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Sound:
I played a whole slew of acoustic-electric classical guitars before I ordered this Ibanez from zZounds. I was hoping to find something for around $500, but I was becoming frustrated because even the $1200 Cordobas sounded horrible, with brittle sounding pickups and hissing preamps. I thought I was going to have to put off buying a classical guitar until I saved more money... until I started playing the Ibanez offerings. Because this is a thin-bodied guitar, the unamplified sound is small and unable to compete with other instruments. However, when you plug this thing into an acoustic guitar amp or PA, it is absolutely gorgeous. Three band EQ, notch filter and phase switch give you lots of options for adjusting your tone to suit your music or style. The pickup is simply outstanding... transparent, with almost no detectable piezo quack. And with the balanced output, it is DEAD quiet. It sits beautifully in a live mix, and I've just started experimenting with recording it direct, where again it sounds fantastic. I normally wouldn't expect to be this blown away by an Ibanez product, but if you're concerned with amplified tone rather than brand cache and you don't have a bazillion dollars to spend, you must check out this guitar.
Feature:
Quality tuning machines, outstanding pickup/preamp combination, onboard tuner that's actually precise enough to use on stage, balanced XLR and 1/4" outs... not sure what else they could have put on it except for maybe an ashtray. It would be a 10 except for the fact that I think the 1/4" output should have been unbalanced. Some acoustic amps do not have an XLR input, and how many players shopping for guitars in this price range have TRS guitar cables laying around?
Ease of Use:
Only a 7 here, and I'll explain why. As far as getting "great sounds" from this instrument, it's a snap once you have everything set up right. I keep the bass at ten o'clock, the mid flat, the treble up around three o'clock, phase out and notch filter at one o'clock, and it sounds through my Mackie/JBL PA just like it should: a classical guitar, but louder. It took me about five minutes to find these settings. HOWEVER, this was after I had to deal with getting rid of fret buzzes and an odd noise coming from inside the body. Adjusting the truss rod and changing to D'Addario's super-hard tension strings solved the fretting problem, and the internal buzz was a wire from the electronics touching the top, so I moved that. It was an evening's worth of tweaking to get it set up properly, but once that was done the actual use of it (plugging in and getting a killer tone) could not have been easier.
Quality:
Well, it's a Chinese Ibanez, so stay realistic in your expectations and you won't be disappointed. The top has some finish irregularities around the sound hole purfling, and there's the occasional discoloration in the wood or bubble in the varnish... but nothing truly offensive. And from ten paces away (like an audience's perspective) it looks like a $2500 axe. The tuning machines are solid (and gold... pretty!), the fretwork is clean and accurate, the truss rod works properly, everything seems to be glued together nice and tight, and the electronics are flawless. So, given that all the functional stuff is first-rate, I'm willing to forgive a little cosmetic sloppiness at this price point. Again, compare a $1200 Cordoba sporting a finish that looks like it was slapped on with a brush....
Value:
All-koa, plays great, sounds stunning through an amp or PA, light and well-balanced, solid build and hardware... all for $550?!? Yeah, it's a terrific value!
Manufacturer Support:
Don't know, I haven't dealt with Ibanez directly.
The Wow Factor:
EVERYONE comments on how beautiful this guitar looks on stage. My fiancee says it's the prettiest guitar she's ever seen. The koa is drop-dead sexy... maybe I was lucky and got a particularly good top, but it truly is striking. I've seen the other two exotic wood versions of this model, and find the bubinga homely and the flamed sycamore... ummm... "interesting." But you can't go wrong with the aesthetics of a koa guitar.
Overall:
At a higher price point this would be a 7 or an 8 overall. But at under $600 it is nearly perfect. One point off for not providing an unbalanced 1/4" output, and for a bit of slovenly work in the finish department. But trust me, I played just about every make of acoustic-electric classical from $250 to $2000, and you can't touch this Ibanez unless you're willing to pay more than double for your new guitar.
14 of 14 people
(100%) found this review helpful. Did you?
Sound:
As others have said this guitar was designed to be played through an acoustic amp or PA system where the overall sound and tone is precise and beautiful. Unplugged it is just a whisper of its amplified self.
Feature:
The B-Band System is very easy to use and allows the player excellent control over his or her sound. The tuner works great and is easy to use and having an XLR output is a bonus.
Ease of Use:
The thin body is very comfortable to wear and it is great for finger style players. The EQ and volume controls are intuitive and easy to work with as you play and allow a good range of sounds to choose from.
Quality:
I've owned two of these guitars. The first was "B" stock and I got a great deal on it. The seller said the tuning keys had to be replaced and they work fine and the wood grain on that one is much better than the $1,350 Takamine EF-508KC's that I've owned and played and not too far below the Taylor K-14ce that I have. The second one had a serial # within 12 of the B stock guitar and it was beautiful but not quite the varigation of the B stock guitar and didn't have the upgraded Gotoh tuners the refubished one had. I kept the B stock guitar because of the upgraded tuners and slightly more interesting wood grain. Fit and finish on both were good but I do recommend considering upgrading the tuners.
Value:
If you plan to play this plugged in, you won't get this kind of sound from any guitar for less than twice the cost plus you get the stunning looks of a full gloss koa guitar.
Manufacturer Support:
Have not needed service with this guitar. I've also owned Ibanez 12 strings and lower end Ibanez nylon string gutars as well as the AS-73 electric and AEB10 acoustic electric bass and have had no issues with any requiring customer support. I currently own only this guitar and the AEB-10.
The Wow Factor:
Two of my friends bought this model guitar and seeing and playing mine.
The koa finish definitely gets your attention...its beautiful.
Overall:
I would buy this guitar again if something happened to this one. I love Martins and Taylors but can't justify the added cost when I compare the looks and sound together.
Sound:
The sound is so clean, clear & true when played through an acoustic amp. It was so inspirational I composed 2 songs within the first 3 hours of pluging it in. The pre amp gives you incredible control allowing for room acoustic considerations etc..
Feature:
Again I gave it a 10, I dont know what else they could put in or on it, I mean come on, it's a guitar not a car.
Ease of Use:
Again it's a guitar, plug it in and play it. how har could it be? The truss rod is accesable, the controls are self explanatory and offer a wide range of control.
Quality:
Im kind of bumbed on having to give it an 8 but it is made in china. The frets under the high E are preety rough and will probably wear the strings out sooner than had they been smooth. That bothers me the most as they are too rough to smooth out w/out lowering the clearance for the following frets which will undoubtedly garner fret buzz. I wish I had noticed it while I was testing it, but more than likely it would have been the case with the rest. Like I said it's made in china. But for $550.00 I can buy alot of strings with the money I'll save over anything that would compare from any big name make of classical guitar.
Value:
Straight up 10, you would search a long time most likely in vain trying to match the sound and playability at this price. I played it B4 I looked at the price and was expecting $800.00- $1200.00 and would have paid in that range for it. I was pleasantly surprised to see the $550 tag.
Manufacturer Support:
Have had no dealings with Ibanez, so I cant say.
The Wow Factor:
Drop dead gorgeous.
Overall:
My search is over for a classical guitar, I feel I realy lucked out, this guitar almost literaly hit on me like it knew I was looking for love and saved me a ton of time and frustration with bogus one night stands.
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