Ibanez AE325 Review

AE325

This guitar plays wonderfully. I've had it roughly 7 months or so, and have played it almost daily since receiving it and setting it up. The sound has opened so much in those past months - it's a rich, bright tone! I'm running it with some La Bella Phosphor Bronze 11s. Overall the look is stunning, the non-gloss top really brings out the subtle earthy fret board inlay/art.… read more It's a stunning guitar, and I'm looking forward to seeing how she grows in sound in the future.

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How is this guitar THIS good???

This acoustic blew me away. Ibanez is not known for good acoustics so it took me a lot of convincing to shell out around $ for an acoustic that may be subpar when you could easily get a used "big-name" acoustic for a similar price. A musician I respect highly recommended it as the best sub-$2000 he owns and now that I've had this for awhile I can see why. It is so incredibly unique… read more sounding...I wish I could do it justice in how I describe it. The fret inlays are beautiful and a big reason I was interested in the guitar, but the actual playability and sound blew me away. This does not feel like a guitar at the price point it's at...this feels and sounds like a $2k+ acoustic. Its sound signature is much different than a Taylor, so it's not like it's a direct competitor, but an alternative path you could choose. I genuinely prefer the sound of this over most of the taylors I've played. The craftmanship is unbelievably good...I wonder if Ibanez has a dedicated "high-end" chinese shop these are made in, because this is a flawless guitar - not a single defect found. Despite all my glowing praise there is one big caveat with this guitar that I should probably fill you in on. The finish on the front body of my model looks so-so up close - great at a distance, but a little meh when actually close. There are a ton of variations in the finish department, and you should thoroughly inspect the appearance of the model you choose to go with online before going in. That said, I don't regret my purchase at all, and am now happy to use this as my go-to acoustic despite access to much more expensive and well known guitars. It plays fantastic, sounds stellar, and the appearance is unique without being gimmicky. You can't beat this for the price.

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Very good quality craftsmanship

Finally was able to pick one of these up! They're definitely in short stock as of late it seems. I've been looking for one for a couple months and actually bought a Taylor 214CE since I couldn't find this, but one finally showed up and I just had to buy it. I think a moderately priced Taylor is a good comparison to this instrument - but make no mistake, this guitar both feels and… read more vibrates completely differently from the Taylor, and in this case, it's not necessarily in a worse way. I absolutely fell in love with this guitar and actually really like both of them, so they'll probably both find their place in my guitar collection. This one doesn't project quite as fully as the Taylor because of the back bracing, but it still resonates beautifully and it still has a very unique, full, beautiful tone. This guitar definitely sticks out. The Taylor is a bit louder and a bit more of a full experience to play, but this is a super beautiful and well crafted guitar, the overall build quality actually feels a bit higher than the Taylor and this guitar has two pickups in it. Amazing for the price. It doesn't feel like 'just a cheap Ibanez', but an instrument crafted with just as much love as my Taylor.

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Stunning

I was deciding between this and the Taylor 214ce dlx. My 15 year old Ibanez pf15 acoustic has reached it's retirement age and decided it was time for an upgrade. (what a great beginner acoustic that was, by the way)I opted for this over the Taylor, figured I would put the $ savings towards effects pedals (who prices those things?) Had a great experience with a Ibanez acoustic as… read more mentioned above. Sweetwater had a demo for an additional $ off and that sealed the deal. Are we sure this was a demo? Looks brand new to me. Certainly plays like it. Anyway, this baby is flawless. Breaks my heart having to put it in a case every night (purchased separately, but for this price it's easy to understand why they couldn't include a hard case). I am extremely satisfied with this purchase. No buzz, action is right. Vibrates my chest when I play. Upon plugging in, I was just blown away. The guitar sounds like a far more expensive instrument. Hard to believe I'm saying this but I'm really glad I stuck with Ibanez over Taylor. I can't compare the two because I never played the Taylor, but I have absolutely no regrets. For half the price, it's an easy decision. One little note, mine took a 9V battery but the compartment looks like it takes AA. Took a while to figure that out :)

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This guitar looks beautiful

What can I say, it looks Amazing. I was searching for a guitar... and this one really caught my eye. The fret inlay is something else, a real looker. On top of that it plays like a top notch guitar should. The two pick ups is a bonus. Love it! (:

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