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As usual, Ibanez continues to please this buyer! I've tried a number of other brands over the years and keep coming back to Ibanez as I feel they give the most "bang for the buck", and the PF28ECE is no exception. Upon removal from the shipping carton the first thing that struck me was the instrument's overall beauty! It looked really nice in the online pics, but they just don't do justice to the fit and finish of what came out of the box. I'd put this thing up against guitars from other makes costing twice as much any day of the week! The woods used are stunning, the finish is stunning, and the overall workmanship leaves nothing to be desired for anything less than a perfectionist professional musician. One area that always seems to be overlooked on less expensive guitars is the finish on the ends of the frets along the edge of the neck. At least on my sample, they are all smooth with no need of additional work. Now to what really matters... playability and sound. While my guitar-playing skills are not great by any means, I find the PF28ECE as easy to play as any other acoustic guitar I've ever owned and/or played. Fellow band members at church who have played it agree that it plays at least as well as their Taylors, Yamahas and Breedloves which cost a whole lot more! While certainly not equaling the sound of a high-end Martin, Takamine, Gibson or similar, this thing sounds WAY better than any other sub-$500 acoustic that I've had the chance to try out, and it easily equals a few that were pushing the $1,000 mark, both unplugged and plugged! If it sounds like I'm gushing with enthusiasm over this guitar it's probably because I am! I've owned quite a few guitars in my 50+ years on this planet, and I've spent way more money to buy one that I did on this one, but I can't remember one I've ever been quite so pleased with overall! Cons: If I really have to say something negative about this guitar, it would have to be about the choice to use two AA batteries for the on-board electronics. While they are cheaper and are normally readily available, they are a departure from what is considered "normal" for guitars and therefore may not catch someone off guard at a gig if they're not aware of this difference and don't go prepared! Related to the AA batteries, I pulled the battery tray out a bit too far the first time and almost didn't get it to go back into the instrument, so pull it out gently until it stops and no further! Please note that there has been no need of Manufacturer Support required on this instrument, but it is a required rating on this website, so I must enter something to continue. Since Ibanez products have been so good to me so far, I'm going to give them a 5 in support also! :-)

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This is the best deal you can get on an acoustic-electric. Don't go to any other brand because you will either pay too much or not get your money's worth. I bought this guitar online without trying it out. Yes, there was a risk involved with that but there was a return policy. I honestly bought this guitar because of how beautiful it looks.

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I bought two of these (one of each color) because I was worried using my more expensive guitars playing out 2 nights a week. These are affordable guitars that I'm not too worried about beating up touring locally. I'm a big Ibanez fan and have been using their electric guitars for 38 years with no real complaints, so I thought it was about time I at least tried their acoustics. The good: These guitars sound really good acoustically. They've got a nice rich tone and project well. The preamp is decent, and the built in tuner is a bonus. I like that the battery box is built into the preamp on this model, unlike some other models that have a separate one. The dual outputs can be very useful if you're plugging straight into a PA (I'm not, but the option is nice to have). They look really good and I actually get compliments on their looks during breaks at live shows. The bad: Be aware (and factor into your budget) that when buying these they are going to need a professional setup *including* a fret level and re-dress. Both of the guitars I bought had issues with high, un-level frets across the fretboard, and the nut slots were cut too high causing intonation problems. The tuning keys have a little too much play in them for my tastes and can be frustrating when fine tuning. The fret-boards on both guitars were dry and thirstily soaked up the lemon oil I used to condition them. On the brown one that I bought, the under-saddle piezo was not positioned correctly and the slot was cut un-evenly causing it to drop out on the high E string. The finish while looking good, on closer inspection, is definitely on the "cheaper" side of things. After correcting the problems that could be corrected, I still like and use these guitars for what I intended to use them for; constant gigging. I still would recommend them with the caveat that you're going to need to work on them a bit, which can make them all the more affordable if you know how and can put in the sweat equity. These are exactly what I expected they would be; an inexpensive Chinese made guitar that I'm not afraid to beat up being a weekend warrior.

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I purchased this guitar because of the recommendation of the July 2012 issue of Guitar Player. When I saw a blemished version for sale for sizable discount, I jumped. The blemishes were very minor....on the back side....just a scuff. The real bonus was it came with a hard case. The sound is decent, even better hooked up to an amp. Like the on board tuner and XLR output option. Guitar looks great.

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My daughter liked it - but ITS NOT BROWN ON THE FRONT AS DEPICTED. To me it looked like it was Olive Green - my fiance and daughter said it looked more gold/bronze to them... but it is NOT dark brown as shown! Other than that, it is a great sounding instrument.

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i love my gutair thanks

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