# Ibanez AZ Series



## Lasik124 (Jan 27, 2018)

So as I imagine most of you have seen, Ibanez has a new lineup of guitars coming out soon. I know these have been briefly discussed in other threads, but thought it'd be cool to get a thread going just for it.

So, whats everyone's thoughts on these Suhrbanez's? Has anyone played one yet?

At first the little bit of the copycat rubbed me the wrong way, but they have grown on me. I'd love to put it against my Suhr to see how they stack up 

Here are a couple to look at for those who haven't seen them.


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## mystix (Jan 27, 2018)

I played one at namm. One of the prestige models. Nice but the neck was beefier than I was expecting if I were going to pay that kind of coin, I would get a used suhr


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## Leviathus (Jan 27, 2018)

I want the blue jawn.


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## -JeKo- (Jan 28, 2018)

mystix said:


> I played one at namm. One of the prestige models. Nice but the neck was beefier than I was expecting if I were going to pay that kind of coin, I would get a used suhr



Can you describe the actual profile? C? D?


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## Tonal_Blasphemy (Jan 28, 2018)

I hear it's a C at the bottom then transitions into a D in the upper registers for faster noodling. The prestige also have a much darker roast on the necks. There are a ton of tonal possibilities but like Mystix said, people could grab a used Suhr at this price point. Would have to play one to know for sure.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 28, 2018)

mystix said:


> I played one at namm. One of the prestige models. Nice but the neck was beefier than I was expecting if I were going to pay that kind of coin, I would get a used suhr



Would you get the Suhr because the Ibanez wasn't well made or because you prefer Suhr as a preference?


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## mystix (Jan 28, 2018)

-JeKo- said:


> Can you describe the actual profile? C? D?



More C to me but had some girth to it


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## mystix (Jan 28, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Would you get the Suhr because the Ibanez wasn't well made or because you prefer Suhr as a preference?



I am sure that the AZ was made well but I prefer suhr out of preference especially for that kind of coin.


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## couverdure (Jan 29, 2018)

I never really cared for Suhr so I don't quite understand the comparisons. I'm glad the AZ exists because I've always wanted an Ibanez that's like an RG but less "metal" looking since I don't see myself as a metal kind of person, even though I enjoy playing it.

Everyone seems to be too picky over specs and prices ("I want this neck wood's shade to be this! It should be $800 MIJ 27" 7-string!", etc.) but I'm very content with the way it's turning out since it's what I'm expecting from Ibanez and I have no doubts that this would be a seller, whether it be the Premium or Prestige ones.


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## Snarpaasi (Jan 29, 2018)

Great to hear the neck profile is a bit beefier than the usual 2mm whatever wizard neck. This might be a shock for most Ibanez fans though. They look great combining conservative and modern but the headstock would have needed an extra thought imo.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

All things are relative. A 20.5mm to 22.5mm neck isn't exactly a baseball bat, and shape plays a large role in how thick a neck actually feels. 

That range is pretty similar to most ESP necks, minus the "Ultra Thin" models. 

It also falls around Suhr's "Slim" and "Modern 2" which are definitely on the slighter end of thier offerings which consider a "medium" neck to be closer to 21.3mm and 23.6mm.


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## possumkiller (Jan 29, 2018)

I like the looks of it. The worst thing is the pickguard on the 22 fret version. Looks like someone put the front of an SG pickguard with the back of a strat pickguard. Or like the very first PRS SE model pickguard which looks nice on the PRS but horrible on a super strat. The pearloid is also a nasty choice. Pearloid pickguards are like putting all that stick-on chrome trim all over your ex-police Ford Crown Vic. It just screams "I've got plastic pink flamingos at the entrance to my front yard full of car parts.

Make the pickguard strat shaped and a decent color like white, black, mint green or just get rid of it altogether.


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## Millul (Jan 29, 2018)

A roasted maple prestige neck with that thickness and shape sounds exactly like something I'd love to play! Looking forward to trying them out!


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## Zado (Jan 29, 2018)

The strat looks very bad imho, but the sunburst one is lovely. Do they make a 22 frets version as well?


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

Zado said:


> The strat looks very bad imho, but the sunburst one is lovely. Do they make a 22 frets version as well?



The only 22 fret non-pickguard model is the Tom Quayle sig.


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## Zado (Jan 29, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> The only 22 fret non-pickguard model is the Tom Quayle sig.


Which looks truly beautiful. A lil on the expensive side tho.


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## Cheap (Jan 29, 2018)

did anyone else compare the indo to japan-ness and come to the conclusion that there's a ton of great stuff coming out of both factories? for this model i'd definitely wait for a cool (*read 'less cheap looking') color premium and jump on it. same electronics, and almost the same feel for a lot less. they did a great job with the range, but i feel like they're priced a little high for the prestige. 

will have to check back in once they're on the market in stores to see if it's the usual crappy indo story and the namm guitars were just well taken care of as i'm assuming they might be


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## Leviathus (Jan 29, 2018)

Can anyone explain what "power tap" is in regard to the switching on the HH models?


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

Leviathus said:


> Can anyone explain what "power tap" is in regard to the switching on the HH models?



Some kind of series/parallel switch that supposedly mimics single coils better.


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## Sephiroth952 (Jan 29, 2018)

Leviathus said:


> Can anyone explain what "power tap" is in regard to the switching on the HH models?



I believe I saw it explained as one coil being tapped with the other staying at full power.


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## eightsixboy (Jan 31, 2018)

mystix said:


> I played one at namm. One of the prestige models. Nice but the neck was beefier than I was expecting if I were going to pay that kind of coin, I would get a used suhr



Specs wise they look like the Andy Timmons neck, if they are then its basically a fatter strat neck with a C profile.

These things are crazy expensive over here in OZ. Over 2k for the indo models and the prestige's look like being around 3k. I hope the quality is on par with a J Custom because the price sure is.

The pickguard ruins those versions imo and the satin finish is also a no no in my book, which is a shame because the Prestige versions look nice, so for me anyways, the only ones I'd consider would be the 24 fret yellow burst one, depending on the quality of the premiums etc.


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## AkiraSpectrum (Mar 15, 2018)

I played one of the Premium models (HH) at a local shop the other day; it was pretty good overall. I didn't have enough time to plug it in though unfortunately as I was running late for work. A few things of note:

#1 Neck profile much thicker than I expected. 
#2 The neck is more round (C shape) at the headstock and gradually seems to flatten out (D shape) as you move up the neck.
#3 Bridge was very comfortable
#4 overall build quality was quite good, but it wasn't the best build on a Premium that I've played. I've played 2 Premium models (both S models actually) which I thought were a little better built; however, it was built better than most Premium models I've played.


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 17, 2018)

I wish the roadcores had taken off like the AZs seem to be. The Roadcores had better pups (imo, I am not a fan of duncans) and being that I actually owned one of the MIJ RCs (later sold it because of tuning stability issues), I was a major fan of them, especially because they were something NEW. I like the AZs; I want them to succeed (and they seem to be getting a LOT of attention) but I just feel bad that the RCs didn't have the same success


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 17, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> I wish the roadcores had taken off like the AZs seem to be. The Roadcores had better pups (imo, I am not a fan of duncans) and being that I actually owned one of the MIJ RCs (later sold it because of tuning stability issues), I was a major fan of them, especially because they were something NEW. I like the AZs; I want them to succeed (and they seem to be getting a LOT of attention) but I just feel bad that the RCs didn't have the same success



I feel the same way about the FR.


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 17, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I feel the same way about the FR.



I wanted an FR before the RCs came out. The FRs are some sweet looking guitars.


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 17, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> I wanted an FR before the RCs came out. The FRs are some sweet looking guitars.



The Prestige ones were fucking awesome!


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 17, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> The Prestige ones were fucking awesome!



I always wanted to try one but I could never find one locally, or even in Tokyo for that matter. Sucked because i probably woulda bought a prestige one back in the day.


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## MaxOfMetal (Mar 17, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> I always wanted to try one but I could never find one locally, or even in Tokyo for that matter. Sucked because i probably woulda bought a prestige one back in the day.



They did pretty decent in Europe apparently. Just about all those I've seen for sale have been there.


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 17, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> They did pretty decent in Europe apparently. Just about all those I've seen for sale have been there.



I've seen a couple pop up here now and again, but i either live too far away to try it or I dont have the time to go out of my way to try one. Every goddamn time


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## AkiraSpectrum (Mar 17, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> I wish the roadcores had taken off like the AZs seem to be. The Roadcores had better pups (imo, I am not a fan of duncans) and being that I actually owned one of the MIJ RCs (later sold it because of tuning stability issues), I was a major fan of them, especially because they were something NEW. I like the AZs; I want them to succeed (and they seem to be getting a LOT of attention) but I just feel bad that the RCs didn't have the same success



Yeah those RC's are pretty cool. I also like the FR's as well.

I think I saw you say in another thread that you didn't like Duncan's but liked the Pegasus/Sentient set. A Duncan rep told me the Duncan Hyperion pickups were designed by MJ to be very close to a Pegasus/Sentient set; unfortunately I didn't have enough time to plug in to see how they sounded though.


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 17, 2018)

AkiraSpectrum said:


> Yeah those RC's are pretty cool. I also like the FR's as well.
> 
> I think I saw you say in another thread that you didn't like Duncan's but liked the Pegasus/Sentient set. A Duncan rep told me the Duncan Hyperion pickups were designed by MJ to be very close to a Pegasus/Sentient set; unfortunately I didn't have enough time to plug in to see how they sounded though.



Oh really? Then I might actually like the hyperions. I still kinda regret selling my E-II with the Sentient in the neck. Now if I want one I gotta buy another one  I might just do that though, because I'd like to hear how they sound in my 550.


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## Avedas (Mar 19, 2018)

I really wanna try one of the HH models now.


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## goobaba (Mar 19, 2018)

I am very stoked to try one of these, as I have been since I first saw them on the Polyphia Instagram a while back.

I've really wanted a "do it all" guitar that doesn't look or sound out of place in any context and I think these fit the bill nicely. On the downside, pricing is high but not outrageous and availability is nonexistent at the moment.

And I get the "oh these are just Suhr ripoffs" argument but I think that's stupid because both are really just another super-strat which is nothing new.


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## eightsixboy (Mar 19, 2018)

AkiraSpectrum said:


> I played one of the Premium models (HH) at a local shop the other day; it was pretty good overall. I didn't have enough time to plug it in though unfortunately as I was running late for work. A few things of note:
> 
> #1 Neck profile much thicker than I expected.
> #2 The neck is more round (C shape) at the headstock and gradually seems to flatten out (D shape) as you move up the neck.
> ...



I came to the exact same conclusion as yourself.

I actually thought I'd love the neck but they almost went to fat, I was expecting more like a slightly bigger wizard III but they went full Gibson or like a really fat Strat neck. Most of the Strat's I've played lately have had thinner necks then the AZ. 

The Prestige's now seem somewhat available but they retail for 3999 over here, so still over 3k at street price. That's a lot of money for a non J Custom imo.


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## AkiraSpectrum (Mar 19, 2018)

eightsixboy said:


> I came to the exact same conclusion as yourself.
> 
> I actually thought I'd love the neck but they almost went to fat, I was expecting more like a slightly bigger wizard III but they went full Gibson or like a really fat Strat neck. Most of the Strat's I've played lately have had thinner necks then the AZ.
> 
> The Prestige's now seem somewhat available but they retail for 3999 over here, so still over 3k at street price. That's a lot of money for a non J Custom imo.



I too was expecting a similar neck as yourself. Definitely has more of that vintage fat strat neck feel. 

I haven't played any Prestige AZ's. While the Premium's are roughly $1700 CDN, the Prestiges are quite a bit more (between $2500 and $3100). And yes, the top range Prestige does come pretty close to your typical J Custom price ($3500). I'm not too up on Ibanez pricing in terms of Prestige vs. J Custom over the years, nor am I overly familiar with quality differences between the two so I can't comment on pricing at this level. 

I'd like to spend some more time with the AZ series though to see if I could get more used to the neck. I found the thickness wasn't that big of a deal as you moved up the neck, but the thickness near the nut was a little much for me (at least upon first impressions).


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## Mad-Max (Mar 19, 2018)

Kind of frustrating that they wouldn't make the HSS model with 24 frets.


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## Avedas (Mar 19, 2018)

eightsixboy said:


> The Prestige's now seem somewhat available but they retail for 3999 over here, so still over 3k at street price. That's a lot of money for a non J Custom imo.





AkiraSpectrum said:


> I too was expecting a similar neck as yourself. Definitely has more of that vintage fat strat neck feel.
> 
> I haven't played any Prestige AZ's. While the Premium's are roughly $1700 CDN, the Prestiges are quite a bit more (between $2500 and $3100). And yes, the top range Prestige does come pretty close to your typical J Custom price ($3500). I'm not too up on Ibanez pricing in terms of Prestige vs. J Custom over the years, nor am I overly familiar with quality differences between the two so I can't comment on pricing at this level.
> 
> I'd like to spend some more time with the AZ series though to see if I could get more used to the neck. I found the thickness wasn't that big of a deal as you moved up the neck, but the thickness near the nut was a little much for me (at least upon first impressions).


AZ2402 is retailing for 200k JPY. That's well into j.custom price ranges. I see some brand new RG j.customs listed at 178k. Might be hard to ever justify this one, but I'll have to try it out at least.


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 19, 2018)

Avedas said:


> AZ2402 is retailing for 200k JPY. That's well into j.custom price ranges. I see some brand new RG j.customs listed at 178k. Might be hard to ever justify this one, but I'll have to try it out at least.



Not well into JC range, that's the low end of outlet-gotta-sell-now JCs. Average JCs new run around 260,000, with some outliers in the 240,000 range.


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## Unslaved (Mar 20, 2018)

That blue one on the bottom looks really nice actually. The roasted board look....id have to see in person but its not a deal breaker at least until I do play one.


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## groverj3 (Mar 20, 2018)

Surprisingly, I like these. I'd only go for the 24 fret one though.


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 24, 2018)

So I went and tried one of the Indo AZ's today at shimamura. I played the one on the left because it has two humbuckers and I'm not a fan of single coils in the neck. 

As for playability, this thing was ROCK solid, and sounded incredible. Ibanez got SD to make some REALLY nice pups in the Hyperions. The neck is thick, but I actually like it more than the roadcore because the RCs had lacquer finished necks and these are natural/satin. The top was beautiful in person and I really dug everything about it in the overall.

HOWEVER, the problems of the Indonesian Ibbies were ALL over this thing: 

Bad fret finishing (almost all the frets on the high E side were rough and sticking out, not cool if you want to do fast runs, and the low E side had fret finish problems near the neck joint).
Tool scratches along the side of the fingerboard, especially bad on the low E side from around fret 19 or 20 all the way to the 24th. 
The luminlay side inlays, on the frets that had 2 dots (i.e. 12th and 24th) were completely uneven, especially the 24th fret inlay where one was lined up nice, but the other was WAY lower; it looked odd as fuck.

For 150,000 yen, that is some BULLSHIT. If this was a 50-70k yen guitar well I can understand but NOT at this cost. It soured the whole thing for me especially since the thing played so great and sounded so good.


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## Wolfos (Mar 24, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> So I went and tried one of the Indo AZ's today at shimamura. I played the one on the left because it has two humbuckers and I'm not a fan of single coils in the neck.
> 
> As for playability, this thing was ROCK solid, and sounded incredible. Ibanez got SD to make some REALLY nice pups in the Hyperions. The neck is thick, but I actually like it more than the roadcore because the RCs had lacquer finished necks and these are natural/satin. The top was beautiful in person and I really dug everything about it in the overall.
> 
> ...



I also played the premium model that goes for roughly $1600 CAD or $3 US and was less than pleased. Lots of shoddy workmanship as stated above. Most things don't bug me on a guitar but fretwork and necks do matter to me. I didn't enjoy it especially for a price I can get a used Prestige for, or a USA made music man cutlass, or USA fender etc.

I can think of a bunch of guitars for less money that were quite a bit better. Even the Godin strat style guitars were much better feeling and playing without any appearant QC issues and they were half the price.

Sorry rant over, I'm sure the prestige version is wonderful for 2x the price.


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 24, 2018)

Wolfos said:


> I also played the premium model that goes for roughly $1600 CAD or $3 US and was less than pleased. Lots of shoddy workmanship as stated above. Most things don't bug me on a guitar but fretwork and necks do matter to me. I didn't enjoy it especially for a price I can get a used Prestige for, or a USA made music man cutlass, or USA fender etc.
> 
> I can think of a bunch of guitars for less money that were quite a bit better. Even the Godin strat style guitars were much better feeling and playing without any appearant QC issues and they were half the price.
> 
> Sorry rant over, I'm sure the prestige version is wonderful for 2x the price.



Yeah I'm like you, most things don't really bother me all that much, I even have a nice neck pocket crack on my RG750VP but the thing plays and sounds amazingly so I just ignore that. I know that Indo Ibbies tend to have lots of problems, but I wanted to give this one a fair shake because it's not fair to Ibanez or anyone to judge things before I try them myself.

It's sad too, because this was a REALLY nice guitar. I'm not even into 2-point vintagey trems like this but the tone was just spot on. Those QC issues just bothered the heck out of me. 

You know what was worse though? I actually liked the RGDIX6FF (fan fret Iron label RGD) more than the AZ and that had fret buzz on the 8th fret high e string due to shoddy fret crowning. Maybe I was expecting too much from a 150,000 yen guitar? I have no clue, but the RGD was 20,000 yen less and didn't have nearly the problems of the AZ (although it DID have some tool marks on the fingerboard near the higher frets, though not nearly as noticeable as the AZ had)


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## Wolfos (Mar 24, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> Yeah I'm like you, most things don't really bother me all that much, I even have a nice neck pocket crack on my RG750VP but the thing plays and sounds amazingly so I just ignore that. I know that Indo Ibbies tend to have lots of problems, but I wanted to give this one a fair shake because it's not fair to Ibanez or anyone to judge things before I try them myself.
> 
> It's sad too, because this was a REALLY nice guitar. I'm not even into 2-point vintagey trems like this but the tone was just spot on. Those QC issues just bothered the heck out of me.
> 
> You know what was worse though? I actually liked the RGDIX6FF (fan fret Iron label RGD) more than the AZ and that had fret buzz on the 8th fret high e string due to shoddy fret crowning. Maybe I was expecting too much from a 150,000 yen guitar? I have no clue, but the RGD was 20,000 yen less and didn't have nearly the problems of the AZ (although it DID have some tool marks on the fingerboard near the higher frets, though not nearly as noticeable as the AZ had)



What makes me sad is it seems that the industry has changed. These big name companies became popular because of quality and customers enjoying their product. Now these bigger companies, known for having wonderful products that made them who they are today, have built these tiers of quality each with its own price bracket. I know it wouldn't be as financially profitable but in the same general ballpark, these companies should get rid of their poor quality 'brands' and instead have a solid product and have their price spectrum reflect the options given to the guitar. Cheapest model would have minimal finish options (black or white) hard tail bridge 2 standard humbucker etc everything else should be offered at an increased price. 

That way regardless of what the customers recieves they will be getting a solid product.


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 24, 2018)

Wolfos said:


> What makes me sad is it seems that the industry has changed. These big name companies became popular because of quality and customers enjoying their product. Now these bigger companies, known for having wonderful products that made them who they are today, have built these tiers of quality each with its own price bracket. I know it wouldn't be as financially profitable but in the same general ballpark, these companies should get rid of their poor quality 'brands' and instead have a solid product and have their price spectrum reflect the options given to the guitar. Cheapest model would have minimal finish options (black or white) hard tail bridge 2 standard humbucker etc everything else should be offered at an increased price.
> 
> That way regardless of what the customers recieves they will be getting a solid product.



I agree. This is why the return of the 550s and the MIJ Roadcores gave me boners: 100,000 yen for high quality MIJ guitars, in times when the MIJ stuff is going upwards of 200,000 yen in a lot of cases. It's also why the used market, especially for old Ibbies, is still so strong. I have to admit though, the 550s coming back was probably the BEST thing Ibanez ever did; finally acknowledging their history and pricing them at the most competitive prices they've almost ever had for MIJ stuff.


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## JoeyBTL (Mar 24, 2018)

I have really high hopes for the AZ series. Its unfortunate that some of the Premium issues are on par with typical Premiums, especially for the price range but my fingers are crossed for the Prestige level. Its not like they need to be because the Prestige has a great reputation and standards but this is getting compared all over to Suhr and Tom Anderson, rightfully so, and it may not be good for them if it doesn't live up to some of the hype. Either way I'm excited to get mine. The first containers keep getting pushed back and it looks like its going to be around the first week of April at this point but I'll be sure to post a NGD when my 2402 arrives and give my opinions.


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 24, 2018)

JoeyBTL said:


> I have really high hopes for the AZ series. Its unfortunate that some of the Premium issues are on par with typical Premiums, especially for the price range but my fingers are crossed for the Prestige level. Its not like they need to be because the Prestige has a great reputation and standards but this is getting compared all over to Suhr and Tom Anderson, rightfully so, and it may not be good for them if it doesn't live up to some of the hype. Either way I'm excited to get mine. The first containers keep getting pushed back and it looks like its going to be around the first week of April at this point but I'll be sure to post a NGD when my 2402 arrives and give my opinions.



I hope so, I wanted to play an MIJ but they haven't been released here yet, at least locally, which is sad. If I had played an MIJ, i'd probably not be so disappointed.


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## Mad-Max (Mar 24, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> So I went and tried one of the Indo AZ's today at shimamura. I played the one on the left because it has two humbuckers and I'm not a fan of single coils in the neck.
> 
> As for playability, this thing was ROCK solid, and sounded incredible. Ibanez got SD to make some REALLY nice pups in the Hyperions. The neck is thick, but I actually like it more than the roadcore because the RCs had lacquer finished necks and these are natural/satin. The top was beautiful in person and I really dug everything about it in the overall.
> 
> ...


Here I was considering on maybe getting one of these as my next guitar. What a crying shame.


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 24, 2018)

I probably shoulda gotten a pic of those inlays because even a total idiot to guitar would notice them because it was just SO obvious. I didn't check exactly, but I don't think any of the inlays were in a straight line either (i could be mistaken as I way paying more attention to the obvious things).

Also, something I completely forgot to mention but recalled just a bit ago:

The nut was sticking WAY out of the neck, especially on the low E side. It was sticking out a little bit even on the high e side, but it was atrocious how much of the nut was left sticking out of the neck on the low e side. COMPLETELY unprofessional job there.


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## JoeyBTL (Mar 24, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> I hope so, I wanted to play an MIJ but they haven't been released here yet, at least locally, which is sad. If I had played an MIJ, i'd probably not be so disappointed.



Yea that is pretty surprising at this point. My idea is that they have just been trying to NOT rush the first batch of MIJ guitars, maybe? It seems like its in their best interest to make the first ones count. I wouldn't mind trying the Premium, but only for feel mainly because I have a Premium RG and know not to set my expectations too high already on that level.


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 24, 2018)

JoeyBTL said:


> Yea that is pretty surprising at this point. My idea is that they have just been trying to NOT rush the first batch of MIJ guitars, maybe? It seems like its in their best interest to make the first ones count. I wouldn't mind trying the Premium, but only for feel mainly because I have a Premium RG and know not to set my expectations too high already on that level.



Well Ikebe probably has them, but Ikebe is in Tokyo and Osaka and I live in neither of those places... Nagoya, even though it's the home of Hoshino gakki, is REALLY light on Ibanez stuff, which makes no goddamn sense to me...


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## Avedas (Mar 25, 2018)

JoeyBTL said:


> Yea that is pretty surprising at this point. My idea is that they have just been trying to NOT rush the first batch of MIJ guitars, maybe? It seems like its in their best interest to make the first ones count. I wouldn't mind trying the Premium, but only for feel mainly because I have a Premium RG and know not to set my expectations too high already on that level.


The MIJ line is out here already.


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 25, 2018)

Avedas said:


> The MIJ line is out here already.



Yeah I figured Tokyo would have em. Nagoya is slow to EVERYTHING.


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## Bloody_Inferno (Mar 26, 2018)

Odd. I played one of the premium HSS models a few weeks back and the guitar was immaculate. Certainly better than some of the other Premium RGs I've tried. In comparison, the same store had an MIJ EII Tele 7 that was just horribly set up from the factory, as well as sounding like a dead plank. The AZ smoked it by comparison. 

I guess it's like that with everything, where you hope you don't get a lemon. I just got lucky with that model.


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## eightsixboy (Mar 26, 2018)

for the


MatiasTolkki said:


> So I went and tried one of the Indo AZ's today at shimamura. I played the one on the left because it has two humbuckers and I'm not a fan of single coils in the neck.
> 
> As for playability, this thing was ROCK solid, and sounded incredible. Ibanez got SD to make some REALLY nice pups in the Hyperions. The neck is thick, but I actually like it more than the roadcore because the RCs had lacquer finished necks and these are natural/satin. The top was beautiful in person and I really dug everything about it in the overall.
> 
> ...



The store I go to has the same models, must be the first batch they completed or something.

The ones there also had the same issues as you mention. Nothing has changed on the Premiums unfortunately. These sell for over 2k over here as well, which is crazy when I just got my DY RG550 for $700 less.

Also surprising that these are only veneers as well, on a guitar at that price point its pretty bad imo. Really besides having SS frets these offer nothing special. Even then the cost or value of having SS frets is way over exaggerated. I refretted my RG520 with SS and cost me less then $50 in materials, wasn't even much harder to do then normal fretwire, maybe an extra hour to get the fret ends nice. If people are keen on the AZ's but don't want to spend the extra $$$ for the Prestige they should look at the Fujigen stuff, basically AZ series and from the same factory anyway at half the price.


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## MatiasTolkki (Mar 26, 2018)

eightsixboy said:


> for the
> 
> The store I go to has the same models, must be the first batch they completed or something.
> 
> ...



Yeah exactly. Hell, I've been to the Fujigen custom shop in Ikebukuro before; they have some NIIIIIIIIICE stuff there. I was almost tempted to order a semi-custom Fujigen before, because you can get a strat for like 100,000 yen (140,000 on the high end) for a good solid workhorse with a wilkie (VS100) or vintage trem.


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## AkiraSpectrum (Apr 5, 2018)

Just played another Premium AZ series which had what felt like a COMPLETELY different neck carve and thickness. Same model, same finish, neck was much more what I was expecting. The first AZ I tried had a very thick/chunky neck, especially near the nut, however, this one had a 'regular/average' thickness. 

After playing this second Premium AZ I must say I very quickly became a fan; whereas the first AZ I tried with a thick/chunky neck I couldn't quite get along with. 

Is it normal to have such a large difference in neck thickness like this on the same model?


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## diagrammatiks (Apr 5, 2018)

AkiraSpectrum said:


> Just played another Premium AZ series which had what felt like a COMPLETELY different neck carve and thickness. Same model, same finish, neck was much more what I was expecting. The first AZ I tried had a very thick/chunky neck, especially near the nut, however, this one had a 'regular/average' thickness.
> 
> After playing this second Premium AZ I must say I very quickly became a fan; whereas the first AZ I tried with a thick/chunky neck I couldn't quite get along with.
> 
> Is it normal to have such a large difference in neck thickness like this on the same model?



premiums amirite


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## Jonathan20022 (Apr 6, 2018)

I don't understand why people are surprised, it's still the same people building this stuff. You're getting nice features and aesthetics for a half assed overall build. I get wanting to have hope, but the Premium line has been consistently garbage since inception. And I had two excellent ones, but a high failure rate doesn't make up for that.

The Miller and Quayle sigs felt great at NAMM, but once more at that price there are other options that have a consistent history.


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## eightsixboy (Apr 6, 2018)

AkiraSpectrum said:


> Just played another Premium AZ series which had what felt like a COMPLETELY different neck carve and thickness. Same model, same finish, neck was much more what I was expecting. The first AZ I tried had a very thick/chunky neck, especially near the nut, however, this one had a 'regular/average' thickness.
> 
> After playing this second Premium AZ I must say I very quickly became a fan; whereas the first AZ I tried with a thick/chunky neck I couldn't quite get along with.
> 
> Is it normal to have such a large difference in neck thickness like this on the same model?



In indo guitars it is yes. Prestige's have changed but not from the same model in the same year. Super wizard shape changed from 2016 to 2017/2018 for example.

I have a 2012ish RG870 and had a RG920 of the same year I think, both have different neck carves, the 870 a lot fatter and more c shaped.



Jonathan20022 said:


> I don't understand why people are surprised, it's still the same people building this stuff. You're getting nice features and aesthetics for a half assed overall build. I get wanting to have hope, but the Premium line has been consistently garbage since inception. And I had two excellent ones, but a high failure rate doesn't make up for that.
> 
> The Miller and Quayle sigs felt great at NAMM, but once more at that price there are other options that have a consistent history.



Except the Miller and Quayle sigs are Prestige so won't have to worry about issues with them. But what you are saying is 100% spot on anyway.

Store local to me got another Premium AZ that I tired over the weekend and that had fret buzz like you wouldn't believe, 14th fret upwards as well so truss rod adjustment wouldn't even help, not to mention obvious flaws in the finish near the pickups, the finish was that yellow burst one, they somehow managed to get a noticeable blob of black during painting or putting the clear on.


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## Possessed (Apr 6, 2018)

I got the prestige az 2204 ICM two days ago. It is a good guitar for the price. However it is definitely not on par with Charvel GG or Suhr modern. The attention to detail is still lacking. There is a gap between the neck and pocket. And the neck is a bit too thick for my liking, thicker than Modern Elliptical or normal charvel neck profile. And it doesnt feel so rounded and comfortable comparing with other two. So it feels like a new neck.

At the end i returned it because i dont feel comfortable spending 2000€ for it, but i will definitely grab a used one in the future.


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## Possessed (Apr 6, 2018)

Forgot one thing, the trem cavity is very thin. So the range of pulling up is very limited.


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## Jonathan20022 (Apr 7, 2018)

Yeah the prestiges will be a great value once they take the trademark Ibanez resale hit. I'd gladly pick up a Prestige for 11-1200 if I needed something like these.


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## LewisW (Apr 27, 2018)

Played an AZ premium (HH) on the weekend, honestly pretty great. The tele tones from it where great, it also does the modern split coil sound well, and with 6 inbetween positions (3 coil splits + 3 from the toggle) there was a ton of good sounds. 

Was playing through a Bogner mojova head and a marshall cab, the bridge was really great, it had punch but was very mid focused, not a super tight sound but a great classic sound with some mid/high gain.

The neck was the main point for me.. to me its big.. I played a PRS 495, a suhr standard and a suhr ian thornley (huge neck) and the AZ had the biggest bar the Thornley. It would probably take a little adjusting but the tones where really great and usable, not just weak twangy sounds.

Would be interested to try a prestige.....


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## AkiraSpectrum (Apr 27, 2018)

LewisW said:


> Played an AZ premium (HH) on the weekend, honestly pretty great. The tele tones from it where great, it also does the modern split coil sound well, and with 6 inbetween positions (3 coil splits + 3 from the toggle) there was a ton of good sounds.
> 
> Was playing through a Bogner mojova head and a marshall cab, the bridge was really great, it had punch but was very mid focused, not a super tight sound but a great classic sound with some mid/high gain.
> 
> ...



I have played to Premium AZ's at this point and the neck on the one was much thicker than on the other, so I have no clue what neck is to spec and what one isn't, lol.
Either way, both guitars were quite good.


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## MatiasTolkki (Apr 27, 2018)

you guys are lucky. the one I played was absolute dogshit


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## Zado (Apr 27, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> you guys are lucky. the one I played was absolute dogshit


Explain. This is the first Ibanez model I find interesting in years, don't wanna hear this.


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## MatiasTolkki (Apr 27, 2018)

Zado said:


> Explain. This is the first Ibanez model I find interesting in years, don't wanna hear this.



I explained earlier in this thread iirc. 

I played an Indonesian one, with 2 Humbuckers, and the local Shimamura a few weeks ago. The thing had finish marks all over the low e side on the higher strings, there were uneven frets leading to some buzzing (iirc there was one spot on the fret board that had dead notes), the nut was cut horribly, sticking out from both sides of the neck (low e side was sticking out so much that I would almost bump into it when playing power chords at the first fret), fret sprout all along the fingerboard... Just a total pile of dogshit.


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## Zado (Apr 27, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> I explained earlier in this thread iirc.
> 
> I played an Indonesian one, with 2 Humbuckers, and the local Shimamura a few weeks ago. The thing had finish marks all over the low e side on the higher strings, there were uneven frets leading to some buzzing (iirc there was one spot on the fret board that had dead notes), the nut was cut horribly, sticking out from both sides of the neck (low e side was sticking out so much that I would almost bump into it when playing power chords at the first fret), fret sprout all along the fingerboard... Just a total pile of dogshit.


Ewww....sounds definitely very bad  Coolin me down a lil


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## MatiasTolkki (Apr 27, 2018)

Zado said:


> Ewww....sounds definitely very bad  Coolin me down a lil



that's why I'm wondering how everyone got such good ones and the local shimamura got a shitty one. What bothers me even more is that Shimamura has SEEN how poorly worked on this one was and they made NO attempts to fix ANYTHING on it. I mean at least fix the fucking nut, because that is just unacceptable.


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## goobaba (May 1, 2018)

Anyone actually seen one of these in a local USA shop?


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## eightsixboy (May 2, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> that's why I'm wondering how everyone got such good ones and the local shimamura got a shitty one. What bothers me even more is that Shimamura has SEEN how poorly worked on this one was and they made NO attempts to fix ANYTHING on it. I mean at least fix the fucking nut, because that is just unacceptable.



Either they didn't notice the issues or the shop may have fixed them.

I've played 3 indo AZ's are they all had similar issues you mentioned as well, only one of them was "ok", but still not at the price point they are asking for them.

I'm waiting for the TQM1 to come in, I'm hoping its awesome so I can buy it.

As already mentioned the necks are FAT, at least on the indo ones anyway. Way chunkier then a JS neck or most strats.


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## MatiasTolkki (May 2, 2018)

eightsixboy said:


> Either they didn't notice the issues or the shop may have fixed them.
> 
> I've played 3 indo AZ's are they all had similar issues you mentioned as well, only one of them was "ok", but still not at the price point they are asking for them.
> 
> ...



I pointed out the issues to the guy. Meh. That thing'll never sell in that condition.


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## AkiraSpectrum (May 2, 2018)

eightsixboy said:


> Either they didn't notice the issues or the shop may have fixed them.
> 
> I've played 3 indo AZ's are they all had similar issues you mentioned as well, only one of them was "ok", but still not at the price point they are asking for them.
> 
> ...



The one Indo AZ I played had what I would consider to be a fat neck, the other had what I would consider to be a regular-size neck. Maybe the first batch incorrect neck size?


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## eightsixboy (May 8, 2018)

So to further ad confusion to the mix, I finally played a Prestige AZ today.

Was it better then the Premiums, definitely. Is it worth the extra $1200+, not really.

Was seriously thinking of pulling the trigger on it but at over $3000AUD with a RRP of $3999, it had a miss aligned neck that couldn't be fixed easy due to the pickguard being super flush on both sides ie: no room to move it, it also had some fret buzz, which was kind of disappointing. So you'd have to take the pickguard off, shave it down etc etc. If you can get a Premium for around half the price, I'd say get one and spend $200-300 on it and see hot it is.

In comparison I played an E-II straight after and that thing blew the AZ out of the water, IMO anyway. Better fretwork, better overall QC and actually cheaper.


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## MaxOfMetal (May 9, 2018)

Never go for the first batch, even on the MIJ stuff. 

Maybe 15 years ago that would be fine, but definitely not now. 

Just about every significant model change or new series needs at least 6 to 12 months of batching before they're consistently good. 

That's why I have no interest in Ibanez stuff until the following NAMM cycle. If a new product survives, and they get it out the door proper, I'll give it a go. 

Between production "teething" and an ever protracted shipment schedule, I don't think Ibanez is in a position to release massively new models like this. Those days are long gone. Too bad.


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## eightsixboy (May 9, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Never go for the first batch, even on the MIJ stuff.
> 
> Maybe 15 years ago that would be fine, but definitely not now.
> 
> ...



That been said I wonder if its worthwhile me waiting for the Tom Quayle's to come in? My local store is getting one very soon, hopefully next month. Not sure if there limited run's or not, meaning hopefully better QC then the "regular" versions. I was holding out for that but maybe I shouldn't even bother if what I played today is to be expected for a whole years worth of AZ series?

Now that you have mentioned it, other ones I have seen in photo's locally have also had misaligned necks/dots etc on the Prestige's. Oh well.

Its been a very bad 6-12 months for me with Japanese Ibanez. Got that RG8750 J Custom with the neck issue, as well as the crooked string retainer and painted over crud in the input jack area. The 852 last year with the flakey paint, dings and sharpie around the cavity (it had never been to a dealer). Have the days of getting what you pay for gone lol. May as well just buy $500 RG370 and fix the "indo" issues and be happy


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## MaxOfMetal (May 9, 2018)

eightsixboy said:


> That been said I wonder if its worthwhile me waiting for the Tom Quayle's to come in? My local store is getting one very soon, hopefully next month. Not sure if there limited run's or not, meaning hopefully better QC then the "regular" versions. I was holding out for that but maybe I shouldn't even bother if what I played today is to be expected for a whole years worth of AZ series?
> 
> Now that you have mentioned it, other ones I have seen in photo's locally have also had misaligned necks/dots etc on the Prestige's. Oh well.
> 
> Its been a very bad 6-12 months for me with Japanese Ibanez. Got that RG8750 J Custom with the neck issue, as well as the crooked string retainer and painted over crud in the input jack area. The 852 last year with the flakey paint, dings and sharpie around the cavity (it had never been to a dealer). Have the days of getting what you pay for gone lol. May as well just buy $500 RG370 and fix the "indo" issues and be happy



The artist models are _usually_ a better bet. They get an extra level of QC, at least they always did. 

The J.Custom line hasn't been truly exceptional in awhile, ever since they expanded the series so much and started offering them globally. They just make too many of them to give them the kind of attention they once received. Still great guitars, typically, but there are duds more often now than I remember there every being when they were Japan only.


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## MatiasTolkki (May 9, 2018)

Or hit the used market. I'd sell you my 750 but CITES :/



eightsixboy said:


> That been said I wonder if its worthwhile me waiting for the Tom Quayle's to come in? My local store is getting one very soon, hopefully next month. Not sure if there limited run's or not, meaning hopefully better QC then the "regular" versions. I was holding out for that but maybe I shouldn't even bother if what I played today is to be expected for a whole years worth of AZ series?
> 
> Now that you have mentioned it, other ones I have seen in photo's locally have also had misaligned necks/dots etc on the Prestige's. Oh well.
> 
> Its been a very bad 6-12 months for me with Japanese Ibanez. Got that RG8750 J Custom with the neck issue, as well as the crooked string retainer and painted over crud in the input jack area. The 852 last year with the flakey paint, dings and sharpie around the cavity (it had never been to a dealer). Have the days of getting what you pay for gone lol. May as well just buy $500 RG370 and fix the "indo" issues and be happy


----------



## eightsixboy (May 9, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> The artist models are _usually_ a better bet. They get an extra level of QC, at least they always did.
> 
> The J.Custom line hasn't been truly exceptional in awhile, ever since they expanded the series so much and started offering them globally. They just make too many of them to give them the kind of attention they once received. Still great guitars, typically, but there are duds more often now than I remember there every being when they were Japan only.



Ok well that's promising then. Still undecided on the whole monkey pod thing, such a weird choice of wood. They may look cool or they could look like plain brown, I know its his sig but a nice flame top or something exotic would have been better imo. 




MatiasTolkki said:


> Or hit the used market. I'd sell you my 750 but CITES :/



Ergh I know. Cites has basically killed the used global market. So many nice cheap Prestige's and J Customs for sale that you can't import/export.


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## MaxOfMetal (May 9, 2018)

eightsixboy said:


> Ok well that's promising then. Still undecided on the whole monkey pod thing, such a weird choice of wood. They may look cool or they could look like plain brown, I know its his sig but a nice flame top or something exotic would have been better imo.



Could always go for the limited Koa model if you feel like spending stupid money for a prettier top. 

The Monkey Pod acoustics they made some years back had consistently good aesthetics, which is why they chose it. As long as you can see the actual guitar first it shouldn't matter. I refuse to buy anything with a transparent finish sight unseen. Too risky. Unless of course it's an absolutely absurd deal. 

I still think they should have used the trade name East Indian Walnut.


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## MatiasTolkki (May 9, 2018)

@eightsixboy 

ikr. So many Ibanezes are stuck hanging on shelves over here because the export market got wrecked due to CITES.


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## goobaba (May 9, 2018)

Musician's Friend has the Tequila Sunrise Premium in stock if anyone has been looking


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## JoeyBTL (May 9, 2018)

I just got my AZ2402! I plan on doing a proper NGD with much more detail and do my best to give my opinion on some of the things people are talking about concerning these guitars, but so far I think its safe to say its lived up to all of my initial expectations and I couldn't be happier (for reference I recently returned 2 brand new GG Charvels because they did not meet my expectations, so take from that what you will)! I couldn't help but make a small clip of it but I plan on making plenty more (better quality) videos. It's just got so much pop to it, makes me giddy


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## TheRileyOBrien (May 11, 2018)

Mine is finally shipping today. I got the 2402 in the tri fade burst. I'll post my findings.

I am going to be very picky about this one. If I don't feel it is on a similar level to a suhr or ebmm jp6 in the same price range I'll return it and get one of those. I am an Ibanez fan and I have high hopes but I am pretty skeptical about these.


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## metalstrike (May 13, 2018)

TheRileyOBrien said:


> Mine is finally shipping today. I got the 2402 in the tri fade burst. I'll post my findings.
> 
> I am going to be very picky about this one. If I don't feel it is on a similar level to a suhr or ebmm jp6 in the same price range I'll return it and get one of those. I am an Ibanez fan and I have high hopes but I am pretty skeptical about these.



I hope you have better luck than I’ve had! I bought one in the same finish and similar mindset last week. Mine arrived with 2 very visible dings in the truss rod cavity which instantly soured my feelings towards the guitar. I don’t mind dings but only when I make them and not on brand new “Prestige” level instruments! The neck pocket was also a bit bigger than I’d like and there were a few other tool marks/scuffs along the fretboard edge near the nut. It was returned.

I did like the stainless steel frets and roasted maple neck; I hope Ibanez starts using them more often. The sound was good. The Hyperions are versatile. Nevertheless, I found myself wanting a Suhr Modern and this guitar didn’t do anything to kill that feeling. It felt like something was missing to make it truly special.


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## TheRileyOBrien (May 14, 2018)

metalstrike said:


> I hope you have better luck than I’ve had! I bought one in the same finish and similar mindset last week. Mine arrived with 2 very visible dings in the truss rod cavity which instantly soured my feelings towards the guitar. I don’t mind dings but only when I make them and not on brand new “Prestige” level instruments! The neck pocket was also a bit bigger than I’d like and there were a few other tool marks/scuffs along the fretboard edge near the nut. It was returned.
> 
> I did like the stainless steel frets and roasted maple neck; I hope Ibanez starts using them more often. The sound was good. The Hyperions are versatile. Nevertheless, I found myself wanting a Suhr Modern and this guitar didn’t do anything to kill that feeling. It felt like something was missing to make it truly special.


 
It sucks to hear that yours didn't work out. You are not the only one I've heard who had some complaints about theirs. It is a little disheartening for an Ibanez fan like me because I had hoped they would put the amount of care into the production that they did into the r&d of this model, especially for the first few runs. You'd think they would want to make a big splash with these. Having said that, I know there are also some being delivered that meet the "prestige" quality expectations. They are obviously rushing to meet the demand and that is leading to a consistency problem.

"Mini" Review:

A local store got one of the 22 fret models in ice blue on Friday. There were no dings, tool marks, or any other finish weirdness. Visually the neck fit seemed acceptable(I'll take the screws out of mine to see how tight it actually is). In my opinion it is pretty ugly, to me hss never looks good with a pickguard on anything but a real strat.

It sounded great, it was very clear but not overly bright. Pretty loud when played unplugged. I was pleasantly surprised with the pickups. I didn't know what to expect since the videos I've seen of these are all over the place tone wise. I mostly just stayed on the bridge pickup since that's what I'll be getting. I don't want to really comment much on how this pickup comes out on the eq spectrum until I get mine but it had instantly noticeable clarity with no high end harshness or flubby low end. I could be way off but the first comparison that came to mind was the BKP Abraxas.

The neck was a bit unusual at first, but in a good way. It definitely isn't too thick by any means but the way it changes shape as you get to the higher frets is unique(makes sense too). Lately I have been playing several guitars with wildly different necks so I have become less picky about that but my initial impression of this is that it felt great(only played it for 15-20 min). I don't want to fall for the s-tech hype but the neck was very rigid for sure. Very smooth neck, no stickiness from the finish and no fuzz that requires some playing to burnish like a raw maple neck would. It feels like a tru oil finish without any wax. If I decide to keep mine I'll hit it with some Birchwood Casey gun stock wax it will be in EBMM territory. The action was a bit higher than I like but probably where most people like it. There was no buzz anywhere that would indicate it couldn't be brought down(it actually wasn't far off of where I like it). The edges of the fretboard were smoothly rolled and the fretwork was great, the fret ends were very consistent and overall the frets were buttery smooth as you'd expect with stainless steel.

It stayed in tune the whole time so there are no issues there and I would hope so since that is one of the main selling points of this model. I didn't pound on it much but it was perfectly stable with normal playing. I didn't mess with the tuners so I have no comments on them yet. The bridge was really nice, it is basically the same Gotoh bridge as you'd get on a Suhr but with smoother shaped titanium saddles.

If mine arrives in the same condition as this one I'll keep it for sure. I am feeling pretty anxious, on one hand playing this one has me thinking mine will fit my needs perfectly and on the other hand I am nervous about getting a lemon. In a perfect world they would get the QC to where it needs to be and release a 7 string version.


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## TheRileyOBrien (May 21, 2018)

I got it on Tuesday but I have been too busy to do much with it. I played it for a couple hours Friday night. I'll just comment mostly on what I didn't mention in the previous post since most of my opinions are the same.

First off, it arrived without any kind of blemish that I could find. The neck fits tightly in the pocket(I know this was a concern for a couple others), I even unbolted it when I had the strings off and it fits very snug on its own. Fretwork is great and the action out of the box was a bit lower on mine than the other one I tried. I changed to my preferred strings and very little adjustment was needed.

This is my first time using the gotoh magnum lock tuners. They are a pretty interesting design and changing strings is even a bit faster for me than the ones with the locking screw on the back.

The neck feels great, I didn't experience any hand or wrist fatigue at all while playing it. Neck thickness is a non issue. It is really comfortable to play and the sweet smell of roasted maple definitely improves the overall experience.

Pickups sound good, my thoughts on the bridge pickup are pretty much the same for the neck. Medium output with slightly mid focused but mostly neutral eq. The word "versatile" gets used a lot with pickups but that is pretty much were these are. I may end up swapping them for something else, not because they aren't good, but because I often go for a specific sound with each of my guitars rather than versatility. The switching system is pretty cool, there are a lot of usable options and the single coil tones are very nice. I took a picture of the electronics cavity in case anyone is interested in how it's done. It looks like changing pickups would be easy.

Much like the other one, this guitar is very loud and punchy but not overly bright. It has the "expensive guitar" feel for sure. I am not disappointed at all(phew).


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## MatiasTolkki (May 21, 2018)

I had the Gotoh magnum locks on my old E-II. They were REALLY nice, but just about any good locking tuners will be good. I am all about MIJ so I'd have gotoh as my first choice, of course, but Carvin/Kiesel locking tuners are pretty good too.


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## AkiraSpectrum (May 21, 2018)

TheRileyOBrien said:


> I got it on Tuesday but I have been too busy to do much with it. I played it for a couple hours Friday night. I'll just comment mostly on what I didn't mention in the previous post since most of my opinions are the same.
> 
> First off, it arrived without any kind of blemish that I could find. The neck fits tightly in the pocket(I know this was a concern for a couple others), I even unbolted it when I had the strings off and it fits very snug on its own. Fretwork is great and the action out of the box was a bit lower on mine than the other one I tried. I changed to my preferred strings and very little adjustment was needed.
> 
> ...



Looks awesome, congrats! 
I would love to play one of the Prestige AZ's.


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## Glades (May 21, 2018)

I really hope Ibanez does well selling these models, and next year they give us a 7 string AZ. That would be sick. Just hopefully when it does come out it's not satin black ...


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## Albake21 (May 21, 2018)

Glades said:


> I really hope Ibanez does well selling these models, and next year they give us a 7 string AZ. That would be sick. Just hopefully when it does come out it's not satin black ...


I'd be very curious to know what the sale records will be after a year. They look cool, but I feel like they might be a bit too expensive for most and even the people that can afford it might be better off with other options. A 7 would be pretty awesome!


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## Seabeast2000 (May 21, 2018)

Glades said:


> I really hope Ibanez does well selling these models, and next year they give us a 7 string AZ. That would be sick. Just hopefully when it does come out it's not satin black ...


Gloss black FTW, not enough of that color guitar. 






j/k!


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## MaxOfMetal (May 21, 2018)

Albake21 said:


> I'd be very curious to know what the sale records will be after a year. They look cool, but I feel like they might be a bit too expensive for most and even the people that can afford it might be better off with other options. A 7 would be pretty awesome!



It’s almost June and the Prestige models are just now starting to seriously ship out to retailers and those with pre-orders.

I’m sure distributors have ordered a lot, and that’s what Ibanez typically goes by when measuring the success of a new model, but I don’t know how that’s going to look as far as the next order cycle when it comes to how many are making to consumers.

I don’t think these have much direct competition. The closest would be a Suhr Pro Satin, which is $200+ more expensive and sold at fewer retailers, but specs like neck size/shape and materials are fairly different. There might be some dealer spec'd Pros that are closer, but you'd have to hunt for one. 

I still don't think we're going to see anything too different next year. Maybe a new color or something small like that. I don't expect to see a 7 yet, unless there is a popular artist who is pushing for it.


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## TheRileyOBrien (May 22, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> It’s almost June and the Prestige models are just now starting to seriously ship out to retailers and those with pre-orders.
> 
> I’m sure distributors have ordered a lot, and that’s what Ibanez typically goes by when measuring the success of a new model, but I don’t know how that’s going to look as far as the next order cycle when it comes to how many are making to consumers.
> 
> ...



My thoughts exactly^

I've had a couple Suhrs, one was a Pro Satin(with a Floyd though). I was tossing around the idea of getting another when these where announced. I can honestly say I prefer my AZ2402 to the Pro Satin. Even if it had the Gotoh rather than Floyd to make it closer in spec and if the price was the same, I really can't say there is anything about the Suhr that would win me over. Suhr makes fantastic guitars but in my opinion Ibanez has them beat in this price range(assuming they keep the quality under control). 

I'd love a 7 string version but I'd be pretty shocked if we see one even in the next few years.


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## Rawkmann (May 24, 2018)

I played a Premium AZ at my local shop today. Eh, put me in the ‘unimpressed’ column. I couldn’t notice any glaring QC issues but it’s just not a very inspiring instrument. To me it still has that cheap Indonesian made Ibanez feel to it even though it’s a $1300 Guitar. My Schecters cost half as much but feel twice as good in my hands. About the only thing I genuinely liked about the AZ design is the neck heel.


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## MatiasTolkki (May 24, 2018)

Rawkmann said:


> I played a Premium AZ at my local shop today. Eh, put me in the ‘unimpressed’ column. I couldn’t notice any glaring QC issues but it’s just not a very inspiring instrument. To me it still has that cheap Indonesian made Ibanez feel to it even though it’s a $1300 Guitar. My Schecters cost half as much but feel twice as good in my hands. About the only thing I genuinely liked about the AZ design is the neck heel.



That neck heel should be on the RGs imo. That thing is soooooo comfy.


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## JoeyBTL (May 25, 2018)

TheRileyOBrien said:


> I've had a couple Suhrs, one was a Pro Satin(with a Floyd though). I was tossing around the idea of getting another when these where announced. I can honestly say I prefer my AZ2402 to the Pro Satin. Even if it had the Gotoh rather than Floyd to make it closer in spec and if the price was the same, I really can't say there is anything about the Suhr that would win me over. Suhr makes fantastic guitars but in my opinion Ibanez has them beat in this price range(assuming they keep the quality under control).



Things like this are important for people to see from regular consumers about these models, I think. I don't think it needs to be a competition about whos better but, although Suhr makes amazing guitars, people act like they are some mythical creature that can't be touched by the likes of Ibanez and I don't think that's true.


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## MatiasTolkki (May 25, 2018)

JoeyBTL said:


> Things like this are important for people to see from regular consumers about these models, I think. I don't think it needs to be a competition about whos better but, although Suhr makes amazing guitars, people act like they are some mythical creature that can't be touched by the likes of Ibanez and I don't think that's true.



I tried a Suhr once, just because I had seen the name everywhere and was curious. I liked it, it felt nice, but not 300,000 yen nice (i think it mighta been closer to 350,000 but I dont remember exactly).


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## Jonathan20022 (May 25, 2018)

JoeyBTL said:


> Things like this are important for people to see from regular consumers about these models, I think. I don't think it needs to be a competition about whos better but, although Suhr makes amazing guitars, people act like they are some mythical creature that can't be touched by the likes of Ibanez and I don't think that's true.



I've paid 4k for a TAM100, and owned several J Customs which by retail standards sell for 4 thousand dollars. My Classic Pro which retailed for just over half the cost of the Ibani was miles better in terms of construction and overall fit and feel. No one is making Suhr out to be a mythical creature, there's hundreds upon thousands of them available for sale right now, so very much attainable. But these AZ series guitars don't compare in my opinion. The Martin Miller and Tom Quayle models at NAMM felt nice, but they're also more expensive and were NAMM display models so who knows how much extra attention those got.


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## TheRileyOBrien (May 25, 2018)

Jonathan20022 said:


> I've paid 4k for a TAM100, and owned several J Customs which by retail standards sell for 4 thousand dollars. My Classic Pro which retailed for just over half the cost of the Ibani was miles better in terms of construction and overall fit and feel. No one is making Suhr out to be a mythical creature, there's hundreds upon thousands of them available for sale right now, so very much attainable. But these AZ series guitars don't compare in my opinion. The Martin Miller and Tom Quayle models at NAMM felt nice, but they're also more expensive and were NAMM display models so who knows how much extra attention those got.



I think you missed his point. By mythical creature he wasn't referring to the scarcity or lack thereof...but rather the fact that some people seem to think their quality is unmatched. A guitar can only be built so well. We can argue about which is "better" all day long but saying they don't compare is a pretty bold claim.


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## JoeyBTL (May 25, 2018)

Jonathan20022 said:


> I've paid 4k for a TAM100, and owned several J Customs which by retail standards sell for 4 thousand dollars. My Classic Pro which retailed for just over half the cost of the Ibani was miles better in terms of construction and overall fit and feel.



I wasn't using mythical creature as in saying Suhrs are not attainable, but more so that they have the ability to build an instrument that Ibanez just can't match in any way, and not whether or not they CAN do it consistently, but whether they will or not. If I had to bet on which company had less defects on a lot of 10 guitars, my money would be on Suhr. Plus add on top of that the price comparison. You cannot buy a Suhr with the same specs as the AZ2402 for the even close to the same price. I never saw the Satin as a reasonable comparison as far as value for the money because we're talking about a lower cost mahogany guitar with no finish compared to a metallic paint job alder/roasted maple neck guitar. I see what guitars you've owned and understand your own comments but I've played my fair share of Suhrs, and specifically the couple GG Antiques I've played did not feel much if any different to my AZ. They were really good, but in money terms, they did not feel and play $1500 better. But thats more to my point about all of this, its about how the guitar plays and produces sound, not about fit and finish. The fit and finish my AZ is really good. Not perfect though. But to save a large chunk of money in exchange for a guitar that might not win a blue ribbon at the state fair, but still perform in the same ball park is fine with me.

EDIT: damn Riley beat me to it haha


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## Jonathan20022 (May 25, 2018)

Sorry just got around to seeing this. I get the point with the mythical creature thing now, I still don't think that people hold them to this standard. My point is more in the line of, the times that I've been disappointed by Suhr is far far less than I have with an Ibanez, especially the Premium line. So even if the Premium is $1400 cheaper, if I'm just going to be disappointed in it and potentially put money into a repair why not instead just save up and go for the Suhr?

This is new of course, but if I found one of those Blue Frost AZ series in the realm of $800 - $1100 in player's condition I'd take the gamble on it. But my personal mentality is, if I want to get a guitar and not have to deal with any BS out of the box, then I go with the manufacturer that has a consistent history not only when I've dealt with them but with others as well.

Also lets make the fair comparison then, the AZ2402 is almost directly similar in spec to the Suhr Modern Antique, which retails at $2699 US. $699 more than the Ibanez does brand new.

https://www.suhr.com/instruments/modern/suhr-modern-antique/

The only thing that is dissimilar is the relicing, you could order a custom for around the same shipped without the relicing and it would be custom built as well. But is does the Suhr play/sound/feel better than the Ibanez for the extra cost of $700? I don't think any of us will ever agree, because people quantify value with specs and upcharges. In this case where the instruments are identical in many regards but still feature a price difference, there are people like me who think it's justifiable because I enjoy Suhr quite a bit. And not only that I was able to directly compare them at NAMM by playing the display models.

But going back to the cash worth one has over the other, the second we delve into that conversation it's just a can of worms no one can agree on.

"If the Premium is a great guitar then why should I pay more for the Prestige?", etc. There's a reason they outfit these new age Premiums with better pickups and veneers/woods. They have cut corners in order to appeal to the crowd that wants the aesthetic but the Prestige is just too expensive for them. Which is a shame because I'd like the look of the Premiums and the rounded fret edges on a Prestige instead. The Prestige line literally looks aesthetically bland in comparison to the Premium line.

But yeah in general I won't get into the conversation of "Is X really that much better than Y for it's cost" because there's no defined answer there. People that pay five figures for guitars will never agree that a Prestige can be as well built as their expensive gear, and people that are comfortable spending under a thousand will never see how much better a guitar can get after a certain dollar amount.


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## MaxOfMetal (May 25, 2018)

Jonathan20022 said:


> Also lets make the fair comparison then, the AZ2402 is almost directly similar in spec to the Suhr Modern Antique, which retails at $2699 US. $699 more than the Ibanez does brand new.
> 
> https://www.suhr.com/instruments/modern/suhr-modern-antique/
> 
> The only thing that is dissimilar is the relicing, *you could order a custom for around the same shipped* without the relicing and it would be custom built as well.



Have you seen the Suhr price increases that are in effect?

Moderns _start_ at $2900 now.


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## JoeyBTL (May 25, 2018)

Jonathan20022 said:


> Sorry just got around to seeing this. I get the point with the mythical creature thing now, I still don't think that people hold them to this standard. My point is more in the line of, the times that I've been disappointed by Suhr is far far less than I have with an Ibanez, especially the Premium line. So even if the Premium is $1400 cheaper, if I'm just going to be disappointed in it and potentially put money into a repair why not instead just save up and go for the Suhr?
> 
> This is new of course, but if I found one of those Blue Frost AZ series in the realm of $800 - $1100 in player's condition I'd take the gamble on it. But my personal mentality is, if I want to get a guitar and not have to deal with any BS out of the box, then I go with the manufacturer that has a consistent history not only when I've dealt with them but with others as well.
> 
> ...



I know what you mean man. I completely understand what you are saying and it definitely makes sense. I was extremely close to buying a Suhr many times and I was about to buy one of the Modern Antique Pros, but wanted to hold until I got my hands on the AZ so I could see if, for me, paying $700 was worth it. And it was. It's not that I'm trying to post this here to convince people to say their money and get the Suhr, but more that you are getting your moneys worth with the Prestige AZ and putting them next to each other, I don't think there would be extreme disappointment in the Ibanez. Sure its hard to quantify the dollar value of such things but for someone just researching these 2 seemingly similar guitars, I think these conversations are helpful. More-so than people just putting down the AZ immediately and acting like it can't hold a candle to a Suhr.

Honestly I wouldn't be surprised if Suhr comes out with a similar model. I know they had the M1 pro models a while ago and stopped making them because maybe they actually didn't do so well. But if they would just do a run of guitars just like the Antique pro, but cut costs by doing a normal paint job then it would be even closer to the Ibanez.

Plus, anything I said in no way is directed towards the Premium line I will never argue with you there. My opinions about the AZ line are only about Prestige guitars. I would never mention them in the same breath as Suhr or any other boutique brand.

Also Max I just saw your post and I definitely had that in mind as well. I was shocked when I saw how low of a price they offered the Antique run at because the last pretty simple Suhr quote I had gotten was not even close.


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## Jonathan20022 (May 26, 2018)

Jesus, that price is nutty now. I didn't hear about a price hike between NAMM and now. I'm glad I ordered my Classic Custom last year now 

And yeah I definitely get your point, I'm a fan of the blue prestige quite a bit and will sweep one up if I ever find a deal on one. It'll eventually happen, maybe in two years when Ibanez releases all the newer shinier AZ's haha.


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## MaxOfMetal (May 26, 2018)

Jonathan20022 said:


> Jesus, that price is nutty now. I didn't hear about a price hike between NAMM and now. I'm glad I ordered my Classic Custom last year now
> 
> And yeah I definitely get your point, I'm a fan of the blue prestige quite a bit and will sweep one up if I ever find a deal on one. It'll eventually happen, maybe in two years when Ibanez releases all the newer shinier AZ's haha.



Yeah, it was pretty much the deciding factor on me passing over on some other stuff and putting in another Modern 7 order before the increase.

I get where you're coming from too. I say that as someone who is liquidating most of thier Ibanez guitars for Suhrs.


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## Jonathan20022 (May 26, 2018)

Yeah definitely, I got a really good price through Rocket Music for my Classic order. If I had to pay anything over 3k for it I might not have done it last year. But yeah the Classic/Modern Pros all got a price bump, that's definitely going to kill a few sales for them.


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## MatiasTolkki (May 26, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Yeah, it was pretty much the deciding factor on me passing over on some other stuff and putting in another Modern 7 order before the increase.
> 
> I get where you're coming from too. I say that as someone who is liquidating most of thier Ibanez guitars for Suhrs.



why you selling your ibbies though? don't like em anymore?


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## MaxOfMetal (May 26, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> why you selling your ibbies though? don't like em anymore?



Its not that I don't like them, and I'm certainly not getting rid of all of them, I've just come to the realization that I really only play straight 25.5" scales 7s with trems and bolt-on necks, and the best I've found for my preference are built by Suhr. Nothing new from Ibanez has done anything for me in a long time. I bought an RGD3127 and RG752 and didn't bond with either, got rid of them after a few months. 

I already sold/traded off all but one of my JP7s, and I'm only keeping two or three 6s and 8s. 

I've been meaning to consolidate my collection for quite some time. Way, way too much stuff for someone who plays as infrequently as I do now.


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## wakjob (May 26, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I've been meaning to consolidate my collection for quite some time. Way, way too much stuff for someone who plays as infrequently as I do now.



Lord this is me so much lately.

It's funny how much gear can accumulate under our noses until you move into another phase of life and then take a look around our space and think...wow.

I really loved the build quality of the Suhr I owned, but couldn't get on with the guitar in general. It just didn't feel right in my hands. These new AZ's are tempting, but again...do I need it?


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## MaxOfMetal (May 26, 2018)

wakjob said:


> Lord this is me so much lately.
> 
> It's funny how much gear can accumulate under our noses until you move into another phase of life and then take a look around our space and think...wow.
> 
> I really loved the build quality of the Suhr I owned, but couldn't get on with the guitar in general. It just didn't feel right in my hands. These new AZ's are tempting, but again...do I need it?



I probably wouldn't be doing this, at least as aggressively, if I wasn't moving into a new house.

I just have so many guitars I've just stashed away for no other reason than I got a good deal and had the closet space.

All this aside, I would love a 7-string variant of the AZ, at least on paper.

This is probably the most interesting Ibanez to be released in years. It's actually pretty damn close to what I've been ordering from Suhr.

I really hope these do well enough to stick around for a MIJ AZ7. I'm not holding my breath. I still really like Ibanez guitars, so it would be cool to keep one in regular rotation.


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## Jonathan20022 (May 26, 2018)

Ibanez aside, trimming the fat off of a collection is extremely refreshing when you actually get rid of the ones you're not playing as much. At some point I had a way too many stored in my room and it was hellish to even pull specific cases out and play specific guitars. I'm also not very adventurous tuning wise, so I realistically don't need more than say 5 guitars and even that's a stretch. 

I do still have my 90's RG550 though, I'd say that's the only guitar I have with any sort of actual sentimental value. I kept putting "sentimental" value on everything I had, but it didn't mean much because after I sold them I hardly missed them. I just really regret selling my JPX7 because I had that guitar the longest out of anything I'd owned. Something like 4-5 years I think.


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## MatiasTolkki (May 26, 2018)

Jonathan20022 said:


> Ibanez aside, trimming the fat off of a collection is extremely refreshing when you actually get rid of the ones you're not playing as much. At some point I had a way too many stored in my room and it was hellish to even pull specific cases out and play specific guitars. I'm also not very adventurous tuning wise, so I realistically don't need more than say 5 guitars and even that's a stretch.
> 
> I do still have my 90's RG550 though, I'd say that's the only guitar I have with any sort of actual sentimental value. I kept putting "sentimental" value on everything I had, but it didn't mean much because after I sold them I hardly missed them. I just really regret selling my JPX7 because I had that guitar the longest out of anything I'd owned. Something like 4-5 years I think.



Actually I've felt the exact same way as you. I think the only guitar I really regret selling was my RG1550MZ in phantom blue, because the model with EZ/ZPS was an outlet sale piece which was never sold in Japan (also the first MIJ Ibanez I ever bought). I loved the feel of that guitar; there was something really special about it. Other than that though, I haven't really regretted any of my sales.


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## eightsixboy (Aug 22, 2018)

Just a word of warning to anyone looking at buying one of these. I looked at a TQM1 the other day, was about the grab it but noticed a crack in the neck, the store confirmed it was indeed a crack a few days after getting the rep to also look at it.

Not sure if its from the roasting process but I would assume so.


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## eightsixboy (Sep 10, 2018)

Happy to report that I got a AZ2402 and it is awesome. Must have been a one off with the TQM1 and the neck crack. NGD post coming soon.


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## RiksRiks (Oct 7, 2018)

eightsixboy said:


> Happy to report that I got a AZ2402 and it is awesome. Must have been a one off with the TQM1 and the neck crack. NGD post coming soon.


I just tried an AZ2402 yesterday and I have to say it was pretty good with no flaws overall. I liked the Prestige fret edge treatment and the neck felt great, probably the profile wasn't perfect for me but the finish was delightful, one of the top 5 finishes I've ever played. The downside? Probably I couldn't get a good tone out of the pickups but I was playing through a crappy Marshall practice amp. Couldn't try the tremolo but it seemed pretty solid too. Maybe it's a little bit overpriced (but all guitars here seem to be so, hence it doesn't feel like that much difference) but overall the features are good and the build quality reflects perfectly a lot of attention to detail. I hope I can get one in the future


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## yellowv (Oct 7, 2018)

I got my AZ Premium last week and it’s fantastic. Build quality is great, fretwork is great. I love the way it sounds and plays. No finish flaws to speak of. Has one weird mark on the headstock that looks out of place but could just be weird grain. I didn’t even pay what they normally cost, but I would say it holds its own very well at the price point. I can’t see the Prestige being $700 better.


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## HeadofaHessian (Oct 9, 2018)

I just got a Prestige MM1 and so far i love it, actually came set up perfectly for my taste. Never had that happen before. Extremely versatile guitar!


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## Dyingsea (Oct 9, 2018)

I've said it before and will say again, of course IMO, the Prestige AZ's are the best guitars Ibanez has ever made. There is an incredible piano like synergy going on with these guitars in terms of tone. The neck and body just move some air acoustically and are full of life. Ibanez finally got serious about tonewoods and making a guitar "speak".


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## MatiasTolkki (Oct 10, 2018)

Dyingsea said:


> I've said it before and will say again, of course IMO, the Prestige AZ's are the best guitars Ibanez has ever made. There is an incredible piano like synergy going on with these guitars in terms of tone. The neck and body just move some air acoustically and are full of life. Ibanez finally got serious about tonewoods and making a guitar "speak".



my rg5000 and rgr580 would like a word with you.


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## diagrammatiks (Oct 10, 2018)

No the s is the best guitar they ever made.


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## TimmyPage (Oct 10, 2018)

I've been really impressed with the AZ's that came through my local store. For what it's worth, I don't think they are quite on the same level as Suhrs (which is fair, they are in totally different price ranges) but they are damn good guitars, and better than the price tag would indicate. 

My local store also has one of the dullest sounding Suhr Moderns I've ever tried, the guitar just has no vibe whatsoever, and the AZ I tried next to it sounded huge and clear in comparison. (But this is one anecdotal case, based off of comparing it to the *only* negative experience I've ever had with a Suhr. All the other moderns that passed through this store are fantastic and my Classic is straight up the best guitar I've ever owned).

I'm excited to see what colours they come out with on the 2019 models, I know Ibanez likes to switch it up and none of the stock colours have done it for me yet.


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## MatiasTolkki (Oct 10, 2018)

TimmyPage said:


> I've been really impressed with the AZ's that came through my local store. For what it's worth, I don't think they are quite on the same level as Suhrs (which is fair, they are in totally different price ranges) but they are damn good guitars, and better than the price tag would indicate.
> 
> My local store also has one of the dullest sounding Suhr Moderns I've ever tried, the guitar just has no vibe whatsoever, and the AZ I tried next to it sounded huge and clear in comparison. (But this is one anecdotal case, based off of comparing it to the *only* negative experience I've ever had with a Suhr. All the other moderns that passed through this store are fantastic and my Classic is straight up the best guitar I've ever owned).
> 
> I'm excited to see what colours they come out with on the 2019 models, I know Ibanez likes to switch it up and none of the stock colours have done it for me yet.



That metallic blue color is sexah though.


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## MaxOfMetal (Oct 10, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> That metallic blue color is sexah though.



Yeah, it would be cool if they stuck to solid colors, especially candies and metallic, heck use the "Galaxy" colors they love so much. 

But, talking to an Ibanez guy I still know, the most requested colors are bright bursts, especially over quilt and flame maple. I guess everyone wants a non-sig MM1 and/or the Premiums in Prestige tier.


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## MatiasTolkki (Oct 10, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Yeah, it would be cool if they stuck to solid colors, especially candies and metallic, heck use the "Galaxy" colors they love so much.
> 
> But, talking to an Ibanez guy I still know, the most requested colors are bright bursts, especially over quilt and flame maple. I guess everyone wants a non-sig MM1 and/or the Premiums in Prestige tier.



What can I say, I like solid colors. Wild Simplicity works best for me


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## Dyingsea (Oct 10, 2018)

TimmyPage said:


> My local store also has one of the dullest sounding Suhr Moderns I've ever tried, the guitar just has no vibe whatsoever, and the AZ I tried next to it sounded huge and clear in comparison. (But this is one anecdotal case, based off of comparing it to the *only* negative experience I've ever had with a Suhr. All the other moderns that passed through this store are fantastic and my Classic is straight up the best guitar I've ever owned).
> .



This is what I keep saying. The prestige AZ's are like grand pianos acoustically and tone. They are loud and resonate for days. I've had plenty of Suhrs, TA's, you name it and they are all at the same level but in terms of resonance and the guitar just moving some air the AZ's are a step above. I'm not sure if Ibby got some great Alder and Maple that just vibe right on these early models or what but some sort of synergy is there that is rare on guitars.


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## RiksRiks (Oct 10, 2018)

Dyingsea said:


> This is what I keep saying. The prestige AZ's are like grand pianos acoustically and tone. They are loud and resonate for days. I've had plenty of Suhrs, TA's, you name it and they are all at the same level but in terms of resonance and the guitar just moving some air the AZ's are a step above. I'm not sure if Ibby got some great Alder and Maple that just vibe right on these early models or what but some sort of synergy is there that is rare on guitars.



This is coming from my very unexperienced view and a total of 2 guitars sampled, but I didn't notice any special resonance to the AZ I played. That being said, the 3500 USD Suhr I played was even less resonant, I was kind of bummed in both cases, I guess They were lemons? 
In other news, if I had to buy one (which I'll probably do) I'd choose the AZ, they're in different leagues and all that but in the end I feel that I cannot appreciate the Suhr enough to pull the trigger, until I find one that makes me go crazy, that is!

tl;dr: both great guitars, but not super resonant in my very limited experience


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## MatiasTolkki (Oct 11, 2018)

Dyingsea said:


> This is what I keep saying. The prestige AZ's are like grand pianos acoustically and tone. They are loud and resonate for days. I've had plenty of Suhrs, TA's, you name it and they are all at the same level but in terms of resonance and the guitar just moving some air the AZ's are a step above. I'm not sure if Ibby got some great Alder and Maple that just vibe right on these early models or what but some sort of synergy is there that is rare on guitars.



i've noticed that compared to about 6 or 7 years ago, the newer ibbies are way more resonant. my 550 smokes any of the prestiges i've owned in the past.


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## mystix (Oct 11, 2018)

Soooo.... I got one of these tonight. I tried one at NAMM last Jan and didn't dig how fat the neck was on the lower frets. Totally turned me off, but in the past year, I've grown to appreciate beefier necks. I love love love this neck... it's fat on the lower frets but thins out on the higher ones so it's easy just to rip.

I love it.... I'll take better pics tomorrow outside if it's sunny. So far so good!!!! This thing screams!


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## nyxzz (Oct 13, 2018)

Finally got the chance to check out a premium AZ and I have to say I was surprised, it was awesome. That neck really does it for me and the pickups were fantastic. Probably going to offload a bunch of guitars and try to get the ice blue prestige model. Really reminded me of a Suhr (of course) but the neck felt more C shaped and rounded, had less shoulder than the eliptical neck from a modern. It confirmed for me that I basically have to have one, GAS strikes again...


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## Dyingsea (Oct 13, 2018)

the necks on the prestige azs are awesome. the raw wood feel and full shape is great formthose os us haters of the flat wizard profile


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## Millul (Oct 13, 2018)

MatiasTolkki said:


> i've noticed that compared to about 6 or 7 years ago, the newer ibbies are way more resonant. my 550 smokes any of the prestiges i've owned in the past.



My RG652 vibrates as an earthquake, it's awesome.


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## Millul (Oct 13, 2018)

What would the SSO consensus be over a comparison between the Sfogli signature Ibbie and the AZs (Premium, as the MSM is Indo as well...!)?

Is there anyone here who played both?


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## mpexus (Oct 13, 2018)

Just came from a Tom Quayle and Martin Miller Clinic where after they just left the guitars there so anyone could touch and play with them (unplugged).

I gotta say the Fat Neck is not bothering me that much anymore and it kinda tickled my GAS 

Martins guitar was heavier than Tom's one and he uses very high action.


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## diagrammatiks (Oct 13, 2018)

I played all the premium AZ's when I was in Hong Kong a few months ago. I thought they were kinda average. That shop usually does a really good job setting up their guitars. There were some finishing and workmanship flaws. I took a load of pictures but then I got drunk and lost my phone. whoops.

That being said I went to the suhr dealership and played a bunch of modern satins and they were also really meh. At that point if you like the style and design might as well pay less for the Ibanez.


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## MatiasTolkki (Oct 15, 2018)

Millul said:


> My RG652 vibrates as an earthquake, it's awesome.



i'd consider the 652 newer. i'm talking more about the 2550 i had, which was a 2012 iirc


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## HeadofaHessian (Oct 19, 2018)

The more I play my MM1 the more I love it. It's slowly becoming my favorite guitar I own. Its an absolute mojo machine too, it feels so solid. Just something about it I cant quite put my finger on it but I love it! I cant find one flaw on it and I don't have a single complaint. Don't sleep on these!


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## mystix (Oct 19, 2018)

I love mine. I got it a few weeks ago and I haven’t been able to put it down. Even though it’s a new guitar, it has that broken in feel to it. Has mojo for days.


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## Dyingsea (Oct 19, 2018)

HeadofaHessian said:


> The more I play my MM1 the more I love it. It's slowly becoming my favorite guitar I own. Its an absolute mojo machine too, it feels so solid. Just something about it I cant quite put my finger on it but I love it! I cant find one flaw on it and I don't have a single complaint. Don't sleep on these!



I've been gassing for a Miller ever since I got my AZ. This isn't helping at all. 



mystix said:


> I love mine. I got it a few weeks ago and I haven’t been able to put it down. Even though it’s a new guitar, it has that broken in feel to it. Has mojo for days.



No kidding these guitars feel like they have been played for years in a good way. Again talking about the Prestige AZ's not premiums as I very much disagree they are comparable at all. The prestige AZ's sing for days.


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## HeadofaHessian (Oct 19, 2018)

Dyingsea said:


> I've been gassing for a Miller ever since I got my AZ. This isn't helping at all.



The color is even better in person!!


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## mystix (Oct 19, 2018)

Dyingsea said:


> No kidding these guitars feel like they have been played for years in a good way. Again talking about the Prestige AZ's not premiums as I very much disagree they are comparable at all. The prestige AZ's sing for days.



That's interesting... I have a Premium version and it's fantastic. I've owned Suhr and American Deluxe Strats and this guitar feels right at home and could easily hang. I wonder how much "better" the Prestige models are...


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## LordHar (Oct 20, 2018)

Ibanez_japan instagram page is showing some stuff from a trade show including what looks like new colors for the AZ.


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## MatiasTolkki (Oct 20, 2018)

LordHar said:


> Ibanez_japan instagram page is showing some stuff from a trade show including what looks like new colors for the AZ.



The gold color is a limited run. There's an RG, TS9, and something from a drum kit that are all gold, it's a promotion for Japan only.

This is no closed door trade show like NAMM, this is Gakki Fair, which is completely open to the public, unlike NAMM. It's the closest thing Japan has to a NAMM show.


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## guitaardvark (Oct 21, 2018)

Played a couple at a GC yesterday and absolutely fell in love but can't justify another guitar. I was extremely curious about the SD Hyperions (hyped about them, so to speak) and they delivered. Does anyone know of a similar non-model exclusive neck humbucker?


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## couverdure (Oct 21, 2018)

guitaardvark said:


> Played a couple at a GC yesterday and absolutely fell in love but can't justify another guitar. I was extremely curious about the SD Hyperions (hyped about them, so to speak) and they delivered. Does anyone know of a similar non-model exclusive neck humbucker?


The Hyperions are supposedly similar to the Pegasus/Sentient set, so I suppose the Sentient is the closest sounding neck pickup to the Hyperion neck.


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## nyxzz (Oct 21, 2018)

Actually got one of these a couple of days ago. Quality is top notch for sure, and it sounds awesome. Switching is super cool. It's getting a setup right now from a pro and I should have it back this week. Playability was not awesome imo but it just came set up way different than I prefer, not bad by any means. Just much higher action than I like. Hopefully once it's setup to my liking it lives up to the hype. Neck finish rules, very similar to a JP6.


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## Richter (Oct 22, 2018)

^ Prestige or Premium?

I might pull the trigger, or wait 2019 for possible new finishes.


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## MatiasTolkki (Oct 22, 2018)

Richter said:


> ^ Prestige or Premium?
> 
> I might pull the trigger, or wait 2019 for possible new finishes.



order the gold one from ikebe


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## Avedas (Oct 23, 2018)

Gold one looks sick. 210k tho


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## Richter (Oct 23, 2018)

Yeah, in Europe the Ice Blue Metallic is around €1900, add €400 for the gold one.

I also read the neck feels pretty close to the JP6 (my favorite), ie raw and grainy. Thoughts?


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## bubucci (Oct 23, 2018)

Dimensions of AZ neck reminds me JPM profile, imho best IBZ neck profile. I have similar but slimmer profile with 42mm nut on J Custom and it feels more like JP6 profile than strat/JPM profile.


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## Richter (Nov 1, 2018)

Looks like Andy Timmons and Marco Sfogli are teasing something, both posted almost at the same time what could be new AZ prototypes.

Marco Sfogli's :
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpo5tkUH_Ru/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 1, 2018)

Richter said:


> Looks like Andy Timmons and Marco Sfogli are teasing something, both posted almost at the same time what could be new AZ prototypes.
> 
> Marco Sfogli's :
> https://www.instagram.com/p/Bpo5tkUH_Ru/?utm_source=ig_web_options_share_sheet



I was pretty surprised those two weren't the first ones tapped for this line. They've both been playing AZ spec'd RGs and Sabers for the better part of two decades.


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## possumkiller (Nov 1, 2018)

I'm digging that 2tsb.


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## Randy (Nov 1, 2018)

The AZ headstock is the mushroom shaped penis of the Ibanez locker room.


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 1, 2018)

Randy said:


> The AZ headstock is the mushroom shaped penis of the Ibanez locker room.



The ol' Trump-stock.

I think it's fine left natural, I don't think it'll look as good solid color matched.


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## Randy (Nov 1, 2018)

I forgot that's now a mainstream reference. What a (terrible) time to be alive.


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## A-Branger (Nov 2, 2018)

no pink/light blue AZ sig for the Poliphia guys?

though they were gonna lead the way in the AZ sigs last year, and it seems still nothing


and Although that roasted maple works in few colors, that Andy Timmons sig looks terrible with that neck, that shade of brown doesnt go with his guitar at all

but again, this might be Ibanez saying "you HAVE to use it"


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## possumkiller (Nov 2, 2018)

I think it would look great with three singles and some Fender custom colours.


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## HeadofaHessian (Nov 2, 2018)

A-Branger said:


> no pink/light blue AZ sig for the Poliphia guys?
> 
> though they were gonna lead the way in the AZ sigs last year, and it seems still nothing
> 
> ...



I think the ice blue metallic AZ2402 Is the same color as the light blue prototype the polyphia dudes have.


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## A-Branger (Nov 2, 2018)

I recon this shape with that roasted neck/fb only works with pastel colors. So far Ive only liked the Poliphia guys guitars, light blue, pink, lavender, stuff like that

That sig with the blue flame too.... although I much preffer it with normal maple


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## Leviathus (Nov 2, 2018)

ATTN: Hoshino USA
SUBJECT: Need this one in the States


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## MatiasTolkki (Nov 2, 2018)

Leviathus said:


> ATTN: Hoshino USA
> SUBJECT: Need this one in the States



it's very limited afaik, even only a few for japan


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## pastanator (Nov 2, 2018)

so the pink polyphia AZ is great and all, but can we talk about how great tim hensons newest custom is?



http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=210wwwn&s=9

basically a black and gold les paul custom but as an AZ WITH block inlays


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## _MonSTeR_ (Nov 2, 2018)

pastanator said:


> so the pink polyphia AZ is great and all, but can we talk about how great tim hensons newest custom is?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That’s very different as an overall colour scheme to any of the other AZs I’ve seen, and way cooler in my opinion.


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 2, 2018)

pastanator said:


> so the pink polyphia AZ is great and all, but can we talk about how great tim hensons newest custom is?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Hate it. 

I guess it's not that bad, I like that they're old-school Artist inlays, it's just too much "bling" for me. 

Kind of reminds me of the TAM100 too, which was also way too busy for me.

All that said, it's definitely cool to see the different directions artists are taking the AZ into. It'll be interesting to see what NAMM holds, I've heads some rumors and if true we're going to be seeing some cool shit.


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## MatiasTolkki (Nov 2, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Hate it.
> 
> I guess it's not that bad, I like that they're old-school Artist inlays, it's just too much "bling" for me.
> 
> ...



Is one of those rumors that AZ that AT was using?


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## A-Branger (Nov 2, 2018)

Leviathus said:


> ATTN: Hoshino USA
> SUBJECT: Need this one in the States



SEE!!!!! not THATS how you do a two tone wood (brown) guitar!!

as opposed to this monochromatic thing


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 2, 2018)

A-Branger said:


> SEE!!!!! not THATS how you do a two tone wood (brown) guitar!!
> 
> as opposed to this monochromatic thing



That's a render.

This is what those really look like:





The renders always look super flat. Granted that picture is extreme due to the flash/lighting. Much better in person too. 

The Myrtle ones look really nice too. I like the solid colors better though. I'm not paying the crazy prices for these tops, limited or otherwise.


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## jephjacques (Nov 2, 2018)

Sweetwater has like 8 of these on their site now and they all have HUGE neck pocket gaps, super unimpressed with the quality control on these


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## Leviathus (Nov 2, 2018)

The 2 koas Rich got were sick for sure.


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 2, 2018)

jephjacques said:


> Sweetwater has like 8 of these on their site now and they all have HUGE neck pocket gaps, super unimpressed with the quality control on these



I just took a look, a couple of them look suspect, but most seemed fine. Can you link some of the worst offenders?

The worst I saw were the AZ2204F models, and one of the AZ2402 in blue, but the rest looked alright.


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## A-Branger (Nov 2, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> That's a render.


I know  but also a bit of a mix in like the bridge might be the photoshop part of it as in order to get the chrome bright look, the glare of the forearm, maybe the pickups?. I havent detail the other AZ pics yet, but between these two they are different photos, you just need to look deeper. The lower route of the bridge pickup were it meets the screw, the top of the knobs reflections are different, mini toggle switch, Intonation of the bridge saddles are different. Color of the neck and wood grain is different

If they were fully renders, they would re-use the same details. I know because thats what I do, and yeah maybe because this specific neck you want to show variation, but things like bridge/knobs/pickup/switch/hardware, that would be a cop/paste layer. They jsut have a perfect photo settup with fixed lighting/camera/stand, they jsut swap the guitar

I know in real life the guitar body/neck are not 100% same color. Its wood, so there would always be a variation in the color of both neck and body. But overall those two woods are farily close in color tone






and thats something Im not a fan off (specially since its that shade of brown). I much rather see a difference in tone with a light wood top like on that limited run. I would say a darker tone wood too, but with baked maple necks I rather lighter colors for the body (natural or solid color finishes)


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## Miek (Nov 2, 2018)

the thing I've been wondering about the az series is, that as wonderful as their features are, whether or not we're going to see these features on less corny guitars


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 2, 2018)

Miek said:


> the thing I've been wondering about the az series is, that as wonderful as their features are, whether or not we're going to see these features on less corny guitars



Define "less corny". 

We might see baked maple on other guitars, and the bridge might make an appearance, but the pickups were designed for these and they've already done stainless frets on other guitars. 

They might hold these specs for the AZ depending on sales. They've invested a lot into this series so they'll probably want to keep them unique.


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## Miek (Nov 2, 2018)

I guess my definition of less corny is highly personal and subjective.  

I totally get the logic behind keeping the AZs unique, I think they're just not guitars that I would ever gel with like I would an RG or a saber, despite the excellent spec sheet.


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 2, 2018)

Miek said:


> I guess my definition of less corny is highly personal and subjective.
> 
> I totally get the logic behind keeping the AZs unique, I think they're just not guitars that I would ever gel with like I would an RG or a saber, despite the excellent spec sheet.



So you just want the sharper horns and normal headstock? 

I'm with you there. The RG is still my favorite shape.


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## Miek (Nov 2, 2018)

yeah absolutely if they put a normal headstock on it that doesn't look like a ding ding and a flat butted body, I'd be cool. 

I know who I am! I know what I like!

though I am still hoping for a thinner rg that isn't an rga


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## possumkiller (Nov 3, 2018)

Miek said:


> though I am still hoping for a thinner rg that isn't an rga


An RG body outline with the profile thickness of the S would be awesome.


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## jephjacques (Nov 3, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I just took a look, a couple of them look suspect, but most seemed fine. Can you link some of the worst offenders?
> 
> The worst I saw were the AZ2204F models, and one of the AZ2402 in blue, but the rest looked alright.



This one isn't great: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AZ2402ICM--ibanez-prestige-az2402-ice-blue-metallic

This one is a fuckin travesty, gaps on both sides of the neck: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...ige-az2402-ice-blue-metallic/sn210001F1821746

This one is also pretty bad: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AZ2402TFF--ibanez-prestige-az2402-tri-burst-fade-flat

And then all 4 of the Martin Miller sigs are even worse. There's one tri-color burst 2402s that looks like it might have a nice pocket, but it seems like a worse sample than most Prestiges I've seen lately. I'm sure they all play fine, and the necks might not even shift around, but it's not *that* hard to get a consistent neck pocket.


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## Millul (Nov 3, 2018)

Tried out an AZ242BC today.
Pretty nice fiddle! The espresso burst looks MUCH better IRL than from pics, there were no issues or defects I could spot (neck pocket, frets, dots...everything looked fine).
But, it left me unimpressed, I just didn't click with it...might be the neck, maybe a tad too thick for me, or the frets, a bit too small...not really sure.

But, the quality is there, at least on this one!


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## yellowv (Nov 4, 2018)

My Premium has no neck gaps at all.


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 4, 2018)

jephjacques said:


> This one isn't great: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AZ2402ICM--ibanez-prestige-az2402-ice-blue-metallic
> 
> This one is a fuckin travesty, gaps on both sides of the neck: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...ige-az2402-ice-blue-metallic/sn210001F1821746
> 
> ...



Are you sure it's just not the way Sweetwater photographs stuff? 

Take a look at this BFR: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/JP6BFRKoa--ernie-ball-music-man-john-petrucci-jp6-bfr-koa

It might just be the harsh bright backing showing through. 

Or maybe that BFR has room too. 

I think something looks off, but I've played a handful of these and they all had tight pockets. I haven't heard anything from Rich, and he's usually really anal (and honest) about stuff like this. 

But it's not like Fujigen isn't known for making some loose pockets. I've worked on many wonky MIJ Ibanez pockets. 

I'm definitely going to keep an eye out.


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## jephjacques (Nov 4, 2018)

There's definitely some room on that BFR too, although with that lighting it's hard to tell if the neck just needs a nudge to the left or it's an actual gap. Ultimately it's just Guitarist OCD, I have a strat with a neck that will shift if you look at it funny but I'm like "meh, it's a strat"


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## yellowv (Nov 4, 2018)

Yeah I’m pretty sure you can’t really accurately make out neck pocket gaps from those pics.


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## jephjacques (Nov 4, 2018)

yellowv said:


> Yeah I’m pretty sure you can’t really accurately make out neck pocket gaps from those pics.


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## spudmunkey (Nov 4, 2018)

That's not necessarily a gap. That seems just like a shadow due to the very edge of the top perhaps being given a couple extra passes with some sandpaper in the hand-sanding process. That doesn't necessarily mean it goes all the way down.


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## arablue (Nov 9, 2018)

I've read that the frets on these are smaller than the typical Ibanez extra jumbo. What would be the closest equivalent wire (i.e. 6105)?


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## Zhysick (Nov 10, 2018)

Yes, I don't see any gap, I see the shadow because of the "extremely" (more than necessary) rounded edges of the body in the neck pocket, but not a gap. But yes, as Max said, is Ibanez so... better be careful


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