Ibanez AE255BT

AE Acoustic-Electric Guitars by Ibanez

AE255BT by Ibanez
Natural

The AE line was introduced a couple of years ago as Ibanez`s new flagship acoustic series. Models AE900 and AE800 ruled the roster, with a handful additional models ranked below them. The new 2018 lineup establishes AE800 as the new king of the jungle, and introduces a septet of acoustic-electric models beneath it. AE255BT is somewhere around the middle, being slightly above the 245s and below the 315. AE255BT is available in Natural High Gloss, with abalone rosette, chrome hardware, black/abalone binding, and black plastic parts. The core construction features include ovangkol back & sides, a solid Sitka spruce top, a mahogany neck (14th fret dovetail joint, AE profile), a cultured maple fingerboard (1.77" nut, 27" baritone scale, custom AE inlays), a cultured maple bridge, custom Ibanez electronics, and die-cast tuners.


AE255BT Full Specs

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Body Shape AE
Body Type Hollowbody
Body Construction Acoustic
Body Construction Single cutaway
Body Wood Ovangkol
Body Top Wood Spruce
Binding Walnut
Pickguard Yes
Neck Wood Mahogany
Neck Shape AE
Neck Joint Dovetail
Neck Joint Glued In
Fingerboard Material Maple (Cultured)
Number of Frets 20
Fingerboard Inlays Custom Design
String Nut Bone
Nut Width 1.77"
Fingerboard Radius 15.75"
Number of Pickups 1
Bridge Pickup Type Piezo
Controls Preamp
Bridge Maple (Cultured)
Hardware Chrome
Number of Strings 6
Tuners Die-cast
Scale Length 25-5/8"
Finish Gloss

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Body Shape
AE
AE
Body Type
Hollowbody
Hollowbody
Body Construction
Acoustic/Single cutaway
Single cutaway
Body Wood
Ovangkol
Mahogany
Body Top Wood
Spruce
Mahogany
Binding
Walnut
Multi-ply
Pickguard
Yes
No
Neck Wood
Mahogany
Mahogany
Neck Shape
AE
AE
Neck Joint
Dovetail/Glued In
Glued In
Fingerboard Material
Maple (Cultured)
Ovangkol
Number of Frets
20
20
Fingerboard Inlays
Custom Design
Custom Design
String Nut
Bone
Bone
Nut Width
1.77"
1.73"
Fingerboard Radius
15.75"
15.75"
Number of Pickups
1
1
Bridge Pickup Type
Piezo
Piezo
Controls
Preamp
Preamp
Bridge
Maple (Cultured)
Ovangkol
Hardware
Chrome
Chrome
Number of Strings
6
6
Tuners
Die-cast
Die-cast
Scale Length
25-5/8"
25-5/8"
Finish
Gloss
Gloss
1 User Review

BenSherman Ben Sherman on 2018-12-03 12:50:08

I was after a baritone acoustic guitar that I could strum and play like a standard acoustic, and allow me to sing in lower keys while playing songs with my normal chord patterns/progressions. I demo'd this Ibanez AE255BT against the better-known and highly-regarded Alvarez ABT60, which is the only other baritone I could find with a similar list-price and spec. I spent an hour A/B'ing the two guitars, and they were surprisingly very different beasts. The Alvarez is much louder (presumably due to its jumbo body) compared to the Ibanez, which has a grand auditorium style body. The Alvarez also had more sustain, a scooped frequency range (pronounced bass and treble) and powerful (almost unwieldy) overtones. The Ibanez had a far more controlled tone, with strong fundamentals and a pronounced mid-range. For a normally-pitched acoustic, I'd usually prefer the tonal qualities of the Alvarez, but - for a baritone - I felt it sounded a mess when strumming open chords. The Ibanez, however, retains clarity in the lower registers and can be played open, just like a standard acoustic. The fundamental tone is more suitable for this type of guitar. I found the intonation of the Ibanez to be better than that of the Alvarez. The Ibanez stays perfectly in-tune up and down the whole fretboard, whereas the Alvarez struggles to keep intonation up the frets. This is a real testament to the build quality of the Ibanez. The Ibanez is also more comfortable to hold and play, with its slimmer body shape and slimmer neck For fingerstyle, both guitars sounded great. The Alvarez has a zingy tone, and you can really hear the metallic sound of the strings. The Ibanez, although quieter, has a beautiful deep tone; the low B-string sounds similar to a bass guitar, and the overall tone is very piano-like. Overall, I felt the Ibanez was the superior baritone acoustic guitar - and I chose this over the Alvarez. The Ibanez AE255BT is a very attractive instrument. The quality of the woods is great (solid Sitka spruce top and beautiful layered ovangkol back/sides - which looks very similar to Indian Rosewood). Appointments, such as the wood binding and vine fretboard inlay, surpass the expectations implied by the list price. Overall the fit and finish is impeccable; easily on par with acoustics far above its price-point. If you're looking for a baritone that plays and feels just like a standard acoustic guitar, I highly recommend the Ibanez AE255BT. It has a low, controlled and rich tone, great playability and offers exceptional value.

Ibanez AE255BT 5.00 out of 5 based on 1 ratings

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