I have been reading a ton of reviews on the Ibanez Art Wood AW100 (and others) and thought I would share my view on the subject. I recently purchased a1996 Aw100 for $150.00 and after a few adjustments (replaced the saddle and added a paper shim to cure a buzz on the D string) the guitar is, well Great! I currently am building a collection of guitars from different periods and Countries as well as possess new ones. In my collection I have Takamine (Korea), Washburn (China), Epiphone (Japan), Emperador (Korea), Ibanez (Korea), and Martin (USA). Throwing all of the guitars into one mix, I have found the Martin to be the better built guitar, but not the best sounding guitar. Without a doubt, the Ibanez Art Wood has the best sound of all of my guitars. The wood has aged wonderfully the color is beautiful and the build quality is spot on. I find now I have to force myself to play the other instruments and have fallen in love with this Korean Classic. There is one thing I am going to change, the finish on the neck, I will be sanding the lacquer off other then that, it's my new favorite.