I've watched so many different youtube channels on guitar but only just found yours and immediately could tell that your production, content, playing, variety of gear, reliability of opinion are ALL way above most others. I subscribed earlier today and now going through your archive of videos and watching them all!!!! Keep up the great work!
The Alter Switch on the Ibanez does give one genuinely useful additional sound. in the middle position, it gives you the Bridge and Neck pickups together. Quite a few people have said that this gives you something like a Telecaster middle position sound from this Strat-type guitar. Otherwise, the two other positions give you pseudo-humbucker sounds by combining Bridge and Middle or Middle and Neck pickups in series wiring. To my ear, these both sound dark, and in the case of the Neck/Middle position, muffled. No doubt a good player could make something of them: but they aren't essential, and neither sounds like a real humbucker. I thought that the system used on the Yamaha was simpler to use and sounded better when the coil split was in use, with a wider range of usable sounds. That's the one I would buy: but the Ibanez is excellent value.
I own an Ibanez AZES 40 and a Squire Affinity and I’ve tested a Pacifica. All great guitars. One Importanz difference for me is the size of those guitars. The Ibanez has a shorter scale and a slightly smaller body. So depending on the „size“ of the player this might tip the scale to the Ibanez or the Squier/Pacifica.
You should have used the Ibanez AZES40 which is the HSS humbucker version of the SSS you did the demo on. That way, it would have been in the same category as the Sterling and the Yamaha.
Nice comparison, it was hard to beat that Jimmy riffs on the early stage, the Squier nails that...woul be nice to hear the same riffs on other guitars too. Yamaha surprised on tone, good one too. Thanks for sharing!
I have only now found your channel. I enjoyed your presentation. You have generously given me much to consider. I subscribed to your channel because I am comfortable with your manner. I was accustomed to a more mechanical breakdown, but through you I now appreciate the playability aspect along with your commentary on the general feel of each instrument. I also seem to recall an illuminating bit of contextual information. I look forward to experiencing more videos of a similar nature because I am currently in the market for those rare gems which are found only during special times . This is a time when many new companies are springing into the marketplace. Together with more tenured companies, they offer many new quality items at prices lower than ever before. The music instrument business is recalibrating itself and this is the time when bigger dreams are more affordable. Of course, I could be wrong.
Buy USED and learn that small dings and chips are part of owning and playing an electric. Would you pay more for the SRV Strat? It was all banged up but HIS special #1 guitar.
As I play a lot of Shadows stuff as well as my own compositions Strats are for me, however my health has worsen so I have to watch my back and Arthriits. So this means the lightest guitars is my first priority.
I'm a little confused, because some of the knocks were just basic setup issues for a new guitar, particularly a budget one. Not smooth frets? They can be easily polished, or usually you can just play the guitar for a few hours and they'll smooth out from that. A buzzy fret? Well file it or tamp it down. I don't think these things should be major knocks since they can be cleared up in an hour or so. I'd like to know what you thought of these guitars compared to each other after being properly set up. Especially the first two I think you'd have a different opinion of. Ideally a beginner wouldn't have to do such things, but after all, they have to cut some corners somewhere to make the guitar affordable. Cheers.
You need stop being so opinionated and narrow minded. You need to become a critical thinker. Who is audience for beginner guitars……it’s beginners. Most don’t even know how to tune a guitar let alone intonate and worse file down frets. You have to think this is what his recommendations are based and he said so himself. The video isn’t based on what you think.
@@bluwng I'm not opinionated or narrow minded, I'm explicitly asking for his opinion, just based on the guitar's performance after set up. Beginners don't know how to set up a guitar on their own. Obviously. Doesn't change the reality that the cheap guitars beginners buy are the ones most in need of set up or finishing touches. Just take it to your local guitar shop and have them set it up. Easy, and should cost less than $100. Unless you want to argue beginners should be buying $2000 guitars for their first instrument, there's no way around this. Buy a $200 guitar, you need to pay a little bit more to get it set up. That's just life. Doesn't make a guitar bad because a company didn't have top notch QA on a guitar they probably have a $30 profit margin on.
@@Falconryder what? Pay attention. Are you being a clown you just said the exact opposite of what you initially posted and basically mimicked what I said. Why are you trying to flip the script. Your comment up is still there and so is mine so who do you think you are fooling?
I have the Pacifica 311H, in general sounds good but the humbucker is in the anemic side for me, the P90 is better, very easy to play and flat radious and very good hardware. For other strat type guitars you can try, in this price rang: Cort G260, Tokai (China, serie Ast), Bacchus ( serie Universe, China), Vintage V6 and Jet (with 3 or 4 different models). My election in this case is the Squier because the Pacifica is in my hands. I dont like the sterling by the Ibanez is nice.
Very good review. I think too many guitars cheap & expensive require luthier set ups , it's very hard to get one that's great straight out of the Box. Michael Kelly guitars are really the only ones I haven't had to get set up. Cheap Strats nearly all need fret dressing.
I haven't tried these guitars but they all sound okay to me, the Yamaha is the most interesting to me as I don't like 50cycle hum noise of single coil guitars!
If I could play half as well as you do I don't thing it would matter which guitar I'd pick. The Ibanez sounded great to me especially for the money. It kind of looks like a toy but heck I have very small hands so it might just work for me.
That's the same thing for me, my small hands probably would be happy with the Ibanez, for the shorter scale AND! The radius, I've found out for myself that when the radius is rounder like on these Azes, and a C shape neck and the shorter the scale, the easier it gets for me to play a guitar without cramping and having fun with practice! That's why I probably get one next month as well.
i am 56 seconds in only, and i already want to be friends. whatever else happens, keep being that guy. it looks good on you. now back to your video, which i'm sure will be exactly what i was looking for🎸
AZES looks to be the winner. If the only complaint is lack of "personality", I think you were winking twice to us so we know the AZES was your favorite LOL
@@RichardCrews that's actually incorrect,I picked up one of these and infact the switch does have 5 way selector plus micro switch. It has ten tone settings.
@@brianobrian9334 That's also incorrect, I'm afraid. The AZES31 has a 5-way switch, true: but the Alter Switch only gives three additional sounds, which you find in Positions 1, 3 and 5. With the Alter Switch selected, Positions 2 and 4 give you exactly the same pickup combinations as with the Alter Switch in the 'off' position - i.e., the Alter Switch is bypassed in positions 2 and 4 - which I imagine is what Richard Crews meant. For this reason, Ibanez call this the 'dyna-MIX8 switching system', not the 'dyna-MIX10'. One thing it allows you to do - if the music you're playing is suitable - is to set the Alter Switch on and then move between Positions 2, 3 and 4 without touching the Alter switch again. This gives you the familiar Strat-type 'hollow' and 'quacky' sounds in Positions 2 and 4, plus the Tele-like Position 3, which combines the Neck and Bridge single coils.
Hey man can i give me atleast cheap guitar cause my guitar is soon to be retired hahaha😿 because i really need that for my dream.but i dont have enough money to buy a good one😊 Im 16 yrs old boy im dreaming to be great blues man im from philiphine idol plssss☺💙 because life is hard so you can't buy the things you need to play music and the gears.. and you don't have the support of your parents, but that's not an obstacle to becoming a great musician""because it's really my dream to be a musician'' he said in the song "DONT DREAM IS OVER" so many musicians i chat no one responds to me plss notice me and i hope you HELP me idol your an inspiration,,😊😁
NOPE NOPE AND MORE NOPE...VINTAGE BRAND STRATS KILL ALL...664.00 THEY completely and totally blow away all the competition..a under 700 dollar guitar that sounds like a 2200.00 dollar guitar..forget the rest..GO VINTAGE BRAND..best part is they are basically ready to go out of the box..replace the strings..lower the action you are good to go...
I was really impressed by some of these guitars, have you tried them out already?
Cheers!
I had the pleasure of playing the Ibanez guitar featured in this video at my local music shop. It was certainly a surprise and very affordable.
I have the 70s classic vibe with HSS in black and maple, and love it. Pretty versatile! 👍
I've watched so many different youtube channels on guitar but only just found yours and immediately could tell that your production, content, playing, variety of gear, reliability of opinion are ALL way above most others. I subscribed earlier today and now going through your archive of videos and watching them all!!!! Keep up the great work!
Thanks man!
09
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for your comment, I'm honoured Master Tomo!
The Alter Switch on the Ibanez does give one genuinely useful additional sound. in the middle position, it gives you the Bridge and Neck pickups together. Quite a few people have said that this gives you something like a Telecaster middle position sound from this Strat-type guitar. Otherwise, the two other positions give you pseudo-humbucker sounds by combining Bridge and Middle or Middle and Neck pickups in series wiring. To my ear, these both sound dark, and in the case of the Neck/Middle position, muffled. No doubt a good player could make something of them: but they aren't essential, and neither sounds like a real humbucker.
I thought that the system used on the Yamaha was simpler to use and sounded better when the coil split was in use, with a wider range of usable sounds. That's the one I would buy: but the Ibanez is excellent value.
Great review of these 4 guitars, Tomo Fujita did a collaborative effort on the saddle of the Ibanez!! TY
Tomo is a great guitarist and a super nice guy
He had a bigger part than just the bridge...
I own an Ibanez AZES 40 and a Squire Affinity and I’ve tested a Pacifica. All great guitars. One Importanz difference for me is the size of those guitars. The Ibanez has a shorter scale and a slightly smaller body. So depending on the „size“ of the player this might tip the scale to the Ibanez or the Squier/Pacifica.
You should have used the Ibanez AZES40 which is the HSS humbucker version of the SSS you did the demo on. That way, it would have been in the same category as the Sterling and the Yamaha.
Nice comparison, it was hard to beat that Jimmy riffs on the early stage, the Squier nails that...woul be nice to hear the same riffs on other guitars too. Yamaha surprised on tone, good one too. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks!
I have a Squier CV 60, easy to play an no bussing frets . From these lot I liked the Yamaha as an alternative to the CV . Nice presentation
Excellent and very fair review. Extremely helpful, thanks
Thanks for this video. I've been considering the Ibanez AZES31, this video was what l wanted to hear.
Really appreciate your honesty ! Thanks !
The musicman looks cool. Love the Human Nature guitar work 👌
Thanks! Glad you noticed it :)
You played some Rainbow 🌈 👍👍
I have only now found your channel. I enjoyed your presentation. You have generously given me much to consider. I subscribed to your channel because I am comfortable with your manner. I was accustomed to a more mechanical breakdown, but through you I now appreciate the playability aspect along with your commentary on the general feel of each instrument. I also seem to recall an illuminating bit of contextual information. I look forward to experiencing more videos of a similar nature because I am currently in the market for those rare gems which are found only during special times . This is a time when many new companies are springing into the marketplace. Together with more tenured companies, they offer many new quality items at prices lower than ever before. The music instrument business is recalibrating itself and this is the time when bigger dreams are more affordable. Of course, I could be wrong.
Love your videos man
Thanks! Appreciated
Buy USED and learn that small dings and chips are part of owning and playing an electric. Would you pay more for the SRV Strat? It was all banged up but HIS special #1 guitar.
As I play a lot of Shadows stuff as well as my own compositions Strats are for me, however my health has worsen so I have to watch my back and Arthriits. So this means the lightest guitars is my first priority.
I'm a little confused, because some of the knocks were just basic setup issues for a new guitar, particularly a budget one. Not smooth frets? They can be easily polished, or usually you can just play the guitar for a few hours and they'll smooth out from that. A buzzy fret? Well file it or tamp it down. I don't think these things should be major knocks since they can be cleared up in an hour or so. I'd like to know what you thought of these guitars compared to each other after being properly set up. Especially the first two I think you'd have a different opinion of. Ideally a beginner wouldn't have to do such things, but after all, they have to cut some corners somewhere to make the guitar affordable. Cheers.
You need stop being so opinionated and narrow minded. You need to become a critical thinker. Who is audience for beginner guitars……it’s beginners. Most don’t even know how to tune a guitar let alone intonate and worse file down frets. You have to think this is what his recommendations are based and he said so himself. The video isn’t based on what you think.
@@bluwng I'm not opinionated or narrow minded, I'm explicitly asking for his opinion, just based on the guitar's performance after set up. Beginners don't know how to set up a guitar on their own. Obviously. Doesn't change the reality that the cheap guitars beginners buy are the ones most in need of set up or finishing touches. Just take it to your local guitar shop and have them set it up. Easy, and should cost less than $100. Unless you want to argue beginners should be buying $2000 guitars for their first instrument, there's no way around this. Buy a $200 guitar, you need to pay a little bit more to get it set up. That's just life. Doesn't make a guitar bad because a company didn't have top notch QA on a guitar they probably have a $30 profit margin on.
@@Falconryder what? Pay attention. Are you being a clown you just said the exact opposite of what you initially posted and basically mimicked what I said. Why are you trying to flip the script. Your comment up is still there and so is mine so who do you think you are fooling?
I have the Pacifica 311H, in general sounds good but the humbucker is in the anemic side for me, the P90 is better, very easy to play and flat radious and very good hardware.
For other strat type guitars you can try, in this price rang: Cort G260, Tokai (China, serie Ast), Bacchus ( serie Universe, China), Vintage V6 and Jet (with 3 or 4 different models).
My election in this case is the Squier because the Pacifica is in my hands. I dont like the sterling by the Ibanez is nice.
hi man, thanks for the perfect comparison
What is the first song that is played? I know that riff but I cant think of the artist or song!😭 Someone please help me!🤣😭
Was it the Hendrix song, "The Wind Cries Mary"?
greetings from Italy
Play the jet guitar please , jt 450 or j400 strat
the Yamaha sounds great
Very good review. I think too many guitars cheap & expensive require luthier set ups , it's very hard to get one that's great straight out of the Box. Michael Kelly guitars are really the only ones I haven't had to get set up. Cheap Strats nearly all need fret dressing.
Red one looks Ana sounds good
How do you fix that Pacifica 311H string bend sound?
I like your studio setup - not the most expensive but it does good job!
Thank you!
Ibanez azes for me
Is classic vibe for sale?
1. Squier Classic Vibe
2. Yamaha Pacifica
3. Ibanez AZES
4. Sterling CT30
Ciao.mi piace molto il tuo canale.sai suonare veramente bene
I haven't tried these guitars but they all sound okay to me, the Yamaha is the most interesting to me as I don't like 50cycle hum noise of single coil guitars!
If I could play half as well as you do I don't thing it would matter which guitar I'd pick. The Ibanez sounded great to me especially for the money. It kind of looks like a toy but heck I have very small hands so it might just work for me.
🙏
That's the same thing for me, my small hands probably would be happy with the Ibanez, for the shorter scale AND! The radius, I've found out for myself that when the radius is rounder like on these Azes, and a C shape neck and the shorter the scale, the easier it gets for me to play a guitar without cramping and having fun with practice! That's why I probably get one next month as well.
Yamaha sounds sweet
It does indeed
i am 56 seconds in only, and i already want to be friends. whatever else happens, keep being that guy. it looks good on you. now back to your video, which i'm sure will be exactly what i was looking for🎸
🙏
AZES looks to be the winner. If the only complaint is lack of "personality", I think you were winking twice to us so we know the AZES was your favorite LOL
I have one now lol
Leave it to Ibanez to continue making great beginner guitars. They've been doing it for a very long time.
You should try some JET guitars - they could mess up the "bigger" names game :)
Luca Modric 😮 is that you
yes
Best strat for beginners is the Cort G100, super comfortable, super light and it is a hard tail.
I love super light guitars but I need a tremolo unit
Could have sworn the Ibanez has a 5 way switch but you showed 3.
he showed only the three positions in which the other selector switch works....in the other two, it does not function
@@RichardCrews that's actually incorrect,I picked up one of these and infact the switch does have 5 way selector plus micro switch. It has ten tone settings.
@@brianobrian9334 That's also incorrect, I'm afraid. The AZES31 has a 5-way switch, true: but the Alter Switch only gives three additional sounds, which you find in Positions 1, 3 and 5. With the Alter Switch selected, Positions 2 and 4 give you exactly the same pickup combinations as with the Alter Switch in the 'off' position - i.e., the Alter Switch is bypassed in positions 2 and 4 - which I imagine is what Richard Crews meant. For this reason, Ibanez call this the 'dyna-MIX8 switching system', not the 'dyna-MIX10'.
One thing it allows you to do - if the music you're playing is suitable - is to set the Alter Switch on and then move between Positions 2, 3 and 4 without touching the Alter switch again. This gives you the familiar Strat-type 'hollow' and 'quacky' sounds in Positions 2 and 4, plus the Tele-like Position 3, which combines the Neck and Bridge single coils.
Haircut ?
Is poplar really that much less expensive than alder? Seriously?
I understand it’s an unPoplar opinion
@@TheGuitalianjajajaja jajajaja jajajaja
how is 400 euro budget? :/
Yamaha
Ibanez all the way it leaves the other all behind
Had a Sterling bass once. Worst quality ever. Just a joke. Rip of company.
Hey man can i give me atleast cheap guitar cause my guitar is soon to be retired hahaha😿 because i really need that for my dream.but i dont have enough money to buy a good one😊
Im 16 yrs old boy im dreaming to be great blues man im from philiphine idol plssss☺💙
because life is hard so you can't buy the things you need to play music and the gears.. and you don't have the support of your parents, but that's not an obstacle to becoming a great musician""because it's really my dream to be a musician'' he said in the song "DONT DREAM IS OVER" so many musicians i chat no one responds to me plss notice me and i hope you HELP me idol your an inspiration,,😊😁
My opinion is different.
This made me laugh 😂
@@TheGuitalian Me too 🤣
NOPE NOPE AND MORE NOPE...VINTAGE BRAND STRATS KILL ALL...664.00 THEY completely and totally blow away all the competition..a under 700 dollar guitar that sounds like a 2200.00 dollar guitar..forget the rest..GO VINTAGE BRAND..best part is they are basically ready to go out of the box..replace the strings..lower the action you are good to go...
That’s not what I experienced
Do demos with less expensive amps,please.Amy in tune one sounds great through your rig!
Who's Amy?
@@TheGuitalian Any
Is that a wig?
I just checked and no