Show Full Spec Comparison
| Ibanez AE325 | Yamaha CPX1200II | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | Ibanez | Yamaha |
| Year: | 2020 | 2015 |
| Strings: | 6 | 6 |
| Made in: | China | China |
| Series: | AE | CPX |
| Colors: | Sunburst | |
| Left-Handed Version: | No | No |
| Body | ||
| Type: | Hollowbody | Hollowbody |
| Body Material: | Solid Sitka Spruce | Solid Spruce |
| Sides Material: | Okoume | Rosewood |
| Back Material: | Okoume | Rosewood |
| Bridge: | Macassar Ebony scalloped | Ebony |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Set | Set |
| Tuners: | Ibanez | Die-Cast Gold w/Black Buttons (TM29GB) |
| Fretboard: | Macassar Ebony | Ebony |
| Neck Material: | African Mahogany/Pau Ferro | African Mahogany |
| Decoration: | Specially designed Wooden Vine inlay | Custom |
| Scale Size: | 25.6" | 25.6" |
| Shape: | Acoustic Comfort Grip | Acoustic C |
| Thickness: | 1st Fret: 0.787'' (20mm) - 12th Fret: 0.827'' (21mm) | 1st Fret: - 12th Fret: |
| Frets: | 20 Jumbo Nickel Silver | 20 Medium Nickel Silver |
| Fretboard Radius: | 15.748" | 15.75" |
| Nut: | Bone | Plastic |
| Nut Width: | 44mm (1.732'') | 43mm (1.693'') |
| Electronics | ||
| Pickups: | Ibanez AP11 Magnetic & T-bar Undersaddle (Preamp / Active) | SYSTEM63 (SRT System) + SRT Piezo Pickup (Preamp / Active) |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | No |
| Hardware Color: | Black & Chrome | Gold |
Reasons to Get
Ibanez AE325 over Yamaha CPX1200II
Reasons to Get
Yamaha CPX1200II over Ibanez AE325
Other Key Differences
Ibanez AE325 vs Yamaha CPX1200II
Shared Features
Ibanez AE325 vs Yamaha CPX1200II
Common Strengths
- Solid Top Wood
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Strap Lock
- Top Pickup Brand
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both favor small hands .
Ibanez AE325:
Yamaha CPX1200II:
Beginner Friendliness
Both meet 4 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 AE325- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Soft Strings
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Yamaha CPX1200II- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- 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 Both
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
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.
Woods Used in the Ibanez AE325
Pau Ferro has a dark, chocolate-like color with straight dark grains that is being used as a replacement to Rosewood due to the regulations. It produces a warm tone that is somewhere between Mahogany and Rosewood. Find out more about Pau Ferro.
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 Yamaha CPX1200II
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.
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Winner: Yamaha CPX1200II.
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 AE325 compares to the Yamaha CPX1200II.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in China.
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: Tie
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 AE325 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 Yamaha CPX1200II comes with 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.
Winner: Ibanez AE325.
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 AE325's are Ibanez while the Yamaha CPX1200II's are Die-Cast Gold w/Black Buttons (TM29GB)
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Ibanez AE325
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Electronics
- Bone Saddle
- Solid Top Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No Top Brand Pickups
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Yamaha CPX1200II
- Expensive Wood
- Electronics
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- Low-Quality Material Saddle
- 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 AE325 has the wider nut with 44mm (1.732'') vs 43mm (1.693''). This is a 1mm (0.039'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Ibanez AE325, 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.
In this case, both have a scale length of 25.6".
It's very similar to a typical long 25.5" guitar scale, but with an extra inch probably to compensate the saddle position in acoustic guitars. It should be pretty much the same as a 25.5" scale guitar.
It will allow you to strum hard without hearing so much fret buzz, even with lower tunings.
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 AE325 and the Yamaha CPX1200II 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 Ibanez AE325's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Yamaha CPX1200II'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 Yamaha CPX1200II.
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
The Ibanez AE325 has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Yamaha CPX1200II's Medium frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.
