This just came in after ordering on 10/13, so worth the wait. First, compliments to Sweetwater: I will order any new equipment through them here on out. Perfect communication between a dedicated sales engineer and me. The guitar got here in perfect condition despite no case. The guitar was almost completely in tune even when nylon strings are notoriously known to have to be broken in to maintain tune (was a little off but that was to be expected at the least). It does not need a setup which is a testament to Ibanez and Sweetwater inspection. As for the guitar itself. It is very niche but I would recommend this instrument to any room warriors or if you live in an apartment, resonant but not overly projecting when unplugged. The electronics are amazing and fun, the ... MoreThis just came in after ordering on 10/13, so worth the wait. First, compliments to Sweetwater: I will order any new equipment through them here on out. Perfect communication between a dedicated sales engineer and me. The guitar got here in perfect condition despite no case. The guitar was almost completely in tune even when nylon strings are notoriously known to have to be broken in to maintain tune (was a little off but that was to be expected at the least). It does not need a setup which is a testament to Ibanez and Sweetwater inspection. As for the guitar itself. It is very niche but I would recommend this instrument to any room warriors or if you live in an apartment, resonant but not overly projecting when unplugged. The electronics are amazing and fun, the built in tuner is nice but not as accurate as any above average tuner. It is extremely ergonomic; especially for a nylon string. I would advise anyone this guitar that isn't looking for a blues or metal guitar (pretty obvious). For acoustic players, maybe avoid for similar obvious reasons like slide guitar or wanting the metal string twang (or if you intend to do a lot of bends). Like I said these are pretty obvious reasons to avoid nylon strings all together. Why consider this over a full body classical guitar? Ergonomics, amazing electronics for amp play, and great for studio setups. The sound whole is on the top so this won't be a performer for gigs unless plugged in and won't help you out much if you are playing classical guitar in an orchestra. Obvious, but needs to be said for those on the fence. This is a practice guitar for those that want to play unplugged and a performing guitar for those that use acoustic amp sets live and want a different tone. Tends to have very clear bass and bright trebles. For the price, it exceeds expectations and is very much worth it over the non-signature version due to the Fishman electronics. The only thing is I'm not a huge fan of black instruments, but the wood grain is visible and the details of this guitar are striking in person.

This guitar plays great. The neck is smooth and feels effortless to play.I was surprised at how nice the acoustic sound was given the depth of the guitar. The tone is nice and the sound projects nicely. The sound hole being on top of the guitar really helps give you a great sound right where you want to hear it.The pre-amp is solid and allows you to get nice warm tones. I have more fiddling to do with it.The guitar itself looks beautiful. The matte finish is so smooth. The binding looks amazing. The inlays are even more stunning in person.

In spite of the lengthy wait period (brand new line with a significant international demand) I was very happy with the item. Once the order has been fulfilled (about 7 months - to be expected) the subsequent delivery took place within a couple of days of confirming the stock has arrived. Well done!