Feature:
I am not overexaggerating when I say that everything on this guitar has held up well and I have probably played it (on average) 2 hours a day / for the last 6 months... Now only about a third of that time have I had it amped up, but nevertheless... It still has the same factory strings on it which sound jsut as good today and they did prior to me banging on them for 6 months...
Quality:
The only (tiny) problem I had with the instrument is that the pinhead(?) on the fourth string pin just seemed to fall off one day (as opposed to having directly hitt it while playing...) But it was nothing that a little superglue couldn't fix and I was planning on getting some new ones (black, instead of the factory white) the first time I restrung it anyway... And that is just a personal cosmetic preference, and not a complaint of the products hardware,
Value:
It is unmatched for the price... Just get it and you'll see what I've been talking about...
Desirability:
Well, I don't know that I could judge its "sex appeal(?)" because I have never "lusted for any piece of gear" but, I can say this; I bought the black one, and when I have it sitting on a cheap guitar stand in the corner of my livingroom/den, it is the nicest looking piece of 'furniture' in the room. Perhaps I need to mention that all the other furniture in the room (while family hand-me-downs) originally came from yuppy-snobby stores like The Pottery Barn and Pier 1)...
Sound:
When a major guitar chain opened in my area, I went down with no intention of buying a new guitar. I owend both an electric guitar and an acoustic (niether cost over $150) at said time, and eventually I wanted to splurge on an expensive well known acoustic 12 string, but I certainly couldn't afford the 12string of my dreams on that day... To make a long story short, I walked out of that new guitar store with an instrument that met every criteria of my dream 12sting. That instrument was the Ibanez AEF18. I go to that same guitar store every Wednesday evening and play any number of guitars (just messing around), and have been doing so for the past 6 months (since it opened)... I am yet to play a guitar of any kind that "pound-for-pound" matches my AEF18, when comparing significant features (tone, sustain, looks, feel, action, etc...)... I get a thick rich unwavering sound from this 6string that beats many much expensive 12strings. Plus it looks great, and its thinner body design makes it very comfortable and just so so easy to play... I would have paid $600 - 700 for this guitar... It is an unrivalled steal at this price...
Support:
Have not dealt with the company...
Overall:
I could be satisfied with this product (assuming no further technological breakthroughs in the area) forever... The only reason I would get another acoustic guitar would be solely on the basis of appearance/name/signature guitar... If I had the money I would have a room full of guitars simple because I would be a collecter, and its a stretch to say I would still only play this guitar, I can say that no matter what other guitars I may eventually own, I will not stop playing this one...
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