Product Description

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Artist AT55 Hot Pink Electric Guitar w/ HS Pickups

The Artist AT55 pairs the best elements of vintage guitar design with a host of modern appointments, including a blisteringly hot set of high-end pickups, giving this all-new model a slight edge when it comes to versatility compared to its older brother, the legendary Artist AT53. Equipped with the same classic-looking quartersawn roasted maple neck and ultra-lightweight paulownia body as the AT53, the AT55 brings the same playability and high-end appointments as its predecessor, just with a little more oomph!

Having tested untold amounts of pickup options, we settled on an HS configuration featuring a hot, high-end Alnico V single coil in the neck position, and an ultra high-output single-coil sized Alnico V humbucker in the bridge. Voiced with an aggressive mid-range punch and searing high-end, this pickup is perfectly suited for anything from classic rock breakup to bonecrushing modern metal riffage. If you're after that classic single-coil twang, simply flick the coil-split switch, and the AT55 will chickin' pick with the best of them.

Every detail has been pored over with this one - a bone nut, copper foil shielding, a wheeled string tree and locking strap buttons are among a host of features that make this your perfect modern instrument!

The Tech Features

Body
Body Material: Paulownia
Body Finish: Hot Pink
Body Paint: Poly
Body Construction: Solid

Neck
Neck Material:
 Quarter-Sawn Roasted Maple
Neck Construction: One-Piece
Neck Joint: Bolt-On
Neck Finish: Satin Nitro
Neck Shape: C Profile
Scale Length: 648mm / 25.5"
Fretboard Material: Rosewood
Fretboard Radius: 350mm / 14"
Number of Frets: 22
Fret Material: Stainless Steel
Fret Size: Medium Jumbo
Nut Material: Bone
Nut Width: 42mm / 1.65"
Position Inlays: Pearloid Fret Dots
Binding: N/A
Side Dots: Glow in the Dark 
Truss Rod: Dual Action 2-Way

Electronics
Bridge Pickup:
 Alnico V Single-Coil Sized Humbucker w/ Coil Split - 19.23K 
Middle Pickup: N/A
Neck Pickup: Alnico V Hot Single Coil - 12.69K
Switching: 3-Way Switch
Configuration: HS
Special Electronics: Coil Split Toggle Switch, Copper Foil Shielded Cavity

Hardware
Bridge:
 Vintage Style Bridge w/ Brass Saddles
Hardware Finish: Chrome
Machine Heads: Chrome Premium Locking w/ White Button
Pickguard: N/A

Miscellaneous/Special Features
Weight: 2.7-3.2kg / 6-7lbs
Strings: D'Addario 10-46

Accessories
Included Accessories:
 Instrument Cable, Truss Rod Adjustment Key, Tremolo Adjustment Key, Picks, Strap Locks
Optional Hard Cases: REC300RC, REC350FTB, EC500
Optional Bags: HGBAGST, BAGST

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Reviews (1)

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Hot pink, hot rails

By: on 9 June 2026
I remember reading somewhere – where, I am not so sure – that Artist aim to be the best value guitar, rather than the cheapest guitar. What that means is you get great value for money, although not necessarily the cheapest instrument, and not necessarily the best. This guitar is no exception to that philosophy. // I have been playing Artist Guitars for a while now. The first one I bought was the (older model with the original headstock) Artist AT53. Since buying that, I have also bought a Squire Classic Vibe Tele, a Mexican Fender Tele, and a U.S. Fender Tele. That AT53 is on par with the Mexican Fender, maybe a touch below it, although for a third of the price, if that helps you visualize where abouts this instrument places itself. Similarly, I find this new AT55 to be in the same vein. // Upon unboxing, some things impressed me more than the photos, and others underwhelmed me. The rosewood fingerboard, for example, is not as nice as that on the Mexican Tele. This one is a bit “porous,” having little holes in it, which doesn’t detract from the playing, although can lead to aesthetic issues down the line when dust and/or gunk inevitably gets caught in it. The three-way switch feels far cheaper and inferior compared to even those found on my lower-end Squiers. The clear pickguard, I must admit, looks better in the photos. All cosmetic things, and all preference items, realistically. By contrast, other aspects of the instrument that “felt cheap” in the photo are just phenomenal in person. The “white” tuning pegs are actually a stunning pearloid. The body isn’t a solid, cheap pink, although, rather, it is a solid hot pink colour with what can only be best described as blue glittery flakes scattered over the top of it. It’s absolutely stunning in person, I can assure you. // The setup, as usual, was absolutely fine out of the box. The only “issue” I had was the 12th fret on the B string was about a cent off from being perfectly lined up – everything else was bang on. The nut seems to be cut fine, the tuning pegs don’t feel slack or tight (I’ve had one Artist in the past with a bad peg, which to Artist’s credit, they did replace promptly for free). I think, perhaps, the most important aspect of this review would be the sound. // Both pickups are phenomenal. Absolutely blew me away when I listened to them the first time. I have a HH Tele made by LTD that I keep around as my “baseline” humbucker sound, because most of the guitars I play are single coil, and I use that to test, for example, distortion pickups that might otherwise sound a bit thin or brittle through single-coil Telecasters. If it doesn’t sound good through either the HH Tele or the SS Tele, I know further tweaking must be done, or, more likely, the pedal just isn’t for me. I can assure you that when I played the same setup – nothing changed, not even the EQ adjusted – this HS Tele absolutely blows that LTD out of the water. It sounds aggressive yet focused. Tight yet not too compressed. I’m not too great with these words to describe overdriven guitar tones, although the general gist of it is this: the guitar just sounds great when I compare the expected sound in my head to what I hear out of the amplifier. The neck and bridge sound quite distinct and different from each other, which is really nice to hear, and they, quite honestly, work really, really nicely together in the middle position. // There is one caveat worth mentioning, however. Despite the bridge pickup being a humbucker, it does still have a slight hum (ironic, I know) to it when set exclusively on the bridge when the coil split is turned off. To be fair, this was only noticeable on some pedals, although it was still there. Nothing that would really impact any recording, although it was not dead silent. I suspect a slight wiring issue or missed shielding (I haven’t investigated yet). // I think by now you will have decided if this guitar is worth the gamble or not. I certainly enjoy it, and could probably write another page about it. Alas, all reviews must end eventually, so I will summarise my thoughts. The tone is incredible – no regrets at all. The build quality is great, although don’t expect the best instrument you’ll ever lay your hands on. Do, however, expect the best-value instrument your money can buy, because for this price, I can guarantee, if they slapped a Fender logo on the headstock, it would be triple the price and still sell like hotcakes. If this was the final choice after untold amounts of pickups tested, then I’m deeply curious to see a new range released with “plan B” pickups in it. Great work, Artist. // (Line breaks not allowed)

Artist Guitars Response
Thanks so much for your review! Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions.