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Ibanez GA5TCE Classical Guitar
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When it's time to plug in at an affordable price, there's simply no better choice than the Ibanez GA nylon string guitars. With the GA60SCE you can get a solid top, nylon strings, cutaway, and Fishman electronics, all in one inexpensive instrument. And for the players who love the sound of nylon strings, but don't love the feel of the traditional wide classical neck, t...
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* Features -
* Nylon strings -
* Gold classical tuning machines -
* Spruce top -
* Mahogany neck, back, and sides -
* Rosewood fretboard and bridge -
* High gloss finish -
* Thinline classic-cutaway body -
* Narrow nut -
* Ibanez piezo pickup -
* Ibanez 3-band EQ -
* 14th fret neck/body joint
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Searched Ibanez GA5TCE Classical Guitar in Reviews
Ibanez GA5TCE - classical guitar sound, electric g 
| Sound |
The slim body is very comfortable, but one would think that a slim body would result in not much volume. This guitar certainly can create a racket! I think as a result of the slim body, and non-standard scale length this guitar produces an interesting tone. Brighter than a standard classical guitar, but still much thicker than a steel string acoustic. I personally love the sound.
It's capable of making a nice and typically warm tone like most classicals when picking softly, but once you hit the strings the bright, bold sound comes out.
The peizo pickup and EQ also provides some great tones if you choose to play through an amp. The electronics aren't too noisy either. They can handle some experimenting with overdriven sounds, and other effects.
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| Action, Fit, & Finish |
Now this guitar is far from perfect. As with any instrument in this sort of price range there are always going to be flaws. There is excess glue around things like the bridge, the binding is rough in places, and one of the tuning key buttons had cracked, which in turn had the rubber washer on it break as well. No worries though, most of those issues are just aesthetic issues, and the tuning key button was replaced under warranty.
The pros more than made up for bad fit and finish issues. The neck is amazing. It’s slightly wider than an average electric guitar neck, and super slim for a classical guitar. It is also a 25 1/2? scale neck which I quite like. It’s still got the flat fretboard that classical guitars typically have, but it isn’t nearly as much of an issue due to how slim the neck is. The fret work is also pretty good for a cheap guitar.
The action straight out of the box is also great. Classicals typically have fairly high action, but this is nice and low. It’s easy to play fairly quickly across the fret board. With the non-standard scale length of the guitar the body joins at the 14th fret, so with the cutaway there’s plenty of room to get to those higher frets.
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| Reliability & Durability |
I've had the guitar for over a year now, and whilst one of the tuning key knobs had cracked there have been no other issues. It holds tune fairly well once the strings have been stretched, and worn in.
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| Customer Support |
I had to deal with Ibanez through my local music store with regards to the cracked tuning key knob, and they were quick to respond, getting me a replacement one very quickly.
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| Liked about it |
- Slim neck (a real life saver for someone like me suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome
- Longer scale and slim body provide a non-standard tone from a classical guitar
- Great action, low for a classical guitar
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| Didn't like |
- Fit and finish is a bit average, excess glue runs, etc
- Tuning keys could be a little higher quality
- Seeing as the guitar is already untraditional, a slight radius on the neck would have made the GA5TCE perfect
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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3.0 |
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A mixed bag
| Sound |
First off the guitar sounds great. The electronics are clean and the amplified sound is excellent. It's a very comfortable guitar, and the cutout is a nice to have feature. I originally bought this guitar to play a song for our band, the 80s tune "Love will find the way". Even with the EQ flat, I was able to get this exact tone. For sound it is great.
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| Action, Fit, & Finish |
The action was good, the finish was good. But after playing it for a few days, I noticed that some of the fret ends were cut but not filed. Anyone who has ever tried a Mexican Strat knows the feeling. I returned it to the guitar store, and they said "when you buy a cheap guitar, it comes as is." I was stunned that they consider a $300 guitar a cheap guitar. I asked "You mean a $300 guitar is a cheap guitar?" They said "Yes, it's considered a cheap guitar." So, without skipping a beat, I said "well, then we can consider this a return." They then asked the in house tech if he could fix it, and the guy was real cool about it and made this guitar even better. The fret ends were now perfect, and I think he even polished them for me.
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| Reliability & Durability |
Now comes the part where I have to turn this great review a little downhill. After less than 4 months of playing and loving this guitar, one of the tuning pegs stopped working. When I checked further, it was the little plastic knob on top of the tuning peg. I searched and searched for a replacement to no avail. I finally called Ibanez and was told that I need to replace the entire assembly, and it's not under warranty. Wonderful, just wonderful. So, I replaced it.
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| Customer Support |
Never had to deal with them other than the tuning peg issue listed above.
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| Liked about it |
Great sound non-electric, but goes to a whole new level when plugged into an amp.
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| Didn't like |
Original fret problem. Tuning pegs with a lifespan of 4 months.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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3.5 |
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