History
As the smoke cleared above lush verdant green fields it revealed that a small group of Spanish generals had indeed succeeded in overthrowing the government established by the Second Spanish Republic, and many long-standing symbols of Spanish freedom lay in ruins upon the red earth, including a company known as Salvador Ibanez. Salvador Ibanez was well-known for producing high-quality Spanish acoustic guitars, some of which were being imported by a Japanese company by the name of Hoshino Gakki, a book company that had been established in 1908 and worked to branch out into the area of musical instruments. Hoshino Gakki had been importing Salvador Ibanez guitars since 1929 but after the company was destroyed they were in a position to make a monumental decision. They opted to buy the Ibanez Salvador name and begin making their own Spanish guitars, initially utilizing the Salvador Ibanez name but later shortening it to simply Ibanez.
We then fast forward our story to 1957 when Ibanez became known for producing wild and esoteric designs emulating other company's designs such as Hagstrom (Swedish instrument company) and Eko (Italian electric guitar producer). The 1960's brought Ibanez to a period in which they focused upon copying notable American guitar companies including Gibson, Fender and Rickenbacker and which unfortunately resulted in numerous lawsuits against Ibanez. It came as no surprise that the Ibanez company began producing their own designs, including the Iceman and Roadstar series, and have continued to do so to this day. Ibanez continues to thrive and produce unique and remarkable guitars that incorporate such novel aspects as locking-tremolo bridges, slimmer head stocks, 2-octave fingerboards as well as unique and brightly-colored finishes.
Composition
The Ibanez TCY 10 E BK (black) Six-String Guitar utilizes a cutaway Spruce wood top with black and white multi-ringed rosette, Mahogany back, sides and neck. The body is what Ibanez refers to as the "Talman double cutaway" which has an interesting and unique countenance relative to other cutaways. The bridge and fingerboard are both composed of Rosewood while the nut and saddle are made from the bone substitute known as Ivorex II.
As stated the body is Ibanez' Talman double cutaway which measures 18" long by 14" wide and only 3.25" deep. Scale length is 25 1/2" (or 648 mm) and the width at the nut is 1.7" (or 43 mm). This model also includes the AEQ 200 T preamplifier with 2-band equalizer and on-board tuner. This set-up is a piazza style pickup located under the saddle of the guitar gathering sound and vibration from the saddle and transferring it to the equalization controls. The guitar is finished neatly and handsomely with a black high-gloss finish and Ibanez chrome die-cast tuners.
Pricing
Pricing for this guitar is anywhere from $200 to $249 and can be purchased on-line or through local music stores carrying Ibanez products. Is the guitar worth the paltry expenditure you might be asking? This reviewer would answer with a resounding "No!" This is one of the flimsiest guitars that I've ever held in my hands and most definitely does not compare well with other guitars in the same price range in terms of construction quality, or playability. Yes, it's cool looking at first glance, but is that enough?
Playability
One simple word neatly and adequately describes the playability of this guitar...poor. There was almost no mid or bass response to be heard, and a thin trickle of treble. Resonation was almost non-existent and in general the guitar just seemed to lack energy and the ability to produce sound. This is due, in part I'm sure, to the fact that the body itself is not only cutaway but is also incredibly shallow. Consequently, there isn't a whole lot of room on the inner chamber of the guitar to produce sound, or resonation. As an electric instrument I didn't see much improvement although at least I could hear it what I was playing. Feedback occurred at any sound level one might perceive as loud and the equalization didn't seem to help remedy the situation. In general, I was very disappointed with the overall playability (and value as well) of this guitar and would recommend looking at a different brand if you're looking and intending to spend a couple of hundred dollars.