[Rufus]

Man, how is the Artcore doing?

[slejhamer]

Hello Dog!

Well I'll say that I like it a lot, but don't love it. You know I'm a nitpicker, so here are the nits:

1. Action at the factory settings is okay, but for my preference it's quite high. If I set it much lower then I get slight buzzing on the low E and A strings around the 5th through 9th frets. This suggests too much neck relief, but a truss rod adjustment doesn't seem to help. I will need to take it to a luthier for proper setup and (hopefully not) some fret adjustment.

2. The bridge pickup, when played by itself, is gutless. Bottom end seems to drop out entirely. I suppose it would be good for some twangy rhythm strumming, but that's not me. Maybe I'll replace it one day.

3. There are a couple of very minor flaws in the finish. The most notable is a slight gap, maybe 1/16th inch wide and 1/4 inch long, in the flame top between the p/ups. You really have to look to see it, and it's only at certain angles when the light hits it right, but once you know it's there it bugs you to no end. It's in the wood itself, not in the glossy finish, so it can't be filled in with putty. And the wood is most certainly NOT maple, like they advertise in the US and Europe; their Japanese web site says the top is sycamore and I think that's probably right. (I knew this ahead of time and think it looks great.)

4. The tone and volume pots have a little bit of static. I don't adjust them much, but it seems to me that a new guitar that's been in a case 100% of the time when not being played should not have dirty internals. I'll get them cleaned when I have the action adjusted.

Okay, those are the cons, and except for the possibility of needing my frets filed down, they are quite minor and nothing unusual in a US$300-350 guitar. Here are some positive thoughts:

1. Compared to others LP style guitars I tried in the same price range, it blows them away (especially the popular Epiphone.) Build quality and finish are much nicer, sound is richer, accessories like the tuners are of higher quality. You don't see abalone neck inlays too often in this price range.

2. The neck pickup sounds full and aggressive - I think it almost growls! I had expected it to be mellow and jazzy, but it's R&R all the way.

3. When both pickups are engaged, the sound is an intriguing blend of bluesy darkness and jazzy warmth. It's what I hoped for from a double-humbucker semi-hollow body. Add a little bit of distortion and it really comes alive.

4. The semi-hollow body is much lighter than the typical Les Paul solid-body guitar. I find it quite comfortable to play standing up, which is how I practice.

Overall I'd recommend it to someone looking for the semi-hollow sound in a smaller body.

But in hindsight I wouldn't pair it with the Line 6 amp, which (now that I've played it a while) seems too metal / punk. I've tweaked the amp settings considerably to my taste - and thankfully it allows me to save my settings for each channel - but I think I would prefer a clean amp (Fender, for instance) with a good bluesy overdrive pedal for when I want distortion. Unfortunately I'm past the 30-day return window, so I'll live with it for a while and upgrade at some point down the road.

[Rufus]

Remind me, which Line 6 is it?

Do you think a valve jobby wouldve been better?

[slejhamer]

It's the Line 6 Spider II 30W. I think it sounds very good for aggressive playing styles, but now that I'm more familiar with it (and other alternatives) I think I'd prefer something different.

I'm sure a tube amp would be quite nice, especially at volume when the tubes start to glow! But at lower volumes at home I think it would be wasteful.

The hybrid Vox Valvetronix AD30VT 30W would have been a better choice for me. I looked at it, and can't remember why I picked the Line 6 instead, other than it was $40 cheaper. Dumb reason!