Ibanez AW54 review

The AW54 is part of Ibanez's Artwood line, and the Ibanez USA page lists a dreadnought with a solid okoume top, okoume back and sides, a nyatoh neck and a laurel fretboard and bridge. Ibanez describes okoume as giving a woody, warm tone when played softly and clear projection when strummed. Two hardware details help a beginner: chrome die-cast tuners with an 18:1 gear ratio for fine pitch adjustments, and Ibanez Advantage bridge pins, which the company says are easier to remove and insert and keep the string in place. It ships with D'Addario XTAPB1253 light strings. The 25.5 inch scale is the longest here, so string tension is a little higher than on the shorter guitars. Ibanez USA does not publish prices, so we marked the price pending and scored value conservatively. The AW54CE and AW54LCE versions add a cutaway and electronics.

Who it is for

beginners who want a warm, woody-sounding dreadnought

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Solid okoume top with okoume back and sides
• Nyatoh neck with laurel fretboard and bridge
• 25.5 inch scale and 43 mm nut
• Chrome die-cast tuners with an 18:1 gear ratio
• Ibanez Advantage bridge pins and D'Addario light strings

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Solid top
• Strength: 18:1 tuners allow fine tuning adjustments
• Strength: Advantage bridge pins make string changes easier
• Weakness: Ibanez USA lists no price
• Weakness: Longest scale here at 25.5 inches
• Weakness: No pickup on this version

Key facts

• Body: Dreadnought
• Top: Solid okoume
• Back and sides: Okoume
• Scale length: 647.7 mm (25.5 inches)
• Nut width: 43 mm
• Strings: D'Addario XTAPB1253 (.012 to .053)

Where it ranks

Ibanez AW54 is No. 9 in our Best Beginner Acoustic Guitars verdict.