Classic guitar opinion

[Nacho-RT74]

Does somebody know something about this guitar ?

Ibanez GA5ECE-AM






I have been wishing a thinbody classic electroacustic guitar since ever with cutaway ( some one like the one Sting plays in Fragile on some concerts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLdJwzSbM-E ), But right now I can't find one good guitar affordable being thinbody. This one it looks not to be excesively expensive and being sold locally ( another city, but same country ). Is not thinbody, is regular 4" depth, but looks a nice optioned... balanced output, active, cutaway, nice finish...

If I get it I'm hoping won't be sitting quiet for long time at a side of my Alvarez Folk Guitar ( electroacustic, active, cutaway ). Want to begin to play again, and want to have in hands both options according with some songs.

Then will get a bass guitar too ( when I was a teenager, I wanted to be a bass player ). I had my 5 strings active bass and floyd rose two humbuckers one single coil electric guitar looong time ago ( both Washburn ), but they were stolen back in 95

[69bronzeT5]

I don't know anything about that particular model but Ibanez makes some good stuff and it looks nicely built. I can't help much more than that.

[chargermike]

 nice guitar.  thin bodies will never produce the sound of a fat body. if your looking for the sound of a martin or a taylor then you will need to buy one of those. but it should produce a nice clean sound. i played a kramer thin body on stage for years and loved it. nice and lite and when run threw a board you could fatten up the sound.  i like them myself.  good guitars for the money.

[Nacho-RT74]

yeah I know thin bodies are also a thin sound , but I'm thinking allways on running through a preamp, amp, or mixer.

I'm searching for a nice Nylon string sound. They have its own charm, that a flok guitar will never get.

[Brock Samson]

yeah I know thin bodyes are also a thin sound , but I'm thinking allways on running through a preamp, amp, or mixer.

I'm searching for a nice Nylon string sound. They have its own charm, that a flok guitar will never get.

you might try to find a Godin if your looking for a nylon electric    http://www.godinguitars.com/

or a Martin - a universally respected guitar and the older the better -
there are no "Deals" on them though, or general lee for a truly excellent guitar - they are pricey..

Kind of like Chargers get the best you can afford, I realize though your location makes things a bit more difficult.

That looks like a cool guitar though, but unless you can actually play it and hear it, I'd pass...

[Nacho-RT74]

Godin... out of my pocket ( same as Martin would be )

[R2]

I like it,,,,, 

[Bob T]

Hey Nacho, Ive got one of these Yamaha  APX500's in black and I like it alot, is thin body and good sound through amp or by itself but not nylon im afraid, paid around the $800 dollar mark last November.
Im really looking forward to these christmas holidays and going away to our holiday home and practicing a lot 

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/acoustic_guitars/yamaha/apx_500/index.html

Cheers Bob

[Nacho-RT74]

I was a seller once of Profesional Audio, HiEnd Audio and musical instruments and tested the Yamaha APX series guitars. Yes they sound GREAT, but I can't find a Nylon strings from the APX series in the used market ( locally ).

I already have a Folk Steel strings guitar, An Alvarez 5220CEQ, so an steel strings guitar is not in mind now

[Al]

Nacho if you want the classic guitar sound why not go the traditional classic guitar way: ie. non amplified nylon stringed spanish guitar. It's more intimate than an amplified instrument but the sound is much better.
Al

[Nacho-RT74]

mmm not necesarilly. You could say the same about a folk guitar ( steel strings ) and honestly you hardly can notice any diff on sound between a regular Folk Guitar and the one I have:

http://www.elderly.com/items/20U-7132.htm

At the end decide and bought the Ibanez. There is an APX5n being sold ( used ) locally, but double of the price. There is a Godin too... new, 5 times more.

There is also a Chet Atkins Epiphone Guitar, slim body, just 30% more BUT Cracked neck ( not totally broken ) and with dents all around the finish


sellers acclaims the crack is not affecting te guitar integrity yet and sound

( let me know if a couple of images are just above these lines )


also another Epiphone slim body, used, but 150% more.

Yes I know some of these are some of the best you can find BUT not affordable right now. When I become on a "better" guitarris, will think about some other options.

I think IBANEZ is a good brand no matter what the "cheap" line ( if this is the cheap line... I couldn't find any reference on teh web about this one ), a last name what assures you get a quality product on any line product.

[Bob T]

Cool, enjoy the Ibanez, Im not too familiar with too many different models and have only been playing for a few years and still striving to be better.
Ibanez aside, I wonder how the APX would sound with a custom made nut to fit the nylon strings in, most probabbly a Luthier could do it easy, but no, Im not about to modify my one .

[Brock Samson]

 Welp, good luck with that,.. I recommend the Godin but maybe when you get more adept and want a better sound...
Speaking with several Pro. "Classical" guitarists and listening to their Godin's is why I bought one. they sound superb.
  I started out on nylon string classical guitars a yamaha i have two regular acoustic Yamahas now...  but nothing sounds quite like a purpose built acoustic nylon electric. 

[dodgecharger-fan]

but unless you can actually play it and hear it, I'd pass...

That's the only way to know for sure.

Generally, I've heard good things about Ibanez, but I've heard of some real dogs, too.
Sometimes, even two specimens of the same model were found to be very different in playability.

[Nacho-RT74]

just got it!... not bad, not the greatest either as expected. made in China ( anooother one ). Seller lied me abut the tuners condition. They were changed for generic ones, can be told because the screws doesn't match with original holes on wood, PLUS one of the tuner shafts is partially broken ( the one where strings wraps ). That will be an easy fix, though.

Being classic, it nice does have the adjustable nec ( with the allen screw ). That's plus I didn't expected.

Preamp is AA bateries. I thought it was to be 9 volts unit. Great, they are cheaper and I can get them for free at my job 'cause all the batteries we change every show on wireless mics, no matter if allmost new.

Balanced output does have a built in switch inside. I thought the preamp had an ON/OFF switch, just like my Alvarez. Thats, nice.

Preamp generally is nice... tuner, reverse phase switch ( that helps in some cases on feedbacks control ). It has a SHAPE pot ( dunno whats that, wills earch ) 3 bands eq. My Alvarez is 3 bands to but middle band can be sweeped between some rate frequencies for some specific freq reinforcement like a semiparametric eq on a mixer, not a fixed freq, but wondering about this Shape control.

I never could find references about GA5ECE model, closer is G5ECE.

I think, overall, is not bad. It looks what I paid worths more about the electric section and cutaway, more than the acoustical section itself. Acoustically looks is an average guitar. Need to change strings ( these are really bad ) to really give a conclusion about acoustic sound.

[Nacho-RT74]

  I recommend the Godin but maybe when you get more adept and want a better sound...

definitelly Brock, but remember, I'm not a pro, and searching affordable at this moment to me... 400% to 500% price difference between this used one and the new Godin

[Nacho-RT74]

wonder how the APX would sound with a custom made nut to fit the nylon strings in, most probabbly a Luthier could do it easy, but no, Im not about to modify my one .

no need to modify, APXs have a Nylon series ( N on model number states that )

[Nacho-RT74]

Do you wanna laugh ? couple of days later ( just right yesterday ) found a slim body guitar LOL, and bought it right away. Same price, same brand Ibanez, but model GA5TCE... I love it!!! its 14 freet neck joint.

The only what "I don't like" is the preamp... damn, I love the GA5ECE preamp with 3 bands, shape control, volumer, tuner, XLR and plug oputput, phase, 2 AA batts. The one on this slim body guitar is a basic preamp, 3 bands, volume and batt check, just plug output, 9 volts batt.

I was checking to upgrade the preamp ( for an ibanez piece too, SRTn or SST ), but several issues to this...

-6 cm body width and preamps are 5 cm wide. I think will affect the frame inside... dunno
-the installed pream is around 9.5 cms, and the other ones are 8 cm... will get an uncovered hole.



will be selling the first guitar I got, the GA5ECE.