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The Ibanez AW54CEOPN Artwood Dreadnought Acoustic-Electric Guitar
The Ibanez AW54CEOPN is a gorgeous body with the classic dreadnought-shaped body and a single cutaway for ease of playability.
It also has the rich tones you would want during your performances with the natural projection that sounds amazing plugged or unplugged.
Adding affordability with its quality tone and build, it’s quite the investment for beginner and intermediate guitarists.
Made Of Quality Tonewoods at Amazing Value
What makes the Ibanez Artwood series magical is that it comes with a combination of their beautiful tonewoods with its excellent construction.
Because of its fantastic construction and build, you get a great-sounding guitar. This is because Ibanez selects only the premium materials and applying the years of guitar-crafting experience to create the AW54CEOPN.
You will be amazed as to how affordable the guitar is but with the excellent build and design that looks professional.
The gorgeous body is made of a single-cutaway with an all-mahogany material with laminated sides. Furthermore, it has an open-pore finish that adds rustic aesthetics to its dark and vintage feel.
Solid Construction for Rich Sounds
Because of its solid mahogany construction, and ample sustain, you have strong projection and warm tones. But not to worry, as it isn’t TOO warm, thanks to the X-bracing to balance out the thick and warm sounds with wide-ranging tones.
That way, you have the rich and sonic sounds you can strum regardless of whether you are on stage or practicing. Advanced players and budding guitarists will have a great time learning a lot from this dark and mysterious beauty without worries about the muddy sounds some entry-level guitars emit.
Furthermore, the solid build makes the guitar last for many seasons and performances, a durable instrument for anyone.
Fishman Pickup System for Great Tunes
The Ibanez AW54CEOPN comes with the Fishman pickup system, which is known as one of the quality acoustic amplification systems available. With this pickup system and the AEQ210TF preamp, you have the treble, bass, and excellent volume controls to have a good range of tones.
And because the guitar comes with a built-in tuner, you will be able to maintain your instrument and have it sound its best for a long. It stays tuned and puts up through performances efficiently, having no trouble with sound quality or strumming.
You have a fantastic plugged-in tone and built-in tuning with a quality system from Ibanez.
They don’t scrimp on their specs!
Excellent Hardware
Besides its good looks, you can also expect a ton of tech that affects the tone and performance beautifully. The pickup system comes with a 2-band EQ and tuner which are all battery-powered. While it isn’t the most versatile system available, you have the control you need over the tone.
It also has a headstock that has six chrome die-cast Grover tuners and a bone but and saddle on the bridge. Because of the original Ibanez Advantage bridge pins, changing and holding strings is now easier, resulting in better consistency while you play. I would recommend that you replace the strings with something of more quality, though.
Lovely and Rich Tones
Lastly, let’s talk about the tones and sounds the Ibanez AW54CEOPN has to offer. When unplugged, you will listen to the beautiful and rich tones mixed with resonance and natural projection. You will also get a warm and slightly dark tone from the all-mahogany construction but thanks to the X-bracing, it’s all articulate and balance.
When you do play the guitar with the amp, it’s a great experience but also tricky to get a full range because of the limited controls. But with the price, you get a good system and tone quality.
Pros
- Slightly warn and dark tone with natural projection
- Beautiful dark shade for unique design and style
- Excellent price for the guitar’s specs and configurations
- Easy to change strings and hold it in place, consistent and comfortable to use
- All battery-powered hardware for adequate control
- Impressive vintage appeal with mahogany and rosewood fretboard
- Rustic aesthetics and satin finish are ideal for those who want something smooth
- Perfect to use for beginners
- Fantastic feel and action for ease of playability
- Convenient built-in tuning for beginners and to play immediately
- Has maximum string vibration and longer sustain
Cons
- Limited controls on the amp, not as versatile as other guitars
- You lose the richness of tone within a few months
- Stock strings aren’t quality and may need replacement in time
- The guitar doesn’t come with a bag
My Verdict
The dark beauty is what would strike any player the most with the Ibanez AW54CEOPN. The Japanese manufacturer is an ode to the tradition of acoustic guitars with the accompaniment of modern accouterments needed for all guitarists today. It’s not only a visual stunner but impresses with its robust construction to last for a long time.
Is the Ibanez AW54CEOPN worth the investment?
It has aesthetic charm with excellent hardware and easy-to-use electronics; you have a guitar easy to play while looking professional. This is a fantastic choice for the beginner or advanced player. And coming at such an affordable price with its features, you can see its worth during onstage performances or solo sessions.
Thanks for the review. So as long as you don’t mind a change in tone, this is a decent guitar, right?
Hey Gary, definitely!