I love this guitar. Such a rich and beautiful tone (especially on the neck pickup). Play this guitar with some reverb and you will love it. It can also thrash the metal with the best of em. I was pulling pinch harmonics out of pretty much every fret with ease. This guitar is so freaking pretty. It looks incredible. Clean or distorted, this guitar does it all. I love it, and am so glad I got it.

I own several guitars from Ibanez including the 550, 560 and 570 as well as 3 Washburn N4 guitars. The ARX 500 has a totally different feel from any of the above mentioned however is absolutely amazing. After reviewing several other guitars including PRS, and Washburn I found that for the money this guitar was by far the better choice. It has beautiful neck inlays, wood like control knobs and beautiful pearl tuners. The body contour and color is equal in every way to the $2000+ prs, and in my opinion plays easier and sounds better. Even unplugged this guitars resonance is so loud it is almost like an acoustic, this adds to the sustain which this guitar has plenty of. In addition this is a very light guitar which makes it nice when playing standing. My only complaint with this guitar is that the cutaway below neck needs a little larger radius to allow more comfort on the hands when playing high on the neck. After about 1 month the brass bridge began to tarnish horrible along with the screws. I brought this to the dealers attention and they had these parts replaced. Since then along with an anti tarnish agent left in my case this has not developed again. This has become one of my favorite playing guitars and absolutely the most gorgeous. I would highly recommend this guitar for anyone who wants that prs feel.

I picked one of these up a few months ago as a step up and am very pleased with it. The quality of the parts and construction of the guitar are extremely high for the price. The tone is superior and it plays great.

A few details: Like all Artist series, the neck is slightly wider than what you will find on a Strat for instance. Also, the body contour is designed for standing and requires a strap when seated. It IS a beauty though and a great value with a beautiful finish.