Ibanez AZES31 and AZES40: The New King of Entry Level Electrics?

Ibanez has finally shipped us our AZES guitars-- announced last year at NAMM, these affordable and versatile electric guitars coming in right around the $300-$350 range are stiff competition for comparable offerings from Squier. Take a look and a listen and let us know what you think!
SHOP IBANEZ AZES40: www.alamomusic.com/ibanez-az-...
SHOP IBANEZ AZES31: www.alamomusic.com/ibanez-az-...
0:00 Intro/Specs
12:28 AZES31 (SSS) Clean Demo
15:18 AZES40 (HSS) Clean Demo
19:09 AZES40 (HSS) Dirty Demo
20:27 Final Thoughts
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[@elliottwist1474]

Great Video, Thanks. I have both AZES40-MGR and AZES31-IV. I missed my '81 Ibanez Blazer BL550FR so I got the AZES40-MGR, I watched too many videos on these two models and got the AZES31-IV so they'd be like a collection of this series. Ibanez makes great guitars. I have 17 Ibanez guitars and one Ibanez fretless bass, several cost $2k each. I am plenty happy with lower cost Ibanez guitars. We use an Ibanez Gio GRX40 MR live in Elliot Twist for a Bryan Adams song.

[@benjaminnaidoo9776]

I've had my AZES40 for a month now and I absolutely love it to bits. Waiting for my local store to get their Silver Sky SE to compare out of curiosity, but man I couldn't be happier with this instrument. I CAN'T PUT IT DOWN!!!

[@J_Fowler]

i've got a core silversky and just got an az and i am in love with the ibanez (vermillion)

[@benjaminnaidoo9776]

@@J_Fowler you got an AZES or one of the big boy AZ's?

[@J_Fowler]

@@benjaminnaidoo9776 oh sorry i have the AZES 31 like they have in the video. i think it is a fantastic guitar

[@benjaminnaidoo9776]

@@J_Fowler ah cool cool. I like the AZES pickups a lot, the ceramics are fantastic. They're clear and full but not overly warm. This guitar really let me understand why I need a few more axes in my collection 😂😂

[@williamknell864]

Both sound damn good. The switching options remind me, a little, of my ancient Schecter Strat, with an On-Off-Tapped mini toggle for each pickup. Takes some getting used to. But a great range of possibilities at your fingertips. Peiople look down their noses at "ceramic pickups." But really great sound, to my ears.

[@ElJuicetin]

Great video! Personally I really like the vermillion color :)

[@charlesbranch4120]

Final thoughts: Cooper got it right on the guy at stage right... (OK, Chris does love to talk, and well, you have to consider that seniority does have a place. So let it roll, and that is well, since I'm older than Chris, not quite my "last and final answer.") Ibanez makes great guitars, including the AS73FM-TAF (and other finishes) semi-hollow with their own sweet sounding humbuckers that some suggest swapping out, while others say no. (TAF is/was Transparent Autumn Fade over Flamed Maple, beautiful and sounds great unplugged, too.) Fun to look up and read the stories about the artists they've made signature guitars with, too. Steve Vai, Joe Satriani... My SIL was very happy with the gift of a solid wood Breedlove Organic Concert E- Torrefied European Spruce/African Mahogany (back, sides, and neck) open pore finish, as he exclaimed over the ease and comfort of playing 12-53 strings. He said he played his dreadnought through two complete Sunday services once, and it was an ordeal! I'm looking forward to changing the somewhat unknown strings original to the Ibanez for NYXL 10-46 suggested by the music store that set up the guitar, and Reverend Willy's 9s later... Haven't tried his salsa yet, Chris' thoughts on it? Thanks all!

[@stephanematis]

Man, I think these might even give the Silver Sky SE a run for the money. Likely two of the best student guitars possible. And Cooper is killing it....

[@RN-fx3zl]

Easily the best strat copy I've ever heard it makes the silver sky kind of irrelevant and pointless. The price is better the pickups are better it's more versatile.

[@fabmsrohfm2593]

Azes40 designed with help of tomo fujita (guitar teacher of john mayer) is a more affordable copy of the john mayer prs se silver sky . Both have the same poplar wood body.

[@zach_theguitar2472]

Just A/B’d this with several fenders, SE Silver Sky, and the $2k Ibanez strat copy, the AZES 31 sounded better than all of them.

[@akjl01]

Got to get one. Probably the 31 👌

[@ptalley316]

And you have my old piano in the background, CP-80:) heavy as lead but awesome!!

[@wilsonkok4754]

Just tried it at my local guitar store all the way over in Asia - for the price, the feel is absolutely incredible. Even if the rest of the guitar sucked (and it doesn't, everything's at least average) - the quality of manufacturing and feel would be worth the price

[@RomainG6409]

I bought the HSS last week ... I have over 10 guitars already and some expensive ones ... I am astonished not only by the quality, the comfort, the lightweight, the versatility, the positions' options but I was expecting very weak mics ... These are KILLERS for the price ... I am just going to put some locking tuners and maybe later change the bridge (the tremolo is a little bit loose) but quite frankly for 299/329 box ?!? GO for it !!!

[@brennensnyder9236]

How is the trem tuning stability? How well does it hold tune out of the box?

[@RomainG6409]

​@@brennensnyder9236 You indeed need to change the tuning keys and replace them with locking tuners. The trem is a cheap one and I will certainly change it at some point, but that is not a problem right now, I am not using it often. I have already put locking tuners (Harley Benton's LT, 39 euros) an the tune stays stable since then. It is an amazing guitar for the price ... I am 57 years old and I am bored of heavy guitars, this one weights nothing :-) maybe it won't last long but at that price I am ok to buy one every 5 years ;-)

[@brennensnyder9236]

@@RomainG6409 sweet! Thx 😊

[@m.rupakganguly1]

Can you plz share, what is the neck profile in this guitar?

[@CharlotteHoogenboom]

I had an Ibanez acoustic electric as my first guitar. I had it for 10 years and recently sold it. I got so much out of it given the low price. I highly recommend Ibanez to beginners

[@briane.paulson]

Long hair dude. Great demo🎉

[@briansarate]

I got the 40 in a trade , the same day as getting a 1999 fender Stratocaster “fat strat” mim. The Ibanez’s sound blew the fender electronics blow the fender out of the water , I’m tempted to steal the the pickups and install them in the fender.

[@T.C..]

Nice....I bet Cooper could make a Walmart guitar sound nice too!

[@TheChannalA]

I just picked up a AZES40 today and I am kicking myself for not getting one sooner. It is one of the best guitars ive played in its price range! I haven’t been able to put it down all day.

[@outermarker5801]

How's the bridge/tuning - any issues? Kinda wish the 40 had a hard tail

[@TheChannalA]

@outermarker5801 I haven't had any issues with the bridge or tuning stability unless I'm going for a lot of bending, then I do get out of tune a bit.

[@outermarker5801]

@@TheChannalA Ok. Thank you so much, this helps. Now I just wish it came in that nice ocean blue option on the 31 lol

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Lovely guitars!

[@RoadKing-ky2bs]

Jatoba comes from Central and South America and West Indies. My Ibanez SR506B neck is made of Jatoba and I looked it up out of curiosity.

[@edwin3934]

Pfftt.

[@RoadKing-ky2bs]

@@edwin3934 what do you mean by "Pfftt"?

[@fabmsrohfm2593]

Azes40 designed with help of tomo fujita (guitar teacher of john mayer) is a more affordable copy of the john mayer prs se silver sky . Both have the same poplar wood body.

[@elmanitasdeplomo]

They should have called it the grx special or something instead of azes, because its basically a grx with a different bridge, extra switch for pickup combinations and a more retro looking headstock decal. Is it really worth that much more?

[@jessebarrera159]

Guitar sounds awesome, clean very similar to my G&L legacy, great video and playing.

[@9unslin9er]

Let's not go that far. The G&L Saddlelock bridge produces far superior resonance to these. My Legacy hardtail sounds way bigger than this.

[@mailvilla]

02/10/2022: I enjoy watching you videos. I am interested in the Ibanez EH10 Erick Hansel Signature Electric Guitar Transparent Green Matte, which is $1,500.00 in USA. Is it possible that you could do a complete review and demo of this guitar? It seems to be an all in-one guitar for me. I am wondering if the coil tap is similar sound as splitting the humbuckers, and could I get an almost Country Trang out of that? What do you think about this guitar? Feature: AZ Oval C Roasted Maple neck Walnut top/Nyatoh Jatoba fretboard with ff-set white block inlay Jumbo Stainless steel frets Graph Tech TUSQ nut T1502 by Gotoh tremolo bridge Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro (S) neck pickup Seymour Duncan Hyperion (H) bridge pickup Coil-tap switch Gotoh MG-T locking machine heads Chrome Hardware Gig bag included

[@Seanjustfine]

My body says yes to this guitar.

[@theopoiesis]

The red one is pretty nice

[@anthonygonzalez8684]

Amazing pickup tone. A few Mods at a mid price of their 2204s they will be a serious competitor for Fender or G&L. Actually, lied he Sngle tone vibrancy more than Fenders.

[@lone-wolf-1]

Both are very good guitars, not just for the money. Hard tail 31 sounds sounds slightly better, mire bell like chime and harmonic content. I would need an AZES with fixed bridge and a humbucker in the bridge position.

[@claudedascottebouhiere274]

Hello, what amp are you using in the demo ? Thanks

[@bozziovai]

Cooper....that intro was cool as dry ice... ddeeeyyymmm.

[@MrRafaztar]

in the UK you can get a new red one with the hardbail for £250 what a bargain

[@jonos138]

Whats the tremelo like? does it go massively out of tune when used??

[@antoniolopez6798]

Is it true that on the Ibanez, with the built-in switch, it is possible for the single pickups to sound like a humbucker? I will appreciate the answer... I just ordered an AZES and I'm really looking forward to it.

[@taylor5610]

Yes it does, with the alter switch.

[@tiago5a]

how does it compares with Ibanez GRX40?

[@avisalym5038]

Wish the Indonesia guys added ss frets on these gems

[@loyolaschool]

Nice sound....For 299.99 its a killer guitar.....I am planning to upgrade the pickups to SD Little 59 and Devils

[@fordhammie]

This model smells like the number 1 manufacturer for many brands with tons of experience and that's SAMICK! :)

[@Singerswapnillive]

Though being a single coil guitar , they dont product the same fenderish tone we all are fan of !!

[@Taylor-dl2kr]

Pretty cool guitar. Put some better pickups in that thing and you'll be in business.

[@zach_theguitar2472]

Lol The pickups in them are great

[@PaulGAckerman]

I've been thinking about getting an acoustic guitar and I know very little about guitars. Would it be accurate or semi-accurate to say an electric guitar with humbucking and single coil pickups is answering the question of "Strat or Les Paul?" with "Why not both?"

[@JoshuaC923]

What about hsh

[@tonycusick6575]

Are the pickups alnico or ceramic?

[@yahyaguzel4155]

Ceramic

[@jyudomassan]

How do they compare to yamaha pacifica 112v?

[@diegoleiva7242]

I've played both and the Ibanez feels a bit nicer. The trems are smoother to the touch, both are super easy to play though. You might wanna upgrade more things in a Yamaha than the Ibanez in the long run. Play them both, you won't go wrong with either of these two.

[@jyudomassan]

@@diegoleiva7242 thank you very much good sir. I'll try them both out soon and make my decision but your input has helped me regardless. I hope you have a great day and rock on🤘

[@jFluxie]

@@jyudomassan Which one did you end up going for?

[@Heybigsambo]

Why no maple neck version

[@undrwrldsk8fred]

To make it more budget friendly

[@Lucas2812-]

Who have the name of the song on AZES31 clean demo pls the first

[@Granat0r]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/nancnX-gf6iYgKM

[@cyclepatheus]

Brothers from different mothers.....

[@hulyaaktas2315]

Yağmur Sarıgül Ibanez Ase31 Siyaha Ve Beyazlılar Renklidir Ibanez Ase40 Anılcan Akkuş Kırmızıya Ve Beyazlılar Renklidir

[@edwin3934]

Jatoba or Nyatoh or Nyatuh or Nyatu. Same wood

[@RoadKing-ky2bs]

PFFTT

[@edwin3934]

@@RoadKing-ky2bs pfftt. Lineceauo

[@RoadKing-ky2bs]

@@edwin3934 PPFFTTTTTTT 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@AJgeartalk]

Should be MUCH better than a Squier Affinity strat. Hopefully..... Otherwise these will be a huge failure.

[@michaelbisceglia9154]

Most often you will NEVER be happy with a cheap instrument. Cheap does not last and it ALWAYS feels cheap…Quality or dieee…Gotta go at least $1000 these days…

[@BolognaDemon]

You played this?

[@jaggercarina6303]

? ???????

[@rcasagranda]

Great Video! Just adding to the video there about the woods Jatoba - Brazilian Indian Tupy Word that means Fruit with Hard Shell. (From Brazil) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jatob%C3%A1 Pau Ferro - Also Originally Brazilian wood and Brazilian name that means Iron Wood Ebony - African Wood, in Portuguese the word means dark (the core of the tree) Jacarandá-da-Bahia, also known as Brazilian Rosewood