Review of the Ibanez Piccolo Guitar (Tenor Sized Steel String Guitalele)

Rakelele

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I came to realize that one thing which kept me from playing the Guitar is their sheer size. This is what steered me towards the Ukulele, but ocassionally, I'm still interested in the sound and possibilities of six strings.

There's a wide range of nylon string Guitaleles, but very little options with steel strings, so I was intrigued by the new Ibanez Piccolo Guitar. Mine is the Mahogany/Spruce limited edition (EWP15-LTD), but there's also an all Ovangkol (EWP14). Both models are fully laminated. They sell for less than $200 USD.

As is to be expected in this price range, there are a couple of minor flaws, like some rough spots in the finish. But overall, I think they are very nicely designed and well proportioned. Binding, purfling, cutaway, and abalone rosette - all are well executed. Even the fretboard is bound, which is pretty amazing at this price.

The Piccolo Guitar has the same scale length (17") and body dimensions as a Tenor Ukulele, so it should fit into most regular Tenor cases (the gigbag that comes with it is crap). Weighing about 850 gr, it's noticeably heavier than most Ukes, but not drastically. It feels solidly built, and it has to be, in order to stand the high tension of steel strings. This is definitely not just a toy, but a playable musical instrument.

Soundwise, it has the notorious sustain and sparkle of steel strings. Tuned to A, like a Guitar capoed at the fifth fret, it sounds sweet. Definitely less bass than a Guitar, though, and way softer. As someone mentioned elsewhere, the tone is reminiscent of a harpsichord. Not as warm and mellow as what we are used to hear from our Ukes.

Playing took a little longer to adapt to, as the tension is a lot higher than on an Ukulele, and the steel strings cut into the fingers. Moreover, the string spacing is much narrower, making a regular D chord (002220) almost impossible to fret cleanly.

This would be my only criticism: At such a short scale, the neck should be a little wider in order to make fretting easier. It's 42 mm now, like on an electric guitar, but 45 mm might be more playable.

Also, I came to aknowledge that intonation with steel strings at such a short scale is iffy. All strings on mine go sharp (some more than 20 cents), starting at the first fret. It's better when I use a capo, so the main problem might be high action at the nut. This could probably be improved with some work and knowledge, but it seems to be more of an issue with steel strings.

All in all, this instrument is a lot of fun, like a tiny Western Guitar that can be played snuggled up in a comfy chair. But it's probably not for everybody. Ukesters who want to make the transition to six strings are likely better off with a regular nylon string Guitalele. If you're serious about steel strings, then you might want to consider this, or have a look at the Pono Uku Li'i, which will be bigger (21" scale), but still much smaller than most other Guitars. I wish more companies would endeavour into smaller sizes.

Here's a picture of the Ibanez EWP15 surrounded by a regular Tenor Ukulele and the Islander GL6 Guitalele which has a supersized body and a Baritone scale.

Ibanez_Piccolo.jpg
 
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Very well done review Ranier. Your descriptions of the short comings of a 17" scale with 6steel strings are pretty much what I figured would be evident. I am sure a guitar player who is use to steel strings and higher tension could have some fun with this as a travel guitar. The idea of the smaller size is most appealing, it's what makes a uke so endearing
 
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Thank you! I have one on order.
 
So, who else has gotten one? And how is the intonation on yours? The two things mentioned in my review above have kept me from playing mine: intonation going sharp up the neck and the narrow nut. The latter can't be fixed, of course, but any suggestions about what could be done to improve intonation?
 
I didn't know you had one, Rainer, or maybe it slipped my mind. Yes, 42mm seems entirely too narrow for me. Now that I know what 44.45mm (1.75"-ish) is like, I have trouble imagining comfortably (or at all) playing on a 17" scale with a nut so narrow. I don't have large, sausage-y fingertips either, and I already feel that 44.45mm is as narrow as I can handle. Then again, a lot of acoustic guitars have narrower nuts (like all Taylors?), so maybe playing ukulele just made me a sloppy player! :)

Is there a technical reason why steel strings on a 17" are more likely to have intonation problems? Doesn't higher tension help intonation?

It's fairly annoying that one cannot just buy stringed instruments without either having to relay on shops that do setups, which severely limits where you can buy, or acquire the knowledge and tools to do it oneself. It would be like buying an electronic device, like a phone, computer or toaster, and having to solder stuff before it can be properly used. I don't know why it's so accepted with stringed instruments.
 
Intonation isn't too offensive, although the high nut could be cumbersome. It comes with D'Addario EJ10 tuned to A. I find intonation & tone acceptable. I don't take it to uke jams, I take an uke. Thus, I strung D'Addario EJ18 tuned to Eb, and capo'd at 1, eluding the nut issue. In this form, it's passable for playing with guitarists. EJ18 is heavy on a 25" scale, but it's tuned several frets lower on a 17" scale; consequently I surmise lower tension.
 
Hi, raqcoon! I use 09-46 strings (any makes) and it is good enough. 10-47 is better. I can not tune 5th and 6th strings with 09-42 strings.
 
What about installing 013/014 strings and tuning this in standard E instead (tension should be the same as the default tuning with 010 strings)?
 
I recently acquired the Ibanez piccolo as well so I'm curious to know if anyone has found an answer for E tuning on it yet, I'm actually debating trying flat wound 16-56 d'addario EFT13 resophonic's, any thoughts?
 
Thanks, I just put a new set of gibson med on it, they dont feel too bad at all, little spongy for my tastes maybe, I actually have some d'addario steel and silk lights to try next, maybe 3v3n tune it up to A#.. I've been having tuning issues though so I ordered a set of locking grover mini's and figured while I was at it I'd replace the plastic nut/saddle with tusq, I had a set of stainless steel bridge pins and even the wife could hear the difference between those and the original plastic ones... this little thing is quickly becoming one of my favorite instruments to noodle on, have any of you mic'd or found a good pick-up solution for it yet?
 
I am a total beginner and I would like to tune this piccolo in E. can you please tell me which exact strings do you use for E tuning? thank you ☺
 
Tuning the instrument to E is probably quite possible, but it will demand that you do some significant setup. Most involved may be intonation at the saddle.

I converted a 1/4 scale classical guitar to steel strings tuned to E. It has a 17.5" scale. The strings had to be compensated at the saddle about 1/8" longer than the stock saddle would allow. Which means I had to cut a slot for a wider saddle that would allow the breakover point to be shifted further back.

I used .013-.056 strings for E tuning. They seem to work fine, and intonate well with the modified saddle positioning. Such short scale and fat strings seems to exaggerate the effects of string tension/pitch, making tuning and playing more touchy than on a full scale instrument. So action at nut and saddle and compensation needs to be dialed in pretty well for my tastes. If nothing else, the nut slots likely need widening to accommodate the heavier strings.

It's not clear to me that heavier strings would adversely affect the piccolo structurally, since being tuned to E, they'll be at lower tension. I predict the tone will have more fundamental and less jangle associated with steel strings. This goes with short scale and tubby strings.

With my instrument being a classical guitar, the biggest concern I had was with the tension exerted on the pinless bridge, which I mitigated by using a separate tailpiece even though it's also held in place with two screws. The neck is 43mm at the nut, which works fine for me. Though it doesn't seem to have any kind of reinforcement/truss rod, I'm not too concerned as it's also pretty short.
 
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