Ibanez PF15NT Acoustic Guitar: Full Review

The Ibanez PF15NT is an affordable and well-built dreadnought acoustic guitar ideal for beginners and intermediate players. Part of Ibanez's Performance series, it delivers impressive tone and playability at a budget-friendly price point.

With its classic dreadnought body shape, this all-laminate guitar projects volume and resonance. The PF15NT is an excellent choice for strumming chords or fingerpicking melodies. While not the most ornate acoustic, it provides warm, balanced sound across the tonal spectrum.

The PF15NT's slim neck and shorter scale length enhance playability and make it accessible for new players. And with an onboard preamp, it's stage-ready when plugged in. For practice, jamming, or gigging, the Ibanez PF15NT punches above its weight class.

Construction

The Ibanez PF15NT is constructed with a solid Adirondack spruce top, rosewood back and sides, and mahogany neck. The solid Adirondack spruce top is known for providing a clear, articulate, and balanced tone across the tonal spectrum. It helps generate full and rich low end along with sweet, sparkling highs. The laminated rosewood back and sides add complexity and overtones to the fundamental notes. Rosewood is prized for its warmth, richness, and complexity. The mahogany neck provides stability and helps project the sound. Overall, the combination of tonewoods gives this acoustic guitar a well-balanced and full-bodied tone.

When choosing an acoustic guitar, it's important to consider the construction and how the combination of woods affects the tone and playability. The Ibanez PF15NT uses quality tonewoods that produce a balanced and nuanced sound. The Adirondack spruce top in particular helps generate crisp highs and full low end. Many musicians prefer spruce tops for their dynamic range and responsiveness. Rosewood is also a top choice for back and sides due to its rich overtones. Mahogany necks offer stability and sustain. The neck shape and width impacts playability, so testing out different acoustic guitars is recommended.

Construction quality is another key factor. Higher end models like the Ibanez PF15NT have solid wood tops, which allow the wood to resonate and produce better tone. The back and sides may be solid or laminated depending on the model. Laminate back and sides, like those on the PF15NT, provide a balanced and consistent sound. The bridge and fretboard material also affect tone and feel. Overall, the Ibanez PF15NT uses pro-level appointments to deliver an impressive acoustic guitar suitable for studio and stage use.

Acoustic guitarists shopping around may also want to check out the GEWA VG500178. This acoustic guitar features a solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides. The slim neck profile provides comfortable playability, while the compact folk-style body generates balanced tone and projection. The GEWA VG500178's stylish looks, quality construction, and accessible price make it another great option for intermediate players. Comparing specifications and trying out different models is the best way to find your perfect acoustic match.

Body Style

The Ibanez PF15NT has a classic dreadnought body shape that's well-suited for playing a variety of musical styles. With its traditional wide waist and shoulders, this acoustic guitar produces a balanced and robust tone.

The dreadnought body style features a large lower bout that helps project sound, while the sloping shoulders allow easy access to the upper frets. The body dimensions are:

• Body width (lower bout): 16 inches
• Body length (lower bout to neck joint): 20 inches
• Body depth: 4.72 inches

The dreadnought's larger size produces a loud, booming sound with strong bass response. The all-mahogany construction gives the PF15NT a warm, rounded tone profile that many players prefer. While not as portable as a concert or parlor-sized guitar, the full dreadnought body provides the volume and projection desired by flatpicking and strumming players.

The Ibanez PF15NT dreadnought has a classic acoustic guitar body shape, but there are many other body styles to consider as well. For example, the Yamaha JR1 FG Junior is a 3/4 size acoustic with a smaller concert-style body. This makes it an excellent choice for younger players or those with smaller frames who find a full-size dreadnought too large and cumbersome to hold comfortably.

The Yamaha JR1 FG Junior concert body measures just 15 inches across the lower bout. This reduced body size makes it easier for smaller players to reach their arms around the guitar. The smaller concert body produces a more balanced, articulate tone that works well for chordal and fingerstyle playing. While it doesn't have the booming projection of a dreadnought, the Yamaha JR1 FG Junior concert body provides a comfortable fit and great tone for aspiring guitarists.

When choosing between different acoustic guitar body shapes like the Ibanez PF15NT dreadnought and Yamaha JR1 FG Junior concert, it's important to consider your body size, playing style, and tonal preferences. While the dreadnought is known for its volume and bass response, smaller-bodied guitars offer comfort and portability. By understanding the strengths of different body styles, you can pick the best acoustic guitar to match your needs.

Neck

The Ibanez PF15NT features a mahogany neck that provides a warm and resonant tone, ideal for fingerstyle playing. The neck has a soft U shape that conforms perfectly in the hand, with a thin, easy-to-play profile that makes it comfortable for long practice sessions or gigs. The neck width at the nut measures 1 11/16 inches, which gives ample room for complex chord shapes and fingerstyle playing while still being manageable for smaller hands. The scale length measures 25.6 inches for balanced and comfortable string tension. The smooth neck is fast and facilitates nimble playing all the way up to the 14th fret. Overall, the Ibanez mahogany neck offers a versatile feel and excellent playability.

Fretboard

The Ibanez PF15NT dreadnought acoustic guitar has a fretboard made of rosewood, which is a traditional fretboard material known for its hardness and ability to withstand heavy use. The fretboard has a 12" radius for comfortable chording and soloing access across the entire width of the neck.

It features 22 jumbo frets to allow for higher notes on the fretboard and more options for advanced soloing and chording techniques. The jumbo frets also provide more mass and height for string bending and vibrato effects. Overall, the rosewood fretboard with its 12" radius and 22 jumbo frets offers a smooth feel and premium playability.

Bridge

The Ibanez PF15NT features a Flamed Maple bridge made from quality hardwood. This robust bridge is expertly crafted for solid structural integrity and stability during string tension and vibration.

The bridge design itself is a classic dreadnought style with a combination of 6 bridge pins and tie block construction. This not only provides a strong foundation for the strings and smooth, reliable tuning capabilities, but also allows the top to vibrate freely, enhancing resonance and tone production.

The solid hardwood bridge material brings out warm, textured tones from the concert body. When coupled with the mahogany back and sides, the Maple bridge gives this acoustic guitar organic midrange character and pleasant overtones.

Overall, the expert construction and traditional appointments of the PF15NT bridge allow this instrument to sing with rich, nuanced acoustic tone across the entire register.

Hardware

The Ibanez PF15NT comes equipped with quality hardware that enhances its playability and functionality as an acoustic guitar.

Tuning Machines

The guitar has chrome die-cast tuning machines that do a great job at holding the strings in tune. The tuners turn smoothly and feel solid, inspiring confidence that it will stay in tune throughout practice and performance sessions. Many guitars in this price range cut costs with cheaper tuners that can slip out of tune frequently, but the PF15NT's tuners exceed expectations.

Nut and Saddle

The nut and saddle are both made of urea, a synthetic material that is dense and smooth. This gives the strings a nice feel as they pass over the nut and saddle, promoting bendability without sticking or binding. The urea nut and saddle also hold intonation well. Some guitars use cheaper plastic nuts and saddles that can negatively affect tone and tuning stability. The quality nut and saddle on the PF15NT help it perform like a more expensive instrument.

Electronics

The Ibanez PF15NT is equipped with an Ibanez under saddle piezo pickup and the Ibanez AEQ-SP1 preamp with 3-band EQ and onboard tuner.

The under saddle piezo pickup accurately captures the true acoustic tone of the guitar. Being under the saddle allows it to pick up vibrations from the entire body. The pickup produces a balanced tone across all six strings.

The preamp gives you control over bass, mid, and treble frequencies with slider controls. This allows shaping the EQ to fit any musical scenario from live performance to recording. There is also a phase switch to help eliminate feedback.

An onboard tuner makes it easy to keep the PF15NT in tune without additional accessories needed. The tuner can be engaged with a quick press of a button.

Volume, bass, mid, and treble controls are located just inside the soundhole for quick adjustments while playing. The easy access design makes dialing in your tone simple.

Sound

The Ibanez PF15NT dreadnought acoustic guitar produces a bright, balanced tone with good projection suited for various playing styles. The mahogany top contributes midrange warmth while the rosewood back and sides provide clarity in the treble registers.

The guitar has impressive sustain across the tonal spectrum. Strumming results in full chords with enough high-end shimmer. The notes sing out clearly when picking single notes. The bright but balanced EQ makes this guitar very responsive to a player's attack. Digging in harder produces bolder tones without harshness. The guitar also handles delicate fingerpicking very well.

The dreadnought body shape provides a loud, booming voice that fills a room. There's enough bass for rhythmic power without muddiness. Playing near the neck evokes more muscular lows while the trebles come through toward the body. Overall an excellent sounding instrument for both stage and studio use.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Made with quality tonewoods like spruce and mahogany for a full, balanced sound
• Slim neck profile is comfortable and easy to play
• Fishman Sonicore pickup system provides natural acoustic tones when plugged in
• Cutaway body style allows easy upper fret access
• Attractive and durable sunburst finish

Cons

• Not the highest end materials, like solid wood top
• Electronics can feedback at higher volumes
• May not have as complex tones as high end models
• Strings are quite high off the fretboard from factory

Overall, the Ibanez PF15NT offers very good value by pairing nice tonewoods and Fishman electronics at an affordable price point. The slim neck and cutaway makes it a comfortable and playable dreadnought. While not the most complex acoustic guitar, it provides satisfying plugged-in and unplugged tones for the money. The pros outweigh the cons for players looking for a quality, budget-friendly acoustic-electric guitar.