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Ibanez

collapse expand iconDescription

The innovative Ibanez AEB5E acoustic-electric bass delivers punchy tones suited for any genre. Its agathis body and sides provide a warm, resonance when unplugged, while the Ibanez piezo pickup and Ibanez AEQ-202T 2-band EQ preamp with onboard tuner allow for a natural acoustic sound with the volume you need when amplified.

Agathis Body Resonates With Warmth

The Ibanez AEB5E's agathis body and sides are carefully crafted to produce a warm, resonant unplugged tone. Agathis wood provides an ideal combination of tonal depth and affordability in an acoustic bass. Its larger body size gives the low notes room to reverberate. Whether practicing in private or performing an unplugged set, the AEB5E delivers an organic acoustic bass tone.

Comfortable Neck and Fretboard

The Ibanez AEB5E features a comfortable neck and fretboard designed for fluid bass playing. Its standard 32" scale length and 1.77" nut width provide familiar spacing for most bassists. The rosewood fretboard offers smooth playability for expressive performances. Dot inlays help guide you to each note with precision. The satin finish neck offers a natural feel that won't stick to your hand.

Piezo Pickup Captures Rich Low Frequencies

The Ibanez AEB5E's piezo pickup is specially designed to capture the extended low end of an acoustic bass. It picks up the bass' deep resonance and projects a full, dynamic tone through an amplifier or PA system. The preamp's 2-band EQ provides tonal shaping to suit any style, from rock to jazz to folk. An onboard tuner allows for quick tuning adjustments on the fly.


Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass Guitar Black
Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass Guitar Black
Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass Guitar Black

collapse expand iconFeatures

  • Agathis back and sides
  • Chrome die-cast tuners
  • Ibanez piezo pickup
  • Ibanez AEQ-202T 2-band preamp with onboard tuner
  • Rosewood bridge and fretboard
  • Ivorex II nut and saddle
  • Case sold separately

collapse expand iconSpecs

  • Pickup: Ibanez piezo
  • Electronics: Ibanez AEQ preamp with 2-band EQ and onboard tuner
  • 32" scale
  • Dimensions: 16"W x 20"H x 5"D

collapse expand iconWarranty

Warranty terms vary. Check with manufacturer for specific product warranty.

Featured Articles

collapse expand iconReviews

4.28

116 Reviews

83%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend

Great bass for the money..
Product is ok
Product is ok
Why does it does a lot 😐
I would have brought this sooner had one been available
Product is clean and smooth
Product is clean and smooth
Great acoustic bass for the price.

Most Liked Positive Review

5

Great at Any Price

This bass exceeded expectations by a country mile. I've had acoustic basses before, and this one plays and projects far better than others I've had that cost a lot more. The Ibanez name tells me that the unit will remain stable and that the company will stand behind it. The factory set-up is fine. Ibanez supplies a higher bridge and hex wrench for neck adjustment, but neither were necessary. Other reviews point to action, "buzz" and low volume. In some cases, these reports may be accurate, but I suspect a lot of folks buy these instruments with unrealistic expectations. Simply stated, acoustic instruments slap, squeak and generally misbehave. This goes for Martins, Ibanez, Guilds...you name it. It is part of the charm of playing acoustic music. Bass strings move more across a long scale length, so you are going to get this in spades. Raising string height to stratospheric levels to overcome these natural traits seems to be something like training a wolf to herd sheep. To me, random tonal excursions are part of the package. Frankly its why I bought the thing and even at that, this bass is pretty well behaved. If you want perfect tones, perhaps a Fender Precision or even a MIDI synthesizer is a better choice for you. As for volume, well, lower tones need far more amplification to carry than their higher pitched cousins. 100 watts out of your Strat needs to be matched by some 400 watts from the accompanying bass. That's simple physics. This bass projects amazingly well, but if you are going to jam in a large group or hall, consider adding a small combo amp. That would go both for this bass or a $2000 custom instrument. Overall, I love the thing. I would buy it again, and I would recommend it without reservation.

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

3

Acoustic Bass nice but......

1st impressions, good looking acoustic bass. (Violin sunburst). Needed set up on the neck, about a half to 3/4 turn to minimize strings 3 and 4 buzzing. Had some very light scratching on the head stock. Like it was wiped down with a cloth with something coarse on it. 2nd impressions, I liked playing this bass pretty well for the price but I was hoping it would be able to project into a live acoustic jam session without an amp. Our church group likes to play acoustically spontaneously without having to cart an amp and cables around. Unfortunately we found that this bass could not stand up to a group larger than 3. Acoustic guitar and bass, with vocal, sitting close together. As soon as you add 2 more folks outside of a 5 ft radius with congas and another vocal the bass cannot be distiguished from anything else, and the bass player was willing to bleed and build huge callouses to make this work but alas, it was not to be. Now that being said, after more research (to see if a suitable acoustic bass exists to upgrade to) we saw a number of discussions indicating that amping an acoustic bass even in the quietest locations was recommended. So, to be fair, and to help others who may think that an acoustic bass on its own is enough, I wanted to write this review. Incidentally, this bass amped is nice (but an electric bass is smaller and more portable if that is a requirement). To sum it up, if you and a buddy want to work on vocal, bass, and guitar parts, unplugged, in a quiet venue, and you want a sweet looking/sounding acoustic bass at a great price, this is your bass. If you have a dream of playing it unplugged with a group of 5-8 folks spread around your living room jamming, it is just a dream.(Unless maybe you get an upright bass....hmmmm)

Filters
Best Uses
  1. Practicing52
  2. Jamming33
  3. Small Venues16
  4. Recording15
  5. School Bands5
Cons
  1. Requires Constant Tuning11
  2. Poor Quality7
  3. Flat Sound2
  4. Not Consistent2
  5. Needs dampening or expect feedback.1
Describe Yourself
  1. Experienced31
  2. Novice21
  3. Professional Musician7
  4. Child1
Pros
  1. Fun To Play48
  2. Good Feel46
  3. Good Audio39
  4. Consistent28
  5. Stays In Tune28

Reviewed by 116 customers

  • I would not buy again

    1

    submitteda year ago

    byDavid

    fromSeattle, WA

    I got my Ibanez around Christmas 2019. It needed retuning frequently. It developed a crack in the neck. The puck ups were fine. The sound was ok, but losing tune was not helpful. I ended up needing to borrow another bass. Now I have a bass that won't stay in tune and is slowly cracking.

  • I would buy it again

    5

    Verified BuyerVerified Buyer

    submitteda year ago

    byRonnie

    fromAlabama

    Submitted as part of a sweepstakes

    I'm using this acoustic bass to play gigs without power hookup and practice

  • The good and the bad

    4

    submitteda year ago

    bySlim

    fromTucson AZ

    This bass has great tone and is easy to play. I bought it because my wife said she wanted to learn bass. After it sat in the gig bag for many months, I used it on a gig. I had brought a feedback buster with me in case of low frequency resonance's, but the sound hole was larger than the buster. During sound check it fed back like crazy and I finally taped over the sound hole. I had to stuff a towel into the sound hole before the tape kept the feedback down. Once that was done, it was a good sounding, well intoning instrument. If you can find a large feedback buster, you may be able to skip the towel. If not, take my advice and stuff it. Once done, you will enjoy this bass.

  • Great sound, great price and stays tuned nicely.

    5

    submitteda year ago

    byMichael

    fromMesquite, Nevada

    My new acoustic bass is great! I love the sound. It stays in tune nicely. Onboard tuner is user friendly and was spot on when tested with my clip-on tuner. Plays very nice! I strongly reccomend.

  • Great sounding out the gate!

    5

    Verified BuyerVerified Buyer

    submitted2 years ago

    byGaston

    fromColorado Springs, CO

    Submitted as part of a sweepstakes

    After much research I stumbled upon this electroacoustic bass guitar that satisfied both my needs. A nice, good sounding coach bass under $300. This one fits the bill. Electronics work great and it sounds well plugged in. Unplugged is not super loud, but loud enough to practice and play.

  • Great acoustic bass

    5

    submitted2 years ago

    byWillem

    fromNew Orleans

    Acoustic smoothness with a punch. It even slaps well! Rich tone. And mine had good action on it right out the box.

collapse expand iconQ&A

Have a question about this product? Our expert Gear Advisers have the answers.

  • submitted10 months ago

    asked byBassman

    fromStatesville NC

    I'm having trouble finding a hard case that will fit Ibanez AEB5E acoustic bass. The lower bout measures 16.75. Any toughs?

    I'm having trouble finding a hard case that will fit Ibanez AEB5E acoustic bass. The lower bout measures 16.75. Any toughs?

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    Road Runner RRMBA17 ABS Molded Acoustic Bass Case

  • submitted2 years ago

    asked byFlyboy

    fromNorth Wilkesboro NC 28659

    is this a full size bass

    is this a full size bass

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    No, it's a mid-scale --- 32"

  • submitted2 years ago

    asked byTeadums

    fromLynwood Ca,

    Can you use dr neon strings with this

    Can you use dr neon strings with this

    Open Reply - Gear-Adviser
    You can. They will need to be trimmed. They are long scale - 34"..This is a medium scale - 32"

  • submitted2 years ago

    asked byDayz

    frommcallen, tx

    Where was this bass made?

    Where was this bass made?

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    This guitar was made in Indonesia.

  • submitted2 years ago

    asked byCarmesan_Cheese

    fromIndiana

    I've never owned an acoustic bass. Would this be a good option in the long run?

    I've never owned an acoustic bass. Would this be a good option in the long run?

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    This acoustic bass would be a good bass to permanently own.

  • submitted2 years ago

    asked byAndre

    fromnogales arizona

    does this bass have any cracks and or damage?

    does this bass have any cracks and or damage?

    Open Reply - Gear-Support
    This bass does not have any cracks and or damage.

  • submitted3 years ago

    asked bySnookie

    fromYucca valley

    What are the dimensions?

    What are the dimensions?

    Open Reply - Thomas
    Dimensions: Length: 508mm/ 20" Width: 406mm/ 16" Depth: 127mm/ 5"

  • submitted3 years ago

    asked byMichael

    fromReadyville, TN

    is my tuner supposed to work even when not connected to an amp? (is the 9v battery used to power the tuner when not amped) thank you

    is my tuner supposed to work even when not connected to an amp? (is the 9v battery used to power the tuner when not amped) thank you

    Open Reply - Thomas
    You need to be connected. The input jack is an on/off switch

  • submitted3 years ago

    asked byxxx

    fromRiverside, CA

    What hard case do you recommend for this guitar or which one would fit in?

    What hard case do you recommend for this guitar or which one would fit in?

    Open Reply - Thomas
    Please see "Road Runner RRMBA17 ABS Molded Acoustic Bass CaseRoad Runner RRMBA17 ABS Molded Acoustic Bass Case"

  • submitted3 years ago

    asked byBrandon

    fromundisclosed

    What type of string would be good for this guitar?

    What type of string would be good for this guitar?

    Open Reply - Beau
    Any acoustic bass strings would work. The Ernie Ball 2070 Earthwood Acoustic Bass Strings would be a good choice.