Ibanez PFT2, Tenor - Natural High Gloss

I expected a decent instrument from Ibanez but this just blew me away. The tenor guitar is not a wildly popular instrument made in the millions like a regular guitar, it's kind of a rarity. That they can produce this quality in such an instrument is amazing! Years ago you had the choice between a poor quality import or a super-expensive Gibson or Martin. This is excellent quality for a ridiculously low price. Very well done Ibanez! Note that this will not come set up, that is, with all the adjustments needed to make any instrument play its best. You should not expect that for this price. A proper set up by a skilled technician can easily add almost $100 to the price of any guitar. Fortunately, I have the experience needed for this, but if you don't you can have any good music store provide the service. I lowered the action, changed out the strings (factory strings always need replacing), and did the other set up jobs. I strung this like the top four strings of a regular guitar (DGBE) so it plays like a baritone ukulele. You have to put regular light guitar strings on to do this. Tenor guitar strings will break. Once everything was adjusted the way I like it the guitar was just perfect for me. Because of the nice big dreadnaught body it has plenty of bass response for this. If you always wanted a baritone ukulele with metal strings, get this instrument and put the high strings of a guitar on it. Tenor banjo players will, of course, leave it tuned CGDA. Irish banjo players will prefer it tuned GDAE. It can handle all those tunings with the right strings. The various string sets needed are available here on Amazon. One reviewer complained that the neck is very narrow. This is normal for a tenor guitar. It is a hybrid instrument developed in the 1920s for tenor banjo players. It's really a tenor banjo with a guitar body (or a guitar with tenor banjo neck, depending on how you look at it). I received mine two days after placing the order and it arrived well packaged in perfect condition. There is no case included, but it will fit in a hard case for the Baby Taylor guitar or a 1/2 size guitar gig bag. Those are also available on Amazon from excellent sellers. Again, great job Ibanez and thank you Amazon! ADDED: After changing the strings to "Chicago tuning" (like the four high strings of a standard guitar) I needed to fill and re-cut one of the nut slots. This is because of the string change and isn't Ibanez's fault. The same thing can happen if you were to re-string it for Irish tuning or anything other than what it was originally set up for. But be aware of that if you plan on converting the instrument to an alternate tuning.

I play bari uke and I wanted that steel string sound to boot - this gives me that. Also the tenor opens up a world of exotic tunings and applications beyond what I bought it for. Beautiful, well made, and reasonably priced. Shiny too. Get one if you're at all considering it.

I'm pleased with the playability, tone, and appearance of my Ibanez tenor guitar. The one (and only) thing it sorely needed, was filing of the fret ends. Luckily, I have the experience and tools for filing fret ends. The action at the nut and saddle, and the neck relief were both good, as delivered. A correction to the specs, the nut and saddle are just generic plastic (not bone), but adequate. The Ibanez tenor guitar seems to be closely patterned after the original 1920's Martin tenor design, with a 23" scale length (22.8" as measured), and with similar internal bracing. It's cheaper than the competition from Kala, Goldtone, and Blueridge. The Kala has a 21.5" scale, with a smaller body, and a flat non-radius fingerboard that joins the body at the 12th fret (short scale). It's really a steel string baritone ukulele, marketed as a tenor guitar. If you're looking to string it DGBE, and play it as a steel string baritone ukulele, then the Kala may be a better choice for you. But if you're planning to put nylon strings on it, a baritone ukulele is what you should buy. The Goldtone GT10 is almost twice the price for a comparable instrument, and the Blueridge BR40T model is almost 3 times the price. Do either play, sound, or even look significantly better than this Ibanez? They don't, in my experience. This Ibanez comes strung for CGDA standard tenor tuning, with D'Addario J66 strings. They sound and feel right. The total string tension is 79lbs. If you restring it for GDAE Irish tenor tuning, using John Pearse #450 strings, the total tension is 76lbs. That's right, slightly less total tension with heavier gauge strings tuned to lower pitch. The Ibanez tenor guitar can handle these with ease. Given what's currently available in the new low-priced tenor guitar market, the Ibanez seems like a no-compromise best-buy.

This is my first tenor guitar but 20th stringed instrument so I'll use this space to make a few comparisons. 1) The market for budget friendly tenors are slim. Other than the Kala tenor, I believe this is the only other one sub-$300. Kalas are terrific instruments but I ultimately chose this one because the scale length is closer to an original tenor guitar (23") instead of a baritone ukulele (19-20"). 2. The fretboard is narrow but 100% expected. This fretboard is narrower than a soprano ukulele at the nut and is closer to a mandolin/violin/banjo (which is the point). In comparison to a mandolin, the fretboard is roomy because there are pairs of strings but instead just 1 per score (yay!) The narrowness really based on perspective. 3. Body - The body is somewhere between a Martin Mini Dread and a Baby taylor. In comparison to a baritone ukulele, it's like a "jumbo" body with a pretty narrow waist and is ~0.5" deeper. 4. Soundboard - solid spruce :) 5. Nut and saddle - I did a tap test and they feel like plastic -.- 6. Tuning pegs - not the highest quality. The tuning knobs are plastic and the gear ratio is weird to say the least. They definitely need a little oil but hold fine 7. Strap buttons- 2! This is a huge plus for guitars amd ukes. With the gloss finish, I'd be scared to install them myself. 8. Finish - A few points off here. The gloss built up near the fretboard edges on the neck joint-- looks like a glazed doughnut :P Little quirks like this can be found here and there. 9. Bracing -- I'll have to go back and check but I believe it had x-bracing inside. The inside did smell like glue and there was debris inside as if someone didn't clean their work.... 10. Neck joins at the 14th fret so it gives you a modern take on a classic vibe :) 11. Sound - louder than a tenor/baritone ukulele, quieter than a GS Guitar-- About the same volume as a Baby Taylor or a parlor guitar. The default string configuration is slick because you can play banjo-like fingerstyle and the result is a guitar-like sound. 12. Stock strings are always bad. Buy good strings and get the instrument set-up.

For two bills, you would be hard pressed to find a nicer made instrument. The frets were protruding a bit but that is to be expected. The strings were tarnished but again, it has sat in a warehouse. They are going to be. A bit of set-up and a tuning and it plays fine, sounds good and looks very nice. I wish that the instruments available to me 40 years ago were so well made and at such a reasonable price. I love this thing I have dozens of instruments. Many by high-end builders. This isn’t one of those of course but it is well worth the money.

The size of the guitar is perfect for getting comfortable in my recliner and playing. the body fits well in my lap and the neck is not to long. just 4 strings uncomplicates playing. strung D G B E it has a uklele sound. I use a PVC slide I made to uncomplicate the left hand work. If you need simple this works.

Is what it is….what you really expect from a $200 instrument…worth $200, I guess, but if you want a quality tenor guitar, spend more money!!!

I love this thing. I've had it a week and it's quickly become my favorite. Came very well packaged from the seller, Adorama. Looks beautiful. Flawless finish. Sustain is great. It's plenty loud. The neck is narrow, but I like that about it. I haven't had a problem chording because of it. The intonation was spot on and the set up was great. Holds it's tune very well. (I have it tuned DGBE but it can be tuned to traditional tenor guitar tuning. It does have a trust rod and comes with an Allen wrench and an extra bridge pin. It's a fun little guitar and well worth $199.