Ordered my acoustic a minute ago :)

[distortionhead]

I have wanted an acoustic for quite some time now and talked to the wife and she said that if i could find one under 500.00 then go ahead. This is due to us having a baby on the way and although we both make a pretty good salary we want to start putting money away for the baby (college, car and what not)

So i went to GC and played a bunch of acoustics on a whim really not looking to buy. most nice ones were well over the 500.00 limit i had and they wouldnt budge on the prices.

Then i saw this acoustic in the upper section and it was beautiful to say the least. I thought this is going to be a bank breaker. I got it down and it was an Ibanez EW20ASENT for 399.99. I played it and man this thing felt and sounded like a guitar twice the price for real. Never heard anything prior about Ibanez acoustics but when i got home i couldnt shake the feeling of that guitar very soft feel and very balanced tone.

Anyway i called American Musical Supply and i got them down to 329.00 plus i got a hardshell case for 79.00 it should be here Wednesday. check it out.

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item...0HAMS0000&utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=feed&

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

play the hell outta it!

 

[distortionhead]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

will do. any tips on set ups on this. I was surfing the net ans saw that most acoustics should have a proper setup when you buy it. But do you have any idea what they even do to set up an acoustic?

 

[Nagash]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

I was never pleased with Ibanez acoustics.

I'm much more of a Breedlove guy, I like Taylors as well but Breedlove happends to be both very good and really affordable

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

I've gone into GC's acoustic room a few times and come away thinking a particular Ibanez was my favorite for under $1,000 or so.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

What I like to do with new acoustics is first make sure nut is cut perfectly. The goal is to push down at the 3rd fret, and check that there's the tiniest gap possible between the 1st fret and string. That's how you know a nut is the right depth.

After that, play the guitar for awhile to see if your right hand attack jives with the action. If it's a tad high, pull the saddle out and sand some material off the bottom side, and reinstall. Play it for a week, and repeat if necessary. Once the saddle is at the perfect height for your right hand attack, leave it. Then, just make sure the truss rod is always adjusted right.

If you lower the saddle too much, you'll get a thinner tone and some fret buzz.

 

[distortionhead]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

cool thanks for the info.

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

How did you haggle with American Music Supply on a price? I didn't know they'd come down on a price.

 

[David Collins]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

Of course you should realize that there is no guarantee or any reason to believe that the one you ordered will play or sound anything remotely like the one you played in the store. My opinion - cancel the order and go back to the store who graciously provided the instrument for you to try out, and buy the one you actually played directly from them.

Might be a few more bucks, but well worth it in my opinion. I've worked a lot with new instruments straight from the factory in all price ranges, and will just tell you that especially in this price range the consistency from one guitar to another can span an incredibly wide range. If I were to setup a dozen new Ibanez guitars, I would typically expect to find 2 or three that were almost close to decently set up and sounded above average, maybe a few others that were mediocre on all fronts, another few being total dogs, and almost undoubtedly a few that would be sent back to the factory as defective because they had too many critical flaws that would be too involved to reasonably correct in an average store setup.

The dealer you ordered from does not sort through the guitars like this - they get them from Ibanez, and send them straight out to the buyer. So you have a slim chance of getting a good one, a decent chance of getting a mediocre one, and still a fair chance of getting one that should never have left the factory. That's how it works.

It's like going to a kennel and seeing a dog that you like, then going online to order one from a different breeder of the same species. There's no reason to believe you'll end up getting anything close to what you saw in person. Even if it costs a few more bucks, it is well worth it in my opinion to try out any individual guitar before you buy it when possible (especially acoustics), and when you find what you're looking for, buy that one. Play a dozen guitars of the same make and model, and you will often find a dozen notably different beasts.

 

[Jessie's ghost]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

Of course you should realize that there is no guarantee or any reason to believe that the one you ordered will play or sound anything remotely like the one you played in the store. My opinion - cancel the order and go back to the store who graciously provided the instrument for you to try out, and buy the one you actually played directly from them.

Might be a few more bucks, but well worth it in my opinion. I've worked a lot with new instruments straight from the factory in all price ranges, and will just tell you that especially in this price range the consistency from one guitar to another can span an incredibly wide range. If I were to setup a dozen new Ibanez guitars, I would typically expect to find 2 or three that were almost close to decently set up and sounded above average, maybe a few others that were mediocre on all fronts, another few being total dogs, and almost undoubtedly a few that would be sent back to the factory as defective because they had too many critical flaws that would be too involved to reasonably correct in an average store setup.

The dealer you ordered from does not sort through the guitars like this - they get them from Ibanez, and send them straight out to the buyer. So you have a slim chance of getting a good one, a decent chance of getting a mediocre one, and still a fair chance of getting one that should never have left the factory. That's how it works.

It's like going to a kennel and seeing a dog that you like, then going online to order one from a different breeder of the same species. There's no reason to believe you'll end up getting anything close to what you saw in person. Even if it costs a few more bucks, it is well worth it in my opinion to try out any individual guitar before you buy it when possible (especially acoustics), and when you find what you're looking for, buy that one. Play a dozen guitars of the same make and model, and you will often find a dozen notably different beasts.

+1. I was thinking along these lines but didn't say anything for fear of my notorious "total lack of respect" showing through.
You said it more tactfully and more coherently than I would have.

 

[distortionhead]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

i purchased a few guitars from AMS and never have been disappointed with any of them. I plan on having it set up when it comes in anyway.

As far as the price on it i just said can you do 299.99 for the scratch and dent model but i really would like a new one can you do 299.99 on a new one. she said let me see. then she said that 329.99 was the lowest she could go so i said i will take it.

I know a lot of people dont like ordering guitars but lets face it if i dont like it then its back to AMS. No harm no foul.. as i said no problems yet from them plus i have ordered from musicians friend, GC online even sweetwater and have gotten bunk stuff so until they send me crap then i cant say anything bad about them.

 

[Gingrel]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

Ibanez acoustics do vary, but if you get a good one (like I did) they are easily the match of guitars twice their price tag.

EDIT: That's mine in my avatar

 

[Bludave]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

will do. any tips on set ups on this. I was surfing the net ans saw that most acoustics should have a proper setup when you buy it. But do you have any idea what they even do to set up an acoustic?

Setups on acoustics can be tricky but not unusually difficult. Its important to keep the action a little higher then what you are accustomed to. The strings are generally heavier (12 thru 53 for light gauge acoustic strings). The action can be adjusted at the saddle but if it is acoustic/electric this can be a bit more difficult. You need to consider the crystal under the saddle. What most people do is simply shim it, but with a crystal this can be a bad idea. A new saddle would be better. When you shim the saddle it can cause poor contact with the crystal causing some inconsistent sound to the electronics. Then you simply have to adjust the truss rod to give a bit of relief in the center of the neck.

Good Luck with it. Acoustics are awesome sounding and playing instruments. The only thing I would have done is bought the one that played well in the store rather then order it..... but that;s just me!

 

[Bludave]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

I was never pleased with Ibanez acoustics.

I'm much more of a Breedlove guy, I like Taylors as well but Breedlove happends to be both very good and really affordable

Its going to be hard to find a Breedlove or Taylor for less then $500. most people don't know it but Breedlove use to work for Taylor. whenI had my Taylor and it needed some repair work I sent it to Breedlove to do it.

 

[distortionhead]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

I can understand why some people like to buy what they play and not opt to order and wait. But i know several people who either had a custom guitar made or ordered a special addition model from GC and they got them and it was crap. On the other side of the coin is i also know people who have ordered custom and special addition guitars and they were very happy with them.

I guess its a toss up as to if what you get is what you actually played and i get that. But i got a great deal on the guitar and a great deal on the hardshell case that GC wouldnt even consider dropping or haggling on price.

Plus i know a guy who used to be a purchase manager / brand rep of the old Mars Music Centers and he now works with Washburn as a Materials procurer.

He can tell me about what the cost is and how low you can haggle. He also told me that most guitars are mass produced for the GC's and other like retailers. When you order a guitar it is one that has passed Q.C. and then shipped to the retailer. Not to say there are not a few that dont slip through and are bad. But Mars Music had less than an 8% Q.C. fault/return to factory ratio.

He told me this morning when i talked to him that they had exceptional Quality from Ibanez and had very few problems. This is not to say they didnt have any at all but they were the more consistent product. So i am comfortable on rolling the dice on this purchase.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

What I like to do with new acoustics is first make sure nut is cut perfectly. The goal is to push down at the 3rd fret, and check that there's the tiniest gap possible between the 1st fret and string. That's how you know a nut is the right depth.

After that, play the guitar for awhile to see if your right hand attack jives with the action. If it's a tad high, pull the saddle out and sand some material off the bottom side, and reinstall. Play it for a week, and repeat if necessary. Once the saddle is at the perfect height for your right hand attack, leave it. Then, just make sure the truss rod is always adjusted right.

If you lower the saddle too much, you'll get a thinner tone and some fret buzz.

this nut depth check method apply on electrics too?

Distortionhead,
Congrats on the new axe! look forward to the review!

 

[distortionhead]

Re: Ordered my acoustic a minute ago

cool thanks, i believe i will try a youtube demo on this guitar after a few weeks of getting acclimated to it. I will post a link when i do it.