Ibanez AW54CE Acoustic-electric Guitar - Open Pore Natural Reviews

I received my Ibanez about 3 weeks ago and am very happy I bought it. The guitar feels and plays great with a nice full tone! The guitar came in a timely manner and packaged perfectly! My sales rep Andrew Wilson keep me informed throughout the whole process and does a great job! If your looking for a great looking and sounding acoustic I would highly recommend this Ibanez! Thank you to Andrew and the Sweetwater team for the great service!

Shipping was fast and came in with no damages. Great sounding guitar one of the best sounding guitars I own. I love the feel and how low-action the strings are. One thing that I will say it had a fret buzz but I can fix it easily.

The punchiest guitar I've ever played. I'm 55 and I've played since I was nine. This guitar, after a good setup of course, blows me away. An awesome value for the money. Shave a tad off the saddle and throw on some elixirs.. baby this thing's a machine.

Great sound! I love the finished design and how it combines things to make them affordable!

Very happy with this purchase. Set up just as I wanted. Excellent customer service.

Nice full, rich sound, a little mid-scooped, good action, very (very) minor fret buzz. I'm happy with my purchase.

This guitar is a beautiful peice of work. The Mahogany finish really stands out. The sound is phenomenal. Great guitar for the price range. Sounds just as good as other, more expensive models

Ibanez delivers a quality guitar, period. Outstanding guitar + workingman's price point = recipe for awesome!! This acoustic/electric guitar projects a full sound, even unplugged! Even tone, top to bottom; especially rich bottom end. The solid Okume wood top and Okume wood back/sides reminds me of more expensive mahogany wooded acoustic guitars. The Nyatoh wood neck plays like butter and the Ovankol fingerboard is velvety. The electronics are all topflight and the onboard tuner seems very accurate. Great playability right out of the box...beautiful looking guitar. I wasn't too sure about the wavy grain pattern on the guitar that I chose, but I would recommend it; the grain pattern shifts with the angle of the light striking it...very appealing. This lightweight beauty is just what I was looking for. Thank you, Kent Sallaz, my sales engineer! My Ibanez guitar was delivered to me in great shape. First timer ordering from Sweetwater, and it was a fine experience.

very good sound , love fretting look is awesome, light and just nice and enjoyable to play ,

I've played many acoustic guitars and for what this one is worth, it's unbelievable. I recommend this one to beginners especially because it has all the essentials of what an acoustic guitar should play and sound like. I love the solid okoume top, it just makes the Ibanez sound alive. Thank you Sweetwater for taking good care on packing and shipping my new guitar!

Thanks so much to Sweetwater and to the amazing team! Drew foster helped me pick out the most perfect guitar and helped me by asking the right questions and together we chose the right guitar which turned out the be the greatest purchase I've made in 26 years!!! Also, Mike Silver gave me a call to let me know that my guitar has shipped, first of all, what a great service to call me just to tell me my guitar shipped - definitely added to my excitement, also he was so nice and stayed on the phone with me for 40 minutes on a regular Monday afternoon. Teaching me about the guitar basics and what to look out for as a new (beginner) guitar player. Thanks so much to these guys as I finally started playing and it's been a dream of mine for many many years!! Cheers to me becoming a rock star!

Oh and if you want to know about the guitar, it's priceless, I wouldn't have found anything better anywhere else, just buy it. Nothing to consider here. Best guitar hands down! Also, Sweetwater tested it, gave it its own personal photo shoot and tuned the guitar and made sure everything was perfect so I can start playing right out of the box!

Go sweetwater!!

Plays nice, great wars sound. The « cut away » is a must and thé possibility to plug it is great to play alone with a looper pedal. Great value for the price. Be careful not to scratch the top if removing the « solid top » stciker.

While looking for an all mahogany guitar a few years ago to add to my collection, my super sales engineer Greg Baum told me I should check out this Ibanez Artwood. Okay, it's okume, but it was close enough to mahogany for me. The thing played like a dream. I didn't want to put it down but Sweetwater was getting ready to close and since the bed, guitar, and breakfast concept has not been firmed up in Chuck's mind....yet, I put off the purchase until a few days ago. I got my guitar today.. Here is where customer service excels as always at Sweetwater, and especially with Greg. So he emails me pictures of my guitar before I even get it. I happened to mention in an email this was a birthday present. He takes the time to send me another email wishing me a happy birthday. Then he sends me another email telling me when my guitar will arrive. The guitar is beautiful and yep, still plays like a dream. The fit and finish is fantastic, the frets are properly dressed as they should be in polite company, and the sound is magical with a surprising bass tone that I did not remember. Playability and action are spot on and the neck is a player's dream. So if you already have spruce top, cedar top, and koa top guitars and are looking for a little more flavor and spice to add to your collection, you can't go wrong with this one. And you can't go wrong with Greg Baum either. He has forgotten more about guitars than most folks have learned, so ask for him. He won't steer you wrong. And Sweetwater will always treat you right!

This is my second AW54CE-opn. I have a Martin,a Eastman,and several different acoustics but when i seen this guitar and my salesman at the Music Connection in Redding Ca played a few riffs on it for me I could not believe the qaulity of sound that came out. O had to have it. So bought it. Then friends of mine came to visit and we play together. He loved the guitar so much i ended up giving it to him. I had to have another so I ordered it. Now I will keep this and give a Martin or something else away next time someone just has to have a guitar. I will play it more than the other 30 something guitars that I have. And they are all of high qaulity. Thank you Music Connection in Redding. Keep them in stock I may have to buy another one. Will Turnbull

Just pull the trigger. This is an awesome guitar that with a little action adjustment, plays better than a lot of $2,000 guitars Ive played.FOR REAL. The bottom end is so punchy!! I have been playing guitar for 40 years now. You can definitely find an awesome guitar for under 500. This is one of the few. I like how you can pick-your-own serial number. The one I chose was half a pound lighter than the rest of the guitars, same model! I can definitely tell the difference between mine and my brothers same model. If you are on the fence about buying a guitar without playing it first, like I always was, this is one guitar that does not disappoint. Definitely buy some Elixir strings with it..

China and Japan, deserve top ratings for producing the finest Ibanez acoustic guitar that I have ever experienced, the intonation is perfect, build quality excellent,it has a solid Congo top and back, with a Mozambique fingerboard,, get a decent case for this one, I chose Gator"the best" Thank You Sweetwater.

I purchased this guitar solely to play in alternate tunings. Haven't taken it out of standard tuning yet. I've got much more expensive acoustics but I've been playing this Ibanez non-stop since I got it and love the tone. Very warm with nice mid-range. I generally play a 16"radius guitar but this neck is sweet.

Had thought about a mahogany Martin but glad I chose this Ibanez. Good quality, great sound, and soft on the pocket. As always, great service from my sales engineer, Nick Schenkel, and Sweetwater. That's why I've purchased 13 guitars from them in the past two years and have never been disappointed.

Currently have 35 guitars in my collection and I've be playing this one the most. Can't put it down! I never played this model before I purchased it but just had to have it when one of the designs stole my attention. I thought my satin finish Martin was light, this thing is crazy light. But the sound is so full. If they charged twice as much on this I'd still be very happy, the fact that it's only $... is crazy. I'm for sure going to purchase the 12 string in this model.

As for the sticker, (who leaves a 1-star review because of a sticker?) I'm pretty sure every new acoustic that has a pick guard, that pick guard will have a film covering. At least every one I've purchased has. Just peel the film off and that 'Solid Top' sticker comes off with it. Duh! With that said, I was able to peel the sticker off, without issues, still leaving the film on the pick guard in tact. Just go slow, not that hard.

I'm really contemplating getting another one of these....

The sticker is on clear film So if you peal it off sticker comes with it After trying to get it off with go gone saw a couple bibles.that when I new what was going on

I haven't owned many guitars of my own, but I've had the luck to have friends with higher end gear (Gibsons and namely Takamine) and while looking for a new guitar played plenty testing them out. This guitar is plain amazing. It feels like a ~$650 Takamine, and sounds amazing with the solid top. I have an odd sound and put this guitar through many effects - and it sounds warm, deep, and defined clean, and can use distortion like it was made for it. Tuners tend to hold tune pretty well and the neck feels very comfortable. It came set up pretty well, and was packaged very securely. I just had a pro do a lil tip tap on a fret, some truss twisting, and a basic set up. It looks really nice in person, the open pore finish is real nice and shows off the wood grain. Also noticed the headstock inlay is kinda pearled. Niceeee.

Been loyal to Sweetwater for years and years. Always had stellar service for my synths, and my first guitar with them was exceptional.

This guitar has a great sound and stays in tune very well. The pickup and tuner both work great and battery has lasted a year.

Had mine for about a week absolutely love the sound really rich sounding guitar

There were two things I always thought about buying guitars: 1. I'd never buy one without seeing and playing it in person. 2. I'd never find a great sounding guitar that had laminated back and sides. Both of those thoughts have been blown out of the water thanks to Sweetwater's 55 point check and this outstanding guitar from Ibanez. I live in Texas but most of my family live in Indiana. I had been bringing a guitar with me when I came for visits. However, this last trip I thought, "Maybe, if I find a good one at the local music shop, I'll buy one and leave it at mom and dad's house so I don't have to carry my nice Gibson Songwriter Deluxe back and forth." Then I happened to be on Sweetwater's website and noticed the 55 point inspection. "Hmm . . . maybe" I thought. But there was the concern that it arrive at my parent's before the holiday weekend so I talked with my Sales Engineer Wayne Wildman (Great guy!). He assured me that it would arrive in time due to Fedex's promise and that the luthiers on staff really do a good job making sure the guitars they sell are top notch. So, I bought it. When it arrived, I opened up the box and began to examine the guitar for myself. The Mahogany was gorgeous (and I really like the open poor finish but that is just a personal aesthetic thing that I wouldn't think changes the tone but I suppose it could). Just like the high rez pictures on the website. The neck is perfect. The setup is great. The volume of the strings are balance nicely. And the sound, WOW. UNBELIEVABLE. Either it is the combination of the solid top and laminated back and sides all being mahogany or some magic fairy dust that Ibanez sprinkled on it but whatever it is it sounds really, really good. In fact, I paid $299 for this guitar but I think it plays and sounds more like a $600 or $700 guitar. My only regret is that I had to follow through and leave it at mom and dad's house when I came back to Texas!

Full time singer/songwriter...performed all over U.S. for over 15 years...boy im tired.....crashed here in ATX . Have several guitars...for price ...quality...sound...feel...ring like bell. Cant beat it. Highly recommend. Solid mahogany baby.

I bought this for my husband. He is beyond happy. The grin on his face proves this. The guitar's sound is so beautiful. Clean.

I love this guitar. It is beautiful. This is my guitar. It will be played everywhere, and hard. It is fun to play. It is just right. Sometimes I run it through an amp with some (usually Hendrix like) distortion. Lovely. Perfect weight. It feels special. Solid. It sounds gorgeous, complete even. Not only is it a great design, but Sweetwater's people sent me a good one. Thanks folks. I have received lemons in the past from other online retailers. This is why I only buy guitars online from Sweetwater. Ibanez should get an award for this one. If you do not have one, well, you are missing out.

Ok, yes not like my old Gibson Dove. However, it sounds amazing and the XLR direct output is a much better quality signal then the 1/4". I own more expensive guitars but I'm amazed that the guitar is not only beautiful but sounds great acousticly. The electronics are top notch. ...you get a beautiful great sounding guitar with professional electronics plus a built in tuner. I replaced my old fushman pickup system in my other guitar and the fishman plus pre was around $200 just gor the pick up. ...you get the whole enchalada. Whats even more impressive is the fact that this was the first guitar I bought from Sweetwater, It was delivered fast, in excelect condition and "IN TUNE". That was crazy. Thaks Sweetwater, if I win the lotto I'm comming to you guys for a huge shopping spree.

I play in a cover band and was looking for an acoustic electric to use for the softer material that my band plays live. I had tried this guitar out a few times and was shocked at how good it felt and sounded when I played it, so I decided to buy it. In my opinion, this is the closest and most affordable substitute to Martin you will find. It has a crisp, bright sound that I prefer in acoustic guitars, but still offers great resonance and sustain. It even had a nice warm sound when played through my Fender Acoustasonic amp. Also, the intonation is next to perfect on this guitar, so you shouldn't have to set it or mess with it. If you're looking to get Martin sound, without spending $600 or more, buy this guitar! Shout out to Mark for his excellent service!

We truly live in amazing times when you can buy a guitar of this quality for this price. I've owned it for about a year, and am totally happy. Great neck, awesome smooth tone, and killer looks. Nice build quality, smooth frets. Tuners are fine but nothing special. It's not bright (it's not supposed to be), but not mushy either, just cool. Electronics work fine. Resonant and loud when played, and just feels good. The only first-world-problem here is that dreadnoughts are large, and can be uncomfortable when chilling on the couch playing. I also really liked the Ibanez artwood 240 series (100 bucks more) but physically smaller and more couch-ready. I am happy I bought this model fully loaded with the cut out and electrics, even though I use them rarely. The ultimate selling point of this guitar? A year in, and I still play it all the time.

Stop living in your Martin dream, buy this, and enjoy. This guitar makes expensive acoustic guitars pointless.

PS - Sweetwater has treated me fantastic with previous purchases. Great company.

Even with 5 stars I was impressed. Nice tone, while pleasantly bright it also has really good low response. I don't think I've ever had a guitar that sounded this full at the bottom. Plays like a dream and looks great too.


This is an amazing guitar for the price. Sweetwater was fast and professional like always. I love buying guitars from you guys. I think this is my 5th one including a Les Paul and they always, ALWAYS show up ready to play. Sometimes still in tune.

I bought this guitar as an extra acoustic to use as a kind of beat around acoustic. Once it came in it exceeded playability and sound expected. Excellent purchase. Dealing with Jason Kovac has been great too. Guy has never steered me wrong.

I walked into a store and heard a guy playing this guitar. The sound was so crisp and clear I thought it was a Martin. I asked what he was playing n told me it was the Ibanez AW54CEOPN. I returned my Yamaha FG720s and got this.. what a great guitar n outshines any in it's price range. I play this more than my custom X series. Buy it..

This guitar is awesome!!! I swear this is the best acoustic guitar that I've ever put in my hands in any price range. In addition to being absolutely beautiful to look at, not to mention being extremely comfortable to play, this guitar has the sweetest tone and most balanced sound I've ever experienced on an acoustic guitar. Oh and I forgot to mention the fact that it also sounds fantastic when played through an amp as well. It even sounds great with my electric guitar multi-effects pedal which really shocked me to be honest. I was not expecting that, but if you play around with multi-effects, it sounds fantastic with the clean/chorus type of effects, and freakin screams with the distortion effects! I really didn't plan on playing it as an electric a lot, but man it really does sound great! The acoustic sounds of the guitar itself when playing unplugged are amazing! The only compromise I can see with this guitar is the fact that it isn't as loud unplugged as some other acoustics (probably due to it being the mahogany top instead of being spruce). Maybe one other drawback is that this guitar is probably not one you want to bang around and take on a camping trip etc... So for those 2 drawbacks I listed, maybe just find an inexpensive beater guitar to fill that void for when you need such a guitar. For all the other times when you want to play something very nice at home, at a show, or at the recording studio, the Ibanez AW54CE - Open Pore Natural will be your best choice in my opinion.

First off, AJ Becerra has been an amazing Sales rep and has always been there for me with invaluable advice, understanding and a sincere heart for customer service. I try to buy through Sweetwater whenever possible. For my personal use as well as my church worship team.
OK, on to the guitar: This guitar is very impressive. I just opened it a little bit ago, so I can't speak for durability, etc, but it looks amazing, has a very nice sound and action, making for great playability. The tuner seems pretty accurate, too. Nice ringing highs and solid bottoms and clear mids.
The solid top mahogany is very pretty and I love the open pore option without gloss.
The cutaway is very accessible.
I've been playing for 20+ years and bought this for my son for Christmas. Living vicariously through him, I would have loved to have had a guitar like this to learn on. The action should make it very easy as he continues to learn. The appearance should make him proud to show to his friends and the sound should keep him coming back for more.
Thanks again to AJ for helping to make this happen.

I am thrilled with this guitar! I actually just bought two of them for two of my sons. I have owned a few Ibanez guitars in the past including the first Artwood series that was manufactured in 1978. That one I passed down to another son. For the price of this guitar it can't be beat. It has a crisp full sound that cannot be matched with out paying over $800 and getting a Martin. This would be worth it at twice the cost.

The acoustic tone of this guitar is beautiful (rich and full of warmth). The fit and finish is of good quality and the action and playability are great. If you are looking for a bright sounding punchy acoustic then this is not the guitar for you; but if you are looking for a great playing acoustic that oozes warm rich tone (that can also have a dark side) then do yourself a favor and try this one out.
Been looking at all mahogany Martins for awhile. I played a Martin D15M and this guitar in the same sitting and the only $1000 difference I saw was on the price tags. Sure... the Martin was a "Martin", but this IS a great sounding, great playing, great bargain that I absolutely have no regrets about purchasing. Each time I pick it up my ears are pleased, and I am VERY particular about my "tone".

This is the best guitar for the price I've ever purchased. (Another vendor had it for the same price on eBay, but without the Sweetwater service and warranty.) I could not believe the quality and sound this baby produces. I have not hooked it up to an amp yet, but the acoustic tone is gorgeous and the action is great. I'm not sure what strings are on it, but they're at least good. I was a bit concerned that it was shipped in tune, always was taught to ship guitars untuned to reduce strain on the neck.

I purchased this guitar based on the all-mahogany body. I didn't know what to expect as far as sound, but once I started playing this Ibanez, I was amazed at the bright, clean sound it makes.
I own two P series Takamines and while there is no doubt that the Takamines are well-crafted instruments with superior sound, the Ibanez is an incredible value that sounds great.

Just got this beauty in the mail today. I really needed a 6 string acoustic (only have a 12-string in the steel string), but workin' on the house so I have to watch the budget. For a budget guitar this has a good, warm sound. The electrics aren't bad either. I totally recommend it for a starter, budget, or couch guitar. It is good enough to record with. The guys here at Sweetwater set it up for me, and the action is pretty nice. I had it set up for thinner strings (.009's), and it is nice and easy on the fingers even high on the fret board.

I am an Audio Engineer of 10 years in live sound who has taken up learning guitar. I know what a good acoustic guitar should sound like. Being new, I am not the best at making the right chords. I have to stop and make sure it hit the chords correctly. Once I hit the chords correctly, the guitar sounds amazing.

The tone of this guitar is full with a clear low end and bright highs. Honestly, for the price it is a fantastic deal and one I would recommend anyone looking for a solid guitar for not a lot of money to get. Obviously this guitar is no Martian or Taylor but this is a fraction of the prices of those guitars. I would argue that this is on of the best sounding guitar under $500.

I bought this purely from reading the reviews and they did not disappoint. Sounds great, easy to fret, intonation spot on! Unbelievable for a guitar at this price. I play mostly Ibanez electric guitars and this neck feels just right and the action is excellent. I haven't plugged it in yet, but the acoustic tone is warm and fills the room easily. The tuner is slightly off (I compared it to my Peterson Strobe), but good enough (half star off).

Sounds and looks great, electronics are good. Only gripe is the action was absurdly high at 0.140". To me this is unplayable and shouldn't have gone out the door but maybe thats just me. Nut and truss rod were good, saddle had to be sanded down significantly. After doing this it feels as perfect as you'll get at this price point and I am pleased. It came with an extra saddle and peg, which is nice. Processing, packaging and shipping were excellent as I have come to expect from Sweetwater, as was the phone call notifying me that it might get delayed due to the product having just arrived in the store. Order Sunday, receive Thursday. Im happy with that.

I have played better sounding guitars but not in this price range. Got to be one of the best bang for your bucks out there. Looks great too.

I've had this guitar for a couple months now, and it is amazing! It has a really rich warm sound to it. It sounds great plugged in, and unplugged. The only downside I could find for it is that it has a tad too much bass at normal settings, when you play unplugged this sounds great, but once it's plugged in I get a lot of feedback. Adjusting your amp, and guitar settings will take care of this. If it had a phase switch this guitar would be perfect, but no complaints here. I love this thing! The built-in tuner is super easy to use too, and accurate.

So I had one issue with a high fret, but everything else was playing well. Sweetwater staff were helpful with suggesting a replacement or repairing it. I honestly didn't want to let go of her because I had made an attachment to it. That's when you know you have the right guitar. The warm brown wood tones are pleasant to look at and the feel of the the grain is nice. The tones coming from the sound hole are equally nice and warm. The fret was tapped and filed and no more buzzing. The stock T bar pickup wasn't winning me over though. So I plucked it out and bought a Journey brand pickup and glued it under the bridge. Now the sound is beautiful! The preamp has a good tuner, and the pickup plugged right into the Jack port.
The tuners feel a bit loose when de tuning but firm up when tuning up. They seem to really hold in tune well too. So I think I'll keep them.
I've owned a Gibson and Taylor acoustic guitars. I'm not saying the AW is on par with them, but they will not go camping with me. And the AW can hold its own when it comes to playability.

I was looking for a mahogany dreadnaught cutaway with a 1 11/16" nut. (Almost impossible to find)
This guitar isn't mahogany but it sounds close enough. It has a very balanced tone, dead straight neck and a good finish. On the bad side....the preamp/pickup is a piece of crap. You'll probably want to replace it. This guitar sounds better unplugged and mic'd. But for the money, it's still worth buying.

This is my second electric acoustic and the sound is rich and warm. Love the overall aesthetics of the design. Would highly recommend to a intermediate beginner, such as myself.

I am visiting a friend in Austin, and she brought over this guitar for me to use during my stay.
I thought it was a great looking guitar, but the action was so high you could not play it past the 3D fret.
I found a neck wrench in the case bag and proceeded to tighten her up.
It required a lot of adjustment, but eventually the action got very playable. If it was my guitar, I would have shaved the bridge a bit, but it performed and sounded great both acoustically and plugged in.
Tuners were a bit loose for my liking, but functioned well. The guitar is very light but overall well worth the price.

I Shaved down the saddle to bring the action way down, very playable now, no fret problems as i feared. plugged in with effects and its loads of fun, im a regular monte montgomery (Wish) once Again, NOT sorry i bought this guitar

Unreal sound its for my son maybe set him on the right track for listening to how music is suppose to sound with quality gear again Thank U.

First off, your site says it has bone nut and saddle, which it does not. Plastic. Tuners were pretty much junk, so I replaced them with $50 Grovers. Replaced the nut and saddle with ACTUAL bone and it sounds much better. After only a week I've already worn deep grooves into the first few frets, so I'm assuming they are cheap Chi-Com steel. You get what you pay for... Finish does look great and did play well with good action out of the box and electronics seem sound. Great student or beginner git for the money, but if you hear comparisons to Martin don't believe it. It's a mediocre... git, but probably worth the money if you got it.

out of the box the action was extremely high (A Clue disappointment lies ahead ), flat neck so forget about string bending. honestly i expected way better from Ibanez but you get what you pay for from China. on a good note its very pretty and sounds pretty good, the tuner and outputs work fine. its good practice cuz if you can play this thing well you can play anything. all things considered im not sorry i bought this

I got this Ibanez for a guitar student of mine, a fella I had taught for free, since both his parents were incarcerated. The boy had a real piece of junk to learn on and he sorely needed something better. The actual guitar was worth the money, no doubt (cheap labor is like that, eh?)
But after a couple months the kid lost the preamplifier's volume knob. I tried to contact Ibanez for a replacement knob without any luck. Then I called Sweetwater whose service department contacted Ibanez for me. Ibanez only offered to sell me the complete preamplifier for the guitar! They said they couldn't sell me the plastic knob.
So what do I think of Ibanez? When a company is THIS greedy I tell everyone to avoid them at all costs. I will never buy anything from Ibanez! And I will tell this story to any friend or student of mine, who will tell their friends, etc. Ibanez just lost a couple hundred sales. Way to go, guys!! THAT'S customer service!

The sticker on the pick guard it affixed with a HIGH GRADE adhesive...good luck pealing it off without your new guitar looking terrible.