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OK first let’s talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the room. That neck!!!! If you have done any research on the AZ series you already know it’s not a Wizard neck, but you may be surprised at how big it is. When I first grabbed it I was thinking I was going to return it, but after playing on it for a few days it felt like home. Like a lot of things about this guitar, the neck is a paradox. It shouldn’t feel this comfortable to someone who prefers Charvel and Jacksons, but it does. It doesn’t feel like a shred neck, but you can play that way remarkably well on it. It has its own unique shape like nothing I’ve played before. If I had to compare it to something I’d say somewhat resembles a Fender American Elite neck but more of a U shape with bigger shoulders. I can say that I don’t notice a huge change when going back and forth with my other guitars. It’s easy to transition between them without a lot of readjustment time to ‘get the feel’. I’ve seen a lot of forum posts asking about how the AZ Prestige stacks up to other instruments. Here’s my opinion. I own a Charvel Pro Mod DK24 HSS with the roasted neck and I really like that guitar a lot. The 2402 is a little lighter and sleeker and has a higher quality feel. I think the Hyperions as humbuckers are more versatile than the Full Shred. The 2402 neck is thicker and feels a little wider vs the DK which is more like a very thin Strat neck. I also briefly owned the Premium version of this guitar (AZ242). The 242 is even lighter. The neck carves are identical but the Premium neck is lighter in color than the Prestige. Other than that the biggest difference was quality. I was disappointed in the 242. For the price it shouldn’t have had the issues it did. If it was a $600 guitar I would have let them slide but once things get over a grand I tend to get picky.With that out of the way, here’s the rest of my overall thoughts on the guitar. It has good sustain for a super-strat. It’s fairly light coming in at right around 7 pounds. The strap pegs are big enough to not worry me or require a lock system. It’s a very well balanced guitar equally comfortable playing sitting or standing. The SS frets are very nice, but are very very jumbo. I’m not used to 10’s on a 25.5 so I tried putting .09’s on it and it was a mess even after setting the relief again. This guitar needs 10’s and after about 30 minutes I felt right at home on them. I was also able to get a very nice action (.09mm to 1.3mm) with no buzz and that’s always a huge plus for me! The neck seems like it is going to be very stable. I live in an area with drastic climate changes in the summer where the temp and humidity can rise and fall dramatically in just hours. If the claims about roasted maple are true, I should be able to survive next summer without having to readjust everything on a daily basis. As far as looks go, I chose the Ice Blue Metallic finish. It’s subtle and reminds me of something you would see on a Nissan Sentra, but it pairs nicely with the dark color of the roasted neck and the overall pedestrian look of the instrument. I actually like that it is the antithesis of the RG. No flashy colors or attention drawing elements. Just a simple looking high quality guitar. If I could change anything, I would probably put non top-locking tuners on it and would really like an HSS model without a pickguard that didn’t have a $500 premium attached. Other than that, it’s about as perfect as a guitar could get for me. I saw one of the players who has a signature model say the AZ series made them a better player and it will make you a better player too. I don’t know if that’s true but I can say I’m really enjoying playing it. Maybe that’s how it makes you better. You don’t want to put it down!

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This is my first experience with owning a Prestige line Ibanez. I had seen this guitar played in its prototype phase by bands like CHON and Polyphia. I had no clue what it was and I hadn’t seen Ibanez make anything like this prior, so I was really excited to see what it would turn into. I thought the neck and fretboard were rosewood originally, because of how dark they’re roasted. Upon seeing its debut and looking at the specs, I knew immediately that it was everything I could ask for in a guitar. A cross between modern and vintage. The pros of each blended into one. I decided to bite the bullet and order one, and when it finally came in, all of my presumptions about it were confirmed. Everything about the way the instrument feels, sounds, and looks is top notch, and that takes a lot for me to say with honesty. The build quality overall is incredible. I couldn’t find a single flaw or thing that looked half-assed or out of place, which is a first, even after having ordered custom shop guitars from Kiesel (I still love Kiesels, tho..) -The neck isn’t too thin nor too thick. It’s very comfortable to rest your thumb on and it’s finished very smoothly. It doesn’t feel sticky or rough. You can glide along it easily. -Fretboard has a very comfortable radius suitable for easy chording and lead playing as well. The stainless steel frets are a must for me, so the fact that this guitar is equipped with them is a massive bonus. They’re very smooth. -Pickups alone are amazing. From what I understand, they were designed specifically for this guitar. Good output level for handling heavy distortion, and for making clean tones sound great as well. The 5-way switching combined with the Dynamix switch is one of my favorite features of this guitar. It gives me a wider array of tones than I’ve been able to achieve on any other guitar I’ve played. -The full floating bridge is a huge plus because it isn’t locking. That’s a personal preference for me though. It’s very stable and smooth. Yes you can flutter without a problem. The proprietary materials used for the saddles and block are very nice too. -The other appointments like the self-locking Gotoh tuners, tremolo springs with rubber sleeves around them, and recessed input jack are just very thoughtful and accommodating features that help make the guitar even more enjoyable.I would recommend this guitar to anyone until I’m blue in the face. I’ve already sold a couple people on buying one. It’s suitable for all styles of music. This guitar resembles the progression in the way that the electric guitar is being built today, while still preserving the features that made it great in the first place.

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I was looking for one guitar that would cover a lot of tones and styles, and this fits the bill. It's rare to find a guitar that has more than one characteristic sound, and this one has several. Jazz? Neck pickup/dynamix off/ roll off some tone. Rockabilly? Bridge pickup/dynamix on. Funky, glassy Strat? Use the #2 or #4 position. At full output, the pickups roar nicely.First impression: from the factory, the neck feels a bit sticky at first, but it smooths out quickly with some wiping down with a synthetic cloth. The bridge saddles were set too high for my preference, but the included multi tool made height adjustments quick and easy. The vibrato arm was scraping against what sounds a like a spring to hold it place; I dipped the tip of the arm in oil, reinserted and tightened the collar, and no more noise issue.I've never heard a guitar with this much sustain, and that didn't need an electronic sustainer. The neck shape and frets are precise beyond anything I've seen. Typical Japanese precision ha ha.After a few tweaks to get it to your preferred set up, it's a real champ. And it's not 'irreplaceable' like a high end Suhr or PRS, so you can gig without paranoia for the safety of the instrument.

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