in near-mint, 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case and hangtags. Produced at the venerable Fujigen factory as part of Ibanez’s Artstar series, this guitar boasts an Antique Violin finish over a figured burl mahogany body, loaded with a pair of Ibanez Super 58 humbuckers. The AM200 was the thinnest and smallest offering in the Artstar line, marrying the comfort and size of a solid body with the rich, open sound of a semi-hollow.Tonewoods include burl mahogany back, sides, and top with a maple center block and three-piece mahogany/maple/mahogany neck capped by a genuine ebony fretboard. Acoustically, this guitar offers both immediacy and warmth, qualities faithfully captured by the Super 58 humbuckers. The PAF-style Super 58s are bright and bold, with a harmonically-rich midrange and sparkling highs, both metering at 7.35k ohms. This Ibanez weighs 7lbs 9oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action and spot-on intonation.The three-piece neck has a medium C-shaped profile carve with generous shoulder in all registers, measuring .845” deep at the 1st fret and .925” at the 12th. The bound ebony fretboard features two-tone abalone/pearloid split block inlays and flawless medium jumbo fretwire. This guitar plays cleanly up the 24 3/4” scale with a straight neck and a responsive, optimally-adjusted truss rod. The stock nut measures 43mm (1 11/16”) in width. The headstock is framed by multi-ply binding and features an “AM200”-embossed truss rod cover and ornate inlay. The Gotoh SG381 tuning machines turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch with white pearloid buttons and “Made in Japan”-stamped housings. The F97-prefix serial number on the back of the headstock dates this guitar to June, 1997.All of the electronics work as intended, with the Super 58 humbuckers governed by a three-way selector switch and individual pairs of Volume and Tone controls. The all-gold hardware complement includes the Gibraltar II bridge and Quik Change II tailpiece. Plastics comprise the quartet of amber Sure Grip knobs with ridged surrounds for easy on-the-fly adjustment, white pickup rings, and the bound tortoise pickguard.The gloss Antique Violin finish is framed on front and back by multi-ply cream binding, highlighting the unique grain and figuring on the burl mahogany top and back. This is a particularly well-kept example, with cosmetic wear limited to a few light finish scratches on the body as a whole. The smooth gloss finish on the neck profile is immaculate.The original hardshell case is included, along with the hangtags.