Show Full Spec Comparison
| Ibanez GA35TCE | PN12E | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | Ibanez | Ibanez |
| Year: | 2019 | 2020 |
| Strings: | 6 | 6 |
| Made in: | Indonesia | China |
| Series: | CLASSICAL | PF |
| Colors: | ||
| Left-Handed Version: | No | No |
| Body | ||
| Type: | Hollowbody | Hollowbody |
| Body Material: | Spruce | Sapele |
| Sides Material: | Sapele | Nyatoh |
| Back Material: | Sapele | Nyatoh |
| Bridge: | Walnut | Nandu Wood |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Set | Set |
| Tuners: | Ibanez | Ibanez |
| Fretboard: | Walnut | Nandu Wood |
| Neck Material: | Nyatoh | Nyatoh |
| Decoration: | Off-set abalone dot inlay | White dot inlay |
| Scale Size: | 25.5" | 24.4" |
| Shape: | Acoustic GA | Acoustic PN |
| Thickness: | 1st Fret: 0.827'' (21mm) - 12th Fret: 0.866'' (22mm) | 1st Fret: 0.787'' (20mm) - 12th Fret: 0.827'' (21mm) |
| Frets: | 21 Medium Nickel Silver | 18 Medium Nickel Silver |
| Fretboard Radius: | Flat | 9.843" |
| Nut: | Plastic | Plastic |
| Nut Width: | 46mm (1.811'') | 42mm (1.654'') |
| Electronics | ||
| Pickups: | Ibanez Undersaddle (Preamp / Active) | Ibanez Undersaddle (Preamp / Active) |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | No |
| Hardware Color: | Gold | Chrome |
Reasons to Get
Ibanez GA35TCE over PN12E
Reasons to Get
Ibanez PN12E over GA35TCE
Other Key Differences
Ibanez GA35TCE vs PN12E
Shared Features
Ibanez GA35TCE vs PN12E
Common Weaknesses
- Solid Top Wood
- Solid Side Wood
- Solid Back Wood
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Nut
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Strap Lock
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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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 GA35TCE favors large hands more than the Ibanez PN12E.
Ibanez GA35TCE:
Ibanez PN12E:
Beginner Friendliness
The Ibanez PN12E meets 7 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Ibanez GA35TCE meets only 5. 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 GA35TCE- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Soft Strings
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Ibanez PN12E- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- 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
Nyatoh has been replacing Mahogany for guitar building. It's fairly hard, durable, more sustentable and common than Mahogany. Find out more about Nyatoh.
It's similar to Mahogany in both color and tone. It can produce warm tones, and it's known for its beautiful figured grain patterns. Find out more about Sapele.
Woods Used in the Ibanez GA35TCE
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.
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 PN12E
It's an uncommon material that lacks more information.
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 GA35TCE compares to the Ibanez PN12E.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Ibanez GA35TCE is built in Indonesia while the Ibanez PN12E 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 GA35TCE
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.
In this case, both have Plastic nuts. 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.
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. Both come with Ibanez.
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Ibanez GA35TCE
- Electronics
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No Expensive Woods
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- Low-Quality Material Saddle
- Laminated Top Wood
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Ibanez PN12E
- Electronics
- 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 Top Wood
- Laminated Side Wood
- Laminated Back Wood
- 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 GA35TCE has the wider nut with 46mm (1.811'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 4mm (0.157'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Ibanez GA35TCE, 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 GA35TCE has the longest scale: 25.5". The Ibanez PN12E is only 24.4" long. This is a 1.1'' (27.9mm) 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 GA35TCE and the Ibanez PN12E 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 PN12E's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Ibanez GA35TCE'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 GA35TCE.
Still, both are closer to a Stratocaster radius than a Les Paul, so both of them will favor chord playing rather than soloing.
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.
