Arbor AP 230 –Les Paul-style – Low Action, Great Tone – Gorgeous Cherry Sunburst

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$35 SHIPPING in Cont. U.S.  - - This item DOES NOT ship internationally.
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FEATURES:
 ♫ – Gorgeous Cherry Sunburst
 ♫ – Drop-dead gorgeous flame maple veneer top
 ♫ – Deluxe multi-layer binding
 ♫ – Bound headstock
 ♫ – Fret level and recrown
 ♫ – Great tone and low action

    This AP 230 is a gorgeous, great-playing and great-sounding Les Paul-style guitar. One of the best things about it is that it has the looks, feel and playability of a real Les Paul, but the sharp treble horn and headstock instantly announce that it is its own thing and not trying to fool anyone that it’s a real LP.

    This guitar has a cherryburst body with a cream colored pick guard. There are 2 covered humbucker pickups controlled by 2 volume knobs, 2 tone knobs and a 3-way selector switch. The fret board is rosewood with 22 frets. This guitar is in playing condition.

    History:  Arbor guitars were founded in 1984 in Osaka, Japan by an ex-Ibanez president and an ex-Yamaha manager. A factory was purchased in Hamamatsu, Japan where guitars were produced from 1984-1986. They were forced to sell the company in the 3rd year of production due to lawsuits that were immediately filed by both Fender and Gibson, jointly. Production was moved to Korea by the new owners, Musicorp.

    Musicorp was based in North Charleston, SC. According to statements by people familiar with the Arbor operations, the guitars were made by Samick or Cort in Korea and were of good quality. Some Arbors were eventually made in China but were still of good quality

    Fender bought Kaman Music. Kaman Music in turn bought Musicorp and killed the wonderful Arbor guitar line, apparently in 2012. Fender music then sold off most of the better known Kaman lines (Gretsch drums, Ovation guitar, Gibraltar etc) to Drum Works. Fender sold what was left of Kaman Music/ Musicorp (KMC) to Jam Industries.

    I spoke with one of the senior KMC marketing guys at Summer NAMM 2018 in Nashville and asked him point-blank if there was any chance they would bring the Arbor brand back. His answer: not a chance. Sales and price point would not justify the expense of re-launching the brand. Since then, the 2018 guitar market showed some of its greatest weakness in lower-priced Asian imports. And the Arbor brand is not well-enough known for anyone to buy it from KMC and start making Arbor guitars—it would have appreciably more value, really, than an all-new name. [Still, if you want to make Arbor guitars, KMC is ready to talk to you…]

    But—the Arbor name was affixed to some damn good guitars, as this one proves. They definitely have their fans. The original Arbor guitars made in Japan are quite rare and collectible though not well known; they’re great guitars. The history of Arbor production after that is murky, and there really aren’t any Arbor scholars, as there are for other brands. It appears that some post-Japan Arbors were made in Korea (also highly regarded) and that later production was moved to China.  If an Arbor lacks a sticker that states country of origin, it can be difficult to determine where it was made.

    Origin:  One “expert” told me that this guitar was China made, because of the body wood, which appears to be either Alder or Agathis, and headstock shape. OTOH, this guitar has nice workmanship, such as sharp rectangular fretboard inlays, and has the rare bound headstock and deluxe multi-binding on the body that supposedly are not typical of Chinese Arbor production and makes it Korean, according to another Arbor “expert.”

    So I don’t know. I’m guessing it’s Chinese because of flaws in the binding, but the quality is pretty solid. FWIW, the stop tail piece is made by Sung Il Hitech, a Korean company, which btw makes a lot of parts for Gibson. It would probably take someone at KMC to sort out where it was made, if anybody from that period still is around.

    Playability/Sound:  Plays like a dream with very low action. In fact, some would want the action higher, especially if you have a heavy touch. It has had a complete fret level and recrown, as you can see from the pics. There is lots of fret life left, probably at least 90%. This rocker is a great little guitar, and even sweeter at the price. It’s 9 lbs., which is not super heavy for this style of guitar, but be aware of it. It is gig-ready.

    The humbuckers sound pretty good, good depth and articulation. They are not some illustrious brand name, but really do the job. The neck humbucker (stamped F for front) is a very sweet, vintagey 8.2K ohms. The bridge ‘bucker (stamped R for rear) reads a good bit hotter on the meter at 16.2K but is not harsh at all—I was surprised at the DC resistance reading on it. It’s very sweet despite the output reading. Make no mistake, this guitar has balls.

    Condition:  VG, very nice. Works great and sounds pretty awesome. It appears to be all original and to have all parts, including truss rod cover. No major dings, just a couple on the back and little scratches and scuffs in the finish here and there. Neck and headstock, remarkably, are free of dings, as is the top. But it has been played and loved, but clearly not gigged hard.

    There is a lengthwise crack in the veneer top (pictured) that is stable and not going anywhere; you have to be very close to see it. BTW, the dangerous cracks are the ones going sideways. It’s tough to find specs on this guitar, so the specs I present below are the result of my own direct measurements, not copied from other listings.

No case.

Specifications
 ♪ Model:  Arbor AP 230CS
 ♪ Finish:  Cherry Sunburst
 ♪ Style:  Singlecut, Les Paul-style
 ♪ Build:  Solidbody, set neck, medium tenon
BODY:
 ♪ Body:  Alder? Agathis?
 ♪ Weight:      9 lbs.
 ♪ Body Width:    13” lower bout, 9” upper bout
 ♪ Body Length:    17.25”
NECK:
 ♪ Wood:  Maple, bound
 ♪ Fretboard:  Rosewood
 ♪ Inlays:  Mother of Pearl, like LP Custom
 ♪ Wood:  Maple
 ♪ Frets:  22, Medium Jumbo
 ♪ Scale:        628mm/24.75"
 ♪ Width @ nut:        42 mm / 1.65”
 ♪ Width @ 12F:  52mm / 2.06”
 ♪ Radius:      305 mm / 12”
PICKUPS & CONTROLS:
 ♪ Neck:  Unbranded hunbucker (Passive/Alnico), DCR 8.2
 ♪ Bridge:  Unbranded humbucker (Passive/Alnico), DCR 16.2
 ♪ Controls:  2 Vol., 2 Tones, 3-way toggle
HARDWARE:
 ♪ Bridge:      ABR-style (TOM-style)
 ♪ Tailpiece:  Stoptail
 ♪ Tuners:  Premium diecast
 ♪ Hardware Color:  Chrome

  ♫ Returns:  We only accept returns of a used item if the item is significantly not as described in the listing. So do all research and ask all questions BEFORE you buy. We are happy to answer questions or provide more pics.

  ♫ Photos:  Pictures are of the actual guitar you will receive, never retouched or altered. I try to show every ding or other damage of note in the pics, in addition to describing it in writing. Please note that my pics form part of this item’s description.

  ♫ Handling marks:  Used guitars will have handling marks if they’ve been handled -- even wiping off fingerprints with a clean cotton tee shirt can leave swirl marks on some finishes. Guitars get scratches and scrape marks from picks, fingernails, buckles, buttons and whatnot. It is a rare one that has no dings or scratches whatever, not even a small one. They go with the territory and do not in any way negatively impact playability or sound. It can only be pristine if it is never played or handled.

  ♫ Local Pickup:  We welcome local pickup on this one if you are in the St. Louis, Missouri area.

  ♫     T H A N K S   F O R   L O O K I N G !      ♫

==== SHIPPING =================================================

  ◎ This item ships only within the continental U.S. (the 48 contiguous states, known as CONUS), and there is a $35 charge for shipping. We usually send guitars and large items by UPS or Fedex ground or USPS parcel post. We ship on the 1st business day after purchase; same day if there's time. Items shipped UPS or Fedex during weekend hours (FRI afternoon through SUN evening) will not arrive at UPS sort facilities until Monday.

  ◎ I professionally pack the guitar for you; it will be well protected.

  ◎ This item will be fully insured for the purchase amount through Reverb’s Buyer Protection or other, such as Shipsurance, and you will have to sign for the item.

  ◎ If you would like it held for pickup by you instead of being delivered, notify the shipper, which you can do online using the tracking number.