Ibanez AC340CE - Overview and Best Prices

Ibanez AC340CE Review
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  • 3 Prices - New from $449.99 >
  • From Ibanez's 2020 ARTWOOD series
  • Made in Indonesia
  • 6 strings
  • 25"'' scale
  • 15.748" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Okoume top
  • Okoume back
  • Okoume sides
  • Nyatoh neck
  • Ovangkol fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman S-Core (Preamp/Active)
  • Thermo Aged Ovangkol bridge
  • Acoustic AC Set neck
  • 20 Medium frets
  • Ibanez tuners
  • Side-By-Side Comparison
Show Specs
Ibanez AC340CE Specifications
Ibanez AC340CE
General
Brand: Ibanez
Year: 2020
Configuration: N/A
Strings: 6
Made in: Indonesia
Series: ARTWOOD
Colors:
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Type: Hollowbody
Body Material: Solid Okoume
Sides Material: Okoume
Back Material: Okoume
Bridge: Thermo Aged Ovangkol
Neck
Neck Joint: Set
Tuners: Ibanez
Fretboard: Ovangkol
Neck Material: Nyatoh
Decoration: White dot inlay
Scale Size: 25"
Shape: Acoustic AC
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.827'' (21mm) - 12th Fret: 0.866'' (22mm)
Frets: 20 Medium
Fretboard Radius: 15.748"
Nut: Bone
Nut Width: 45mm (1.772'')
Electronics
Pickups: Fishman S-Core (Preamp / Active)
Hardware
Strap Lock: No
Hardware Color: Chrome

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 77
Sound 84
Build quality 75
Value for money 89
Overall Score 79
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
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

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $330, which means that the Ibanez AC340CE costs around 36% more than the competition. It might be due to it having additional features, but know that you can find cheaper similar alternatives. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Fixed bridge that are made in Indonesia.

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User Reviews & Feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

Weight

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Tuning stability

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Neck speed (thickness)

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Neck access to high frets

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Neck profile shape

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Fret edges

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Pickups noise

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Pickups power

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Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Ibanez AC340CE's construction is balanced for most hand sizes.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Ibanez AC340CE meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's not bad for beginners, but it could be better. 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 to get used to.

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

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Playability

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Ibanez AC340CE's 25" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Ibanez AC340CE Scale Length Comparison
Ibanez AC340CE's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This is the scale found in most PRS guitars, and it's right between the length of most Stratocasters and Les Pauls.

The scale length will affect the separation of the frets, the string tension, and even the tone of the guitar. The longer the scale, the more separated the frets are, which makes it a bit harder to move fast on the fretboard. Also, the higher tension of the strings will make them feel stiffer, so bending will require more strength. However, a longer scale also allows you to lower the action of the strings and make them closer to the fretboard, which makes them easier to press. Finally, the tone will also sound brighter with a longer scale.

A 25'' scale makes all of this feel right between a Stratocaster (longer scale) and a Les Paul (shorter scale).

Don't forget that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge.

More with the same scale length:

Neck Profile

Ibanez AC340CE Neck Profile
Ibanez AC340CE's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

The Ibanez AC340CE's neck thickness is approximately 0.827'' (21mm) at the first fret, and 0.866'' (22mm) at the twelfth.

These measurements were taken either from the official Ibanez website, or, in case this information wasn't provided, by researching multiple online marketplaces and forums where owners of this model have posted their measurements.

It has a C type neck. C-shaped necks like this have been the most popular for the last years. The reason is that they feel good in most hands. It's generally a thin neck that doesn't get in your way when playing fast, but that also has enough mass to give your hands a comfortable grip for chords if they aren't too big.

Thin necks like this make it easier to move your hand across the neck and it helps when playing fast solos, especially if you like to leave your thumb free while playing high on the fretboard. However, thinner necks are also weaker and will need adjustment more often than a thicker neck.

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

The Ibanez AC340CE has a 15.748" fingerboard radius.

Here's an image comparing this fretboard radius to other popular choices:

Ibanez AC340CE Fretboard Radius Comparison with Fender Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul
Ibanez AC340CE's fretboard radius compared to others

Compound radius fingerboards give the best of both worlds. Unfortunately, the Ibanez AC340CE has the same radius across the board.

Playability compared to main competitors

Ibanez AC340CE
This model
25'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.772'' Nut Width
15.748'' Fretboard Radius
25'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
Multiscale Nut Width
15.748'' Fretboard Radius
25'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
9.843'' Fretboard Radius
25.5'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.811'' Nut Width
99'' Fretboard Radius
25'' Scale Length
C Neck Profile
1.654'' Nut Width
9.843'' Fretboard Radius

Nut Width

Ibanez AC340CE Nut Width
Ibanez AC340CE Nut Width

The Ibanez AC340CE has a nut width of 45mm (1.772''). This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Frets

It comes with nickel silver frets, so they won't last as long as stainless steel frets. If you use your instrument a lot, you might need to replace the frets after a few years. But this is unlikely as most people change instruments before this happens.

Fret Size

Ibanez AC340CE Fret Size Comparison
Ibanez AC340CE's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Ibanez AC340CE's frets are Medium size. With medium frets, you can feel the fretboard more than with jumbo frets, but it's still easier to press the strings cleanly than with small frets; notes might change their pitch just slightly if you press hard on the fret. Also, if you need to do some fret leveling after years of playing, you'll have some room to sand them down without having to replace them.

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 80
Playability 77

Tone

The type of wood and even the shape of the body will have a lot of influence in the final tone of an acoustic guitar. Here's we'll talk about what kind of tone you can expect from its specs.

Wood

Okoume wood pattern used for guitar building
Okoume Top, Back, Sides
Nyatoh wood pattern used for guitar building
Nyatoh Neck
Ovangkol wood pattern used for guitar building
Ovangkol Fretboard

Okoume Top, Back and Sides: It's an affordable wood and it was one of the first to replace Mahogany when prohibitions started. It's generally softer than Mahogany and the tone has warmer lows.

Nyatoh Neck: It's a wood type found mainly in Indonesia. It's fairly hard and durable and is becoming popular for building guitars because it isn't expensive.

Ovangkol Fretboard: It's 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.

Pickups

This guitar comes with pickups from one of the top brands: Fishman. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.

Sound Score

Sustain 80
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 84

Build Quality

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Ibanez AC340CE is made in Indonesia. Many people prefer the quality of an Indonesian guitar over a Chinese. Respectable brands like Epiphone, Ibanez and Schecter are building in this country because of the great quality and lower price. Some people like to compare them to the ones built in Japan during the 80s, when Japanese guitar makers made a name for themselves.

Still, remember that we're taking about Ibanez here, which is a brand with good renown. They know how to use cheap labor in this country without sacrificing too much quality. So you shouldn't end up receiving a useless or ugly instrument.

Bridge

Thermo Aged Ovangkol: The advantage of fixed bridges is that they don't require any kind of set-up. This makes it extremely easy when changing strings because you don't need to adjust anything besides tuning the guitar. Also, the fact that the bridge is directly attached to the body will help to increase sustain. The disadvantage is the lack of versatility since you can't create the same vibrato effects as with tremolo bridges.

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Ibanez AC340CE has a Bone nut. This material is one of the highest quality you can get. It provides excellent sustain and tune stability if cut well. The only disadvantage is that it's an organic material, so it's not consistent. Two different bone nuts, even if made from the same bone, will probably sound slightly different. However, bear in mind that this is only relevant when playing open strings.

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 76
Features 85
Quality Control 65
Build Quality 75