Not only has Ibanez released large-scale production multiscale electric guitars (like the RGIF8), but the AELFF10 marks their foray into multiscale acoustics!

This is a relatively affordable model that appeals to many players…so I bought one!

Now that a reputable brand like Ibanez has put out a fanned fret acoustic, I’m sure everyone wants to know how it holds up.

Here are my thoughts I’ve collected over the past couple weeks:

AELFF10 Specifications:

  • Thin Body w/ Cutaway
  • Spruce Top w/ Rosewood Back & Sides
  • Mahogany Neck w/ Rosewood Fretboard & Bridge
  • Grover Tuners
  • Bone Nut & Saddle
  • Fishman Preamp
  • 21 Frets
  • 26.8”-25” Scale Lengths
  • Gloss Body Finish & Satin Neck Finish
  • Black Binding & Abalone/Maple Soundhole Rosette
  • XLR & ¼” Outputs

Aside from the multiple scale lengths (obviously), this guitar has many features common to acoustics in this pricerange, with a few key improvements.

The bone nut and saddle are cut well, which combined with the grover tuners results in great tuning stability.

The Fishman preamp doesn’t have any signal issues, and the tuner works reasonably well, though I always use a TC Electronic Polytune Clip headstock tuner anyway.

The neck is thin for an acoustic and Ibanez players will feel at home, especially with the smooth satin finish.

The body is pretty thin, which makes the guitar very comfortable!

Tone:

I swore off laminate acoustics a long time ago, but the urge for a multiscale overcame my instincts. The tone of this guitar is interesting for many reasons, but the short version is I’m highly satisfied it.

I really enjoy multiscale guitars, but think that while it’s helpful on 7 strings, and strongly preferably on 8s and up, it’s a bit “unnecessary” on six strings. The unbalanced feel and tone of straight scale guitars is definitely there, but I feel as though many people exaggerate it. There’s obviously nothing wrong with a normal electric guitar.

I will say however that I do notice those “problems” a bit more readily on acoustics. They always seem as they could use a bit warmer highs, a bit clearer lows, and like they could be more comfortable for lead playing. Luckily that’s exactly what I got on the AELFF10!

The tone is very well balanced, and the high registers especially sound fantastic (and are easy to play due to the scale!). For more on multiscale guitars, check out our fanned fret guide!

However, as expected, the tone is a bit on the thin side. This is to be expected for the pricepoint, but when you combine the facts that it’s a laminate side/body guitar, a cutaway, and a thin body… you’re simply not going to have super full bodied dreadnought tone.

It definitely works for me, but if you’re looking for a folk or jazz acoustic, you’d best look elsewhere. This is definitely more suited towards pop and rock players.

The preamp is better than a lot of units installed in comparably-priced guitars. I prefer them to have a midrange control, because that’s a pretty determining factor in acoustic tone, but overall the signal is clean and clear.

Build Quality:

This is a Chinese guitar offering a lot of features for the money, so some flaws are to be expected.

To get those out of the way: the fretboard edges have some chewy spots, but not in a way that affects playability. There were some minor finish errors on the back as well.

The fretwork is surprisingly fine, and the intonation is actually fantastic all over the fretboard.

My acoustics tend to get a little roughed up, and it’s already taken some minor hits without any marring of the finish or denting of the wood.

The nut is cut very well, and the bridge and pins are both very stable. (On a lot of import acoustics, the slots for the strings are drilled improperly or the pins are low-quality, which is a total nightmare)

Final Verdict:

This acoustic is basically everything I wanted. There’s not much in the way of multiscale acoustics between $600 and $3000. Personally, I’m inclined to go for the former price range (as I’m sure most players are). The Ibanez AELFF10 is definitely the way to go in my opinion.

It doesn’t have the full tone of a solid body guitar, but it sounds great in its own way due to the multiscale design. It also has a decent amount of minor flaws, but the important parts like fretwork and alignment are 100%. I’d love to see a Japanese model because the design is on point.

8-8-9

Thanks for reading! We upload new articles daily on gear, tone, songwriting, theory, and more! Make sure to check those out here!

This article was written by Kyle Karich, our editor located in Florida.

 

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