Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass Black

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

Don't let the low price fool you. This is not a "cheap" bass. Nice full sound for an acoustic. Sounds pretty good plugged in also. Built in tuner is a nice addition.

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

I bought this for my Son for Christmas. Having heard of Ibanez before figured we would give it a go. My Son is very happy with the Guitar he like the on board tuner and it has a very nice sound when played in electric mode. The contruction of the Bass seems good but I am no expert.

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

I jus got this bass not to long ago so i realy have'nt even had time to have problems with it, thought i do not expect to have any. The sound is great, plugged and unplugged, and weight is nice as well. I highly recommend buying this guitar.

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

I expected a really cheap sound and quality all around, but I was impressed! The neck felt great and pretty decent action straight out of the box too. Acousticly, it was more than what I expected. Good for small un-amplified rooms. I used it in an intimate session plugged and everyone was wondering how did i get such a clean tone! By the way, I love a great tone and this bass has one! The body is not as hefty as I thought it was either. Playing this acoustic has already inspired me to write more!

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

This is absolutely a product worth of five stars. For the price, you can not find a better acoustic bass. The sound is better than other more expensive basses that I've tried. It's light and easy to carry around to gigs or friends houses. When I plugged this into an amp there was no feedback or buzz from any of the frets. If your looking to buy an acoustic bass and your skeptical like I was, go with this bass.

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

My buddy has this exact bass. me and my brother have been playing guitars for about 12 years and our buddy brings his bass into the mix now. This bass is a real good buy. After playing it, i now have to have one. The sound is great. And the built in tuner is cooler than beans. Which is freakin cool man Buy This Thang!

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

I was really looking for a bass that had great sound without an amp because i go to a lot of campfire/jam sessions. I was mainly concerned with being able to hear myself play and little fret buzz. This bass delivered both! The sound is great, i've been playing with many people and they all love the sound. It's a great price too. I got an electric P bass for my birthday and a week or 2 later used some birthday money to buy it! I'm going to take it everywhere. If you're relatively new to the bass, it's the best you can get!

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

This is a very nice bass I have only had mine for about a week so i have not found any problemwith it. I also got the hard case to match and have not had any issues with it either. ibanez

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

I ordered this bass thinking that I was going to get exactly what I payed for. The thing that makes this bass so amazing, is that even though it is only 200 dollars, it plays so well and is perfectly crafted. The only down side is that it gets out of tune quickly and you can only use the on-board tuner when plugged into an amp. Overall, I love this bass!

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

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.

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

I just got this bass a month ago and it's great as in acoustic...amazing sound, great looks, good feel when held, the only reason I gave it 4 stars is that it gets alot of feedback when played on an amp loud. I got this bass because it's an acoustic, so the fact that you can plug it in is just a bonus, not the selling point. So if you want the acoustic simply for the reason that it's acoustic get it. Great buy, great price.

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

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)

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

I read a review of this guitar somewhere that complained it wasn't loud enough unplugged for church group sings. Don't be misled -- it's plenty loud enough for playing in most acoustic-only venues, and with an amp it's even better. I'm a seasoned guitarist, but new to the bass guitar, and I'm loving this instrument -- it feels solid, and plays and fingers easily. Another review I read complained about fret buzz, but I discovered within a few notes how to eliminate that with correct fingering (as with any guitar). Besides its musical qualities, it's a beautiful-looking addition to my set. I leave all my axes out on stands so that I can pick any one up at a given time and practice -- and this fits right in. Great guitar, great value! And I got a great deal from Guitar Center, as well as excellent service.

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

its nice it really looks beautiful. one thing only thats wrong with this bass. when plugged in there is major feedback and the e string cant be heard but when not plugged in its a wonderful begginer acoustic bass.

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

I'm not experienced with acoustic basses, and the reason why I bought this one was because my teacher convinced me it wasn't just a novelty and that it would cause new inspirations. Having an acoustic bass really fuels the use of full size chords and arpeggios when playing, but that's beside the point. Although I wouldn't suggest it as a beginner bass for someone, it is a much better value than a cheap squire precision bass, which needs amplification to be heard. This is a bass I would actually use in performance, and plan to. It has a respectable sound both plugged and unplugged. Tuner & preamp work fine. My only qualm is that no matter how you have your neck set up, some notes always refuse to come out, unless you warp it a lot, which inhibits playing. Long story short, if you're new to acoustic and are considering it, BUY THIS BASS, IT'S WORTH IT.

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

Alright getting right to the point. This bass is awesome if you're looking to get an acoustic electric and you're on a tight budget. I got this as a Christmas present and it's incredible. Unplugged, the body produces a great mellow tone and yet it's loud enough that it can still be heard not across a large room but... well it CAN be heard in a room unplugged. Plugged into a 140 watt amp the sound really comes to life. It has really great smooth and even tones. Thankfully, no fret buzz. I haven't had to make any adjustments whatsoever. I've really only got one gripe and that's with the on-board tuner. You actually have to rig an end plug off of an old cable to plug into the jack on the guitar in order to close the electrical circuit and actually use the on-board tuner.* *In other words: cut about up to 2 inches of cable behind the end plug (of an old cable of course, no need to waste a new one), strip it, and then fold it back in on itself to close the loop. Other than this. I think it's a great bass that I'll be using for years to come.

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

Fingers easily, sounds great, and I didn't have to sell my house to buy it.

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

I recently bought the AEB5E acoustic-electric bass guitar as a way to start learning bass. It's a great bass for the price. It generally stays in tune and has a built-in tuner as well, which is nice. I bought this bass mainly for practicing by myself at my apartment, and since it doesn't require an amp it's a nice beginner's bass who happens to live in a place where you generally need to be quiet.

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

I bought this to add an acoustic bass to my arsenal and to use on camping trips, travel, etc. It's got a great sound, surprisingly good action for an electric player like myself, and makes me improve by forcing me to play cleaner. It's a good value, I recommend it.

Comments about Ibanez AEB5E Acoustic-Electric Bass:

Great for practicing, warming up and writing.