they're awesome.. wiki says so. The first Ibanez Artcore models were released by Ibanez in mid-2002 whose goal was to offer an affordable range of full-hollow and semi-hollow body guitars that appealed to entry level guitarists who were unable or unwilling to pay big money on high-priced guitars. The Artcore series has developed a reputation for being one of the best value guitars on the market and has been praised by reviewers, and are highly respected for their tone, sustain and the way they hold their tune. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibanez_Artcore_Series)