Ibanez AW100

What we have here is a Korean made Ibanez AW 100CE. This 20-fret model is a spruce top acoustic with a single cutaway to ease access to the upper frets. There is a built in Ibanez 3 band EQ with an additional mid freq slider. Grover type chrome tuners are mounted to a bound medium neck (think 70's Les Pauls Special) Properly installed binding all round and you have a accurate description of this mid priced acoustic guitar.

Right from the start lets make it very clear that this is no Martin here. But then again it does not retail for $2000 US either. What we have is an excellent mid priced guitar packed with plenty of features that really allows it to stand out from the competition. Easily beats the Fender, Ovation, and Takamine series within the same price range. The Eq works well and with the addition of the mid freq slider you can really dial in a great sound regardless of what venue you play. Given that it is a full size guitar the tone is well balanced and the treble does not overwhelm like on some other cheaper imported guitars. Even if you never play live you'll enjoy the ease of plugging into a tuner.

This guitar came to me with a rather high action that requires lowering the bridge to make it more playable. Truss rod needed adjustment as well. The overall fit and finish was good but not perfect as some frets have shown themselves to stick out a bit and the binding by the neck heal could have been sanded and finished a little more flush. No extreme critiques by any means given the guitars retail price but be prepared to have a good luither give it a solid setup and adjustment should you choose to buy. I must point out that mine was purchased used at a pan shop and the battery clip also needed a quick run with the soldering iron. Hence my amazing deal as well!

As reliable as the next acoustic if not more. Solid construction both inside and out should assure a long life if treated well. Keep in mind that acoustics are more sensitive than electrics and must be cared for as such!

Purchased used so warranty is unlikely!

For the occasional acoustic player this is a top-notch guitar. Keeping in mind that as a spruce solid top it's tone will only improve with age, unlike the many plywood imports that can be purchased for the same price. Throw in the fact that this acoustics has an onboard preamp and EQ, as well as a cutaway and you would be hard pressed to find a better guitar for the money. This model easily beats all others within its range as well as a few higher priced ones as well. Its many features will assure that this Ibanez will retain its value in years to come.

2003 Ibanez AW100. Korean-made. Entry level flat top, dreadnought shaped, natural (?) finish. No electronics, please. That's why they invented microphones. Woods- Solid spruce top. More on that later. Laminated Mohogany back & sides. As near as I can tell, a nearly one piece neck (all but the heel bottom) of nicely figured mahogany. Rosewood fretboard, bound & dot markers. Grover tuners. Satin finish neck; overly thick gloss finish on body. Rosewood bridge appears to be stained to resemble a low grade of ebony. Multiple binding around top, single around back. Inlaid decorative centerstrip down back separating cleverly bookmatched (!) plywood halves. Nice abalone inlay around soundhole.

Sound is not that of a great guitar but a pretty darned adequate one. Which is to say, no comparison to a $1500 all-solid wood American built guitar, but amazingly able to hold its own very favorably against many in the $700-$950 range offered by Taylor, Tacoma, and of course Martin's "cheap" (and ugly) plywood back line. Only thing I found coming close in the price range was the Seagull, however it cost $130 more and was simply hard to look at. Guitar has a well-balanced sound, moderately complex but not overly splashy when played hard. Volume is similar to a smaller (so-called concert-sized) body, probably due to the use of laminated back woods and somewhat conservative top bracing, but at this price Ibanez is figuring on selling to a beginner or near beginner who may not be overly meticulous with regard to the instrument's humidity and such. It also stands mention here that Ibanez makes a slightly more expensive AW200 model with mostly more eye-candy, but sadly uses laminated maple for the back & sides. Predictably, this robs the instrument of all its bottom end. Which is not to say the AW100 is in any way "boomy".

Factory setup was reasonably good. I tweaked the trussrod slightly for a bit less relief, but fair to say the thing was eminently playable off the rack. Intonation is as dead-on (or even more so) than both of my "expensive" acoustics. The guit came with a set of those coated Elixir strings, nice for not corroding while residing many months at the music store, but couldn't wait to get a set of real strings on and was not disappointed by the real sound. As mentioned earlier, I think the finish on the body is thicker than necessary and gives it a "dipped in plastic" look. A thinner finish would also slightly improve the sound. That having been said, I can't find a flaw on it anywhere. The fretwork likewise is precise and comfortable. The top is of a straight and clear grain, very well bookmatched. The name Engleman was invoked regarding the top in another review here, but I found no such claim either in the literature coming with the guitar or at Ibanez' website in the model description. The top does it's sound thing very well. The bracing is scalloped. The interior is without much burr or debris. The inclusion of Grover tuners was a greatly appreciated bonus.

This guitar is a backup/travel/practice instrument. It is relatively new so not yet possible to rate its durability. I have been around guitars for 40+ years and to my eye it appears solid and carefully made for an Asian factory built instrument.

No experience whatsoever with Ibanez.

Been playing 38 years or so. Have mostly a lot of electric gear but as far as acoustics a 1990 Martin J-40, a 1943 Gibson L-50, and until recently a Taylor 314. My work takes me all over the country (not music-related) and it is the cheaper axe I prefer to travel with, which brings us to: If it was stolen (I seldom lose anything) I would not cry, for it is inexpensive and happily common as dirt, and yes, I believe I probably would replace it with the same. Anything I wish it had? A smaller body shape. I have no idear how anything as butt-ugly as the so-called dreadnought guitar body ever gained such widespread acceptance (it has been said that guitars were designed to mimic the shape of a woman; if women were shaped like a Martin D18 the world might not be so overpopulated).... On to comparisons- As stated earlier, this compares well with guitars costing at least twice as much. As stated here, I own a couple of not super high-end but professional grade instruments and was most pleasantly surprised to find it hurt neither my ears nor fingers to pick this thing up and play it for hours. If you compare it to other Korean made, solid top offerings (I did) from Wasburn, Fender, and Epiphone in this price range you will wonder what's all the hoopla about solid tops? these three don't sound appreciably better than plywood.
And finally a note to you up and coming teenaged box pickers....
I don't know about the rest of the world situation, but as gee-tar players-to-be you guys are some lucky stiff so-and-so's. Any expedition into the beginners end of a guitar store these days reveals a stunning selection of electric and acoustic stuff that actually has been built to a pretty high standard, which is to say they will play in tune anywhere on the neck, and after a year or so of hard use they will actually have action of less than 3/4" at the octave fret. I will not regale you here with horror stories borne of learning on the Japanese instruments of the '60s (the musical equivilent of walking ten miles uphill both ways through the snow to school) but these days if you can't bash out something recognizable on the instrument within a couple of months no one is gonna let you blame the guitar.

This is a brand new 2003 acoustic/electric with solid spruce top, laminated mahogany back and sides and (I believe) some sort of composite neck (All fairly standard in the price range I was looking in ($400-600). What is above board for the price range is nice quality Grover tuners, cream piping round the body (Top, and back)and neck, nice skunk stripe on the back of the body, and sharp looking abalone round the sound hole. A nicer touch would have been abalone inlays, instead of the plasticy pearly ones. The abalone name and model # on the head are a nice touch, as is the tortise shell pickguard. Decent electronics, AEQ brand Fishman(?) 3-way EQ with phase..... nothing too flashy, there, but sounds well, plugged in.

I owned a Fender electric/acoustic for 2 weeks, and wasn't happy with it enough to keep it, and traded it in for this. I never would have considered Ibanez, due to their electrics, that I never liked. This guitar sounds excellent, rich and warm, and since I couldn't afford the Taylor I REALLY wanted, this is a great substitute.

Finish is mirror perfect, all the way around.... Much attention was put into this model... Feels solid as a rock, there's no defects that I can see there, would have gotten a 10 if the action was a tad tighter. Intonation is spot-on.

I haven't gigged with it, but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts it would do just fine. The finish is smooth as glass and I'm sure it would hit the road with the best of them.

Hope I don't need them.

I've been playing for 20 years, now, and believe it or not, this is my first 6-string acoustic... Having the electronics is just an added bonus, because that wasn't a priority. If I lost it (like other's I'd wished I'd lost) I'd still shop around and see what else is available, but I'd definitley put this high on the list. I can't say enough about the workmanship, here.... I'm glad I found this one, as it was in the lower end of my price range, but the best sounding one in the bunch, if the action was a little tighter, it would be perfect.

This is a 2003 AW100, Korean made, Solid spruce top, mahogany back, sides and neck, rosewood fretboard and bridge. The dreadnought, non-cutaway body and headstock top surface is gloss finished, but the neck is kept unglossed. The checkered inlay that wraps from the side and around the back is a neat touch that immediately caught my eye, as is the shell inlay around the soundhole and it's multilayered binding. No electronics, I didn't want any. It's gold Grover tuners give you a hint that it's a guitar the manufacturer put some thought into before you pick it up and play. The guitar came with no accessories and it would have been nice to at least get a nylon gigbag with it. In looking at the whole package, I got the impression Ibanez was presenting the very best asian guitar they could in this price range, and included no frills or extras. And as I will point out in this review, they did exactly that; that is, make available an excellent sounding and crafted guitar for under $350. I give it a 9 in this catagory because the features are really just it's sheer quality for this price range. Excellent sound, quality woods, nickle frets, and inlay touches. A good case thrown in would've earned it a 10.

I'm an electric person. I have a few electrics and I love my Gibson Les Paul. I merely wanted an acoustic to play when I need to play outdoors or something. I walked into the store wanting a beater for around $150 bucks. But, as I tried at least eight or so acoustics in the $150 to $300 price range, it really struck me how much the sound varied from really terrible to absolutely delightful. At the salesman's suggestion, I tried the AW100. And it struck me how much this guitar outclassed everything even near it's price of $309, and even most slightly above that. I'm not crazy about the Ibanez brand, but there was no disputing this guitar's superiority when comparing all the Fenders, Epiphones, Ovations, and Mitchells in it's league. This guitar, and the AW200 I tried out, just rang out crisp clear highs, and deep, responsive sincere lows. It made other guitars sound muted and smothered, and this guitar seemed effortlessly louder as well. It projects the spectrum with a nice full volume. I'm new to acoustics, but this is all my impression. The sound, more than anything else, convinced me to get away from the idea of just buying a substandard beater-guitar, and spending a bit more to get a guitar like this, that could make me very happy with it's crisp sound.

I like the guitar's construction; a few inlay details, good frets, good tuners, the finish is evenly glossed, nice grain showing on the headstock, nice "Ibanez" inlay, quality binding. Being used to a bone nut, I kind of look at this guitar's neck nut funny. It's some huge plasticky nut that to me looks amatuer. Is this typical of acoustics? I don't know, but it doesn't look as good or offer the qualities of a bone nut. The bridge shape has a bit of a modest point to it that underlines the guitar's simple, but asthetic appearance. 9, I couldn't find any flaws in it's construction. Flush joints, smooth binding adhesion, good fret finishing, and a good Les Paul feeling neck

As I have no idea what makes an acoustic gig worthy, or have I ever played one onstage, no. And really, all acoustics pale compared to the robustness of my beloved fat bodied, weighs-a-ton Gibson. But the guitar's construction feels good, and it's joints seem well done. No Opinion here because of my unfamiliarity.

I know nothing about Ibanez's customer support. The guitar comes with the usual "Lifetime Warranty", but will I need it and will they honor it? I don't know. No Opinion here either.

I've been playing off and on since the age of twelve (Sixth Grade Talent Show ...No, I didn't win) and play styles from Surf, to Blues, to Folk, to Punk, to a neo-country/western of sorts. I also play nursery rhymes for my five-year old niece. My main arsenal is comprised of a '95 Gibson Les Paul, through ten Boss pedals, and through a Fender Princeton Chorus, '70 Fender Bassman Head, and a Fender Pro Reverb. This AW100, I don't plan on playing amplified, or recording with it, so I didn't need the electronics that come on the other AW100 series guitars. After taking this guitar home, I kind of wish I had asked more about the AW200, the AW300, or even the AW500. I mean, if this guitar is this impressive at $309 dollars, then I wouldn't have minded paying more if I knew I was getting such a value. The AW200 sounded amazing and maybe it was worth the $409 pricetag now that I think of it more. If the guitar were lost or stolen, I'd probably go get me another one. I mean, for the amount, it has pretty good straightforward quality. What I love most about this guitar is it's crisp, unfetterd highs. It sounds much more alive and sharp than others demo'd. The sound alone actually lifted my spirits and made me aware of how acoustics can vary so widely in sound quality. Of things that I dislike about it, I'd probably point out the pickguard. The shape of it has this little backcurving point that just bugs me. I don't think it does anything for the guitar's appearance, they could've done a little better.

I basically compared it to Fenders, Epi's, Yamahas, and more specifically to the Ovation Celebrity series. I walked into the store leaning far to an Ovation, and a Yamaha as a second choice. Neither guitar in it's range could compare to it. It just sounded and felt flat-out better. I was surprised I thought so highly of a Korean Ibanez. The Fenders, to me, sounded muted and dismal.

For anyone into electric that's new to the acoustic market and wants to pick up a beater, that like me, just want something that will "make do", forget that mindset. There's too great of a difference in sound amongst all these $100-$400 dollar guitars. After demo'ing so many, I felt I would be cheating myself if I decided with my wallet and not my ears in just picking up an outdoor beach guitar. Spend the extra $150 or even $250 and get something that actually makes you smile. If this guitar gets broke or stolen will I ever regret not just getting the $100 dollar Yamaha they had on sale? No I wouldn't, I'd just watch the second Ibanez AW100 I'd buy with just that much more carefulness.

Same features as listed above. Solid Englemann Spruce top, laminated Mahogany back and sides, rosewood fingerboard. Grover tuners. Absolutely gorgeous guitar. The only reason this gets a 7 is because the guitar comes with no accessories whatsoever. No bag, no strap, not even a set of strings. This is supposed to be a 'budget' guitar, and the price is likely to attract first timers. First timers need stuff, like a pitch pipe. A variety of picks. A zippered gig bag. Some strings. A capo. With this guitar, you just get the guitar.

For the money, there isn't a better sounding solid spruce top guitar, in my opinion. I shopped around a lot, and played a few higher priced guitars that also didn't quite measure up. Bass is rich and mellow, treble bright and clear, midrange perfectly balanced. I can't believe this is a guitar that costs less than $350.00. Fingerpicking produces the soft, sweet sound you'd expect. Thumb-strumming gets a warm, mellow tone without the muffled sound. Flatpicking and flatpick strumming gets you to full volume without the jangling sound of other 'budget' guitars.

I can't speak for factory set up because the music store sets up all new instruments. They even put a set of Elixir strings on her for me! The top appears to be perfectly matched, but the grain is a little on the loose side. The natural finish is high gloss on the top, sides and headstock; and satin on the neck. The action may be a little high, because I've had a little difficulty on rapid passages up the scale. But the intonation is dead on so I'll probably just get used to it.

Overall, the guitar appears to be very well built. The heavy finish on the top would probably turn a knife. There are a few very minor oversights on the sanding of the braces. The Grover tuners mean you're staying in tune. There are no obvious defects in the construction of the instrument, and it looks like it's going to be around a long time.

Never needed it.

I've only been playing for a few years now. I play a pretty wide range of stuff, from acoustic rock to jazz, blues... Anything that sounds good to me. My other acoustic guitar is a Takamine Jasmine S-45, a laminate that cost about half as much as the Ibanez AW 100. The difference in quality shows, in both appearance and sound. I shopped around quite a bit before buying this instrument. I played Fenders, Yamahas, a Hofner, a Cedar-topped Seagull, and an Epiphone laminate. None of the guitars that I played had sound this sweet at this price. The only close call was the Hofner Sienna, an almost identical guitar for about $100 less. But the Hofner didn't offer the Grover tuners, and the Ibanez just sounded better. I had the extra cash, and did the deed.

2001 Korean Made Dreadnaught. Solid Engelmann Spruce top with laminated Mahogany back and sides. Mahogany neck, Rosewood fretboard and bridge. Gold Grover tuning machines, Abalone inlay around soundhole and on headstock. Gloss finish, multi Black and White binding on front, White binding on the back and neck. Geometric pattern on back seam. Standard 14/21 frets. Scalloped bracing. Very nice features for the price I paid for this

Bright trebles and decent lower end. This Guitar is only a year old and I suspect it will open up in time. The Engelmann Spruce top may be a bit brighter sounding compared to a Sitka Spruce top. Overall, a very nice balanced tone. Sounds great played fingerstyle and can boom when driven hard.

Perfect set up. That was a surprise as often the Korean made Guitars need some additional set up work beyond the factory job. Fit and finish is very good. Only flaw that I see and it may not be a flaw to some eyes, is the color on the Spruce top does not form a perfect match. One half is lighter than the other. That may change in time as the top is exposed to light. No glue traces inside and braces are cleanly scalloped. Binding work and inlays are flawless. They did a nice job on this one!

The guitar seems sturdy. Can't go wrong with Grover tuners. Gloss finish will probably deflect a bullet. Like most Korean made guitars, this finish is on the thick side. However, there are no runs drips or errors on the finish. The finish does not seem to impede the sound on this one. Strap button is plastic. I had a Seagull S6+Spruce and it seemed a little more fragile than this Ibanez. I think you could depend on it.

I've been playing for 26 years. I have a 96 Taylor with a Spruce top and have owned Guilds and a Seagull. I bought this Ibanez to keep at work so I can pick during my lunch hour. I had a Seagull Guitar that I really liked but I just could not get used to the wide neck. The neck on this Ibanez is very similar to my Taylor. Picked this up for $250.00. Most prices I've seen for this AW100 are in the low $300's For the money I paid, I don't think I could have found a better playing, sounding and looking guitar. It seems like this guitar should cost more money. If it were lost of stolen, I'd look for another one. Very nicely made guitar and good attention to detail. A great value. Check it out!

1997 "old school" model, solid sitka spruce top with a SATIN finish, can't get that anymore. Also has the chrome tuners which also are obsolete on this axe. very smooth , thin neck. Rosewood back and sides. Just your basic dreadnought, nothing special about the features.

The sound is pretty amazing. Depending on what dtrings you put on it you can get some nice bright fingerpicking, mellow blues. Harmonics on it are very nice. very well balanced as far as the whole treble vs. bass thing goes

The guitar has a darker streak going down the center of the guitar, it doens't look ugly though, gives it character. I did have ot get one of the nut slots filed a little bit.

I play this guitar for about 30 hours a week for the past 4 years. No wear on the neck or fret board. Hardware it all good, i might have to get some new bridge pins though. Very dependable. I never bring a back up guitar to gigs, only strings.

never had to deal with company. It had a warranty but i've never used it.

I've been playing the Midwest circuit pretty consistenly for the past 3 years. Played it at Youth Camps to coffe shops to summerfest and it's always been there for me. I'm saving for a Taylor but since i've gotten my axe, 2 of my friends have gotten the same model as mine and 2 others got the cutaway ones. I love it.

Same features as the other reviewers have already mentioned. No accessories included. Korean made dreadnaught, no electronics. Solid spruce top, laminated mahogany back and sides. Nice inlays on the headstock, around the soundhole, and on the back joint. Real Grovers too.

Very nice sound with some pleasing harmonics. No, it doesn't sound like one of the high dollar brands, but nothing in this price range touches it. This is a guitar I can live with for quite some time (while saving for one of those higher dollar brands).

The top has a couple of blemishes in the wood, but I actually find that kind of appealing... gives it a little character. The Grover tuners are excellent, but I would prefer chrome instead of the gold color, just a personal preference. My biggest complaint is that the finish is TOO THICK. It has that "dipped in plastic" look. If this guitar was available with a thinner, satin finish, it would be just about perfect.
Set up was good right out of the box. The fretboard is a little wide compared to what I am used to playing but I am adjusting well.

Only had the guitar for a couple of weeks but it seems well built and durable to me. I foresee no problems in this area.

I dunno. Have had no need to contact them yet.

Is this a great guitar? No, it isn't... but for the money it's very, very good. I had originally been shopping for a Fender GD47S, but could not locate one in Western Washington. All the dealers would rather sell you a Martin or Taylor "for just a few dollars more". That was not in the budget and the Ibanez caught my eye, sounded good, and followed me home. If lost or stolen, I would probably go the next step up and buy a 310 Taylor. The sound of this guitar is much sweeter than my other acoustic, a late 80's Fender Catalina (and it doesn't show fingermarks and smudges nearly as bad as that black Fender). All in all, not a bad deal for the price.

This is a Korean made artwood 100CENT (acoustic/electric cutaway). It has mahogony sides and neck with a solid spruce top and rosewood fingerboard. Gold grover tuners, and a rosewood venner on the head stock. Binding on the body and neck. Simply a beautiful guitar.

Let me start by saying that I do not care for Ibanez products...They're electric guitars sound like and are built like crap. but, THIS line of acoustics are amazing. They sound like a guitar worth twice as much. I was originally going to buy a Martin D-16GT...But then found out that the fingerboard and bridge were made of micarta (a plastic composite). So, i saw this sitting in Sam Ash, played for 5 minutes, and bought it immediatly. I've had it for about a year now, and sounds better and better each time I play it. It has a very balanced, and full tone. Plugged in, it generates a natural, warm tone. This is the best guitar you can find on the market in this price range. Sounds as good as guitars that cost twice as much.

I give this a 8 because the action was set a little too high. The finish and pickgaurd are perfect, and i can honestly say that this is my favorite looking acoustic...ever.

I had to replace the bridge saddle and pins because they broke. Easily fixed. but was upset that they broke so quickly. everything else is solid.

This guitar is awesome. I plan on buying another AW100CENT, and also want to buy a AW400CENT. You owe it to yourself to try this out, you won't regret it.

It was made in Korea, year 2001 I think.20 frets. Actually it's an AW100CE model.

A beautifuly crafted guitar considered the price paid and looks-wise!!Has a Fishman pickup!Active electronics!It's a cutaway type of guitar , spruce top and mahogany back and neck!Grover machine heads!I bought it and it didn't come with a case!Too bad cus they really should give away cases, hahahah!!!The neck could be a bit thinner, not all of us got gigantic hands!

The sound is cool, very clear and wide, altough it wouldn't hurt to have a bit more bass in the low range!

Hmmmmmm yes, I almost forgot, after being constantly pissed of with the kind of useless piece of shit bridge the've put on, i decided to take it to a local luthier and have the problem resolved! They (the Ibanez people) made the bridge too fat and the strings did not have enough angle when coming over the sadlle!U can imagine how much it takes out of u're sound and resonance! Fixed the problem, and now it works fine, just fine!
Haven't really tried it out live, so i have no special opinions on the pickup!Oh yeah and something inside the guitar got loose, i thing one of the "ribbs"!Had to fix that too!

Well i almost said it all up there!After all the repairing and the dayz of frustrations gone by this guitar works probably better than any other in the same price range!?!
Be careful wit the bridge-messes up ure sound !!
Oh yeah , when i got the guitar the pick up wouldn't work quite good because you had to mess with it to get the volume of the 1st string equal to the other 5.That really sucked!
Acton of the strings is surprisingly good!Low and comfortable!

Live playing?
Who knows! Time will tell and we shall see!

Never dealt with them, altough I should have!

This is a good guitar as long as u don't get ure hopes up high!And live with the fact ure going to have to additionaly fix things!In my opinion far better than anything on the market in this price range and quality!Compared it to a Larivee in the shop when i bought it ! Hmmmmm my frend wondered why he spent all that money!

This is a good instrument! Maybe I would buy it again if it got lost or stolen