IbanezEWP14EOPN Cutaway 6 String Ovangkol Top Open Pore Natural Piccolo Guitar

After spending a few weeks now with my Ibanez piccolo guitar, I can recommend this punchy little songbird without any reservation. At first, I was disappointed by a few small cosmetic flaws I noticed (spotty body finish, glue residue on tuners and neck joint, scrapes on plastic body binding), but my disappointment quickly disappeared once I started to play it. What a voice! It's hard to describe what it sounds like; not exactly like a mandolin, yet not exactly like a guitar either. It's in a class of its own, and it sounds beautiful with a sustain that goes on forever. And it has plenty of volume, perhaps not enough for a concert hall, but enough to fill your living room when you give your next party recital.I must admit, however, that it might not be the ideal instrument for everyone. The nut is very narrow, which places the strings very close together. To play it well, you must be able to adapt your technique. Having previously played ukuleles with four strings spaced widely apart, this was at first a challenge for me...but challenges such as this makes one a better player in the end. The payoff from this effort will be the creation of beautiful music that this unique little guitar is capable of making.In terms of versatility, this piccolo guitar deserves 10 stars. Tuned to ADGCEA, I can still play my ukulele chords (low G) on the top four strings as I gradually pick up the chord shapes for the guitar. I've already arranged a few songs for both ukulele and guitar; while it's confusing at first, it's manageable (just don't play them back to back :) ). The main point here is that you can play both ukulele and guitar chords on this piccolo guitar, and this versatility opens the door to entire libraries of songs and music written for guitar, as well as arrangements which you may already have for the ukulele.One final plus to mention about this piccolo guitar: steel strings. It comes from the manufacturer pre-strung with D'Addario Phosphor Bronze Extra Lights. While I've been playing fluorocarbons on all of my ukuleles, IMHO there is nothing in comparison to the sound of steel string acoustics in general and on this instrument in particular. Depending on the type of music and how its performed, this little piccolo guitar can generate sounds that are downright haunting-- e.g. try playing "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" fingerstyle on this and you'll know what I mean. I've been playing folk tunes and some classical pieces so far, but I can imagine this guitar would be in its perfect element voicing Celtic music.

The timbre of this guitar is unbearably harsh on the ears. It's a beautiful looking guitar but the sound falls flat.

I rated NOT for beginners since, being a non-standard string spacing and short scale, any muscle memory gained would not translate well to a full-size fingerboard.It's a fun little instrument with an interesting and pleasant voice. It sounds a bit like an autoharp to me when strummed (not at all like my fine guitars capo'd at the fifth fret). LOTS of sustain (much more than a ukulele). String spacing is really tight, almost like a standard mandolin, so it takes a bit of getting accustomed to. Not quite perfect intonation (but, remember it is $199). Have not played with different strings yet.

I was really hoping that I was going to like this guitar and when I got it I liked the size, the construction was kinda sloppy with glue showing at the joints but still, I wanted it so I tried to tune it. It wouldn't tune soI put new strings on it and let them set for a day before trying again. Still wouldn't tune or hold a tune. I did a tune test and found that the tuners supplied on this guitar wouldn't hold and it would creep while playing so you could start off in tune and before you finished your song it was all out of tune again. Cheap tuners, so I ordered a set of Grover 406c's and that made the difference. It now stays in tune and sounds OK, kinda tinny but ok. It's real sensitive to tune it and I would deffinitly not advise this for a beginner., or anyone unless your ready to re-work it. . One more thing, the neck is very narrow, fat fingers will not work on it.

I wanted a smaller guitar that still had steel strings instead of nylon- this instrument is just that.For under $200 dollars, I have to say I'm impressed and happy about my purchase.It came fully assembled, all I had to do was tune it. I recommend one of those clip on guitar tuners that tunes by vibration, as even being a little off in the tuning makes a big difference since the strings are shorter and smaller than those on a regular guitar.I've been able to successfully play all sorts of more advanced chord shapes (Major 6 and 7ths, augmented, diminished, 9ths, anything that you can play on a guitar, really.Just realize that it is tuned to A instead of E, so you'll have to relearn all the songs you knew on guitar if you want to be able to sing them within a suitable range.Also, this thing is SMALL. Of course, that's what I was looking for, so I got what I asked for. Just realize that even someone with small fingers might have difficulties playing chords and having them ring out right due to your "fat" fingers accidentally muting some of the strings or pressing on adjacent frets.While not as important to me, it LOOKS gorgeous and is a definite conversation starter.Also, I find that a normal guitar usually overpowers my voice, this thing is much easier to sing over.I attached a picture of the Ibanez EWP14OPN next to a full size dobro guitar for size reference.It's a superb product, just realize it might not be as big as you think it is.

The frets needed to be finished/polished and the strings that came with it were used...but after a little set up I really like it and my daughter loves it. I use it to teacher her chord shapes and she uses it along with her ukulele now. Sounds like a mandolin, but easier to play.

This is nothing but a child's toy. The pictures are accurate, but not revealing of what you are actually getting until you play it. The guitar has a tiny fret board and sounds like a small child's toy, failing to stay in tune. I see nothing about it that gives me grounds to return it, but I really SHOULD have checked it out in person first. It is WAY over priced for what you get. This should have retailed for $20.00!