Ibanez Artwood AW54CE Review

If you’ve been looking for an Ibanez Artwood AW54CE review, we’ve got you covered.

We’ve weighed the options, gone over it with a fine-tooth comb, and spent time listening to it being played.

Bottom Line: This guitar is affordably priced, easy to play, and has a melodious tone.

Key Feature: The Body

The AW54CE has a dreadnought-shaped body with a cutaway so it has lots of volume, a big tone, and easy access to the higher frets.

The top of the body is composed of a solid piece of Okoume wood, while the back and sides are laminated Okoume. Laminated wood cuts down on feedback which is important for acoustic-electric guitars, so that’s a great plus.

The tone of this guitar is very rich, full, and balanced with plenty of bass, good mids, and clear highs.

Additionally, the open pore finish has a natural, old-school look and improves the resonance of the wood.

Key Feature: The Neck

The neck is in the AW shape, made of nyatoh wood, and has a radius of 15.74″. As a result, it’s very stable, with a shape that’s comfortable to play chords and leads on. Plus, the flat radius is excellent for playing leads and difficult chords.

Another key point is the ovangkol fretboard which has 20 frets, and simple white dot inlays. The inlays nicely offset the darker wood while the frets ensure you can fret chords easily.

Additionally, the scarf joint construction of the neck increases the strength of the neck a lot.

Key Feature: Pickup and Preamp

The AW54CE features an Ibanez T-bar Undersaddle pickup which will more precisely translate the sound of your strings to the amplifier.

Although the Ibanez AEQ-TP2 preamp has bass, treble, and volume controls, the preamp is very basic. This is great if you only want the bare minimum when playing plugged in, but some guitarists may find it limiting.

All the preamp settings are controlled by knobs instead of sliders. While tonally this makes no difference, some people prefer the ease of sliders.

Additionally, the preamp has an onboard tuner which makes tuning your guitar easy and convenient.

Finally, a Balanced XLR output is included as well as the standard 1/4″ output jack. As a result, this guitar is perfect for sound recording and production.

General Features

The soundhole of the AW54CE has a black and white multi-line rosette while the body has black binding giving it a sleek and simple look.

The chrome die-cast tuners on the headstock have an 18:1 gear ratio so they make tuning more accurate and easier.

In general, the use of plastic for the nut and saddle is a cost-saving measure, but some guitarists feel like this is an easy, and inexpensive upgrade.

Plus, it comes strung with D’Addario strings which is a nice touch, although by the time you get the guitar it’s probably a good idea to go ahead and change them.

Finally, the ovangkol bridge has Ibanez Advantage bridge pins which are easier to take out, and replace. As a result, you’ll have an easier time changing your strings.

User Impressions

The general impression around the ‘net is that the AW54CE is a first-rate acoustic guitar that’s an incredible value.

It plays and sounds great, and has a distinct look. All mahogany-type guitars aren’t always everyone’s cup of tea, but this one seems to have even skeptics convinced.

All in all, this one is a buy!

Conclusion

The Ibanez Artwood AW54CE has a great tone, an easy-to-play neck, and solid construction.

The Ibanez Artwood series of guitars blend modern guitar construction with traditional guitar elements. It’s Ibanez’s attempt to add modern improvements to their acoustic guitars while respecting tradition, all in the search for the perfect guitar.

The Artwood AW54CE definitely reflects Ibanez’s desire to improve the quality of the guitars they produce. It’s an incredible acoustic-electric guitar that’s surprisingly affordable.

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FAQ

• What other acoustic guitars do you recommend?
  • See This Post and this one.
• Can you recommend some stings?
  • See this post.
• What case fits the AW54CE?
  • Try either of these two cases:

Ibanez FS40DA Foamed Case

Ibanez IAB540