Ibanez ACFS580CE: Top Fingerstyle Guitar Review

Table of Contents

Introduction

With over 50 years of experience crafting high-quality acoustic instruments, Ibanez has cemented itself as a leader in the acoustic guitar world. The company’s Artwood series embodies its pursuit of premium tonewoods and meticulous attention to detail. The Ibanez ACFS580CE is the latest addition to the Artwood lineup, representing the pinnacle of Ibanez acoustic craftsmanship.

The ACFS580CE stands out as an all-solid wood, fingerstyle-focused guitar. It features a solid Alpine spruce top and solid Pau Ferro back and sides, selected for their acoustic properties. The grand concert body shape provides a balanced, articulate voice perfect for intricate fingerstyle playing. Electronically, the ACFS580CE utilizes Ibanez’s dual pickup system, with undersaddle and contact pickups that accurately capture the guitar’s natural acoustic tone.

With its premium appointments and considered acoustic design, the ACFS580CE aims to be a top-tier choice for discerning fingerstyle players seeking the ultimate acoustic experience. This review will take an in-depth look at what makes this Ibanez so special.

Body Shape and Design

The Ibanez ACFS580CE features a compact grand concert body shape that provides excellent comfort and playability. This mid-size shape produces a balanced and articulate tone, with a tight low end, pronounced mids, and clear trebles. The grand concert design allows for easy access to the upper frets while remaining comfortable for seated playing.

The all-solid wood construction further enhances the guitar’s acoustic properties. The solid Alpine spruce top offers a nice blend of warmth and shimmer, with good note separation and sustain. The solid pau ferro back and sides provide a rich, complex midrange, adding depth and character to the guitar’s voice. Pau ferro is tonally similar to rosewood, with excellent resonance.

An open pore semi-gloss finish allows the solid wood to vibrate freely, increasing volume and projection. This thin finish provides a played-in feel right out of the box, without compromising protection or durability. The open pores give the guitar a natural, organic appearance as well. Overall, the grand concert shape, all-solid woods, and open pore finish result in an acoustic guitar with impressive dynamics, clarity, and balanced resonance across the tonal spectrum.

Neck and Fretboard

The ACFS580CE features a mahogany neck with a comfortable slim taper profile that provides smooth playability. The neck has a satin finish that allows your hand to easily glide up and down during intricate fingerstyle playing.

The fretboard is made of richlite, an eco-friendly and durable composite material. The richlite has a smooth feel that is very comparable to ebony, providing a great playing surface. The fretwork on the ACFS580CE is immaculate with perfectly dressed medium frets that have smooth and rounded ends. This allows for comfortable fretting and bending without any sharp fret ends digging into your fingers.

Overall, the neck shape, fretboard material, and excellent fretwork come together to make the ACFS580CE a very playable guitar. It feels great in the hands whether you are doing complex fingerstyle arrangements or simpler chord melodies. The action is set up low and fast while still avoiding buzzing issues. Playing up and down the neck is an effortless experience on this guitar.

Sound Profile

The Ibanez ACFS580CE produces a rich, balanced acoustic tone with excellent warmth and projection. The all-solid wood construction really allows the guitar’s voice to blossom, delivering crystalline highs, pronounced mids, and robust low end.

When playing fingerstyle, the ACFS580CE responds beautifully to light and delicate touch. Notes bloom with complexity as you dig into the strings. There’s also no shortage of volume and sustain when playing fuller chords. The compact grand concert body provides intimacy and nuance without sacrificing projection.

This guitar can handle a diverse range of playing styles beyond fingerpicking. The ACFS580CE has enough punch for rhythmic strumming while retaining the articulation for sweet fingerpicking or hybrid technique. From folk to country to pop, the ACFS580CE is versatile enough to span genres.

Plugged in, the Ibanez Dual Pickup system accurately captures the ACFS580CE’s natural acoustic sound. The blend between the undersaddle piezo and contact microphone is very balanced. The guitar retains its warmth while amplified, with crystal clear highs and excellent dynamic response. The preamp provides plenty of tonal shaping options for both stage and studio use.

Electronics and Controls

The Ibanez ACFS580CE features the Ibanez Dual Pickup system, which includes both an undersaddle piezo pickup and a contact pickup. The combination of these two pickup types allows for a very natural and balanced amplified tone.

The undersaddle piezo pickup captures the guitar’s acoustic sound by sensing string vibrations through the bridge. This allows it to produce a full-range tone very similar to the unplugged sound. The contact pickup, mounted behind the guitar’s lower bout, adds warmth and body to the amplified tone by capturing vibrations directly from the guitar’s top. Together, these two pickups complement each other beautifully.

The preamp provides 3-band EQ for shaping your amplified tone. There are bass, mid, and treble controls, each with a wide +/-15dB sweep for substantial tonal adjustment. This lets you easily dial in just the right tone, whether you want a bright, sparkly sound or a warm, bassy tone. There’s also a built-in tuner for quick on-stage tuning.

One great feature of the preamp is the feedback control circuitry. This helps minimize feedback issues when playing live by suppressing the frequencies that are prone to feedback. The guitar can be played at higher volumes without howling or squealing. This gives you more freedom to let the guitar shine acoustically on stage.

Overall, the Ibanez Dual Pickup system provides excellent amplified tone that captures the nuances of the guitar’s natural acoustic sound. Between the dual pickups and 3-band EQ, it’s highly versatile for any amplified playing scenario from coffee shop gigs to larger stages. The feedback control also makes it very stage-friendly.

Build Quality and Durability

The Ibanez ACFS580CE exhibits exceptional build quality and attention to detail that players expect from the Artwood series. The all-solid woods construction delivers a sturdy yet responsive instrument capable of lasting for years.

The guitar features clean and precise binding along the body, neck and headstock, showcasing Ibanez’s expert craftsmanship. The fretwork is immaculate with smoothly finished ends and rounded fretboard edges for comfort.

The hardware including the tuners, bridge pins, and Ibanez Advanced Acoustic bridge are high-quality and built to last. The tuners hold tune reliably even during heavy fingerstyle playing. The one-piece bridge provides rock solid intonation and sustain.

Being an all-solid guitar, the ACFS580CE is designed to mature gracefully over time as the tonewoods age and resonate more. Owners can expect the guitar’s voice to open up and become richer and more complex. With proper care and maintenance, this Ibanez has the construction to deliver decades of musical enjoyment.

Overall, the ACFS580CE inspires confidence in its longevity thanks to top-notch materials and immaculate attention to detail. This is a lifetime guitar built to handle years of playing while aging beautifully.

Value for Money

The Ibanez ACFS580CE comes with a premium price tag, typically retailing for around $1,699. This positions it firmly in the upper mid-range bracket for an acoustic guitar. However, given the all-solid wood construction and top-tier electronics, the pricing is quite competitive compared to similar premium acoustic-electrics.

Models like the Martin GPC-13E or Taylor 314ce, which also feature all solid wood builds, tend to retail for $2,000 or more. So while still an investment, the Ibanez offers exceptional value at this price point. Considering the quality of materials and attention to detail in the construction, the guitar feels like it should cost more than its actual street price.

For fingerstyle players and acoustic singer-songwriters seeking a responsive, articulate instrument that excels both plugged in and unplugged, the ACFS580CE is easily worth the premium cost. The combination of its compact body shape, comfortable neck profile, and versatile electronics make it an incredibly well-rounded package without any glaring weaknesses.

Standout features like the solid Alpine spruce top, solid Pau Ferro back and sides, and Ibanez’s robust preamp system help justify the price tag. When you factor in the excellent playability and musicality of the instrument, the ACFS580CE offers fantastic value for money that outshines more affordable options. This is a professional-grade tool built to inspire for years to come.

Pros and Cons

Pros

All-solid tonewood construction provides exceptional resonance, warmth, and projection
Compact grand concert body offers comfortable playing feel with balanced bass and articulate trebles
Solid alpine spruce top produces a clear, complex tone with rich overtones
Solid pau ferro back and sides add depth and sweetness to the guitar’s voice
Neck profile and lower action optimize playability for fingerstyle techniques
Ibanez undersaddle and contact pickup system captures acoustic tone accurately
Onboard preamp with 3-band EQ provides excellent amplified tone shaping

Cons

Premium all-solid build comes at a higher price point compared to laminate models
Limited finish options compared to other Ibanez acoustics
Feedback potential when amplified at higher volumes
Not as suitable for aggressive strumming or flatpicking styles
Electronics may require some tweaking to find optimal settings

Who It’s For

The Ibanez ACFS580CE is designed for fingerstyle guitarists who appreciate the responsiveness and dynamic range that a compact, all-solid wood instrument can provide. Specifically, this model will appeal most to:

Fingerstyle players who rely on articulation, warmth, and balanced tone for their intricate techniques. The ACFS580CE’s solid Alpine spruce and Pau ferro woods offer excellent note separation and nuanced voicing.
Acoustic singer-songwriters looking for more "oomph" than a typical dreadnought. The focused midrange and tight low end of the grand concert body will help vocals cut through during solo gigs.
Guitarists wanting an acoustic that can pull double duty for both unplugged gigs and plugged-in scenarios. The Ibanez pickup system provides studio-quality amplified tone while retaining the guitar’s natural acoustic sound.
Working musicians in search of a consistent, feedback-resistant stage guitar. The preamp’s notch filter helps tame feedback at high volumes.
Roots, folk, or blues players needing balanced tone across multiple techniques. From fingerpicking to flatpicking, the ACFS580CE has the dynamic range to handle various styles.
Guitarists wanting to upgrade to a lifetime instrument. The all-solid woods and quality components give this Ibanez the potential for long-term use.

While versatile enough for multiple styles, the ACFS580CE really shines for fingerstyle-focused genres like folk, acoustic rock, blues, bluegrass, and solo singer-songwriter material. It’s an especially great fit for players who want the responsiveness of a parlor-sized guitar but prefer the slightly bigger voice of a grand concert body. Overall, this Ibanez is ideal for discerning fingerstyle aficionados.

Final Verdict

After reviewing the Ibanez ACFS580CE, it’s clear this guitar delivers an exceptional playing experience with its all-solid wood construction optimized for fingerstyle performance. The solid Alpine spruce top and Pau ferro back/sides produce a balanced acoustic tone with rich lows, articulate mids, and singing highs. Combined with the grand concert body shape, this guitar offers incredible dynamic range perfect for intricate fingerstyle techniques.

The advanced electronics package further enhances the ACFS580CE, providing a versatile plugged-in tone. The Ibanez Dual Pickup system authentically captures the guitar’s natural acoustic sound while handling percussive elements smoothly. Between the intuitive preamp controls and excellent amplified tone, this system excels for both stage and studio use.

Overall, the ACFS580CE is a premium choice worth considering for fingerstyle players and acoustic singer-songwriters. While the price tag is substantial, you get an all-solid wood instrument with top-notch appointments optimized for fingerpicking nuance. This is a special guitar that rewards the player with its unmatched playability and versatility. I highly recommend trying the Ibanez ACFS580CE in person, as its impeccable craftsmanship and musicality shine through from the very first strum.