Ibanez EWP12EWB-OPN Open Pore Natural Gitalele

Ibanez EWP12EWB-OPN Piccolo Guitalele — Travel-Friendly Steel-String Sound

The Ibanez EWP12EWB-OPN is a steel-stringed piccolo guitarlele in the EWP series, sized for players who want true guitar feel in a ukulele-friendly footprint. At a compact 17" / 432 mm scale, this model slips easily into carry-on luggage, while all-acacia body construction preserves warm, woody resonance. With a built-in Undersaddle pickup and AEQ2U preamp onboard, the instrument moves cleanly from home practice to plug-and-play café stages.

Standout Features for a Travel-Sized Instrument

Most compact guitars in this class rely on nylon strings or strip away on-board tone shaping. This instrument instead ships with steel strings at .010–.047 gauge, factory-tuned from A down to A across 19 frets, with a true onboard digital tuner integrated into the preamp panel. Ibanez Advantage bridge pins make string changes painless while keeping string-to-bridge coupling tight through the Purpleheart bridge.

Body Construction, Neck Profile and Onboard Electronics

Acacia across top, back, and sides gives the small body articulate resonance, while the Okoume neck and Purpleheart fingerboard hold intonation steady across the 400 mmR fingerboard radius. Plug-in amplification routes through the AEQ2U preamp with separate bass and treble knobs, a backlit tuner switch, and a quarter-inch endpin output jack.

• Top / Back / Sides: Acacia — full-acacia build keeps the compact body warm and articulate
• Scale & Neck: 432 mm scale, 42 mm nut, 19 frets, Okoume neck, Purpleheart fingerboard, 400 mmR radius — guitar-like ergonomics in a pocket-sized body
• Plug-and-play amplification runs straight through the Ibanez Undersaddle pickup paired with the AEQ2U preamp, with bass/treble EQ and an onboard digital tuner — no extra pedals needed for small-stage sets.
• Hardware: Chrome Die-cast tuners, Purpleheart bridge, Ibanez Advantage bridge pins, .010–.047 strings — road-ready tuning stability at the short scale
• Finish: Open Pore Polyurethane (Open Pore Natural) with Abalone soundhole rosette — light protective coat that lets the wood breathe

Who the EWP12EWB-OPN Suits

The EWP12EWB-OPN is the right choice for guitarists who need an instrument that travels light but still plays like a six-string. Buskers and small-venue performers tap the onboard pickup and two-band EQ for amplified sets without extra pedals, while bedroom and younger players find the 432 mm scale and 42 mm nut keep chord shapes familiar. Housed in the included gigbag, the 432 mm-scale body fits overhead luggage on most carriers.