Ibanez EP10 Euphoria Steve Vai Acoustic-Electric Guitar

This gorgeously appointed, thin-bodied, Steve Vai-approved acoustic-electric axe is built for speed! Plug in the EP10 Euphoria, and get ready to shred.

Overall User Ratings (based on 9 ratings)
  • Overall:
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Sound:
    3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Features:
    3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Ease of Use:
    3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Quality:
    3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Value:
    4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Manufacturer Support:
    4 out of 5 stars
  • The Wow Factor:
    5 out of 5 stars
Overall: 3 out of 5 stars
(9) (see rating details)
Submitted August 31, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com

"Beautiful guitar, fun to play (plugged-in!)."

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Pros: Beautiful look, beautiful plugged-in sound, even an acceptable unplugged sound. Cons: It should have come with a case! The Aura presets are almost subtle enough to me superfluous. It definitely needs a setup out of the box. The "glitter" should be more evident in online pics and descriptions.
Sound
This is my first thinline acoustic. I knew going in not to expect much in the way of unplugged sounds, and buyers should be aware: This does not have a strong unplugged sound. That being said, it's certainly better than I thought it would be. Certainly good enough for practicing. Plugged in is what this guitar is all about. It's a strong sound, and this is a solid pre-amp/pickup combo. The options are sparse as there's only a volume and tone knob, and then 4 Aura presets. To be honest, the differences between the 4 presets are so subtle it's almost not worth it. You get more variance with tone knob adjustments. Still, it's a great, strong sound.
Features
It comes with the standard stuff: Extra saddle, shim, truss wrench, manual. What I was disappointed in is that it does not come with a case. If you look on Ibanez's Japanese site, it mentions a case. If you buy the guitar overseas, it comes with a case. In the US? No case included, and good luck finding one! I had to get my local shop to special order it from Ibanez for me, but only after the guys on Ibanez's support forum convinced me that it even existed. The matching case for this guitar is the EP100C. You won't find it listed anywhere, so have your dealer contact their Ibanez rep directly.
Ease of Use
The action was really high for me on this guitar. On such a "special" instrument I'd have expected a really good setup, but the truss wasn't straight and had to be adjusted. The saddle also had to be shaved, after which the sound wasn't as strong (the bottom of that saddle has to be COMPLETELY SMOOTH!) so I had to put the included shim back in. The intonation is a bit off on the low E. I really like the neck, though. Very playable.
Quality
Again, the setup could have been better. But the biggest surprise for me was the sparkles. Yes, sparkles. You see, all the pictures of this guitar online just show a black guitar. The keen-eyed will notice, however, that the product description says "Black Pearl". Which means there are very subtle sparklies cooked into the paint. The guitar has glitter in it! Like I said, it's subtle, but I've yet to take it out under the lights. The inlay on the neck is beautiful, but the binding is what really makes this thing gorgeous, in my opinion. I could probably do without the VAI logo around the soundhole, but it doesn't stand out much. The tuners, by the way, may be the best I've ever had on an acoustic.
Value
Because of Zzounds and their great price-matching, this is a fantastic value.
Manufacturer Support
Ibanez support (usually working through the guys on the forum) have always been great, and extremely helpful. Possibly the best part of any Ibanez guitar.
The Wow Factor
Beautiful, gorgeous, awesome. While possibly "over the top" for some, I think this is a gorgeous guitar, particularly when I put more gold-colored strings on it which match the inlay and binding.

Musical Background:

Semi-active Musician

Musical Style:

Rock
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Submitted September 4, 2013 by John Roberts in Tampa, FL

"Not All That..."

Overall: 1.5 out of 5 stars
(see rating details)
Set up was non existant. Had to sand down bridge to lower action. Neck was flat and truss rod was non-responsive, therefore high strings buzzed. Fishman Aura did not effectively amplify the B and High E strings in measure w others... Sounds like a cheap toy unplugged. How disappointing this was, being a Steve Vai Signature guitar. Quality Control in China is severely lacking as is their final check procedures and non existent 'set up' before shipping. No Hard Case and is very difficult to find one and then priced at $179 + shipping!

Musical Background:

Professional Musician

Musical Style:

Rock, Blues, Pop...
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