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Artist AP97 Honey Burst Chambered Electric Guitar w/ Bullbucker Pickups

The Artist AP97 is a top-of-the-line guitar in a timeless single-cutaway shape, with premium features and finish, and a chambered body. If you're looking for a great rock and blues guitar, this AP97 is perfect; fluid, fat tones with endless sustain.

It features a Honey Burst finish over a two-piece 5A-grade tiger veneer, on a carved Maple top with a solid African Mahogany back. The body of this guitar has been chambered, so there are holes carved into the Mahogany, beneath the Maple top. This significantly reduces the weight of this guitar, a style known for being quite heavy, and increases the sustain and resonance of the wood. 

The Mahogany set neck has a single-ply cream binding, with a high-grade Eco-Rosewood fretboard, Trapezoid Mother of Pearl Inlays, 22 frets in a 24.75" scale length, and a comfortable C-shape radius. The deluxe hardware includes a lock-down-post Tune-O-Matic Bridge with brass saddles, aluminium Stop-Bar tailpiece and Chrome locking tuners.

The AP97 features our very own Bullbucker humbucking pickups, which include coil-splitting capability to give you ultimate control over your tonal options! These are known for their smooth, 'flute-like' neck tones, and the bridge pickup can push an amp into that perfect breakup we all love.

We also use the best electronic parts and braided wiring, with 2 Volume push/pull knobs for coil splitting, 2 Tone Controls, 3 Way Toggle Switch, Split Shaft 500K pots, 0.022uf ceramic capacitors.

This comes strung from the factory with D'Addario EXL110 strings.

The Tech Features

Model: AP97

Body:

  • Two pieces AAA Flamed(tiger stripe) Veneer on top of Carved Maple Top
  • Single cutaway
  • Chambered Mahogany Back
  • Single ply cream binding on body top

Neck:

  • Two piece, Set-in, Eco-Rosewood Fingerboard with single cream binding
  • Trapezoid Mother of Pearl Fingerboard Inlays
  • 12 Fingerboard Radius
  • 22 frets
  • Bone Nut 43mm / 111⁄16”
  • 24.75" Scale
  • C shaped radius

Finish:  Honey Burst with Gloss Polyurethane Finish

Hardware:

  • D-Style Locking Tuners
  • Lock-down-post Tune-O-Matic Bridge with brass saddles
  • Aluminium Stop-Bar Tailpiece,
  • Gold top-hat ("bonnet") shape knobs

Pickups: 

  • Artist Bullbuckers, Coil-Splitting with Chrome Covers
    - Bridge DC resistance: 15.4K Inductance Rating: 9.6H
    - Neck DC resistance: 7.1K Inductance Rating: 3.86H
  • 2x Volume Push/Pull Control, 2x Tone Control, 3 Way Toggle Switch
  • Split Shaft 500K pots
  • 0.022uf Ceramic Capacitors
  • 1/4" Output Jack
     

(17453)


Reviews (12)

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What a beauty

By: on 10 October 2023
I was apprehensive about buying my very first chambered / weight relieved LP but I have trusted Artist Guitars before without any issues, so what the hell, why not? This guitar is simply awesome. I havent now changed the strings to my usual Elixirs but otherwise I havent touched a thing and I'm even loving the stock pickups, so this beauty might just stay stock forever and the finish is even more unique and amazing than the pics portray. I LOVE THIS GUITAR

Artist Guitars Response
We are glad to hear that you are happy with our product. Thank you for sharing this feedback with us and for the support!

Brilliant!

By: on 2 October 2023
Nothing more to add just, 'brilliant' says it all

Artist Guitars Response
Thank you for the review! Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.

Great guitar which I can't put down.

By: on 23 June 2023
Really happy with the guitar. Being weight relieved (like Gibbos modern weight relief) it's incredibly resonant. The pickups sound great, I really like the tones with the coil split. The neck isn't a real fat chunky 50's shape nor is it the slimmer 60's that I've tried, it's right down the middle and very comfortable in the hand. The colour looks more of a traditional tea burst than honey burst to my eye but the colour on the website photos is a correct representation and is really pretty. I did change the bridge on my guitar as I was having a little trouble with intonation on the A string but that was quickly swapped for another bridge which I had with no issue. I gave the frets a good polish, lowered the action to taste as I do with all of my guitars and that was it... I haven't put this thing down since receiving it. If I had 1 request it would be for multiple neck variations, a 60's style neck would be cool as well as more colours. I'd like to see silver burst, emerald green (anaconda) and bourbon burst personally. Finally I'd say grab it. If you're one of those guys that think a Les style guitar doesn't benefit from weight relief, I'd argue people pick up lighter guitars more often and the chambers enhance acoustics. Good Job Artist Guitars I look forward to buying more of these in new colours (hopefully).

Artist Guitars Response
We are glad to hear that you are happy with our products and service. Thank you for sharing this feedback with us and for the support!

Lightweight and gorgeous!

By: on 9 June 2023
I grabbed mine from the bargain bin because these are currently out of stock, I gotta say this is the les Paul for me. I love les Paul’s realistically but I hate the weight this thing is light and rings like a bell so it really hits the spot. Only problem with mine was the bridge I couldn’t intonate it properly and the studs would allow the bridge to actually move being so small… some of the intonation screws wouldn’t budge and the low e one seemed like the screw driver slot wasn't machined deep enough so I couldn’t turn it. Since I’ve replaced it with a Gotoh tunomatic and it’s intonated perfectly now. Still 5 stars because I know the guys at Artist are very easy going about returns and they would’ve happily exchanged or refunded it but mine looks so nice I’m not bothered haha just fixed it and now it’s an absolute workhorse!

Artist Guitars Response
Thank you very much for sharing the feedback about the guitar. We truly appreciate it.

Lightweight and gorgeous!

By: on 9 June 2023
I grabbed mine from the bargain bin because these are currently out of stock, I gotta say this is the les Paul for me. I love les Paul’s realistically but I hate the weight this thing is light and rings like a bell so it really hits the spot. Only problem with mine was the bridge I couldn’t intonate it properly and the studs would allow the bridge to actually move being so small… some of the intonation screws wouldn’t budge and the low e one seemed like the screw driver slot wasn't machined deep enough so I couldn’t turn it. Since I’ve replaced it with a Gotoh tunomatic and it’s intonated perfectly now. Still 5 stars because I know the guys at Artist are very easy going about returns and they would’ve happily exchanged or refunded it but mine looks so nice I’m not bothered haha just fixed it and now it’s an absolute workhorse!

Artist Guitars Response
Thank you so much for the feedback. My apologies if you stumbled into an issue but yes, we're always willing to resolve any concerns for our customers. Please feel free to contact us if you need anything. Cheers!

Just Brilliant

By: on 6 April 2023
I managed to get hold of the prototype of this model. So it needed a little work. Fret polish, fretboard conditioning, new strings, string & pickup height to suit my playing style...the usual adjustments. Wow!! Plays beautifully. Sustain for ages, clear definition with harmonics and a beautiful open sound. The finish is superb with a depth of flame that is bordering on 3 dimensional. Even my wife loves it! Very comfortable to play with a comfortable weight, tuning stability and no buzzing. The Bullbuckers have plenty of grunt and a delightful, usable split sound. The neck is very 'Stratty' when split and the bridge is also good. I've made several guitars but can't match the quality at this price. I tweaked the electronics for my style but out of the box, it's still great. This is my second Artist guitar and they just keep getting better. Ian and the team are great to deal with in person or on the phone too. Well done...as always.

Artist Guitars Response
Thank you so much for the detailed review and we are glad to hear that you are loving the guitar. Thank you so much and we look forward to your continued support with us.

Great LP style guitar

By: on 19 January 2023
Another satisfied buyer here . My 4th Artist guitar & can't fault it. The guitar looks brilliant love the honeyburst (my 1st in this finish) & it plays very nice . Very comfortable to hold & & punches well above the price point. Ticks all the boxes & stoked would be an understatement :) As another review stated the QC wasn't the best in regards to tuners(sticker with Hank on it) . I also had an issue with the locking tuners not tightened properly & (2) strings needing replaced when tuning cos they broke . Intonation was spot on & I love the low action how I like all my guitars. The concern is not a big issue if you know a little about guitars but QC is supposed to be exactly that & the customer does expect the product to be spot on .Other than that stoked for sure. I'm going to give a 5 star rating cos I absolutely love the guitar it rocks cheers

Excellent guitar - poor quality control

By: on 12 January 2023
Wow, amazing guitar. The action is incredibly low with zero buzz. The hardware, pickups and overall finish is perfect. If I put a sock over the headstock and play it at a gig, no one will notice that it isn't a genuine Gibson Les Paul. The fretboard inlays are perfect. The set neck is very well done. The truss rod is smooth and easy to turn. I opened up the guitar and the back does indeed appear to be mahogany with a 1/4 inch maple top. Everything's been routed perfectly, the neck is well glued and manufacturing is excellent. The electronics cavity is shielded. In terms of sound, another buyer noted that the guitar sounds "bright". Of course, if you carve out a lot of the mahogany to reduce weight, that's what happens. You lose some (or a lot) of the mid-range 'oink' that mahogany is famous for. Actually, it sounds more like a 335 semi-hollow guitar. If you're into jazz, turn back the tone knob a bit or buy an Artist LP59 and make an appointment with your chiropractor. The bones of this guitar are great. To counteract the increased treble, one could swap the 500 KOhm volume pots for 250KOhm ones, or, alter the cap value on the tone pot to reduce some of the edginess. EVH guitars do that for that exact reason - or turn down the treble on your amp. It's a quick fix. Overall, it's an easy to play, light weight guitar with plenty of punch and sustain that sounds acoustically, and through an amp, amazing. The pickups sound bloody good, in fact as good as any Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio. I used to replace all my pickups with brand pickups years ago. But unbranded pickups have lifted their game considerably in recent years, and in many cases, unbranded pickups are just as good or better than their brand-name counterparts. The Bullbuckers are one such example. They are tone-wise equal to an expensive Seymour Duncan Jazz SH-2 or the Duncan Designed HB102. In fact, while there is a tiny, tiny tonal difference between the Bullbucker and the Jazz SH-2 (not better or worse), there is ZERO difference between the HB102! The neck is a tad chunky for my sausage fingers but otherwise it's a fast neck. I guess you can't have it all. But a guy with long stick fingers will appreciate the neck. Unfortunately, not all is well: the 2nd string machine head was defective. At half turn, it got harder and harder to turn and started to grind. This means that the cog wheel inside the tuner is damaged. Over time, the notches of the cog wheel will grind off more and more until the machine head completely ceases and needs replacing. The same thing happened with another Artist Guitar purchase a few years ago. But on both occasions, Artist Guitars didn't muck around and immediately sent out a replacement part. That's one reason I keep on coming back to Artist Guitars. Also, the guitar came with loose strings and none of the locking wheels were tightened. The strings had been cut off too short so that they did not even poke all the way through the shafts (cylinder) of the machine heads. When I tried to tune the guitar, the G-string slipped out. Because the string was cut too short, I could not re-insert it. Since all strings were cut too short, I changed all strings. Then I noticed that the saddle and bridge were wobbling around. The saddle has socket head cap screws and regular flat-head screws to secure the saddle from wobbling. They were all loose. Same with the two screws on the bridge, and, there wasn't even a hex wrench in the box, no manual, nothing. I shouldn't have to buy a $5,000 guitar to get quality control and a finished product. Setting up the bridge, saddle and making sure that the tuners work is basic stuff. To stick an Artist Guitars sticker on the back of the headstock claiming the guitar was QC'd by a guy called Hank is extremely rude and cost a star. Obviously, no one, anywhere QC'd this guitar. The fact that the neck happens to be straight is due to CNC machines doing their job. Although the frets were levelled correctly, they were not polished. They were rough so that when I pulled the strings, I could hear horrible scraping noises. When I changed the strings, I polished the frets and oiled the fretboard. It's nice to play now. So, while I don't expect the same workmanship as a US made Gibson, I did expect quality control from whoever manufactured this guitar and whoever imported it. Had Hank, if he even exists, actually QC'd the guitar, he would have tightened the hex screws etc and replaced the faulty machine head. Imagine a young kid who doesn't have a clue about guitars and got this one? He'd be so disappointed and frustrated. Because of the loose saddle, the guitar would have been constantly out of tune. At least put a manual in the box and a hex key. Finally, and this is not a criticism, the guitar is mildly neck-heavy. This means that because the weight of the body has been reduced, when playing standing up with a strap, the guitar nudges slightly downwards because the neck is heavier th

Artist Guitars Response
Thank you so much for leaving this feedback. This definitely helps us in improving our products and services. I will make sure that this feedback reaches our QC team in the factory.

Artist AP 97

By: on 29 December 2022
Can not fault this guitar ,just plug it in a little bit of a tweet to suite and haven’t had any regrets Highly recommend

Artist Guitars Response
Thank you for your great review of the guitar and recommendation of it.

Tiger Stripes with bite

By: on 22 December 2022
Took a bit of a leap of faith with a pre-order of this, and do not regret it. The final product is very much in line with the original concept design renders and just as I was wishing for. This is my electric guitar #5 from Artist for me, and the same comments on quality and value for money stand again. The finish of the tiger top is under a honey burst is beautiful and exudes a real classic look. The neck is straight and true, with no sharp or dull frets. Ready to go out of the box (after reattaching the B string), although I may attempt to drop the bridge a smidge as the action is a little higher than I'm used to. I'm used to the bull-buckers from my TC59, but of course they sing warmly and can show some teeth - the guitar just looks and plays beautifully. A welcome addition to my collection and worthy of the top-of the-line billing with Artist

Artist Guitars Response
Glad to hear that the guitar lives up to your expectation. Thank yo for the great review about it.

Everything I want in an LP

By: on 14 December 2022
The beef I have with LPs is they are heavy, and can sound dark. I often find myself reaching for my other guitars, because of the weight. When I saw Artist were releasing a chambered version of their flagship LP, I immediately pre-ordered. This guitar is the answer to my LP search. The guitar weights a whopping 1.5kg less than my other LP. The guitar is brighter than LPs I've owned in the past, which is exactly what I was looking for. Not overly bright, however, I have always found I can keep the amp settings the same for most of my guitars (335, LP Special, a bunch of Fenders), but when I plugged in my LP, I'd have to bump up the treble a couple of increments to get it sounding right. This one is more in line with my other guitars, which I really like (due to the chambering maybe? I don't know). I'd say it's somewhere between an SG and an LP in terms of brightness. Also, the burst finish is beautiful. My Artist LP59 is in Cherry Burst. Cherry isn't my favourite finish on an LP, so I was pretty excited when I saw this chambered was going to be in Honey Burst. Tuning stability and hardware is great. Many of my guitars need slight tuning if I pick them up the next day to play. This usually doesn't need a tune. Overall, I don't think you can beat this. The obvious competitor is more than double the cost of this. Quality Control seems very good.

Artist Guitars Response
Thank you very much for the great and detailed review about the guitar. We really appreciate the time you have taken to write it.

AP97 Review

By: on 12 December 2022
Been waiting for the release of this guitar for since it was announced. Have to say I am not disappointed with the purchase. For the money, you'd have to go a long way to find a better LP clone. The weight relief makes the guitar no heavier than most lighter styles, perhaps not quite in SG territory, but certainly won't give you the neck, shoulder & back issues a regular weighted LP style axe would. The finish is almost impeccable. Not a scratch on it. The fret binding on the neck is just lovely & adds to the value. The honeyburst finish is spot on, not too light or dark, and the stripes blend in well. The guitar plays superbly. I've never played an actual "G"branded LP, but I would say this would be on par with LP style guitars costing at least two or three times more (how do they do it for the price??) The pickups are very good, DÁddario strings, even a bone nut! The guitar was well set up out of the box. Just a tune & away I went. The only slight gripe (and this is being picky) is one of the volume push/pull coil knobs is very close to the body when in un-split mode. It makes it a little tricky to pull the knob as easily as the other which is slightly raised by a couple of mm. Just something to look at for QC. No biggy. Overall, it's a top quality guitar for a bargain basement price. TBH I've barely been able to play any other of my guitars as it plays so well I just don't really want to put it down. Artist Guitars, you've got a winner here. Just beautiful...

Artist Guitars Response
Thank you very much for the great review about the guitar. We are glad to hear that it has built up your expectation.
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