Ibanez EW20ZW

Features: Finish is flawless, very well made instruments, crazy Zebrawood really catches the eye. Not quite a Jumbo, but it's big in size and sound. Tuners are solid, no complaints. The neck is fantastic, maybe I just got lucky, but I found the action to be great on the floor model and the one I had the salesman get from the back (fresh out of the box) which I bought. Onboard tuner is great, can't believe I went this long without it. The balanced/unbalanced output options are very nice for playing live.

I play acoustic solo gigs, and needed a good solid gigging guitar like this one. It sounds great unplugged, but when you plug it in, look out. This pickup system is unmatched!!! It includes a mid notch knob that really works as an onstage presence control. The unplugged sound is your typical dreadnought sound, rich bottoms, with slightly brighter mids & highs. Plugged in, you have no limitations. The onboard eq will more than make up for any tonal variations you require.

I mentioned the action was fantastic on this when I bought it. Not only on the floor model (that sold me) but also on the one I had the salesman bring out from the back, right outta the box.

The finish looks great, like a Japanese guitar should...I can't believe the fact that the sticker says "made in China" inside. That was almost a deal breaker for me...I don't buy Chinese. Period. I made an exception for this. I woulda given it a 10 otherwise.

Plays great live, gets lots of compliments on both looks and sound. I never bring a backup, this thing's brand new!

Haven't had to deal with Ibanez with any of my guitars, and I've owned several of them; a solidbody (Roadstar), a hollow body (Artist AS100) and now an acoustic. Ibanez makes quality instruments.

Been playing for 25+ years, owned many Japanese guitars. It seems all my acoustics are Japanese (purely unintentional) now. I have a 1978 Aria 12-string (w/incredible action), a Takamine Classical, and now this Zebrawood AC/ELEC. If this guitar were stolen I'd hunt down the thief and punch him in the face (Chuck Norris style).

wow! ibanez continues to deliver. i ordered this thru musicians friend, having never seen the guitar in person i was blown away with the quality. great features include: accurate on board tuner(a must have for acoustic electric), Ibanez SRTn preamp w/notch filter (great for getting rid of feedback), and balanced 1/4" and xlr outputs make this ready for use in studio or on stage. tuners are ibanez standard die-cast. the neck is very playable for any sized hands, not too thin or too fat. the zebrawood has an amazing tone and great clarity even tho its not a solid top(which i dont see as a bad thing, solid tops are too fragile) and besides that the B-Band UST pickup is top of the line when you feel the need to plug in. also take into account the full body and neck binding and you will think you have a guitar worth 2 times as much.

i play a wide range of styles and this covers all of them. i know its strange but i normally play tuned down to a C# and this thing has the tightest clearest bass response ive ever heard come from a 6 string acoustic. the eq on the preamp is very sensitive and gives a great variety of tones right at your finger tips. overall the sound of this guitar will blow your mind plugged in.

action from the factory was just a hair to high for me. i lowered it without any issues. intonation was perfect right out of the box and im a real stickler when it comes to intonation. the neck is straight and a tight fit. i looked the whole finish over and only found one tiny flaw that most people would probably never notice because its so miniscule. for this catagory id give it a 15, i never thought id see this kind of quality for such a good price.

this guitar would be great live. the laminite top makes it very durable, even if it makes it a little quieter unplugged. the hardware seems very tough and i have no fears of it dying any time soon. strap buttons are very solid and mounted properly. finish is just the right thickness. enough to be glossy but not so much as to inhibit the sound. i never gig without a backup but ive never had to grab another guitar on stage since i started using this one.

have not dealt with them for this guitar but ibanez is generally very friendly and helpful with any inquiries ive had in the past.

ive been playing 10+ years and have quite a large collection of acoustic and electric guitars. this one takes the cake (my father likes this better than his $2000.00 martin). if lost i would want to buy another right away. all in all this guitar is worth 3 times what you pay for it.

My wife and I were at Guitar Center looking around, and she points to this guitar and says, "I like this one ...I think you should try it. I had tried Ibanez acoustics before, including the Vai model, and they left me cold. The Vai I played was terrible. This guitar I liked ... a lot.

It has a Zebrawood body (plywood?), dreadnought size, I think. The fretboard has a simple but attractive inlay at the 12th fret, piezo pickup with the usual controls, built-in tuner,nice body binding and soundhole inlay, and an unusual cutaway. The finish is high-gloss and flawless. This is a nice-looking guitar, just a bit flashy. The output jacks (high and low impedance!) are on a plastic plate, which worries me, but I have had no problems with it.

For the price range, I rate this guitar high. It has most of the usual features for the price range, but it seems well-executed.

One surprise - when the tuner is activated, the output is disconnected. It is a great feature, but a surprise to the uninitiated while performing.

Points off for the plastic jackplate.

Compared to my midline Takamine, this guitar does not sound as rich, but has a clearer sound. I guess I would say more definition but less character. More Taylor than Gibson. When plugged into a PA, this guitar sounds much better than the Takamine. I have received compliments on the sound and appearance. For my purposes, I am thrilled with the sound.

Unlike most inexpensive guitars I have auditioned, this guitar was dead-on when new. The action was low, with no buzzing or dead spots. The sustain is better than most inexpensive acoustics, and the tone is good at high and low volumes.

The finish is incredible. The bridge pins are placed in an arc, rather than straight, which looks really nice. The strap buttons are nicer than usual, the wood is beautifully matched. The usual origin sticker on the back of the headstock is UNDER THE VARNISH which I think is a nice detail. The bridge insert, nut and pins look to be Tusq, or another good substitute. The pins remove easily by fingers when the string tension is removed, and they slide in nicely - a great fit. It is a dumb little thing, but the bridge pins have angles on the ends to keep them from snagging the ball end of the string. A nice detail.

One other thing. When I first picked up this guitar, it had a strange buzzing rattle. It was a dessicant bag inside the guitar. We shook it out and the guitar sounded fine.

I tune 1/2 step down, which required a tweak of the truss rod to compensate for the lower tension.

I see no reasons that this guitar would no hold up to my usual abuse - being flailed upon, sweat drenchings, being moved frequently, weather extremes. I dream about old Martins, but I take pleasure in finding and inexpensive guitar that does it's job extremely well.

I'll let you know about the plastic jack plate.

No dealings with Ibanez directly. Don't anticipate any.

I have been playing for over 30 years, and have owned a bunch of guitars. I compare this guitar mostly to my Takamine EAN-10C, which is beautiful but scarred and moody beast.

I have used the Ibanez for about a month, now. I hate nothing about the Ibanez. If it were stolen, I probably would replace it with the same before nightfall.

I don't imagine anyone considering this guitar over a $3K Martin, Gibson or Taylor. But for under $750 or so, this guitar shines.

For the money, I rate it high.