Ibanez Exotic Wood Cutaway Acoustic-Electric Guitar
 The EW20QMEBBD is a nice moderately priced acoustic guitar from Ibanez with some unusual features. In addition to the built in tuner, the guitar also has a balanced XLR output (a built in direct box) making it a snap to connect to a PA. Another perk of the XLR is that it locks into the guitar like a mic so you don't get noise when the cable moves around (the 1/4 inch connector can be noisy with cheaper cables). The guitar also has large knobs for the volume and EQ on the top of the guitar which make them easy to see in the dark. Finally, the guitar is really nice to play. Very smooth with reasonable intonation. On the negative side, it doesn't seem to hold it's tuning as well as other guitars I've owned and I seem to break a lot of G strings even though it has been tweaked by a couple of different guitar techs. I do tend to play hard at times and I usually lose a string when I'm having trouble hearing the instrument due to crowd noise and other players. I rarely break a string when I'm playing it on my own acoustically. That said, for the price (about $450), I consider this an excellent guitar and would buy another one in a heart beat. Update - I've had better luck lately with the strings. If I just force myself (even if I can't hear the guitar well) to play naturally they seem to last. The GHS Fast Fret String Cleaner has also been helping to prevent string breakage. Also see.. | 
|
