Introduction to the Ibanez AEG Series
Ibanez has been crafting acoustic guitars since the late 1960s, starting with their Concord and Galvador models. Over the decades, they’ve continuously innovated and expanded their acoustic offerings.
In the 1990s, Ibanez introduced their Artwood series – all solid wood acoustics aimed at working musicians. This evolved into the Artcore line, showcasing unique tonewoods and eye-catching finishes.
The AEG (Artwood Electric Guitar) series launched in the early 2000s, combining Ibanez’s acoustic craftsmanship with onboard electronics. The AEG guitars featured mahogany bodies, quality tonewood tops, and Fishman pickups – a winning formula for gigging acoustic players.
The AEG20II sits in the middle of the current AEG lineup. It brings premium appointments like a flamed sycamore top and Fishman preamp while maintaining an accessible price point. As part of the storied AEG family, it exemplifies Ibanez’s mission to push boundaries in the acoustic-electric market.
Ibanez AEG20II Overview
The Ibanez AEG20II is an expertly crafted acoustic-electric guitar that offers incredible value. This mid-range model boasts several top features that make it a versatile instrument suitable for both practice and performance.
The AEG20II starts with a stunning AAA-grade flamed sycamore top. This exotic tonewood not only looks beautiful, but also helps produce a warm, balanced tone. It’s paired with a mahogany back and sides for resonance and sustain.
Other highlights include a smooth satin finish, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, and Fishman electronics. The cutaway body style provides unfettered access to the upper frets. It comes equipped with an Ibanez AEQ-SP1 preamp with 3-band EQ for shaping your amplified tone.
When it comes to playability, the AEG20II shines with its comfortable body size, slim neck profile, and smooth fret ends. Overall, it’s a premium instrument with pro features that punches above its mid-range price point. Let’s take a closer look at what makes this acoustic-electric so special.
Body & Neck
The Ibanez AEG20II features a flamed sycamore top with mahogany back and sides for its body construction. This combination of premium tonewoods produces a beautifully resonant and projecting acoustic tone.
The flamed sycamore top adds an elegant visual flair, with distinctive curling grain patterns in shades of reddish-brown. Beyond aesthetics, the sycamore contributes crisp highs, sweet mids, and excellent note separation to the overall tonal profile. Sycamore is not a commonly seen top wood, so the AEG20II stands out in its price range by including this striking figured maple relative.
The mahogany back and sides offer a rich, warm foundation to balance out the sycamore’s brightness. Mahogany is a popular choice among acoustic builders, prized for its excellent resonance and balanced tone. The mid-focused sound enhances the guitar’s playing versatility across musical styles.
The AEG20II features a slim taper mahogany neck for smooth playability. It has a comfortable C-shaped profile that accommodates various hand sizes and playing techniques. The neck width measures 1.69" at the nut, standard for many steel-string acoustics. The action is set medium-low from the factory, facilitating complex chording and lead playing while still allowing forceful strumming if desired.
Electronics
The Ibanez AEG20II comes equipped with Fishman electronics featuring the Sonicore pickup and AEQ-SP1 preamp system. This gives the guitar excellent amplified tones and flexible tone-shaping options.
The Sonicore pickup utilizes a unique sensing technology that captures the guitar’s natural acoustic resonance, resulting in rich and dynamic plugged-in tones. It’s able to accurately translate both the body and top-end tones through an amp or PA system.
The preamp gives you control over your amplified sound with simple and intuitive controls. There is a volume knob, 3-band EQ for adjusting bass, midrange, and treble frequencies, a phase switch to cut feedback, and an onboard tuner. This provides plenty of tonal flexibility when plugging in, allowing you to dial in just the right sound for any venue or playing style.
Overall, the Fishman preamp and Sonicore pickup make this an excellent choice for guitarists who want great amplified acoustic tones without breaking the bank. The preamp has just the right amount of controls for dialing in your ideal sound, without being overly complex for novice users.
Sound & Tonal Qualities
The Ibanez AEG20II produces a rich, resonant acoustic tone when played unplugged. The all-mahogany body and sides create a warm, earthy sound with plenty of bass response and good note separation. Strumming and fingerpicking styles are both well-served by the guitar’s balanced tone. The flamed sycamore top adds sweet overtones and articulation to the mahogany’s natural warmth. Notes ring out clearly with good sustain.
When plugged in, the AEG20II retains its acoustic character thanks to the Fishman Sonicore pickup. The amplified tone remains clear and balanced across the tonal spectrum. There’s enough warmth for fingerstyle playing, but also enough top-end sparkle to cut through a mix. The AEQ-SP1 preamp provides some useful tone-shaping control via its bass, midrange, and treble knobs. Overall, the AEG20II sounds fantastic both unplugged and when amplified through a PA system or acoustic guitar amp.
Playability & Comfort
The Ibanez AEG20II features a slim, fast-playing neck profile that makes it a joy to play for extended periods. The neck has a standard width nut made of white Corian, which contributes to the smooth feel.
Out of the box, the action on the AEG20II is set quite low, allowing for speedy runs up and down the neck without excessive fret buzz. The action can be adjusted easily by tweaking the truss rod and saddle height as needed. Overall, most players will find the default setup very comfortable for chordal and lead playing.
The ergonomic cutaway body style provides unfettered access to the upper frets, making this a great choice for guitarists who like to solo. The back and sides have a soft, contoured edge that fits nicely against your body when playing seated.
At just under 3.9 lbs, the AEG20II is lightweight enough to play for hours without neck or shoulder fatigue. The smooth satin finish on the back of the neck allows your hand to glide effortlessly during faster passages.
All in all, the Ibanez AEG20II offers exceptional playability right out of the box. The fast neck, low action, and comfortable body design make this acoustic-electric beg to be played for extended jam sessions.
Hardware
The Ibanez AEG20II features high-quality hardware that enhances the guitar’s playability and functionality. The tuning keys are sealed die-cast tuners that do an excellent job of holding the guitar in tune through changes in humidity and temperature. They have a classy aged nickel finish that matches the vintage aesthetic of the instrument.
The nut and saddle are both made of quality Tusq material, which has a smooth and slippery feel, reducing string friction. This results in improved tuning stability and resonance. The nut is cut precisely for great string spacing and action.
The bridge is a rosewood pinless bridge, which provides a couple benefits. First, it eliminates the need to constantly replace loose bridge pins. Second, the pinless design transfers more vibration into the top, amplifying resonance and sustain. The compensated design sets each string at the optimal spacing for great intonation up and down the neck.
Overall, the hardware on the Ibanez AEG20II is thoughtfully designed to get the most out of the guitar’s premium tonewood construction. From the tuners to the nut and saddle, these components work together seamlessly to make this acoustic-electric play, sound, and feel fantastic. Guitarists will appreciate how the hardware enhances the ownership experience rather than detracting from it.
Craftsmanship
The Ibanez AEG20II showcases excellent craftsmanship and attention to detail from top to bottom. The fit and finish of this guitar are truly impressive for the price point.
The sycamore top is beautifully bookmatched and has an elegant flame pattern that really pops. The top is also treated to a smooth gloss finish that allows the wood’s beauty to shine through. The rest of the body and neck have a satin finish that feels great against the hands during extended playing sessions.
The fretwork on the rosewood fretboard is very cleanly done, with no sharp ends or uneven frets. The fretboard edges are smoothly rolled for comfort. The nut and saddle are both precisely cut from quality bone.
All of the hardware on the AEG20II is high-quality and securely installed. The die-cast tuners keep the guitar in tune reliably. The rosewood bridge and nut help transfer string vibrations efficiently. The endpin jack and battery compartment for the preamp system are sturdy and road-ready.
Overall, the Ibanez AEG20II punches above its weight class in terms of fit, finish, attention to detail, and quality control. This is clearly a guitar built to last by skilled craftspeople who take pride in their work. For guitarists wanting beautiful looks backed by superb playability, the AEG20II delivers.
Value for Money
The Ibanez AEG20II offers excellent value for money, providing premium features and tonewoods at an accessible price point. When compared to similar acoustic-electric guitars from major brands like Taylor, Martin, and Yamaha, the AEG20II is very competitively priced.
For example, the Taylor 114ce and Martin DX1AE both retail for around $699, while the Yamaha A Series A3M is priced at $649. In contrast, the street price of the Ibanez AEG20II tends to be around $399. This makes it hundreds of dollars more affordable than comparable models from these big-name manufacturers.
What’s remarkable is that despite the lower price tag, the AEG20II doesn’t compromise much in terms of build quality or materials. It has a solid flamed sycamore top, mahogany back and sides, and quality onboard electronics. The tonewood combination can compete sonically with more expensive models, providing excellent resonance and balanced tones.
Considering the elegant aesthetics, comfortable playability, and Fishman electronics, the Ibanez AEG20II gives buyers fantastic value for their money. While it may lack some premium appointments like binding, it focuses on great materials and versatile acoustic-electric performance. For guitarists shopping on a budget, the AEG20II is easily one of the best options available today.
Conclusion
The Ibanez AEG20II acoustic-electric guitar punches above its weight class, offering pro-level appointments and tone at an extremely wallet-friendly price point. Its flamed sycamore top produces rich, complex acoustic resonance while the mahogany back and sides add warmth and sustain. The Fishman preamp reproduces the AEG20II’s balanced tone with clarity through an amplifier or PA.
On the playability front, the guitar’s slim neck profile and low action facilitate intricate fingerpicking and quick lead runs across the fretboard. The cutaway body grants easy access to the upper frets, expanding the soloing range. While the hardware and electronics may not be as robust as pricier models, they are more than adequate for gigging and recording scenarios.
When evaluating this guitar strictly on sound, comfort, and construction quality, it competes with models costing two or three times as much. The biggest compromise is in the aesthetics department – while the wood grain is beautiful, plastic binding and other upscale appointments are absent. However, the value proposition is difficult to beat.
For intermediate players or working musicians on a budget, the Ibanez AEG20II merits strong consideration. While the tonewoods and Fishman preamp deliver pro-level performance, the price remains very reasonable. Ibanez packs a ton of value into this instrument, making it one of the best acoustic-electric deals on the market today.