Ibanez AAD1012E vs Taylor AD27e Flametop
Reasons to Get
Ibanez AAD1012E over Taylor AD27e Flametop
Reasons to Get
Taylor AD27e Flametop over Ibanez AAD1012E
Other Key Differences
Ibanez AAD1012E vs Taylor AD27e Flametop
Shared Features
Ibanez AAD1012E vs Taylor AD27e Flametop
Common Strengths
- Solid Top Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Taylor AD27e Flametop is probably the better product overall with its final score of 82 compared to the Ibanez AAD1012E's 74 score, although not by a lot.
The Taylor AD27e Flametop wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Ibanez AAD1012E has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Taylor AD27e Flametop.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
Both meet 3 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.
New Player Friendliness
Ibanez AAD1012E- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Taylor AD27e Flametop- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
Ibanez AAD1012E Overview
- From Ibanez's 2020 Advanced Acoustic series
- Made in China
- 12 strings
- 25.6"'' scale
- 15.748" Fretboard Radius
- Solid Sitka Spruce top
- Okoume back
- Okoume sides
- Thermo Aged Nyatoh neck
- Ovangkol fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Ibanez AP11 Magnetic (Preamp/Active)
- Ovangkol scalloped bridge
- Acoustic Low Oval Grip Set neck
- 20 Medium frets
- Ibanez tuners
- Compare Specs >
Taylor AD27e Flametop Overview
- From Taylor's 2022 The American Dream series
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 15" Fretboard Radius
- Solid Big Leaf Maple top
- Solid Maple back
- Solid Maple sides
- Hard Rock Maple neck
- Eucalyptus fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Expression System 2 Electronics (Preamp/Active)
- Eucalyptus bridge
- Acoustic Taylor Standard Set neck
- 20 Medium frets
- Taylor Nickel tuners
- Weight around 4.55lbs (2.1kgs)
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .
Woods Used in the Ibanez AAD1012E
Nyatoh has been replacing Mahogany for guitar building. It's fairly hard, durable, more sustentable and common than Mahogany. Find out more about Nyatoh.
Ovangkol is a beautiful wood that's popular for acoustic guitars. Its tone sits somewhere between rosewood and mahogany, meaning it has a punchy low-end and nice mid-range. Find out more about Ovangkol.
Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.
Okoume is an affordable wood and one of the first to replace Mahogany when the prohibitions started. It's generally softer than Mahogany and the tone has warmer lows.
Woods Used in the Taylor AD27e Flametop
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Eucalyptus is not a common tonewood, but it's becoming more popular recently. There are many species around the world, each with its own characteristic, so it's hard to describe the tone it produces without knowing the exact species.
Winner: Tie.
Electronics
Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.
Winner:Tie.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Ibanez AAD1012E compares to the Taylor AD27e Flametop.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Ibanez AAD1012E is built in China while the Taylor AD27e Flametop is made in United States.
China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.
The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.
Winner: Taylor AD27e Flametop
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Ibanez AAD1012E has a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.
On the other hand, the Taylor AD27e Flametop comes with a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.
Winner: Taylor AD27e Flametop.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Ibanez AAD1012E's are Ibanez while the Taylor AD27e Flametop's are Taylor Nickel
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Ibanez AAD1012E
- Electronics
- Solid Top Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No Expensive Woods
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- Low-Quality Material Saddle
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Taylor AD27e Flametop
- Made in United States
- Ivory Tusq Nut
- Electronics
- Ivory Tusq Saddle
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Expensive Woods
- No Top Brand Pickups
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Ibanez AAD1012E has the wider nut with 48mm (1.89'') vs 44.5mm (1.75''). This is a 3.5mm (0.14'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Ibanez AAD1012E, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The Ibanez AAD1012E has the longest scale: 25.6". The Taylor AD27e Flametop is only 25.5" long. This is a 0.1'' (2.5mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
Both the Ibanez AAD1012E and the Taylor AD27e Flametop have a C-shaped neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Taylor AD27e Flametop's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Ibanez AAD1012E's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Ibanez AAD1012E.
Still, both tend to favor soloing over chords, so if you're looking for a guitar for playing rhythm, you might want something else with a radius closer to a Stratocaster's 9.5''.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Ibanez AAD1012E favors large hands more than the Taylor AD27e Flametop.
Ibanez AAD1012E:
Taylor AD27e Flametop:
Fret Size
Both have a Medium fret size. If you like feeling the fretboard when you play, but also appreciate some easiness to press down the frets, this size offers a good balance for that.
