The EP9 is a Euphoria series acoustic/electric guitar model introduced by Ibanez in 2006. It is the flagship acoustic signature model for American guitarist Steve Vai. It replaced the EP7.
The EP9 features a thinline Florentine cutaway body shape with a solid Englemann spruce top with cross-bracing and solid mahogany back and sides with a low gloss finish. The soundhole is oval with a wooden rosette with Vai logos. It has a satin-finished mahogany neck with a 24-fret rosewood fingerboard with Tree of Life vine inlays. Components include an Ivorex II saddle in a rosewood bridge with Ibanez Advantage pins, an Ivorex II nut and satin gold Grover tuning machines with brown tortoiseshell buttons. Electronics consist of a Fishman Acoustic Matrix pickup connected to a Fishman Onboard Aura preamp with a 9V battery and ¼" endpin output.
The Fishman Onboard Aura preamp offers six sound profiles, each captured with a distinct microphone to offer amplified tones which mimic the EP9's unplugged voice. These profiles are: Beta 58A dynamic mic positioned close to the soundhole, a Neumann U47 large diaphragm condenser mic positioned far from the guitar, a Soundelux E-47 large diaphragm condenser mic positioned far, a DPA 4011 small diaphragm condenser mic positioned close, an SM58 dynamic mic positioned close and an SM57 dynamic mic positioned close. Each of these sound profiles can be blended with the standard pickup signal. The premap also includes an active 3-band EQ, an anti-feedback control and an onboard chromatic tuner.[1]
The EP9 was discontinued after 2010 and replaced by the EP10.
