The Ibanez Piccolo Guitar

Last Christmas' Santa was very kind to bring me an unusual present. To my big surprise I was given an Ibanez Piccolo guitar. I had no idea such an instrument even existed! At first I thought it was some kind of toy but once I got used to the very small scale of he neck, I was excited to find this was a real instrument. It did not take me very long to play bop lines on it. I don't think Ibanez made this baby guitar with the jazz musician in mind - it was probably designed as a grab-and-go open chord strummer - but that won't stop me of course. Chord melody playing is a bit of challenge on such a narrow neck but hey ... it IS possible. Single note is more comfortable though ...

By the way, the nut width is 42 mm. It's just that the scale is only 432 mm. It's basically a baritone Ukelele.

The guitar is perfect for travelling. Here's what the sales talk says: 

"Smaller scale instruments have increased in popularity over the past few years, because not only do students seem to be starting younger than ever, but also the easy-to-transport guitar has become recognized as an excellent companion for the weary traveler. From the on-the-go businessperson who needs a guitar that can fit in a plane’s overhead compartment, to the happy wanderer just looking to animate his sojourn with a song, the compact travel guitar can be an uplifting addition to any expedition."

The guitar's official model name is "EWP14OPN." It is a 1/3-size, steel string Piccolo acoustic guitar. Similar in scale to a Baritone ukulele (17”), the EWP14 sports a cutaway body. The top, back, and sides are made of ovangkol, a wood found in Western Africa, known for its beautiful figuring and rosewood-like tone. An Open Pore Natural finish allows the body to resonate more freely for improved tone and projection. Other features include an abalone rosette, rosewood fretboard, bridge and chrome die-cast tuners. To optimize string tension, intonation, and tone, the EWP14 is tuned in the key of A (A, D, G, C, E, A), up a fourth from standard tuning.

Here's a jazz standard on it, both comping and single string, as you can see. A duet with myself ...

O yeah, not unimportant, it's dirt cheap!!!!

SPECS

body shape Cutaway Tenor Style EW body

top Ovangkol top

back & sides Ovangkol back & sides

neck Mahogany

fretboard Rosewood

soundhole rosette Abalone

tuning machine Chrome Die-cast Tuner

bridge pins Plastic Bridge pin, black color

strings Coated Phosphor Bronze, Extra Light (.010 - .047 Gauge)

NECK DIMENSIONS

Scale : 432mm

a : Width 42mm at NUT

b : Width 50mm at 14F

c : Thickness 20mm at 1F

d : Thickness 21mm at 7F

Radius : 400mmR

BODY DIMENSIONS

a : Length 12"

b : Width 9 3/8"

c : Max Depth 2 3/4"