Ibanez EP7 Steve Vai Euphoria Acoustic-Electric Reviews 
1 / 5 based on 1 reviewsI played this guitar for about 15 minutes at Guitar Center in Hollywood, CA.
Uh...nice colour and cosmetics, with tree of life inlay, beautiful emerald finish and brass rosette. Very light.
Sound. One word says it all. For a guitar with a street price of $999 (and a list price probably much higher), this is one horrible-sounding piece of wood. The volume is tinny, even in an enclosed space; there is no wood, warmth, depth or body in the sound, just a feeble clang; and the bottom strings on this sucker are probably the worst I've ever played. Bass response is horrible, like playing a nylon string stretched on a wooden plank, and the trebles are a harsh squeal. I've played some acoustics I consider weak -- the Line 6 Variax, the Takamine Garth Brooks model -- but the Euphoria has them all beat for sonic ineptitude. I tried fingerstyle, strumming as well as single notes with plectrum, and the results are the same -- a papery, one-dimensional wheeze with absolutely no complexity or body. I'd be embarrassed even to play this at a campfire or at a friend's house.
Good, aesthetically pleasing. If you value looks and not sound, you might go for this guitar.
No acoustic guitar at any price has ever made me as disgusted as this one. Even a Martin Backpacker, arguably, has better tone than this. not to mention my old, stolen $230 AE-series Ibanez. Shame on Ibanez: The company has generally produced solid quality on its acoustic range, but this Vai signature model is a $999 guitar with the tone of an $80 junk-brand acoustic. And made in Korea, to boot. Korea's made some awfully nice guitars in the last couple of years; this ain't one of them.
Derek Mok rated this unit
on
2005-06-11.
