Plenty of us can afford "expensive" guitars. But a lot of us choose budget guitars that are good and worth their value. Especially if you know how to set them up and modify them.
Slip of the tongue at 5:51 "... and if Yamaha AZES series...", because you were talking about Yamaha Pacifica as a great beginner guitar option. Made me chuckle, thank you for that, but also for great videos and all your wonderful work!
Good point on the tuning stability. I used to get discouraged, and put my guitar down as a kid. I later realized that it was my starter pack squier's tuners, they would detune half way through playing a song with my guitar teacher. I later got a used Ibanez and gained a lot of confidence in my playing from staying in tune.
plz if you could do comparison between pacifica, AZES and squier that would be great. Love your channel. very good insights and information without rambling on irrelevant stuff.
Great guitars. Super-versatile range of tones. I bought the black HSS one and blocked the trem. One thing not mentioned in the video- I found that that the frets were a little rough/scratchy when bending - but easily sorted with a bit of 1000 grade sandpaper and jar of fret polish. It now feels and sounds - due to the Dyna switch and it's remarkable pickups - better than my £1000+ Fenders.
After nearly 1 year of usage : an extremely fun instrument to play. Changed the bridge on my AZES40. Never goes out of tune now. Unless I am plying some dropped tunings. Then it takes some time for the tuning to readjust itself. The only big issue is the fretboard is extremely dry. It needs lemon oil every single time I pick up the guitar.
Just got one AZES hardtail today, and i must say i'm pretty impressed for the 270€ paid, it plays great out of the box and sounds good on the stock pickups, it's the least expensive guitar i own but i dont feel i'm missing a lot when compared to my mid/high end strats,. Finishing details could be better, the neck pocket is too big on one side and they didnt buff the neck from the 3rd fret to the headstock and left some residues (most of it came off with steel wool), but appart from cosmetic issues its a good instrument regardless of price. Positives: .Great playability, no dead spots and low action. .Decent stock pickups .Fret ends nicely finished .Good tuning stability (as expected from hardtail), tuners are solid .Great neck shape (one of my fav, not too fat not too thin, a nice comfortable C shape) and i love the satin finish .Not too light not too heavy .The switch gives you 3 extra very useful sounds Negatives: .Neck pocket not perfect .Back of the neck not entirely polished with some spots of junk .Tuners not straight .Plastic nut
I bought an AZES31 and was blown away. I bought a second one, and it was awesome as well. I have an AZES40 coming next week. I haven’t had to replace anything on the 31’s, and I did a complete setup on both, including level, crown, and polish. The guitars are really fun to play. I have many, much more costly, guitars. With a few hours of work on each, they rival my Premium Jem and RG550.
I think a video on winding techniques, with you showing it, would be very useful. Especially cutting the string to the right length seems tricky to me. The issues you describe make this a no-go guitar for beginners to me (unless they have a tutor/mentor). I even lost track of all the possible pitfalls.
Im late to the party but, bought it from a friend yesterday (Azes) and to my surprise a clean tone from the 4th with the 'thing' switch onn is just nice. You get this hugeee bright rounded sound. And it is so playable. Ibanez just make a benchmark for afordable guitar. Accept for me
I've been replacing all my tuners with the 19.1 ratio Kluson tuners with split top load, I am loving that every set I buy my fingers bleed that much less. They're really tight good tuners to top it off, gby Grover. I got a Mighty Mite neck recently and it was made in Indonesia and it's better than the ones they had from China. About Slippage, I suffered slippage with D`Addario 10's, so I changed to my usual Dean Markley LTHB set and no slippage. Make of it what you will, my Kluson's never seem to slip. I scored Fender locking tuners on amazon for like $45, Stewmac wants almost $80 for the same tuners, they're Great!
I do not necesserily agree or disagree but for little Timmy sure it's not a bad option if his first guitar is "affordable" and the quality isn't quite there but if you are willing to learn to set up a guitar whitch imo is a must for any guitar player then a trem is fine or if your first guitar is on the higher end and uses hardware made of good materials it also has a chance of staying in tune fine. Trem should be a choice of taste and not a choice of tuning stability imo
@@ilmisxx2 Fair, it should be a choice of taste but newer players don't know what they want since they have no understanding of the instrument and there has never been a good example of a cheap guitar with a good trem. If little Timmy wants a trem then go ahead but I would advice against it.
@@andreasf6671 fair but on the other hand if little Timmy wants to play Van Halen or some other music that has tons of dives then he might get discouraged when he gets a guitar without trem and can't do that stuff so in consequence he drops guitar playing all together. There are arguments for and arguments against :)
@@andreasf6671 Like I said there are arguments for and arguments against. My point is that a presence of a trem shouldn't be a stopping factor for buying a guitar
It's a year later, o the RED AZ the little toggle between the knows when you push it it makes the guitar sound like a humbucker! On the loose wiggle stick a guy push a SMALL piece of foam earplug in the hole. On the winding of the strings don't the strings stretch! I believe there is a video that shows a way to Wind the strings so they lock
Just left guitar center. Played a $1000.00 charvel, & this Ibanez. I have to say I fell in love with the Ibanez. I've been playing since the mid 80's that being said. I go for guitars that feel right in my hands. (The neck) this Ibanez feels awesome!! I would probably upgrade a few things on this guitar. Tuners,pickups but this guitar plays sooo very well I'm going purchase one.
I have to agree with you. The neck is amazing on it! It reminds of the first year issue of the first Peavey Wolfgang guitar i owned back in 1995! For the AZES40 i just bought, i installed a GraphTech nut to solve the tremelo tuning issues and installed a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker for $99.00 in the bridge. So now it’s one of the best damn guitars I’ve ever owned!
Hey, I am a kid when I play guitar. My '86 RG135 was my first electric guitar, and that is dawn of the AZ headstock. And yes, the termolo is a pain on that guitar (of course I have not sold my first guitar). I ordered a white single coil model and await the arrival of the guitar.
Lol I see you looking for that wammy bar on the red one I picked up one of these the other day because of the birdseye on the neck and because it felt like it had a lot of potential. After a fret polish, setup, and some pencil on the nut and it’s fantastic. After a year of playing the frets will be perfect and maybe upgrade the tuners and switches and pots. Perfect mod platform if you can find a good one Regarding tuning issues: I think doing an over once and then under when winding helps a lot. Also, the screws and nuts on the tuners were all loose. I spent over an hour setting up and working on fine details, but afterwards jammed on the thing hard for hours and it stayed in tune. I’m still going to upgrade the tuners and string trees though. I have the hard tail version and totally agree with you about that cheap tremolo
I know this is marketed at beginners but, the real value is to us experienced modders. Good bones and really most trems can work without too much tuning grief if they are setup properly and the nut is cut correctly. Or if you need it get something like a Vega trem and I am sure it would be a fairly straightforward drop in and play.
Fender in 2 years: "We've introduced a new squire thanks to our desire for innovation, it has a shorter scale, 10" radius, locking tuners and a rounded hell joint"
@@Pyriander That's my point. All that fender has done is copying the improvements people and other companies do their guitar and present it as if it was their idea, even if everyone knows it isn't
@@abcrx32j i kind of have to respectfully disagree, they even do not copy improvements instead make nearly everything kind of unchanged since decades. Entry Series like Player have literally absolutly none of these improvements, even if they cost next to absolutely nothing (like better Neck/Heel Joint)
Love the vintage head design and logo. My first was a sss gio that were notorious banana neckers lol….of course had to cut a hum in the bridge……I woulda loved for this to be my first
I got the Azes40 but I found the tremolo makes things go out of tune, so I screwed in the bridge as much as possible and I’m not using the tremolo. Now it stays in tune really good and I’ve also lubed the nut. As I’m learning more and more guitar, the I am understanding that the tone is not that great but I;m still far away from reaching the limits of this guitar until I look for an upgrade.
Ironically budget guitars are the ones that need a setup the most, but are also the ones where dealers don't have the margin to give you one for free. Great, thorough overview ahead of the holidays
That’s why buying from a local shop is great, creating a friendship with a music shop owner and/or employees has more benefits than just good customer service. They are probably filled with knowledge and insights that can help with any musical journey . AATE pod again some day? I like hearing y’all rib each other and it’s way better than listening to my co workers complaints about the “ sad state of the world “ Have a great weekend Sir
Might be true for the U.S. - in Germany you won’t find a Strat from Fender anywhere near that price range - not in eBay not in Reverb, not in a pawn shop… and by the way they usually don’t stay in tune either…
There is a way to help on the tuning on spilt shaft tuners. Once inserted take it around "wrong way" a half turn then back through the spilt to "lock" the string on unwound strings do it twice. But... Cheaper locking tuners are how I'd go probably
Henning, please make a video about beginner guitars - but not from the budget perspective. What is a great beginner guitar, if budget is not the point? My pedals and amp setup is based on your infos, but I am struggling to decide which "expensive" instrument gives most bang for the buck regarding playability...
@@darkoidinamo what is easy to play, what will cause the least problems, what is ergonomic. As a relative beginner these things all started to matter to me the longer I practiced; when I started out I thought it was all just budget and tone (despite the fact I was using a £60 solid state amp haha).
I just recently purchased the tremelo version of this guitar and was wondering if the Harley Benton tuners you showed were direct drop ins for the Ibanez AZES40 or does it require modification to install them? If they are direct drop ins, what is the exact model description of these locking tuners? The link you gave us is not in English and I wasn’t able to tell one way or the other.
A solution to your concerns regarding string slippage at the tuner. th-cam.com/video/opmg6lK8FkY/w-d-xo.html Works with the slotted type tuners also. These AZ ES guitars do seem pretty nice. Wrapping the treads on the whammy bar with teflon tape also solves the play in the whammy bar also. Cheers.
Meanwhile with a Pacifica in similar price range, ie. the 311h for 350€ you get a graftech self-lubricating nut and grover locking tuners with a p90 in the neck and some humbucker at the bridge. Those AZESs are beautifuls guitars, but if you need to change the tuners and maybe even replace the bridge to achieve tuning stability ... Besides, your Shirt I NEED IT.
Wow that opening segment toggling between the guitars must have taken ages to shoot. Hope they are paying you substantially for that immense effort. I played one but it never stays in tune. So won't really reccomend it over a Squier CV.
I second this! I feel like the Classic Vibe is the "premier" beginner guitar but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best for a beginner. Would be interesting to see all the pros and cons side by side.
All the other videos I’ve seen have said the es stands for essentials not educational series. I’m not sure they are going after the first guitar market even though the price puts it there. I think they’re going after an upgrade from a first guitar or as a low cost option with lots of tonal possibilities for someone looking for a strat but is not a strat player
Both mine stay in tune perfectly. Did a brief setup on both and used some nut sauce, they never go outta tune. They sound incredibly on position 2 and 4. Two positions I’ve never used in 35 years of playing. Don’t care about it not having 24 frets, ( most guitars don’t. ) locking tuners are obviously great but, teach a kid how to lube the damn nut. I love these guitar A LOT. I have a tone of guitars and I play the AZ ES 30 & 40 daily. Definitely wouldn’t get the Spark amp either. Thing is obnoxious with the low end. Get a Fender Mustang 2 or 3 for half the price. Also has a ton of features and imo sounds WAY better than a Spark.
Any idea if installing a Seymour Duncan sh4 is possible instead of the stock humbucker ? I bought it yesterday and it’s a great guitar. However I noticed many small finishing flaws on the paintjob around the neck, paint chipping and the tuners are all over the place, not a single one is correctly aligned. Some screws are turning freely on the pick guard which is slightly misaligned too… I had to adjust the neck and I’m still working on string height. Honestly it’s not worth 330€. More like 200€.
Learning the delicate balance of a floating bridge is for intermediate players. That said it’s not to be feared but respected. 11:29 Honda makes pickups , aren’t those called Ridgeline, accord is a sedan? 18:34 lots of mommy’s can install em to ya just got to ask nicely. Any nut lube product will probably last most home players a lifetime,possibly even passed down through the family with the guitar as time goes by and we slowly fall to dust. Oh dear,🦌?! I got dark quick there, but if taken care of these instruments will out last the owners.
@@Briansgate I had about 3 years under my fingers before I got my first Floyd, now I want to add all the accessories, you know titanium this and that’s ghosts piezo bridge pickups, zero point return device, tremel-no to lock it. But I’ve done none of those as I’m happy to just WHAMMY DIVE harmonics and go all slayer krazy on the bar then give it a slight pull or push to recenter it.
Kommt da noch ein Video zum Positive Grid Spark auf deinem Kanal? Konnte dazu nichts von dir finden. Was ich mich nur direkt fragte war, ob der besser als der THR-10 sein soll.
kein video dazu… es gibt eh schon so viele… aber JA, würde ihn ganz klar vor dem THR empfehlen! Sounds sind klar besser, mehr amps und effekte und drastisch günstiger
Astonishing how good they sound… I want the guitar with the tremolo! No other way possible 😀Only have 25 guitars right now… for that price come on! I’ll get the locking tuners. Wait - maybe I should check first my bank account…. And don’t tell it to my wife 🤫. And it’s blue - blue guitars sound better as Josh would put it…
i have an old GT series ibanez a HSS stratocaster body MIK 1992 I haven't tried playing the AZES version but i would like to compare the 2 , which has a better playability.
Sadly this beginner was looking at the really cool go-motion slider work at the start of the video, wondering how you achieved the effect and with what tools. I will now go & watch the video as I am less than 5 minutes in.
haha… Edelkrone Slider with Motion Module and HeadPlus with the Red Komodo on it. 35mm Xeen Cinema Lens. Nanlite Pavotube 30 light. Since the Slider is very precise and the stand was in the same position, I could switch between the two different shots rather easily…
@@EytschPi42 thanks for being brilliant! Hugs! P.S. I'm very aware of this because I am trying to build a slightly cheaper version consisting of a RatRig Slider, Syrp motor drive, Ronin Mx & a Xperia 1 Mk2 total cost ~€600 but who knows if it will work...
Danke für dieses Video! Ich habe vor einem Monat angefangen, Gitarre zu lernen und möchte mir jetzt meine eigene Gitarre kaufen. Ich wollte entweder eine Yamaha Pacifica 112 oder eine Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster HSS, aber ein Freund hat mir diese neuen Ibanez empfohlen. Ich würde gern den Vergleich zwischen den Pacificas und den AZES ansehen. Übrigens welche Pacifica (012, 112, 212, etc) würdest du statt der AZES empfehlen? Danke noch mal und grüße aus Costa Rica!
hey Eduardo! Ich habe die 112VM verglichen… auch sehr gut…. größer und nicht so ergonomisch…. besser auf Bridge Humbucker Sounds als die AZES. Cleans und Single Coil macht die AZES ganz klar besser… das vergleichs video kommt nächste Woche!
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 by Thomann again, that it will still not be delivered before February 2022. Needless to say, I canceled my order. Maybe in a year or two these will be really available.
Hello, excuse me, If I often listen to the songs like Coldplay, Onerepublic, Radiohead, Green Day, The Killers, MGMT, and only "sometime" listen to songs like Bon Jovi or Guns N' Roses, then would you recommend me AZES31 or AZES40? Thank you so much !!
Ich finde du solltest genauso für Anfänger noch ein Video machen über den Torpedo Cab M(+)! Eins was sich auf die wichtigsten Dinge fokussiert (du hast ja bereits Videos wo du das Cab M ins tiefste detail vorstellst). Auf deine Empfehlung hin bin ich von meinem MOOER Radar (IR Loader) dessen Klang ab einer gewissen Erfahrungsstufe einfach nicht mehr wirklich überzeugend war auf das Cab M(+) umgestiegen und seit jeher begeistert!! Ich denke viele Anfänger (aber auch Fortgeschrittene) können oder zu mindestens _sollten_ aufgrund von Mietwohnung bzw. den Eltern im Haus keinen lauten Verstärker nutzen. Mit gescheiten Kopfhörern (bspw. DT880), dem Cab M+ und guten Einstellungen für diesen, kann man aber sooo krass gute Sounds raus bekommen. Und das, ohne andere Leute im gleichen Haus zu stören. Bspw. für Eltern könnte so ein Cab M+ (allein schon aus Eigeninteresse :D) auch eine perfekte Ergänzung zu einer guten Einstiegsgitarre sein!
Actually as a teen me and all my friends hated the trem bar, we thought it made it look like a "dad" guitar haha. Wasn't cool or metal enough, can't remember a single one of us ever having it attached.
I slightly disagree with the tuners. On my AZES 40 they are good enough to start with. That beeing said, when it comes to bendings, tuning stability is not sufficient like with other budget guitars. So I will replace them, too.
Awesome video Henning! Your epic amp collection, camera, and playing shows the best of those guitars. Please also include Classic Vibe in the comparison or maybe in a separate video because a lot of people probably also consider AZES as a cheap but good enough workhorse guitar for professional work just like CVs. I also hope there will be 1 or 2 ass joke in that video. Fuck you Henning, wait, wrong channel, sorry.
Thank you so much for answering. I thought the sound alone definitely is going to the ibanez azes but spec wise, its so hard to ignore the harley benton.
Thanks! I thought the stainless steel frets would automatically put it to the top 😅 but thanks for the advice! Ive been playing with humbuckers always but preferred the sound of the single coil ( idk whats wrong with me lol it could be because im so afraid of the hum) but I guess this is my first single coil. Thanks again!
So is this the king of budget guitars now? I was looking for someone I could play that I wouldn’t have to worry about banging around to much with my 2 year old around 😂 was thinking about that red one or that super black Grg? With the backwards headstock You reviewed… I play basically every genre but my favorites are blues and rock lol
Very good review. You're the first one I've seen to call-out the absence of a floating bridge (for better or worse) and not having locking tuners on the HSS. Thanks for the tip on getting Harley-Benton locking tuners. Maybe there's also a a better tremolo arm that can be substituted?
Really enjoyed the video & learned a few things. Thank you very much for taking the time to review this guitar. I've recommended this guitar to students. Also, this thing is great for pro guitarists, instructors, students, etc. (my opinion, of course). I have the AZES31 & watching for my AZES40 to arrive any moment. Any suggestions as far as replacements for any other parts of the guitar (i.e., nut, tremolo, etc.)? Again, thank you for this video. Been looking for something like this for a few weeks now...
If I were a rich man, I mean, a guitar manfacturer, I'd consider to make a digital wiggle stick, modulating the output signal. I was very happy with my tremmy bar on my first guitar, a strat avant la lettre, but pulled it out after a week. There is not a single record I ever played in which it is used. Matter of taste, of course. Or civilization, others will argue.
@@atacontrol4376 I'm not a whammy lover, so I'm not a good judge, but to me it sounds great. And on Black Friday offer approaching the price of a real Floyd Rose, without the fuzz.
What's weird is that Ibanez knows perfectly well how to make a correct headstock break with a scarf joint. They've been making them inexpensively for decades. Why repeat the Gio's faults here with the stupid string trees? Although what really bugs me with these is why the pickguard is completely different shape from the bottom horn. Or there at all.
these are also very good for non beginners who cannot afford a more expensive instrument at one moment
this guitar with very dynamic pickups and light weight and slim neck I very like it just brought azes40
Exactly. I put hipshot tuners on my azes31 and I love it
Damn right! It’s amazing
Plenty of us can afford "expensive" guitars. But a lot of us choose budget guitars that are good and worth their value. Especially if you know how to set them up and modify them.
Slip of the tongue at 5:51 "... and if Yamaha AZES series...", because you were talking about Yamaha Pacifica as a great beginner guitar option. Made me chuckle, thank you for that, but also for great videos and all your wonderful work!
Just about to say that.
Good point on the tuning stability. I used to get discouraged, and put my guitar down as a kid. I later realized that it was my starter pack squier's tuners, they would detune half way through playing a song with my guitar teacher. I later got a used Ibanez and gained a lot of confidence in my playing from staying in tune.
plz if you could do comparison between pacifica, AZES and squier that would be great. Love your channel. very good insights and information without rambling on irrelevant stuff.
Great guitars. Super-versatile range of tones. I bought the black HSS one and blocked the trem. One thing not mentioned in the video- I found that that the frets were a little rough/scratchy when bending - but easily sorted with a bit of 1000 grade sandpaper and jar of fret polish. It now feels and sounds - due to the Dyna switch and it's remarkable pickups - better than my £1000+ Fenders.
Awesome slideshow!!
Leslie is the queen of Guitar glamour shots and beautiful B roll.
Or maybe HP did it or had the robo cam do it ? It hit its marks every time 😹.
After nearly 1 year of usage : an extremely fun instrument to play. Changed the bridge on my AZES40. Never goes out of tune now. Unless I am plying some dropped tunings.
Then it takes some time for the tuning to readjust itself.
The only big issue is the fretboard is extremely dry. It needs lemon oil every single time I pick up the guitar.
Just got one AZES hardtail today, and i must say i'm pretty impressed for the 270€ paid, it plays great out of the box and sounds good on the stock pickups, it's the least expensive guitar i own but i dont feel i'm missing a lot when compared to my mid/high end strats,. Finishing details could be better, the neck pocket is too big on one side and they didnt buff the neck from the 3rd fret to the headstock and left some residues (most of it came off with steel wool), but appart from cosmetic issues its a good instrument regardless of price.
Positives:
.Great playability, no dead spots and low action.
.Decent stock pickups
.Fret ends nicely finished
.Good tuning stability (as expected from hardtail), tuners are solid
.Great neck shape (one of my fav, not too fat not too thin, a nice comfortable C shape) and i love the satin finish
.Not too light not too heavy
.The switch gives you 3 extra very useful sounds
Negatives:
.Neck pocket not perfect
.Back of the neck not entirely polished with some spots of junk
.Tuners not straight
.Plastic nut
I bought an AZES31 and was blown away. I bought a second one, and it was awesome as well. I have an AZES40 coming next week. I haven’t had to replace anything on the 31’s, and I did a complete setup on both, including level, crown, and polish. The guitars are really fun to play. I have many, much more costly, guitars. With a few hours of work on each, they rival my Premium Jem and RG550.
Wow, the part about the string slippage on the tuners was eye opening. I wonder if others have had this issue with their models.
I'd love to see a comparison between this and the Harley Benton Fusion II or III as well.
Thank you Henning, love these reviews.
I love your videos, your shirts are fucking rad, your accent is fantastic, and your banter is on point. Thanks for your content
I think a video on winding techniques, with you showing it, would be very useful. Especially cutting the string to the right length seems tricky to me. The issues you describe make this a no-go guitar for beginners to me (unless they have a tutor/mentor). I even lost track of all the possible pitfalls.
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Tomo!!!
You're amazing!
I need to come back to Berklee... I miss my school!
Im late to the party but, bought it from a friend yesterday (Azes) and to my surprise a clean tone from the 4th with the 'thing' switch onn is just nice. You get this hugeee bright rounded sound. And it is so playable. Ibanez just make a benchmark for afordable guitar. Accept for me
Headed straight this way when I learned of these guitars because I knew this review would be here waiting to tell me everything.
I've been replacing all my tuners with the 19.1 ratio Kluson tuners with split top load, I am loving that every set I buy my fingers bleed that much less. They're really tight good tuners to top it off, gby Grover. I got a Mighty Mite neck recently and it was made in Indonesia and it's better than the ones they had from China. About Slippage, I suffered slippage with D`Addario 10's, so I changed to my usual Dean Markley LTHB set and no slippage. Make of it what you will, my Kluson's never seem to slip. I scored Fender locking tuners on amazon for like $45, Stewmac wants almost $80 for the same tuners, they're Great!
Starting out with a guitar with a fixed bridge is a really underrated advice. Can't wait to get my vintage white AZES!
I do not necesserily agree or disagree but for little Timmy sure it's not a bad option if his first guitar is "affordable" and the quality isn't quite there but if you are willing to learn to set up a guitar whitch imo is a must for any guitar player then a trem is fine or if your first guitar is on the higher end and uses hardware made of good materials it also has a chance of staying in tune fine. Trem should be a choice of taste and not a choice of tuning stability imo
@@ilmisxx2 Fair, it should be a choice of taste but newer players don't know what they want since they have no understanding of the instrument and there has never been a good example of a cheap guitar with a good trem. If little Timmy wants a trem then go ahead but I would advice against it.
@@andreasf6671 fair but on the other hand if little Timmy wants to play Van Halen or some other music that has tons of dives then he might get discouraged when he gets a guitar without trem and can't do that stuff so in consequence he drops guitar playing all together. There are arguments for and arguments against :)
@@ilmisxx2 Trust me, I've played Eruption without a trem as a kid. Works fine!
@@andreasf6671 Like I said there are arguments for and arguments against. My point is that a presence of a trem shouldn't be a stopping factor for buying a guitar
It is 100% the second position! Very good and informative video Henning.
Ibanez should pay you just for the beautiful slideshow shots at the beginning alone. Well done!
Great video, intro was a tribute to your education and your brilliant playing.
It's a year later, o the RED AZ the little toggle between the knows when you push it it makes the guitar sound like a humbucker! On the loose wiggle stick a guy push a SMALL piece of foam earplug in the hole. On the winding of the strings don't the strings stretch! I believe there is a video that shows a way to Wind the strings so they lock
Oh oh you just said Yamaha “Azaes”Great video thank you for your insights… I love your channel and humor…
Craig
Just left guitar center. Played a $1000.00 charvel, & this Ibanez. I have to say I fell in love with the Ibanez. I've been playing since the mid 80's that being said. I go for guitars that feel right in my hands. (The neck) this Ibanez feels awesome!! I would probably upgrade a few things on this guitar. Tuners,pickups but this guitar plays sooo very well I'm going purchase one.
Well good because I may be buying this guitar as my only go to Strat type. I’m basically a tele person
I have to agree with you. The neck is amazing on it! It reminds of the first year issue of the first Peavey Wolfgang guitar i owned back in 1995! For the AZES40 i just bought, i installed a GraphTech nut to solve the tremelo tuning issues and installed a Seymour Duncan JB humbucker for $99.00 in the bridge. So now it’s one of the best damn guitars I’ve ever owned!
Hey, I am a kid when I play guitar. My '86 RG135 was my first electric guitar, and that is dawn of the AZ headstock. And yes, the termolo is a pain on that guitar (of course I have not sold my first guitar).
I ordered a white single coil model and await the arrival of the guitar.
Great review Henning! I always love my Ibanez'(RG920 and JS1000). I want a blue one of these, well, just because its blue and I love Ibanez. lol
Let's do a review on the Ibanez RG 565 reissue
Lol I see you looking for that wammy bar on the red one
I picked up one of these the other day because of the birdseye on the neck and because it felt like it had a lot of potential. After a fret polish, setup, and some pencil on the nut and it’s fantastic. After a year of playing the frets will be perfect and maybe upgrade the tuners and switches and pots. Perfect mod platform if you can find a good one
Regarding tuning issues: I think doing an over once and then under when winding helps a lot. Also, the screws and nuts on the tuners were all loose. I spent over an hour setting up and working on fine details, but afterwards jammed on the thing hard for hours and it stayed in tune. I’m still going to upgrade the tuners and string trees though.
I have the hard tail version and totally agree with you about that cheap tremolo
I know this is marketed at beginners but, the real value is to us experienced modders. Good bones and really most trems can work without too much tuning grief if they are setup properly and the nut is cut correctly. Or if you need it get something like a Vega trem and I am sure it would be a fairly straightforward drop in and play.
Fender in 2 years: "We've introduced a new squire thanks to our desire for innovation, it has a shorter scale, 10" radius, locking tuners and a rounded hell joint"
Gotta love Rounded Hell, its so much cooler than Square hell😂
@@tillbauer8047 *heel
They won’t. Ibanez is doing better Heel joints for 40 years already
@@Pyriander That's my point. All that fender has done is copying the improvements people and other companies do their guitar and present it as if it was their idea, even if everyone knows it isn't
@@abcrx32j i kind of have to respectfully disagree, they even do not copy improvements instead make nearly everything kind of unchanged since decades. Entry Series like Player have literally absolutly none of these improvements, even if they cost next to absolutely nothing (like better Neck/Heel Joint)
Love the vintage head design and logo. My first was a sss gio that were notorious banana neckers lol….of course had to cut a hum in the bridge……I woulda loved for this to be my first
I got the Azes40 but I found the tremolo makes things go out of tune, so I screwed in the bridge as much as possible and I’m not using the tremolo. Now it stays in tune really good and I’ve also lubed the nut. As I’m learning more and more guitar, the I am understanding that the tone is not that great but I;m still far away from reaching the limits of this guitar until I look for an upgrade.
Good info. Thank you.
Ironically budget guitars are the ones that need a setup the most, but are also the ones where dealers don't have the margin to give you one for free.
Great, thorough overview ahead of the holidays
"What's the most suitable beginner guitar?"
"A £2000 custom shop" :)
That’s why buying from a local shop is great, creating a friendship with a music shop owner and/or employees has more benefits than just good customer service. They are probably filled with knowledge and insights that can help with any musical journey .
AATE pod again some day? I like hearing y’all rib each other and it’s way better than listening to my co workers complaints about the “ sad state of the world “
Have a great weekend Sir
@@PooNinja great point about building a relationship with a shop.
No plans to do the podcast again. Sorry.
@@CheddarKungPao it’s cool it’s not like I can’t find something to listen too, I’m really enjoying Marc Marons WTF podcasts he gets some killer guests
Might be true for the U.S. - in Germany you won’t find a Strat from Fender anywhere near that price range - not in eBay not in Reverb, not in a pawn shop… and by the way they usually don’t stay in tune either…
There is a way to help on the tuning on spilt shaft tuners.
Once inserted take it around "wrong way" a half turn then back through the spilt to "lock" the string on unwound strings do it twice.
But... Cheaper locking tuners are how I'd go probably
Great Tip... thanks
I really want to try the single coil one with the alternative switching in position 2.
8:43 sounds like the spring under the bar is missing. Common problem to all bad thread in types.
Henning, please make a video about beginner guitars - but not from the budget perspective. What is a great beginner guitar, if budget is not the point?
My pedals and amp setup is based on your infos, but I am struggling to decide which "expensive" instrument gives most bang for the buck regarding playability...
great idea!
@@EytschPi42 What is the definition of beginner guitar if budget is not and can not be relevant ?
@@darkoidinamo what is easy to play, what will cause the least problems, what is ergonomic. As a relative beginner these things all started to matter to me the longer I practiced; when I started out I thought it was all just budget and tone (despite the fact I was using a £60 solid state amp haha).
A guitar coloured like you made for the thumbnail for this video would be an insta-buy for me.
That opening B roll is awarding winning!
I just recently purchased the tremelo version of this guitar and was wondering if the Harley Benton tuners you showed were direct drop ins for the Ibanez AZES40 or does it require modification to install them? If they are direct drop ins, what is the exact model description of these locking tuners? The link you gave us is not in English and I wasn’t able to tell one way or the other.
A solution to your concerns regarding string slippage at the tuner. th-cam.com/video/opmg6lK8FkY/w-d-xo.html Works with the slotted type tuners also. These AZ ES guitars do seem pretty nice. Wrapping the treads on the whammy bar with teflon tape also solves the play in the whammy bar also. Cheers.
Meanwhile with a Pacifica in similar price range, ie. the 311h for 350€ you get a graftech self-lubricating nut and grover locking tuners with a p90 in the neck and some humbucker at the bridge.
Those AZESs are beautifuls guitars, but if you need to change the tuners and maybe even replace the bridge to achieve tuning stability ...
Besides, your Shirt I NEED IT.
Wow that opening segment toggling between the guitars must have taken ages to shoot. Hope they are paying you substantially for that immense effort. I played one but it never stays in tune. So won't really reccomend it over a Squier CV.
If you do a comparison w the Pacifica, would you consider adding the Squier classic vibe too?
I second this! I feel like the Classic Vibe is the "premier" beginner guitar but that doesn't necessarily mean it's the best for a beginner. Would be interesting to see all the pros and cons side by side.
I’m little Timmy and this will be my go Strat
All the other videos I’ve seen have said the es stands for essentials not educational series. I’m not sure they are going after the first guitar market even though the price puts it there. I think they’re going after an upgrade from a first guitar or as a low cost option with lots of tonal possibilities for someone looking for a strat but is not a strat player
I got one to travel with me in the car and got a set of locking tuners, so I'm set like a jelly :)
how does it compares with Ibanez GRX40?
Both mine stay in tune perfectly. Did a brief setup on both and used some nut sauce, they never go outta tune. They sound incredibly on position 2 and 4. Two positions I’ve never used in 35 years of playing. Don’t care about it not having 24 frets, ( most guitars don’t. ) locking tuners are obviously great but, teach a kid how to lube the damn nut. I love these guitar A LOT. I have a tone of guitars and I play the AZ ES 30 & 40 daily. Definitely wouldn’t get the Spark amp either. Thing is obnoxious with the low end. Get a Fender Mustang 2 or 3 for half the price. Also has a ton of features and imo sounds WAY better than a Spark.
I do not see the tremolo (vibrato) not as a problem. Just take of the lever and pull the springs tight. So you get an equivalent of a fixed bridge.
What’s the song at the end?? Love it.
Very excellent Strat Tones.
That neck SC is very bright! (But in a GOOD way!)
put t tape on the trem arm or drop a stiff spring into the threaded hole for the trem arm ...
Big bends nut sauce 👍🏻👍🏻. I use it a lot. Use it on the pivot of the trem too if that doesn't flows freely
The whammy can be taken off in second. A beginner can wait until the progress into having the whammy opertable.
Any of you guys that went out and bought an AZ ES - have you had good experiences with it or not?
Best, Pete.
I wonder why did they implemented the Mono-unit output jack??? it sucks...
Any idea if installing a Seymour Duncan sh4 is possible instead of the stock humbucker ?
I bought it yesterday and it’s a great guitar. However I noticed many small finishing flaws on the paintjob around the neck, paint chipping and the tuners are all over the place, not a single one is correctly aligned. Some screws are turning freely on the pick guard which is slightly misaligned too… I had to adjust the neck and I’m still working on string height.
Honestly it’s not worth 330€. More like 200€.
I do wish they offered the hardtail with a bridge humbucker also.
im going to try sticking on a hss pickguard and billy corgan railhammer in the bridge. curious what that will sound like with that toggle switch.
You can make any tremolo bridge to float, it’s a function of setup not a function of the design
yes, I know. In this case it’s good that it doesn’t float
Reminds me of my first guitar. Ibanez stagestar from the early nineties. I beat that thing to death and she took all of it!
Learning the delicate balance of a floating bridge is for intermediate players. That said it’s not to be feared but respected.
11:29 Honda makes pickups , aren’t those called Ridgeline, accord is a sedan?
18:34 lots of mommy’s can install em to ya just got to ask nicely.
Any nut lube product will probably last most home players a lifetime,possibly even passed down through the family with the guitar as time goes by and we slowly fall to dust.
Oh dear,🦌?! I got dark quick there, but if taken care of these instruments will out last the owners.
No kidding. I played hardtail for 20 years before I finally got my first Floyd Rose. It is definitely an adventure, to put it nicely.
@@Briansgate I had about 3 years under my fingers before I got my first Floyd, now I want to add all the accessories, you know titanium this and that’s ghosts piezo bridge pickups, zero point return device, tremel-no to lock it. But I’ve done none of those as I’m happy to just WHAMMY DIVE harmonics and go all slayer krazy on the bar then give it a slight pull or push to recenter it.
@@PooNinja Yep, all I wanted was the EVH dive bombs.
Those classic tuners are my favorite.
I don’t know about you ,but I had no problem tuning my guitar and it stays in tune nicely
Kommt da noch ein Video zum Positive Grid Spark auf deinem Kanal? Konnte dazu nichts von dir finden. Was ich mich nur direkt fragte war, ob der besser als der THR-10 sein soll.
kein video dazu… es gibt eh schon so viele… aber JA, würde ihn ganz klar vor dem THR empfehlen! Sounds sind klar besser, mehr amps und effekte und drastisch günstiger
@@EytschPi42 Danke für die Einschätzung!
Astonishing how good they sound… I want the guitar with the tremolo! No other way possible 😀Only have 25 guitars right now… for that price come on! I’ll get the locking tuners. Wait - maybe I should check first my bank account…. And don’t tell it to my wife 🤫. And it’s blue - blue guitars sound better as Josh would put it…
i have an old GT series ibanez a HSS stratocaster body MIK 1992
I haven't tried playing the AZES version but i would like to compare the 2 , which has a better playability.
Sadly this beginner was looking at the really cool go-motion slider work at the start of the video, wondering how you achieved the effect and with what tools.
I will now go & watch the video as I am less than 5 minutes in.
haha… Edelkrone Slider with Motion Module and HeadPlus with the Red Komodo on it. 35mm Xeen Cinema Lens. Nanlite Pavotube 30 light.
Since the Slider is very precise and the stand was in the same position, I could switch between the two different shots rather easily…
@@EytschPi42 thanks for being brilliant! Hugs!
P.S. I'm very aware of this because I am trying to build a slightly cheaper version consisting of a RatRig Slider, Syrp motor drive, Ronin Mx & a Xperia 1 Mk2 total cost ~€600 but who knows if it will work...
tighten the trem screws throw the whammy away no tunning issues
Danke für dieses Video! Ich habe vor einem Monat angefangen, Gitarre zu lernen und möchte mir jetzt meine eigene Gitarre kaufen. Ich wollte entweder eine Yamaha Pacifica 112 oder eine Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster HSS, aber ein Freund hat mir diese neuen Ibanez empfohlen. Ich würde gern den Vergleich zwischen den Pacificas und den AZES ansehen. Übrigens welche Pacifica (012, 112, 212, etc) würdest du statt der AZES empfehlen? Danke noch mal und grüße aus Costa Rica!
hey Eduardo!
Ich habe die 112VM verglichen… auch sehr gut…. größer und nicht so ergonomisch…. besser auf Bridge Humbucker Sounds als die AZES. Cleans und Single Coil macht die AZES ganz klar besser… das vergleichs video kommt nächste Woche!
@@EytschPi42 Danke! Ich freue mich darauf
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 by Thomann again, that it will still not be delivered before February 2022. Needless to say, I canceled my order. Maybe in a year or two these will be really available.
my Ibanez guy says it is widely available, just not at Thomann, so look at other dealers and you‘ll find one.
@@EytschPi42 Yep, already did that. Out of luck. "just not at Thomann" - means Thomann will not get any?
Hello, excuse me, If I often listen to the songs like Coldplay, Onerepublic, Radiohead, Green Day, The Killers, MGMT, and only "sometime" listen to songs like Bon Jovi or Guns N' Roses, then would you recommend me AZES31 or AZES40? Thank you so much !!
Ich finde du solltest genauso für Anfänger noch ein Video machen über den Torpedo Cab M(+)! Eins was sich auf die wichtigsten Dinge fokussiert (du hast ja bereits Videos wo du das Cab M ins tiefste detail vorstellst). Auf deine Empfehlung hin bin ich von meinem MOOER Radar (IR Loader) dessen Klang ab einer gewissen Erfahrungsstufe einfach nicht mehr wirklich überzeugend war auf das Cab M(+) umgestiegen und seit jeher begeistert!!
Ich denke viele Anfänger (aber auch Fortgeschrittene) können oder zu mindestens _sollten_ aufgrund von Mietwohnung bzw. den Eltern im Haus keinen lauten Verstärker nutzen. Mit gescheiten Kopfhörern (bspw. DT880), dem Cab M+ und guten Einstellungen für diesen, kann man aber sooo krass gute Sounds raus bekommen. Und das, ohne andere Leute im gleichen Haus zu stören.
Bspw. für Eltern könnte so ein Cab M+ (allein schon aus Eigeninteresse :D) auch eine perfekte Ergänzung zu einer guten Einstiegsgitarre sein!
Actually as a teen me and all my friends hated the trem bar, we thought it made it look like a "dad" guitar haha. Wasn't cool or metal enough, can't remember a single one of us ever having it attached.
I slightly disagree with the tuners. On my AZES 40 they are good enough to start with. That beeing said, when it comes to bendings, tuning stability is not sufficient like with other budget guitars. So I will replace them, too.
Awesome video Henning! Your epic amp collection, camera, and playing shows the best of those guitars. Please also include Classic Vibe in the comparison or maybe in a separate video because a lot of people probably also consider AZES as a cheap but good enough workhorse guitar for professional work just like CVs. I also hope there will be 1 or 2 ass joke in that video. Fuck you Henning, wait, wrong channel, sorry.
These sound really good
Thanks for this wonderful vid! Would you recommend this over the Fusion III / Fusion T from Harley Benton?
tough to say… definitely equal except for the locking tuners, but ronald they are different guitars
Thank you so much for answering. I thought the sound alone definitely is going to the ibanez azes but spec wise, its so hard to ignore the harley benton.
Get the AZES if you are into straty cleans and more classic single coil sounds and put some locking tuners on it… done
Thanks! I thought the stainless steel frets would automatically put it to the top 😅 but thanks for the advice! Ive been playing with humbuckers always but preferred the sound of the single coil ( idk whats wrong with me lol it could be because im so afraid of the hum) but I guess this is my first single coil. Thanks again!
You only lubed half the guitar. You gotta lube the saddles and the pivot points on the bridge.
I love that shirt. I mean, I REALLY REALLY LOVE THAT SHIRT !!! ( This comment will make sense in a week or so )
So is this the king of budget guitars now? I was looking for someone I could play that I wouldn’t have to worry about banging around to much with my 2 year old around 😂 was thinking about that red one or that super black Grg? With the backwards headstock You reviewed…
I play basically every genre but my favorites are blues and rock lol
I think the AZES will work well for you then
Very good review. You're the first one I've seen to call-out the absence of a floating bridge (for better or worse) and not having locking tuners on the HSS.
Thanks for the tip on getting Harley-Benton locking tuners. Maybe there's also a a better tremolo arm that can be substituted?
Really enjoyed the video & learned a few things. Thank you very much for taking the time to review this guitar. I've recommended this guitar to students. Also, this thing is great for pro guitarists, instructors, students, etc. (my opinion, of course). I have the AZES31 & watching for my AZES40 to arrive any moment. Any suggestions as far as replacements for any other parts of the guitar (i.e., nut, tremolo, etc.)? Again, thank you for this video. Been looking for something like this for a few weeks now...
If I were a rich man, I mean, a guitar manfacturer, I'd consider to make a digital wiggle stick, modulating the output signal. I was very happy with my tremmy bar on my first guitar, a strat avant la lettre, but pulled it out after a week. There is not a single record I ever played in which it is used. Matter of taste, of course. Or civilization, others will argue.
Check out the Virtual Jeff, its interesting
@@atacontrol4376 I'm not a whammy lover, so I'm not a good judge, but to me it sounds great. And on Black Friday offer approaching the price of a real Floyd Rose, without the fuzz.
These seem too affordable. I don’t know why that’s a bad thing. I always wanted an az
What if you just never use the trem? Tuning stability should be fine, right?
yes
Better than Benton?
Btw ibanez have a locking tuner on cheap talman before
actually those SC-pickups sound better that the late 70s original fender pickups :)
Except if you change the tuners you lose the warranty on the entire guitar. Just something to be aware of.
Can we remove the tremolo arm/stick ?
yes
Don’t even question should you get this guitar. The answer is a hard YES
Education series sounds interesting, I thought it was AZ essential series.
yeah… maybe I read that wrong
What's weird is that Ibanez knows perfectly well how to make a correct headstock break with a scarf joint. They've been making them inexpensively for decades. Why repeat the Gio's faults here with the stupid string trees? Although what really bugs me with these is why the pickguard is completely different shape from the bottom horn. Or there at all.
A more expensive Pacifica....awesome!
Ist es denn wirklich besser als die gio grx40?
JA
@@EytschPi42 Dein Review damals klang ähnlich überzeugt, deswegen fragte ich mich das.
Freue mich auf die Vergleicherei mit den Pacificas.
Education Series?
Kinda yes.. but ES stand for Essentials. ;)
11:00 Lubricate deez nutz