Ibanez AEG10N

A no frills classical with some nice touches. A built in tuner, 3 band eq and a shape shifter, almost a parametric eq which helps greatly stopping feedback. It also has two outs, one quarter inch and one xlr. The fishman pickup is outstanding. rounding out the good stuff is a single cut-away bout that alows a lot of access to upper frets.

As with other reviewers don't buy this if you're not going to amplify it. It's great for practicing but this guitar shines when amplified. I run it into my Zoom 9.2tt using a stock acoustic/jazz program and then into my Carvin BelAir 2X12. I bought this guitar to change up the sound as my band had switched to jazz. Now the guys want me to use it most of the time!

The guitar was playable right out of the box. The frets were well dressed considering it's Chinese. I've not noticed any thing wrong with it. I bought the transparent orange version rather than the black. Looks great under stage lights.

I've used this on two jazz gigs and both were outside. We can play outside for most of the year here in So. AZ. I've had no issues except for one. The tuners. My ears are sensative to semi-tones and can hear when an instrument goes out. Kinda drives me nuts. Well, this guitar tends to drift and this may be to the elements and as the result of the stock strings. I will upgrade immediately and try that.

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing since '65. I've had my share of gibsons, fenders and others. right now I have a Musicman Silloughette, an Ibanez jazz box, an Ibanez 335 clone, a Turser Hofner knock-off, and now this guitar. I read alot of reviews concerning higher priced guitars and found this one to be the one for me. It fits my hands better as I switch from electric to acoustic frequently during the night. The neck is slimmer than most classicals so there isn't a feeling of playing a 2X4 neck. I wouldn't have a problem getting another as it does exactly what I bought it for. My only issue is the tuners and I'll try to iron that out before the week is out. Otherwise I recommend it.

Die-cast tuners,Mahogany neck,Rosewood bridge and fretboard,Ibanez / B-Band SQR pickup,Ibanez AEQ-SSR Shape Shifter EQ,D'Addario EXP strings,Ivorex II nut and saddle,Advantage bridge pins,Spruce top,Mahogany back and sides, Classical gold tuners,Fishman Sonicore pickup,SST preamp

There are no included accessories. Strings are actually okay for this level of guitar - tuners are junk and can slip. It is a cutaway and of note - the best features of this guitar are the electronics.

If you are looking for a classical guitar sound unamplified - please continue looking - at this price range it is still below what else you could find - la patrie/yamaha etc. However, having said that - it is certainly capable of being played and providing a modicum of sound for practice. Where this guitar excels is in amplification. Paired with a solid acoustic amp - the sound is quite pleasing and in its price range hard to beat. A contender at 2.5 times the average street price is the Yamaha 171cca - but again - that i smany hundreds more. The sound unamplified is very weak, no bass and thin trebles - playability is above par with the action being set quite well and the thinner neck accomodating for those transitioining or in need of a smaller neck. Obviously the better you play - the betetr the guitar sounds. The forte in this instrument is amplification. Of which at its price ppoint is hard to beat.

The set up was to standard from factory with a slight buzz. Tuning and a small adjustment of the truss rod asssited in eliminating that. The finish for a low end factory guitar was quite good and on par with much more expensive instruments. The only finish flaw would be the tuners which are of such poor quality that replacing them if keeping the guitar is almost mandatory. Of the three same models they had in stock - all had slippage and issues with the tuners. It is indeed handy having the onboard tuner as the guitar is impossible to keep in tune with the factory installed tuners. The guitar shop mine was purchased from replaced all the tuners on all of this model and the difference was substantial. For a very lost cost - not an issue.

If by live playing one means the ability to play amplified - then you will be very pleased with this guitar. WHile I beleive the yamaha was betetr due to theincluded mike - again that was several times the cost. This is a nice hybrid at a dynamite price point and playing amplified delivers a very nice nylon acoustic sound if not totally of the warm "spanish" heritage. The finish and durability as wella sthe truss rod appear to make this guita to be very durable. It is heavier than most classicals - to be expected with a hybrid of laminate qualities. Replacing the tuners as already mentioned will be mandatory over the longer haul.

Did not deal with the company - local guitar shop addressed the tuner/action issues.

I have played for about 10 years many years ago and recently decided to enter the classical guitar world. I own several steel acoustics of the 60's Gibson variety as well as aseveral electrics of the same vintage.

I would not buy this guitar again - as if lost or stolen I would upgrade to a better sounding guitar. If my price point was below $300 and I wanted a hybrid this would be the choice. The key features of this guitar are its playability and amplified sound with the onboard elctronics which are quite frankly worth more than the guitar itself. For non amplification this should not be on your short list. My rating is for guitars with amplification under $500. For this it scores a 9 - if you are looking for a $500-$750 instrument - there is much better out there and in that arena it would be a 3-4.

I've had this little gem long enough to have experienced it's quirks and preferences. For a $299 hybrid nylon made in China she's a sweet little couch guitar.
Here's what some of you might have experienced. There is a mid-range hum that happens when playing either middle strings or half way up the fret board (5th to 7th fret). If you remove the four screws that hold the battery/jack plate in and gently pull it out you'll notice two grey wires that connect the pre-amp to the pickup. I rolled a six inch piece of electrical tape around the wires starting from a 1/2" from the connector inward as far as I could wrap it snuggly. Hum is gone.
Nylon strings are critical for feel and tone. I flat pick and strum which only amplifies this fact. The stock strings sucked. D'Addario's Pro Arte' hards were a huge improvement but to me the upper unwrapped three felt a bit mushy when bending. Some nice people who had been playing nylon guitar for years suggested I try a set of Savarez 520P strings. With the third string being wound and the overall tauntness of the strings transformed this cheapie hybrid into a real performer. The strings aren't cheap but well worth it IMO. Louder projection, better percussiveness and firmer feel.

Hope this helps and you enjoy your guitar more. Cheers!

As described in other reviews
Mine in made in China. 2005
A lot of features in this price range
Very beautiful little thing

Acoustic sound is weak if you do a comparison with a regular spanish guitar. Specially, lack of bass tones and voice are noticeables. The narrow box and laminated woods generate this problems. If the guitar were non-electric one my rating would be 3. If you play the guitar plugged in the result is susprisingly opposite. The sound became full and nylon taste is plenty of life. In this field my rating is 9-10.

The factory set up was OK. Not perfect but rather good for an affordable instrument. Finish is OK. Craftman work is clean into the box and outside too. Easy to play if you compare with a spanish guitar. The body is Grand Auditorium type, like an acoustic, but playing feel is different from acoustics. Its located somewhere between two worlds. No noticeble flaws.

I bought this thing 5 months ago. No problems during this time. The tunning keys work OK but do not seem very robust. I??ve been giging with the 10-N and have no any problems. The EQ and phase change options are very usables and you can get the sound you are looking for. Battery check option would be a very desirable feature. The battery location box do not feel very solid.

2 years warranty (electronics) in my dealer (Passe Composse). Great attention paid. No relation with Ibanez

27 years playing guitar. I have owned a lot of guitars (fender, gibson, G&L, takamine, epi, camps, alhambra,...) -electric, acoustic and spanish-, and nowadays I do own another 6 guitars.
In my oppinion, this Ibanez AEG 10-N is an excellent option for those looking for nylon sound to complete their palete in gigs without doing a great expenditure. Features are great in this price range, in special, the pu and preamp system. The main contrary is the low and weak acoustic sound. Battery check feature would be desirable issue.

Made in China A/E thinline NYLON STRING gutiar. NOT a concert grade or TRADITIONAL "classical" guitar. Other features covered by other reviewers. I paid $300 as it is the current universal street price for the instrument sans case.

Acousically, the guitar is sufficient for practicing and has enough volume for pure acoustic jams. It is not harmonically rich when unamplified. This is not a negative comment, just a fact.

Amplified through a QUALITY A/E specialty amp or a HIGH QUALITY SR system, the guitar sounds like heaven. Quiet preamp and a great Fishman piezo element. Nylon string instruments are the only instruments that BENEFIT from the classic piezo quack. It compliments the attack & decay envelope of nylon strings.

I purchased this instrument to add the sound of nylon strings to my performance options. I could not be happier with the sound of this instrument given its almost "giveaway" price.

OK..first things first: This is a Chinese built $300 guitar. You should not expect a "gigable right out of the box" instrument. So much for conventional expectations.

With that said, I must state that I am a professional guitar technician and am extremely picky about the playability, fit & finish and intonation of my and my clients' instruments.

The fit and finish on the instrument I recieved was exceptional for an instrument in this price range. Actually, these aspects are in league with instruments in the $2K+ price range. I detected only two minor finish flaws(fisheyes)that aren't even worth mentioning as they are not visible from less than 6 inches.

The fretwork is an 9+ as recieved. The frets are dead level and beautifully crowned. As a matter of personal preference, I roll the edges of all my fretbords and hand dress the fret ends. This instrument required less fret end dressing than many "very expensive high end" instruments I have set up. An overall fret polishing completed the process and the instrument litereally plays like a $5K instrument that has had several hundred $$ of tweaks.

The nut & saddle designs are non-tradtional and actually include features that I have been considering for some time. I lowered the action by about 1mm at the nut. This was done as a matter of personal preference. The stock action at the nut was VERY accetable.

The action at the bridge was (surprisingly) perfect (for me) so I did no modifications there.

Now, here's the most amazing thing I've encountered in several years: The instrument's intonation is flawless. This $300 intsrument's designers included a non compensated slanted saddle that simply works. Kudos to the design team.

The tuners are generic stamped metal classical style tuners. I was EXPECTING to replace them right away. BUT (another 'but') they are smooth as silk and do exactly that they're suppsed to do. Until they become "finicky", I'll stick with them.

An XLR output on the guitar, along with a standard 1/4 output, gives maximum performance flexibility. The XLR output was an unexpected serrenditiy and provides a higher output.

The preamp sounds very good and exhibits very low noise characteristics. The onboard EQ points are well chosen and function wonderfully. The built in tuner is spot-on and (especially for nylon strings)is a godsend.

Did I mention that it HAS an adjustable truss rod that is smooth & responsive?

The thinline design contributes to an instrument that is truly difficult to put down.

I take extremely good care of my instruments so I'm not worried. If the guitar doesn't develop unexpected design flaws (caving top; squirrley neck problems; etc) it should outlast me. Again, this is a $300 instrument that thinks it's a $3K instrument. If it croaks after a few years (which I don't think it will do), I'll feel that I got my money's worth out of it.

Ibanez is renown for its almost nonexistent customer support and abysmal 'fact deficient' website. That's one of the reasons I became a guitar tech.

I've been playing for over 40 years. I have extremely high standards for the instruments I choose for myself and for those I recommend to my clients. I AM NOT influenced by brand names or company laurels. This is a GREAT utility instrument..period. A SIMPLY AMAZING VALUE!!!!

This guitar has a great feature set for any acoustic. Mine is a year or two old, the newer ones are identical except for location of the preamp and the new ones also have tuner built in. Spruce top, mahagony back, sides and neck, rosewood fretboard, etc. I baought mine used, and the finish was still in great shape, it was well cared for and very nice looking. It only comes in color, which my wife doesn't like, but I thought it nice. I am an electrice player with several Parkers and an old Hamer. this guitar plays very well, I have not found any issues with dead frets, or poor action. The guitar really surprises me for its price.

I am a rock/metal guy and have always wanted a classical to mess with. I had been looking at many options and was figuring it would take about $1000 to get decent classical, and quite bit more for a really nice one. This guitar sounds very good unplugged and plays just wonderfully. I had tried all the classicals I could get my hands on and this is a great electric player's acoustic. It is a little quiet when compared to much more expensive classicals. The amount of low end surprises me from a smaller body size, it could be a little brighter, but sounds excellent overall. It really shines when plugged in, again another great surprise for such an inexpensive instrument. The pre-amp has a great EQ section and sounds very full and detailed. More high end can be dialed in very easily (not that it needs much when plugged in)

The guitar overall is excellent in this catagory. It could use some better finishing on the fret ends (it will snag a polishing cloth at the edges of the fretboard), but I haven't noticed it all while playing. The rest of the guitar is surprisingly good for the price. Again, great action sound, and plays very when. I couldn't find any troubling areas except the fret ends.

With proper care this guitar should last a long, long time. Again, I bought mine used and it just as nice as the new model it was hanging next to. I am sure it will not become a family heirloom, but its quality at its price is just astounding to me.

I have naver had to contact them for anything...no opinion to offer. Of course, that may say something in and of itself.

I have been playing for 16 years, a lot of lead work and would humbly say that I play pretty well. I have been playing my Fly Classic and Fly Mojo the most for the last few years. They do some really nice acoustic tones with peizos, so I can fake some strumming acoustic when need be. I would rate this little guy very highly. No, it wouldn't quite compete with really nice Flamencos or Classicals, but it would be tough to find a better nylon string for under a grand. I would easly replace it with the same model even at the new price of $300, a great guitar overall. If the fret ends were dressed a little better, I would say it would have the feel of a much, much more expensive intrument. It sounds and plays great.

My only complaints in this area are the following: You would think thwt they could spring for a rosewood bridge. I mean I can understand toy guitar having plastic bridges but a guitar that is well made otherwise with a great preamp should have a rosewood bridge. Also, the plastic tuning gears are ridiculous. I haven't had any trouble with them and I realize that nylon strings don't have much tension, but plastic gears? Amy guitar costing over $79 should have metal tuning gears! At least they didn't cut corners on the preamp, but these 2 items wouldn't cost more than $5 extra to for them .

The sound is great amplified and so so acoustically. For the price you can't beat it.

Perfect

we will see. I have concerns about the plastic tuning gears.

Not sure.

Bought new in 2004, i think built in December 2002.
Features: see other reviews.
Additional I can say that the neck is 46mm at the first fret and the body is 8cm thick (standard clssicals have 52mm and are 10cm thick)
The body and top are definitivley laminated.
It has the Ibanez Ivorex II nut an saddle.

This guitar is built for stage, but the acoustic sound is o.k. for practising. It is not as loud as a "real" classical and the sound is a little bit like "plastics", but not as bad and quiet like solid body electric nylons.
But in stage it is great! The thinner acoustic sound is perfekt for the fishman. Plug into my digitech GNX-1 (use the direct modus), add a little bit reverb and chorus and everything is perfect.
I tested very long time at home, playing the AEG10N over the GNX-1 into Genelec Studiomonitors and did not find much critical frequenzies. I can solve everthing with the build in Ibanez AEQ-SS Shape Shifter Preamp.
For this price i give the AEG10N a 10 for the electric sound.

The action is a little high, but setting lower is no problem.
The narrow neck and body shape make this guitar very comfortable to play, spezially for people who play normaly electric or western guitars. I think the neck is to thin for real classic players, but don't forget, this guitar is built for playing on stage some modern kind of music. (don't mean that classic is not modern ......)

easy playable, electric good sounding nylon guitar for playing "modern music" on stage!

This is a guitar for people with very limited budgets. Small bodied, Spruce top (it looks solid but I can't be sure), mahogany back/sides/neck, cutaway. I am most impressed with the Fishman Sonicore Pickup. I could not afford a so-called decent amp so I plugged the guitar into my home stereo. I WAS SHOCKED!! ABSOLUTELY NO FEED BACK, coupled with the Ibanez AEQ-SS Shape Shifter EQ, you can get the full range of tones out of this little baby. I'll never again listen to guitar dealers about how acoustic amps are the way to go to suppress feedback. If you are a performer (which this guitar can definitely handle)however, you can't do what I do. I agree with the other reviewers, when unplugged, you can't get alot of volume out of it, being small bodied. factory setting was great, no buzzing, easy playability. The truss rod is quite a bonus. the finish/workmanship on this guitar is decent, but that is not an issue as this is a guitar meant to be thrashed. This guitar is quite heavy for a classical, in a possitive way, as it feels strong and tough. I am tempted to put steel strings on it, which I am sure it can handle (but i wont) Good quality, inexpensive, good materials, ok workmanship, great sound when amplified. made in china. something like whis would cost double if it were made in korea/taiwan. highly recommended.

classical recital is my style, however, this guitar can easily handle the rough nature of flamenco. As mentioned before, I am using my home stereo and it's amazing, no feed back whatsoever, and the EQ will give you the FULL range of sound. Natural harmonics never sounded so beautiful. CAN HANDLE ANYTHING. designed to be amplified however. unplugged is ok for those after midnight practice sessions. The only dislike i have is that the fishman sonicore pickups will pick up any little sound that my fingers make when coming into contact with the strings (can't be a bad thing can it?) this is probably be the case with all good acoustic pickups though.

factory set up suits me fine, but ofcourse with the truss rod, you can adjust to your own style. action was spot on... easy playability.
I can't tell whether the top was book matched, but the back definitely is. the mahogany is very tight grained.
no flaws as yet.

this guitar will DEFINITELY handle live playing in my opinion. I am not sure about the electronics however. but fishman pickups are famous for their reliability. The finish seems like it will last a long time aswell. but.. who knows..
no strap buttons
I would trust this guitar without a backup. But i would bring a spare 9v batterie for the electronics, as I am not sure how fast it will drain.

ibanez has an online warranty registration here in australia.. I hope I'll never have to use it's services..
waranty is 5 years.. which to me is EXCELLENT

Ok guys I think I have summed it all up above, I am abit lazy now, so I wont type anymore... I give this an overall 9

I believe this is a 2003 model. I have only had it for two weeks. It is tangerine color, which is the only color available. I ordered it from ZZounds. See ibanez.com for complete spec information and pictures. I could not find this guitar in music stores in the Detroit area. So, I bought it without first trying it. This would normally be a huge risk, but considering the guitar only costs $289, and ZZounds has an excellent return policy. If I decided not to keep it, I would only be our about $20 for return shipping. It was worth the risk for me. This guitar has a nice set of features, especially for the price.

I found the sound quality of this guitar surprisingly excellent. It sounds decent unplugged, although a little quiet and "muddy". When plugged in however, it sounds awesome. When considering the price for this instrument, it is truely amazing the sound you get. I play all kinds of music, but purchased this guitar to "round out" my options. I am mainly going to use it to play flamenco (Otmar Liebert, Shastro) and some classical (Carcassi). I also have an Ovation Celebrity Deluxe for other acoustic stuff, and a Fender Roadhouse Strat for my all-time favorite blues playing.
I play thru a Fender Ultimate Chorus amp and Digitech RP6 effects pedal. I hear some hissing with the Ibanez, although it may be the amp or pedal causing it. I haven't investigated it enough, I have been playing instead (you understand). Also I noticed that when sitting within about 5 feet of my amp, and turning up the volume, the guitar feeds back easily. Again, I need to investigate more.
The pick-up and preamp/EQ works and sounds nice. I like the battery compartment. It's better than my Ovation. Overall, I am very pleased with the sound. I even got those "goose bumps" on the back of my neck a few times while playing (and I don't think it was due to my playing ability). I give sound quality a 9 only to be fair, because I haven't tried a lot of other guitars for comparison.

The guitar set up was good right out of the box. I noticed there are no strap buttons. This may be true for all classical guitars, I'm not sure. The neck is smaller than the typical classical guitar, by design, while still being larger than an electric making some of the difficult classical guitar fingerings possible. The finish looks great. I see no flaws. I am not sure where this guitar was built (probably outside the US since it is so cheap). The fit and finish is fabulous.

I think this guitar would withstand live playing. I will probably never take it outside the house though. I've never owned an Ibanez. I'm not sure what to expect.

I have been playing for about 30+ years. I bought this guitar because I wanted a classical acoustic/electric, and didn't want to spend tons of $$. I was surprised how expensive classical guitars are compared to other guitars. I almost gave up looking for new ones, and considered buying used when I ran across this beauty on the web. If something happens to it, I will definitely replace it right away. I received it in less than five days of placing my order from ZZounds. It shipped the same afternoon.

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.