Ibanez AEG10N

I bought my nylon-string AEG10 guitar a few weeks ago for 350 Euro in Germany. I was searching for a nylon string guitar with built in pickup for situations, where due to environmental noise it is not possible to use a microphone to record a classical guitar.
As I don't use a nylon string guitar too often, I didn't want to spend a lot of money, but all the affordable guitars I tested didn't feel right, weren't well manufactured or simply sounded amplified as bad as accousticly. Even the Yamaha APX-5N, which I believed would be my favourite, wasn't convincing, which surprised me a lot! At least it didn't feel half as good as my old Yamaha APX-4 steelstring...
Finally I came across a black Ibanez guitar, which looked too expensive but so sexy, that I had to test it nonetheless. A closer inspection revealed that it wasn't as well manufactured as the first impression indicated, but also that the price was only half of what I had expected... :)

The pure accoustic sound isn't too bright, sustain could also be a bit better but the definition of each tone was prety clear, easy to shape and complex picking patterns were well defined. Compared to a standard classical guitar the maximum volume is rather low and it always sounds a bit compressed (which is not negative as long as you don't want to play a concert in a large hall without amplification...)
As the neck is not as wide as that of a standard classical guitar (ca. 46mm at the first fret) it plays very smooth and due to it's cutaway it is the perfect guitar for single note soloing. The downside is, that more complex chords are not easy to play if you don't have rather small hands.
Amplified this guitar is simply stunning! The Fishman pickup combined with the built-in Ibanez preamp deliver an incredible sound quality and flexibility. I've never heard another nylon string guitar with such flexibility before. The tone controls, including phase reverse and shape shifter, are so efficient, that I did never need any additional EQing until today!
I normally play the guitar through a Roland Accoustics amp or directly into the mixing console and it always sounds great.

THe factory set-up was close to being perfect but it lacked some markmanship in minor details. Especially where the eletronics were fitted to the body, it lacked every love of detail...
The action was well adjusted, low enough for extremely smooth playbility, high enough to allow for heavier playing.

The tuners look a bit fragile but did a pretty good job so far...
Apart from that I can't see any reason for major problems.
Oh, btw, the strap buttons were both missing...

Hmmm... - if there is any, I don't think I will ever need it!

This is my sixth guitar and I am really glad that I bought this guitar. I'm not sure if I would buy another one it this particular one was stolen. This guitar sounds too good for the money I paid and I can hardly believe that every guitar of this series sounds this good...

This is a new model from Ibanez, it is a nylon string acoustic-electric with a spruce top that appears to be solid but I am not sure. The instrument is modeled after the AEG10 steel string guitar and has a cutaway with a aged top and mahogany back and sides. The finish on this instrument is amazing considering the price of $289.00!! All the joints are tight and the workmanship is outstanding. The neck is a little more narrow than the traditional classical guitar and the body is not as deep as a regular classical. The electronics are active with three band EQ and a phase switch.

I ordered this guitar because I wanted to have a nylon string guitar around for use when the song called for that type of sound but did not want to invest in a top of the line instrument. I ordered the Ibanez from a mail order store without ever hearing because the price was to good to pass up, I was more than happy with the sound. The guitar was set up perfect right out of the box all I did was tune it properly and it played wonderfully!! The pure acoustic sound of the instrument is well balanced and clear but not very loud when compared to a regular classical guitar. When I plugged the guitar into my Trace-Eliot acoustic amp it was absolutely incredible, I had demo'd nylon strings that went for $1500 and up but to be honest the Ibanez sounded just as good and the neck played almost as easy as a steel string instrument. The sound can be shaped with the Fishman Sonicare pickup to just about any degree of bass or treble that you would need and the feedback a higher volumes was very low. This instrument is beautifully balanced from string to string and up and down the neck.

The workmanship is excellent and the setup is perfect.

I just bought this instrument so I can't comment it's durability but is does have a lifetime warranty, amazing for an instrument in this price range!!

I have been playing for 30 years and this is one of the best buys I have ever come across.