Ibanez PFT2NT Acoustic Guitar: Full Review

The Ibanez PFT2NT is an affordable dreadnought acoustic guitar that provides warm, balanced tone in a traditional design. Part of Ibanez's Performance series, it offers classic acoustic sound and feel with modern playability. This all-laminate guitar is an excellent choice for beginner and intermediate players looking for their first serious acoustic or a quality backup instrument.

With its spruce top and mahogany back and sides, the PFT2NT produces full low end, sparkling highs, and good note separation. The dreadnought body shape projects loudly when strummed open chords. A rosewood bridge and compensated saddle provide bright but round tone. Die-cast tuners keep this guitar in tune. Though made with laminate instead of solid tonewoods, the PFT2NT has impressive sound that belies its low price point.

Appearance

The Ibanez PFT2NT has a classic dreadnought body shape with a natural gloss finish. The top is made of solid spruce, which has an attractive straight grain pattern, while the back and sides are mahogany.

The combination of spruce and mahogany produces a guitar with warm, balanced tones and good projection. The natural gloss finish allows the wood's grain to show through beautifully.

Overall, the PFT2NT has a very traditional and appealing dreadnought aesthetic. Its simple but elegant styling lets the tonewoods take center stage. The PFT2NT's natural finish helps accentuate the gorgeous wood grain patterns in the spruce top. This allows you to fully appreciate the quality and beauty of the tonewoods used.

In contrast to the PFT2NT's more traditional look, the Ibanez Q54-BKF has a very modern and eye-catching aesthetic. It features a quilted bubinga top with a black high gloss finish. The bubinga has an intricate and dramatic grain pattern that pops against the deep black background.

The Q54-BKF also has mahogany back and sides like the PFT2NT. However, the black gloss finish hides the wood grain, creating a sleek, modern look. Binding and abalone rosette inlays provide some nice decorative accents against the dark backdrop.

In terms of body style, the Q54-BKF diverges from a traditional dreadnought shape. It has a slightly smaller lower bout and slimmer waist for a comfortable feel. The cutaway allows easy access to higher frets as well.

Overall, the Ibanez Q54-BKF has a bold, eye-catching aesthetic that sets it apart. The striking bubinga top and black finish give this acoustic a very modern vibe compared to the more vintage styling of the PFT2NT.

While the PFT2NT highlights the beauty of natural tonewoods, the Q54-BKF makes more of a dramatic visual statement. Its appearance will appeal to guitarists looking for something a bit more unique and contemporary.

Tonewood

The Ibanez Performance Series PFT2NT dreadnought acoustic guitar utilizes quality tonewoods for its construction. The top is made of solid Spruce, which provides crisp highs and articulate note separation. Spruce is a popular choice for acoustic guitar tops due to its balanced tone.

The back and sides are made of Mahogany, which adds some richness and warmth to the guitar's voice. Mahogany works well with Spruce to provide a balanced tonal response. The midrange tends to be smooth and the bass response is slightly accentuated compared to all-maple guitars.

Overall, the use of a Solid Spruce top and Mahogany back and sides makes this an affordable guitar constructed with good quality tonewoods suited for a variety of musical styles. The combination of Spruce and Mahogany contributes to the PFT2NT's balanced and well-rounded tone. The choice of tonewoods is an important factor in any acoustic guitar's sound. While Spruce and Mahogany are common woods used, some other options include Cedar, Maple, Rosewood, and Koa. The wood type, quality, grain patterns, and aging all affect an acoustic guitar's unique voice.

In addition to the top, back and side woods, factors like bracing patterns, neck wood, bridge material, nut and saddle composition, and strings also shape an acoustic guitar's tone. Many guitar manufacturers carefully select premium woods and components to create their signature acoustic guitar sounds. While the Ibanez PFT2NT uses traditional Spruce and Mahogany, Fender's Tim Armstrong Hellcat Acoustic has a solid Mahogany top and laminated Mahogany back and sides for a deeper, warmer acoustic tone.

The variety of woods and build methods allow different acoustic guitars to excel at certain styles. Bright, crisp guitars with more midrange like Spruce/Mahogany guitars tend to work well for picking and strumming. Booming, bassy guitars like all-Mahogany dreadnoughts provide loud projection for bluegrass and country playing. And balanced, clear-sounding guitars like auditoriums and grand concert shapes with Cedar or Redwood tops handle fingerstyle well. While no guitar can perfectly fit every genre, understanding tonewoods helps match the guitar to your needs.

Neck

The neck on the Ibanez PFT2 is crafted from mahogany, which provides stability and a balanced tone. It has a standard 25.6 inch scale length, allowing comfortable playability across the fretboard. The neck joint uses Ibanez's patented Mortise & Tenon construction, designed for maximum resonance and sustain. Overall, the mahogany neck offers a great combination of tonal quality and easy playability that both beginners and experienced players will appreciate.

Fretboard

The Ibanez PFT2NT features a rosewood fretboard, which is known for its warm, mellow tone. Rosewood produces a sweet, rich sound with excellent note separation and definition. The fretboard has a 20 radius, which provides a good balance of playability while still allowing players to bend strings. The medium jumbo frets are comfortable and provide enough height for various playing styles. The combination of rosewood, medium radius, and jumbo frets makes this an excellent fretboard for versatility across many genres.

Bridge

The bridge on the Ibanez PFT2NT is made of rosewood which is known for its rich, complex overtones that add warmth and resonance to the guitar's tone. Rosewood is a traditional and popular bridge material on many acoustic guitars. The bridge has a classic pinned design with a bone saddle that transmits the vibrations cleanly from the strings into the top of the guitar. The bone material helps brighten up the tone while giving it more attack and definition. Overall the rosewood bridge provides a great tonal balance through its combination of warm, organic rosewood tone with the crispness of the bone. The traditional pinned bridge is sturdy and transfers string vibrations efficiently into the top. This is an ideal bridge design for a dreadnought guitar, supporting the strong bass response that style is known for. The Ibanez PFT2NT's rosewood bridge gives it a full, balanced tone and is constructed to resonate loud and clear.

Hardware

The Ibanez PFT2NT comes equipped with quality hardware that enhances its playability and sound.

The guitar features precise open-gear chrome tuners that make tuning smooth and accurate. The tuners are lightweight and keep the guitar well-balanced. The open gear design also increases tuning stability.

The nut and saddle are both made from NuBone, an advanced synthetic material that simulates bone. NuBone has anti-string-binding properties and helps improve sustain. It also stands up well to temperature and humidity changes. The NuBone nut and saddle provide excellent transfer of vibrations between the strings and the body of the guitar for bright, balanced tones.

Overall, the tuners, nut and saddle on the Ibanez PFT2NT are high-quality components that offer great tuning stability, sustain, and resonance.

Electronics

The Ibanez PFT2NT features an Ibanez under-saddle piezo pickup and AEQ-SP2 preamp with built-in tuner. The preamp provides tonal control with a 3-band equalizer and Phase switch to help dial in your amplified tone.

The preamp has volume, bass, middle, and treble control knobs, as well as a semi-parametric mid frequency selection switch. This allows you to shape the EQ curve to your liking. There is also a Phase switch which can help reduce feedback at higher volumes. An onboard tuner makes it easy to keep the PFT2NT in tune before performances or recordings.

The under-saddle piezo pickup combined with the 3-band EQ preamp gives you a nice variety of amplified tones to work with. The controls are straightforward and user-friendly. While the pickup and preamp won't rival higher-end acoustic-electric systems, they perform admirably for this price range.

Sound

The Ibanez Performance Series PFT2NT dreadnought acoustic guitar produces a balanced, articulate tone with good projection thanks to its spruce top and mahogany back and sides. Though affordable, it demonstrates the expert craftsmanship and quality materials Ibanez is known for in its higher-end models.

The spruce top provides brightness, clarity, and responsiveness in the mid and high frequencies. Spruce is a popular choice amongst acoustic players for its ability to deliver detailed and complex harmonics. The mahogany back and sides offer a smooth, warm low end that complements the crisp treble tones.

Together, these tonewoods create a rich and nuanced acoustic voice. The guitar has enough punch and volume to hold its own when jamming or busking, with defined mids that cut through the mix. However, it also has a refined, polished sound when playing solo for more introspective fingerpicking sessions.

Reviewers praise the PFT2NT's balanced tonal spectrum. It excels at versatility - players can achieve bright, jangly tones on the treble strings, while still getting full-bodied bass when needed. The guitar offers enough harmonic complexity for advanced players, while beginners will appreciate the smooth, even response across the fretboard.

Pros and Cons

The Ibanez PFT2NT dreadnought acoustic guitar has several excellent features but also comes with a few potential drawbacks to consider.

Pros

• Made of quality solid spruce top and mahogany back/sides for full rich tones
• Thin comfortable neck profile makes playing easy
• Rosewood fretboard and bridge enhance sound and playability
• Chrome die-cast tuners keep the guitar in tune
• Fishman Sonicore pickup system provides amplified tones
• Balanced warm sound good for various styles
• Attractive and durable finish

Cons

• Lacks cutaway for upper fret access
• Only available in natural finish, no color options
• Electronics can cause feedback at high volumes
• Not as loud as more expensive models
• Some users report issues with intonation out of the box
• Minimal ornamentation may be plain for some players

In summary, the Ibanez PFT2NT is an affordable, quality dreadnought well-suited for beginners and intermediate players. While not perfect, it excels in providing a great playing experience and classic acoustic guitar tones. Weighing the pros and cons can help determine if this is the right acoustic for your needs and budget.