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Ibanez AC340CE
Takamine GN71CE
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Playability
77
Sound
84
Build
75
Value
89
Score
79
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Playability
77
Sound
84
Build
74
Value
83
Score
78
FIND IT ON:
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Ibanez AC340CE vs Takamine GN71CE Specs Comparison
Ibanez AC340CE Takamine GN71CE
General
Brand: Ibanez Takamine
Year: 2020 2017
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Indonesia China
Series: ARTWOOD G
Colors: Sunburst, Natural
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Okoume Solid Spruce
Sides Material: Okoume Walnut
Back Material: Okoume Walnut
Bridge: Thermo Aged Ovangkol Fixed
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Ibanez Takamine Die-cast
Fretboard: Ovangkol Laurel
Neck Material: Nyatoh Mahogany
Decoration: White dot inlay Abalone Dots
Scale Size: 25" 25.4"
Shape: Acoustic AC Acoustic Asymmetrical C
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.827'' (21mm) - 12th Fret: 0.866'' (22mm) 1st Fret: - 12th Fret:
Frets: 20 Medium Nickel Silver 20 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 15.748" 12"
Nut: Bone Synthetic Bone
Nut Width: 45mm (1.772'') 42.8mm (1.685'')
Electronics
Pickups: Fishman S-Core (Preamp / Active) TK-40D (Preamp / Active)
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Chrome Gold

Reasons to Get
Ibanez AC340CE over Takamine GN71CE

Country of Manufacturing
Indonesia vs China
Built with higher quality standards
Release Year
2020 vs 2017
From a more recent year
Neck Profile
Acoustic AC vs Acoustic Asymmetrical C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Nut Width
1.772'' (45mm) vs 1.685'' (42.8mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Body Shape
Grand Concert vs Medium Jumbo
Slightly larger than the Concert body with a strong mid-range
Scale Length
25'' (635mm) vs 25.4'' (645.2mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
15.748'' (400mm) vs 12'' (304.8mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend
Value Score
89 vs 83
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Takamine GN71CE over Ibanez AC340CE

Neck Profile
Acoustic Asymmetrical C vs Acoustic AC
Adapts to the natural shape of your hand
Nut Width
1.685'' (42.8mm) vs 1.772'' (45mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Body Shape
Medium Jumbo vs Grand Concert
Smaller than a Jumbo guitar but larger than a Thinline
Scale Length
25.4'' (645.2mm) vs 25'' (635mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm) vs 15.748'' (400mm)
Easier to play chords without muting strings

Other Key Differences
Ibanez AC340CE vs Takamine GN71CE

Back Material
Okoume vs Walnut
Different Back Material
Sides Material
Okoume vs Walnut
Different Sides Material
Saddle Material
Bone vs Synthetic Bone
Different Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Thermo Aged Ovangkol vs Fixed
Different Bridge Material
Body Wood
Okoume vs Spruce
Different Body Wood
Neck Wood
Nyatoh vs Mahogany
Different Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Ovangkol vs Laurel
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Bone vs Synthetic Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Ibanez AC340CE vs Takamine GN71CE

Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Hollowbody
Warm tone, lighter and acoustic sound
Switch Positions
0
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
0
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
0
Same tone control
Number of Frets
20
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Type of Frets
Medium
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • Solid Top Wood
  • High-Quality Nut
  • Top Pickup Brand

Common Weaknesses

  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Price History Comparison

SET PRICE ALERT
SET PRICE ALERT

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Hand Size Comfortability

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Ibanez AC340CE favors large hands more than the Takamine GN71CE.

Ibanez AC340CE:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Takamine GN71CE:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Takamine GN71CE meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Ibanez AC340CE meets only 4. 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.

New Player Friendliness

Ibanez AC340CE
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Takamine GN71CE
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

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 AC340CE

Nyatoh wood pattern used for guitar building
Nyatoh
Ovangkol wood pattern used for guitar building
Ovangkol
Okoume wood pattern used for guitar building
Okoume

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.

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 Takamine GN71CE

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany
Laurel wood pattern used for guitar building
Laurel
Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce
Walnut wood pattern used for guitar building
Walnut

Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

There are many types of Laurel, but East Indian is the most common for guitar building. Its color can vary from dark to light brown with black lines. Many people find its tonality similar to Rosewood, which favors the warmer frequencies. Find out more about Laurel.

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.

It's a hard wood with a chocolate color that is often used to give an elegant finish. Since it's quite expensive and rare, it's mostly used for guitar tops. Find out more about Walnut.

Winner: Takamine GN71CE.

Electronics

Both come with electronics that allow you connect them to an amplifier or interface for recording.

Winner:Tie.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Ibanez AC340CE
Sustain 80
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 84
Takamine GN71CE
Sustain 80
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 84

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 AC340CE compares to the Takamine GN71CE.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Ibanez AC340CE is built in Indonesia while the Takamine GN71CE is made in China.

Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.

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.

Winner: Ibanez AC340CE

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 AC340CE has a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

On the other hand, the Takamine GN71CE comes with a Synthetic Bone nut. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.

Winner: Tie.

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 AC340CE's are Ibanez while the Takamine GN71CE's are Takamine Die-cast

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Ibanez AC340CE
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Indonesia
  • No Expensive Woods
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Takamine GN71CE
  • Expensive Wood
  • Synthetic Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • Synthetic Bone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Ibanez AC340CE
Quality of materials 76
Features 85
Quality Control 65
Build Quality 75
Takamine GN71CE
Quality of materials 76
Features 85
Quality Control 60
Build Quality 74

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

Ibanez AC340CE Nut Width
Ibanez AC340CE Nut Width
Takamine GN71CE Nut Width
Takamine GN71CE Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Ibanez AC340CE has the wider nut with 45mm (1.772'') vs 42.8mm (1.685''). This is a 2.2mm (0.087'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Ibanez AC340CE, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Ibanez AC340CE's Scale Length
Ibanez AC340CE's Scale Length
Takamine GN71CE's Scale Length
Takamine GN71CE's 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 Takamine GN71CE has the longest scale: 25.4". The Ibanez AC340CE is only 25" long. This is a 0.4'' (10.2mm) 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

Ibanez AC340CE Neck Profile
Ibanez AC340CE's neck profile
Takamine GN71CE Neck Profile
Takamine GN71CE's 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.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Ibanez AC340CE has a C type of 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.

The Takamine GN71CE, on the other hand, has a Asymmetrical neck. Even though this neck shape looks like a poorly-made job, it's, in fact, the neck that most naturally adapts to the arc of your hand when grabbing a guitar neck. You'll notice that the lower part of your palm makes a more pronounced, deeper curve while the upper part makes a more subtle arch. This is the shape that adapts the best to that natural arch your hand makes while playing.

Fretboard Radius

Ibanez AC340CE Fingerboard Radius
Ibanez AC340CE's Fingerboard radius
Takamine GN71CE Fingerboard Radius
Takamine GN71CE's Fingerboard 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 Takamine GN71CE's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Ibanez AC340CE'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 AC340CE.

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''.

Fret Size

Ibanez AC340CE and Takamine GN71CE Frets Size
Both have a similar Medium 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.

Final Playability Scores

Ibanez AC340CE
Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 80
Playability 77
Takamine GN71CE
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 85
Solo Playability 70
Playability 77