Ibanez AZES Essential Series Guitars - Bargain AZ Models - The BEST New Budget Guitars?!

[@PolarBimbi]

that SSS with fixed bridge are gonna satisfy a good amount of players.

[@tatialo37]

Fender/Squier take note. The only hardtail was the bullet Strat and its not very good! The next one was the Robert Cray Strat, good luck finding one!

[@mikeg.9238]

Just got this a few days ago and love it , sounds nothing like any of my others. Way more twang and sounds better than my tele..

[@laurifinlandia]

if only there was a hardtail hss. if only.

[@afnantabrik9080]

@@laurifinlandia can I change it to hard tail?

[@6strings735]

@@laurifinlandia I agree. I have the mint green w/ humbucker, and the trem came already decked. Apparently this is how it is setup. As close to a hardtail as a trem can be. I play the heck out of this guitar, and it stays in tune like a much more expensive guitar. I did pay for a Plek job on it - well worth it I think, makes the frets perfect. A very comfortable guitar to play for sure. Future mods will be a new nut and maybe pickups down the road, but honestly, this guitar is great as is. Tuners have a split shaft that makes it easier to re-string than typical tuners. So glad I bought this.

[@ChrisFranklyn]

The series switch for single coils should be in all SSS guitars. That's great.

[@reinarddarren8536]

Agree

[@blitheringrando1410]

Seirously, It kinda pisses me off how much you have to usually spend to find that kind of thing in a guitar. Then Ibanez throws it in a starter guitar 😂. If I didn't have an old Frankenstein HSS squier and a mexican strat already...

[@s0appy683]

Thank u Ibanez 4 not making me feel bad about my recent premium AZ purchase

[@thehotsixer1]

Your premium is a better guitar, I wouldn’t feel bad at all, these won’t match your premium.

[@wangd000dle]

Just ordered an AZ226 off reverb, so excited for it to come in. But what this AZES offers for the price is awesome for starting out

[@s0appy683]

@@wangd000dle I have the same one, in love with it. Got the frets re crowned and polish and the nut cut by a luthier and it plays nicer than the prestige's I've tried.

[@wangd000dle]

@@s0appy683 very nice. The person I bought it from is including an Ibanez Ultralite tremolo arm with it, which is a nice bonus. I'm really excited to try it out, and I've been playing my S2170 Prestige a lot lately in anticipation lol.

[@grantkelly2751]

BRO ONE HAD A HARDTAIL. I’ve been wanting to mod a guitar to pay tribute to Jim root but I wanted it to be my own, this is perfect

[@natethompson1257]

These will make killer mod platforms! Glad to see Ibanez still makes excellent quality sub-500 dollar guitars these days.

[@bobafett4889]

My thoughts exactly. Graph Tech tf out of it and swap the pups and pots and these will be beastly.

[@thepajamajams]

What trem upgrade would drop in?

[@scoobsdogg]

I own several "expensive" guitars but I am actually suuuper excited about these. The SSS in off white looks so good.

[@greedydotmf]

Same. 25″ scale, SSS with switching tricks and hard tail its a very interesting combo.

[@isaiahsdead]

Played one of these today and kinda fell in love super nice strat style as if a strat couldnt become more versatile.

[@THXRDEYEMXNIAC]

is this guitar good for playing heavy metal?

[@MrSpeed-lt8gr]

Dagan, your positivity and joy are infectious. Thank you.

[@christophervincent8420]

Man, they sound great. I would have to hit that HSS up.

[@BillMWirth]

Great demo! I’m a Gibson LP and Tele guy who’s been thinking of getting a strat style. I love the options with the humbucker in blue. Gonna test one when in stock. With all the sonic options, looks and sounds great without having to go with high end Fender’s or heavy mods.

[@user-pt1ye7vd7m]

Pls make sure to provide an update once you've tried one.

[@tkabiranik]

Ibanez should have given maple fretboard variant as an option.

[@johniresearchist7263]

darker wood fretboard looks better.

[@tkabiranik]

@@johniresearchist7263 to each their own. That's why I stated that there should have been a maple variant.

[@altrock86]

I would buy 2 if they had a maple fretboard

[@blitheringrando1410]

If they put their 24 fret neck on it I would consider that HSS just on the series/parallel switch. Nice feature for a cheap guitar.

[@tperry5839]

Those guitars sound better than some very expensive guitars I’ve heard they have a vibe to them that make you want to just play everything you’ve heard

[@ipuya]

The mint and yellow colors are real nice and that switch is awesome!

[@rocktorrocks]

Was keeping my Squier strat as a beater/mod guitar…might have to sell it and get one of these. That HSS sounds and looks awesome!

[@brendanquinn5804]

I've been looking for a hardtail AZ. At this price/spec i think this is a classic in the making

[@TomoFujitaMusic]

Thank you for sharing!

[@colteastwood]

Dagan doneit 'gain!

[@donwilson9939]

I'm a dual humbucker guy myself. Snow white with a floating trem would be perfect for me.

[@Ottophil]

Well then this isnt for you

[@PaulCooksStuff]

Great to have more options. Sss for me. Though once you've spotted the random gaps and edge spacing on that pickguard it's very hard for your eye not to be fixated on it every time.

[@user-pt1ye7vd7m]

Yap. Everything about it I love, but why that pickgard shape? I mean they had specially carved pickgard for their RGs, why not for the AZ body too? Oh and I'd love to have SSS aze with 2 tones and a trem.

[@PungkiAhimsa]

Epiicc! Please consider making a comparison video of this vs Classic Vibe & Contemporary Strats 👍

[@martinclayton7260]

I like the mint green one! I'd go for the hss, but I'd be happy with any of them!

[@Reaper337755]

I love that he snuck in Chapter Four from A7X. One of my fav songs!!

[@oh_goliath]

JUST decided I wanted to start playing guitar and these came along. Can’t wait to try them out and buy one!

[@Rwtheking]

As a keyboardist who just picked up the guitar I have to say it’s a lot of fun. Guitars have some of the best expression in a good players hands. If you stick with it you should have a lot of fun.

[@hanten10]

Woah can't wait for it availability in Asia, I felt in love with that sss + hardtail bridge ♥️

[@calebscrazyamazinglife1795]

Bro I’m so glad a went to guitar center I was looking at a different guitar to buy but I picked this up I it was the most comfortable thing ever and sounded so cool I loved it

[@THXRDEYEMXNIAC]

is this guitar good for playingg heavy metal?

[@brianobrian9334]

@@THXRDEYEMXNIAC probably not...look at a rg421, Jackson js22/32 ...or get the humbucker azes and replace pickup with a nazgul or invader.

[@lauriemacquanan2141]

TY for the review, it's a year later, I just watched a Tomo Fujita video how he did a colab with Ibanez to re design the saddle!! Some speak of a loose trem, a diff video a guy said he used a tiny piece of earplugs foam pushed it in the trem hole.

[@chrisjames1924]

Very tempting!

[@johnegginton]

I love the look of the AZ series but they are eye wateringly expensive! These are a nice addition to Ibanez' catalogue. If I hadn't just spent nearly £300 getting my Strat re-fretted with evogold, I'd have been all over this! Probably the ivory SSS config, as much as I love a trem, my only hard tail is a PGM Mikro, nice little plaything 🤣

[@gamecat666]

yes its a strange pricepoint. lots of 'budget' comments but they are nearly double the price of an Affinity, and only a bit cheaper than a classic Vibe. I think i'd rather have the Classic Vibe tbh.

[@johnegginton]

@@gamecat666 ideally I think my next guitar is going to be something a little more extravagant. Either the AZ or something similar prestige with SS frets etc... Quite like the look of Lari Basilio's custom 🤔

[@HD-vs2tn]

Hey Dagan, just throwing it out there, a channel of you covering some of the famous guitar songs, using different brands, kinds of guitars you have at the store. A channel where you combine guitar songs with your guitar geekiness, experimenting with different kind of tones from cheap to expensive guitars. I mean, no need to sing, just jam with the guitar with or without backing track. If you're looking for a viewer's request, I'd like to request Slow Dancing in a Burning Room using that AZES.

[@tyyak1478]

Thanks for the recommendation. Just got mine today. Beautiful.

[@antoniolopez6798]

I bought two of these at Audiomúsica, in Chile, because they are cheap and the economy in my country still allows you to try everything... Well, both are the same in their finishes... Frets, paint, assembly,... It's a short scale guitar, 25´but not so short either, given that the les pauls are 24.75... In my case I can say that it does have a good finish... (at least in the ones I bought). Simple aesthetic, minimalist and more or less beautiful. Very comfortable to play, really comfortable (it's the most redeemable)... The switch (alter), if it thickens the sound of the single coils... and yes, you can do more "hard" rock, but obviously it doesn't reach metal Unless you're using high-gain pedals (*Dunlop EVH 5150* or *Wampler Triple Wreck* or *Friedman BE OD*, which I have by the way, and I get a glam-like sound from the 80's)... On guitar I give it an 8 out of 10, just because although it's comfortable in every way, the "single coils" are a bit behind... Maybe it's because I compare a lot with the Les Paul humbucker or the Super Stratos High Gain Humbucker. .. In short, you have to assume that it is a stratum, that it has a single coil, and the "alter" switch is "play" that can sound like a humbucker... or very close... But clearly they lack it.

[@officialtl96]

I can't wait to get the HSS one. 😍

[@JosePineda-jn8jk]

I’ve seen quite a few other outlets, call it the dyna-mix switch. You just rocked my world by calling in what it most likely is intended to be, the dynamics switch 😂

[@Hiro.the.God.]

I really like the HSS blue one. I’m definitely sold on it.

[@jj_zerozero]

Only nitpick I have is the lack of 24-fret options, but other than that these guitars look promising

[@pablo9364]

The AZ is a superb guitar

[@Reub3]

Perfect timing. Have an old used and abused ibanez from the 90s that just gave its last breath. Couldn't decide whether to fix it or get a new one. Will be doing both but repairing the old one at a later date when I get more ca$$$h.

[@emmanuelgutierrez6306]

La neta respeto para Honduras que partidasos. Espero que le gane a Costa Rica y verlo en Copa America

[@sebsteezy]

ive been looking at the premium AZ models for years, but its always been too much money, but this.. i might just order one next month! still a bit torn on SSS or HSS, leaning towards HSS since i do like to play heavy stuff at times

[@PenguinCODMgod]

I got one it’s really good

[@alexponomarenko7800]

I just started wanting a Strat style guitar cuz I want to learn indie rock guitar. I might check these out.

[@darthj_der7447]

Whats makin the difference is your glorious rock stance!!

[@darshandowari3112]

The technical wizadry in these guitars are awesome...I wud take a single coil one

[@sonicaids]

i wish they had a maple board version.

[@CaioPTV]

07:50 Djavan feels

[@kawouter3807]

Love the fact that the sss is a hardtail I am a beginner and almost piched up the bullet hardtail. I am gonne get me the ibanez hardtail ohw my God the vintage cream😍❤

[@beforever]

need to know how the hardtails are routed, would definitely prefer HSS h/t

[@THESHR3DS1324]

I got the black one and put a Floyd rose rail tail and got gotoh locking tuners on it Then I had it re fretted with stainless. Steel medium jumbo frets And then I had it pleked over at sweet water ( I know I guy) And then I put seymour duncan distortion bridgebucker And then Seymour Duncan hot coilers in the neck and middle And then just for aesthetic preference I got a custom made solid white azes40 pick guard on Etsy Oh and lastly I got a graph tech nut on it And 500k pots in both volume and tone knob

[@fordhammie]

Awwsome guitars!!! I picked up a 16 year old SZ2020 😁

[@athathoth01]

The baby blue one with the hss sounded WAY better. Good video btw.

[@averageguitarist3631]

Probably the best all-rounder at 300

[@rajvirsingh5754]

That love that HSS

[@Frankinsteinguitar]

A strat is a strat is strat! 'Nuff said!

[@pablo9364]

An AZ is an AZ it’s unique .

[@scoresandflames]

First and foremost you should know about the Ibanez AZES, that this is Vaporware. After the announcements on 31st August/1 September I ordered it immediately, but after several delays I was informed today again, that it will still not be delivered before February 2022. Needless to say, I canceled my order. What a pity. Maybe in a year or two these will be really available.

[@H20nas]

Only if they had an SSS version with a trem. I'd seriously consider getting one for modding.

[@Rwtheking]

How would you mod it? It already has a good switching system which is the first thing I would think of for a strat style guitar. Would you just change the pickups or something?

[@elmanitasdeplomo]

They do have an SSS with a trem.

[@DamianS1893]

I'm interested in the SSS Guitar in Ivory. And the HSS in Light Blue

[@MrRafaztar]

£300, so the question is how do these compare to the classic vibe? To be honest I prefer Ibanez to Squier in the headstock

[@peterklein5861]

Yeah that was my first thought too. I think this might be the first guitar I'd consider a rival to my Classic Vibe Tele, although I'd have to get my hands on one first.

[@sergiocastellanos33]

Have both squiers and Ibanez… get an ibanez you won’t regret it. My favorites out of all my guitars

[@stryanx4395]

@@sergiocastellanos33 thanks

[@Marta1Buck]

9:00 hell yeah!

[@MrShadowofthewind]

The orange one looks great, but needs a black pickguard.

[@elmanitasdeplomo]

If they had a front mounted jack I’d buy one.

[@Breaker197]

Hot shit! That intro riff cooks!

[@pinkiewerewolf]

New, I like the Vermillion Red, but put years of use on it and the Purist Blue is gonna be Gonzo Badass in looks. I'd have to get the HSS, it's just too versatile and I'm no Hendricks or Vaughnso the SSS just doesn't do it for me.

[@tatialo37]

The hardtail is my favorite! for 800, i,d buy both! My car repair can wait! I"ll walk! Great playing.

[@emmanuelgutierrez6306]

Do you think these guitar are a little better than Squier Affinity seriees?

[@duartelucas5746]

How does it feel and sound compared to the Strat in the room? A bit less glassy maybe?

[@SaxJockey]

Yes a bit less glassy, but still gets a very decent single coil Strat sound; better than a LP that has coil split humbuckers. The PuPs are ceramic not alnico so have a warmer and less defined sound; that works quite good for a distorted sound. I had this guitar for a week, liked it, the pup switching options were great. Sadly had to return it due to quality issues.

[@brianobrian9334]

@@SaxJockey what was the issue for returning?

[@SaxJockey]

@@brianobrian9334 There were a number of things, most I could have put up with/resolved, but one was not acceptable. It didn't hold tuning too well even after setting up the tremolo. I decided to check the security of the neck attachment screws; one just kept turning (stripped wood). The other things were scratchy frets, dirty/rusty(?) at the high end, I could have resolved those, but the neck screw put me off asking for a replacement. Maybe a rogue guitar, probably fine if you get a good one.

[@brianobrian9334]

@@SaxJockey thanks for reply, yeah that would drive me nuts.

[@davidsaric2012]

Can you get it in a h s s ivory tremolo version?

[@chrishawkins1922]

they are $300 dollars in USA so should be £220 here in the UK i emailed headstock (distributor) last week for clarification if it was a pricing error or just greed, i have yet to have a reply

[@Hadogei123456789]

CHAPTER FOUR!!

[@skylineXpert]

Personally i would like a Roadstar rs 430 re-issue with edge zero.

[@stevendavis7821]

No 24 fret is a deal buster for me, gonna have to get loan now

[@pameshrana5244]

I'll be in the Leeds shop soon me thinks

[@Deadhansome]

Sound pretty damn good to me

[@MrElopez55]

Would it be hard to change the single coils while retaining the original switching configurations if I wanted to replace them?

[@_Snapper]

maple fretboard please ibanez

[@sawbonesquad4876]

Can you replace the pickups easily? Have a couple fender player series single coils sitting around I wanna try to get thrown in for funzies

[@thenovicenoisemaker]

Ivory 🥰

[@tiago5a]

how does it compares with Ibanez GRX40?

[@AprilSBarnes]

Is the tremolo a floyd rose or is it a non locking trem?

[@jpsatre]

looks awesome to me

[@shankz1472]

Are these better than fever squier starts?

[@dereklovenstein8606]

I ordered a Mint Green! :) Now the waiting. :(

[@zhanezar]

please can some one tell me is the body size of AZ guitars same as stratocaster ?

[@xavierdavid6038]

Hey Dagan , I know this is not related but can you pls pls pls do a slash gear guide on a budget , I've watched that 36 times but I couldn't sound like it because the gear was too high end . BTW love the vid. 🤘

[@bluwng]

Are these smaller than a Dinky?

[@gaiheenaga335]

What is the price is n India?

[@lovetocrack3443]

Design is good but it doesn't sound like original AZ at all

[@marinaturkington4183]

Man buddy let's get rockin on the funky rock vibe man you gotta teach me on electric guitar 🎸 rock on🤘 Eliza Jane from United kingdom northern Ireland Ballymena age 36

[@redrocker1055]

Ibanez use to make great budget guitars with decent tone woods. That hasn't been the case for over a decade, though.

[@dev4965]

considering the dummy increased prices in supplies for those materials it’s close to impossible to make a budget guitar with decent tone wood without it being expensive for mass production.

[@pablo9364]

The last five years it’s only the more expensive guitars that get the decent tone woods . As time goes by I think the wood quality is reducing.

[@stryanx4395]

@@pablo9364 tone woods BAH

[@pablo9364]

@@stryanx4395 well I understand LOL I guess it applies a lot more on the acoustic guitars .

[@tonyy.8852]

So ibanez strat ?

[@jamessenuta8931]

They need a few more colors candy yellow,nitro orange, metallic white with black pick guard's better yet black pearloid pick guard's with two point terms Aztec gold with pearloid pick guard's staggered locking tuners,now the ultimate AZES candy apple red with metal flake black pearloid pick guard gold hardware two point trem staggered locking tuners flat top tele style knob's with black pearloid tops head stock painted to match body roasted maple on maple neck with H/S/S pick up set up with red DiMarzio pickups then you'll have one diabolical AZES guitar....

[@hernangodoy9564]

Podrían activar la opcion subtitulada en español por medio de smart tv y smartphones, tendran mas suscritos 👍

[@ipuya]

Love this channel and Dagan. Just wish he'd cut down on those noisy power chords. I don't think most viewers who are considering this kind of guitar are metal heads.

[@eeervin3]

Great sales pitch, but honestly... between the two of us.. what are they like? 😉

[@zakkcovers18]

Its not bad looking

[@bluwng]

Isn’t satin a eurethane finish that hasn’t been polished. Buy a Squier Bullet or any super cheap strat you get an unfinished neck, raw wood sucks not sure why people think it wouldn’t.

[@rickeymitchell8303]

Single coils trying to be humbuckers sound better than humbuckers trying to be a single coil

[@jorgpetermann1525]

whats the weight of it?

[@SaxJockey]

The one I had was 7lb 4oz.

[@kenshiroxxx90]

made in?

[@SaxJockey]

The one I had was made in Indonesia.

[@swaggettiyolonese2373]

Nooo. People will think they have the same AZ as me. AZ Prestiges…

[@henrod27]

Why is the body so small

[@DaganWilkin]

@@espn1337 agreed

[@pablo9364]

@@espn1337 it’s just a rumour