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Ibanez EW20 ASE Electro-Acoustic Guitar

 

Review of the Ibanez EW20 by The Man in the Jar

Rarely have I seen a prettier guitar. The quilted ash top, back and sides on this model are truly remarkable.

Features of the Ibanez EW20

Tuners - Sealed Ibanez branded tuners with contoured knobs. The knob looks a bit strange at first but add a really positive feel for fine-tuning. 

Headstock - The long Ibanez 3-a-side headstock is faced with the same quilted ash and the logo is in rainbow abalone.

Nut - A very robust-looking white plastic nut abuts the fretboard. The finishing here is very positive.

Neck - This is a slice of lovely Ibanez slimness, superbly comfortable with a satisfying width across the fretboard. It's a first-class neck made from top quality tight-grained mahogany.

Fretboard - The richly dark and even-grained rosewood fretboard has no markings on the face except for a patterned inlay centred on the 12th fret. Normal small dot markers are present on the topside white binding. 

Frets - The thin frets are nicely finished making for smooth, trouble-free playing.

Action - This is perfectly playable from the box. But I notice Ibanez have supplied a spare saddle so you can experiment with lowering the action without committing an irreversible cock-up.

Body - The quilted ash body is really astounding. A quick look through the soundhole confirms that the sides are solid. The guitar has the depth of a dreadnought which, as well as improving the un-amplified sound, adds a feeling of quality and solidity when playing. The cutaway shape is a nice modernist touch which the pinstriped binding on the front and back really enhances. The rosette is in rainbow abalone to match the headstock logo.   

Bridge - The simple rosewood bridge has a compensated saddle with traditional bridge pins.

Pickups - This guitar is equipped with B-Band transducers which I'm told by a gigging acoustic musician are better than piezo pickups. 

Controls - The control panel sits on the lower rise of the waist on the topside. There's a phase button and flat knobs for Bass, Middle and Treble, Volume and Shape. There's also a built-in tuner which is accurate and easy-to-use. 

Strap-buttons - One on the bottom of the guitar and one on the heel.

Output Jack - There's a panel on the bottom of the guitar with the battery compartment and two outputs; one normal jack and one balanced XLR for input direct to your PA.

Finish - Cream!

 

Sound of the Ibanez EW20

Acoustically the Ibanez has a mellow, honeyed depth about it which would probably record well through a microphone. So, unusually for an electro-acoustic, it can get by as an un-amplified acoustic at barbeques or trips to the beach. Amped up through a Fishman the honey was tempered with a bright, metallic edge. The onboard EQ is wide-ranging and both the Phase and Shape control offered interesting inversions to the overall sound.  

 

Overall Impressions of the Ibanez EW20 

I confess to being quite shocked at the relatively low price of this instrument. The playability, looks and sound suggest a guitar of twice the price. Admittedly you pay for a better sound with a deeper and more unwieldy body, but if you consider convenience over tone you're in the wrong game. This is certainly the best electro-acoustic I've tried in this price range. Value for money, stunning good looks and a lovely, cultured voice. What more do you want?

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