Ibanez GA5TCE Classical Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar
If you love the sound of a classical guitar but hate the feel, this guitar is for you. It features a smaller neck for added comfort and playability.
$279.99
- No Credit Check6 x$46.66
- No Credit Check4 x$70.00
Overall User Ratings (based on 88 ratings)
Submitted January 18, 2005 by a customer from swri.org
"Thin Looks And Fat Hooks"
Great Sound, Great Value-
I own some high-end classicals, and have found some good ones, but the GA5TCE is the one I most enjoy. Why? Because the neck is just right for intricate passages and all types of strumming. From folk to light rock, country to flamenco, it works! My chord hand doesn't get as tired when I play it. I play it hours at a time. It produces very good acoustic tones. A fun guitar to play.
Sound
Good, rich sound for a thinline classical! Louder than I expected unplugged. Great response. Works with any style I choose. Sounds best when eq'd with a lot of bass. Currently I plug it into a Digitech GNX4 processor, then main out in stereo to two Canadian made Yorkville 50 watt powered amps. Bass up a bit and add a little reverb and your in business! Sounds as good or better then the high-end big boys. Can you tell I love this guitar?
Features
Combining spruce for the top and mohogany for the back and sides for a thinline guitar is a good combination. Exceptional tone when eq'd and amplified.
Quality
It's made well. Clean finish, good color, nice design. The mohogany wood grain on the back and sides look as good as higher priced classicals. Don't believe I need a backup for it. Lightweight and easy to pack for the road. The only problem I had was on the rosette. It bubbled slightly the first year I had it, but has since flattened (shrank) down to the face of the guitar. It's perfect now. Has not bubbled since.
Value
Absolutly worth the price paid!
Manufacturer Support
No repairs or adjustments needed since I bought it 4 years ago. The rosette bubble problem solved itself. The Ibanez web site doesn't do justice to this guitar (not enough pictures).
The Wow Factor
Many people I played for enjoyed the looks, sounds, and wanted to know what make it was.
Musical Background:
Active Musician, Band Director, Recording Engineer
Musical Style:
Folk, Country, Jazz, Light Rock
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Submitted October 5, 2021 by Alma W in Ely, NV
"Looks great, feels great, smells great, and SOUNDS GREAT!"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Sounds at least as good as the much thicker and wider fretboard Conn nylon stringed acoustic that I bought in 1970 (and sold in 2010). And A LOT more comfortable to play!!! It is so incredibly light weight that I thought the outer box contained just the guitar case that I ordered at the same time until I opened it and saw the Ibanez logo on the box within! Haven't tried it amplified yet, as I am satisfied atmo with playing it without an amplifier. Arrived 4 days after placing the order to my rural route location in Central Nevada, 28 miles from the nearest town, in pristine condition--just needed a bit of tuning.
Musical Background:
Playing off and on since 1964
Musical Style:
Mostly chords and fingerstyle folk (thing Joan Baez)
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Submitted May 11, 2004 by a customer from hotmail.com
"Terrific value and performance."
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I love this guitar and wish I'd have picked it up a couple years ago when I first saw it available. The only thing I didn't like about it was that there were no strap holders, but that was easily remedied.
Sound
This sounds great through a PA, but is quieter than a typical nylon without the pickup.
Features
I wish it came with strap holders, but they were easy enough to install.
Quality
Seems very solidly built, and everything works well.
Value
For the price, this is a terrific buy. I tried out several nylon-electrics at a music store, most much higher priced than this, and regardless of price, this was the one I liked the feel and sound of the most. Well, there were a couple guitars in the $1,000+ range that were really sweet, but still, this was comparable for me.
Manufacturer Support
n/a so far
The Wow Factor
I play a lot of coffeeshop gigs, which can go three or four hours, and I wanted an electric-nylon which would be easier on my fingers after a few hours, and also because I like to fingerpick and like the feel of nylon strings. The thinner neck on this model is a particularly good feature, and the sound is really nice.
Musical Style:
Rock, Pop, Misc.
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Submitted January 19, 2018 by George J in Franklin, TN
"Excellent! I like it many ways better than a Godin ACS-SA or Cordoba."
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What a nice surprise! Its pretty as the retail photos and plays perfectly with the strings that came on it. I'm very happy with the out of the box setup but I know I must be lucky because most guitars do require some adjustments. I just sold a Godin Nylon ACS-SA KOA and for my limited purpose I like the real classical sound coming out of this guitar when plugged in and using Head Phones. I haven't really played it much without being plugged in but it sounds nice unplugged from my limited experience. I have also owned a Cordoba C3M in the past and I like this guitar as well if not better than both the other guitars I mentioned. Note; My electronics had a tuner built in which is very nice but the photos show a slightly different system that has a Mid Range adjustment instead of the tuner. My guess is that either one will offer quality sound. Also: I was surprised that it has a Truss Rod. Many nylons don't so it is a nice feature for a yearly neck check and or adjustment. My guitar included a backup saddle, TRS 1/4" cable, Hex Wrench along with a few pamphlets and etc. Highly Satisfied! Way to go Ibanez! :-)
The guitar arrived double boxed from FedEx within a few days of ordering. Great Deal again from zZounds. I highly recommend zZounds.com.
Note: The sound hole cover by DAddario "Screeching Halt Feedback Suppressor" does not fit the sound hole on this guitar.
Musical Background:
Flute - Guitar - Novice - 40+years
Musical Style:
Blues, Jazz, Ambient, Improv.
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Submitted May 8, 2012 by a customer from gmail.com
"Nice guitar"
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zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
This guitar is really nice. The arm feels like an electric guitar arm and has a faster action. Despite not being too big, the sound it gives off in acoustic is great! The only thing missing is a tuner.
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Submitted September 12, 2004 by a customer from hotmail.com
Ibanez GA5TCE Classical Customer Review
Sound
i purchased this as a travel guitar
am happy with it it plays well sounds great but beware of weird hight pitched squeels from the g string
Quality
some finish flaws
Musical Background:
international music producer
Musical Style:
world
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Submitted February 9, 2004 by a customer from verizon.net
"Not good for those pursuing classical guitar either as a hobby or a serious interest"
I wouldn't replace this one if stolen... I'd probably get a better, higher priced guitar. After a few months I outgrew it already so i'ts not a good guitar for those beginning classical.
Sound
For the sound, I would rate it a 6 when unplugged and an 8 when plugged in. It's just not that good enough for what I thought was a reasonably priced guitar. I've owned it for almost a year now and the sound has changed into a deeper more mellow tone but the volume when unplugged has decreased too (Probably due to the smaller thin body.)
Features
Not much features here... I don't like the pickup that much.. It doesn't sound that good at all. The tuners are horrible! they never stay in tune and kept creaking when I turned them.
Quality
It's not badly made, except there were a lot of fret buzzes after a few weeks of use. The frets appeared to be uneven in length and height (fret buzzes, some were sticking out of the fretboard just a tad)
Value
It's an average guitar for its price range... doesn't exceed the expecations of a guitar under 300
Manufacturer Support
Never had to contact them, It's only a $250 guitar. Cheaper to go to your local shop.
The Wow Factor
It looks good... but when I play it I do get second thoughts
Musical Style:
Rock, Classical, Jazz, Blues
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Submitted May 5, 2008 by a customer from cox.net
"you get what you pay for"
Looking already. I bought this cheap box to see if it was really a guitar I could play, and have around the house and not worry asbout it. I gace it to my kids. Though, neck width at nut is too wide for most. needs to be 2" OR less.
Sound
OK sound for as cheap box. A mit muted when playing higher frets, and loss of sustain. It does have a solid spruce top which helps.
Features
Tuners are junk. I've now replaced them after 1 month. The tuner buttons are non resin plastic and gears have few teeth compared to quality tuners.
Ease of Use
Though it has an adjustable truss rod, still difficult to get a nice action. The on board tuner/eq is OK, but not a Fishman.
Quality
Put together OK, decent finish. But, in now way in the class as any of my middle/high end boxes.
Value
Depends on what you expect for your dollar
Manufacturer Support
Hard to find parts for. You must upgrade anyway though. But, new decent tuners are almost as much as I paid for the guitar. Why put $200 tuners on a 100 guitar? I would have returned it had I not kept it to long.
The Wow Factor
It's a step above a toy. must be realistic and understand your expectations. Good boxes are expensive. these are not. So, what would you think ?
Musical Background:
musician/collector
Musical Style:
rock to classical spanish
16 of 33 people (48%) people found this review helpful. Did you?
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