Ibanez Artwood AC340 Acoustic Guitar - Open Pore Natural Reviews

This Ibanez is amazing, it has a smaller neck and it great for fingerpicking. It has a great sound and tone. Before I bought it I watched a video where they played it next to a Martin and for $ it was pretty darn close, the Martin had a deeper tone and of course theres more because it was a $ guitar. However for $ this Ibanez is as close as you can get to a $ guitar in the below $ price range imo. Sweetwater's customer service is amazing and I will definitely shop with them over Guitar center any day!

As a 25+ year intermediate/advanced player, I wanted something inexpensive to add to my collection of acoustics. In particular, I wanted something that could handle the extreme temperature swings of living in the Midwest (summer = humid, winter = dry). As a fingerstyle player, I also wanted something that was 1 3/4". This instrument is one of the most playable guitars that I've ever owned. In addition, it has a fantastic warm/resonant tone that is very unique. Okoume isn't as common as your typical soundboards (Spruce, Mahogany, Cedar, etc.). However, it has a very unique sound that fits somewhere in between Spruce and Mahogany (based on my ear). I believe the open-pore finish definitely adds to its tonal characteristics and resonance. This is my go-to guitar when I'm just sitting around and creatively exploring new songs/ideas. It records well too!

For the price, you'd be very hard-pressed to find a better sounding instrument in this category. It's a very inspiring instrument for the typical singer-songwriter. Is it the nicest guitar I own? No. Is it a fantastic instrument that sounds great and plays great? Absolutely. If you're primarily a loud strummer/flat-picker, this probably isn't my recommendation. However, if you're a fingerstyle/percussive type player, this is undoubtedly a great choice. Thank you, Ibanez.

Sounds awesome

Beautiful sound and look. Love it.

I purchased one for my son who has been playing for about 5 years now. Great guitar for a small price. I plan to get the hard case next. Get a good setup and oil it often to keep it in good shape. I use Holloway House Lemon Oil on the entire guitar even the fretboard. I sanded down the saddle to get the string height at the 12th fret to be 5/64 and 3.5/64ths which seemed to be perfect. Also a set of XS light 12-53 strings fits this guitar just right. I wind up playing it too. Just a fun guitar to play. Highly recommended for pro or student. I will upgrade the plastic pins with tusk and see if I can find some drop in grover tuners would top this guitar off.

I have 9 acoustics ranging in price from $329 (this one) to about $1200. Included are a Guild, Taylor and Martin. If price only dictated quality this would be #9 but I rank it about #4. The action is super low with no buzz after the $99 Sweetwater set up. It's very comfortable to play while sitting. I love the sound so much I had my local luthier install an LR Baggs Anthem and now it's killer with or without amplification. Sounds great with Elixir 11/52 PB Nanoweb and I sprung for a gator hard case and this guitar deserves it. I can't imagine a better sounding, more comfortable guitar out there for even 2 or 3 hundred more. You'll never part with it.

For context, I'm a proficient guitarist who over the years has owned (for long periods) and recorded with Martin (D-28) Taylor (310Koa, 714ce), Guild (60's vintage D40) and countless cheaper guitars (Seagulls, Washburns). This guitar absolutely stands up to those bigger boys. Great playability (w/ 12's), though your milage may vary as lower end guitars are notoriously inconsistent from piece to piece. Sounds and looks better, in my opinion, than the low end taylor stuff. Closest comp would be the 3 series Larrivees from back in the day. At this price point, they wisely went without a gloss finish, which when done poorly can make a guitar sound dull. They also went with a mahogany (ish) top, as opposed to a brighter wood (sitka, etc) which again, is harder to pull off at a low price point without sounding harsh. If I was still gigging / touring, I would buy 3 of these (tune them up separately) and throw pickups in all of them. Going through sweetwater's inspection process will help you have confidence that you are getting a good one and not a dud.

Really happy with this guitar at the pricepoint. The tone is quite pleasing to the ear. The intonation was solid and it's pretty to look at.

I never expected a guitar made of mahogany to sound so great. Very little money for a fantastic sound. It holds up against any of my high end guitars. I love it!

I've owned a few low end guitars in the past, never enjoyed playing enough to stick to learning guitar basics. I've had the AC340 for a few weeks now and play a few times every day. It's the first time I've enjoyed playing guitar enough to work through building finger and hand strength. The Overall quality of the guitar is worth every penny. The finish is nice, looks great and the neck is smooth and my hand slides easily. The guitar stays in tune and sounds awesome. Could not be happier with choosing this guitar.

Have been playing guitar for 50 years now and have owned too many to mention (Martin, Guild, Hernandez, Gibson, etc) - had never considered an Ibanez acoustic, but had never owned a mahogany top guitar and had this recommended by another long-time musician friend. Was intrigued by the "open pore" concept and was simply blown away by this little gem right out of the box!! Wood and craftsmanship are both beautiful and may be the most balanced guitar treble to bass of any I've owned. Love the slightly wider neck and the overall tone is wonderful - GET ONE!

I've had this guitar for 10 months. I wanted to learn to play the guitar but didn't want to spend a lot of money on a guitar until I knew it was something I would stick with. I bought this guitar based on the price and reviews I had looked at. When I got it I wouldn't say I was thrilled with it, based on appearance, but I couldn't find any flaws and it seemed to be exactly what it was advertised as... a guitar. The open pore, natural finish threw me a little at first, it's not a shiny but grew on me fast and I love the way it looks now.
Since then I have purchased 2 other guitars that cost considerably more than the Ibanez but the Ibanez is still my go to for practicing and playing around. It's not as bright or as pretty as the others but I like that about it. She's built well and fun to play with.
If you're just beginning and looking for your first guitar, you can't go wrong with this one.

I originally bought this guitar as a Christmas gift for my father. I'm in my 50s and have been learning to play for less than a year, he played a little in the 70s but not since. He was at my house a few months back and picked up my electric guitar and strummed it a few time so I thought it would be a good gift idea to get him a guitar for Christmas. I didn't want to spend a lot of money because of the high likelihood that he wouldn't play it and it would become decoration. After several hours (days) of research and reviews I thought this Ibanez would be a good choice and I ordered one. When it arrived I opened the box and took a good look at it and was honestly a little disappointed. I thought it was small and the wood just didn't have the luster I thought it would, I didn't think my father would like it. He's been a woodworker for decades and is all about the finish and details of the wood. The open pore natural finish wasn't going to cut it with him. However, I didn't send it back, I started playing it instead. I had a friend do a setup on it and lower the action a little and within a few days I decided to keep it for myself. I can't keep my hands off this guitar now and the things I thought I thought I didn't like about it are the things I like best now. This guitar has a great warm sound and is easy to play. The natural finish feels good in the hands and looks great too. I love this guitar and to me the quality and value exceeds the price. I don't know much about acoustic guitars so I can't really give an in depth review but I like this guitar a lot and have been enjoying playing it.

I hope you enjoyed my little story and don't think I stiffed my dad, I bought him a Yamaha FG850 all mahogany guitar. It's pretty and will decorate his house nicely and if he doesn't play it I'll take it back and have two great guitars.

The quality of construction is very, very good. The setup, playability, med/low string height, lack of fret buzz anywhere, was quite surprising. I had planned to do a setup but no need now and I will wait for that after my 10's settle in. It arrived in tune even after delays due to winter storms in our area. This guitar will be my second fingerstyle focused acoustic and will be outside quite a bit. I wanted a solid top with laminate sides - like my Seagull S6, which I love, but smaller and a bit different. It is different and I won't go into that but the feel was very similar so I took some measurements in inches. Same size strings.

Ibanez Nut 1.76, string distance at nut 1.50, string distance at center of sound hole 2.04, string distance at bridge 2.19
Seagul Nut 1.80, string distance at nut 1.53, string distance at center of sound hole 2.06, string distance at bridge 2.14

Necks are very similar in size and feel but the open pore Ibanez is not slick and feels "slower".

Based on another review I purchased the Gator classic guitar economy gig bag (I do not need another case). Perfect fit!


Thanks to Sean who was my sales engineer!

Had this over a year now,still a great guitar. I put new strings on it ,little bit of a fret buzz on certain cords but thats from a combo of poor fingering and affordable strings. I love this thing.

I own an Ibanez AC240OPN, but gave it to my daughter as a gift....(she plays far better than I).

It was an amazing-sounding instrument, so I bought another for myself. A year later, when I saw this new AC340, with nicely contrasting cream/ivory binding, I contacted Ibanez to check it out.

The Ibanez rep informed that me the AC340 has identical specs to the 240 ( 1-3/4" nut, solid mahogany top) but with the ivory binding and a "thermo aged" bridgeplate.

Mine came in a couple days ago, and I can"t put it down. The factory set-up is just fine, and the action is low, and very comfortable.

It"s beautiful guitar to look at, and has a very comfortable neck for playing finger-style...Just like my much-loved AC240.

To sum up: The AC340 is basically a AC240 with Ivory binding. I recommend reading the many AC240 reviews (as there are very few for this specific model) and use them to make your decision on the 340.

Buy either one, you"ll be glad you did.

I bought this guitar with laminate back and sides for the deer camp and it is surprisingly a great little guitar. I love the size and tone from this little gem. Also, the 1 3/4 nut is what sold me on this one. Great guitar

I think there is reasonable value in this guitar... The fit/finish has flaws on my particular AC340OPN, with a noticeable ridge between fretboard and neck and visible glue between the fretboard and soundboard, although it is flush with the wood, perhaps suggesting chips in the wood that the glue filled in. Some expected minor setup was required.

This guitar has a full sound that projects well, although it lacks some in balance and clarity across strings/notes. This guitar doesn"t project notes with significant presence, which I was not expecting, but I bring this up because there are reviews that say this guitar (or the AC240OPN) sounds like a guitar that is 3-4 times its cost. To my ears and hands, I completely disagree. I much prefer playing my all solid-wood $1000-$1500 guitars for the significantly greater presence of sound they command.

I ordered this guitar based on reviews and it completely meets my requirements, which is to have a guitar with laminate-wood construction with full sound and wide fretboard for fingerstyle playing on the go. I can"t speak to the Thermo-aged sound board (solid mahogany) and bridge as I have do not have an AC240OPN to compare it to, but they are the same street price and I liked the binding on the AC340OPN.

...this guitar fully meets my needs and expectations. It is certainly much better than my 15-year-old $400 acoustic guitar in regards to intonation and sound. Therefore, I give it 3 stars based on the ratings guide that I consider this guitar "Really Good!". I planned on giving it 5 stars before seeing the ratings guide as it meets my expectations of modern... guitars but the ratings guide suggests 5 stars means I was "WOW! Blown Away", which is not my experience. However, it is a good guitar that provides good value and I would recommend it.