Today, we’ll be pitching two acoustic electric guitars against each other, Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE.
Just like we’ve said earlier, none of these guitars is bad, both are good. If you don’t have the patience to read through the whole article, you can check out the overview below. However, we advise you read the whole thing as it promises to be very informative.
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – Comparison Overview
We know that you are a very busy person, and as such, you might not have the time to go through this article with us. So, have a short concise version in the next three sections below:
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – Similarities
These two guitars, although made by different brands, come with a lot of similarities. These similarities include: Dreadnought cutaway design, spruce top, Mahogany neck wood, and of course, both are acoustic electric guitars.
The dreadnought cutaway design is great for reaching those really high notes on those lower frets.
Both of these guitars come with spruce top, although, the Fender Cd60ce comes with a laminated spruce top. The difference between these two types is pretty complex, the explanation is inside the article, in details.
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – Differences
The crux of the whole Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE argument is the unique features each of them possesses. But unlike would’ve been thought, they don’t have too many differences. However, the slight difference in features cause big differences between these products.
The major difference between these two is in the tonewood used in making them. The tonewood for the back and sides are different, the tonewood for the neck is also different. You can find what tonewood is used for what in the comparison table below.
This difference in tonewood makes Fender the better sounding guitar. However, with the fretboard of the Fender, you have to constantly condition, as opposed to the Ibanez that comes with a really good finish that only needs mild care.
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – Price To Performance Ratio
For the price to performance ratio, we prefer the Ibanez PF15ECE. Yes, the sound of the Fender is better than that of the Ibanez because of the better tonewood.
But putting into consideration that these are acoustic electric guitars, when they are connected to amplifiers, the sound produced isn’t dependent solely on the tonewood anymore.
Also, for just slightly better sound, the Fender is way more expensive than the Ibanez. However, if there are certain things you feel you cannot compromise, the Fender also produces great value for its price.
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – Brand Comparative Advantage
Both Ibanez and Fender are great brands when it comes to making guitars. Ibanez has been at the forefront of creating guitars with more than 6 strings, they even have a 12-string acoustic guitar.
On the other hand, Fender is known for creating some of the best electric guitars you can find anywhere on earth.
Because both these guitars are well respected in this space, it is hard to say one is better than the other. They’re pretty much on similar pedestals.
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – Comparison Table
Ibanez PF15ECE | Fender CD60CE | |
| Body type | Dreadnought Cutaway | Dreadnought Cutaway |
| Top wood | Spruce | Laminated Spruce top |
| Back and sides | Sapele | Laminated Nato |
| Fretboard | Nandu wood | Rosewood |
| Tuner | Yes | Yes |
| Neck wood | Mahogany | Mahogany |
| Guitar type | Acoustic electric guitar | Acoustic electric guitar |
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – What’s Situation Is Best For Both?
Ibanez PF15ECE | Fender CD60CE |
| If you’re looking for an entry-level guitar, but also something you can use well into your intermediate years, then you want this Ibanez guitar. As an entry-level guitar, it is really affordable. In a world of really expensive acoustic guitars, to get one that’s less than $300 is an absolute steal! Also, because it’s an acoustic electric, you would be able to use this to play gigs as you get better and start getting some. If they become not so good for playing gigs, they can be reduced to just practice guitars and still work as great. The build quality, like you would soon see, is really good for the price of this guitar, the electronics are not bad either. | This guitar is also an entry-level guitar that will work for you well into your intermediate years. The first reason why this guitar is really good is because of its price. There are not very many guitars in the same price range as this one that are acoustic electric guitars. Being an acoustic electric guitar, you can use this to play gigs as you get them, without any hassle. Also, as you get a lot better in your craft, you can a better guitar and keep using this one as your practice guitar. This means that this guitar would be of great value to you for a very long time to come. Electronics on the guitar are good. Although, you might need to check the amplifier you’re using to get the best sound. |
What Features Do The Ibanez PF15ECE And The Fender CD60CE Have In Common?
Both of these guitars are acoustic electric guitars.
They both have the Dreadnought cutaway design
They’re both made with Mahogany neckwood.
They both have European Spruce top as their tonewood.
While they have similar features, does features might have slight difference in execution or degree, which will be highlighted as we progress.
They’re Both Acoustic Electric Guitars
The first similarity between these two guitars is that they are both acoustic electric guitars. What this means is that they can be played either as electric guitars (where the sound played comes out through a pickup to an amplifier), or as an acoustic guitar (where the sound played comes out straight from the box).
This is a really good as it gives you versatility. For most people, amplifiers are quite expensive, and as a beginner, it might not be something you’re very interested in purchasing.
However, while box-guitars are great for playing on your own, they’re not very loud in a large group, which is where the electronics become very effective. With them, you can connect these guitars to an amplifier to get a much larger sound.
Both of these guitars, like every other electric acoustic guitar, use a pickup system to transmit the sound from the box to the amplifier. Aside the pickup system, these guitars also usually come with an electric tuner, and require batteries.
The battery types needed by these guitars were not listed in both of these guitars’ features. That information you would have to find out for yourself.
However, from prior knowledge, if you were to take an intelligent guess, we would say AA batteries. Most electric guitars use AA batteries (pinky-sized batteries) for their pickups.
These guitars also come with volume controls and sound tuners. These controls may defer slightly from guitar to guitar. However, the main idea remains constant for all the controls, volume, bass, treble, being the most frequently appearing controls and switches.
Check out the video below if you’re confused as to why acoustic electric guitars require batteries. In the same video, you’ll also find how to replace the batteries, and how to care for them generally. Packed full with information, if you ask us:
Body Type – Dreadnought Cutaway
Both the Ibanez Pf15ece and the Fender Cd60ce are dreadnought-cutaway guitars. As at the time when these guitar types originated, dreadnought referred to a large, big gun, battleship. The name was adopted for these guitars as they were regarded as big and large.
While this was great in 1916 when they were first originated, it’s hard to create an argument for its usefulness in the modern-day. However, it’s not to say that it doesn’t have any advantages, it does, but it also has some disadvantages, all of which we would look at.
The biggest advantage of the dreadnought over the dreadnought cutaway is that it produces an equal bass and treble response.
Because box guitars rely on the build to determine the sound, any alteration to the build affects the sound. With cutaway guitars, you have a lesser bass response, which, depending on the music you play, might be too bright.
On the other hand, the biggest advantage of this cutaway guitars is that you have a few more frets to play with, because of the extra hand-room created by the cut-out.
When they’re played as acoustic-electric guitars, an argument for the cutaway over the normal dreadnought is fully won. This is because, with electronics, the sound of the guitar can be altered to give you the sound you want, whether that be a higher bass response or lower bass response.
However, if you’re playing this as purely acoustic, just be aware that it will produce a more treble than a bass response. Although that can easily be altered with the electronics, once they’re connected to an amplifier.
Neck Wood – Mahogany
Mahogany has been used as an alternative to rosewood for a really long time, especially for the lower-end guitars. This is because Mahogany is more affordable than rosewood but still resonant, easy to work with, and attractive.
Mahogany is a hardwood so you wouldn’t need to worry about the durability of this material. The wood used in making the neck of the guitar determines, to a certain extent, the type of sound that would be produced by the guitar.
On the scale of warm to bright, Mahogany lies somewhere close to the lower end of the spectrum. In other words, Mahogany produces quite a bright sound. However, just like we’ve said earlier, even if you do not like bright sounds, you need not worry. Once you’re using this with electronics, you can alter the sound however you wish, whether to be brighter, or warmer.
Spruce Top
When it comes to tonewoods, the wood used in making the top of the guitar is usually considered with the biggest priority. This is because that is where the box is, which is where the sound comes out from.
This is not to say that the back, sides, and neck woods are not important. It is only to say that while those are important, the top wood is slightly more important.
Because of this importance, there is often a strong argument about the wood used for the top of the guitar, in relation to the sound it produces. The argument is always between spruce and cedar.
These two guitar tops are almost always pitched, one against another. However, with the Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE, there is no argument on this one, both are made with spruce tops.
Although, the Ibanez is made with solid spruce while Fender is made with laminated spruce.
Compared to cedar, spruce is the more original wood used in making acoustic guitar tops. Spruce top guitars produce really bright sounds. The sounds are clear, distinct, and individual.
This is as opposed to the cedar top that produces warmer, fuller, more mellow sounds. When looking at the top of the guitar you want to get for yourself, the biggest factor you want to consider is the type of music you want to play.
If you want to play a music type that appreciates the individuality of each note, rather than the fullness of the whole sound, then you absolutely want a spruce top.
Also, if you want to play a music type with bright and clear sounds, rather than mellow sounds, you want a spruce top. Examples of these music styles are rock and country music.
What Is Laminated Spruce?
Laminated wood, or pressed plywood, refers to thin processed wood in multiple layers that have been glued together for extra stability and strength.
The first thing people look at when getting a guitar is the tone. With that, laminated spruce is not such a great option. This is because solid wood produces a much better tone than laminated wood. This happens as a result of all the tone and sounds that are absorbed by the adhesive used to stick the layers of laminated wood together.
However, solid wood can be quite expensive and that’s why they are mainly used for the higher-end guitars. The look of both tops is slightly different as laminated woods can be made to take on various color variations and grain patterns, most of which are not as pleasing as the solid tops.
From that, we can see that if you want a better tone, you pick the solid top. Although, with the guitars we’re talking about today, the difference between the tones is not very noticeable. So, there is another thing you should look out for, durability.
Surprising, laminated wood is more durable than their solid counterparts. This is because solid guitars are more natural than the laminated guitar. Because of that, they are easily affected by slight changes in temperature and humidity. Rapid changes in either of these can cause the wood to crack or have its glue joints fail.
On the other hand, with laminated wood, you have overlapping layers and more complex construction. This construction makes a lot of studier and less likely to crack. This change in temperature and humidity is most times caused by traveling and changes in location. So, if you’re one that loves to travel with your guitar as a companion, you might want to look into that.
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – What’s Unique To Each Product?
Ibanez PF15ECE – Unique Features
This guitar is made with Sapele wood on its back and its sides.
For its fretboard, this guitar uses Nandu wood.
Sapele Back And Sides
Originating from west Africa, sapele is not a very popular choice for luthiers as a tonewood. Whenever it is mentioned, the explanation is usually “it’s quite similar to Mahogany”, which is true to an extent.
When it comes to tonewoods, Mahogany is the closest to Sapele in density, texture, and of course, tone produced. In fact, some manufacturers refer to certain types of Mahogany as “sapele mahogany”. However, there are slight difference between the two.
The main difference between Sapele and Mahogany is that Sapele has stronger treble sounds. Also, it has overtones that are more complex than the overtones of Mahogany. From this, you can already see that these two are very difficult to separate by features.
However, there is one place where sapele defeats Mahogany with quite a margin, and that’s in the Janka hardness of the two woods.
The normal Mahogany measures at 900 pounds, while sapele measures about 1410 pounds. The best still remains rosewood, though, with 2440 pounds.
So, to summarize, sapele is a slightly better version of Mahogany as it produces better treble sounds, and has an overall better hardness which contributes to the tone produced by the wood.
Nandu Fretboard
As a guitarist, your greatest concern about your guitar should be what the fretboard is made of. A lot of times people are so concerned about the tonewood used, the top used, and the other materials used, that they forget about the fretboard.
While it’s good to concern for those things, as they produce the sound of your guitar, it is important not to neglect the fretboard material.
This is because, the fretboard is the part of your guitar that you interact with the most, if it doesn’t feel right, you won’t enjoy playing the guitar.
Nandu is not a very popular wood for fretboards, which is due to the fact that it’s not the best you can find out there. In fact, Nandu is so unpopular that it’s hard to find reviews from people who have used their guitars.
Ibanez are one of the very few, possibly the only, manufacturers to use Nandu wood for the fretboard of their guitars.
This poses a big danger immediately. Because it’s so uncommon, any damage to this fretboard would be very hard to fix and might require you to give it back to the manufacturers themselves. This is sometimes stressful.
As for tone and sound produced by a Nandu fretboard, we couldn’t find a lot of information. Which means that they didn’t wow anybody to the point that they needed to be pointed out, neither were they so bad that they had to be called out, they are simply, “okay”.
Fender CD60CE – Unique Features
This guitar is made with Nato wood on its back and its sides.
For its fretboard, this guitar uses Rosewood.
Nato Wood Back And Sides
Just like sapele of the Ibanez guitar, the tonewood used in making the back and sides of this guitar is similar to Mahogany.
From this, we can notice a pattern. From the tonewoods in this price range, Mahogany is the most popular, making it a reference for other tone woods to follow.
Nato wood has very good density and has a mediumly coarse texture. However, this texture can easily be smoothened out as this wood reacts very well to finishing. The fact that it’s usually referred to as Mahogany tells you just how similar this wood is to Mahogany.
With that said, if you wanted to pick up either of these guitars because of the tonewood used, you would be left in a fix at this time. You would be left in a fix because sapele and nato have similar structural builds, tone and sound production, and general feel.
In the light of Ibanez Pf15ece Vs Fender Cd60ce, this one is a draw.
Rosewood Fretboard
This is probably one part that you can say that the Fender beats the Ibanez hands down. This guitar is blessed with a rosewood fretboard. In the spectrum of tonewoods, rosewood sits confidently at the top. By far is rosewood considered the best tonewood.
Because of that, it’s really great that this guitar comes with a rosewood fretboard. Just like we’ve mentioned in the earlier part of this article, the material used in making the fretboard of a guitar is really important.
Rosewood fretboards are the most common types of fretboards you would find. Because it’s a naturally oily wood, it creates a better fundamental tone.
The overtones that are not wanted are easily absorbed into the oily pores, leaving only the wanted beautiful tones.
Rosewood produces a warm and sweet tone. When compared to maple, we can see that rosewood creates a softened sound. With a rosewood fretboard, you can have a really bright guitar, with a slightly mellowed down sound.
This creates an overall balance between bright and mellow. However, whether you, personally, would like this, is down to your personal taste and the style of music you want to play.
It’s also good to note that you may prefer the sounds produced by different fretboards, for different music styles you want to play.
There’s a slight downside to rosewood fretboards, though. With rosewood fretboards, you would have to be clean and condition it quite regularly. There are many conditioners made specifically for guitars, which is one you would want to pick up alongside any guitar that has a rosewood fretboard.
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – Unique Pros
Why Some People Prefer The Ibanez PF15ECE More Than The Fender CD60CE
This guitar is made with Sapele back and sides. Sapele is a harder tonewood than Nato wood and produces better treble sounds which guitarists love.
Apart from the tonewood, another reason why a lot of people prefer this guitar over the Fender CD60Ce is that it is more affordable.
Why Some People Prefer The Fender CD60CE More Than The Ibanez PF15ECE
The fretboard is the most important part of any guitar because that’s the part the guitarist interacts with the most. This is why a lot of people prefer the Fender CD60CE to the PF15ECE. It comes with a rosewood fretboard.
A rosewood fretboard gives you the best quality fretboard for a ridiculously affordable price.
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – Unique Cons
Ibanez PF15ECE
- Nandu is not a very good wood for fretboards.
Fender CD60CE
- It is more expensive than the Ibanez PF15ECE.
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Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – Common Pros
Ibanez PF15ECE | Fender CD60CE | |
| Pricing | The first, and probably most important, factor that determines whether people buy a guitar or not, is its price. For the price range that this guitar belongs to, it serves absolute quality. Yes, it’s not the best guitar you’ll find out there, but it’s one of the best if you’re on a tight budget. As an added advantage, this guitar costs a lot less than the Fender guitar. | Although, this is more expensive than the Ibanez Pf15ece, it still sits pretty for its price. At the price it’s at, this guitar is absolute class. You can see that the price is higher because Fender didn’t want to compromise on any qualities, at all. You can tell from the materials used to make the guitar, especially the rosewood fretboard. |
| Spruce top | It produces a really bright sound. The sound is striking and because of that, can be likened to the sound of a bell. Although this is listed as a pro, it is only a pro based on preference as some people do not like the sound it produces. | The Fender Cd60ce also comes with a spruce top. Which produces the same pros as the Ibanez guitar. However, it is important to note that the sound produced by any acoustic guitar is not entirely determined by the top. Other facts like the build, fretboard wood, and body wood alter the sound. So, don’t be surprised if these two guitars don’t sound exactly the same. |
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – Common Cons
Ibanez PF15ECE | Fender CD60CE | |
| Body type | Being a dreadnought cutaway might be great with the electronics, but playing with the box, some of the bass sounds are lost. | This guitar also has a dreadnought cutaway body type, bearing the same consequences. |
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – General Feeling Amongst Users
Ibanez PF15ECE | Fender CD60CE |
| People who purchased this guitar are actually glad at how much quality they could for so little. In the modern day, instruments are getting really expensive. So, to get something that’s good enough for what you need but still affordable, is very satisfying. They also loved the striking sound produced by the spruce top in combination with the other woods used to make the guitar. The electronics on the guitar are pretty good and sound really nice if you have a good amplifier. | People who got this paid slightly more for this than they would’ve for the Ibanez, however, because of the fretboard material, they were satisfied with paying the extra bucks. The striking sound of the spruce top, met with the mellow sound of the rosewood fretboard, creates a beautiful balance and rhythm from this guitar. The electronics on the guitar are also really good, they’re from fender, what do you expect? |
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – Our Take
Ibanez PF15ECE | Fender CD60CE |
| Just like has been highlighted throughout this article, the Ibanez is a really good choice because of its price. Honestly, because the price is so ridiculous, it’s difficult to judge this guitar. Because, at the end of the day, you’re getting value for your money. | The fender produces even more quality but for a higher price. If you think that the price difference is not enough for the price disparity, then you should get the Ibanez. But if quality is something you cannot compromise, especially for your fretboard, then we suggest you get the Fender. |
Ibanez PF15ECE Vs Fender CD60CE – Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fender CD60 a good guitar?
The Fender CD60 is made with a top laminated wood soundboard and its back and sides are made with laminate mahogany. The sound of the Fender CD60 is just what you would expect from a guitar with laminated wood. It is just okay but not jaw-dropping.
The CD60 is quite easy to play. It is smooth and easy on the fingers and it is also easy to control the sound on this guitar. The guitar offers just the right value for money. It is just perfectly priced and best suited for beginners.
Is a Fender acoustic guitar good for beginners?
Fenders are not widely regarded as manufacturers of top-range acoustic guitars. However, they have made very good mid-range and entry-level acoustics. The Fender CD-60 All Mahogany and the Fender CF-60 are excellent acoustic guitars from Fender that cater to the needs of beginners.
The Fender CP-60S is another excellent acoustic guitar for beginners. It has a smaller size that favors finger-picking styles compared to all-out strumming. It has a warm tone and is relatively inexpensive.
All in all, there are some excellent acoustic guitars from Fender that are just perfect for beginners.
What type of guitar should a beginner buy?
As a beginner, one needs to start off by learning and mastering the basics of guitar playing. A guitar that allows you to do this will be most suitable for a beginner. That said, the style of music you are inclined to will also dictate the kind of guitar you should buy.
For instance, if you are into rock music, you might want to go for electric guitars. However, in general, acoustic guitars offer the best value to beginners. They sound more natural and allow you to hear your mistakes accurately. Generally, if you master the acoustic guitar, the electric and classical guitars will be easier to learn.
Are cheap guitars worth buying?
When you’re just getting started with learning how to play the guitar, there is always a temptation to purchase a cheap guitar. However, you must be careful. If you buy a ridiculously cheap guitar with low-quality this will adversely affect your guitar playing skills. Instead, you should save up some more and get guitars that aren’t expensive but provide good value for money. Guitars in the $200-$300 range offer you some of the best affordable guitars. You could get a good piece from Epiphone or Yamaha at that price range.
Another trap beginners often fall into is judging the quality of a guitar-based on its price alone. As much as you shouldn’t go cheap, don’t try to spend too much. There are inexpensive pieces that will suit your needs perfectly, especially if you are a beginner.
Why are Martin guitars so hard to play?
Martin Guitars have a reputation of being difficult to play, but this can be quite misleading if not properly understood. The major reason for this perception is that Martins are designed with high action. This makes playing the strings somewhat challenging but it produces a beautiful tone. With Martin guitars, playing their strings requires a lot of effort, the reward of which is excellent music. Nevertheless, the set up of Martin guitars can be adjusted to suit the players needs.
What are the 3 types of guitars?
The three types of guitars are Classical, Acoustic and Electric. Classical guitars usually have nylon strings while most acoustic and all-electric guitars come with steel strings. The acoustic guitar is the largest of the three types.
These three types of guitars all have practically the same parts. However, they produce slightly different types of sounds. The classical guitar’s soft sound is more in tune with more traditional music. Acoustic guitars allow for more modern music play. While electric guitars are very versatile but are more commonly associated with rock music.