After spending years of trial-and-error, Ibanez realized the out-of-the-box X-M Bracing to generate the ultimate sound standing out on the stage. The carefully designed scalloped X-bracing, the allocation of tone braces, and finger braces transmit the string vibration efficiently through the bridge to the body. The X-M Bracing creates the clear bottom and crispy treble sound with trimmed warm mid-range, yet provides a wide dynamic range and high response. Designed for projection, balance, and comfort, the AE's perfectly crafted contemporary body shape offers the best of all worlds. The newly designed AP11 pickup is small, lightweight, and positioned so it won’t inhibit the natural vibrations of the top wood. The pickup generates a highly responsive sound with minimal feedback and delivers a lively response throughout the entire frequency range. The sound is transparent and reflects the guitar’s natural acoustic tone while preserving presence and mid-range. The AP11 also works well with effects such as reverb, chorus, and many others. The guitar also features on-board treble and bass controls for contouring the tone, making the AE suitable for variety of applications for modern players. In order to achieve supreme playability, the neck was specially designed with Thin-C shape style comfort grip with fingerboard's rounded edge. The jumbo frets support easy fingering. The lightweight, scalloped Pau Ferro bridge improves vibration efficiency for better resonance, as well as providing more flexibility in adjusting the action than usual bridge. Pau Ferro fretboard produces a well-balanced tonal character from low to high end. The Nyatoh neck provides a rich mid-low end. The Okoume back and sides generate a woody, warm tone when the guitar is played softly or finger-picked and provide punchy high-mids with a clear projection when strummed. Advantage™ pins are easier to take out and easier to put in than standard pins. A special bulb-shaped end makes the pin easy to grip and also prevents the pin from being pushed in too far.