Ibanez AW54-OPN

I feel I should point out that, before I chose this guitar, I ordered a Takamine GD10CE-NS, which I then decided to return. The return was handled well and with 0 complications. You see when I got the Takamine, I was very disappointed. Now the guitar itself was beautiful, truly wonderful to look at. But you know that feeling when you hold a guitar and simply do not know what to play, because the sound does not resonate with you, and you feel very uninspired as a result? That's the feeling I got from the Takamine. My friend did not like it either, and after a discussion, we simply could not pinpoint what is wrong with the sound, and came to an agreement that it simply "lacks soul". I changed the strings and the sound improved, however, it was still not dark enough, not right - a very bright sound that almost cut through you. Not my cup of tea.

Now this Ibanez... wow.

First of all, it looks absolutely stunning. The dark wood and the open pore finish is amazing. When I first picked this guitar up and played it, I did not want to stop. And instead of not knowing what to play, I discovered new ways of holding the frets, and played things I never did before. The sound to me is an old cabin, deep in the woods, and while the playing coming from inside it is mellow and slow, it is rich and full of vitality, heart and depth. A deep, rich, and not too bright tone. Perfect for what I wanted. The guitar has crazy sustain and the craftsmanship is simply superb. The Takamine was no worse in this respect, but the type of sound it projects did not resonate with me. I cannot believe this guitar is so cheap. And despite playing and trying out many guitars (none of which where all mahogany, however) I have not played any other guitar that sounds this pleasant to my ears. I already own a classic ibanez, and that one is amazing as well.
I would recommend Ibanez guitars and particularly this guitar to anyone!

This guitar was bought for a teenager who is a beginner, and it is going to be used at home for practice/playing/learning. It has replaced a very cheap classic guitar with nylon strings, and the difference is massive in terms of build quality, finish, and sound.

The guitar fills the room with warm tones, but also has lots of clarity. It was also perfect out of the box, with no flaws, and the tag said it had been inspected by Ibanez in Germany. It was almost in tune, right out of the box.

The setup is good enough. Slightly high, perhaps, but the fretwork is good.

Pros:
- It looks great, with the dark top, and open pore finish
- great value for money
- sounds loud, and clear, with a warm tone

Cons:
- for the price, nothing to complain about. Perhaps the setup could have been a little lower.

Overall, I would say this is a great guitar for a beginner on a budget. It's big and can produce a lot of volume, looks good and plays nicely out of the box. Definitely worth the price.

To make it short, I had this guitar in the past and it was the best sounding Dread for the money ever.now the guitar is not the same.first Ibanez build this guitar with a different wood(looks like mahogany but is not,called Okoume )sound is dry(in a bad way)and the warm clear tone of mahogany top is not there at all.the neck is thinner than an electric guitar.what a heck Ibanez(yamaha,epiphone and all the rest)why don't you follow the masters?don't you see what Martin is doing?1-3/4 inch neck at least,good alternative wood if mahogany is too expensive(sapele,african,sipo?)not only the look but the tone.
having said that i should remark that i'm not keen to make reviews for Thomann.they should pay for experts reviews as they make loads of money thanks to these.It would make more sense making a proper honest and detailed review.Ok,don't buy this guitar until Ibanez go back on doing decent affordable guitars(using better tonewood)