- Excellent build quality for the money
- Sounds and plays awesome
- Very resonant and stable instrument
- Not so easy to supply via every music store
- Doesn't come with a gigbag
Hello there! It’s been a long time since I posted a real guitar review here! In this review, we will be looking at a great value-for-money dreadnought acoustic guitar by Ibanez. This guitar belongs to the PF series (which stands for Performance!) and is called Ibanez PF15ECE.
Table of Contents
Ibanez Performance Series (PF)
Ibanez PF15ECE has always been a great seller among step-up-level acoustic guitars, thanks to its excellent value for money. I remember having sold this guitar regularly, to be honest, not like hotcakes. Still, it would sell at least twice a week among its competitor models, both by Ibanez itself and Cort, Epiphone, Jay Turser and Fender.
Please consider supporting this blog by buying your gear from Thomann using my links at no extra cost to you, many thanks!
I must tell you this guitar never came out of the box with structural problems even though it’s quite cheap. If you have already had a look at my “Ibanez V50NJP & VC50NJP Jam Pack Review The Best Starter Pack?” review and are still thinking about a step-up model, this is one of the best options you can still have!
The Ibanez PF15 series has more than one model and colour option for you to choose from. They are basically the same guitar but you will have the option to choose either Ibanez PF15 (a classic dreadnought model, still on Ibanez’s website but not easy to find), Ibanez PF15C (a dreadnought cutaway model without the preamp, probably discontinued), Ibanez PF1512 (12 string version of PF15, still available) and Ibanez PF15ECE (a dreadnought cutaway model with preamp). 
Before we dive into some technical details, let’s hear some of our options down below. The first video you will be watching features an Ibanez PF15 recorded with a pair of Rode NT5 microphones.
Ibanez PF15 – Studio Sound Demo (no talking)
As you can hear from the video, it just produces great, solid dreadnought acoustic sounds without any problem!
Just before we skip to cutaway versions, there’s another video of the Ibanez PF15 recorded with a Rode Stereo Video Mic Pro so you can compare the sounds!
Ibanez PF15 – Outside Sound Demo (no talking)
The next video we’ll be looking at features an Ibanez PF15C; again, this guitar was recorded with a pair of Rode NT5 microphones directly into the computer without any effects or EQ applied. 
You will notice this guitar sounds almost identical to the dreadnought version.
Ibanez PF15C – Studio Sound Demo (no talking)
Cutaway dreadnought models will not sound completely different from the same model’s dreadnought version due to slightly different body designs. I’m sure there are guitar freaks out there that would claim these two body types sound completely different, but I don’t agree with that really 🙂 
If you are to play in the higher register, it would be way too painful to do with a classic dreadnought design. But if you are planning to use a lot of single lines and play solos down there, you will feel way more comfortable with cutaway models.
Ibanez PF15ECE – Studio Sound Demo (no talking)
The last video of the Ibanez PF series belongs to an Ibanez PF15ECE, which features a dreadnought cutaway body with a built-in preamp.
This model was also recorded with a pair of Rode NT5 microphones, but the cool thing about this recording is that the built-in preamp sounds were also recorded simultaneously into the computer, and you will notice we switched from the microphone signal to the preamp signal back and forth so you can hear the difference!
Only fools keep their cash in a bank account! Let your money work for you with the most trustworthy broker ever!
Tech Specs
| Ibanez PF15ECE | Tech Specs |
|---|---|
| Body Design | Cutaway Dreadnought Design |
| Top | Spruce Top |
| Back & Sides | Mahogany or Okoume* |
| Top | Spruce Top |
| Neck | Mahogany |
| Fretboard | Rosewood or Laurel* |
| Bridge | Rosewood or Laurel* |
| Inlay | White Dots |
| Frets | 20 Frets |
| Rosette | Black & White Multi |
| Nut Width | 42mm |
| Bridge | Rosewood or Merbau |
| Pickups | Ibanez Under Saddle Pickups |
| Electronics | Ibanez AEQ2T Preamp w/ Tuner |
| Tuners | Die-Cast Chrome Tuners |
| Bridge Pins | Ibanez Advantage Pins |
As you can see from the tech specs table above, there is some misleading information spread on the internet. To be honest, it’s very difficult to obtain the correct information. What I suspect here is that many websites still claim that this guitar has a mahogany body and rosewood fretboard & bridge. As some of you are already aware of CITES, there have been radical changes in guitar tonewood selection by manufacturers. And they have been acting quite quickly to change what they use to get around regulations and legislation. However, all of the models I have mentioned above with videos had all rosewood boards and bridges for 100%! 🙂
As I have mentioned in the introduction part of this review, Ibanez PF15ECE is an excellent step-up model for those who have been looking for a fairly reasonable acoustic guitar with a built-in preamp. For its price range (around €180 to €250), it’s really hard to beat this model, especially if you want to own one with a preamp. Most guitars in this price range will not offer you a decent preamp. As far as I remember, there was not a single problem with the preamp section of the instrument. But always check the 9V battery that comes with it, as most of the time they arrive a bit drained! 🙂
Also, some of the PF15ECEs that we sold needed a slight neck adjustment, but it’s not even a problem. But anyway, if you decide to order one, you can always choose Thomann, which is the best musical instruments company on this planet, and they will make sure your guitar has been tested rigorously before they ship it to you! So you will probably never notice a single problem!
By the way, I have recently published the “25 Best Selling Acoustic Guitars For Beginners and Intermediate Players” review which also includes Ibanez PF15ECE as well. I highly suggest you check out my review before you decide 🙂
Pricing & Availability
As usual, Thomann offers the best prices for the PF15 models. You may not find all the variations of the PF series by Ibanez on Thomann; however, you will certainly find some listings of the PF15ECE and the 12-string version PF1512 models.
Check out Ibanez Performance Series acoustic guitars on Thomann here
You may also want to check out Reverb, as this will expand your reach towards this series of acoustic guitars.
Check out Ibanez Performance Series acoustic guitars on Reverb here
Hope this has been a helpful review for you to choose your step-up acoustic guitar, and I highly recommend you consider the Ibanez PF15ECE model guitar. Thanks for visiting my blog and supporting me so far! I will hopefully see you in the next review here!
